PlanetDisks

PlanetDisks is a term used in astronomy to describe the families of disk-shaped structures associated with planet formation, including protoplanetary disks around young stars and circumplanetary disks that form around nascent planets within those disks. These disks consist of gas and dust and serve as the reservoirs from which planets accrete and migrate. Protoplanetary disks typically span tens to hundreds of astronomical units and evolve over a few million years, while circumplanetary disks are smaller and operate on local scales around forming planets.

Observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, particularly with ALMA in the millimeter regime and with high-contrast infrared imagers, reveal ring-like substructures, gaps, and spirals that indicate ongoing planet formation. Spectral line data trace gas motions and chemical composition; continuum emission probes dust distribution and grain growth.

Theoretical context: Models of PlanetDisks examine viscous evolution, disk winds, photoevaporation, and planet-disk interactions that carve gaps and migrate planets. The growth of dust grains from micron to centimeter sizes, dust trapping in pressure maxima, and the formation of planetesimals are central questions.

Data and community resources: Researchers assemble PlanetDisks data into catalogs and simulations, enabling comparative studies and meta-analyses. The field emphasizes reproducible analysis and shared benchmarks, with open-access data from observatories and public simulation codes.

Impact and significance: Insights from PlanetDisks inform estimates of disk lifetimes, timescales of planet formation, and the architectures of planetary systems. See also circumstellar disk, protoplanetary disk, circumplanetary disk, and observational facilities like ALMA.