Tracing planetesimal formation using carbon depletion
The composition of planetesimals is largely determined by the processing of volatile elements in protoplanetary disks. Recent observations of protoplanetary disks find wide-spread depletion of gaseous carbon. In this poster I present observations of seven disks observed in atomic carbon and the carbon depletion fraction in three of these disks based on modeling of the emission. I discuss the implications of the carbon depletion that we found in the outer disk compared with the inner disk in terms of radial drift, dust trapping and planetesimal formation.
