GBT22B-085

Mapping the Delivery of Material to a Planet-forming Disk - copy

Abstract

Protoplanetary disks are traditionally thought of as isolated reservoirs of building blocks for young planets. However, our recent ALMA CO observations of the GM Aur protoplanetary disk reveal spiral and stream-like structures stretching up to nearly 2000 au from the star, hinting at continuing interactions between disk and cloud. To trace how much external material is available to be transferred to GM Aur as well as GM Aur's spatial and kinematic relationship to the larger-scale structure of the surrounding cloud, we propose to use the Argus array to obtain a 3 arcminx3arcmin map in CO emission. Argus is uniquely capable of providing both the high resolution and sensitivity to extended emission that are necessary to probe size scales between disks and the well-studied sub-parsec cloud filaments. Ascertaining how disks draw planet-building material from their surroundings will clarify what processes regulate the masses and compositions of planets. This is a resubmission of GBT21B-065, which has been partially observed.

Investigators

Name	Institution
Jane Huang *	Columbia University; Harvard University
Charles Law	Virginia, University of; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Romane Le Gal	Harvard University
Richard Teague	Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Ryan Loomis	National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Dave Frayer	Green Bank Observatory
Ted Bergin	Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of
Sean Andrews	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Karin Oberg	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Jaehan Bae	Florida, University of
David Wilner	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Kamber Schwarz	Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of; Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie; Arizona, University of

* indicates the PI