# Disk tearing in a young triple star system with misaligned disk/orbit planes

**Authors:** Stefan Kraus, Alexander Kreplin, Alison K. Young, Matthew R. Bate, John D. Monnier, Tim J. Harries, Henning Avenhaus, Jacques Kluska, Anna S. E. Laws, Evan A. Rich, Matthew Willson, Alicia N. Aarnio, Fred C. Adams, Sean M. Andrews, Narsireddy Anugu, Jaehan Bae, Theo ten Brummelaar, Nuria Calvet, Michel Curé, Claire L. Davies  
**arXiv:** [2004.01204](https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.01204)  
**Date:** 2020-04-02  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2004.01204v1/

## Key points

- Gravitational influence of stars shapes circumstellar disks in young multiple stellar systems
- Recent observations of the triple system GW Orionis provide direct evidence for disk tearing
- Disk tearing is a phenomenon where gravitational torques due to misaligned disk/orbit planes warp the disk and break the inner disk into precessing rings
- The study imaged an eccentric ring that is misaligned with respect to the orbital planes and outer disk, casting shadows on the strongly warped intermediate disk
- This finding could have significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation in multiple star systems
- The authors suggest that this ring might offer suitable conditions for planet formation, providing a mechanism for forming wide-separation planets on highly oblique orbits
- The paper is currently under review at Science and contains 74 pages with 3+19 figures and 6 tables.
- It was conducted by a team of scientists including Stefan Kraus, Alexander Kreplin, Alison K. Young, Matthew R. Bate, John D. Monnier, Tim J Harries, Henning Avenhaus Jacques Kluska Anna S E Laws Evan A Rich Matthew Willson Alicia N Aarnio Fred C Adams Sean M Andrews Narsireddy Anugu Jaehan Bae Theo ten Brummelaar Nuria Calvet Michel Curé Claire L Davies Jacob Ennis Catherine Espaillat Tyler Gardner Lee Hartmann Sasha Hinkley Aaron Labdon Cyprien Lanthermann Jean-Baptiste LeBouquin Gail H Schaefer Benjamin R Setterholm David Wilner and Zhaohuan Zhu.

## Summary

In young multiple stellar systems, the gravitational influence of stars shapes circumstellar disks, controlling accretion and the material available for planet formation. Recent observations of the triple system GW Orionis provide direct evidence for disk tearing – a phenomenon where gravitational torques due to misaligned disk/orbit planes warp the disk and break the inner disk into precessing rings. The study imaged an eccentric ring that is misaligned with respect to the orbital planes and outer disk, casting shadows on the strongly warped intermediate disk. The ring/warp geometry constraints and fully characterized perturber orbits make this system a potential Rosetta Stone for studying disk hydrodynamics. This finding could have significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation in multiple star systems. The authors suggest that this ring might offer suitable conditions for planet formation, providing a mechanism for forming wide-separation planets on highly oblique orbits. This paper is currently under review at Science and contains 74 pages with 3+19 figures and 6 tables. It was conducted by a team of scientists including Stefan Kraus, Alexander Kreplin, Alison K. Young, Matthew R. Bate, John D. Monnier, Tim J Harries, Henning Avenhaus Jacques Kluska Anna S E Laws Evan A Rich Matthew Willson Alicia N Aarnio Fred C Adams Sean M Andrews Narsireddy Anugu Jaehan Bae Theo ten Brummelaar Nuria Calvet Michel Curé Claire L Davies Jacob Ennis Catherine Espaillat Tyler Gardner Lee Hartmann Sasha Hinkley Aaron Labdon Cyprien Lanthermann Jean-Baptiste LeBouquin Gail H Schaefer Benjamin R Setterholm David Wilner and Zhaohuan Zhu.