Characterization of protostellar-disk density profiles

Characterize whether the radial density profiles of protostellar disks formed in the ideal-MHD, non-ideal-MHD, and protostellar-jet-feedback simulations can be represented by a power law of the form \(\rho(r) \propto r^{a}\).

Background

The simulations construct radial density profiles for protostellar disks formed under ideal MHD, non-ideal MHD, and optional sub-grid protostellar jet feedback. These profiles exhibit peaks and valleys associated with structures such as spiral arms, rather than smooth monotonic behavior. The authors therefore leave unresolved whether a single power-law relation can meaningfully characterize the radial density structure of these disks.

References

It is not clear whether a power-law of the form \rho(r) \propto r{a} can be used to characterize the density profile of the disks, owing to the the presence of density structures (such as spirals), observed as peaks and valleys in the density profiles.

— Non-ideal MHD and protostellar feedback effects on disc formation and evolution in numerical simulations of star cluster formation  (2608.19518 - Filippova et al., 20 Aug 2026) in Section 3.5.2, “Disk radial profiles”