Evaluating Parametric Models of the Edge-on Protoplanetary Disk Gomez’s Hamburger
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Barrera,Kaylee_2026_eaps_SB_Thesis.pdf
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9.49 MB
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857e255896826f4c0f3ddaabc0e52ac0
Author(s)
Barrera, Kaylee
Advisor(s)
Teague, Richard
Date Issued
May 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Protoplanetary disks are the birthplaces of planetary systems, and understanding their fundamental properties, such as their temperature structures, is critical for many aspects of the planet formation process. Highly inclined edge-on disks are particularly valuable for constraining disk structures because they provide the clearest view of the vertical structure of the disk. This thesis investigates whether a parametric model prescription can recover the physical structure of the edge-on protoplanetary disk Gomez's Hamburger (GoHam). Utilizing previously derived parametric models implemented in a new fast modeling framework, RadJAX, this work models the physical structure of GoHam from high-resolution ALMA ¹²CO J(3-2) emission line data. The best-fit model found in this work is unable to fully reproduce the observed emission, highlighting that while these parametric models have been successfully applied in prior studies, they remain limited in properly characterizing the vertical structure of the disk. These results suggest that the assumptions underlying these parametric models should be revisited and that new, flexible data-driven approaches may provide a solution to more accurately recover complex disk structures.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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