The Evolution of Protoplanetary Disks around Millisecond Pulsars: The PSR 1257+12 System
Abstract
We model the evolution of protoplanetary disks surrounding millisecond pulsars, using PSR 1257+12 as a test case. Initial conditions were chosen to correspond to initial angular momenta expected for supernova fallback disks and disks formed from the tidal disruption of a companion star. Models were run under two models for the viscous evolution of disks: fully viscous and layered accretion disk models. Supernova fallback disks result in a distribution of solids confined to within 1-2 AU and produce the requisite material to form the three known planets surrounding PSR 1257+12. Tidal disruption disks tend to slightly underproduce solids interior to 1 AU, required for forming the pulsar planets, while overproducing the amount of solids where no body, lunar mass or greater, exists. Disks evolving under ``layered'' accretion spread somewhat less and deposit a higher column density of solids into the disk. In all cases, circumpulsar gas dissipates on <~105 yr timescales, making formation of gas giant planets highly unlikely.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1086/520327
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0705.3063
- Bibcode:
- 2007ApJ...666.1232C
- Keywords:
-
- Stars: Planetary Systems: Formation;
- Stars: Pulsars: General;
- Stars: Pulsars: Individual: Alphanumeric: PSR 1257+12;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 16 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (September 20, 2007 issue)