We present arcsecond-resolution Submillimeter Array (SMA) polarimetric observations of the 880 um continuum emission from the protoplanetary disks around two nearby stars, HD 163296 and TW Hydrae. Although previous observations and theoretical work have suggested that a 2-3% polarization fraction should be common for the millimeter continuum emission from such disks, we detect no polarized continuum emission above a 3-sigma upper limit of 7 mJy in each arcsecond-scale beam, or <1% in integrated continuum emission. We compare the SMA upper limits with the predictions from the exploratory Cho & Lazarian (2007) model of polarized emission from T Tauri disks threaded by toroidal magnetic fields, and rule out their fiducial model at the ~10-sigma level. We explore some potential causes for this discrepancy, focusing on model parameters that describe the shape, magnetic field alignment, and size distribution of grains in the disk. We also investigate related effects like the magnetic field strength and geometry, scattering off of large grains, and the efficiency of grain alignment, including recent advances in grain alignment theory, which are not considered in the fiducial model. We discuss the impact each parameter would have on the data and determine that the suppression of polarized emission plausibly arises from rounding of large grains, reduced efficiency of grain alignment with the magnetic field, and/or some degree of magnetic field tangling (perhaps due to turbulence). A poloidal magnetic field geometry could also reduce the polarization signal, particularly for a face-on viewing geometry like the TW Hya disk. The data provided here offer the most stringent limits to date on the polarized millimeter-wavelength emission from disks around young stars.
Circumstellar disks are the sites of planet formation, and the very high incidence of extrasolar planets implies that most of them actually form planetary systems. Studying the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks can thus place important constraints on the conditions, timescales, and mechanisms associated with the planet formation process. In this review, we discuss observational results from infrared and submillimeter wavelength studies. We review disk lifetimes, transition objects, disk demographics, and highlight a few remarkable results from ALMA Early Science observations. We …
We present Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 micron continuum emission from three circumstellar disks around young stars in Orion that lie several arcminutes (> 1-pc) north of the Trapezium cluster. Two of the three disks are in the binary system 253-1536. Silhouette disks 216-0939 and 253-1536a are found to be more massive than any previously observed Orion disks, with dust masses derived from their submillimeter emission of 0.045 Msun and 0.066 Msun, respectively. The existence of these massive disks reveals the disk mass distribution in Orion does extend to high masses, and that t…
We present the polarization observations toward the circumstellar disk around HD 142527 by using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at the frequency of 343 GHz. The beam size is $0.51 " \times 0.44 "$, which corresponds to the spatial resolution of $\sim$ 71 $\times$ 62 AU. The polarized intensity displays a ring-like structure with a peak located on the east side with a polarization fraction of $P= 3.26 \pm 0.02$ %, which is different from the peak of the continuum emission from the northeast region. The polarized intensity is significantly weaker at the peak of the continuum…
We present the full results of our 3-year long Submillimeter Array survey of protoplanetary disks in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We imaged 23 fields at 880 microns and 2 fields at 1330 microns, covering an area of ~6.5 arcmin^2 and containing 67 disks. We detected 42 disks with fluxes between 6-135 mJy and at rms noise levels between 0.6 to 5.3 mJy/beam. Thermal dust emission above any free-free component was measured in 40 of the 42 detections, and the inferred disk masses range from 0.003-0.07 Msolar. We find that disks located within 0.3 pc of theta^1 Ori C have a truncated mass distribution,…
Direct observations of young stellar objects are important to test established theories of planet formation. PDS 70 is one of the few cases where robust evidence favours the presence of two planetary mass companions inside the gap of the transition disk. Those planets are believed to be going through the last stages of accretion from the protoplanetary disk, a process likely mediated by a circumplanetary disk (CPD). We aim to develop a three dimensional radiative transfer model for the dust component of the PDS 70 system which reproduces the system's global features observed at two different w…
We present 870 $μ$m ALMA polarization observation toward the Class I\hspace{-.1em}I protoplanetary disk around AS 209, which has concentric, multiple gaps and rings. We successfully detect the polarized emission and find that the polarization orientations and fractions have distinct characteristics between the inner and outer regions. In the inner region, the polarization orientations are parallel to the minor axis of the disk, which is consistent with the self-scattering model. The mean polarization fraction in the region is $\sim$0.2\%, which is lower than the expected value when the grains …
We report the discovery of a dwarf protoplanetary disk around the star XZ Tau B that shows all the features of a classical transitional disk but on a much smaller scale. The disk has been imaged with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), revealing that its dust emission has a quite small radius of ~ 3.4 au and presents a central cavity of ~ 1.3 au in radius that we attribute to clearing by a compact system of orbiting (proto)planets. Given the very small radii involved, evolution is expected to be much faster in this disk (observable changes in a few months) than in classica…
In order to investigate the characteristics and influence of the magnetic field in evolved stars, we performed a follow-up investigation of our previous submillimeter analysis of the proto-planetary nebula (PPN) OH 231.8+4.2 (Sabin et al. 2014), this time at 1.3mm with the CARMA facility in polarisation mode for the purpose of a multi-scale analysis. OH 231.8+4.2 was observed at ~2.5" resolution and we detected polarised emission above the 3-sigma threshold (with a mean polarisation fraction of 3.5 %). The polarisation map indicates an overall organised magnetic field within the nebula. The ma…
We performed single point [C I] $^3$P$_1$-$^3$P$_0$ and CO J=4-3 observations toward three T Tauri stars, DM Tau, LkCa 15, and TW Hya, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 8 qualification model receiver installed on the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). Two protostars in the Taurus L1551 region, L1551 IRS 5 and HL Tau, were also observed. We successfully detected [C I] emission from the protoplanetary disk around DM Tau as well as the protostellar targets. The spectral profile of the [C I] emission from the protoplanetary disk is marginally single…
HST images of proplyds in the Orion Nebula, as well as submillimeter/radio measurements, show that the dominant O7 star Theta1 Ori C photoevaporates nearby disks around pre-main sequence stars. Theory predicts that massive stars photoevaporate disks within distances of order 0.1 pc. These findings suggest that young, OB-dominated massive H II regions are inhospitable to the survival of protoplanetary disks, and subsequently to the formation and evolution of planets. In the current work, we test this hypothesis using large samples of pre-main sequence stars in 20 massive star-forming regions se…
We present a 1.3 mm continuum survey of protoplanetary disks in the 2-3 Myr old cluster, IC348, with the Submillimeter Array. We observed 85 young stellar objects and detected 10 with 1.3 mm fluxes greater than 2 mJy. The brightest source is a young embedded protostar driving a molecular outflow. The other 9 detections are dusty disks around optically visible stars. Our millimeter flux measurements translate into total disk masses ranging from 2 to 6 Jupiter masses. Each detected disk has strong mid-infrared emission in excess of the stellar photosphere and has Halpha equivalent widths larger …
We present polarimetric observations of four Class II protoplanetary disks (DG Tau, Haro 6-13, RY Tau, and MWC 480) taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at 3 mm. The polarization morphologies observed fall into two distinct categories: azimuthal polarization (DG Tau and Haro 6-13) and polarization parallel to the disk minor axis (RY Tau and MWC 480). The mechanisms responsible for disk polarization at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths are currently under debate. In this Letter, we investigate two mechanisms capable of producing polarized dust emission in di…
We present ALMA observations of a wide binary system in Orion, with projected separation 440 AU, in which we detect submillimeter emission from the protoplanetary disks around each star. Both disks appear moderately massive and have strong line emission in CO 3-2, HCO+ 4-3, and HCN 3-2. In addition, CS 7-6 is detected in one disk. The line-to-continuum ratios are similar for the two disks in each of the lines. From the resolved velocity gradients across each disk, we constrain the masses of the central stars, and show consistency with optical-infrared spectroscopy, both indicative of a high ma…
We present arcsecond-scale Submillimeter Array observations of the CO(3-2) line emission from the disks around the young stars HD 163296 and TW Hya at a spectral resolution of 44 m/s. These observations probe below the ~100 m/s turbulent linewidth inferred from lower-resolution observations, and allow us to place constraints on the turbulent linewidth in the disk atmospheres. We reproduce the observed CO(3-2) emission using two physical models of disk structure: (1) a power-law temperature distribution with a tapered density distribution following a simple functional form for an evolving accre…
We report the detection of an excess in dust continuum emission at 233~GHz (1.3~mm in wavelength) in the protoplanetary disk around TW~Hya revealed through high-sensitivity observations at $\sim$3~au resolution with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The sensitivity of the 233~GHz image has been improved by a factor of 3 with regard to that of our previous cycle 3 observations. The overall structure is mostly axisymmetric, and there are apparent gaps at 25 and 41 au as previously reported. The most remarkable new finding is a few au-scale excess emission in the south-west…
The gas surface density profile of protoplanetary disks is one of the most fundamental physical properties to understand planet formation. However, it is challenging to determine the surface density profile observationally, because the H$_2$ emission cannot be observed in low-temperature regions. We analyzed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) archival data of the \co line toward the protoplanetary disk around TW Hya and discovered extremely broad line wings due to the pressure broadening. In conjunction with a previously reported optically thin CO isotopologue line, the pr…
Observations of deuterium fractionation in the solar system, and in interstellar and circumstellar material, are commonly used to constrain the formation environment of volatiles. Toward protoplanetary disks, this approach has been limited by the small number of detected deuterated molecules, i.e. DCO$^+$ and DCN. Based on ALMA Cycle 2 observations toward the disk around the T Tauri star AS 209, we report the first detection of N$_2$D$^+$ (J=3-2) in a protoplanetary disk. These data are used together with previous Submillimeter Array observations of N$_2$H$^+$ (J=3-2) to estimate a disk-averag…
Gravitational forces are expected to excite spiral density waves in protoplanetary disks, disks of gas and dust orbiting young stars. However, previous observations that showed spiral structure were not able to probe disk midplanes, where most of the mass is concentrated and where planet formation takes place. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array we detected a pair of trailing symmetric spiral arms in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star Elias 2-27. The arms extend to the disk outer regions and can be traced down to the midplane. These millimeter-wave observatio…
The disks that orbit young stars are the essential conduits and reservoirs of material for star and planet formation. Their structures, meaning the spatial variations of the disk physical conditions, reflect the underlying mechanisms that drive those formation processes. Observations of the solids and gas in these disks, particularly at high resolution, provide fundamental insights on their mass distributions, dynamical states, and evolutionary behaviors. Over the past decade, rapid developments in these areas have largely been driven by observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillim…
We analyzed the archival data of the continuum emission at six wavelengths from 3 to 0.4 mm and 13CO and C18O (1-0, 2-1, and 3-2) lines in the protoplanetary disk around HD 142527 obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We performed fitting to the spectral energy distributions obtained at the six wavelengths with the gray-body slab models to estimate the distributions of the dust surface density and spectral index of dust absorption coefficient beta. We also estimated the distribution of the gas column density by fitting the C18O spectra and measured the disk rotation b…
Transitional circumstellar disks around young stellar objects have a distinctive infrared deficit around 10 microns in their Spectral Energy Distributions (SED), recently measured by the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS), suggesting dust depletion in the inner regions. These disks have been confirmed to have giant central cavities by imaging of the submillimeter (sub-mm) continuum emission using the Submillimeter Array (SMA). However, the polarized near-infrared scattered light images for most objects in a systematic IRS/SMA cross sample, obtained by HiCIAO on the Subaru telescope, show no e…
The majority of the ultimate main-sequence mass of a star is assembled in the protostellar phase, where a forming star is embedded in an infalling envelope and encircled by a protoplanetary disk. Studying mass accretion in protostars is thus a key to understanding how stars gain their mass and ultimately how their disks and planets form and evolve. At this early stage, the dense envelope reprocesses most of the luminosity generated by accretion to far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. Time-domain photometry at these wavelengths is needed to probe the physics of accretion onto protostars,…
We present a sub-arcsecond resolution survey of the 340 GHz dust continuum emission from 50 nearby protoplanetary disks, based on new and archival observations with the Submillimeter Array. The observed visibility data were modeled with a simple prescription for the radial surface brightness profile. The results were used to extract intuitive, empirical estimates of the emission "size" for each disk, $R_{\rm eff}$, defined as the radius that encircles a fixed fraction of the total continuum luminosity, $L_{\rm mm}$. We find a significant correlation between the sizes and luminosities, such tha…
We present a polarimetric investigation of the protoplanetary nebula Frosty Leo performed with the Submillimeter Array. We were able to detect, in the low continuum level (peak at 14.4 mJy beam$^{-1}$), a marginal polarization at $\sim2.6σ$. The molecular line investigation based on the CO $J=3\rightarrow2$ emission shows a peak emission of 68.1 Jy beam$^{-1}$ km s$^{-1}$ and the polarization detection in this CO line is also marginal, with a peak at $\sim3.8σ$. In both cases, it was therefore not possible to use the electric vector maps (B-field) to accurately trace the magnetic field (B-fiel…
The study of dynamical processes in protoplanetary disks is essential to understand planet formation. In this context, transition disks are prime targets because they are at an advanced stage of disk clearing and may harbor direct signatures of disk evolution. In this paper, we aim to derive new constraints on the structure of the transition disk MWC 758, to detect non-axisymmetric features and understand their origin. We obtained infrared polarized intensity observations of the protoplanetary disk MWC 758 with SPHERE/VLT at 1.04 microns to resolve scattered light at a smaller inner working an…
The distributions and abundances of small organics in protoplanetary disks are potentially powerful probes of disk physics and chemistry. HNC is a common probe of dense interstellar regions and the target of this study. We use the Submillimeter Array (SMA) to observe HNC 3--2 towards the protoplanetary disks around the T Tauri star TW Hya and the Herbig Ae star HD 163296. HNC is detected toward both disks, constituting the first spatially resolved observations of HNC in disks. We also present SMA observations of HCN 3--2, and IRAM 30m observations of HCN and HNC 1--0 toward HD 163296. The disk…
The mechanisms causing millimeter-wave polarization in protoplanetary disks are under debate. To disentangle the polarization mechanisms, we observe the protoplanetary disk around HL Tau at 3.1 mm with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which had polarization detected with CARMA at 1.3 mm. We successfully detect the ring-like azimuthal polarized emission at 3.1 mm. This indicates that dust grains are aligned with the major axis being in the azimuthal direction, which is consistent with the theory of radiative alignment of elongated dust grains, where the major axis of dus…
We present the results from a Submillimeter Array survey of the 887 micron continuum emission from the protoplanetary disks around 95 young stars in the young cluster NGC 2024. Emission was detected from 22 infrared sources, with flux densities from ~5 to 330 mJy; upper limits (at 3sigma) for the other 73 sources range from 3 to 24 mJy. For standard assumptions, the corresponding disk masses range from ~0.003 to 0.2Msolar, with upper limits at 0.002--0.01Msolar. The NGC 2024 sample has a slightly more populated tail at the high end of its disk mass distribution compared to other clusters, but …
We present a high-resolution (2.5 au) multiband analysis of the protoplanetary disk around TW Hya using ALMA long baseline data at Bands 3, 4, 6, and 7. We aim to reconstruct a high-sensitivity millimeter continuum image and revisit the spectral index distribution. The imaging is performed by combining new ALMA data at Bands 4 and 6 with available archive data. Two methods are employed to reconstruct the images; multi-frequency synthesis (MFS) and the fiducial image-oriented method, where each band is imaged separately and the frequency dependence is fitted pixel by pixel. We find that the MFS…
We present high-resolution $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO 2-1 ALMA observations, as well as optical and near-infrared spectroscopy, of the highly-inclined protoplanetary disk around SSTC2D J163131.2-242627. The spectral type we derive for the source is consistent with a $\rm 1.2 \, M_{\odot}$ star inferred from the ALMA observations. Despite its massive circumstellar disk, we find little to no evidence for ongoing accretion on the star. The CO maps reveal a disk that is unusually compact along the vertical direction, consistent with its appearance in scattered light images. The gas disk extends about…
Recent observations by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of disks around young stars revealed distinct asymmetries in the dust continuum emission. In this work we want to study axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric structures, evocated by the magneto-rotational instability in the outer regions of protoplanetary disks. We combine the results of state-of-the-art numerical simulations with post-processing radiative transfer (RT) to generate synthetic maps and predictions for ALMA. We performed non-ideal global 3D MHD stratified simulations of the dead-zone outer edge using the F…
Probing disk dynamics and dust evolution through shadows in protoplanetary disks: A case study of the HD 142527 disk
Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica（中央研究院天文及天文物理研究所）；Institute of Science Tokyo（东京科学大学）；The University of Tokyo（东京大学）；Kogakuin University（工学馆大学）
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of a protoplanetary disk around the T Tauri star Sz~84 and analyses of the structures of the inner cavity in the central region of the dust disk. Sz~84's spectral energy distribution (SED) has been known to exhibit negligible infrared excess at $λ\lesssim$10~$μ$m due to the disk's cavity structure. Analyses of the observed visibilities of dust continuum at 1.3~mm and the SED indicate that the size of the cavity in the disk of large (millimeter size) dust grains is 8~au in radius and that in the disk of small (sub-micro…
Snowlines of major volatiles regulate the gas and solid C/N/O ratios in the planet-forming midplanes of protoplanetary disks. Snow surfaces are the 2D extensions of snowlines in the outer disk regions, where radiative heating results in a decreasing temperature with disk height. CO and N$_2$ are two of the most abundant carriers of C, N and O. N$_2$H$^+$ can be used to probe the snow surfaces of both molecules, because it is destroyed by CO and formed from N$_2$. Here we present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of N$_2$H$^+$ at 0.2$''$-0.4$''$ resolution in the …
We have analyzed the HCO+ (1-0) data of the Class I-II protostar, HL Tau, obtained from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array long baseline campaign. We generated the HCO+ image cube at an angular resolution of ~0.07 (~10 AU), and performed azimuthal averaging on the image cube to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and measure the radial profile of the HCO+ integrated intensity. Two gaps at radii of ~28 AU and ~69 AU and a central cavity are identified in the radial intensity profile. The inner HCO+ gap is coincident with the millimeter continuum gap at a radius of 32 AU. The outer H…
The protoplanetary disk around Ophiuchus IRS 48 shows an azimuthally asymmetric dust distribution in (sub-)millimeter observations, which is interpreted as a vortex, where millimeter/centimeter-sized particles are trapped at the location of the continuum peak. In this paper, we present 860 $μ$m ALMA observations of polarized dust emission of this disk. The polarized emission was detected toward a part of the disk. The polarization vectors are parallel to the disk minor axis, and the polarization fraction was derived to be $1-2$\%. These characteristics are consistent with models of self-scatte…
We report $\sim$3 au resolution imaging observations of the protoplanetary disk around TW Hya at 145 and 233 GHz with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. Our observations revealed two deep gaps ($\sim$25--50 \%) at 22 and 37~au and shallower gaps (a few \%) at 6, 28, and 44~au, as recently reported by Andrews et al. (2016). The central hole with a radius of $\sim3$~au was also marginally resolved. The most remarkable finding is that the spectral index $α(R)$ between bands 4 and 6 peaks at the 22~au gap. The derived power-law index of the dust opacity $β(R)$ is $\sim1.7$ at the 22…
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of molecular line emission from d216-0939, one of the largest and most massive protoplanetary disks in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We model the spectrally resolved HCO$^+$ (4--3), CO (3--2), and HCN (4--3) lines observed at 0\farcs5 resolution to fit the temperature and density structure of the disk. We also weakly detect and spectrally resolve the CS (7--6) line but do not model it. The abundances we derive for CO and HCO$^+$ are generally consistent with expected values from chemical modeling of protoplanetary di…
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we observed the young Herbig star HD 100546, host to a prominent disk with a deep, wide gap in the dust. The high-resolution 1.3 mm continuum observation reveals fine radial and azimuthal substructures in the form of a complex maze of ridges and trenches sculpting a dust ring. The $^{12}$CO(2-1) channel maps are modulated by wiggles or kinks that deviate from Keplerian kinematics particularly over the continuum ring, where deviations span 90$^\circ$ in azimuth, covering 5 km s$^{-1}$. The most pronounced wiggle resembles the imprin…
Protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars are the birth place of planets. Of particular interest are the transition disks with large inner dust cavities of tens of au, hinting at the presence of massive companions. These cavities were first recognized by a deficit in their Spectral Energy Distribution (SED), later confirmed by millimeter interferometry observations. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has truly revolutionized the field of spatially resolved imaging of protoplanetary disks in both dust and gas, providing important hints for the origin of gaps and cavities…
In this paper, we analyse the upper limit fluxes of sub-millimeter ortho-H$_{2}$$^{16}$O 321 GHz, para-H$_{2}$$^{18}$O 322 GHz, and HDO 335 GHz lines from the protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 163296, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). These water lines are considered to be the best candidate sub-millimeter lines to locate the position of the H$_{2}$O snowline, on the basis of our previous model calculations. We compare the upper limit fluxes with the values calculated by our models with dust emission included, and we constrain the line emitting regio…
We present new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations for three protoplanetary disks in Taurus at 2.9\,mm and comparisons with previous 1.3\,mm data both at an angular resolution of $\sim0.''1$ (15\,au for the distance of Taurus). In the single-ring disk DS Tau, double-ring disk GO Tau, and multiple-ring disk DL Tau, the same rings are detected at both wavelengths, with radial locations spanning from 50 to 120\,au. To quantify the dust emission morphology, the observed visibilities are modeled with a parametric prescription for the radial intensity profile. The disk o…
We present new results from a significant extension of our previous high angular resolution (0.3" = 40 AU) Submillimeter Array survey of the 880 um continuum emission from dusty circumstellar disks in the ~1 Myr-old Ophiuchus star-forming region. An expanded sample is constructed to probe disk structures that emit significantly lower millimeter luminosities (hence dust masses), down to the median value for T Tauri stars. Using a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code, the millimeter visibilities and broadband spectral energy distribution for each disk are simultaneously reproduced with a two-dime…
In this Letter we report the CO abundance relative to H2 derived toward the circumstellar disk of the T-Tauri star TW Hya from the HD (1-0) and C18O (2-1) emission lines. The HD (1-0) line was observed by the Herschel Space Observatory Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer whereas C18O (2-1) observations were carried out with the Submillimeter Array at a spatial resolution of 2.8" x 1.9" (corresponding to 142 x 97 AU). In the disk's warm molecular layer (T>20 K) we measure a disk-averaged gas-phase CO abundance relative to H2 of $χ{\rm(CO)}=(0.1-3)x10^{-5}$, substantially lower than the …
We present the results from an Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm continuum and $^{12}$CO ($J=2-1$) line survey spread over 10 square degrees in the Serpens star-forming region of 320 young stellar objects, 302 of which are likely members of Serpens (16 Class I, 35 Flat spectrum, 235 Class II, and 16 Class III). From the continuum data, we derive disk dust masses and show that they systematically decline from Class I to Flat spectrum to Class II sources. Grouped by stellar evolutionary state, the disk mass distributions are similar to other young ($<3$ Myr) regions, ind…
We present an observational and theoretical study of the primary ionizing agents (cosmic rays and X-rays) in the TW Hya protoplanetary disk. We use a set of resolved and unresolved observations of molecular ions and other molecular species, encompassing eleven lines total, in concert with a grid of disk chemistry models. The molecular ion constraints comprise new data from the Submillimeter Array on HCO$^+$, acquired at unprecedented spatial resolution, and data from the literature, including ALMA observations of N$_2$H$^+$. We vary the model incident CR flux and stellar X-ray spectra and find…
Gas mass remains one of the most difficult protoplanetary disk properties to constrain. With much of the protoplanetary disk too cold for the main gas constituent, H2, to emit, alternative tracers such as dust, CO, or the H2 isotopolog HD are used. However, relying on disk mass measurements from any single tracer requires assumptions about the tracer's abundance relative to \hh\ and the disk temperature structure. Using new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations from the Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) ALMA Large Program as well as archival ALMA ob…
