We present Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 observations of a complete sample of protoplanetary disks in the young (∼1–3 Myr) Lupus star-forming region, covering the 1.33 mm continuum and the ¹²CO, ¹³CO, and C¹⁸O J = 2–1 lines. The spatial resolution is ∼0.″25 with a medium 3σ continuum sensitivity of 0.30 mJy, corresponding to M _dust ∼ 0.2 M _⊕. We apply Keplerian masking to enhance the signal-to-noise ratios of our ¹²CO zero-moment maps, enabling measurements of gas disk radii for 22 Lupus disks; we find that gas disks are universally larger than millimeter dust disks by a factor of two on average, likely due to a combination of the optically thick gas emission and the growth and inward drift of the dust. Using the gas disk radii, we calculate the dimensionless viscosity parameter, α _visc, finding a broad distribution and no correlations with other disk or stellar parameters, suggesting that viscous processes have not yet established quasi-steady states in Lupus disks. By combining our 1.33 mm continuum fluxes with our previous 890 μm continuum observations, we also calculate the millimeter spectral index, α _mm, for 70 Lupus disks; we find an anticorrelation between α _mm and millimeter flux for low-mass disks (M _dust ≲ 5), followed by a flattening as disks approach α _mm ≈ 2, which could indicate faster grain growth in higher-mass disks, but may also reflect their larger optically thick components. In sum, this work demonstrates the continuous stream of new insights into disk evolution and planet formation that can be gleaned from unbiased ALMA disk surveys.

The σ Orionis cluster is important for studying protoplanetary disk evolution, as its intermediate age (∼3–5 Myr) is comparable to the median disk lifetime. We use ALMA to conduct a high-sensitivity survey of dust and gas in 92 protoplanetary disks around σ Orionis members with M _* ≳ 0.1 M _⊙. Our observations cover the 1.33 mm continuum and several CO J = 2–1 lines: out of 92 sources, we detect 37 in the millimeter continuum and 6 in ¹²CO, 3 in ¹³CO, and none in C¹⁸O. Using the continuum emission to estimate dust mass, we find only 11 disks with M _dust ≳ 10 M _⊕, indicating that after only a few Myr of evolution most disks lack sufficient dust to form giant planet cores. Stacking the individually undetected continuum sources limits their average dust mass to 5× lower than that of the faintest detected disk, supporting theoretical models that indicate rapid dissipation once disk clearing begins. Comparing the protoplanetary disk population in σ Orionis to those of other star-forming regions supports the steady decline in average dust mass and the steepening of the M _dust–M _* relation with age; studying these evolutionary trends can inform the relative importance of different disk processes during key eras of planet formation. External photoevaporation from the central O9 star is influencing disk evolution throughout the region: dust masses clearly decline with decreasing separation from the photoionizing source, and the handful of CO detections exist at projected separations of >1.5 pc. Collectively, our findings indicate that giant planet formation is inherently rare and/or well underway by a few Myr of age.

PDS 70 is a unique system in which two protoplanets, PDS 70 b and c, have been discovered within the dust-depleted cavity of their disk, at ∼22 and 34 au, respectively, by direct imaging at infrared wavelengths. Subsequent detection of the planets in the Hα line indicates that they are still accreting material through circumplanetary disks. In this Letter, we present new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the dust continuum emission at 855 μm at high angular resolution (∼20 mas, 2.3 au) that aim to resolve the circumplanetary disks and constrain their dust masses. Our observations confirm the presence of a compact source of emission co-located with PDS 70 c, spatially separated from the circumstellar disk and less extended than ∼1.2 au in radius, a value close to the expected truncation radius of the circumplanetary disk at a third of the Hill radius. The emission around PDS 70 c has a peak intensity of ∼86 ± 16 μJy beam⁻¹, which corresponds to a dust mass of ∼0.031 M _⊕ or ∼0.007 M _⊕, assuming that it is only constituted of 1 μm or 1 mm sized grains, respectively. We also detect extended, low surface brightness continuum emission within the cavity near PDS 70 b. We observe an optically thin inner disk within 18 au of the star with an emission that could result from small micron-sized grains transported from the outer disk through the orbits of b and c. In addition, we find that the outer disk resolves into a narrow and bright ring with a faint inner shoulder.

We present the discovery of a spatially unresolved source of submillimeter continuum emission (λ = 855 μm) associated with a young planet, PDS 70 c, recently detected in Hα emission around the 5 Myr old T Tauri star PDS 70. We interpret the emission as originating from a dusty circumplanetary disk with a dust mass between 2 × 10⁻³ M _⊕ and 4.2 × 10⁻³ M _⊕. Assuming a standard gas-to-dust ratio of 100, the ratio between the total mass of the circumplanetary disk and the mass of the central planet would be between 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻⁵. Furthermore, we report the discovery of another compact continuum source located 0.″074 ± 0.″013 southwest of a second known planet in this system, PDS 70 b, that was previously detected in near-infrared images. We speculate that the latter source might trace dust orbiting in proximity of the planet, but more sensitive observations are required to unveil its nature.

Most stars form and spend their early life in regions of enhanced stellar density. Therefore the evolution of protoplanetary discs (PPDs) hosted by such stars are subject to the influence of other members of the cluster. Physically, PPDs might be truncated either by photoevaporation due to ultraviolet flux from massive stars, or tidal truncation due to close stellar encounters. Here we aim to compare the two effects in real cluster environments. In this vein we first review the properties of well studied stellar clusters with a focus on stellar number density, which largely dictates the degree of tidal truncation, and far ultraviolet (FUV) flux, which is indicative of the rate of external photoevaporation. We then review the theoretical PPD truncation radius due to an arbitrary encounter, additionally taking into account the role of eccentric encounters that play a role in hot clusters with a 1D velocity dispersion σ_v ≳ 2 km/s. Our treatment is then applied statistically to varying local environments to establish a canonical threshold for the local stellar density (n_c ≳ 10⁴ pc⁻³) for which encounters can play a significant role in shaping the distribution of PPD radii over a timescale ∼3 Myr. By combining theoretical mass loss rates due to FUV flux with viscous spreading in a PPD we establish a similar threshold for which a massive disc is completely destroyed by external photoevaporation. Comparing these thresholds in local clusters we find that if either mechanism has a significant impact on the PPD population then photoevaporation is always the dominating influence.

Context.Understanding the diversity of planets requires studying the morphology and physical conditions in the protoplanetary disks in which they form.Aims.We aim to study the structure of the ~10 Myr old protoplanetary disk HD 100453, to detect features that can trace disk evolution and to understand the mechanisms that drive these features.Methods.We observed HD 100453 in polarized scattered light with VLT/SPHERE at optical (0.6 μm, 0.8 μm) and near-infrared (1.2 μm) wavelengths, reaching an angular resolution of ~0.02′′, and an inner working angle of ~0.09′′.Results.We spatially resolve the disk around HD 100453, and detect polarized scattered light up to ~0.42′′ (~48 au). We detect a cavity, a rim with azimuthal brightness variations at an inclination of ~38° with respect to our line of sight, two shadows and two symmetric spiral arms. The spiral arms originate near the location of the shadows, close to the semi major axis. We detect a faint feature in the SW that can be interpreted as the scattering surface of the bottom side of the disk, if the disk is tidally truncated by the M-dwarf companion currently seen at a projected distance of ~119 au. We construct a radiative transfer model that accounts for the main characteristics of the features with an inner and outer disk misaligned by ~72°. The azimuthal brightness variations along the rim are well reproduced with the scattering phase function of the model. While spirals can be triggered by the tidal interaction with the companion, the close proximity of the spirals to the shadows suggests that the shadows could also play a role. The change in stellar illumination along the rim induces an azimuthal variation of the scale height that can contribute to the brightness variations.Conclusions.Dark regions in polarized images of transition disks are now detected in a handful of disks and often interpreted as shadows due to a misaligned inner disk. However, the origin of such a misalignment in HD 100453, and of the spirals, is still unclear, and might be due to a yet-undetected massive companion inside the cavity, and on an inclined orbit. Observations over a few years will allow us to measure the spiral pattern speed, and determine if the shadows are fixed or moving, which may constrain their origin.