Spitzer Space Telescope - General Observer Proposal #30758


Evaporating disks

Principal Investigator: Zoltan Balog
           Institution: University of Arizona

Co-Investigators: 
James Muzerolle, University of Arizona                                
George Rieke, University of Arizona                                   

Science Category: circumstellar/debris disks 
 Observing Modes: IrsStare 
  Hours Approved: 14.3 

Abstract:
Evaporation in the vicinity of an O star disrupts protoplanetary
disks, as seen in the Orion proplyds.  We have found a number of
evaporating disks with Spitzer, which are in some ways more dramatic
and better oriented for detailed study than the proplyds - they have
cometary tails extending up to 0.1 pc from the evaporation working
surface.  We will use Spitzer/IRS and HST/NICMOS to investigate these
systems in more detail.  We want to explore the excitation condition
in the gas, both in the head and in the tail where possible.  We will
measure the effects of evaporation on the characteristic emission
features of the dust.  We also will use NICMOS to image them in
detail, including mapping complex structures resolved in their tails
at 24 microns