2024 Project Description

Probing distributions of dust grains in protostellar disks with ALMA

Supervisors

Jinshi Sai, Hsi-Wei, Yen
Find out more about supervisors on ASIAA website

Task Description and Goals

One of big questions in the field of astrophysics is how diverse planets form. Protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars are the birthplace of the planets. Therefore, the physical condition of the disks is tightly linked to the planet formation process. Especially, the distribution of solid dust grains in the disks is key to driving the very initial step of planet formation. The dust distribution is not well characterized in disks around protostars, which are still embedded in star-forming gas and at an early phase of the star and planet formation process, compared to those in disks around young stars at later evolutionary stages. In this project, we will probe the distribution of dust grains in a protostellar disk utilizing observational data of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the world's largest radio telescope. The student will learn basic knowledge of star and planet formation, radio observations and data analysis. The student will also gain experience in writing Python codes to analyze and interpret astronomical data.

Required Background

• Knowledge of basic physics and mathematics
• Experience in Linux
• Experience in a programing language(s) (Python, C/C++, etc)
• English communication skill