2023-10-24 04:00:13
The formation of planets has long been a mystery to scientists. A new study carried out on the disk surrounding the young protostar DG Taurus might well shed light on researchers’ understanding of the first stages of planetary formation (A planetary designates a mobile mechanical assembly, representing the solar system…).
Credit: ALMA
The disk in question, observed using ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), does not present the annular structures typically associated with the presence of planets. Observations (Observation is the action of attentively monitoring phenomena, without wanting to…) at wavelengths (A wave is the propagation of a disturbance producing a variation in its passage…) of 1.3 mm reveal a smooth and homogeneous surface, suggesting that no planet (A planet is a celestial body orbiting around the Sun or ‘another star of…) has not yet been formed. The researchers used varying wavelengths to probe the size and density of dust in the disk. According to their observations, the dust would be greater in the outer part of the disk, calling into question the idea that planet formation begins near the protostar. In the internal region of the disk, the density of the dust is approximately ten times greater than that of interstellar space, leaving suppose an accumulation of matter prefiguring the formation of planets.
According to Satoshi Ohashi, one of the study’s authors, ALMA observations are crucial to understanding the initial conditions of planet formation. Future studies will focus on other similar disks to confirm these preliminary findings.
This study, titled “Dust Enrichment and Grain Growth in a Smooth Disk around the DG Tau Protostar Revealed by ALMA Triple Bands Frequency Observations,” was published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Ohashi et al.
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