Protostellar discs are mostly modelled as circular, approximately Keplerian, structures made of gas and dust orbiting a protostar. However, a number of physical mechanisms could in principle cause the gas and dust orbital motion to become eccentric. Theoretical studies have revealed that, when present, disc eccentricity is expected to occur with predictable profiles that can be long-lasting. Measuring the eccentricity profile of protostellar discs could reveal important information regarding events that took place during the evolution of the system, but may also be a signature of the presence of undetected planets or binary stars. In this poster, I will present the typical features characterising the kinematics and morphology of eccentric protostellar discs, I will discuss their observability and suggest how different profiles could hint at different origins of the disc eccentricity.
[Poster PDF File]