Related papers: Evidence for a Cosmic Ray Gradient in the IM Lup P…
The spatial distribution of gas and solids in protoplanetary disks determines the composition and formation efficiency of planetary systems. A number of disks show starkly different distributions for the gas and small grains compared to…
We present an observational and theoretical study of the primary ionizing agents (cosmic rays and X-rays) in the TW Hya protoplanetary disk. We use a set of resolved and unresolved observations of molecular ions and other molecular species,…
Surveys of protoplanetary disks in star-forming regions of similar age revealed significant variations in average disk mass between some regions. For instance, disks in the Orion Nebular Cluster (ONC) and Corona Australis (CrA) are on…
Dust evolution in protoplanetary disks from small dust grains to pebbles is key to the planet formation process. The gas in protoplanetary disks should influence the vertical distribution of small dust grains ($\sim$1 $\mu m$) in the…
While planets in the solar system only have a low inclination with respect to the ecliptic there is mounting evidence that in extrasolar systems the inclination can be very high, at least for close-in planets. One process to alter the…
Constraining turbulence in disks is key towards understanding their evolution through the transport of angular momentum. Until now measurements of high turbulence have remained elusive and methods for estimating turbulence relay mostly on…
Based on the interstellar CO/H2 ratio, carbon monoxide-based censuses of protoplanetary disks in Lupus, sigma Orionis, and Chamaeleon I found no disks more massive than the minimum-mass solar nebula, which is inconsistent with the existence…
Context. Time dependent gas-grain chemistry can help us understand the layered structure of species deposited onto the surface of grains during the lifetime of a protoplanetary disk. The history of trapping important quantities of carbon-…
The evolution of planet-forming disks and the processes of planet formation influence each other, and both of them are possibly impacted by the local environment. Extensive high-resolution imagery of disks across space and time is the best…
In the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC), protoplanetary disks exhibit ionized gas clouds in the form of a striking teardrop shape as massive stars irradiate the disk material. We present the first spatially and spectrally resolved observations of…
We present simple analytic solutions for the ionization rate $\zeta_{\rm{SLR}}$ arising from the decay of short-lived radionuclides (SLRs) within protoplanetary disks. We solve the radiative transfer problem for the decay products within…
Accurate measurements of the physical structure of protoplanetary discs are critical inputs for planet formation models. These constraints are traditionally established via complex modelling of continuum and line observations. Instead, we…
The radial transport, or drift, of dust has taken a critical role in giant planet formation theory. However, it has been challenging to identify dust drift pile ups in the hard-to-observe inner disk. We find that the IM Lup disk shows…
We carry out three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations to study planet-disc interactions for inclined high mass planets, focusing on the disc's secular evolution induced by the planet. We find that, when the planet is massive enough and…
(Abridged) Cosmic rays (CRs) are thought to provide an important source of ionization in the outermost and densest regions of protoplanetary disks; however, it is unknown to what degree they are physically present. As is observed in the…
We use a 3D radiative non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation to investigate the formation and evolution of a young protostellar disc from a magnetized pre-stellar core. The simulation covers the first ${\sim}10~{\rm kyr}$ after…
Low-mass young stellar objects are powerful emitters of X-rays that can ionize and heat the disks and the young planets they harbour. The X-rays produce molecular ions that affect the chemistry of the disk atmospheres and their…
Low-energy cosmic rays ($<1$ TeV) are a pivotal source of ionisation of the interstellar medium, where they play a central role in determining the gas chemical composition and drastically influence the formation of stars and planets. Over…
The formation and earliest stages of protoplanetary discs remain poorly constrained by observations. ALMA will soon revolutionise this field. Therefore, it is important to provide predictions which will be valuable for the interpretation of…
In this review we re-evaluate our observational and theoretical understanding of the chemical evolution of protoplanetary disks. We discuss how improved observational capabilities have enabled the detection of numerous molecules exposing an…