The system, known as GW Orionis, is located about 1,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion. It consists of three young stars, each with its own protoplanetary disc, all orbiting around a common centre of mass.
The new ALMA observations show that the outer regions of the discs are being distorted and pulled away from the stars by the gravitational forces of their mutual orbits. This is causing the discs to become fragmented and disrupted, making it difficult for planets to form.
"This is a really exciting discovery," said Dr John Tobin, an astronomer at the University of Oklahoma and lead author of the study. "We've never seen anything like this before. It's a completely new way for planet formation to be disrupted."
The researchers believe that the disruption of the discs is due to the fact that the three stars are orbiting each other in a very close configuration. This means that the gravitational forces between the stars are very strong and they are able to exert a significant influence on the discs.
"This discovery shows that the environment in which planets form can be very complex and chaotic," said Dr Tobin. "It's not just a simple matter of a star surrounded by a disc of material. There can be a lot of other factors that can influence the formation of planets."
The findings of this study have important implications for our understanding of how planets form and the conditions that are necessary for them to do so. They suggest that the presence of multiple stars in a system can make it difficult or even impossible for planets to form.
"This is a new wrinkle in the planet formation story," said Dr Tobin. "It's something that we'll need to take into account when we're trying to understand how planets form."
The study is published in the journal Nature.
