Astrophysical disks

Astrophysical disks are rotationally-supported disks of gas and dust. They are found in a range of astrophysical objects, from small protoplanetary systems and accreting X-ray binaries, to massive disks surrounding actively accreting supermassive black holes in the centre of galaxies. They emit electromagnetic radiation at a range of wavelengths depending on their specific interactions with their parent bodies and surroundings.

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  • Research |

    N-body simulations show that the Earth might have accreted stochastically from various precursor bodies with different compositions depending on their formation temperature. This scenario fits the elemental isotope composition of the bulk Earth and suggests the presence of a radial gradient in the composition of the protoplanetary disk.

    • Paolo A. Sossi
    • , Ingo L. Stotz
    •  & Hugh St. C. O’Neill
    Nature Astronomy 6, 951-960

  • Research |

    Harnessing the resolving power of space very long baseline interferometry results in a link between 22 GHz H2O MegaMaser emission and accretion activity in the thin disc around the nucleus of galaxy NGC 4258. The emission regions appear consistent with a periodic magneto-rotational instability in the disc.

    • Willem A. Baan
    • , Tao An
    •  & Andrej Sobolev
    Nature Astronomy 6, 976-983

  • Research |

    Binarity and multiplicity in general strongly affect the properties of emerging stars, as well as the physical and chemical structures of protoplanetary disks and therefore potentially any emerging planetary systems.

    • Jes K. Jørgensen
    • , Rajika L. Kuruwita
    •  & Edwin A. Bergin
    Nature 606, 272-275

  • Research |

    The identification and characterization of rapid bursts in three accreting white dwarfs have shown that magnetically confined thermonuclear runaways resembling type-I X-ray bursts may occur in the surface layers of white dwarf atmospheres.

    • S. Scaringi
    • , P. J. Groot
    •  & F. X. Timmes
    Nature 604, 447-450
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