The water trail from the cradle of a young Sun to Earth-like planets

El agua es un ingrediente crucial para la vida. Una de las áreas de investigación más fascinantes en el campo de la astrobiología y la astroquímica es la del origen del agua sobre la Tierra. Sabemos que nuestros océanos contienen una cantidad de agua igual a 3 diezmilésimas de la masa terrestre. Sin embargo, si consideramos también el agua presente bajo la costra terrestre, el total podría aumentar a entre 10 y 50 veces más. Existen muchas cuestiones por resolver, como por ejemplo: ¿Cuándo y cómo apareció el agua sobre la Tierra? ¿Nuestro planeta es un caso especial o hay agua, y posiblemente vida, en otros planetas de nuestra Galaxia? Con más de 1000 exoplanetas descubiertos y las estadísticas que indican que cada estrella alberga al menos un planeta, la búsqueda de agua en el universo es cada vez más urgente

T Tauri Jet Physics Resolved Near The Launching Region with the Hubble Space Telescope

We present an analysis of the gas physics at the base of jets from five T Tauri stars based on high angular resolution optical spectra, using the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS). The spectra refer to a region within 100 AU of the star, i.e. where the collimation of the jet has just taken place. We form PV images of the line ratios to get a global picture of the flow excitation. We then apply a specialised diagnostic technique to find the electron density, ionisation fraction, electron temperature and total density. Our results are in the form of PV maps of the obtained quantities, in which the gas behaviour is resolved as a function of both radial velocity and distance from the jet axis. They highlight a number of interesting physical features of the jet collimation region, including regions of extremely high density, asymmetries with respect to the axis, and possible shock signatures. Finally, we estimate the jet mass and angular momentum outflow rates, both of which are fundamental parameters in constraining models of accretion/ejection structures, particularily if the parameters can be determined close to the jet footpoint. Comparing mass flow rates for cases where the latter is available in the literature (i.e. DG Tau, RW Aur and CW Tau) reveals a mass ejection-to-accretion ratio of 0.01 - 0.07. Finally, where possible (i.e. DG Tau and CW Tau), both mass and angular momentum outflow rates have been resolved into higher and lower velocity jet material. For the clearer case of DG Tau, this revealed that the more collimated higher velocity component plays a dominant role in mass and angular momentum transport.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures, accepted by Ap

The star formation history of RCW 36

Recent studies of massive-star forming regions indicate that they can contain multiple generations of young stars. These observations suggest that star formation in these regions is sequential and/or triggered by a previous generation of (massive) stars. Here we present new observations of the star forming region RCW 36 in the Vela Molecular Ridge, hosting a young cluster of massive stars embedded in a molecular cloud complex. In the periphery of the cluster several young stellar objects (YSOs) are detected which produce bipolar jets (HH 1042 and HH 1043) demonstrating that these objects are still actively accreting. The VLT/X-shooter spectrum of the jet structure of HH 1042 provides detailed information on the physical conditions and kinematical properties of the jet plasma. From this information the YSO's accretion history can be derived. Combining the photometric and spectroscopic observations of RCW 36 gives insight into the formation process of individual stars and the star formation history of this young massive-star forming region.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the ESO workshop "Circumstellar Dynamics at High Resolution", Foz do Iguacu (Br), Feb 2012, eds. A. Carciofi and T. Riviniu

A proto-planetary disk revealed by the Herschel satellite

Herschel opened a new window on the study of the physical processes occurring when a star forms. Observations of the prototypical young star T Tau N revealed all the crucial ingredients known to be involved in star formation, namely: the parental cloud, the supersonic outflows driven by the forming star and the proto-planetary disk rotating around it. From the emission lines of the CN molecule we can estimate important disk properties, such as the disk size, inclination, and mass. The latter is roughly equal to the minimum mass of the solar nebula required to form the solar system, suggesting that the disk around T Tau N could form a planetary system like our own.Herschel ha aperto una nuova finestra per lo studio del processo di formazione delle stelle. Osservazioni della stella giovane T Tauri Nord rivelano tutti gli ingredienti che concorrono alla sua formazione: la nube molecolare da cui questa si forma, i getti di materia supersonici che si sviluppano mentre la stella accumula materia ed il disco proto-planetario in rotazione intorno ad essa. Dalle righe di emissione della molecola CN è possibile derivare importanti proprietà del disco, quali dimensione, inclinazione e massa. Quest’ultima risulta simile a quella minima necessaria alla formazione di un sistema di pianeti simile al nostro

Hydrogen permitted lines in the first near-IR spectra of Th 28 microjet: accretion or ejection tracers?

We report the first near-infrared detection of the bipolar microjet from TTauri star ThA 15-28 (aka Th 28). Spectra were obtained with VLT/ISAAC for the slit both perpendicular and parallel to the flow to examine jet kinematics and gas physics within the first arcsecond from the star. The jet was successfully detected in both molecular and atomic lines. The H_2 component was found to be entirely blueshifted around the base of the bipolar jet. It shows that only the blue lobe is emitting in H_2 while light is scattered in the direction of the red lobe, highlighting an asymmetric extinction and/or excitation between the two lobes. Consistent with this view, the red lobe is brighter in all atomic lines. Interestingly, the jet was detected not only in [Fe II], but also in Br gamma and Pa beta lines. Though considered tracers mainly of accretion, we find that these high excitation hydrogen permitted lines trace the jet as far as 150 AU from the star. This is confirmed in a number of ways: the presence of the [Fe II] 2.13 micron line which is of similarly high excitation; H I velocities which match the jet [Fe II] velocities in both the blue and red lobe; and high electron density close to the source of >6x10^4 cm^-3 derived from the [Fe II] 1.64,1.60 micron ratio. These near-infrared data complement HST/STIS optical and near-ultraviolet data for the same target which were used in a jet rotation study, although no rotation signature could be identified here due to insufficient angular resolution. The unpublished HST/STIS H alpha emission is included here along side the other H I lines. Identifying Br gamma and Pa beta as tracers of ejection is significant because of the importance of finding strong near-infrared probes close to the star, where forbidden lines are quenched, which will help understand accretion-ejection when observed with high spatial resolution instruments such as VLTI/AMBER.Comment: 18 pages, 26 figures, Accepted by Ap

The protoplanetary disk of FT Tauri: multi-wavelength data analysis and modeling

Investigating the evolution of protoplanetary disks is crucial for our understanding of star and planet formation. Several theoretical and observational studies have been performed in the last decades to advance this knowledge. FT Tauri is a young star in the Taurus star forming region that was included in a number of spectroscopic and photometric surveys. We investigate the properties of the star, the circumstellar disk, and the accretion and ejection processes and propose a consistent gas and dust model also as a reference for future observational studies. We performed a multi-wavelength data analysis to derive the basic stellar and disk properties, as well as mass accretion/outflow rate from TNG-Dolores, WHT-Liris, NOT-Notcam, Keck-Nirspec, and Herschel-Pacs spectra. From the literature, we compiled a complete Spectral Energy Distribution. We then performed detailed disk modeling using the MCFOST and ProDiMo codes. Multi-wavelengths spectroscopic and photometric measurements were compared with the reddened predictions of the codes in order to constrain the disk properties. This object can serve as a benchmark for primordial disks with significant mass accretion rate, high gas content and typical size.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&

ALMA observations of polarized emission toward the CW Tau and DG Tau protoplanetary disks: constraints on dust grain growth and settling

We present polarimetric data of CW Tau and DG Tau, two well-known Class II disk/jet systems, obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at 870 $\mu$m and 0."2 average resolution. In CW Tau, the total and polarized emission are both smooth and symmetric, with polarization angles almost parallel to the minor axis of the projected disk. In contrast, DG Tau displays a structured polarized emission, with an elongated brighter region in the disk's near side and a belt-like feature beyond about 0."3 from the source. At the same time the total intensity is spatially smooth, with no features. The polarization pattern, almost parallel to the minor axis in the inner region, becomes azimuthal in the outer belt, possibly because of a drop in optical depth. The polarization fraction has average values of 1.2% in CW Tau and 0.4% in DG Tau. Our results are consistent with polarization from self-scattering of the dust thermal emission. Under this hypothesis, the maximum size of the grains contributing to polarization is in the range 100 - 150 $\mu$m for CW Tau and 50 - 70 $\mu$m for DG Tau. The polarization maps combined with dust opacity estimates indicate that these grains are distributed in a geometrically thin layer in CW Tau, representing a settling in the disk midplane. Meanwhile, such settling is not yet apparent for DG Tau. These results advocate polarization studies as a fundamental complement to total emission observations, in investigations of the structure and the evolution of protoplanetary disks.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

The near-UV: the true window on jet rotation

High resolution observations of jet rotation in newly forming stars have the potential to support theories of magneto-centrifugal jet launching. We report a detection of a radial velocity difference across the blue-shifted jet from RY Tau, the direction of which matches the CO disk rotation sense. Now, in 3 of 3 cases, the sense of the near-UV jet gradient matches the disk rotation sense, implying that we are indeed observing jet rotation. It seems the jet core, probed at near-UV wavelengths, is protected by the outer jet layers from kinematic contaminations, and thus represents the only true window on jet rotation

The two hot corinos of the SVS13-A protostellar binary system: counterposed siblings

We present ALMA high-angular resolution ($\sim$ 50 au) observations of the Class I binary system SVS13-A. We report images of SVS13-A in numerous interstellar complex organic molecules: CH$_{\rm 3}$OH, $^{13}$CH$_{\rm 3}$OH, CH$_{\rm 3}$CHO, CH$_{\rm 3}$OCH$_{\rm 3}$, and NH$_{\rm 2}$CHO. Two hot corinos at different velocities are imaged in VLA4A (V$_{sys}$= +7.7 km s$^{-1}$) and VLA4B (V$_{sys}$= +8.5 km s$^{-1}$). From a non-LTE analysis of methanol lines we derive a gas density of 3 $\times$ 10$^8$ cm$^{-3}$, and gas temperatures of 140 K and 170 K for VLA4A and VLA4B, respectively. For the other species the column densities are derived from a LTE analysis. Formamide, which is the only N-bearing species detected in our observations, is more prominent around VLA4A, while dimethyl ether, methanol and acetaldehyde are associated with both VLA4A and VLA4B. We derive in the two hot corinos abundance ratios of $\sim$ 1 for CH$_{\rm 3}$OH, $^{13}$CH$_{\rm 3}$OH, and CH$_{\rm 3}$OCH$_{\rm 3}$, $\sim$ 2 for CH$_{\rm 3}$CHO, and $\sim$ 4 for NH$_{\rm 2}$CHO. The present dataset supports a chemical segregation between the different species inside the binary system. The emerging picture is that of an onion-like structure of the two SVS13-A hot corinos, caused by the different binding energies of the species, also supported by ad hoc quantum chemistry calculations. In addition, the comparison between molecular and dust maps suggests that the interstellar complex organic molecules emission originates from slow shocks produced by accretion streamers impacting the VLA4A and VLA4B disks and enriching the gas-phase component.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure