2,560 research outputs found
High resolution observations of the outer disk around T Cha: the view from ALMA
T Cha is a young star surrounded by a transitional disk with signatures of
planet formation. We have obtained high-resolution and high-sensitivity ALMA
observations of T Cha in the --, --, and
-- emission lines to reveal the spatial distribution of the
gaseous disk around the star. In order to study the dust within the disk we
have also obtained continuum images at 850m from the line-free channels.
We have spatially resolved the outer disk around T Cha. Using the CO(3-2)
emission we derive a radius of 230 AU. We also report the detection of
the CO(3-2) and the CS(7-8) molecular emissions, which show smaller
radii than the CO(3-2) detection. The continuum observations at 850m allow
the spatial resolution of the dusty disk, which shows two emission bumps
separated by 40AU, consistent with the presence of a dust gap in the
inner regions of the disk, and an outer radius of 80AU. Therefore, T Cha
is surrounded by a compact dusty disk and a larger and more diffuse gaseous
disk, as previously observed in other young stars. The continuum intensity
profiles are different at both sides of the disk suggesting possible dust
asymmetries. We derive an inclination of i(deg)=675, and a position angle
of PA (deg)= 1136, for both the gas and dust disks. The comparison of the
ALMA data with radiative transfer models shows that the gas and dust components
can only be simultaneously reproduced when we include a tapered edge
prescription for the surface density profile. The best model suggests that most
of the disk mass is placed within a radius of 50AU. Finally, we derive a
dynamical mass for the central object of =1.50.2M,
comparable to the one estimated with evolutionary models for an age of
10Myr.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter
Application of Pressure-Sensitive Paint to Low-Speed Flow around a U-Bend of Strong Curvature
Secondary Metabolic Gene Cluster Silencing in Aspergillus Nidulans
In contrast to most primary metabolism genes, the genes involved in secondary metabolism and certain nutrient utilization pathways are clustered in fungi. Recently a nuclear protein, LaeA, was found to be required for the transcription of several secondary metabolite gene clusters in Aspergillus nidulans. Here we show that LaeA regulation does not extend to nutrient utilization or the spoC1 sporulation clusters. One of the secondary metabolite clusters regulated by LaeA contains the positive regulatory (i.e. aflR) and biosynthetic genes required for biosynthesis of sterigmatocystin (ST), a carcinogenic toxin. Analysis of ST gene cluster expression indicates LaeA regulation of the cluster is location specific as transcription of genes bordering the ST cluster are unaffected in a ΔlaeA mutant and placement of a primary metabolic gene, argB, in the ST cluster resulted in argB silencing in the ΔlaeA background. ST cluster gene expression was remediated when an additional copy of aflR was placed outside of the cluster but not when placed in the cluster. Site-specific mutation of an s-adenosyl methionine (AdoMet) binding site in LaeA generated a ΔlaeA phenotype suggesting the protein to be a methyltransferase
bRing: An observatory dedicated to monitoring the Pictoris b Hill sphere transit
Aims. We describe the design and first light observations from the
Pictoris b Ring ("bRing") project. The primary goal is to detect photometric
variability from the young star Pictoris due to circumplanetary
material surrounding the directly imaged young extrasolar gas giant planet
\bpb. Methods. Over a nine month period centred on September 2017, the Hill
sphere of the planet will cross in front of the star, providing a unique
opportunity to directly probe the circumplanetary environment of a directly
imaged planet through photometric and spectroscopic variations. We have built
and installed the first of two bRing monitoring stations (one in South Africa
and the other in Australia) that will measure the flux of Pictoris,
with a photometric precision of over 5 minutes. Each station uses two
wide field cameras to cover the declination of the star at all elevations.
Detection of photometric fluctuations will trigger spectroscopic observations
with large aperture telescopes in order to determine the gas and dust
composition in a system at the end of the planet-forming era. Results. The
first three months of operation demonstrate that bRing can obtain better than
0.5\% photometry on Pictoris in five minutes and is sensitive to
nightly trends enabling the detection of any transiting material within the
Hill sphere of the exoplanet
A companion candidate in the gap of the T Cha transitional disk
T Cha is a young star surrounded by a cold disk. The presence of a gap within
its disk, inferred from fitting to the spectral energy distribution, has
suggested on-going planetary formation. We observed T Cha in L' and K_s with
NAOS-CONICA, the adaptive optics system at the VLT, using sparse aperture
masking. We detected a source in the L' data at a separation of 62+-7 mas,
position angle of 78+-1 degrees, and a contrast of delta L' = 5.1+-0.2 mag. The
object is not detected in the Ks band data, which show a 3-sigma contrast limit
of 5.2 mag at the position of the detected L' source. For a distance of 108 pc,
the detected companion candidate is located at 6.7 AU from the primary, well
within the disk gap. If T Cha and the companion candidate are bound, the
comparison of the L' and Ks photometry with evolutionary tracks shows that the
photometry is inconsistent with any unextincted photosphere at the age and
distance of T Cha. The detected object shows a very red Ks-L' color for which a
possible explanation would be a significant amount of dust around it. This
would imply that the companion candidate is young, which would strengthen the
case for a physical companion, and moreover that the object would be in the
substellar regime, according to the Ks upper limit. Another exciting
possibility would be that this companion is a recently formed planet within the
disk. Additional observations are mandatory to confirm that the object is bound
and to properly characterize it.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication by A&
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