The second-generation of protoplanetary discs around evolved binaries.

At the end of their life some binary stars form Keplerian disks of gas and dust with similar properties as the planet-forming disks around young stars. These scaled-up versions of protoplanetary disks form as the result of an unconstrained interaction process that takes place in the final evolution of binary stars. The fate of these stars depends on the evolution and dispersal of their circumbinary disks, as they are believed to interact dynamically. These stable discs must therefore play a lead role in the final evolution of a large population of binary stars, yet their structure, dispersal and evolution remains elusive. With this project we focus on the very inner structure and aim at resolving all building blocks of these systems and their interactions. We will use a combination of very specific observational data as well as state-of-the art modelling tools. Our research plans to open new windows to study, in space and time, dust sublimation physics, binary evolution processes, and circumstellar disk evolution.