Radiative-transfer interpretation of observed asymmetries

Determine whether the observed brightness asymmetries in the eDisk protostellar disks arise from genuine disk substructures or from radiative-transfer and opacity effects in optically thick emission.

Background

The authors leave unresolved the physical interpretation of the asymmetric emission identified through visibility modeling. Several disks may be optically thick at 1.33 mm, so the observed morphology may not directly trace the underlying dust distribution.

The proposed resolution is to perform detailed radiative-transfer modeling and compare continuum morphologies across wavelengths, particularly between 1.33 mm and 3 mm. Such comparisons are intended to constrain dust opacity and establish whether the asymmetries persist in a manner consistent with intrinsic disk substructures.