A triple star system with a misaligned and warped circumstellar disk
  shaped by disk tearing
  Young stars are surrounded by a circumstellar disk of gas and dust, within
which planet formation can occur. Gravitational forces in multiple star systems
can disrupt the disk. Theoretical models predict that if the disk is misaligned
with the orbital plane of the stars, the disk should warp and break into
precessing rings, a phenomenon known as disk tearing. We present observations
of the triple star system GWOrionis, finding evidence for disk tearing. Our
images show an eccentric ring that is misaligned with the orbital planes and
the outer disk. The ring casts shadows on a strongly warped intermediate region
of the disk. If planets can form within the warped disk, disk tearing could
provide a mechanism for forming wide-separation planets on oblique orbits.
