Seminario DAS: Possible to quantify protoplanetary disk evolution using IR SEDs alone?

Speaker: Dr. Jinhua He
Affiliation: Long term CASSACA visitor

Abstract: The standard theory of star formation (SF) was largely built upon characterizing young stellar objects (YSOs) within the well known classification scheme (0, I, F, II and III) of their infrared (IR) spectral energy distributions (SEDs). However, the SED classes only offer us a rough, jagged picture of the SF processes. With the great success of Spitzer Space Telescope, we should examine whether we have the opportunity to go beyond this limitation. I will introduce the recent idea that the Spitzer IR SED slope, as defined between K and 24um bands, may have the potential to directly, statistically characterize the SF processes, without the need of the SED classification before hand. We will see a more coherent picture of how a typical low mass star and its protoplanetary disk would start their life in IR and evolve with time. I have to discuss many challenges to this idea as well. Finally, I will highlight how the new continuous SF picture can be useful in understanding the episodic clustered SF processes in Gould’s Belt and in constraining global models of the SF processes.