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Radial Transport of Large-Scale Magnetic Fields in Accretion Disks. I. Steady Solutions and an Upper Limit on the Vertical Field Strength

Large-scale magnetic fields are key ingredients of magnetically driven disk accretion. We study how large-scale poloidal fields evolve in accretion disks, with the primary aim of quantifying the viability of magnetic accretion mechanisms in protoplanetary disks. We employ a kinematic mean-field model for poloidal field transport and focus on steady states where inward advection of a field balances with outward diffusion due to effective resistivities. We analytically derive the steady-state radial distribution of poloidal fields in highly conducting accretion disks. The analytic solution reveals an upper limit on the strength of large-scale vertical fields attainable in steady states. Any excess poloidal field will be diffused away within a finite time, and we demonstrate this with time-dependent numerical calculations of the mean-field equations. We apply this upper limit to large-scale vertical fields threading protoplanetary disks. We find that the maximum attainable strength is about 0.1 G at 1 AU, and about 1 mG at 10 AU from the central star. When combined with recent magnetic accretion models, the maximum field strength translates into the maximum steady-state accretion rate of $\sim 10^{-7} M_\odot {\rm yr}^{-1}$, in agreement with observations. We also find that the maximum field strength is ~ 1 kG at the surface of the central star provided that the disk extends down to the stellar surface. This implies that any excess stellar poloidal field of strength >~ kG can be transported to the surrounding disk. This might in part resolve the magnetic flux problem in star formation.