Disks around Young Binary Stars

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current understanding of disks around young binary stars, emphasizing observational challenges, recent findings, and the need for advanced high-resolution studies to better comprehend disk evolution and planet formation in binary systems.

Contribution

It summarizes recent observational results on disk properties and orientations in young binary systems, highlighting gaps and future research directions.

Findings

Inner and outer disk properties analyzed

Disk orientations observed in several systems

Identification of debris disks in young binaries

Abstract

The majority of stars in known star-forming regions are located in binary systems. Although the separation distribution of these populations varies from one region to another, most peak between a few and several tens of AU. Given the >100 AU distance to the youngest regions, binaries with this separation range are also the most poorly studied. In general, only for about 60 young pairs have the circumstellar disks and the stellar properties been well-characterized. We discuss results of recent analyses of inner and outer disk properties, summarize the status of observations of disk orientations, and highlight two cases of debris disks in relatively young binaries. A substantial effort, taking advantage of available and future high-angular resolution facilities, will be required to further our knowledge of disk evolution in binaries across the range of separations influential to both terrestrial as well as giant planet formation.