Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: High spatial resolution CO observations of midinclination (≈30°–75°) protoplanetary disks offer an opportunity to study the vertical distribution of CO emission and temperature. The asymmetry of line emission relative to the disk major axis allows for a direct mapping of the emission height above the midplane, and for optically thick, spatially resolved emission in LTE, the intensity is a measure of the local gas temperature. Our analysis of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array archival data yields CO emission surfaces, dynamically constrained stellar host masses, and disk atmosphere gas temperatures for the disks around the following: HD 142666, MY Lup, V4046 Sgr, HD 100546, GW Lup, WaOph 6, DoAr 25, Sz 91, CI Tau, and DM Tau. These sources span a wide range in stellar masses (0.50–2.10 M ⊙), ages (∼0.3–23 Myr), and CO gas radial emission extents (≈200–1000 au). This sample nearly triples the number of disks with mapped emission surfaces and confirms the wide diversity in line emitting heights (z/r ≈ 0.1 to ≳0.5) hinted at in previous studies. We compute the radial and vertical CO gas temperature distributions for each disk. A few disks show local temperature dips or enhancements, some of which correspond to dust substructures or the proposed locations of embedded planets. Several emission surfaces also show vertical substructures, which all align with rings and gaps in the millimeter dust. Combining our sample with literature sources, we find that CO line emitting heights weakly decline with stellar mass and gas temperature, which, despite large scatter, is consistent with simple scaling relations. We also observe a correlation between CO emission height and disk size, which is due to the flared structure of disks. Overall, CO emission surfaces trace ≈2–5× gas pressure scale heights (Hg) and could potentially be calibrated as empirical tracers of Hg.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Authors: Charles J. Law, Sage Crystian, Richard Teague, Karin I. Öberg, Evan A. Rich, Sean M. Andrews, Jaehan Bae, Kevin Flaherty, Viviana V. Guzmán, Jane Huang, John D. Ilee, Joel H. Kastner, Ryan A. Loomis, Feng Long, Laura M. Pérez, Sebastián Pérez, Chunhua Qi, Giovanni P. Rosotti, Dary Ruíz-Rodríguez, Takashi Tsukagoshi, David J. Wilner
Institutions: Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, University of Michigan, University of Florida, Williams College, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, University of Leeds, Rochester Institute of Technology, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Millenium Nucleus for Planet Formation, University of Chile, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Leiden University, Leiden Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
Funders: National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Simons Foundation, Space Telescope Science Institute, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Awards: G1018636423, G2313556456, G2428672771, ポリペプチドの溶液内β(ベータ)構造の研究, Investigation of detailed structures in the planet-forming region by high-resolution and high-sensitivity submillimeter observations, Collaborative Research: Pioneering planet formation chemistry with ALMA, G433322167, A Programme of Astrophysical Theory and Observations at Leeds, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), G513717520, Studying planet formation in the ALMA era, Scattered Light imaging of YSOs: Probing the Fundamental Stages of Planet Formation, G58316358, G5834573078, G6076980350, G6273510985, G6396559207, REVEALING THE DYNAMICS OF PLANET FORMATION, CHEMISTRY IN DISKS UNVEILING THE INITIAL CONDITIONS OF PLANET FORMATION, G677665370, G7010378412, Observational study on the formation process of Earth-like planets using a new imaging technique for radio interferometers, G8340311825, CENTRO DE ASTROFISICA Y TECNOLOGIAS AFINES (CATA)
OpenAlex ID: W4229039475