Determining Inner-disk Chemistry

Details Determining Inner-disk Chemistry Determining Inner-disk Chemistry

Aug 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008noao.prop..267r&link_type=abstract

NOAO Proposal ID #2008B-0267

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Scientific paper

Currently, it is very difficult to study the inner regions (<10 AU) of disks near young stars. For one object with a nearly edge-on disk, Lahuis et al. (2006) used Spitzer IRS observations of molecular absorption to determine gas physical conditions, such as temperature and chemical composition, within a few AU of the star. Because of the lack of other constraints, these measurements are likely to be used as a critical benchmark for theoretical models of inner disk chemistry. The molecular absorption technique only provides information along the line of sight defined by the continuum emission and, unfortunately, Spitzer IRS has essentially no hope of spatially resolving the source. With the spatial resolution of Gemini, we can investigate the spatial distribution of the background continuum at a much finer level than with Spitzer and so better interpret molecular absorption results. In addition, comparison of high spatial resolution Gemini images with SED models will provide significantly more information regarding the disk as a whole than possible with IRS spectra. We were recently awarded Spitzer IRS Cycle 5 GO time to look for absorption in 7 edge-on disks. We propose here to image one of these disks, VV CrA, with T-Recs and NICI in order to characterize the overall structure of these disks and define the spatial extent of the continuum we are using for the Spitzer IRS absorption observations.

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