Size distribution of circumstellar disks in the Trapezium cluster

Author(s)

S. M. Vicente, J. Alves

Abstract

In this paper we present results on the size distribution of

circumstellar disks in the Trapezium cluster as

measured from HST/WFPC2 data. Direct diameter measurements of a sample

of 135 bright proplyds and 14 silhouettes disks suggest that there is a

single population of disks well characterized by a power-law

distribution with an exponent of -1.9 ± 0.3 between disk

diameters 100-400 AU. For the stellar mass sampled (from late G to late

M stars) we find no obvious correlation between disk diameter and

stellar mass. We also find that there is no obvious correlation between

disk diameter and the projected distance to the ionizing Trapezium OB

stars. We estimate that about 40% of the disks in the Trapezium have

radius larger than 50 AU. We suggest that the origin of the Solar

system's (Kuiper belt) outer edge is likely to be due to the star

formation environment and disk destruction processes (photoevaporation,

collisions) present in the stellar cluster on which the Sun was probably

formed. Finally, we identified a previously unknown proplyd and named it

266-557, following convention.

Organisation(s)

External organisation(s)

European Southern Observatory (Germany), Universidade Técnica de Lisboa

Journal

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Volume

441

Pages

195-205

ISSN

0004-6361

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20053540

Publication date

10-2005

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103004 Astrophysics

Keywords

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