Welcome!

I am Yang Ni (倪阳), a PhD candidate at Institute for Advanced Study at Tsinghua University, advised by Prof. Xuening Bai and co-advised by Prof. Hongping Deng. Since February 2026, I have been a visiting student in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, working with Prof. Jeremy Goodman. I graduated with a B.S. in Astronomy from Nanjing University (Magna Cum Laude) in 2022.

My research centers on the early-stage evolution of protoplanetary disks (PPDs), with a particular focus on the outcomes of gravitational instability (GI). Utilizing high-resolution radiative (magneto-)hydrodynamics simulations, I investigate how GI fragments form, accrue mass, develop their interior structures, and potentially evolve into gas giants. I also develop 1+1D models that follow the global evolution of PPDs from the early Class 0/I phase through the late Class II stage. Recently, I have expanded my focus to explore star formation in the outer regions of active galactic nucleus (AGN) disks using radiative hydrodynamics. Beyond accretion disks, I study the star formation and life cycle of giant molecular clouds in galaxy-scale simulations. Methodologically, I work extensively with the GIZMO code, having contributed to the development of the M1 radiative-transfer module.

My research interests include:

Research

Highlights of my recent research. For the full list of papers see Publications below.

Radiation Hydrodynamics of Self-gravitating Protoplanetary Disks I. Direct Formation of Gas Giants via Disk Fragmentation

Y. Ni, H. Deng, X. Bai

ApJ, 995, 96 (2025)

We conduct a suite of global three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations of self-gravitating PPDs using the meshless finite-mass (MFM) method. By implementing radiation transport via the M1 closure and systematically varying disk mass and opacity, we show that increasing disk mass and lowering opacity promote fragmentation by enhancing radiative cooling. Non-fragmenting disks settle into a gravito-turbulent state with low-order spiral structures and effective angular momentum transport characterized by $\alpha \sim \beta_\mathrm{cool}^{-1}$. In fragmenting disks, a subset of gravitationally bound clumps survives as long-lived fragments. Their initial masses form a consistent distribution around $\Sigma \cdot \lambda_\mathrm{T} \cdot 2\,(c_s/\Omega_\mathrm{K})$ (with $\lambda_\mathrm{T}$ the Toomre wavelength), corresponding to $\sim 0.3 - 10\,M_\mathrm{J}$ in our simulations, consistent with being gas giants. These results demonstrate that GI can produce planet-mass fragments under more realistic conditions, reinforcing it as a viable gas giant formation pathway and motivating further studies of fragment evolution and observational signatures.

The Life Cycle of the Giant Molecular Clouds in Simulated Milky Way-mass Galaxies

Y. Ni, H. Li, M. Vogelsberger, F. Marinacci, L. Sales, P. Torrey

A&A, 699, A282 (2025)

We identify and follow individual giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in high-resolution simulations of Milky-Way-mass galaxies, constructing cloud-evolution trees that capture full cloud life cycles from formation through disruption. Our analysis reveals that GMCs undergo dynamic evolution, characterized by continuous gas accretion, gravitational collapse, and star formation, followed by disruption due to stellar feedback. The accretion process sustains the gas content throughout most of the GMC life cycles, resulting in a positive correlation between GMC lifetimes and their maximum masses. The GMC lifetimes range from a few to several tens of Myr, with two distinct dynamical modes: (1) GMCs near the galactic center experience strong tidal disturbances, prolonging their lifetimes when they remain marginally unbound; (2) those in the outer regions are less affected by tides, remain gravitationally bound, and evolve more rapidly. In all model variations, we observe that GMC-scale SFE correlates with the baryonic surface density of GMCs, consistent with previous studies of isolated GMCs. Additionally, we emphasize the critical role of galactic shear in regulating GMC-scale star formation and refine the correlation between local SFE and surface density by including its effects. These findings demonstrate how stellar feedback and galactic-scale dynamics jointly shape GMC-scale star formation in realistic galactic environments.

Publications

Full bibliography on NASA ADS and ORCID.

First-author

  1. Y. Ni, H. Deng, X. Bai, Radiation Hydrodynamics of Self-gravitating Protoplanetary Disks I. Direct Formation of Gas Giants via Disk Fragmentation, ApJ 995, 96 (2025). ADS · arXiv · DOI
  2. Y. Ni, H. Li, M. Vogelsberger, F. Marinacci, L. Sales, P. Torrey, The Life Cycle of the Giant Molecular Clouds in Simulated Milky Way-mass Galaxies, A&A 699, A282 (2025). ADS · arXiv · DOI

Co-authored

  1. Y. Deng, H. Li, F. Marinacci, Y. Ni, B. Liu, A. Smith, R. Kannan, G. L. Bryan, RIGEL: Feedback regulated cloud-scale star formation efficiency in a simulated dwarf galaxy merger, A&A 704, A240 (2025). ADS · arXiv · DOI
  2. Z. Wang, X. Shen, M. Vogelsberger, H. Li, R. Kannan, E. Puchwein, A. Smith, J. Borrow, E. Garaldi, L. Keating, O. Zier, W. McClymont, S. Tacchella, Y. Ni, L. Hernquist, The THESAN-ZOOM project: Star formation efficiency from giant molecular clouds to galactic scale in high-redshift starbursts, MNRAS 544, 2675 (2025). ADS · arXiv
  3. X. I. Wang, X. Zheng, S. Xiao, J. Yang, Z.-K. Liu, Y.-H. Yang, J.-H. Zou, B.-B. Zhang, M. Zeng, S.-L. Xiong, H. Feng, X.-Y. Song, J. Wen, D. Xu, G.-Y. Chen, Y. Ni, Z.-J. Zhang, Y.-X. Wu, C. Cai, J. Cang, Y.-W. Deng, H. Gao, D.-F. Kong, Y. Huang, C.-K. Li, H. Li, X.-B. Li, E.-W. Liang, L. Lin, Y. Liu, X. Long, D. Lu, Q. Luo, Y.-C. Ma, Y.-Z. Meng, W.-X. Peng, R. Qiao, L.-M. Song, Y. Tian, P.-Y. Wang, P. Wang, X.-G. Wang, S. Xu, D. Yang, Y.-H. Yin, W. Zeng, Z. Zeng, T.-J. Zhang, Y. Zhang, Zhao Zhang, Zhen Zhang, GRB 210121A: A Typical Fireball Burst Detected by Two Small Missions, ApJ 922, 237 (2021). ADS · arXiv

Contact

Always happy to chat about astrophysics, coding, or potential collaborations.