On the Observability of Giant Protoplanets in Circumstellar Disks

Abstract

We investigate the possibility of detecting giant planets that are still embedded in young circumstellar disks. On the basis of models with different stellar, planetary, and disk masses and different radial positions of the planet, we analyze the resulting submillimeter appearance of these systems. We find that the influence of the planet on the spectral energy distribution could not be distinguished from that of other disk parameters. However, dust re- emission images of the disks show that the hot region in the proximity of a young planet, along with the gap, could indeed be detected andmapped with the Atacama LargeMillimeter Array in the case of nearby circumstellar disks (d < 100 pc) in approximately face-on orientation.