Nap típusú csillagok korai fejlődési szakaszainak vizsgálata = Study of early evolutionary stages of Solar type stars

1. A V1647 Ori 2004. januártól 2005. októberig tartó kitörését nemzetközi együttműködéssel, több műszerrel követtük. Analizáltuk a csillag fényességének és színképvonalainak változását a kitörés alatt, és infravörösben az elhalványodás után is, egészen 2006. szeptemberéig. 2. Nap típusú fiatal csillagokat és protocsillagokat azonosítottunk a Lynds 1333, Lynds 1622, Lynds 1340 közeli molekulafelhőkben és a Cepheus flare óriás molekulafelhő-komplexum mintegy 200 négyzetfoknyi területén. Az objektumok nagy része korábban nem ismert fiatal csillag. Saját spektroszkópiai és fotometriai méréseink alapján meghatároztuk a fiatal csillagok spektráltípusát, luminozitását, tömegét és korát. Középinfravörös (Spitzer Space Telescope) adatbázis alapján vizsgáltuk az akkréciós korongjaik tulajdonságait, ezek környezetfüggését. 3. A Spitzer Space Telescope középinfravörös adatainak feldolgozásával vizsgáltuk az NGC 2244 fiatal nyílthalmaz szerkezetét és a halmaztagok akkréciós korongjainak tulajdonságait. 337 fősorozat előtti csillagot és 25 I osztályú protocsillagot azonosítottunk. Spitzer és HST mérések alapján elemeztük a por elpárolgásának folyamatát a forró csillagok közelében. A h és chi Persei Spitzer-adatainak elemzésével megállapítottuk, hogy a 24 mikronon megfigyelhető törmelékkorongok tipikus kora 5 és 15 millió év között van. 4. A pályázat támogatásával elkészült egy kis felbontású spektrográf a piszkés-tetői RCC teleszkópra. | 1. We followed the outburst of V1647 Ori between 2004 January and 2005 October using several instruments. We analysed the variations of the brightness and spectral line intensities during the outburst, and even after the dimming of the star in the infrared, up to 2006 September. 2. We identified Solar type young stars and protostars in the nearby molecular clouds Lynds 1333, Lynds 1622, as well as over the whole surface of some 200 square degrees of the Cepheus flare molecular complex. Most of the objects are newly identified young stars. Based on our own spectroscopic and photometric observations we determined the spectral types, luminosities, masses, and ages of the stars. Based on the mid-infrared Spitzer Space Telescope archive data we studied their accretion disks, and the dependence of disk properties on the environment. 3. We studied the structure of the young open cluster NGC 2244 based on the mid-infrared data obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope. We identified 337 pre-main sequence stars and 25 Class I protostars. Based on Spitzer and HST measurements we analysed the evaporation of the dust in the vicinity of hot stars. Based on Spitzer observations of the open cluster h and chi Persei we established that the typical age of the debris disks observed at 24 micron is 5-15 million years. 4. A low-resolution spectrograph has been devised and built for the RCC telescope with the support of this project

Naprendszeren kívüli bolygók kutatása = Researches on planets beyond the Solar System

Exobolygó-rendszerek megfigyelésével és dinamikájával kapcsolatos kutatásokat folytattunk. A KH 15D születő bolygórendszer fotometriai megfigyelésével hozzájárultunk a csillag körüli anyag bolygókeletkezést megelőző sűrűséghullámainak kimutatásához. IRAS, ISOPHOT és Spitzer adatokat felhasználva összeállítottuk a Nap-rendszer 120 parszek környezetében található legfényesebb törmelékkorongok katalógusát, valamint meghatároztuk fő paramétereiket és fejlődési diagramjaikat. Numerikus módszerek alkalmazásával létrehoztunk egy dinamikai stabilitási katalógust, mely sok millió kezdőfeltételre megadja a pályák stabilitási viszonyait. A katalógus alapján ismert exobolygó-rendszerek lakhatósági zónáinak stabilitási viszonyait határoztuk meg. Exobolygók kialakulásával és dinamikai fejlődésével kapcsolatos modellt dolgoztunk ki. Módszereket dolgoztunk ki hatékony dinamikai vizsgálatokhoz, és tranzit fotometria adatokból pályaelemek meghatározására. | We have conducted researches on the observations and dynamics of exoplanetary systems. By making photometric observations of the planet-forming system KH 15D, we contributed to the detection of the density waves in the circumstellar matter which preceed planet formation. By using IRAS, ISOPHOT and Spitzer data we compiled a catalogue of the brightest debris disks in the 120 pc neighbourhood of the Sun. We also determined their main parameters and evolution diagrams. By using numerical methods we developed a catalogue of dynamical stability giving stability properties of orbits for millions of initial conditions. We determined the stability features of the habitable zones of known exoplanetary systems. We developed a model for the formation and evolution of one class of exoplanets. We developed efficient methods for dynamical investigations and for the estimation of orbital data from transit photometry

Pre-protostelláris felhőmagok fizikája = Physics of pre-protostellar cloud cores

Bizonyítottuk, hogy jelentős szerepe van a külső hatásoknak a kistömegű csillagok keletkezésében már a pre-protostelláris felhőmagok kialakulásától kezdve. 1. A Naprendszer 2kpc sugarú környezetében a hideg csillagközi anyag kb. 40%-a van lassú frontok és a csillagközi ionizáló sugárzási tér (trigger) hatása alatt. 2. A csillagközi felhők relatív száma a nyugalomban lévő és külső hatás alatt lévő térrészben hasonló, de a sűrű felhőmagok gyakoribbak a triggerelt csillagközi anyagban. 3. A külső trigger hatások alkalmasak a csillagkeletkezés beindítására a sűrűség fluktuációk megnövelésén keresztül. 4. A trigger esetek száma jelentős, minden harmadik a Naphoz hasonló tömegű fiatal csillag triggerelt csillagközi felhőben születik. További eredményeink: Több mint 10 új felhőmagot azonosítottunk. Felfedeztünk több mint egy tucat új T-asszociációt. A szakirodalomban elsőként felfedeztünk egy keletkező barna törpe jelöltet a Taurusban. Megadtuk a Taurus Molecular Ring szerkezeti és kinematikai leírását. | Trigger mechanisms play an important role in the low mass star formation already in the formation of pre-protostellar cores. 1) As much as 40% of the nearby (within 2kpc) interstellar medium (ISM) mass is exposed to slow interstellar shock fronts, and an enhanced ionizing interstellar radiation field, i.e. the typical trigger mechanisms. 2) Clouds form with the same frequency in the relaxed and in the triggered ISM, but there are far more dense cores in triggered clouds. 3) Triggers like above may turn ISM density enhancements to star forming cloud cores. 4) The triggered fraction of low mass star formation is statistically significant in large Galactic regions, at least 30% of the solar type low mass stars are formed in triggered clouds. Further results: We identified more than a dozen of new cloud cores, and T-associations. A candidate brown dwarf was discovered in Taurus, still in the phase of formation. The Taurus Molecular Ring ISM structure and kinematics was uncovered

Stirring in massive, young debris discs from spatially resolved Herschel images

A significant fraction of main-sequence stars are encircled by dusty debris discs, where the short-lived dust particles are replenished through collisions between planetesimals. Most destructive collisions occur when the orbits of smaller bodies are dynamically stirred up, either by the gravitational effect of locally formed Pluto-sized planetes- imals (self-stirring scenario), or via secular perturbation caused by an inner giant planet (planetary stirring). The relative importance of these scenarios in debris sys- tems is unknown. Here we present new Herschel Space Observatory imagery of 11 discs selected from the most massive and extended known debris systems. All discs were found to be extended at far-infrared wavelengths, five of them being resolved for the first time. We evaluated the feasibility of the self-stirring scenario by comparing the measured disc sizes with the predictions of the model calculated for the ages of our targets. We concluded that the self-stirring explanation works for seven discs. How- ever, in four cases, the predicted pace of outward propagation of the stirring front, assuming reasonable initial disc masses, was far too low to explain the radial extent of the cold dust. Therefore, for HD 9672, HD 16743, HD 21997, and HD 95086, another explanation is needed. We performed a similar analysis for β Pic and HR 8799, reach- ing the same conclusion. We argue that planetary stirring is a promising possibility to explain the disk properties in these systems. In HR 8799 and HD 95086 we may already know the potential perturber, since their known outer giant planets could be responsible for the stirring process. Interestingly, the discs around HD 9672, HD 21997, and β Pic are also unique in harbouring detectable amount of molecular CO gas. Our study demonstrates that among the largest and most massive debris discs self-stirring may not be the only active scenario, and potentially planetary stirring is responsible for destructive collisions and debris dust production in a number of systems

Ancillary science with Ariel: Feasibility and scientific potential of young stellar object observations

To investigate the feasibility of ancillary target observations with ESA's Ariel mission, we compiled a list of potentially interesting young stars: FUors, systems harbouring extreme debris discs and a larger sample of young stellar objects showing strong near/mid-infrared excess. These objects can be observed as additional targets in the waiting times between the scheduled exoplanet transit and occultation observations. After analyzing the schedule for Ariel an algorithm was constructed to find the optimal target to be observed in each gap. The selection was mainly based on the slew and stabilization time needed to observe the selected YSO, but it also incorporated the scientific importance of the targets and whether they have already been sufficiently measured. After acquiring an adequately large sample of simulation data, it was concluded that approximately 99.2% of the available -- at least one hour long -- gaps could be used effectively. With an average slewing and stabilization time of about 16.7 minutes between scheduled exoplanet transits and ancillary targets, this corresponds to an additional $2881 \pm 56$ hours of active data gathering. When this additional time is used to observe our selected 200 ancillary targets, a typical signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$10$^4$ can be achieved along the whole spectral window covered by Ariel.Comment: Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

Dipper-like variability of the Gaia alerted young star V555 Ori

V555 Ori is a T Tauri star, whose 1.5 mag brightening was published as a Gaia science alert in 2017. We carried out optical and near-infrared photometric, and optical spectroscopic observations to understand the light variations. The light curves show that V555 Ori was faint before 2017, entered a high state for about a year, and returned to the faint state by mid-2018. In addition to the long-term flux evolution, quasi-periodic brightness oscillations were also evident, with a period of about 5 days. At optical wavelengths both the long-term and short-term variations exhibited colourless changes, while in the near-infrared they were consistent with changing extinction. We explain the brightness variations as the consequence of changing extinction. The object has a low accretion rate whose variation in itself would not be enough to reproduce the optical flux changes. This behaviour makes V555 Ori similar to the pre-main sequence star AA Tau, where the light changes are interpreted as periodic eclipses of the star by a rotating inner disc warp. The brightness maximum of V555 Ori was a moderately obscured ($A_V$=2.3 mag) state, while the extinction in the low state was $A_V$=6.4 mag. We found that while the Gaia alert hinted at an accretion burst, V555 Ori is a standard dipper, similar to the prototype AA Tau. However, unlike in AA Tau, the periodic behaviour was also detectable in the faint phase, implying that the inner disc warp remained stable in both the high and low states of the system.Comment: Accepted to MNRA

Discovery of Molecular Gas around HD 131835 in an APEX Molecular Line Survey of Bright Debris Disks

Debris disks are considered to be gas-poor, but recent observations revealed molecular or atomic gas in several 10–40 Myr old systems. We used the APEX and IRAM 30 m radio telescopes to search for CO gas in 20 bright debris disks. In one case, around the 16 Myr old A-type star HD 131835, we discovered a new gas-bearing debris disk, where the CO 3–2 transition was successfully detected. No other individual system exhibited a measurable CO signal. Our Herschel Space Observatory far-infrared images of HD 131835 marginally resolved the disk at both 70 and 100 μm, with a characteristic radius of ∼170 AU. While in stellar properties HD 131835 resembles β Pic, its dust disk properties are similar to those of the most massive young debris disks. With the detection of gas in HD 131835 the number of known debris disks with CO content has increased to four, all of them encircling young (≤40 Myr) A-type stars. Based on statistics within 125 pc, we suggest that the presence of a detectable amount of gas in the most massive debris disks around young A-type stars is a common phenomenon. Our current data cannot conclude on the origin of gas in HD 131835. If the gas is secondary, arising from the disruption of planetesimals, then HD 131835 is a comparably young, and in terms of its disk, more massive analog of the β Pic system. However, it is also possible that this system, similar to HD 21997, possesses a hybrid disk, where the gas material is predominantly primordial, while the dust grains are mostly derived from planetesimals

Radial velocity variations in the young eruptive star EX Lupi

EX Lup-type objects (EXors) are low-mass pre-main sequence objects characterized by outbursts attributed to highly enhanced disk accretion. The trigger mechanism of EXor outbursts is still debated. One theory requires a close (sub)stellar companion that perturbs the inner disk and triggers the onset of the outburst. Here, we study the radial velocity (RV) variations of EX Lup, the prototype of EXors. We conducted a 5-year RV survey with HARPS and FEROS. We analyzed the activity of EX Lup by checking the bisector and several other activity indicators. We complemented the RV data with photometric monitoring to look for signatures of activity or varying accretion. We found that the RV of EX Lup is periodic, with stable period, semi-amplitude, and phase over at least four years of observations. This period is not present in any of the activity indicators. However, the RV of narrow metallic emission lines suggest the same period, but with an anti-correlating phase. The observed absorption line RVs can be fitted with a Keplerian solution around a 0.6 M_Sun central star with M2 sin i = (14.7 +/- 0.7) M_Jup and eccentricity of e = 0.24. Alternatively, we attempted to model the observations with a cold/hot stellar spot as well, but the spot parameters needed to reproduce the RV semi-amplitude are in contradiction with the photometric variability, making the spot scenario unlikely. We discuss two possibilities to explain the RV data: a geometry with two accretion columns rotating with the star, and a single accretion flow synchronized with the orbital motion of the hypothetical companion. In the companion scenario, the companion's mass would fall into the brown dwarf desert, which, together with the unusually small separation would make EX Lup a unique binary system, with interesting implications on the physical mechanisms responsible for triggering the outburst