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Vertical flows are detected in most protoplanetary disks

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Research area:physics-astronomyastrophysics-stellar

What the study found

The study found vertical gas motions in most of the 14 protoplanetary disks it examined. The detected patterns included oscillatory up-and-down flows, which the authors link to instabilities, and transitions from downward to upward motion, which they interpret as the bases of disk winds.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors say these vertical gas flows are important because they are natural outcomes of protoplanetary disk processes and play a critical role in the earliest stages of planet formation. They also conclude that deep, high-spectral-resolution line data can reveal vertical flows that are otherwise difficult to identify.

What the researchers tested

The researchers analyzed 14 disks in the exoALMA Large Program using the 12 CO J = 3–2 and 13 CO J = 3–2 emission lines. They modeled the Keplerian velocity field, which is the expected circular orbital motion in a disk, with discminer, then extracted line-of-sight velocity residuals to measure radial and vertical gas motion.

What worked and what didn't

Vertical motions were detected in most disks, and in most cases the velocity amplitudes were only a few tens of m s−1. Two disks, MWC758 and CQ Tau, showed two spiral velocity features that the authors interpret as vertical velocities reaching up to about 350 m s−1, and fast upward motions up to 500 m s−1 were also detected in the outer disk of MWC758.

What to keep in mind

The authors note that strong molecular winds appear to be relatively rare in 12 CO and 13 CO. They also report that the overall velocity structure is highly complex, which prevents identifying one dominant physical mechanism across all disks, and they say further theoretical investigation is needed.

Key points

  • Vertical gas motions were found in most of the 14 disks studied.
  • Two recurring patterns were identified: oscillatory up/down flows and downward-to-upward transitions.
  • Most measured velocities were only a few tens of m s−1.
  • MWC758 and CQ Tau showed spiral velocity features interpreted as much faster vertical motion.
  • Synthetic observations from magnetohydrodynamic simulations supported the method’s reliability.
  • The authors say the disks’ complex velocity structure prevents a single dominant mechanism from being identified.

Disclosure

Research title:
Vertical flows are detected in most protoplanetary disks
Authors:
Myriam Benisty, Andrés F. Izquierdo, Jochen Stadler, Maria Galloway-Sprietsma, Stefano Facchini, Andrew J. Winter, J. Bae, Misato Fukagawa, Richard Teague, C. Pinte, Sean M. Andrews, Marcelo Barraza-Alfaro, Gianni Cataldi, Pietro Curone, Ian Czekala, Daniele Fasano, Mario Flock, H.P. Garg, Jane Huang, John D. Ilee, Kazuhiro Kanagawa, Jensen Lawrence, Geoffroy Lesur, Giuseppe Lodato, Cristiano Longarini, Ryan A. Loomis, François Ménard, Ryuta Orihara, Daniel J. Price, Giovanni Rosotti, Gaylor Wafflard-Fernandez, David J. Wilner, Lisa Wölfer, Hsi-Wei Yen, Tomohiro C. Yoshida, Brianna Zawadzki
Institutions:
Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Columbia University, Ibaraki University, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Monash University, Monash University, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Queen Mary University of London, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, The University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Cambridge, University of Chile, University of Florida, University of Florida, University of Florida, University of Leeds, University of Milan, University of Milan, University of Milan, University of Milan, University of St Andrews, Wesleyan University
Publication date:
2026-03-16
DOI:
10.3847/2041-8213/ae360e
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

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