Synergic analyses of Protoplanetary Disk spectra using SpExoDisks: A case study

Spectroscopic studies of the inner 10 AU in Protoplanetary Disks, a fundamental region for disk evolution and planet formation, are now at a crossroad. Over the past decade, multiple spectrographs on the ground and in space have given access to rich infrared spectra that probe the chemistry and evolution of inner disks, and the observed disk samples have reached a few hundred units. While these datasets have already revealed key aspects of the chemistry, excitation, and gas kinematics in planet-forming regions, it is by now clear that a greater potential will come from analyses that combine multiple datasets. In fact, some infrared spectrographs provide an unmatched spectral coverage of multiple molecules, but lack any kinematic information (e.g. Spitzer-IRS, and soon JWST-MIRI). Others, instead, provide unmatched resolving power and high kinematic detail on gas emission, but a narrower spectral coverage that is usually centered on CO emission (e.g. VLT-CRIRES and IRTF-iSHELL). Yet others provide kinematic information on other species (including H₂O) at different wavelengths, but with even narrower spectral ranges (e.g. VLT-VISIR). SpExoDisks is a new multi-dimensional database dedicated to spectroscopy of exoplanet-forming disks that combines multiple spectroscopic datasets and stellar and disk parameters, to support modeling efforts toward a more comprehensive study of inner planet-forming regions. The database construction is complete and we are now working on the online interface for community access. Here we illustrate the potential of multi-dimensional synergic analyses supported by SpExoDisks, by presenting a case study of a new survey of mid-infrared spectra of H₂O, [NeII], and H₂ with VISIR on the VLT that is combined to previous surveys done with Spitzer and CRIRES.