| Name | OT1_ebergin_4 |
| Title | A New Method to Determine the Gas Mass in Protoplanetary Disks |
| URL | http://archives.esac.esa.int/hsa/whsa-tap-server/data?retrieval_type=OBSERVATION&observation_id=1342232586&instrument_name=PACS&product_level=LEVEL0&compress=true |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-wsqf7wn |
| Author | bergin, e. |
| Description | The mass of planet-forming disks is one of its most fundanmental quantities and can determine the primary mode of planet formation. Because the dominant constituent, H2, is undetectable, we are forced to adopt indirect methods to trace the total gas content. The primary method used is to observe thermal dust continuum emission at submm/mm wavelengths where the dust emission is optically thin. However, mass estimates are highly uncertain because grain evolution can substantially alter the dust opacity coefficient and the gas-to-dust ratio, which are required to convert total flux to mass. We propose here a dedicated program to use PACS spectroscopy to search for the emission of HD J=1-0 at 112 microns and derive the gas mass from a tracer that uniquely probes H2. HD will co-exist with H2 in the gas phase and is the dominant reservoir of deuterium, carrying the cosmic D atom abundance. Our program is a comprehensive effort where observations will be combined with chemical theory and excitation modeling to enable the conversion of integrated emission to mass. This program offers a unique opportunity to derive disk gas masses via an independent method with important implications for the formation of planetary systems. |
| Publication |
|
| Instrument | PACS_PacsRangeSpec_point |
| Temporal Coverage | 2011-11-20T20:54:24Z/2012-03-25T11:04:35Z |
| Version | SPG v14.2.0 |
| Mission Description | Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities. |
| Creator Contact | https://support.cosmos.esa.int/h®erschel/ |
| Date Published | 2012-09-25T08:45:55Z |
| Last Update | 2026-03-02 |
| Keywords | Herschel Space Observatory data, ESA Herschel mission dataset, far-infrared astronomy observations, submillimeter astronomy data, infrared space telescope observations, PACS photometer data, PACS spectrometer data, SPIRE photometer data, SPIRE Fourier transform spectrometer data, HIFI heterodyne spectroscopy data, far-infrared spectroscopy dataset, submillimeter spectral line observations, cold universe observations dataset, star formation infrared data, molecular cloud far-infrared observations, interstellar medium spectroscopy data, protoplanetary disk infrared observations, galaxy evolution far-infrared data, dust emission submillimeter observations, cosmic infrared background measurements, extragalactic infrared survey data, calibrated level 2 data products, FITS files astronomy, spectral cubes far-infrared, flux-calibrated maps, continuum photometry data, spectral energy distribution measurements, ESA Herschel Science Archive data |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, bergin et al., 2012, 'A New Method to Determine the Gas Mass in Protoplanetary Disks', SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-wsqf7wn |