A physical picture for the acoustic resonant drag instability

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Magnan, Nathan, Heinemann, Tobias, Latter, Henrik N.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
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author Magnan, Nathan
Heinemann, Tobias
Latter, Henrik N.
author_facet Magnan, Nathan
Heinemann, Tobias
Latter, Henrik N.
contents Mixtures of gas and dust are pervasive in the universe, from AGN and molecular clouds to proto-planetary discs. When the two species drift relative to each other, a large class of instabilities can arise, called resonant drag instabilities (RDIs). The most famous RDI is the streaming instability, which plays an important role in planet formation. On the other hand, acoustic RDIs, the simplest kind, feature in the winds of cool stars, AGN, or starburst regions. Unfortunately, owing to the complicated dynamics of two coupled fluids (gas and dust), the underlying physics of most RDIs is mysterious. In this paper, we develop a clear physical picture of how the acoustic RDI arises and support this explanation with transparent mathematics. We find that the acoustic RDI is built on two coupled mechanisms. In the first, the converging flows of a sound wave concentrate dust. In the second, a drifting dust clump excites sound waves. These processes feed into each other at resonance, thereby closing an unstable feedback loop. This physical picture helps decide where and when RDIs are most likely to happen, and what can suppress them. Additionally, we find that the acoustic RDI remains strong far from resonance. This second result suggests that one can simulate RDIs without having to fine-tune the dimensions of the numerical domain.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_03783
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A physical picture for the acoustic resonant drag instability
Magnan, Nathan
Heinemann, Tobias
Latter, Henrik N.
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Fluid Dynamics
Mixtures of gas and dust are pervasive in the universe, from AGN and molecular clouds to proto-planetary discs. When the two species drift relative to each other, a large class of instabilities can arise, called resonant drag instabilities (RDIs). The most famous RDI is the streaming instability, which plays an important role in planet formation. On the other hand, acoustic RDIs, the simplest kind, feature in the winds of cool stars, AGN, or starburst regions. Unfortunately, owing to the complicated dynamics of two coupled fluids (gas and dust), the underlying physics of most RDIs is mysterious. In this paper, we develop a clear physical picture of how the acoustic RDI arises and support this explanation with transparent mathematics. We find that the acoustic RDI is built on two coupled mechanisms. In the first, the converging flows of a sound wave concentrate dust. In the second, a drifting dust clump excites sound waves. These processes feed into each other at resonance, thereby closing an unstable feedback loop. This physical picture helps decide where and when RDIs are most likely to happen, and what can suppress them. Additionally, we find that the acoustic RDI remains strong far from resonance. This second result suggests that one can simulate RDIs without having to fine-tune the dimensions of the numerical domain.
title A physical picture for the acoustic resonant drag instability
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.03783