Unraveling the Transitional Disk RX J1615.3-3255: Scattered Light Observations Versus Disk Models

We present a two-stage analysis of the transitional disk RX J1615.3-3255 located in the Lupus association (∼1 Myr old). Using 1.6 μm scattered light, polarized intensity images observed with the HiCIAO instrument of the Subaru Telescope, we deduce the position angle and the inclination angle. The disk is found to extend out to 92 ± 12 AU in the scattered light and no clear structure is observed, nor do we see a central decrease in intensity seen in 880μm continuum observations from the literature. We then analyse two different disk models that are based on the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED). We construct a single-zone, continuous disk model and a multi-zone model with a cavity at 30 AU and a puffed up cavity wall. From these models, we produce simulated images to compare with our observations and submm images from the literature. The multi-zone disk model gives the best reproduction of the observations. Both models show stability against self-gravitation throughout the entire disk, assuming a gas-to-dust ratio of 100. Therefore, the formation of planets through a gravitational instability is unlikely in these models.