SpS1-Dust and gas clearing in transitional disks

Extract

Understanding how disks dissipate is essential to studies of planet formation. Infrared observations of young stars demonstrate that optically-thick circumstellar disks disappear from around half the stars in low-mass star-forming regions by an age of 3 Myr and are almost entirely absent in 10 Myr old associations (e.g. Haisch et al., 2001). Accretion ceases on the same approximate timescale (e.g. Calvet et al. 2005). The disappearence of gas and dust - planetary building material - places stringent limits on the timescales of giant planet formation. During this crucial interval, planet(esimal)s form and the remaining disk material is accreted or dispersed. Mid-infrared spectrophotometry of protoplanetary disks has revealed a small sub-class of objects in the midst of losing their disk material. These disks have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) suggestive of large inner gaps with low dust content, often interpreted as a signature of young planets. Such objects are still rare although Spitzer surveys have significantly increased the number of known transitional objects (e.g. Brown et al. 2007, D'Alessio et al., 2005). However, spectrophotometric signatures are indirect and notoriously difficult to interpret as multiple physical scenarios can result in the same SED. Recent direct imaging from millimeter interferometry has confirmed the presence of large inner holes in transitional disks, providing additional constraints and lending confidence to current SED interpretations (Brown et al. 2008, Brown et al. 2009, Andrews et al. 2009, Isella et al., 2009).