64 research outputs found
How to Detect the Signatures of Self-Gravitating Circumstellar Discs with the Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre Array
In this paper we present simulated Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre
Array (ALMA) observations of self-gravitating circumstellar discs with
different properties in size, mass and inclination, located in four of the most
extensively studied and surveyed star-forming regions. Starting from a Smoothed
Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation and representative dust opacities, we
have initially constructed maps of the expected emission at sub-mm wavelengths
of a large sample of discs with different properties. We have then simulated
realistic observations of discs as they may appear with ALMA using the Common
Astronomy Software Application ALMA simulator. We find that, with a proper
combination of antenna configuration and integration time, the spiral structure
characteristic of self-gravitating discs is readily detectable by ALMA over a
wide range of wavelengths at distances comparable to TW Hydrae (pc), Taurus - Auriga and Ophiucus (pc) star-forming regions.
However, for discs located in Orion complex (pc) only the largest
discs in our sample (outer radius of 100 au) show a spatially resolved
structure while the smaller ones (outer radius of 25 au) are characterized by a
spiral structure that is not conclusively detectable with ALMA.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Molecular Line Emission from Accretion Disks Around YSOs
In this work we model the expected molecular emission from protoplanetary
disks, modifying different physical parameters, such as dust grain size, mass
accretion rate, viscosity, and disk radius, to obtain observational signatures
in these sources. Having in mind possible future observations, we study
correlations between physical parameters and observational characteristics. Our
aim is to determine the kind of observations that will allow us to extract
information about the physical parameters of disks. We also present prospects
for molecular line observations of protoplanetary disks, using millimeter and
submillimeter interferometers (e.g., SMA or ALMA), based on our results.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Proceeding of the workshop "Magnetic fields and
star formation: theory versus observation", Madrid (Spain), April 21 - 25,
200
G345.45+1.50: An expanding ring-like structure with massive star formation
Ring-like structures in the ISM are commonly associated with high-mass stars.
Kinematic studies of large structures in GMCs toward these ring-like structures
may help us to understand how massive stars form. The origin and properties of
the ring-like structure G345.45+1.50 is investigated through observations of
the 13CO(3-2) line. The aim of the observations is to determine the kinematics
in the region and to compare physical characteristics estimated from gas
emission with those previously determined using dust continuum emission. The
13CO(3-2) line was mapped toward the whole ring using the APEX telescope. The
ring is found to be expanding with a velocity of 1.0 km/s, containing a total
mass of 6.9e3 Msun, which agrees well with that determined using 1.2 mm dust
continuum emission. An expansion timescale of 3e6 yr and a total energy of 7e46
erg are estimated. The origin of the ring might have been a supernova
explosion, since a 35.5 cm source, J165920-400424, is located at the center of
the ring without an infrared counterpart. The ring is fragmented, and 104
clumps were identified with diameters of between 0.3 and 1.6 pc, masses of
between 2.3 and 7.5e2 Msun, and densities of between 1.0e2 and 1.0e4 cm^-3. At
least 18% of the clumps are forming stars, as is shown in infrared images.
Assuming that the clumps can be modeled as Bonnor-Ebert spheres, 13 clumps are
collapsing, and the rest of them are in hydrostatic equilibrium with an
external pressure with a median value of 4e4 K cm^-3. In the region, the
molecular outflow IRAS 16562-3959 is identified, with a velocity range of 38.4
km/s, total mass of 13 Msun, and kinematic energy of 7e45 erg. Finally, five
filamentary structures were found at the edge of the ring with an average size
of 3 pc, a width of 0.6 pc, a mass of 2e2 Msun, and a column density of 6e21
cm^-2
Dust and Gas in the disc of HL Tauri: Surface density, dust settling, and dust-to-gas ratio
The recent ALMA observations of the disc surrounding HL Tau reveal a very
complex dust spatial distribution. We present a radiative transfer model
accounting for the observed gaps and bright rings as well as radial changes of
the emissivity index. We find that the dust density is depleted by at least a
factor 10 in the main gaps compared to the surrounding rings. Ring masses range
from 10-100 M in dust, and, we find that each of the deepest gaps is
consistent with the removal of up to 40 M of dust. If this material
has accumulated into rocky bodies, these would be close to the point of runaway
gas accretion. Our model indicates that the outermost ring is depleted in
millimetre grains compared to the central rings. This suggests faster grain
growth in the central regions and/or radial migration of the larger grains. The
morphology of the gaps observed by ALMA - well separated and showing a high
degree of contrast with the bright rings over all azimuths - indicates that the
millimetre dust disc is geometrically thin (scale height 1 au at 100
au) and that a large amount of settling of large grains has already occurred.
Assuming a standard dust settling model, we find that the observations are
consistent with a turbulent viscosity coefficient of a few . We
estimate the gas/dust ratio in this thin layer to be of the order of 5 if the
initial ratio is 100. The HCO and CO emission is consistent with gas in
Keplerian motion around a 1.7 star at radii from au.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, published in ApJ, same version as before but
with slightly extended discussion on temperature and masses to account for
literature published since initial submissio
CCS and NH_3 Emission Associated with Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects
In this work we present a sensitive and systematic single-dish survey of CCS emission (complemented with ammonia observations) at 1 cm, toward a sample of low- and intermediate-mass young star-forming regions known to harbor water maser emission, made with NASA's 70 m antenna at Robledo de Chavela, Spain. Out of the 40 star-forming regions surveyed in the CCS (2_(1)-1_(0)) line, only six low-mass sources show CCS emission: one transitional object between the prestellar and protostellar Class 0 phase (GF9-2), three Class 0 protostars (L1448-IRS3, L1448C, and B1-IRS), a Class I source (L1251A), and a young T Tauri star (NGC 2071 North). Since CCS is considered an "early-time" (≲10^5 yr) molecule, we explain these results by either proposing a revision of the classification of the age of NGC 2071 North and L1251A, or suggesting the possibility that the particular physical conditions and processes of each source affect the destruction/production of the CCS. No statistically significant relationship was found between the presence of CCS and parameters of the molecular outflows and their driving sources. Nevertheless, we found a significant relationship between the detectability of CCS and the ammonia peak intensity (higher in regions with CCS), but not with its integrated intensity. This tendency may suggest that the narrower ammonia line widths in the less turbulent medium associated with younger cores may compensate for the differences in ammonia peak intensity, rendering differences in integrated intensity negligible. From the CCS detection rate we derive a lifetime of this molecule of ≃(0.7-3) × 10^4 yr in low-mass star-forming regions
Joint Observatories Kavli Science Forum
The Joint Observatories Kavli Science Forum in Chile was organised in a
hybrid mode with the aim of encouraging collaborations, not only with the
Chilean institutions but also between the different observing facilities based
in Chile. The meeting featured scientific talks showing results obtained with
the astronomical facilities based in Chile, but significant time was also
dedicated to round-table discussions on Life Balance,
Diversity-Equity-Inclusion, and the Road Ahead (i.e., the future of those
Chile-based facilities).Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, Conference Repor
VLA observations of candidate high-mass protostellar objects at 7 mm
We present radio continuum observations at 7 mm made using the Very Large
Array towards three massive star forming regions thought to be in very early
stages of evolution selected from the sample of Sridharan et al. (2002).
Emission was detected towards all three sources (IRAS 18470-0044, IRAS
19217+1651 and IRAS 23151+5912). We find that in all cases the 7 mm emission
corresponds to thermal emission from ionized gas. The regions of ionized gas
associated with IRAS 19217+1651 and IRAS 23151+5912 are hypercompact with
diameters of 0.009 and 0.0006 pc, and emission measures of 7.0 x 10^8 and 2.3 x
10^9 pc cm^(-6), respectively.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, accepted by The Astronomical Journa
Outflows, envelopes, and disks as evolutionary indicators in Lupus YSOs
By studying 7 objects in the Lupus clouds we aim to test if a coherence exists between commonly used evolutionary tracers. We present ALMA observations of the continuum and molecular line emission that probe the dense gas and dust of cores and their associated molecular outflows. Our source selection in a common environment allows for a consistent comparison across different evolutionary stages. The quality of the ALMA molecular data allows us to reveal the nature of the molecular outflows by studying their morphology and kinematics. The images in IRAS15398-3359 appear to show that it drives a precessing episodic jet-driven outflow with at least 4 ejections separated by periods of time between 50 and 80 years, while data in IRAS16059-3857 show similarities with a wide-angle wind model also showing signs of being episodic. The outflow of J160115-41523 could be better explain with the wide-angle wind model as well, but new observations are needed to explore its nature. We find that the most common evolutionary tracers are useful for broad evolutionary classifications, but are not consistent with each other to provide enough granularity to disentangle different evolutionary stage of sources that belong to the same Class. Outflow properties used as protostellar age tracers (mass, momentum, energy, opening angle) may suffer from differences in the nature of each outflow, thus detailed observations are needed to refine evolutionary classifications. We found both AzTEC-lup1-2 and AzTEC-lup3-5 to be in the pre-stellar stage, although the latter could be more evolved. IRAS15398-3359, IRAS16059-3857 and J160115-41523, which have clearly detected outflows, are Class 0 sources, although we are not able to determine which is younger and which is older. Sz102 and Merin28 are the most evolved sources and show signs of having associated flows, not as well traced by CO as for the younger sources.Fil: Vazzano, María Mercedes. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Lopez, Manuel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Plunkett, Adele. National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Estados UnidosFil: de Gregorio Monsalvo, Itziar. European Southern Observatory Chile.; ChileFil: Santamaría Miranda, Alejandro. European Southern Observatory Chile.; ChileFil: Takahashi, Satoko. Joint Alma Observatory; ChileFil: Lopez, Cristian. Joint Alma Observatory; Chil
The search for gas in debris discs: ALMA detection of CO gas in HD 36546
Debris discs represent the last stages of planet formation and as such are expected to be depleted of primordial gas. None the less, in the last few years the presence of cold gas has been reported in ~20 debris discs from far-infrared to (sub-)mm observations and hot gas has been observed in the optical spectra of debris discs for decades. While the origin of this gas is still uncertain, most pieces of evidence point towards a secondary origin, as a result of collisions and evaporation of small bodies in the disc. In this paper, we present ALMA observations aimed at the detection of CO gas in a sample of eight debris discs with optical gas detections. We report the detection of CO (12CO and 13CO) gas in HD 36546, the brightest and youngest disc in our sample, and provide upper limits to the presence of gas in the remaining seven discs
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