Asymmetry, Gap Opening, and a High Accretion Rate on DM Tau: A Hypothesis Based on the Interaction of Magnetized Disk Wind with Planets

Abstract

Abstract Over 200 protoplanetary disk systems have been resolved by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and the vast majority suggest the presence of planets. The dust gaps in transition disks are considered evidence of giant planets sculpting gas and dust under appropriate disk viscosity. However, the unusually high accretion rates in many T Tauri stars hosting transition disks challenge this theory. As the only disk currently observed with high turbulence, the high accretion rate (∼10−8.3 M ⊙ yr−1) observed in DM Tau indicates the presence of strong turbulence within the system. Considering the recent theoretical advancements in magnetized disk winds are challenging the traditional gap-opening theories and viscosity-driven accretion models, our study presents a pioneering simulation incorporating a simplified magnetized disk wind model to explain the observed features in DM Tau. Employing multifluid simulations with an embedded medium mass planet, we successfully replicate the gap formation and asymmetric structures evident in ALMA Band 6 and the recent Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array 7 mm observations. Our results suggest that when magnetized disk wind dominates the accretion mode of the system, it is entirely possible for a planet with a medium mass to exist within the gap inside 20 au of DM Tau. This means that DM Tau may not be as turbulent as imagined. However, viscosity within the disk should also contribute a little turbulence to maintain disk stability.