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Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Ionization as a Tracer of Gas Flows Through Protoplanetary Disk Gaps by Maaskant, K. M.; Min, M.; Waters, L. B. F. M.; Tielens, A. G. G. M. is a scholarly article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Ionization as a Tracer of Gas Flows Through Protoplanetary Disk Gaps about?

Planet-forming disks of gas and dust around young stars contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We aim to characterize how the charge state of PAHs can be used as a probe of flows of gas through protoplanetary gaps. In this context, our goal is to understand the PAH spectra of four transitional disks. In addition, we want to explain the observed correlation between PAH ionization (traced by the 6.2/11.3 feature ratio) and the disk mass (traced by the 1.3 mm luminosity). We implement a model to calculate the charge state of PAHs in the radiative transfer code MCMax. The emission spectra and ionization balance are calculated. A benchmark modeling grid is presented that shows how PAH ionization and luminosity behave as a function of star and disk properties. The PAH ionization is most sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the electron density. In optically thick disks, where the UV field is low and the electron density is high, PAHs are predominantly neutral. Ionized PAHs trace low-density optically thin disk regions where the UV field is high and the electron density is low. Such regions are characteristic of gas flows through the gaps of transitional disks. We demonst

Author

Maaskant, K. M.; Min, M.; Waters, L. B. F. M.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

Published

2014

Language

EN