31 research outputs found
Characterising the magnetic fields of the Herbig Ae/Be stars HD97048, HD150193, HD176386, and MWC480
Our knowledge of the presence and the role of magnetic fields in
intermediate-mass pre-main-sequence stars remains very poor.
We present the magnetic properties of four Herbig Ae/Be stars that have not
been previously studied in detail.
Our results for the three Herbig Ae/Be stars HD97048, HD150193, and HD176386
are based on multi-epoch low-resolution spectra obtained in spectropolarimetric
mode with FORS2 mounted on the VLT. New high-resolution polarimetric spectra
were obtained for MWC480 with the SOFIN spectrograph installed at the Nordic
Optical Telescope. We discuss 41 FORS2 low-resolution observations of the
Herbig Ae/Be stars HD97048, HD150193, and HD176386 and determine their
rotational periods. Using stellar fundamental parameters and the longitudinal
magnetic field phase curves, we place constraints on the magnetic field
geometry. Three high-resolution circularly polarised SOFIN spectra obtained for
MWC480 were measured using the moment technique where wavelength shifts between
right- and left-hand side circularly polarised spectra are interpreted in terms
of a longitudinal magnetic field .
Our search for periodicities resulted in P=0.693d for HD97048, P=1.317d for
HD150193, and P=0.899d for HD176386. The magnetic field geometry can likely be
described by a centred dipole with a polar magnetic field strength B_d of
several hundred Gauss. The longitudinal magnetic-field measurements of MWC480
reveal the presence of a strong kG field, which was undetected in our previous
low-resolution polarimetric observations with FORS1. A weak magnetic field was
detected in the circumstellar components of the Ca II H&K lines and the Na I D
lines, indicating a complex interaction between the stellar magnetic field and
the circumstellar environment.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in A&
GASPS observations of Herbig Ae/Be stars with PACS/Herschel. The atomic and molecular content of their protoplanetary discs
We observed a sample of 20 representative Herbig Ae/Be stars and five A-type
debris discs with PACS onboard of Herschel. The observations were done in
spectroscopic mode, and cover far-IR lines of [OI], [CII], CO, CH+, H2O and OH.
We have a [OI]63 micron detection rate of 100% for the Herbig Ae/Be and 0% for
the debris discs. [OI]145 micron is only detected in 25%, CO J=18-17 in 45%
(and less for higher J transitions) of the Herbig Ae/Be stars and for [CII] 157
micron, we often found spatially variable background contamination. We show the
first detection of water in a Herbig Ae disc, HD 163296, which has a settled
disc. Hydroxyl is detected as well in this disc. CH+, first seen in HD 100546,
is now detected for the second time in a Herbig Ae star, HD 97048. We report
fluxes for each line and use the observations as line diagnostics of the gas
properties. Furthermore, we look for correlations between the strength of the
emission lines and stellar or disc parameters, such as stellar luminosity, UV
and X-ray flux, accretion rate, PAH band strength, and flaring. We find that
the stellar UV flux is the dominant excitation mechanism of [OI]63 micron, with
the highest line fluxes found in those objects with a large amount of flaring
and greatest PAH strength. Neither the amount of accretion nor the X-ray
luminosity has an influence on the line strength. We find correlations between
the line flux of [OI]63 micron and [OI]145 micron, CO J = 18-17 and [OI]6300
\AA, and between the continuum flux at 63 micron and at 1.3 mm, while we find
weak correlations between the line flux of [OI]63 micron and the PAH
luminosity, the line flux of CO J = 3-2, the continuum flux at 63 micron, the
stellar effective temperature and the Brgamma luminosity. (Abbreviated version)Comment: 20 pages, 29 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
Evidence for CO depletion in the inner regions of gas-rich protoplanetary disks
We investigate the physical properties and spatial distribution of Carbon
Monoxide (CO) gas in the disks around the Herbig Ae/Be stars HD 97048 and HD
100546.
Using high-spectral-resolution 4.588-4.715 m spectra containing
fundamental CO emission taken with CRIRES on the VLT, we probe the
circumstellar gas and model the kinematics of the emission lines. By using
spectro-astrometry on the spatially resolved targets, we constrain the physical
size of the emitting regions in the disks. We resolve, spectrally and
spatially, the emission of the CO v(1-0) vibrational band and the
CO and vibrational bands in both targets,
as well as the CO band in HD 100546. Modeling of the CO emission
with a homogeneous disk in Keplerian motion, yields a best fit with an inner
and outer radius of the CO emitting region of 11 and 100 AU for HD
97048. HD 100546 is not fit well with our model, but we derive a lower limit on
the inner radius of 8 AU. The fact that gaseous [OI] emission was previously
detected in both targets at significantly smaller radii suggests that CO may be
effectively destroyed at small radii in the surface layers of these disksComment: v2: Letter format has been changed to Paper format; Change in the
focus of the paper towards CO depletion; Major changes in text; Change of
title. Submitted to A&A, 14/10/2008. Accepted by A&A, 17/04/200
Observational diagnostics of gas in protoplanetary disks
Protoplanetary disks are composed primarily of gas (99% of the mass).
Nevertheless, relatively few observational constraints exist for the gas in
disks. In this review, I discuss several observational diagnostics in the UV,
optical, near-IR, mid-IR, and (sub)-mm wavelengths that have been employed to
study the gas in the disks of young stellar objects. I concentrate in
diagnostics that probe the inner 20 AU of the disk, the region where planets
are expected to form. I discuss the potential and limitations of each gas
tracer and present prospects for future research.Comment: Review written for the proceedings of the conference "Origin and
Evolution of Planets 2008", Ascona, Switzerland, June 29 - July 4, 2008. Date
manuscript: October 2008. 17 Pages, 6 graphics, 134 reference
A Search for Mid-Infrared Molecular Hydrogen Emission from Protoplanetary Disks
We observed the Herbig Ae/Be stars UX Ori, HD 34282, HD 100453, HD 101412, HD
104237 and HD 142666, and the T Tauri star HD 319139 and searched for H2 0-0
S(2) emission at 12.278 micron and H2 0-0 S(1) emission at 17.035 micron with
VISIR, ESO-VLT's high-resolution MIR spectrograph. None of the sources present
evidence for H2 emission. Stringent 3sigma upper limits to the integrated line
fluxes and the mass of optically thin warm gas in the disks are derived. The
disks contain less than a few tenths of Jupiter mass of optically thin H2 gas
at 150 K at most, and less than a few Earth masses of optically thin H2 gas at
300 K and higher temperatures. We compare our results to a Chiang and Goldreich
(1997, CG97) two-layer disk model. The upper limits to the disk's optically
thin warm gas mass are smaller than the amount of warm gas in the interior
layer of the disk, but they are much larger than the amount of molecular gas in
the surface layer. We present a calculation of the expected thermal H2 emission
from optically thick disks, assuming a CG97 disk structure, a gas-to-dust ratio
of 100 and Tgas = Tdust. The expected H2 thermal emission fluxes from typical
disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars (10^-16 to 10^-17 erg/s/cm2 at 140 pc) are much
lower than the detection limits of our observations (5*10^-15 erg/s/cm2). H2
emission levels are very sensitive to departures from the thermal coupling
between the molecular gas and dust. Additional sources of heating of gas in the
disk's surface layer could have a major impact on the expected H2 disk
emission. In the observed sources the molecular gas and dust in the surface
layer have not significantly departed from thermal coupling (Tgas/Tdust< 2) and
that the gas-to-dust ratio in the surface layer is very likely lower than 1000.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&A. v2: typo in footnote **
corrected, v3: corrections of the A&A language editor included, typo in title
of Fig. 1. correcte
Molecular hydrogen in the circumstellar environments of Herbig Ae/Be stars probed by FUSE
We observed molecular hydrogen around a sample of pre-main sequence stars in
order to better characterize their gaseous CS environments. We analyzed the
FUSE (Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer) spectra of a sample of Herbig
Ae/Be stars (HAeBes) covering a broad spectral range, including the
main-sequence A5 star Beta-Pictoris. To better diagnose the origin of the
detected H2 and its excitation conditions, we used a model of a
photodissociation region. Our analysis demonstrates that the excitation of H2
is clearly different around most of the HAeBes compared to the interstellar
medium. Moreover, the characteristics of H2 around Herbig Ae and Be stars give
evidence for different excitation mechanisms. For the most massive stars of our
sample (B8 to B2 type), the excitation diagrams are reproduced well by a model
of photodissociation regions (PDR). Our results favor an interpretation in
terms of large CS envelopes, remnants of the molecular clouds in which the
stars were formed. On the other hand, the group of Ae stars (later than B9
type) known to possess disks is more inhomogeneous. In most cases, when CS H2
is detected, the lines of sight do not pass through the disks. The excitation
conditions of H2 around Ae stars cannot be reproduced by PDR models and
correspond to warm and/or hot excited media very close to the stars. In
addition, no clear correlation has been found between the ages of the stars and
the amount of circumstellar H2. Our results suggest structural differences
between Herbig Ae and Be star environments. Herbig Be stars do evolve faster
than Ae stars, and consequently, most Herbig Be stars are younger than Ae ones
at the time we observe them. It is thus more likely to find remnants of their
parent cloud around them.Comment: 23 pages (including on-line material), accepted for publication in
A&
Searching for a link between the magnetic nature and other observed properties of Herbig Ae/Be stars and stars with debris disks
Among the 21 Herbig Ae/Be stars studied, new detections of a magnetic field
were achieved in six stars. For three Herbig Ae/Be stars, we confirm previous
magnetic field detections. The largest longitudinal magnetic field, =
-454+-42G, was detected in the Herbig Ae/Be star HD101412 using hydrogen lines.
No field detection at a significance level of 3sigma was achieved in stars with
debris disks. Our study does not indicate any correlation of the strength of
the longitudinal magnetic field with disk orientation, disk geometry, or the
presence of a companion. We also do not see any simple dependence on the
mass-accretion rate. However, it is likely that the range of observed field
values qualitatively supports the expectations from magnetospheric accretion
models giving support for dipole-like field geometries. Both the magnetic field
strength and the X-ray emission show hints for a decline with age in the range
of ~2-14Myrs probed by our sample supporting a dynamo mechanism that decays
with age. However, our study of rotation does not show any obvious trend of the
strength of the longitudinal magnetic field with rotation period. Furthermore,
the stars seem to obey the universal power-law relation between magnetic flux
and X-ray luminosity established for the Sun and main-sequence active dwarf
stars.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, 7 tables, accepted for publication in A&
ALMA Reveals the Anatomy of the mm-sized Dust and Molecular Gas in the HD 97048 Disk
Transitional disks show a lack of excess emission at infrared wavelengths due to a large dust cavity, that is often corroborated by spatially resolved observations at ∼mm wavelengths. We present the first spatially resolved ∼ mm-wavelength images of the disk around the Herbig Ae/Be star, HD 97048. Scattered light images show that the disk extends to ≈640 au. ALMA data reveal a circular-symmetric dusty disk extending to ≈350 au, and a molecular disk traced in CO J = 3-2 emission, extending to ≈750 au. The CO emission arises from a flared layer with an opening angle ≈30°–40°. HD 97048 is another source for which the large (∼ mm-sized) dust grains are more centrally concentrated than the small (∼μm-sized) grains and molecular gas, likely due to radial drift. The images and visibility data modeling suggest a decrement in continuum emission within ≈50 au, consistent with the cavity size determined from mid-infrared imaging (34 ± 4 au). The extracted continuum intensity profiles show ring-like structures with peaks at ≈50, 150, and 300 au, with associated gaps at ≈100 and 250 au. This structure should be confirmed in higher-resolution images (FWHM ≈ 10–20 au). These data confirm the classification of HD 97048 as a transitional disk that also possesses multiple ring-like structures in the dust continuum emission. Additional data are required at multiple and well-separated frequencies to fully characterize the disk structure, and thereby constrain the mechanism(s) responsible for sculpting the HD 97048 disk
The Structure of Protoplanetary Disks Surrounding Three Young Intermediate Mass Stars. I. Resolving the disk rotation in the [OI] 6300 \AA line
We present high spectral resolution optical spectra of three young
intermediate mass stars, in all of which we spectrally resolve the 6300
Angstrom [OI] emission line. Two of these have a double peaked line profile. We
fit these data with a simple model of the [OI] emission caused by
photo-dissociation of OH molecules in the upper layer of a circumstellar disk
by stellar UV radiation and thus translate the Doppler broadened [OI] emission
profile into an amount of emission as a function of distance from the central
star. The resulting spectra are in agreement with the expected disk shapes as
derived from their spectral energy distribution. We find evidence for shadowing
by an inner rim in the disk surrounding HD101412 and see a flaring disk
structure in HD179218 while the [OI] spectrum of HD135344 is more complex. The
[OI] emission starts for all three targets at velocities corresponding to their
dust sublimation radius and extends up to radii of 10 -- 90 AU. This shows that
this method can be a valuable tool in the future investigation of circumstellar
disks.Comment: 11 pages, 19 figures, accepted in A&A on 04/02/2008; added reference
FUSE observations of molecular hydrogen on the line of sight towards HD141569A
We present an analysis of the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE)
spectrum of HD141569A, a transitional object known to possess a circumstellar
disk. We observe two components of gas at widely different temperatures along
the line of sight. We detect cold H2, which is thermalized up to J=2 at a
kinetic temperature of 51K. Such low temperatures are typical of the diffuse
interstellar medium. Since the line of sight to HD141569A does not pass through
its disk, it appears that we are observing the cold H2 in a low extinction
envelope associated with the high Galactic latitude dark cloud complex L134N,
which is in the same direction and at nearly the same distance as HD141569A.
The column densities of the higher J-levels of H2 suggest the presence of warm
gas along the line of sight. The excitation conditions do not seem to be
consistent with what is generally observed in diffuse interstellar clouds. The
observed radial velocity of the gas implies that the UV spectral lines we
observe are likely interstellar in origin rather than circumstellar, although
our absorption line study does not definitely rule out the possibility that the
warm gas is close to the star. The discovery of such warm gas along the line of
sight may provide evidence for turbulent phenomena in the dark cloud L134N.Comment: accepted for publication in A&