The program aims at a comprehensive characterization of the dust and gas content of disks during the entire planet-forming phase. Building from Spitzer and ground-based detections of H2O, OH, HCN, C2H2 and CO2, we will search for less abundant/more complex molecules such as CH4, C6H6, NH3, HCO+ or HNC and rare isotopologues. A full inventory of molecules in the main planet forming region (inside ~10 au) provides important clues to the formation of even more complex molecules that eventually link back into the early history of our own Solar System, the origin and delivery of water on Earth, and, eventually, the emergence of life. In addition, we can follow the evolution of detailed dust mineralogy enabled by the unprecedented high S/N in the spectra.
About us
Project PI: Thomas Henning (MPIA)
The MINDS collaboration is composed by many institutions and researchers across Europe.
News
Check out our latest news!
- MINDS. Hydrocarbons detected by JWST/MIRI in the inner disk of Sz28 consistent with a high C/O gas-phase chemistry
- MINDS: Mid-infrared atomic and molecular hydrogen lines in the inner disk around a low-mass star
- Abundant hydrocarbons in the disk around a very-low-mass star
- MINDS: Hybrid pipeline for the reduction of JWST/MIRI-MRS data
- MINDS. The DR Tau disk I: combining JWST-MIRI data with high-resolution CO spectra to characterise the hot gas
Gallery
Understanding protoplanetary disks