Disk Winds and the Evolution of Planet-Forming Disks

TL;DR

This paper discusses how the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) can be used to spatially resolve and measure disk winds in planet-forming disks, crucial for understanding their evolution and dispersal.

Contribution

It demonstrates that ngVLA's sensitivity and resolution will enable direct detection and spatial resolution of ionized disk winds, advancing the measurement of wind mass loss rates.

Findings

ngVLA can detect free-free emission from disk winds

ngVLA can spatially resolve wind emission regions

This will improve estimates of wind mass loss rates

Abstract

Disk winds are thought to play an important role in the evolution and dispersal of planet-forming disks. While high-resolution optical and infrared spectroscopy has identified several disk wind diagnostics, wind mass loss rates remain largely unconstrained mostly due to the lack of spatial resolution to measure the extent of the wind emitting region. Here, we show that the ngVLA will have the sensitivity and resolution to detect and spatially resolve the free-free emission from the fully or partially ionized component of disk winds. Hence, ngVLA observations will be critical to estimate mass loss rates and clarify the role of disk winds in the evolution and dispersal of disk mass.