Probing dynamical processes in the planet-forming region with dust mineralogy

Abstract

We present Herschel Space Observatory PACS spectra of GQ Lup, a protoplanetary disk in the Lupus star-forming region. Through spectral energy distribution fitting from 0.3 μm to 1.3mm, we construct a self-consistent model of this system's temperature and density structures, finding that although it is 3Myr old, its dust has not settled to the midplane substantially. The disk has a radial gradient in both the silicate dust composition and grain size, with large amorphous grains in the upper layers of the inner disk and an enhancement of submicron, crystalline grains in the outer disk. We detect an excess of emission in the Herschel PACS B2A band near 63 μm and model it with a combination of ∼15-70 μm crystalline water ice grains with a size distribution consistent with ice recondensation-enhanced grain growth and a mass fraction half of that of our solar system. The combination of crystalline water ice and silicates in the outer disk is suggestive of disk-wide heating events or planetesimal collisions. If confirmed, this would be the first detection of water ice by Herschel. © 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.