Abstract
Resolved submillimeter imaging of transitional disks is increasingly
revealing the complexity of disk structure. Here we present the first
high-resolution submillimeter image of a recently identified transitional disk
around IRAS 04125+2902 in the Taurus star-forming region. We measure an inner
disk hole of \~20 AU around IRAS 04125+2902 by simultaneously modeling new 880
micron Submillimeter Array (SMA) data along with an existing spectral energy
distribution supplemented by new Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) photometry.
We also constrain the outer radius of the dust disk in IRAS\~04125+2902 to
\~50-60 AU. Such a small dust disk could be attributed to initial formation
conditions, outward truncation by an unseen companion, or dust evolution in the
disk. Notably, the dust distribution of IRAS 04125+2902 resembles a narrow ring
(delta R \~ 35 AU) composed of large dust grains at the location of the disk
wall. Such narrow dust rings are also seen in other transitional disks and may
be evidence of dust trapping in pressure bumps, possibly produced by planetary
companions. More sensitive submillimeter observations of the gas are necessary
to further probe the physical mechanisms at work in shaping the spatial
distribution of large dust in this disk. Interestingly, the IRAS 04125+2902
disk is significantly fainter than other transitional disks that have been
resolved at submillimeter wavelengths, hinting that more objects with large
disk holes may exist at the faint end of the submillimeter luminosity
distribution that await detection with more sensitive imaging telescopes.
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