Image Details
Caption: Fig. 2.
Schematic of the chemical structure of a disk, showing how it can be divided into three layers. In the midplane the high densities and low temperatures ensure that most molecules are frozen out onto the surfaces of the dust grains. At the surface, the high UV field dissociates molecules into their constituent atoms and ions. Between these two lies a molecular layer where the observed emission originates.
© 2007. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.