2019/01/23 by Jason Champion, Champion, Jason
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) #FOS: Physical sciences #Molecular Spectroscopy and Structure #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1901.07959
openalex publication_date 2019/01/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Protoplanetary disks are found around young stars, and represent the embryonic stage of planetary systems. At different phases of their evolution, disks may undergo substantial mass-loss by photoevaporation: energetic photons from the central or a nearby star heat the disk, hence particles can escape the gravitational potential and the disk loses mass. However, this mechanism, and the underlying physics regulating photoevaporation, have not been well constrained by observations so far. The aims of this thesis are to study photoevaporation, in the specific case when it is driven by far-UV photons, to identify the main physical parameters (density, temperature) and processes (gas heating and cooling mechanisms) that are involved, and to estimate its impact on the disk dynamical evolution. The study relies on coupling observations and models of disks being photoevaporated by UV photons coming from neighbouring massive star(s).