423 research outputs found
The evolution of stars in the Taurus-Auriga T association
In a recent study, individual parallaxes were determined for many stars of
the Taurus-Auriga T association that are members of the same moving group. We
use these new parallaxes to re-address the issue of the relationship between
classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) and weak-emission line T Tauri stars (WTTSs).
With the available spectroscopic and photometric information for 72 individual
stars or stellar systems among the Taurus-Auriga objects with known parallaxes,
we derived reliable photospheric luminosities, mainly from the Ic magnitude of
these objects. We then studied the mass and age distributions of the stellar
sample, using pre-main sequence evolutionary models to determine the basic
properties of the stellar sample. Statistical tests and Monte Carlo simulations
were then applied to studying the properties of the two T Tauri subclasses. We
find that the probability of CTTS and WTTS samples being drawn from the same
parental age and mass distributions is low; CTTSs are, on average, younger than
WTTSs. They are also less massive, but this is due to selection effects. The
observed mass and age distributions of both T Tauri subclasses can be
understood in the framework of a simple disk evolution model, assuming that the
CTTSs evolve into WTTSs when their disks are fully accreted by the stars.
According to this empirical model, the average disk lifetime in Taurus-Auriga
is 4 10**6 (Mstar/Msun)**0.75 yr.Comment: accepted by A&A Letter
Molecule survival in magnetized protostellar disk winds. II. Predicted H2O line profiles versus Herschel/HIFI observations
We investigate whether the broad wings of H2O emission identified with
Herschel towards low-mass Class 0 and Class 1 protostars may be consistent with
an origin in a dusty MHD disk wind, and the constraints it would set on the
underlying disk properties. We present synthetic H2O line profiles predictions
for a typical MHD disk wind solution with various values of disk accretion
rate, stellar mass, extension of the launching area, and view angle. We compare
them in terms of line shapes and intensities with the HIFI profiles observed by
the WISH Key Program. We find that a dusty MHD disk wind launched from 0.2--0.6
AU AU to 3--25 AU can reproduce to a remarkable degree the observed shapes and
intensities of the broad H2O component, both in the fundamental 557 GHz line
and in more excited lines. Such a model also readily reproduces the observed
correlation of 557 GHz line luminosity with envelope density, if the infall
rate at 1000 AU is 1--3 times the disk accretion rate in the wind ejection
region. It is also compatible with the typical disk size and bolometric
luminosity in the observed targets. However, the narrower line profiles in
Class 1 sources suggest that MHD disk winds in these sources, if present, would
have to be slower and/or less water rich than in Class 0 sources. In
conclusion, MHD disk winds appear as a valid (though not unique) option to
consider for the origin of the broad H2O component in low-mass protostars. ALMA
appears ideally suited to further test this model by searching for resolved
signatures of the warm and slow wide-angle molecular wind that would be
predicted.Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Temporal evolution of magnetic molecular shocks I. Moving grid simulations
We present time-dependent 1D simulations of multifluid magnetic shocks with
chemistry resolved down to the mean free path. They are obtained with an
adaptive moving grid implemented with an implicit scheme. We examine a broad
range of parameters relevant to conditions in dense molecular clouds, with
preshock densities between 10^3 and 10^5 cm-3, velocities between 10 and 40
km/s, and three different scalings for the transverse magnetic field: B=0,0.1,1
\mu G \sqrt{n.cm3}. We first use this study to validate the results of
Chi\`eze, Pineau des For\^ets & Flower (1998), in particular the long delays
necessary to obtain steady C-type shocks, and we provide evolutionary
time-scales for a much greater range of parameters. We also present the first
time-dependent models of dissociative shocks with a magnetic precursor,
including the first models of stationary CJ shocks in molecular conditions. We
find that the maximum speed for steady C-type shocks is reached before the
occurrence of a sonic point in the neutral fluid, unlike previously thought. As
a result, the maximum speed for C-shocks is lower than previously believed.
Finally, we find a large amplitude bouncing instability in J-type fronts near
the H2 dissociation limit (u ~ 25-30 km/s), driven by H2
dissociation/reformation. At higher speeds, we find an oscillatory behaviour of
short period and small amplitude linked to collisional ionisation of H. Both
instabilities are suppressed after some time when a magnetic field is present.
In a companion paper, we use the present simulations to validate a new
semi-analytical construction method for young low-velocity magnetic shocks
based on truncated steady-state models.Comment: A&A in pres
First results from the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey. I. Kinematics of the inner envelope of NGC1333-IRAS2A
The structure and kinematics of Class 0 protostars on scales of a few hundred
AU is poorly known. Recent observations have revealed the presence of Keplerian
disks with a diameter of 150-180 AU in L1527-IRS and VLA1623A, but it is not
clear if such disks are common in Class 0 protostars. Here we present
high-angular-resolution observations of two methanol lines in NGC1333-IRAS2A.
We argue that these lines probe the inner envelope, and we use them to study
the kinematics of this region. Our observations suggest the presence of a
marginal velocity gradient normal to the direction of the outflow. However, the
position velocity diagrams along the gradient direction appear inconsistent
with a Keplerian disk. Instead, we suggest that the emission originates from
the infalling and perhaps slowly rotating envelope, around a central protostar
of 0.1-0.2 M. If a disk is present, it is smaller than the disk of
L1527-IRS, perhaps suggesting that NGC1333-IRAS2A is younger.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A letter
Origin of the wide-angle hot H2 in DG Tauri: New insight from SINFONI spectro-imaging
We wish to test the origins proposed for the extended hot H2 at 2000K around
the atomic jet from the T Tauri star DGTau, in order to constrain the
wide-angle wind structure and the possible presence of an MHD disk wind. We
present flux calibrated IFS observations in H2 1-0 S(1) obtained with
SINFONI/VLT. Thanks to spatial deconvolution by the PSF and to accurate
correction for uneven slit illumination, we performed a thorough analysis and
modeled the morphology, kinematics, and surface brightness. We also compared
our results with studies in [FeII], [OI], and FUV-pumped H2. The
limb-brightened H2 emission in the blue lobe is strikingly similar to
FUV-pumped H2 imaged 6yr later, confirming that they trace the same hot gas and
setting an upper limit of 12km/s on any expansion proper motion. The wide-angle
H2 rims are at lower blueshifts than probed by narrow long-slit spectra. We
confirm that they extend to larger angle and to lower speed the onion-like
velocity structure observed in optical atomic lines. The latter is shown to be
steady over more/equal than 4yr but undetected in [FeII] by SINFONI, probably
due to strong iron depletion. The H2 rim thickness less/equal than 14AU rules
out excitation by C-shocks, and J-shock speeds are constrained to 10km/s. We
find that explaining the H2 wide-angle emission with a shocked layer requires
either a recent outburst (15yr) into a pre-existing ambient outflow or an
excessive wind mass flux. A slow photoevaporative wind from the dense
irradiated disk surface and an MHD disk wind heated by ambipolar diffusion seem
to be more promising and need to be modeled in more detail
First results from the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey - III. Monopolar jets driven by a proto-binary system in NGC1333-IRAS2A
Context: The earliest evolutionary stages of low-mass protostars are
characterised by hot and fast jets which remove angular momentum from the
circumstellar disk, thus allowing mass accretion onto the central object.
However, the launch mechanism is still being debated. Aims: We would like to
exploit high-angular (~ 0.8") resolution and high-sensitivity images to
investigate the origin of protostellar jets using typical molecular tracers of
shocked regions, such as SiO and SO. Methods: We mapped the inner 22" of the
NGC1333-IRAS2A protostar in SiO(5-4), SO(65-54), and the continuum emission at
1.4 mm using the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer in the framework of the
CALYPSO IRAM large program. Results: For the first time, we disentangle the
NGC1333-IRAS2A Class 0 object into a proto-binary system revealing two
protostars (MM1, MM2) separated by ~ 560 AU, each of them driving their own
jet, while past work considered a single protostar with a quadrupolar outflow.
We reveal (i) a clumpy, fast (up to |V-VLSR| > 50 km/s), and blueshifted jet
emerging from the brightest MM1 source, and (ii) a slower redshifted jet,
driven by MM2. Silicon monoxide emission is a powerful tracer of
high-excitation (Tkin > 100 K; n(H2) > 10^5 cm-3) jets close to the launching
region. At the highest velocities, SO appears to mimic SiO tracing the jets,
whereas at velocities close to the systemic one, SO is dominated by extended
emission, tracing the cavity opened by the jet. Conclusions: Both jets are
intrinsically monopolar, and intermittent in time. The dynamical time of the
SiO clumps is < 30-90 yr, indicating that one-sided ejections from protostars
can take place on these timescales.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics Letter, in pres
Depletion and low gas temperature in the L183 prestellar core: the N2H+ - N2D+ tool
Context. The study of pre-stellar cores (PSCs) suffers from a lack of undepleted species to trace the gas physical properties in their very dense inner parts. Aims. We want to carry out detailed modelling of N2H+ and N2D+ cuts across the L183 main core to evaluate the depletion of these species and their usefulness as a probe of physical conditions in PSCs. Methods. We have developed a non-LTE (NLTE) Monte-Carlo code treating the 1D radiative transfer of both N2H+ and N2D+, making use of recently published collisional coefficients with He between individual hyperfine levels. The code includes line overlap between hyperfine transitions. An extensive set of core models is calculated and compared with observations. Special attention is paid to the issue of source coupling to the antenna beam. Results. The best fitting models indicate that i) gas in the core center is very cold (7 1 K) and thermalized with dust, ii) depletion of N2H+ does occur, starting at densities 5-7E5 cm−3 and reaching a factor of 6 (+13/−3) in abundance, iii) deuterium fractionation reaches ∼70% at the core center, and iv) the density profile is proportional to r^-1 out to ∼4000 AU, and to r^−2 beyond. Conclusions. Our NLTE code could be used to (re-)interpret recent and upcoming observations of N2H+ and N2D+ in many pre-stellar cores of interest, to obtain better temperature and abundance profiles
Dense molecular globulettes and the dust arc towards the runaway O star AE Aur (HD 34078)
Some runaway stars are known to display IR arc-like structures around them,
resulting from their interaction with surrounding interstellar material. The
properties of these features as well as the processes involved in their
formation are still poorly understood. We aim at understanding the physical
mechanisms that shapes the dust arc observed near the runaway O star AEAur
(HD34078). We obtained and analyzed a high spatial resolution map of the
CO(1-0) emission that is centered on HD34078, and that combines data from both
the IRAM interferometer and 30m single-dish antenna. The line of sight towards
HD34078 intersects the outer part of one of the detected globulettes, which
accounts for both the properties of diffuse UV light observed in the field and
the numerous molecular absorption lines detected in HD34078's spectra,
including those from highly excited H2 . Their modeled distance from the star
is compatible with the fact that they lie on the 3D paraboloid which fits the
arc detected in the 24 {\mu}m Spitzer image. Four other compact CO globulettes
are detected in the mapped area. These globulettes have a high density and
linewidth, and are strongly pressure-confined or transient. The good spatial
correlation between the CO globulettes and the IR arc suggests that they result
from the interaction of the radiation and wind emitted by HD 34078 with the
ambient gas. However, the details of this interaction remain unclear. A wind
mass loss rate significantly larger than the value inferred from UV lines is
favored by the large IR arc size, but does not easily explain the low velocity
of the CO globulettes. The effect of radiation pressure on dust grains also
meets several issues in explaining the observations. Further observational and
theoretical work is needed to fully elucidate the processes shaping the gas and
dust in bow shocks around runaway O stars. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Windows through the Dusty Disks Surrounding the Youngest Low Mass Protostellar Objects
The formation and evolution of young low mass stars are characterized by
important processes of mass loss and accretion ocurring in the innermost
regions of their placentary circumstellar disks. Because of the large
obscuration of these disks at optical and infrared wavelengths in the early
protostellar stages (Class 0 Sources), they were previously detected only at
radio wavelengths using interferometric techniques. We have detected with the
Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) the mid-infrared emission associated with the
Class 0 protostar VLA1 in the HH1-2 region located in the Orion nebula. The
emission arises in the three wavelength windows at 5.3, 6.6 and 7.5 micras
where the absorption due to ices and silicates has a local minimum that exposes
the central parts of the youngest protostellar systems to mid-infrared
investigations. The mid-infrared emission arises from a central source with 4
AU diameter at an averaged temperature of 700 K, deeply embedded in a dense
region with a visual extinction of Av=80-100mag.Comment: The article is here and on pres
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