ORBIT-D · Observing Binaries in Transition Discs
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-09-01 → 2025-08-31
- EU contribution
- €172,750
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Observing Binaries in Transition Discs
Star formation begins when the densest regions in molecular clouds collapse under their own weight forming so called “young stellar objects” (YSOs), i.e. protostars surrounded by a gas and dust disc (known as “protostellar” or “protoplanetary” disc), expected to be the birth place of planets in this newly formed proto-exo-solar systems. The project ORBIT-D (Observing Binaries in Transition Discs) aims to study a special class of these discs that presents a cavity in the disc centre, the so called “transition discs”, that are believed to form due to the presence of an additional planetary/stellar companion to the primary star: i.e. a second protostar or a massive planet. Nevertheless, transition discs in which such a companion was detected are rare, questioning this hypothesis as a mechanism for the formation of such cavities. In this context, by using analytical, numerical and observational techniques, the project ORBIT-D developed new diagnostics for the indirect detection of binary companions in transition discs, studying and modelling the perturbations that they produce in the disc. The project produced tools and methods to identify hidden companions, quantify their effects on disc structure, and apply these results to actual astronomical observations. By bridging the gap between theoretical predictions and observational evidence, ORBIT-D contributes to more accurate assessments of disc evolution and planet formation. The project’s results are particularly relevant for making full use of high-resolution data from modern radio and infrared light telescopes, upcoming facilities such as the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and future exo-planet detection missions. ORBIT-D thus addresses both the scientific challenge of understanding complex stellar and planetary systems and the strategic need for effective interpretation of rapidly expanding observational datasets.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Star formation begins when the densest regions in molecular clouds collapse under their own weight forming so called “young stellar objects” (YSOs), i.e. protostars surrounded by a gas+dust disc (known as “protostellar” or “protoplanetary” disc), expected to be the birth place of planets in this newly formed proto-exo-solar systems. The advancements during the past decade in our observational capabilities revealed that 10% of the observed protostellar discs in YSOs present large (~10 –100 au) dust and gas depleted cavities surrounding their protostars, as well as a number of spectacular features such as spirals, shadows and other non-axisymmetric over-densities. Discs with cavities have been historically referred to as “transition discs” and are among the brightest and most studied YSOs in close star forming regions. The presence of a massive planet (several Jupiter masses) interacting with the disc has been shown to be an effective mechanism for forming dust/gas cavities and the observed structures. The possibility that binary stars, i.e. much more massive and luminous than giant planets, could lie unresolved in the centre of transition disc cavities has been little explored, mainly because of the argument: “if they were present they should be visible”. However, both theory and observations hint that such binaries could be much harder to be detected than previously thought, supporting the idea that some transition discs could be in fact “circumbinary”. Shedding light on this issue represents the heart of the “Observing Binaries in Transition-Discs” (ORBIT-D) project. ORBIT-D has the ambitious goal of providing an ultimate answer to the question “Which transition discs are circumbinary discs surrounding undetected binaries?”. Identifying circumbinary discs in the transition disc population is key for answering a number of open questions about the process of star and planet formation — widely acknowledged as major research priority by the scientific community.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101102964
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e509568869&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e52151dd93&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union