Theoretical models of protoplanetary disks have made significant progress in recent years, with the development of sophisticated numerical simulations that can capture the complex physical and chemical processes occurring within the disks. These simulations are based on a range of physical models, such as hydrodynamics, radiative transfer, and astrochemistry, and can provide detailed insights into the evolution of the disks and the formation of planets.
The class of models that couples the local physical conditions to the local chemistry of the system, iteratively updating both of these, are termed thermochemical models. These models rely on solving chemical rate equations depending on the local conditions of temperature, radiation flux, densities, etc. Modeling these astrochemical reactions requires extensive experiments performed under laboratory-simulated astronomical conditions and are aided by quantum chemical calculations. The various kinds of reactions that can occur in astronomical environments.
Thermochemical models play a crucial role in understanding the complex physical and chemical processes occurring in protoplanetary disks. Various thermochemical models have been developed and used to study the disk’s temperature and chemical structure. Several existing chemical models like ALCHEMIC are coupled with radiative transfer codes, such as RADMC-3D, to compute the temperature and density structure of the disk. Additionally, the 2-D axisymmetric code DALI is used to study the line emission from the disk and predict the observables. Other codes such as ProDiMo and RAC-2D are also used in the community to model the thermochemical structure of the disk. These models provide valuable insights into the physical and chemical processes occurring in the disk and help in understanding the origin and evolution of planetary systems.
Despite the numerous thermochemical models available, there is still much to be understood about the chemical processes occurring in protoplanetary disks. Future models will need to take into account the complex interplay between the physical and chemical processes occurring in these disks to better understand the formation and evolution of planets.
Molecules of Interest
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