The Digital Press

New research maps the gas emission surfaces in protoplanetary disks, revealing their structure and temperature in unprecedented detail. This helps improve our understanding of planet-forming environments.

Why it matters: Emission surface shapes correlate with disk mass, enabling simpler disk mass estimates from observations.

The big picture: Different molecules trace distinct disk layers, showing complex thermal and physical disk structures.

Stunning stat: $^{12}$CO emission occurs at an average height-to-radius ratio () of about 0.28, higher than other tracers.

Quick takeaway: Most disks show localized substructures and signs of photo-desorption, revealing disk complexity beyond current models.