The Empirical and Radiative Transfer Hybrid (EaRTH) Disk Model: Merging Analyses of Protoplanetary Dust Disk Mineralogy and Structure
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Our understanding of how exoplanets form and evolve relies on analyses of both the mineralogy of protoplanetary disks and their detailed structures; however, these key complementary aspects of disks are usually studied separately. We present initial results from a hybrid model that combines the empirical characterization of the mineralogy of a disk, as determined from its mid-infrared spectral features, with the MCFOST radiative transfer disk model, a combination we call the Empirical and Radiative Transfer Hybrid (EaRTH) Disk Model. With the results of the mineralogy detection serving as input to the radiative transfer model, we generate mid-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that reflect both the mineralogical and structural parameters of the corresponding disk. Initial fits of the SED output by the resulting integrated model of Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared spectra of the protoplanetary disk orbiting the nearby T Tauri star MP Mus demonstrate the potential advantages of this approach by revealing details like the dominance of micron-sized olivine and micron-sized forsterite in this dusty disk. The simultaneous insight into disk composition and structure provided by the EaRTH Disk methodology should be directly applicable to the interpretation of mid-infrared spectra of protoplanetary disks that will be produced by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Institutions: Rochester Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt University, Monash University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vassar College, Universidad Andrés Bello, Millenium Nucleus for Planet Formation, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Vanderbilt University, California Institute of Technology, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, European Space Agency, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Institutes of Natural Sciences
OpenAlex ID: W4400978201