Unveiling Dust Grain Secrets: ALMA Observes Young Star

A new study using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has captured the deepest polarization image of a protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star HL Tauri. The image reveals details about the dust grains within the disk, showing that they behave more like prolate grains and providing insights into their shape and size. The study also found that there is more polarization within the gaps of the disk than the rings, suggesting that the polarization comes from aligned dust grains within the gaps. ALMA's high resolution will continue to be crucial for further research on dust grains and planetary formation.