Speaker: Dr. Nick Ballering, Research Scientist at SSI/UW-Madison
Abstract: The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) offers the clearest view of protoplanetary disks in a rich cluster, the typical environment for star and planet-formation in the Galaxy. I will present results from high-resolution ALMA observations of over 200 disks in the ONC that reveal their dust masses and sizes, key properties in determining what types of planets can form. I will also highlight images of proplyds—disks in the process of being photoevaporated by the cluster’s harsh radiation field—where ALMA traces free-free emission and radio recombination lines from outflowing ionized gas. I will then turn to the infrared and share recent JWST NIRSpec observations of warm atomic and molecular gas from three ONC proplyds. Finally, I will show how JWST NIRCam observations can reveal the presence of water ice in an edge-on disk seen in silhouette in front of the Orion Nebula.