We report the first direct imaging of protoplanetary disks in the star-forming region of Carina , the most distant , massive cluster in which disks have been imaged .
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array ( ALMA ) , disks are observed around two young stellar objects ( YSOs ) that are embedded inside evaporating gaseous globules and exhibit jet activity .
The disks have an average size of 120 AU and total masses of 30 and 50 M _ { \mathrm { \scriptscriptstyle Jup } } .
Given the measured masses , the minimum timescale required for planet formation ( \sim 1 - 2 Myr ) and the average age of the Carina population ( \sim 1 - 4 Myr ) , it is plausible that young planets are present or their formation is currently ongoing in these disks .
The non-detection of millimeter emission above the 4 \sigma threshold ( \sim 7 M _ { \mathrm { \scriptscriptstyle Jup } } ) in the core of the massive cluster Trumpler 14 , an area containing previously identified proplyd candidates , suggest evidence for rapid photo-evaporative disk destruction in the cluster ’ s harsh radiation field .
This would prevent the formation of giant gas planets in disks located in the cores of Carina ’ s dense sub-clusters , whereas the majority of YSO disks in the wider Carina region remain unaffected by external photo-evaporation .