New Link Found between Water and Planet Formation
An ALMA Image of HL Tau with emission from water shown in blue and emission from dust shown in red. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Facchini et al.
For the first time, astronomers have mapped water vapour in a protoplanetary disc. New observations of the protostellar system HL Tau have revealed that the inner part of the disc contains at least three times as much water as the contents of all of the Earth’s oceans. Additionally, significant amounts of water have been found in one of the gaps in the disc, which is likely to be a place where a planet is forming. Water is thought to play an important role in planet formation as it helps dust particles stick together to begin forming larger objects. These results will therefore have major implications for theoretical models of how planets form.
The results from this work have been published by Stefano Facchini et al. (with former UK ARC Node Contact Scientist Anita Richards as one of the co-authors) in Nature Astronomy. Additional information is available from the ESO press release and the University of Manchester press release.
Cycle 11 Call for Proposals Coming Soon
As a reminder, the Cycle 11 Call for Proposals will be coming soon. The Call for Proposal will officially be released on 21 March, and the deadline for proposal submission will be 25 April. The new telescope capabilities for Cycle 11 will include full polarization observations in Band 1 with the 12-m Array, Band 1 standalone observations on the 7-m Array, and additional high-frequency/long-baseline observations. More information is available from the pre-announcement page.
As a reminder, the UK ARC Node is available to assist with preparing observations. Potential observers who may need assistance, especially observers who are inexperienced with working with ALMA or who are proposing complex observations, are encouraged to contact us.
The Promise and Challenges of the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade
24-28 June 2024
ESO
Garching, Germany
The Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade is one of the most ambitious upgrades to ALMA since it began science operations. This upgrade will lead to significantly improved observing times for spectral scan and continuum observations, but it also introduces new technical challenges as well. This workshop will be an opportunity for the science community to discuss the science that could potentially be done following the upgrade, and ALMA will also use the workshop to solicit and receive feedback about the work.
More information is available from the meeting website. The abstract submission deadline is 1 March, and the registration deadline is 1 May. Note that a registration fee of €75-€150 will be applied.
UKSRC Webinar Series
7 March 2024 12:00-12:50 UTC
The UK SKA Regional Centre will begin hosting a series of monthly webinars, with the first webinar taking place on 7 March at 12:00 UTC. The talks will focus on topics related to UKSRC and SKAO including (but not limited to) demonstrator cases, SKA science topics, career pathways, relevant software, tools and data, SKAO Science Data Challenges, and project updates.
To register for this webinar and for more information, visit the webpage for the UKSRC Webinar Series.
New Heights in Planet Formation
15-19 July 2024
ESO
Garching, Germany
Several current telescope facilities, including ALMA and VLT/SPHERE, have produced significant advances in imaging planet-forming disks. This in turn has led to new challenges in developing the theories and models that describe the process of planet formation. The goal of this meeting is to bring together observers from different wavelength regimes, theorists, and modellers to review the state of this field and to determine the next steps needed to advance this research.
Additional details are available from the meeting webpage. While registration is not yet open, it is possible to get updates by filling in and submitting the meeting’s pre-registration form.
Views on the multi-phase interstellar medium in galaxies
9-13 September 2024
Bologna, Italy
Telescopes such as ALMA and the JWST have had significant impacts on studying the multiple phases of the ISM within galaxies as well as studying various aspects of the baryon cycle within galaxies. This meeting will focus on exploring the latest observational results of the ISM within a variety of objects ranging from local galaxies to high-redshift sources and will also include discussions about the latest theories and models in this field.
Registration for the meeting is now open. The deadline for abstract submission is 18 March, and the deadline for registration is 28 June. More information is available from the meeting page.