In protoplanetary disks, small mm-cm-sized pebbles drift inwards which can aid planetary growth and influence the chemical composition of their natal disks. Gaps in protoplanetary disks can hinder the effective […]
Protoplanetary Disks
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Early Stages Of Gap Opening By Planets In Protoplanetary Discs
Annular substructures in protoplanetary discs, ubiquitous in sub-mm observations, can be caused by gravitational coupling between a disc and its embedded planets.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
First Search For Forming Planets With James Webb Space Telescope
Planets form in disks of dust and gas called protoplanetary disks that whirl around a central protostar during its final assembly.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Jupiter, Saturn, Status Report
Earths Are Not Super-Earths, Saturns Are Not Jupiters: Imprints Of Pressure-bump Planet Formation On Planetary Architectures
In protoplanetary disks, sufficiently massive planets excite pressure bumps, which can then be preferred locations for forming new planet cores. We discuss how this loop may affect the architecture of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Need For Spatially Resolved Observations Of PAHs In Protoplanetary Discs
The signatures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been observed in protoplanetary discs, and their emission features obtained from spectral energy distributions (SED) have been used in the literature to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Webb Findings Support A Long-proposed Process Of Planet Formation
Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just made a breakthrough discovery in revealing how planets are made. By observing water vapor in protoplanetary disks, Webb confirmed a physical process […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
X-ray Photodesorption Of Complex Organic Molecules In Protoplanetary Disks — I. Acetonitrile CH3CN
X-rays emitted from pre-main-sequence stars at the center of protoplanetary disks can induce nonthermal desorption from interstellar ices populating the cold regions. This X-ray photodesorption needs to be quantified for […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
SPY-NACO Imaging Survey for Planets around Young stars. The Demographics of Forming Planets Embedded in Protoplanetary Disks
We present the statistical analysis of a subsample of 45 young stars surrounded by protoplanetary disks (PPDs). This is the largest imaging survey uniquely focused on PPDs to date.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Volatiles in Protoplanetary Disks
Volatiles are compounds with low sublimation temperatures, and they make up most of the condensible mass in typical planet-forming environments. They consist of relatively small, often hydrogenated, molecules based on […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Water in Protoplanetary Disks: Deuteration and Turbulent Mixing
We investigate water and deuterated water chemistry in turbulent protoplanetary disks. Chemical rate equations are solved with the diffusion term, mimicking turbulent mixing in vertical direction. Water near the midplane […]