# An Observational Study for Grain Dynamics in the AS 209 Disk with Submillimeter Polarization

## TL;DR

This study uses ALMA polarization observations of the AS 209 protoplanetary disk to analyze grain alignment and dynamics, revealing distinct polarization patterns in inner and outer regions that challenge existing models.

## Contribution

It provides new observational evidence of polarization patterns in a protoplanetary disk, highlighting discrepancies with current grain alignment and dynamics theories.

## Key findings

- Inner region polarization aligns with self-scattering model
- Outer region shows azimuthal polarization with systematic deviations
- Observed deviations contradict predictions based on disk rotation direction

## Abstract

We present 870 $\mu$m ALMA polarization observation toward the Class I\hspace{-.1em}I protoplanetary disk around AS 209, which has concentric, multiple gaps and rings. We successfully detect the polarized emission and find that the polarization orientations and fractions have distinct characteristics between the inner and outer regions. In the inner region, the polarization orientations are parallel to the minor axis of the disk, which is consistent with the self-scattering model. The mean polarization fraction in the region is $\sim$0.2\%, which is lower than the expected value when the grains have the maximum polarization efficiency, which corresponds to $\lambda$/2$\pi$ $\sim$ 140 $\mu$m in grain radius. In the outer region, we detect $\sim$1.0\% polarization and find that the polarization orientations are almost in the azimuthal directions. Moreover, the polarization orientations have systematic angular deviations from the azimuthal directions with $\Delta$$\theta$ $\sim$ 4\fdg5 $\pm$ 1\fdg6. The pattern is consistent with a model that radially drifting dust grains are aligned by the gas flow against the dust grains. We consider possible scenarios of the grain dynamics at the AS 209 ring which can reproduce the polarization pattern. However, the directions of the observed angular deviations are opposite to what is predicted under the fact that the disk rotates clockwise. This poses a question in our understandings of the alignment processes and/or grain dynamics in protoplanetary disks.