We present ground-based near-infrared ( H-band ) imaging of the circumstellar disk around the nearby classical T Tauri star TW Hydrae .
The scattered light image shows a face-on disk with radius 4 arcseconds ( corresponding to 225 AU ) and a morphology which agrees with recent images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Array .
The best fit power-law for the disk ’ s radial surface brightness profile obeys the law r ^ { -3.3 \pm 0.3 } .
We use our image and published continuum flux densities to derive properties of the disk with a simple model of emission from an optically thick , flat disk .
The best-fit values for disk mass and inner radius are 0.03 M _ { \odot } and 0.3 AU ; best-fit values for temperature , density , and grain opacity power law exponents ( q , p , and \beta ) are 0.7 , 1.3 , and 0.9 , respectively .
These properties are similar to those of disks around classical T Tauri stars located in more distant molecular clouds .
Because of TW Hydrae ’ s nearby location and pole-on orientation , it is a uniquely favorable object for future studies of radial disk structure at the classical T Tauri stage .