Thesis Topic: Leveraging on the age factor in protoplanetary disk evolution: completing the spectroscopic survey in Upper Scorpius
Thesis Supervisor: Carlo Manara
Abstract:
The evolution of protoplanetary disks is key to understand how planets form in them. This evolution must be observationally followed during the full ~10 Myr of disk lifetime. The current lack of knowledge of stellar and disk properties at ages>5 Myr demand for a deeper study of disk evolution in the 5-10 Myr old Upper Sco region, the only nearby region with this age and a statistically sound number of disks studied with ALMA. In this project, the student will work with new and recently acquired X-Shooter spectra of about one hundred ALMA detected disks-bearing stars. With the use of state-of-the-art techniques, it will be possible to determine the stellar and accretion properties of these targets, as well as studying the winds emitted from their inner disks. Combining this information with ALMA data and previous results, it will be possible to determine the evolution of accretion rates, wind and disk properties with stellar mass and age for the full span of the disk evolution period, and for different disk morphology and properties.
References: Manara, Ansdell, Rosotti et al. 2023, PPVII, ASPC, 534, 539
Manara, Natta, Rosotti et al. 2020, A&A, 639, A58
Testi, Natta, Manara et al. 2022, A&A, 663, A98