新たな研究が示す惑星形成は「時間との競争」(Planet formation is a ‘race against time,’ according to new U of A research)

2026-08-25 アリゾナ大学

米国アリゾナ大学の研究チームは、ジェイムズ・ウェッブ宇宙望遠鏡(JWST)の観測データ72例を用いて、若い恒星を取り巻く原始惑星系円盤からガスが失われ、惑星形成の材料が減少していく過程を調べた。研究から、恒星系誕生後約1000万年以内には、性質の異なる2つのガス散逸機構が順次働くことが示された。初期には、恒星周辺の強い磁場に沿ってガスを吹き飛ばす「磁気風」が優勢で、大量の分子ガスを系外へ放出する。その後、数百万年が経過すると磁気風が弱まり、X線や紫外線によってガスを加熱・散逸させる「光蒸発風」が主な機構となる。分子水素と電離ネオンの動きを追跡することで、この移行過程を直接捉えた。巨大ガス惑星は、原始惑星系円盤のガスが風によって失われる前に大気を形成する必要があり、惑星形成には時間的制約があることが示された。

新たな研究が示す惑星形成は「時間との競争」(Planet formation is a ‘race against time,’ according to new U of A research)
A real image of disk winds carrying out molecular hydrogen gas from a planet-forming disk located about 450 light-years from us. The white line is the plane of the planet-forming disk, while the bright yellow, orange, pink and purple represent ejected gas. Naman Bajaj/JWST/MIRI-IFU

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JWST/MIRIが分子円盤風から原子円盤風への進化を明らかにする JWST/MIRI Reveals the Evolution from Molecular to Atomic Disk Winds

Naman S. Bajaj, Ilaria Pascucci, Sylvie Cabrit, Suzan Edwards, Gabriele Cugno, Andrew D. Sellek, Joan R. Najita, Ke Zhang, Richard Alexander, Gregory J. Herczeg,…
The Astronomical Journal  Published: 2026 August 25
DOI:10.3847/1538-3881/ae9089

Abstract

The evolution and dispersal of protoplanetary disks—governed by accretion, magnetically launched jets and winds, and photoevaporative winds—fundamentally shape planetary systems. Determining how these mass-loss processes coevolve is crucial for constraining planet formation pathways. We analyze archival James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) integral field unit data of 72 inclined (i > 40°), mostly Class II disks to identify and characterize spatially resolved jets and winds, focusing on [Ne II] and H2 lines. Extended emission in H2 S(1), S(3), S(5), S(7), and/or [Ne II] is detected toward 66 disks, revealing diverse morphologies. We develop a framework to identify conical H2 winds and high-velocity [Ne II] jets perpendicular to the disk, detecting them toward 46 and 40 disks, respectively. All sources with [Ne II] jets exhibit a corresponding wind traced in either H2 (85%) or [O I], establishing a connection between jets and winds. The detection fractions of [Ne II] jets and H2 winds correlate positively with mass accretion rate, with no dependence on disk inclination or stellar mass. Conversely, marginally resolved low-velocity [Ne II] winds are found preferentially toward lower accretors. Among sources with H2 winds, detection of hotter winds traced by S(7) and S(5) declines more rapidly with decreasing accretion rate than that of the colder S(1) component. Comparison with high-resolution [O I] 6300Å spectroscopy reveals [O I] low-velocity components and extended H2 wind detections preferentially toward moderate-to-high accretors (≳10-8.5Myr-1), whereas lower accretors exhibit only [O I] and [Ne II] winds. Together, these results indicate that atomic jets and atomic+molecular winds, consistent with an MHD disk-wind origin, dominate during early, actively accreting disk phases, while at lower accretion rates, jets weaken and winds become predominantly atomic.

1701物理及び化学
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