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Goddard Space
Flight Center NASA > GSFC > Astrophysics Science Division > IXO |
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Planet Formation – continuedHow do high energy processes affect planetary formation and habitability? «IXO will observe protoplanetary systems to produce a time-series of the iron Kα line intensity over the a few hours following a superflare to reveal the disk structure as viewed by the X-ray emitting magnetic loop with ~2 AU spatial resolution. Combined with space-based and ground-based (e.g., Keck mid-infrared adaptive optics, Atacama Large Millimeter Array) data, detailed portraits of these particular X-ray illuminated protoplanetary disks will emerge. ![]() A protoplanetary disk will be illuminated by flare X-ray from the young star, ionizing the disk and inducing magnetic turbulence. From Feigelson et al. white paper. Click the image for a larger view. |