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Published Online November 19, 2009
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1179679

Reports

Direct Imaging of Bridged Twin Protoplanetary Disks in a Young Multiple Star

Satoshi Mayama,1,* Motohide Tamura,1,2 Tomoyuki Hanawa,4 Tomoaki Matsumoto,5 Miki Ishii,3 Tae-Soo Pyo,3 Hiroshi Suto,2 Takahiro Naoi,2 Tomoyuki Kudo,2 Jun Hashimoto,1,2 Shogo Nishiyama,6 Masayuki Kuzuhara,7 Masahiko Hayashi1,2

Studies of the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks are important for understanding star and planet formation. Here, we present the direct image of an interacting binary protoplanetary system. Both circumprimary and circumsecondary disks are resolved in the near-infrared. There is a bridge of infrared emission connecting the two disks and a long spiral arm extending from the circumprimary disk. Numerical simulations show that the bridge corresponds to gas flow and a shock wave caused by the collision of gas rotating around the primary and secondary stars. Fresh material streams along the spiral arm, consistent with the theoretical scenarios where gas is replenished from a circummultiple reservoir.

1 The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Shonan International Village, Hayama-cho, Miura-gun, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan.
2 National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 Japan.
3 Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 650 North A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
4 Center for Frontier Science, Chiba University, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan.
5 Faculty of Humanity and Environment, Hosei University, Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8160, Japan.
6 Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
7 Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mayama_satoshi{at}soken.ac.jp

Received for publication 27 July 2009. Accepted for publication 11 November 2009.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)