221 research outputs found
Towards Understanding The B[e] Phenomenon: IV. Modeling of IRAS 00470+6429
FS CMa type stars are a recently described group of objects with the B[e]
phenomenon that exhibit strong emission-line spectra and strong IR excesses. In
this paper we report the first attempt for a detailed modeling of IRAS
00470+6429, for which we have the best set of observations. Our modeling is
based on two key assumptions: the star has a main-sequence luminosity for its
spectral type (B2) and the circumstellar envelope is bimodal, composed of a
slowly outflowing disk-like wind and a fast polar wind. Both outflows are
assumed to be purely radial. We adopt a novel approach to describe the dust
formation site in the wind that employs timescale arguments for grain
condensation and a self-consistent solution for the dust destruction surface.
With the above assumptions we were able to reproduce satisfactorily many
observational properties of IRAS 00470+6429, including the H line profiles and
the overall shape of the spectral energy distribution. Our adopted recipe for
dust formation proved successful in reproducing the correct amount of dust
formed in the circumstellar envelope. Possible shortcomings of our model, as
well as suggestions for future improvements, are discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Cyclic Variability of the Circumstellar Disc of the Be Star Tau. II. Testing the 2D Global Disc Oscillation Model
Aims. In this paper we model, in a self-consistent way, polarimetric,
photometric, spectrophotometric and interferometric observations of the
classical Be star Tauri. Our primary goal is to conduct a critical
quantitative test of the global oscillation scenario. Methods. We have carried
out detailed three-dimensional, NLTE radiative transfer calculations using the
radiative transfer code HDUST. For the input for the code we have used the most
up-to-date research on Be stars to include a physically realistic description
for the central star and the circumstellar disc. We adopt a rotationally
deformed, gravity darkened central star, surrounded by a disc whose unperturbed
state is given by a steady-state viscous decretion disc model. We further
assume that disc is in vertical hydrostatic equilibrium. Results. By adopting a
viscous decretion disc model for Tauri and a rigorous solution of the
radiative transfer, we have obtained a very good fit of the time-average
properties of the disc. This provides strong theoretical evidence that the
viscous decretion disc model is the mechanism responsible for disc formation.
With the global oscillation model we have successfully fitted spatially
resolved VLTI/AMBER observations and the temporal V/R variations of the
H and Br lines. This result convincingly demonstrates that the
oscillation pattern in the disc is a one-armed spiral. Possible model
shortcomings, as well as suggestions for future improvements, are also
discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted to A&
Non-LTE Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer: II. Non-Isothermal Solutions for Viscous Keplerian Disks
We discuss the basic hydrodynamics that determines the density structure of
the disks around hot stars. Observational evidence supports the idea that these
disks are Keplerian (rotationally supported) gaseous disks. A popular scenario
in the literature, which naturally leads to the formation of Keplerian disks,
is the viscous decretion model. According to this scenario, the disks are
hydrostatically supported in the vertical direction, while the radial structure
is governed by the viscous transport. This suggests that the temperature is one
primary factor that governs the disk density structure. In a previous study we
demonstrated, using 3-D NLTE Monte Carlo simulations, that viscous keplerian
disks can be highly non-isothermal. In this paper we build upon our previous
work and solve the full problem of the steady-state non-isothermal viscous
diffusion and vertical hydrostatic equilibrium. We find that the
self-consistent solution departs significantly from the analytic isothermal
density, with potentially large effects on the emergent spectrum. This implies
that non-isothermal disk models must be used for a detailed modeling of Be star
disks.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, Ap
Differential interferometric phases at high spectral resolution as a sensitive physical diagnostic of circumstellar disks
Context. The circumstellar disks ejected by many rapidly rotating B stars
(so-called Be stars) offer the rare opportunity of studying the structure and
dynamics of gaseous disks at high spectral as well as angular resolution. Aims.
This paper explores a newly identified effect in spectro-interferometric phase
that can be used for probing the inner regions of gaseous edge-on disks on a
scale of a few stellar radii. Methods. The origin of this effect (dubbed
central quasi-emission phase signature, CQE-PS) lies in the velocity-dependent
line absorption of photospheric radiation by the circumstellar disk. At high
spectral and marginal interferometric resolution, photocenter displacements
between star and isovelocity regions in the Keplerian disk reveal themselves
through small interferometric phase shifts. To investigate the diagnostic
potential of this effect, a series of models are presented, based on detailed
radiative transfer calculations in a viscous decretion disk. Results. Amplitude
and detailed shape of the CQE-PS depend sensitively on disk density and size
and on the radial distribution of the material with characteristic shapes in
differential phase diagrams. In addition, useful lower limits to the angular
size of the central stars can be derived even when the system is almost
unresolved. Conclusions. The full power of this diagnostic tool can be expected
if it can be applied to observations over a full life-cycle of a disk from
first ejection through final dispersal, over a full cycle of disk oscillations,
or over a full orbital period in a binary system
- …