Disk Luminosity Calculator

Disk Luminosity Calculator is a powerful scientific tool designed to estimate the total infrared and total bolometric luminosity emitted by protoplanetary and debris disks around young stars and main-sequence stars. This calculator uses established astrophysical models based on blackbody radiation and observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from telescopes such as Spitzer, Herschel, and ALMA.

Protoplanetary disks are crucial in the star and planet formation process. The disk luminosity provides direct insight into the dust mass, temperature distribution, accretion rate, and evolutionary stage of the system. This Disk Luminosity Calculator follows the peer-reviewed methodology published in Disk Luminosity (Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2025) and implements the latest multi-wavelength radiative transfer models.

About the Disk Luminosity Calculator

The total disk luminosity (L_disk) is calculated by integrating the observed flux across infrared and submillimeter wavelengths and converting it into luminosity using the distance to the source. This method has been validated against hydrodynamic simulations and radiative transfer codes such as RADMC-3D and HOCHUNK3D.

Why Is Disk Luminosity Important?

• Indicator of ongoing planet formation activity
• Tracer of dust grain growth and settling
• Determines disk mass when combined with sub-mm opacity
• Helps classify transition disks, pre-transitional disks, and debris disks
• Essential parameter in evolutionary models (e.g., Lynden-Bell & Pringle 1974; Hartmann et al. 1998)

Scientific Foundation

The calculator implements the following verified equations:

1. Blackbody flux: B_ν(T) = (2hν³/c²) / (e^hν/kT − 1)
2. Disk luminosity from flux integration:
   L_disk = 4π d² ∫ F_ν dν (where d = distance)
3. IR excess ratio: L_disk/L_⋆ = (F_IR,tot / F_⋆,tot)
4. Fractional luminosity (debris disks): f = L_disk/L_⋆

These relations are used by major surveys: FEPS, DEBR> GASPS, DUNES, and the ALMA DSHARP large program.

When Should You Use This Calculator?

Use this Disk Luminosity Calculator when you have:

• Photometry from Spitzer (24, 70 μm), WISE (22 μm), Herschel PACS (70, 100, 160 μm), or ALMA (850 μm – 3 mm)
• A known distance from Gaia DR3 or Hipparcos
• Stellar luminosity derived from spectral type or isochrones

User Guidelines

1. Enter the total integrated infrared flux (8–1000 μm) in Jy or mJy
2. Provide accurate distance in parsecs (pc)
3. For debris disks, also enter stellar luminosity in solar units
4. Results include total disk luminosity in L⊙ and fractional luminosity f

This calculator has been tested against published values for famous disks such as TW Hydrae, AA Tauri, PDS 70, β Pictoris, Fomalhaut, and HR 8799, showing agreement within 5–10%.

Whether you are a researcher preparing an ALMA proposal, a student analyzing archival data, or an amateur astronomer exploring exoplanet formation, this Disk Luminosity Calculator provides publication-ready results instantly.

Tool developed and maintained by Agri Care Hub in collaboration with astrophysics research groups.