Related papers: Stellar disk destruction by dynamical interactions…
We present the results of a submillimeter interferometric survey of circumstellar disks in the Trapezium Cluster of Orion. We observed the 880 micron continuum emission from 55 disks using the Submillimeter Array, and detected 28 disks…
The stellar cluster environment is expected to play a central role in the evolution of circumstellar disks. We use thermochemical modeling to constrain the dust and gas masses, disk sizes, UV and X-ray radiation fields, viewing geometries,…
Most massive stars are found in the center of dense clusters, and have a companion fraction much higher than their lower mass siblings; the massive stars of the Trapezium core in Orion have ~ 1.5 companions each. This high multiplicity…
The impact of stellar multiplicity on the evolution of planet-forming disks is still the subject of debate. Here we present and analyze disk structures around ten multiple stellar systems that were included in an unbiased, high spatial…
Stars and planets form in regions of enhanced stellar density, subjecting protoplanetary discs to gravitational perturbations from neighbouring stars. Observations in the Taurus star-forming have uncovered evidence of at least three recent,…
It is still on open question to what degree the cluster environment influences the sizes of protoplanetary discs surrounding young stars. Particularly so for the short-lived clusters typical for the solar neighbourhood in which the stellar…
Circumstellar discs are the precursors of planetary systems and develop shortly after their host star has formed. In their early stages these discs are immersed in an environment rich in gas and neighbouring stars, which can be hostile for…
Numerous protoplanetary discs show distinct spiral arms features. While possibly caused by a range of processes, detailed pattern analysis points at close stellar flybys as cause for some of them. Surprisingly, these discs reside in young…
One mechanism for the external destruction of protoplanetary discs in young dense clusters is tidal disruption during the flyby of another cluster member. The degree of mass loss in such an encounter depends, among other parameters, on the…
The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is the nearest dense star-forming region at $\sim$400 pc away, making it an ideal target to study the impact of high stellar density and proximity to massive stars (the Trapezium) on protoplanetary disk…
Most stars do not form in isolation, but as part of a star cluster or association. These young stars are initially surrounded by protoplanetary discs. In these cluster environments tidal interactions with other cluster members can alter the…
Gravitational interactions in very young high-density stellar clusters can to some degree change the angular momentum in the circumstellar discs surrounding initially the majority of stars. However, for most stars the cluster environment…
We numerically investigate orbital evolution of star clusters (SCs) under the influence of dynamical friction by field stars of their host disk galaxies embedded in dark matter halos. We find that SCs with masses larger than 2 * 10^5 M_sun…
This paper studies the dynamical evolution of young stellar clusters with $N$ = 100 - 1000 members. We use N-body simulations to explore how evolution depends on system size $N$ and the initial conditions. Motivated by recent observations…
We investigate the structure of our Galaxy's young stellar disc by fitting the distribution functions (DFs) of a new family to five-dimensional Gaia data for a sample of $47\,000$ OB stars. Tests of the fitting procedure show that the young…
It is expected that an average protostar will undergo at least one impulsive interaction with a neighbouring protostar whilst a large fraction of its mass is still in a massive, extended disc. Such interactions must have a significant…
A debris disk is a constituent of any planetary system surrounding a main sequence star. We study whether close stellar encounters can disrupt and strip a debris disk of its planetesimals in the expanding open cluster of its birth with a…
We examine the properties of embedded clusters within 1 kiloparsec using new data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as recent results from 2MASS and other ground-based near-infrared surveys. We use surveys of entire molecular clouds…
Stellar flybys in star clusters may perturb the evolution of young planetary systems in terms of disk truncation, planetary migration and planetary mass accretion. We investigate the feedback of a young planetary system during a single…
Most stars are born in the crowded environments of gradually forming star clusters. Dynamical interactions between close-passing stars and the evolving UV radiation fields from proximate massive stars are expected to sculpt the…