745 research outputs found
Relative Abundance of Ices in the Disks of T Tauri Stars
Very little work has been carried out to determine whether or not large organic molecules similar to those observed on the surfaces of minor solar system bodies also reside in the mantles of icy grains located in dense molecular clouds or in the local environments of protostars and PNIS stars. Ten years ago Lacy et al. first identified a broad absorption band near 4.62 micron, the C equivalent N stretch fundamental, in the spectra of two embedded protostars, W33A and NGC 7538 IRS 9. The only follow-up observational work to this study is that done by us under the sponsorship of Origins of Solar Systems under this grant
Pinpointing the Position of the Post-AGB Star at the Core of RAFGL 2688 using Polarimetric Imaging with NICMOS
We have used infrared polarimetric imaging with NICMOS to determine precisely
the position of the star that illuminates (and presumably generated) the
bipolar, pre-planetary reflection nebula RAFGL 2688 (the Egg Nebula). The
polarimetric data pinpoint the illuminating star, which is not detected
directly at wavelengths less than or equal to 2 microns, at a position well
within the dark lane that bisects the nebula, 0.55" (about 550 AU) southwest of
the infrared peak which was previously detected at the southern tip of the
northern polar lobe. The inferred position of the central star corresponds to
the geometric center of the tips of the four principle lobes of near-infrared
H2 emission; identifying the central star at this position also reveals the
strong point symmetric structure of the nebula, as seen both in the intensity
and polarization structure of the polar lobes. The polarimetric and imaging
data indicate that the infrared peak directly detected in the NICMOS images is
a self-luminous source and, therefore, is most likely a distant binary
companion to the illuminating star. Although present theory predicts that
bipolar structure in pre-planetary and planetary nebulae is a consequence of
binary star evolution, the separation between the components of the RAFGL 2688
binary system, as deduced from these observations, is much too large for the
presence of the infrared companion to have influenced the structure of the
RAFGL 2688 nebula.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa
The Coronal X-ray Spectrum of the Multiple Weak-Lined T Tauri Star System HD 98800
We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of the multiple (hierarchical
quadruple) weak-lined T Tauri star system HD 98800, obtained with the High
Energy Transmission Gratings Spectrograph (HETGS) aboard the Chandra X-ray
Observatory (CXO). In the zeroth-order CXO/HETGS X-ray image, both principle
binary components of HD 98800 (A and B, separation 0.8'') are detected;
component A was observed to flare during the observation. The infrared excess
(dust disk) component, HD 98800B, is a factor ~4 fainter in X-rays than the
apparently ``diskless'' HD 98800A, in quiescence. The line ratios of He-like
species (e.g., Ne IX, O VII) in the HD 98800A spectrum indicate that the
X-ray-emitting plasma around HD 98800 is in a typical coronal density regime
(log n <~ 11). We conclude that the dominant X-ray-emitting component(s) of HD
98800 is (are) coronally active. The sharp spectral differences between HD
98800 and the classical T Tauri star TW Hya demonstrate the potential utility
of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy in providing diagnostics of pre-main
sequence accretion processes.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures; to appear in the Astrophysical Journal (Letters
Evidence for Accretion in the High-resolution X-ray Spectrum of the T Tauri Star System Hen 3-600
We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of the multiple T Tauri star system
Hen 3-600, obtained with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrograph on
the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Two binary components were detected in the
zeroth-order image. Hen 3-600-A, which has a large mid-infrared excess, is a
2-3 times fainter in X-rays than Hen 3-600-B, due to a large flare on B. The
dispersed X-ray spectra of the two primary components overlap spatially;
spectral analysis was performed on the combined system. Analysis of the
individual spectra was limited to regions where the contributions of A and B
can be disentangled. This analysis results in two lines of evidence indicating
that the X-ray emission from Hen 3-600 is derived from accretion processes:
line ratios of O VII indicate that the characteristic density of its
X-ray-emitting plasma is large; a significant component of low-temperature
plasma is present and is stronger in component A. These results are consistent
with results obtained from X-ray gratings spectroscopy of more rapidly
accreting systems. All of the signatures of Hen 3-600 that are potential
diagnostics of accretion activity -- X-ray emission, UV excess, H-alpha
emission, and weak infrared excess -- suggest that its components represent a
transition phase between rapidly accreting, classical T Tauri stars and
non-accreting, weak-lined T Tauri stars.Comment: latex, 27 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables; accepted by Ap
Detection of Molecular Hydrogen Orbiting a "Naked" T Tauri Star
Astronomers have established that for a few million years newborn stars
possess disks of orbiting gas and dust. Such disks, which are likely sites of
planet formation, appear to disappear once these stars reach ages of 5-10 times
10^6 yr; yet, >= 10^7 yr is thought necessary for giant planet formation. If
disks dissipate in less time than is needed for giant planet formation, such
planets may be rare and those known around nearby stars would be anomalies.
Herein, we report the discovery of H_2 gas orbiting a weak-lined T Tauri star
heretofore presumed nearly devoid of circumstellar material. We estimate that a
significant amount of H_2 persists in the gas phase, but only a tiny fraction
of this mass emits in the near-infrared. We propose that this star possesses an
evolved disk that has escaped detection thus far because much of the dust has
coagulated into planetesimals. This discovery suggests that the theory that
disks are largely absent around such stars should be reconsidered. The
widespread presence of such disks would indicate that planetesimals can form
quickly and giant planet formation can proceed to completion before the gas in
circumstellar disks disperses.Comment: latex 12 pages, including 1 figur
Quiescent H2 Emission From Pre-Main Sequence Stars in Chamaeleon I
We report the discovery of quiescent emission from molecular hydrogen gas
located in the circumstellar disks of six pre-main sequence stars, including
two weak-line T Tauri stars (TTS), and one Herbig AeBe star, in the Chamaeleon
I star forming region. For two of these stars, we also place upper limits on
the 2->1 S(1)/1->0 S(1) line ratios of 0.4 and 0.5. Of the 11 pre-main sequence
sources now known to be sources of quiescent near-infrared hydrogen emission,
four possess transitional disks, which suggests that detectable levels of H
emission and the presence of inner disk holes are correlated. These H
detections demonstrate that these inner holes are not completely devoid of gas,
in agreement with the presence of observable accretion signatures for all four
of these stars and the recent detections of [Ne II] emission from three of
them. The overlap in [Ne II] and H detections hints at a possible
correlation between these two features and suggests a shared excitation
mechanism of high energy photons. Our models, combined with the kinematic
information from the H lines, locate the bulk of the emitting gas at a few
tens of AU from the stars. We also find a correlation between H detections
and those targets which possess the largest H equivalent widths,
suggesting a link between accretion activity and quiescent H emission. We
conclude that quiescent H emission from relatively hot gas within the disks
of TTS is most likely related to on-going accretion activity, the production of
UV photons and/or X-rays, and the evolutionary status of the dust grain
populations in the inner disks.Comment: 12 pages, emulateapj, Accepted by Ap
Suzaku Observation of Strong Fluorescent Iron Line Emission from the Young Stellar Object V1647 Ori during Its New X-ray Outburst
The Suzaku X-ray satellite observed the young stellar object V1647 Ori on 2008 October 8 during the new mass accretion outburst reported in August 2008. During the 87 ksec observation with a net exposure of 40 ks, V1647 Ori showed a. high level of X-ray emission with a gradual decrease in flux by a factor of 5 and then displayed an abrupt flux increase by an order of magnitude. Such enhanced X-ray variability was also seen in XMM-Newton observations in 2004 and 2005 during the 2003-2005 outburst, but has rarely been observed for other young stellar objects. The spectrum clearly displays emission from Helium-like iron, which is a signature of hot plasma (kT approx.5 keV). It also shows a fluorescent iron Ka line with a remarkably large equivalent width of approx. 600 eV. Such a, large equivalent width indicates that a part of the incident X-ray emission that irradiates the circumstellar material and/or the stellar surface is hidden from our line of sight. XMM-Newton spectra during the 2003-2005 outburst did not show a strong fluorescent iron Ka line ; so that the structure of the circumstellar gas very close to the stellar core that absorbs and re-emits X-ray emission from the central object may have changed in between 2005 and 2008. This phenomenon may be related to changes in the infrared morphology of McNeil's nebula between 2004 and 2008
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