The exoALMA project, utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, has achieved groundbreaking advancements in imaging planet-forming disks around young stars. Announced on April 28, 2025, this international collaboration has produced the sharpest images to date, revealing intricate structures within these protoplanetary disks.
By employing newly developed advanced imaging techniques, the exoALMA project targeted 15 young star systems, mapping the motions of gas and identifying telltale signs of planet formation, such as gaps and rings in the dust disks. This approach allows astronomers to detect younger planets by observing their effects on the surrounding environment, rather than direct light detection.
Richard Teague, the principal investigator of the exoALMA project, noted that the new techniques provide a new level of detail in these planet-forming systems. Christophe Pinte from the Institute of Astrophysics and Planetology of Grenoble, emphasizes that this research provides key insights into the physical properties of planet formation. The project has resulted in 17 published papers, demonstrating that disks around young stars are highly dynamic and structurally complex.