2007/07/17 by A. M. Watson, Alan M. Watson, Watson, Alan M. +7 · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Space Exploration and Technology #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0707.2608
Invited review at the Protostars and Planets V conference
arxiv created 2007/07/17 · openalex publication_date 2007/07/17 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We review recent progress in high-resolution imaging of scattered light from disks around young stellar objects. Many new disks have been discovered or imaged in scattered light, and improved instrumentation and observing techniques have led to better disk images at optical, near-infrared, and thermal-infrared wavelengths. Multi-wavelength datasets are particularly valuable, as dust particle properties have wavelength dependencies. Modeling the changes in scattered-light images with wavelength gives direct information on the dust properties. This has now been done for several different disks. The results indicate that modest grain growth has taken place in some of these systems. Scattered-light images also provide useful constraints on the disk structure, especially when combined with long-wavelength SEDs. There are tentative suggestions in some disks that the dust may have begun to settle. The next few years should see this work extended to many more disks; this will clarify our understanding of the evolution of protoplanetary dust and disks.