A Wideband Chemical Survey of Planet Formation with SMA

Abstract

Spectroscopic surveys of protoplanetary disks provide robust constraints on the chemical and physical conditions that influence the efficiency and pathways of planetary formation. Over the past decade, several surveys such as the SMA Project DISCS and the ALMA Large Program MAPS have set the stage for understanding the chemical complexities of planet-forming environments at millimeter wavelengths, but these surveys have been targeted towards specific molecular transitions. Here, we show the first results of SMA-SPEC, the first chemically unbiased survey of a large number of protoplanetary disks, with an analysis of LkCa 15 and MWC 480. With the full sample of 40 disks, the 120 GHz bandwidth survey will allow us to address fundamental questions about the chemical diversity of protoplanetary disks, including but not limited to disk masses, elemental ratios, ionization levels, and chemical inheritance during the planet formation process