Turbulent Linewidths in Protoplanetary Disks: Predictions from Numerical Simulations

Abstract: Sub-mm observations of protoplanetary disks now approach the acuity needed to measure the turbulent broadening of molecular lines. These measurements constrain disk angular momentum transport, and furnish evidence of the turbulent environment within which planetesimal formation takes place. We use local magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) to predict the distribution of turbulent velocities in low mass protoplanetary disks, as a function of radius and height above the mid-plane. We model both ideal MHD disks, and disks in which Ohmic dissipation results in a dead zone of suppressed turbulence near the mid-plane. Under ideal conditions, the disk mid-plane is characterized by a velocity distribution that peaks near v \simeq 0.1cs (where cs is the local sound speed), while supersonic velocities are reached at z > 3H (where H is the pressure scale height). Residual velocities of v \approx 0.01cs persist near the mid-plane in dead zones, while the surface layers remain active. Anisotropic variation of the linewidth with disk inclination is modest. We compare our MHD results to hydrodynamic simulations in which large-scale forcing is used to initiate similar turbulent velocities. We show that the qualitative trend of increasing v with height, seen in the MHD case, persists for forced turbulence and is likely a generic property of disk turbulence. Percent level determinations of v at different heights within the disk, or spatially resolved observations that probe the inner disk containing the dead zone region, are therefore needed to test whether the MRI is responsible for protoplanetary disk turbulence.