| The formation of planetary systems is intimately connected to the properties of the circumstellar disks in which they are born. Disk studies to date have focused on regions like Taurus-Auriga and rho Ophiuchus for their proximity, however, stars rarely form in such isolated environments. Most stars, including our Sun, form in rich clusters near massive stars, in regions like Orion, where external ultraviolet radiation threatens the persistence of protoplanetary disks. Here, we present the results of our Submillimeter Array continuum survey of protoplanetary disks (or "proplyds") in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We imaged 23 fields at 880 mum and 2 fields at 1330 mum, covering an area of ∼6.5 arcmin2, containing 67 disks. We found 38 of the disks had sufficient dust excess emission to allow their disk masses to be calculated, which range from 0.003--0.07 M⊙ . We show that the disk mass distribution in Orion has a distance dependence, with smaller, less massive disks located within 0.4 pc of the Trapezium Cluster OB-stars. Our results are consistent with an initial disk distribution in Orion similar to Taurus, with subsequent ultraviolet photoevaporation stripping away the outer parts of the largest, most massive disks near the Trapezium Cluster. Despite the disk destruction effects, the fraction of Orion disks with the potential to form Solar Systems is not diminished when compared with protoplanetary disks in Taurus and rho Ophiuchus, suggesting planet formation is not compromised in this massive star-forming environment. |
