4 research outputs found
First detection of a disk free of volatile elements around a young A-type star: A possible sign of collisions between rocky planets
Aims. We present the first detailed analysis of the astrophysical parameters of the poorly studied Sco-Cen member HD 152384 and its circumstellar environment.
Methods. We analyse newly obtained optical-near-IR X-shooter spectra, as well as archival TESS data, of HD 152384. In addition, we use literature photometric data to construct a detailed spectral energy distribution (SED) of the star.
Results. The photospheric absorption lines in the spectrum of HD 152384 are characteristic of an A0 V star, for which we derive a stellar mass of 2.1 ± 0.1 M⊙ and a stellar age > 4.5 Myr. Superimposed on the photospheric absorption, the optical spectrum also displays double-peaked emission lines of Ca II, Fe I, Mg I, and Si I, typical of circumstellar disks. Notably, all hydrogen and helium lines appear strictly in absorption. A toy model shows that the observed emission line profiles can be reproduced by emission from a compact (radius < 0.3 au) disk seen at an inclination of ∼24°. Further evidence for the presence of circumstellar material comes from the detection of a moderate IR excess in the SED, similar to those found in extreme debris disk systems.
Conclusions. We conclude that HD 152384 is surrounded by a tenuous circumstellar disk that, although rich in refractory elements, is highly depleted of volatile elements. To the best of our knowledge, such a disk is unique among young stars. However, it is reminiscent of the disks seen in some white dwarfs, which have been attributed to the disruption of rocky planets. We suggest that the disk around HD 152384 may have a similar origin and may be due to collisions in a newly formed planetary system
Radio Emission from Ultra-Cool Dwarfs
The 2001 discovery of radio emission from ultra-cool dwarfs (UCDs), the very
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs with spectral types of ~M7 and later, revealed
that these objects can generate and dissipate powerful magnetic fields. Radio
observations provide unparalleled insight into UCD magnetism: detections extend
to brown dwarfs with temperatures <1000 K, where no other observational probes
are effective. The data reveal that UCDs can generate strong (kG) fields,
sometimes with a stable dipolar structure; that they can produce and retain
nonthermal plasmas with electron acceleration extending to MeV energies; and
that they can drive auroral current systems resulting in significant
atmospheric energy deposition and powerful, coherent radio bursts. Still to be
understood are the underlying dynamo processes, the precise means by which
particles are accelerated around these objects, the observed diversity of
magnetic phenomenologies, and how all of these factors change as the mass of
the central object approaches that of Jupiter. The answers to these questions
are doubly important because UCDs are both potential exoplanet hosts, as in the
TRAPPIST-1 system, and analogues of extrasolar giant planets themselves.Comment: 19 pages; submitted chapter to the Handbook of Exoplanets, eds. Hans
J. Deeg and Juan Antonio Belmonte (Springer-Verlag
The Detectability of Earth's Biosignatures Across Time
Over the past two decades, enormous advances in the detection of exoplanets
have taken place. Currently, we have discovered hundreds of earth-sized
planets, several of them within the habitable zone of their star. In the coming
years, the efforts will concentrate in the characterization of these planets
and their atmospheres to try to detect the presence of biosignatures. However,
even if we discovered a second Earth, it is very unlikely that it would present
a stage of evolution similar to the present-day Earth. Our planet has been far
from static since its formation about 4.5 Ga ago; on the contrary, during this
time, it has undergone multiple changes in it's atmospheric composition, it's
temperature structure, it's continental distribution, and even changes in the
forms of life that inhabit it. All these changes have affected the global
properties of Earth as seen from an astronomical distance. Thus, it is of
interest not only to characterize the observables of the Earth as it is today,
but also at different epochs. Here we review the detectability of the Earth's
globally-averaged properties over time. This includes atmospheric composition
and biosignatures, and surface properties that can be interpreted as sings of
habitability (bioclues). The resulting picture is that truly unambiguous
biosignatures are only detectable for about 1/4 of the Earth's history. The
rest of the time we rely on detectable bioclues that can only establish an
statistical likelihood for the presence of life on a given planet.Comment: To appear in "Handbook of Exoplanets", eds. Deeg, H.J. & Belmonte,
J.A, Springer (2018). arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:astro-ph/0609398 by other author