Dubrovnik, Croatia
I was born and grew up in Seoul, South Korea. My journey to astronomy began in 2012 when I was admitted to Chungnam National University and chose astronomy as my major. I got Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees there before coming to the U.S in 2020. I’m now a Ph.D student at Iowa State University, Ames, IA and currently working on my research with prof. Jake Simon and his group members.
Education
- Ph.D candidate, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, Fall 2020 -
- Chungnam National University, South Korea, M.S., astronomy, 2020
- Chungnam National University, South Korea, B.S., astronomy, 2018
Research
Conditions for Planetesimal Formation by streaming instability in turbulent protoplanetary disks
My primary research explores the formation of planetesimals within protoplanetary disks. Planetesimals serve as the foundational components of fully developed planets. Despite their critical role, the precise mechanism of their formation remains one of the most significant challenges in the theory of planet formation. This project investigates the impact of turbulence on streaming instability and the subsequent formation of planetesimals. To accomplish this, I conduct three-dimensional shearing box simulations with externally forced turbulence to establish the conditions necessary for the formation of planetesimals, focusing on the size and abundance of solid objects as well as the strength of the turbulence. My findings reveal that the introduction of the forced turbulence significantly increases the required abundance of solid material for planetesimal formation through streaming instability, compared to scenarios without turbulence. This suggests that turbulence substantially complicates the process of planetesimal formation. To explore this phenomenon further, I invite you to interact with an online plot that illustrates the critical solid-to-gas density ratio (Z_{crit}) necessary for planetesimal formation, displayed against both the size of solid particles (\tau_s) and the strength of turbulence (\alpha_D) Click this link to access the interactive plot. The work has been submitted to The Astrophysical Journal and is available on arXiv.
Awards
- Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST), 2022 - 2025
- Award for Excellent Paper published in Journal of the Korean Astronomical Society, 2020
Feel free to contact me:
Email: jhlim@iastate.edu