RUI: Vertical Structure of Gas and Dust in Debris Disks

碎片盘是围绕主恒星运行的尘埃和气体带，类似于我们太阳系的柯伊伯带。尘埃和至少部分气体是通过岩石天体之间的碰撞产生的，这些岩石天体的大小从微小的沙粒到冥王星的规模。这个项目将描述无线电波长下碎片盘的垂直结构，测量它们是膨大的(像甜甜圈一样)还是扁平的(像煎饼一样)，以帮助我们了解行星系统是如何进化的。垂直结构可以告诉我们，像天王星和海王星这样的行星在其他恒星周围是多么常见。它还可以告诉我们类似海王星的行星通过尘埃盘移动的频率，它还可以提供线索，了解在行星系统演化的最后阶段存在的气体的数量和类型。在新冠肺炎大流行中断后，范·弗莱克天文台的公共外联计划将重新焕发活力。研究和公众推广部分都将允许学生深入参与卫斯理大学现有的硕士和附属暑期研究项目，这些项目明确旨在吸引具有非传统背景的学生参与研究天文学。研究人员和她的学生将使用阿塔卡马大毫米/亚毫米阵列(ALMA)成像光盘，以精细地揭示气体和尘埃的分布，每个系统的垂直维度上有多个分辨率元素。这项工作是大型项目ARKS(ALMA调查以解决exoKuiper带子结构)的一部分，还包括后续项目，重点是在广泛的毫米波长范围内表征碎片盘中气体和尘埃的垂直结构。不同气体谱线之间以及多毫米波长和散射光数据之间的比较有望提供对碎片盘气体成分难以捉摸的成分的洞察，这对于理解晚期行星系统演变，包括系外行星大气的组成非常重要。为了重振范·弗莱克天文台的公众推广计划，研究生们还将接受必要的技能培训，以便与对科学感兴趣的不同公众进行富有成效的接触。一名专职的媒体实习生将提高公众对公共项目的认识，并重建与周围社区持续沟通的基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Debris disks are belts of dust and gas that orbit a host star, similar to the Kuiper Belt in our own solar system. The dust, and at least some of the gas, is generated through collisions between rocky bodies that range in size from tiny grains of sand to the scale of Pluto. This project will characterize the vertical structure of debris disks at radio wavelengths, measuring whether they are puffy (like a donut) or flat (like a pancake), to help us understand how planetary systems evolve. The vertical structure can tell us how common planets like Uranus and Neptune are around other stars. It can also tell us about how often Neptune-like planets migrate through their dusty disks, and it can provide clues to the amount and type of gas that is present during the last stages of planetary system evolution. Van Vleck Observatory’s public outreach program will be reinvigorated after the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic. Both the research and public outreach components will allow deep involvement from students in Wesleyan’s existing masters and affiliated summer research programs, which are explicitly targeted at drawing students with non-traditional backgrounds into research astronomy.The investigator and her students will use the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to image disks to reveal the distribution of gas and dust in fine detail, with multiple resolution elements across the vertical dimension of each system. The work is part of the large program ARKS (the ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures), and also includes follow-up programs with a focus on characterizing the vertical structure of gas and dust in debris disks across a wide range of millimeter wavelengths. Comparisons between different gas spectral lines and between multiple millimeter wavelengths and scattered light data promise to provide insight into the elusive composition of the gas component of the debris disks, which is important for understanding late-stage planetary system evolution, including the composition of exoplanet atmospheres. In order to reinvigorate the Van Vleck Observatory’s public outreach program, research students will also be trained in the skills necessary to productively engage with a diverse science-interested public. A dedicated media intern will raise awareness of public programs and rebuild a base of sustained communication with the surrounding community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.