Studying Planet Formation by Mapping Small-scale Structures in Circumstellar Disks

行星是由曾经围绕着它们运行的恒星的圆盘中的物质形成的。 这一过程的一部分包括这种材料聚集成更大的颗粒或碎片。 有了新的阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列（阿尔马）和扬斯基甚大阵列（VLA）射电望远镜，现在有可能看到许多这些盘中行星形成的区域中的物质。 在这个项目中，研究人员将首先在其他恒星周围的圆盘中寻找不同大小和结构的尘埃团块。 然后，他们将研究不同的结构如何影响具有不同大小的尘埃碎片的分布。 最后，他们将测量尘埃如何在圆盘中相对于不同分子的气体扩散。 该项目的目标是了解不同的观测结构是否能捕获固体尘埃。 该项目通过推进我们对行星系统形成背后的科学的理解来服务于国家利益。 一名博士后学者和一名研究生将进行这项研究。 所有原始数据和经过处理的数据都将提供给科学界，该项目将利用阿尔马和甚大射电望远镜的无线电观测，通过绘制主序前恒星周围星周盘附近的小尺度结构图来研究行星的形成，这些观测将把物质很好地解析到盘的大样本的行星形成区。 这项研究有三个主要目标。 首先，量化小尺度结构在尘粒分布中的普遍性和形态。这将通过以大约0.04”的角分辨率绘制20个附近圆盘中1.3毫米尘埃连续发射图来实现。 第二，研究这些结构如何影响不同大小的尘埃颗粒的分布。 为此，将获得0.87毫米至1厘米之间的多波长观测，以探测毫米和厘米大小的尘埃颗粒的分布。 第三，测量尘埃粒子相对于分子气体的分布。 这一目标将通过绘制分子谱线发射（例如，CO）从磁盘的子结构的角分辨率可比的连续映射。 目的是了解观察到的结构是否会捕获固体尘埃颗粒，从而解决长期存在的径向迁移问题。 一名博士后学者和一名研究生将进行数据分析并发表结果。 此外，科学界将获得从该计划中获得的全套数据产品。

Planets formed from material in disks that once surrounded the stars they orbit. Part of this process includes this material clumping into larger grains or pieces. With the new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescopes, it is now possible to see material well into the zones in many of these disks where planets are forming. In this project, the investigators will look first for clumps of dust of different sizes and structures in disks around other stars. They will then study how the different structures affect the distribution of dust pieces having different sizes. Finally, they will measure how the dust pieces are spread in the disk with respect to gases of different molecules. The goal of this project is to learn whether the different observed structures trap solid dust pieces. This project serves the national interest by advancing our understanding of the science behind the formation of planetary systems. A postdoctoral scholar and a graduate student will conduct the research. All of the raw and processed data will be available to the scientific community.This project will study the formation of planets by mapping small-scale structures in nearby circumstellar disks around pre-main sequence stars, using ALMA and VLA radio observations that will resolve material well into the planet-forming zones of a large sample of disks. The research has three main goals. First, quantify the prevalence and morphology of small-scale structures in the distribution of dust particles. This will be achieved by mapping the 1.3 mm dust continuum emission in 20 nearby disks at an angular resolution of about 0.04". Second, study how these structures affect the distribution of dust grains with different sizes. To do this, multi-wavelength observations between 0.87 mm and 1 cm, which probe the distribution of mm- and cm-sized dust grains, will be acquired. Third, measure the distribution of dust particles relative to the molecular gas. This goal will be achieved by mapping the molecular line emission (e.g., CO) from disks characterized by substructures at an angular resolution comparable to that of the continuum maps. The goal is to understand if the observed structures trap solid dust particles, therefore solving the long-standing radial migration problem. A postdoctoral scholar and a graduate student will conduct the data analysis and publication of the results. Additionally, the scientific community will receive access to the full suite of data products derived from this program.