588 research outputs found
Evidence for episodic warm outflowing CO gas from the intermediate mass young stellar object IRAS 08470-4321
We present a R=10,000 M-band spectrum of LLN19 (IRAS 08470-4321), a heavily
embedded intermediate-mass young stellar object located in the Vela Molecular
Cloud, obtained with VLT-ISAAC. The data were fitted by a 2-slab cold-hot model
and a wind model. The spectrum exhibits deep broad ro-vibrational absorption
lines of 12CO v=1<-0 and 13CO v=1<-0. A weak CO ice feature at 4.67 micron is
also detected. Differences in velocity indicate that the warm gas is distinct
from the cold millimeter emitting gas, which may be associated with the
absorption by cooler gas (45K). The outflowing warm gas at 300-400K and with a
mass-loss rate varying between 0.48E-7 and 4.2E-7 MSun /yr can explain most of
the absorption. Several absorption lines were spectrally resolved in subsequent
spectra obtained with the VLT-CRIRES instrument. Multiple absorption
substructures in the high-resolution (R=100,000) spectra indicate that the
mass-loss is episodic with at least two major events that occurred recently
(<28 years). The discrete mass-loss events together with the large turbulent
width of the gas (dv=10-12 km/s) are consistent with the predictions of the
Jet-Bow shock outflow and the wide-angle wind model. The CO gas/solid column
density ratio of 20-100 in the line-of-sight confirms that the circumstellar
environment of LLN~19 is warm. We also derive a 12C/13C ratio of 67 +/- 3,
consistent with previous measurements in local molecular clouds but not with
the higher ratios found in the envelope of other young stellar objects.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Early Mars volcanic sulfur storage in the cryosphere and formation of transient SO2-rich atmospheres during the Hesperian
In a previous paper (Chassefi\`ere et al., Icarus 223, 878-891, 2013), we
have shown that most volcanic sulfur released to early Mars atmosphere could
have been trapped in the cryosphere under the form of CO2-SO2 clathrates. Huge
amounts of sulfur, up to the equivalent of a ~1 bar atmosphere of SO2, would
have been stored in the Noachian cryosphere, then massively released to the
atmosphere during Hesperian due to rapidly decreasing CO2 pressure. It would
have resulted in the formation of the large sulfate deposits observed mainly in
Hesperian terrains, whereas no or little sulfates are found at the Noachian. In
the present paper, we first clarify some aspects of our previous work. We
discuss the possibility of a smaller cooling effect of sulfur particles, or
even of a net warming effect. We point out the fact that CO2-SO2 clathrates
formed through a progressive enrichment of a preexisting reservoir of CO2
clathrates and discuss processes potentially involved in the slow formation of
a SO2-rich upper cryosphere. We show that episodes of sudden destabilization at
the Hesperian may generate 1000 ppmv of SO2 in the atmosphere and contribute to
maintaining the surface temperature above the water freezing point.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur
Mantle formation, coagulation and the origin of cloud/core-shine: II. Comparison with observations
Many dense interstellar clouds are observable in emission in the near-IR,
commonly referred to as "Cloudshine", and in the mid-IR, the so-called
"Coreshine". These C-shine observations have usually been explained with grain
growth but no model has yet been able to self-consistently explain the dust
spectral energy distribution from the near-IR to the submm. We want to
demonstrate the ability of our new core/mantle evolutionary dust model THEMIS
(The Heterogeneous dust Evolution Model at the IaS), which has been shown to be
valid in the far-IR and submm, to reproduce the C-shine observations. Our
starting point is a physically motivated core/mantle dust model. It consists of
3 dust populations: small aromatic-rich carbon grains; bigger core/mantle
grains with mantles of aromatic-rich carbon and cores either made of amorphous
aliphatic-rich carbon or amorphous silicate. We assume an evolutionary path
where these grains, when entering denser regions, may first form a second
aliphatic-rich carbon mantle (coagulation of small grains, accretion of carbon
from the gas phase), second coagulate together to form large aggregates, and
third accrete gas phase molecules coating them with an ice mantle. To compute
the corresponding dust emission and scattering, we use a 3D Monte-Carlo
radiative transfer code. We show that our global evolutionary dust modelling
approach THEMIS allows us to reproduce C-shine observations towards dense
starless clouds. Dust scattering and emission is most sensitive to the cloud
central density and to the steepness of the cloud density profile. Varying
these two parameters leads to changes, which are stronger in the near-IR, in
both the C-shine intensity and profile. With a combination of aliphatic-rich
mantle formation and low-level coagulation into aggregates, we can
self-consistently explain the observed C-shine and far-IR/submm emission
towards dense starless clouds.Comment: Paper accepted for publication in A&A with companion paper "Mantle
formation, coagulation and the origin of cloud/core-shine: I. Dust scattering
and absorption in the IR", A.P Jones, M. Koehler, N. Ysard, E. Dartois, M.
Godard, L. Gavila
Results from a VLT-ISAAC survey of ices and gas around young stellar objects
General results from a 3-5 micron spectroscopic survey of nearby low-mass
young stellar objects are presented. L and M-band spectra have been obtained of
\~50 low mass embedded young stars using the ISAAC spectrometer mounted on
UT1-Antu at Paranal Observatory. For the first time, a consistent census of the
CO, H2O ices and the minor ice species CH3OH and OCN- and warm CO gas present
around young stars is obtained, using large number statistics and resolving
powers of up to R=10000. The molecular structure of circumstellar CO ices, the
depletion of gaseous CO onto grains in protoplanetary disks, the presence of
hot gas in the inner parts of circumstellar disks and in outflows and infalls
are studied. Furthermore, the importance of scattering effects for the
interpretation of the spectra have been addressed.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the conference "Chemistry as a
Diagnostic of Star Formation", University of Waterloo, Canada, 21-23 August
200
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
Detection of abundant solid methanol toward young low mass stars
We present detections of the absorption band at 3.53 micron due to solid
methanol toward three low-mass young stellar objects located in the Serpens and
Chameleon molecular cloud complexes. The sources were observed as part of a
large spectroscopic survey of ~40 protostars. This is the first detection of
solid methanol in the vicinity of low mass (M <1 Msol) young stars and shows
that the formation of methanol does not depend on the proximity of massive
young stars. The abundances of solid methanol compared to water ice for the
three sources are in the range 15-25% which is comparable to those for the most
methanol-rich massive sources known. The presence of abundant methanol in the
circumstellar environment of some low mass young stars has important
consequences for the formation scenarios of methanol and more complex organic
species near young solar-type stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A letter
Bright CO ro-vibrational emission lines in the class I source GSS 30 IRS1: Probing the inner disk of a young embedded star
We present a 4.5-4.85 micron R=5000 spectrum of the low mass class I young
stellar object GSS 30 IRS1 (L=25L_sun) in the rho Ophiuchus core, observed with
the infrared spectrometer (ISAAC) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT-UT1). Strong
line emission from the ro-vibrational transitions of 12CO and 13CO is detected.
In total more than 40 distinct lines are seen in the covered region. The line
emission is spatially extended and detected up to 2" = 320 AU from the central
source but is spectrally unresolved (Delta v < 30 km/s). This is the first time
strong emission in the fundamental ro-vibrational band from CO has been
observed from an embedded young stellar object. The line fluxes were modeled
using a 1-dimensional full radiative transfer code, which shows that the
emission is fully consistent with a gas in LTE at a single well constrained
temperature (T=515+/-5 K). Furthermore, the ratios between lines from the two
detected isotopic species of CO show that the 12CO lines must be optically
thick. However, this is inconsistent with the observed spatial extent of the
emission, since this implies such low CO column densities that the lines are
optically thin. A likely solution to the discrepancy is that the lines are
emitted by a smaller more dense region and then scattered in the bipolar cavity
present around the central star. This gives a rough estimate of the total
molecular gas mass of 1-100 M_earth and a physical extent of ~20-100 AU. We
propose that the most likely origin of the line emission is post-shocked gas in
a dense dissociative accretion shock from the inner 10-50 AU of a circumstellar
disk. The presence of a shock capable of dissociating molecules in the disk
will have implications for the chemical evolution of disks around young low
mass stars.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted by A&
Detection of Formaldehyde Towards the Extreme Carbon Star IRC+10216
We report the detection of H2CO (formaldehyde) around the carbon-rich AGB
star, IRC+10216. We find a fractional abundance with respect to molecular
hydrogen of x(H2CO)= (1.3 {+1.5}{-0.8}) x 10^{-8}. This corresponds to a
formaldehyde abundance with respect to water vapor of x(H2CO)/x(H2O)=(1.1 +/-
0.2) x 10^{-2}, in line with the formaldehyde abundances found in Solar System
comets, and indicates that the putative extrasolar cometary system around
IRC+10216 may have a similar chemical composition to Solar System comets.
However, we also failed to detect CH3OH (methanol) around IRC+10216 and our
upper limit of x(CH3OH)/x(H2O) < 7.7 x 10^{-4}, (3 sigma), indicates that
methanol is substantially underabundant in IRC+10216, compared to Solar System
comets. We also conclude, based on offset observations, that formaldehyde has
an extended source in the envelope of IRC+10216 and may be produced by the
photodissociation of a parent molecule, similar to the production mechanism for
formaldehyde in Solar System comet comae. Preliminary mapping observations also
indicate a possible asymmetry in the spatial distribution of formaldehyde
around IRC+10216, but higher signal-to-noise observations are required to
confirm this finding. This study is based on observations carried out with the
IRAM 30m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and
IGN (Spain). (abridged)Comment: accepted to ApJ, 45 pages, 11 figure
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