455 research outputs found
Ice and Dust in the Quiescent Medium of Isolated Dense Cores
The relation between ices in the envelopes and disks surrounding YSOs and
those in the quiescent interstellar medium is investigated. For a sample of 31
stars behind isolated dense cores, ground-based and Spitzer spectra and
photometry in the 1-25 um wavelength range are combined. The baseline for the
broad and overlapping ice features is modeled, using calculated spectra of
giants, H2O ice and silicates. The adopted extinction curve is derived
empirically. Its high resolution allows for the separation of continuum and
feature extinction. The extinction between 13-25 um is ~50% relative to that at
2.2 um. The strengths of the 6.0 and 6.85 um absorption bands are in line with
those of YSOs. Thus, their carriers, which, besides H2O and CH3OH, may include
NH4+, HCOOH, H2CO and NH3, are readily formed in the dense core phase, before
stars form. The 3.53 um C-H stretching mode of solid CH3OH was discovered. The
CH3OH/H2O abundance ratios of 5-12% are larger than upper limits in the Taurus
molecular cloud. The initial ice composition, before star formation occurs,
therefore depends on the environment. Signs of thermal and energetic processing
that were found toward some YSOs are absent in the ices toward background
stars. Finally, the peak optical depth of the 9.7 um band of silicates relative
to the continuum extinction at 2.2 um is significantly shallower than in the
diffuse interstellar medium. This extends the results of Chiar et al. (2007) to
a larger sample and higher extinctions.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Hot Organic Molecules Toward a Young Low-Mass Star: A Look at Inner Disk Chemistry
Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of the low mass young stellar object (YSO)
IRS 46 (L_bol ~ 0.6 L_sun) in Ophiuchus reveal strong vibration-rotation
absorption bands of gaseous C2H2, HCN, and CO2. This is the only source out of
a sample of ~100 YSO's that shows these features and the first time they are
seen in the spectrum of a solar-mass YSO. Analysis of the Spitzer data combined
with Keck L- and M-band spectra gives excitation temperatures of > 350 K and
abundances of 10(-6)-10(-5) with respect to H2, orders of magnitude higher than
those found in cold clouds. In spite of this high abundance, the HCN J=4-3 line
is barely detected with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, indicating a source
diameter less than 13 AU. The (sub)millimeter continuum emission and the
absence of scattered light in near-infrared images limits the mass and
temperature of any remnant collapse envelope to less than 0.01 M_sun and 100 K,
respectively. This excludes a hot-core type region as found in high-mass YSO's.
The most plausible origin of this hot gas rich in organic molecules is in the
inner (<6 AU radius) region of the disk around IRS 46, either the disk itself
or a disk wind. A nearly edge-on 2-D disk model fits the spectral energy
distribution (SED) and gives a column of dense warm gas along the line of sight
that is consistent with the absorption data. These data illustrate the unique
potential of high-resolution infrared spectroscopy to probe organic chemistry,
gas temperatures and kinematics in the planet-forming zones close to a young
star.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; To appear in Astrophysical Journal Letter
The Relationship between the Optical Depth of the 9.7 micron Silicate Absorption Feature and Infrared Differential Extinction in Dense Clouds
We have examined the relationship between the optical depth of the 9.7 micron
silicate absorption feature (tau_9.7) and the near-infrared color excess,
E(J-Ks) in the Serpens, Taurus, IC 5146, Chameleon I, Barnard 59, and Barnard
68 dense clouds/cores. Our data set, based largely on Spitzer IRS spectra,
spans E(J-Ks)=0.3 to 10 mag (corresponding to visual extinction between about 2
and 60 mag.). All lines of sight show the 9.7 micron silicate feature. Unlike
in the diffuse ISM where a tight linear correlation between the 9.7 micron
silicate feature optical depth and the extinction (Av) is observed, we find
that the silicate feature in dense clouds does not show a monotonic increase
with extinction. Thus, in dense clouds, tau_9.7 is not a good measure of total
dust column density. With few exceptions, the measured tau_9.7 values fall well
below the diffuse ISM correlation line for E(J-Ks) > 2 mag (Av >12 mag). Grain
growth via coagulation is a likely cause of this effect.Comment: 11 pages including 2 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in
ApJ Letters, 23 July 200
C2D Spitzer-IRS spectra of disks around T Tauri stars: IV. Crystalline silicates
Aims. Dust grains in the planet-forming regions around young stars are expected to be heavily processed due to coagulation, fragmentation, and crystallization. This paper focuses on the crystalline silicate dust grains in protoplanetary disks for a statistically significant number of TTauri stars (96).
Methods. As part of the cores to disks (c2d) legacy program, we obtained more than a hundred Spitzer/IRS spectra of TTauri stars, over a spectral range of 5-35 ΞΌm where many silicate amorphous and crystalline solid-state features are present. At these wavelengths, observations probe the upper layers of accretion disks up to distances of a dozen AU from the central object.
Results. More than 3/4 of our objects show at least one crystalline silicate emission feature that can be essentially attributed to Mg-rich silicates. The Fe-rich crystalline silicates are largely absent in the c2d IRS spectra. The strength and detection frequency of the crystalline features seen at Ξ» > 20 ΞΌm correlate with each other, while they are largely uncorrelated with the observational properties of the amorphous silicate 10 ΞΌm feature. This supports the idea that the IRS spectra essentially probe two independent disk regions: a warm zone (β€1 AU) emitting at ~ 10 ΞΌm and a much colder region emitting at Ξ» > 20 ΞΌm (β€10 AU). We identify a crystallinity paradox, as the long-wavelength (Ξ» > 20 m) crystalline silicate features are detected 3.5 times more frequently (~55% vs. ~15%) than the crystalline features arising from much warmer disk regions (Ξ» ~ 10 ΞΌm). This suggests that the disk has an inhomogeneous dust composition within ~10 AU. The analysis of the shape and strength of both the amorphous 10 ΞΌm feature and the crystalline feature around 23 ΞΌm provides evidence for the prevalence of ΞΌm-sized (amorphous and crystalline) grains in upper layers of disks.
Conclusions. The abundant crystalline silicates found far from their presumed formation regions suggest efficient outward radial transport mechanisms in the disks around TTauri stars. The presence of ΞΌm-sized grains in disk atmospheres, despite the short timescales for settling to the midplane, suggests efficient (turbulent) vertical diffusion, probably accompanied by grain-grain fragmentation to balance the expected efficient growth. In this scenario, the depletion of submicron-sized grains in the upper layers of the disks points toward removal mechanisms such as stellar winds or radiation pressure
C2D Spitzer-IRS spectra of disks around T Tauri stars: I. Silicate emission and grain growth
Infrared ~5--35 um spectra for 40 solar-mass T Tauri stars and 7
intermediate-mass Herbig Ae stars with circumstellar disks were obtained using
the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the c2d IRS survey. This work
complements prior spectroscopic studies of silicate infrared emission from
disks, which were focused on intermediate-mass stars, with observations of
solar-mass stars limited primarily to the 10 um region. The observed 10 and 20
um silicate feature strengths/shapes are consistent with source-to-source
variations in grain size. A large fraction of the features are weak and flat,
consistent with um-sized grains indicating fast grain growth (from 0.1--1.0 um
in radius). In addition, approximately half of the T Tauri star spectra show
crystalline silicate features near 28 and 33 um indicating significant
processing when compared to interstellar grains. A few sources show large
10-to-20 um ratios and require even larger grains emitting at 20 um than at 10
um. This size difference may arise from the difference in the depth into the
disk probed by the two silicate emission bands in disks where dust settling has
occurred. The 10 um feature strength vs. shape trend is not correlated with age
or Halpha equivalent width, suggesting that some amount of turbulent mixing and
regeneration of small grains is occurring. The strength vs. shape trend is
related to spectral type, however, with M stars showing significantly flatter
10 um features (larger grain sizes) than A/B stars. The connection between
spectral type and grain size is interpreted in terms of the variation in the
silicate emission radius as a function of stellar luminosity, but could also be
indicative of other spectral-type dependent factors (e.g, X-rays, UV radiation,
stellar/disk winds, etc.).Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication by ApJ, formatted with
emulateapj using revtex4 v4.
Quantification of segregation dynamics in ice mixtures
(Abridged) The observed presence of pure CO2 ice in protostellar envelopes is
attributed to thermally induced ice segregation, but a lack of quantitative
experimental data has prevented its use as a temperature probe. Quantitative
segregation studies are also needed to characterize diffusion in ices, which
underpins all ice dynamics and ice chemistry. This study aims to quantify the
segregation mechanism and barriers in different H2O:CO2 and H2O:CO ice mixtures
covering a range of astrophysically relevant ice thicknesses and mixture
ratios. The ices are deposited at 16-50 K under (ultra-)high vacuum conditions.
Segregation is then monitored at 23-70 K as a function of time, through
infrared spectroscopy. Thin (8-37 ML) H2O:CO2/CO ice mixtures segregate
sequentially through surface processes, followed by an order of magnitude
slower bulk diffusion. Thicker ices (>100 ML) segregate through a fast bulk
process. The thick ices must therefore be either more porous or segregate
through a different mechanism, e.g. a phase transition. The segregation
dynamics of thin ices are reproduced qualitatively in Monte Carlo simulations
of surface hopping and pair swapping. The experimentally determined
surface-segregation rates for all mixture ratios follow the Ahrrenius law with
a barrier of 1080[190] K for H2O:CO2 and 300[100] K for H2O:CO mixtures. During
low-mass star formation H2O:CO2 segregation will be important already at 30[5]
K. Both surface and bulk segregation is proposed to be a general feature of ice
mixtures when the average bond strengths of the mixture constituents in pure
ice exceeds the average bond strength in the ice mixture.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 25 pages, including 13 figure
A road to reality with topological superconductors
Topological states of matter are a source of low-energy quasiparticles, bound
to a defect or propagating along the surface. In a superconductor these are
Majorana fermions, described by a real rather than a complex wave function. The
absence of complex phase factors promises protection against decoherence in
quantum computations based on topological superconductivity. This is a tutorial
style introduction written for a Nature Physics focus issue on topological
matter.Comment: pre-copy-editing, author-produced version of the published paper: 4
pages, 2 figure
Dust, Ice and Gas in Time (DIGIT) Herschel program first results: A full PACS-SED scan of the gas line emission in protostar DK Cha
DK Cha is an intermediate-mass star in transition from an embedded
configuration to a star plus disk stage. We aim to study the composition and
energetics of the circumstellar material during this pivotal stage. Using the
Range Scan mode of PACS on the Herschel Space Observatory, we obtained a
spectrum of DK Cha from 55 to 210 micron as part of the DIGIT Key Program.
Almost 50 molecular and atomic lines were detected, many more than the 7 lines
detected in ISO-LWS. Nearly the entire ladder of CO from J=14-13 to 38-37
(E_u/k = 4080 K), water from levels as excited as E_u/k = 843 K, and OH lines
up to E_u/k = 290 K were detected. The continuum emission in our PACS SED scan
matches the flux expected from a model consisting of a star, a surrounding disk
of 0.03 Solar mass, and an envelope of a similar mass, supporting the
suggestion that the object is emerging from its main accretion stage.
Molecular, atomic, and ionic emission lines in the far-infrared reveal the
outflow's influence on the envelope. The inferred hot gas can be photon-heated,
but some emission could be due to C-shocks in the walls of the outflow cavity.Comment: 4 Page letter, To appear in A&A special issue on Hersche
First results of the Herschel Key Program 'Dust, Ice and Gas in Time': Dust and Gas Spectroscopy of HD 100546
We present far-infrared spectroscopic observations, taken with the
Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) on the Herschel Space
Observatory, of the protoplanetary disk around the pre-main-sequence star HD
100546. These observations are the first within the DIGIT Herschel key program,
which aims to follow the evolution of dust, ice, and gas from young stellar
objects still embedded in their parental molecular cloud core, through the
final pre-main-sequence phases when the circumstellar disks are dissipated.
Our aim is to improve the constraints on temperature and chemical composition
of the crystalline olivines in the disk of HD 100546 and to give an inventory
of the gas lines present in its far-infrared spectrum. The 69 \mu\m feature is
analyzed in terms of position and shape to derive the dust temperature and
composition. Furthermore, we detected 32 emission lines from five gaseous
species and measured their line fluxes. The 69 \mu\m emission comes either from
dust grains with ~70 K at radii larger than 50 AU, as suggested by blackbody
fitting, or it arises from ~200 K dust at ~13 AU, close to the midplane, as
supported by radiative transfer models. We also conclude that the forsterite
crystals have few defects and contain at most a few percent iron by mass.
Forbidden line emission from [CII] at 157 \mu\m and [OI] at 63 and 145 \mu\m,
most likely due to photodissociation by stellar photons, is detected.
Furthermore, five H2O and several OH lines are detected. We also found high-J
rotational transition lines of CO, with rotational temperatures of ~300 K for
the transitions up to J=22-21 and T~800 K for higher transitions
The c2d Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey Of Ices Around Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects. I. H2O And The 5-8 Mu M Bands
To study the physical and chemical evolution of ices in solar-mass systems, a spectral survey is conducted of a sample of 41 low-luminosity YSOs (L similar to 0.1-10 L-circle dot) using 3-38 mu m Spitzer and ground-based spectra. The sample is complemented with previously published Spitzer spectra of background stars and with ISO spectra of well-studied massive YSOs (L similar to 10(5) L-circle dot). The long-known 6.0 and 6.85 mu m bands are detected toward all sources, with the Class 0-type YSOs showing the deepest bands ever observed. The 6.0 mu m band is often deeper than expected from the bending mode of pure solid H2O. The additional 5-7 mu m absorption consists of five independent components, which, by comparison to laboratory studies, must be from at least eight different carriers. Much of this absorption is due to simple species likely formed by grain surface chemistry, at abundances of 1%-30% for CH3OH, 3%-8% for NH3, 1%-5% for HCOOH, similar to 6% for H2CO, and similar to 0.3% for HCOO- relative to solid H2O. The 6.85 mu m band has one or two carriers, of which one may be less volatile than H2O. Its carrier(s) formed early in the molecular cloud evolution and do not survive in the diffuse ISM. If an NH4+- containing salt is the carrier, its abundance relative to solid H2O is similar to 7%, demonstrating the efficiency of low-temperature acid-base chemistry or cosmic-ray-induced reactions. Possible origins are discussed for enigmatic, very broad absorption between 5 and 8 mu m. Finally, the same ices are observed toward massive and low-mass YSOs, indicating that processing by internal UV radiation fields is a minor factor in their early chemical evolution.NWO SpinozaNOVAEuropean Research Training Network PLANETS HPRN-CT-2002-00308NASA Origins NAG5-13050NASA Hubble Fellowship 01201.01NASA NAS 5-26555Astronom
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