6 research outputs found
Circumbinary Ring, Circumstellar disks and accretion in the binary system UY Aurigae
Recent exo-planetary surveys reveal that planets can orbit and survive around
binary stars. This suggests that some fraction of young binary systems which
possess massive circumbinary disks (CB) may be in the midst of planet
formation. However, there are very few CB disks detected. We revisit one of the
known CB disks, the UY Aurigae system, and probe 13CO 2-1, C18O 2-1, SO
5(6)-4(5) and 12CO 3-2 line emission and the thermal dust continuum. Our new
results confirm the existence of the CB disk. In addition, the circumstellar
(CS) disks are clearly resolved in dust continuum at 1.4 mm. The spectral
indices between the wavelengths of 0.85 mm and 6 cm are found to be
surprisingly low, being 1.6 for both CS disks. The deprojected separation of
the binary is 1.26" based on our 1.4 mm continuum data. This is 0.07" (10 AU)
larger than in earlier studies. Combining the fact of the variation of UY Aur B
in band, we propose that the CS disk of an undetected companion UY Aur Bb
obscures UY Aur Ba. A very complex kinematical pattern inside the CB disk is
observed due to a mixing of Keplerian rotation of the CB disk, the infall and
outflow gas. The streaming gas accreting from the CB ring toward the CS disks
and possible outflows are also identified and resolved. The SO emission is
found to be at the bases of the streaming shocks. Our results suggest that the
UY Aur system is undergoing an active accretion phase from the CB disk to the
CS disks. The UY Aur B might also be a binary system, making the UY Aur a
triple system.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
Mapping CO Gas in the GG Tauri A Triple System with 50 AU Spatial Resolution
We aim to unveil the observational imprint of physical mechanisms that govern
planetary formation in the young, multiple system GG Tau A. We present ALMA
observations of CO and CO 3-2 and 0.9 mm continuum emission with
0.35" resolution. The CO 3-2 emission, found within the cavity of the
circumternary dust ring (at radius AU) where no CO emission is
detected, confirms the presence of CO gas near the circumstellar disk of GG Tau
Aa. The outer disk and the recently detected hot spot lying at the outer edge
of the dust ring are mapped both in CO and CO. The gas emission
in the outer disk can be radially decomposed as a series of slightly
overlapping Gaussian rings, suggesting the presence of unresolved gaps or dips.
The dip closest to the disk center lies at a radius very close to the hot spot
location at ~AU. The CO excitation conditions indicate that the
outer disk remains in the shadow of the ring. The hot spot probably results
from local heating processes. The two latter points reinforce the hypothesis
that the hot spot is created by an embedded proto-planet shepherding the outer
disk.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by Ap
Time-resolved imaging of prompt-gamma rays for proton range verification using a knife-edge slit camera based on digital photon counters
First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. II. Array and Instrumentation
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) array that comprises millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength telescopes separated by distances comparable to the diameter of the Earth. At a nominal operating wavelength of similar to 1.3 mm, EHT angular resolution (lambda/D) is similar to 25 mu as, which is sufficient to resolve nearby supermassive black hole candidates on spatial and temporal scales that correspond to their event horizons. With this capability, the EHT scientific goals are to probe general relativistic effects in the strong-field regime and to study accretion and relativistic jet formation near the black hole boundary. In this Letter we describe the system design of the EHT, detail the technology and instrumentation that enable observations, and provide measures of its performance. Meeting the EHT science objectives has required several key developments that have facilitated the robust extension of the VLBI technique to EHT observing wavelengths and the production of instrumentation that can be deployed on a heterogeneous array of existing telescopes and facilities. To meet sensitivity requirements, high-bandwidth digital systems were developed that process data at rates of 64. gigabit s(-1), exceeding those of currently operating cm-wavelength VLBI arrays by more than an order of magnitude. Associated improvements include the development of phasing systems at array facilities, new receiver installation at several sites, and the deployment of hydrogen maser frequency standards to ensure coherent data capture across the array. These efforts led to the coordination and execution of the first Global EHT observations in 2017 April, and to event-horizon-scale imaging of the supermassive black hole candidate in M87