The (sub-)millimeter SED of protoplanetary disks in the outskirts of the Orion Nebula Cluster

TL;DR

This study investigates the dust properties and grain growth in protoplanetary disks located in the outskirts of the Orion Nebula Cluster, revealing evidence of millimeter-sized grains and massive disks in a high-mass star-forming region.

Contribution

First detection of millimeter-sized dust grains in disks within a high-mass star-forming environment like Orion's outskirts.

Findings

Evidence of grain growth to millimeter sizes in Orion disks.

Disks in Orion's outskirts show similar grain growth as low-mass star regions.

Presence of massive disks (>0.05 M_sun) in the outer Orion Nebula)

Abstract

We present the sub-mm/mm SED for a sample of eight young circumstellar disks in the outer regions of the Orion Nebula Cluster. New observations were carried out at 2.9 mm with the CARMA array and for one disk, 216-0939, at 3.3 and 6.8 mm with ATCA. By combining these new millimeter data with literature measurements at sub-millimeter wavelengths we investigate grain growth and measure the dust mass in protoplanetary disks in the Orion Nebula Cluster. These data provide evidence for dust grain growth to at least millimeter-sizes for the first time in a high-mass star forming region. The obtained range in sub-mm/mm spectral index, namely 1.5-3.2, indicates that for disks in the outskirts of the Orion Nebula Cluster (projected distance from the cluster center between about 0.4 pc and 1.5 pc) grain growth to mm sizes occurs in the same manner as disks in regions where only low-mass stars form. Finally, in our sample three disks are more massive than about $0.05\,M_\odot$, confirming that massive disks are present in the outer regions of the Orion Nebula.