Hydrodynamic ablation of protoplanetary discs via supernovae

We present three-dimensional simulations of a protoplanetary disc subject to the effect of a nearby (0.3 pc distant) supernova (SN), using a time-dependent flow from a one-dimensional numerical model of the supernova remnant (SNR), in addition to constant peak ram pressure simulations. Simulations are performed for a variety of disc masses and inclination angles. We find disc mass-loss rates that are typically 10−7–10−6 M yr−1 (but they peak near 10−5 M yr−1 during the ‘instantaneous’ stripping phase) and are sustained for around 200 yr. Inclination angle has little effect on the mass-loss unless the disc is close to edge-on. Inclined discs also strip asymmetrically with the trailing edge ablating more easily. Since the interaction lasts less than one outer rotation period, there is not enough time for the disc to restore its symmetry, leaving the disc asymmetrical after the flow has passed. Of the low-mass discs considered, only the edge-on disc is able to survive interaction with the SNR (with 50 per cent of its initial mass remaining). At the end of the simulations, discs that survive contain fractional masses of SN material up to 5 × 10−6. This is too low to explain the abundance of short-lived radionuclides in the early Solar system, but a larger disc and the inclusion of radiative cooling might allow the disc to capture a higher fraction of SN material.