Located 515 light-years away in the constellation Lupus, IM Lup's protoplanetary disk displays spirals that astronomers consider possible precursors of planet formation. While such patterns can also be caused by already formed planets, their long-term movement can reveal the true origin. To investigate, researchers led by Tomohiro Yoshida of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, assembled a stop-motion animation using four separate ALMA observations collected over seven years.
The resulting video shows the spirals moving in a way inconsistent with the gravitational influence of a fully formed planet. Instead, the patterns appear to stem from instabilities within the disk itself, which may help drive planet formation. This approach provides astronomers with a new method of distinguishing between spiral structures caused by embedded planets and those generated by ongoing planetary birth.
"When I saw the outcome of the analysis - the dynamic visualization of the spiral in motion - I screamed with excitement," Yoshida said. "This achievement was made possible by the long-term, stable operations of the ALMA telescope, which demonstrates the world's highest performance. In the future, we plan to conduct similar observations on other protoplanetary disks to create a documentary of the entire planetary system formation process."
Research Report:Winding Motion of Spirals in a Gravitationally Unstable Protoplanetary Disk
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