DISKEVOL

Formation and evolution of planetary systems

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The goal of this research project is to obtain a global and precise view of protoplanetary disks. This DiskEvol program will tackle the complex problem of combining consistently the constraints on the gas phase of a disk, provided by the Herschel observations, with our existing studies of the dust phase. This is of particular importance as the dissipation of abundant gas remnant from star formation limits the timescale for giant planet formation, controls the dynamics of planetary bodies during their formation and determines the final architecture of the planetary system. This proposal will rely on 1) the preparation of a database of chemistry and radiative transfer models for the Herschel GASPS Key Program project. This initial work will allow 2) a detailed analysis of the GASPS program through a statistical comparison of the GASPS observations with the predictions from the grid of models. This global study, of the large sample of disks observed by GASPS, will be 3) extended and completed through finer detailed modelling of a selected sample of representative sources for which we will obtain a complete view of the dust structure and gas chemistry using simultaneous interpretation of continuum observations, resolved emission maps in low-level rotational lines of CO, in addition to follow-up observations with HIFI, a high-spectral resolution instrument onboard Herschel. DiskEvol will provide an unprecedented inventory of gas and dust in protoplanetary disks, transforming our understanding of disk evolution by addressing key questions on the timescales and main mechanisms of dust and gas evolution within disks. This project offers a unique opportunity to bring back to the LAOG the expertise in line radiative transfer gained during the initial Marie Curie Fellowship in Exeter. In addition, the long-lasting value of DiskEvol results is of exceptional importance in the era of ALMA and JWST.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Young stars are surrounded by flattened, rotating disks of cool dust and gas extending to hundreds of astronomical units. Some of these protoplanetary disks may evolve into a planetary system and EU-funded scientists sought to predict such evolution.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The 'Formation and evolution of planetary systems' (DISKEVOL) project bridged the gap between two different approaches in the study of protoplanetary disks. The first focuses on the millimetre and sub-millimetre part of the spectrum to derive information about the abundance of different gases within the disks. The focus of the second is on optical and infrared observations to study the dust particles. The individual pieces of information from the dust and gas components had never before been combined.

In this light, the DISKEVOL scientists developed some of the most powerful software codes, ProDiMo and MCFOST, to model dust and gas observations of protoplanetary disks. In particular, observations from the Herschel space observatory were modelled as coherently as possible. Herschel, a cutting-edge European space observatory, carries the largest infrared telescope ever flown in space. The brightest spectral lines from disks lie in the infrared and arise at distances up to a hundred astronomical units, where planets are expected to form.

DISKEVOL scientists employed two parallel and complementary approaches. They statistically compared the entire sample of Herschel observations from gas-rich protoplanetary disks through to gas-poor debris. In addition, sources with high-quality observational data of spectral lines and continuum spectra were selected to determine the physical and chemical conditions within disks. The signatures of the dust and gas component were then interpreted with respect to the output of theoretical simulations using varying disk parameters.

The unprecedented information obtained about protoplanetary disks were presented in 40 peer-reviewed papers published in international papers. This highlights the significance of DISKEVOL project outcomes to the scientific community. By addressing key questions on the timescales of gas and dust evolution, the DISKEVOL database has transformed our current understanding of planet formation. DISKEVOL project outcomes will prove particularly useful after the development of the cutting edge James Webb space telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array.