Program: GS-2009A-C-5

Edge-on protoplanetary disks represent the best opportunity to study the chemical evolution in the inner disk regions around young stars. In this specialized geometry, the line of sight can pass through large columns of gas close to the star making molecular absorption spectroscopy possible (Lahuis et al. 2006). While a powerful diagnostic tool, proper interpretation depends on the background continuum. High spatial resolution imaging is the best way of characterizing the dust component of disks. The images constrain global properties such as disk inclination, size, and inner radius as well as grain settling, growth, and temperature through modeling of the spectral energy distribution, particularly when the images can spatially resolve the emission. By imaging five edge-on disk sources with T-ReCS in multiple mid-IR bands, we will learn about their dust distribution. All of these sources are part of our Spitzer Cycle 5 IRS program to study inner disk chemistry.