Embedded protostellar disks around (sub-)solar stars. II. Disk masses, sizes, densities, temperatures, and the planet formation perspective

Abstract

We present basic properties of protostellar disks in the embedded phase of star formation (EPSF), which is difficult to probe observationally using available observational facilities. We use numerical hydrodynamics simulations of cloud core collapse and focus on disks formed around stars in the 0.03–1.0 M_☉ mass range. Our obtained disk masses scale near-linearly with the stellar mass. The mean and median disk masses in the Class 0 and I phases (M^mean _d,C0 = 0.12 M_☉, M^mdn _d,C0 = 0.09 M_☉ and M^mean _d,CI = 0.18 M_☉, M^mdn _d,CI = 0.15 M_☉, respectively) are greater than those inferred from observations by (at least) a factor of 2–3. We demonstrate that this disagreement may (in part) be caused by the optically thick inner regions of protostellar disks, which do not contribute to millimeter dust flux. We find that disk masses and surface densities start to systematically exceed that of the minimum mass solar nebular for objects with stellar mass as low as M_∗ = 0.05–0.1 M_☉. Concurrently, disk radii start to grow beyond 100 AU, making gravitational fragmentation in the disk outer regions possible. Large disk masses, surface densities, and sizes suggest that giant planets may start forming as early as in the EPSF, either by means of core accretion (inner disk regions) or direct gravitational instability (outer disk regions), thus breaking a longstanding stereotype that the planet formation process begins in the Class II phase.