Abstract Details
| Name: Mayank Narang Affiliation: Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research Conference ID: ASI2017_1101 Title : The dust composition of transitional disks Authors and Co-Authors : Mayank Narang (DAA, TIFR) Manoj Puravankara (DAA, TIFR) Abstract Type : Poster Abstract Category : Sun and the Solar System Abstract : Most young stars are surrounded by protoplanetary disks, which are thought to be the birth places of planetary systems. A small fraction (~10%) of these disks, known as transitional disks, show evidence for the presence of large inner holes or gaps within them. These large inner cavities are thought to be caused by the dynamic interactions resulting from the formation of massive, Jupiter-like planet(s) in transitional disks. We have analyzed the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra of 161 young stars in the Taurus star forming region in order to study the silicate emission feature at 10 micron from protoplanetary disks. The 10 micron silicate emission feature is an excellent diagnostic of the degree to which dust grains are processed (grain growth and crystallization) in these disks. We find that while most disks show evidence for grain growth and crystallization, transitional disks appear to have relatively unprocessed grains in them. This is surprising at first glance because transitional disks are thought to be more evolved than other disks as planetary mass bodies have already formed in them. In this contribution, we present our analysis and discuss our results and offer possible explanations for this apparent contradiction. |