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| Paper: |
Exploring Protostellar Disk Formation with the ngVLA |
| Monograph: |
7, Science with a Next Generation Very Large Array |
| Page: |
345 |
| Authors: |
Tobin, J. J.; Sheehan, P.; Johnstone, D.; Sharma, R. |
| Abstract: |
The formation and evolution of disks early in the protostellar phase is an area of study
in which the ngVLA is poised to make significant breakthroughs. The high-sensitivity
and resolution at wavelengths of 3 mm and longer will enable forming disks to be examined
with unprecedented detail. The need to observe dust emission at wavelengths of 3 mm and longer
is motivated by the fact that dust emission at these wavelengths is more likely
to be optically thin, which is essential to understanding the structure of these
disks. We explore the feasibility of detecting and resolving protostellar
disks with a variety of radii, masses, and distances, out to distances as large as 1.5 kpc
using radiative transfer models and simulations with the proposed ngVLA configuration. We
also examine the potential for the ngVLA to enable studies of grain growth and
radial migration of dust particles early in the protostellar
phase with the broad multi-wavelength coverage. Studies of grain growth will require wavelength
coverage extending at least to ∼4 cm to characterize and quantify the location and intensity
of free-free emission, which is expected to be generated at <10 AU scales. |
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