This thesis focuses on protoplanetary disks: flattened structures of gas and dust around young stars in which planets are expected to form and grow. Physical-chemical models that compute the... Show moreThis thesis focuses on protoplanetary disks: flattened structures of gas and dust around young stars in which planets are expected to form and grow. Physical-chemical models that compute the thermal structure and chemical composition of protoplanetary disks are compared to observations to increase our understanding of the processes that shape these disks.Chapters two and three investigate the sizes of protoplanetary disks in the context of evolution of the dust. A gas disk that is observed to be four times more extended than the dust disk is found to be a clear indication that the dust has drifted inward. Detailed modeling reveals that five out of a sample of 10 disks in the Lupus star-forming region show evidence for dust evolution. Chapter four shows that observed gas outer radii are consistent with disks evolving viscously, assuming disks start out small and evolve slowly. Chapter five reveals that the chemical conversion of CO into more complex species cannot by itself explain the low observed CO isotopolog line fluxes. Finally, Chapter six uses non-detections of the HD emission line to put an upper limit on the total mass of disks and rules out that they are currently gravitationally unstable. Show less
The work presented in this thesis is based on ALMA surveys of protoplanetary disks in three star-forming regions: Lupus, OMC-2, and NGC 2024. The motivation for this thesis is to study the... Show moreThe work presented in this thesis is based on ALMA surveys of protoplanetary disks in three star-forming regions: Lupus, OMC-2, and NGC 2024. The motivation for this thesis is to study the evolution of protoplanetary disks from the population level.The first two chapters focus on the Lupus clouds, a low-mass star-forming region. It has been the subject of a large survey with ALMA, targeting bright gas lines and the emission from millimeter-sized grains. This allows us to answer important questions on disk evolution: how common are >200 AU-sized disks with continuum substructure, and how are these substructures formed? Do compact disks observed in the continuum also correspond to compact gas disks?The chapters focusing on Orion deal with the impact of massive stars on disks. OMC-2 provides a view of a population of disks that are formed in a massive cloud, but isolated from the radiation of massive stars. They link disks that do form near these massive stars to those in low-mass YSOs. NGC 2024 also hosts massive stars, and is the youngest region surveyed; the presence of multiple populations of young stars has been suggested. ALMA allows us to independently test the complexity of this environment. Show less
To address the fundamental questions of how life on Earth emerged and how common life may be in the Universe, it is crucial to know the chemical composition of the planet-forming material. Planets... Show moreTo address the fundamental questions of how life on Earth emerged and how common life may be in the Universe, it is crucial to know the chemical composition of the planet-forming material. Planets were originally thought to form in protoplanetary disks, but studies of both disks and our Solar System show that planet formation already starts much earlier, in disks that are still embedded in cloud material. These young disks, however, are largely uncharacterised. This thesis presents a number of case studies on the physical and chemical structure of young disks, including the first temperature measurements showing that young disks are too warm for CO ice, unlike protoplanetary disks. In addition, it is shown that young disks around outbursting stars are the ideal sources to probe the the chemical complexity in planet-forming material. Show less
This thesis examines the link between simple molecules and the underlying structure and chemistry within protoplanetary disks - the birthplaces of planets. The chapters describe the analysis and... Show moreThis thesis examines the link between simple molecules and the underlying structure and chemistry within protoplanetary disks - the birthplaces of planets. The chapters describe the analysis and interpretation of data obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) interferometer, primarily in two disks around the young stars HD 163296 and HD 169142. Observations of dust and molecular gas probe the relationship between the dust structure, the gas distribution, and the chemical processes that give rise to the gaseous species. In the disk around HD 169142, substructure in the millimeter dust and carbon monoxide gas strongly suggests the presence of giant planets sweeping up disk material. Meanwhile, molecular ions reveal previously hidden structure in the gas deep within the disk beyond the millimeter dust edge. In the disk around HD 163296, carbon monoxide and the simple organic molecule formaldehyde show radial variation connected to the millimeter dust edge. The organic molecule methanol is not detected in the disk, suggesting differences in the production of formaldehyde and methanol. This thesis concludes that the distribution of simple molecules is connected to the dust size distribution in disks, while more complex molecules remain elusive but can still provide constraints on disk chemistry. Show less
My work focuses on a class of astronomical objects called protoplanetary disks. These flattened structures rotating around young stars are made of gas and dust and are the places where planets,... Show moreMy work focuses on a class of astronomical objects called protoplanetary disks. These flattened structures rotating around young stars are made of gas and dust and are the places where planets, like our own Earth, are formed. One of the main properties needed to explain the process of planet formation is the mass of protoplanetary disks. There is however not yet a consensus on how such masses can be reliably measured from disk observations. In this thesis, I investigate weather less abundant isotopologues of carbon monoxide (CO) are good candidates for tracing disk masses. Initially I tackle the problem from a theoretical point of view by running a grid of physical-chemical disk models. Subsequently I compare my model predictions with recently acquired observations of protoplanetary disks in the Lupus star-forming region. The conclusion of my work is that CO isotopologues are good disk mass tracers, but they need to be calibrated. Observations of other molecules like hydrogen deuteride (HD), atomic carbon and hydrocarbons can serve this cause. Show less
To study how planetary systems come into existence we study much younger systems still in formation. Gas and dust rich disks surrounding young stars are thought to be the precursors of... Show moreTo study how planetary systems come into existence we study much younger systems still in formation. Gas and dust rich disks surrounding young stars are thought to be the precursors of planetary systems and therefore known as protoplanetary disks. In this thesis, I study large-scale structures in protoplanetary disks through high-contrast imaging of the scattering surfaces of these disks; and I calibrated two high-contrast imagers. To observe these disks at optical wavelengths, we need to take into account that the central star is much brighter than the (star)light reflected by the disk surface: i.e., high contrast between star and disk. Additionally, light coming from the star & disk is disturbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, specialized high-contrast imaging instruments are required to correct for atmospheric disturbance of the stellar light in order to allow the highest possible spatial resolution and contrast between the star and its nearby surroundings. Improving our understanding of these high-contrast imagers will allow for a better interpretation of the data recorded with these instruments, while the interpretation of disk structures detected at high spatial resolution forms a crucial step in our understanding of the general principles that govern disk evolution and planet formation. Show less
Planets are formed in disks of gas and dust around young stars. These planet-forming disks undergo several physical and chemical processes that can lead to planetary systems like our own. This... Show morePlanets are formed in disks of gas and dust around young stars. These planet-forming disks undergo several physical and chemical processes that can lead to planetary systems like our own. This thesis uses data of two well known planet-forming disks around TW Hya and HD 163296 taken with the Atacama Large (sub)Milimeter Array (ALMA) and the Herschel Space Telescope to study the spatial distribution of their dust and gas content. In particular, we aim to constrain the spatial distribution of the main oxygen- and nitrogen-bearing species in planet-forming disks and to explore the relationship between their physical features and the formation and chemistry of common molecular species. By analysing water and ammonia emission form the disk around TW Hya, we conclude that the location of oxygen- and nitrogen-bearing volatiles in planet-forming disks are set by grain evolution, in particular radial drift. In addition, we conclude that the spatial location of temperature-sensitive species trace substructures in the temperature profile of protoplanetary disks and therefore (indirectly) the impact of dust evolution process on its morphology. Show less
This thesis is centered around the embedded phase of star formation and the chemical links between the various stages of evolution. The primary goal of this work is to pinpoint the origins... Show more This thesis is centered around the embedded phase of star formation and the chemical links between the various stages of evolution. The primary goal of this work is to pinpoint the origins of cometary complex organic molecules in the preceding protoplanetary disk and prestellar stages, both in the gas and solid phases. The grand motivation is to identify our interstellar roots. This work is unique in comparison to earlier publications due to the dynamic nature of the models used in combination with the large comprehensive chemical network. Three chapters in this book pertain to physicochemical models and an additional one is of observational nature. Altogether, this thesis is an attempt to piece together the chemical connection between the prestellar core, the protoplanetary disk and the protoplanetary and cometary materials. The main take-home message is that the seeding of infant Solar System building blocks with complex organic molecules is unavoidable as a result of chemistry during protoplanetary disk assembly. Show less
This thesis discusses the structure of gas and dust in protoplanetary disks around young stars, in which the planets are formed, using ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array)... Show moreThis thesis discusses the structure of gas and dust in protoplanetary disks around young stars, in which the planets are formed, using ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) observations. Primary targets of this study are the so-called 'transition disks', with a central cavity in the dust disk. A possible explanation for the presence of this cavity is the recent formation of a young planet which has cleared its own orbit. ALMA can for the first time zoom in onto the structure of both gas and dust and answer this question. The thesis presents the first ALMA observations of cold molecular gas and dust in transition disks. These data show that millimeter-dust grains are concentrated in a 'dust trap', allowing the dust particles to grow to larger sizes, an important step in the planet formation process. Also, it turns out that gas is still present in the dust cavity of the disks in this study, its structure points indeed towards the planet clearing mechanism. These discoveries form a giant leap in our understanding of planet formation. In the coming years, ALMA will be completed and allow us to see even smaller details in these disks, possibly even the planets itself. Show less
This thesis presents new insights of protoplanetary disk evolution. It focuses on the characterisation of several elements in the earliest phases of planet formation in protoplanetary disks: the... Show moreThis thesis presents new insights of protoplanetary disk evolution. It focuses on the characterisation of several elements in the earliest phases of planet formation in protoplanetary disks: the connection between the SED and disk gaps (Chapters 2, 3 and 4), PAHs in the gas flows in disk gaps (Chapter 5) and dust processing of forsterite in evolving protoplanetary disks (Chapter 6). Show less
The different chapters cover studies in which the physical structures of the gas such as temperature, densities and movements of the gas are estimated. In addition chemical characteristics of the... Show moreThe different chapters cover studies in which the physical structures of the gas such as temperature, densities and movements of the gas are estimated. In addition chemical characteristics of the gas such as different molecular abundances and their spatial distribution are defined. This information is discussed in the context of how the chemical evolution of the gas in the planet-forming region progress and how this affects which type of planets that can form there. The results are mainly based on infrared observations and radiative transfer disk models. Show less
This thesis focuses on the interplay of the young star and its protoplanetary disk, on the evolution of the dust particles that make up the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star, and thus... Show moreThis thesis focuses on the interplay of the young star and its protoplanetary disk, on the evolution of the dust particles that make up the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star, and thus on the very first stage of the formation of planets like those that compose our own Solar system. Show less
Star formation occurs when a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust gravitationally collapses. Rotation during this collapse leads naturally to the formation of a flattened circumstellar disk... Show moreStar formation occurs when a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust gravitationally collapses. Rotation during this collapse leads naturally to the formation of a flattened circumstellar disk around the forming star. These disks are additionally known as protoplanetary disks because the orbiting circumstellar dust and cold gas represent the building blocks for planets. How long this material survives and how it evolves in this time will determine the propensity for (and the diversity of) planetary systems. This thesis is split into three parts that analyze different aspects of disk evolution and the circumstellar environment. In part one, we use observations at millimeter wavelengths to probe (and then model and compare) the dust and gas properties around low-mass Sun-like stars. We conclude that high-resolution spatial and spectral imaging of optically thinner molecular lines will provide the most robust description of the disk structure and evolution using future instrumentation. During these routine observations, we report recurring millimeter flares resulting in part two. We attribute this phenomenon to synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons trapped in the (colliding) magnetospheres of a young binary system. Finally, we present a microgravity experiment to probe the collisional growth mechanism for the first steps of planet formation. Show less
Stars like our Sun are formed in large, tenuous clouds of gas and dust. As the star is formed at the centre, the remaining material collapses into a thick disk around it. The chemical composition... Show moreStars like our Sun are formed in large, tenuous clouds of gas and dust. As the star is formed at the centre, the remaining material collapses into a thick disk around it. The chemical composition of such a cloud changes dramatically during this process. Spherical models have always been used to model this chemical evolution, but they cannot properly describe the disk. This thesis presents the first model that follows the entire chemical evolution from a pre-stellar core to a circumstellar disk in two spatial dimensions. It follows material as it falls in from the cloud to the star and disk. The density, temperature and UV flux along these trajectories serve as input for a gas-phase chemical network -- including freeze-out onto and evaporation from cold dust grains. The model offers new insights into the chemical history of disks, in particular of the region where planets and comets are formed. Applications of the model include the gas/ice ratios of carbon monoxide and water (Chapter 2), the abundances of key gas-phase molecules (Chapter 3), the crystallinity of the dust (Chapter 4), the isotope-specific photodissociation of carbon monoxide (Chapter 5) and the charge balance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; Chapter 6). Show less
