A new approach to understanding accretion discs: from planets to black holes

Start date: 1 October 2022
End date: 30 September 2027
Funder: Leverhulme Trust and Royal Academy of Engineering
Value: £350,000
Primary investigator: Dr Chris Nixon
External co-investigators: Jim Pringle (University of Cambridge), Tim Naylor (University of Exeter)

Rotating discs of gas are important in many astrophysical systems. The discs that are observed around young stars are where planets form, and those found around white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes generate spectacular luminosities and variability. It is now possible to develop sophisticated numerical models for the behaviour of these discs, but there is still much to be understood. Current models fail to explain key properties, such as temperature profiles and timescales of variability. We propose a new phenomenological approach using a combination of observations and theoretical ideas based loosely on magnetic activity seen on the solar surface.