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| Paper: |
The Disruption of Planet-Forming Disks |
| Volume: |
323, Star Formation in the Interstellar Medium: In Honor of David Hollenbach, Chris McKee, and Frank Shu |
| Page: |
3 |
| Authors: |
Hollenbach, D.; Adams, F.C. |
| Abstract: |
Photoevaporation is likely the dominant dispersal mechanism for the outer regions of dusty disks around young stars. The gas in disk surfaces is often heated by ultraviolet photons from either the central star or from a luminous nearby massive star in the star-forming cluster; this heated gas evaporates into interstellar space, dragging along small dust particles. In this paper, we focus on photoevaporation caused by nearby massive stars and study whether photoevaporation can remove the outer disk material before the gas giant planets can form or before the dust there coagulates into large particles (greater than about 1 cm in size) which resist entrainment in the evaporating gas and remain in orbit to form Kuiper Belt objects. We show how photoevaporation can explain the difference in hydrogen content of the giant planets in our solar system, and may suppress gas giant planet formation in large clusters such as the Hyades, 47 Tuc, or the Trapezium. Photoevaporation in medium-sized and large clusters may also suppress the formation of Kuiper Belt Objects beyond about 100 AU. |
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