Does the gravitational fragmentation of the dust layer occur in a protoplanetary disk?

Abstract

The dust density distribution in the dust layer would reach the constant Richardson number distribution (Sekiya, 1998) due to the mixing of the turbulence caused by the shear instability. We performed the analysis of the shear instability of dust layer in a protoplanetary disk with the constant Richardson number density distribution, and revealed that this distribution is stable. The planetesimal formation due to the gravitational fragmentation of the dust layer is possible.