NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011B-0145
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011B-0145 |
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PI: Colette Salyk, The University of Texas at Austin, csalyk@astro.as.utexas.edu
Address: McDonald Observatory, 1 University Station, C1402, Austin, TX 78712-0259, USA
CoI: Klaus Pontoppidan, Space Telescope Science Institute
CoI: Geoffrey A. Blake, California Institute of Technology
CoI: Ke Zhang, California Institute of Technology
Title: Observations of water vapor in planet-forming regions
Abstract:
We propose to obtain high resolution spectra of water gas-phase
lines in the N-band with Michelle toward several protoplanetary disks
around young stars. Spitzer-IRS spectroscopy has shown that
protoplanetary disks around low-mass young stars are generally blanketed
in the mid-IR with strong molecular emission lines, but the low spectral
resolution results in unresolved and blended features, making their
interpretation difficult. In January 2011, we successfully detected
resolved water emission lines in 2 disks with Michelle. We propose here
to expand on these observations by observing many additional transitions
in a strong emission source, as well as by searching for water emission
in several additional sources. With these observations, combined with
our sophisticated modeling routines, we will investigate the presence,
condensation and transport of water in protoplanetary disks - processes
with fundamental implications for the formation of planets.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011B-0145 |
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