48 research outputs found
The ultraviolet spectrum of HH 24A and its relation to optical spectra
The spectrum of the brightest part (HH 24A) of the complex Herbig-Haro object HH 24 in the short wavelength UV range was studied. The object is of special interest since it is known that in the optical range the continuum is due to dust scattered light originating in a young stellar object while the shock excited emission lines are formed in HH 24A itself. The spectrum shows only a continuum or a quasi-continuum and is not comparable to that of the typical high excitation object like HH1 or HH2 nor to that of a low excitation object like HH3 or HH47
The Planetary Mass Companion 2MASS1207-3932 B: Temperature, Mass and Evidence for an Edge-On Disk
We present J-band imaging and H+K-band low-resolution spectroscopy of
2MASS1207-3932 AB, obtained with VLT NACO. For the putative planetary mass
secondary, we find J = 20.0+/-0.2 mag. The HK spectra of both components imply
low gravity, and a dusty atmosphere for the secondary. Comparisons to synthetic
spectra yield Teff_A ~ 2550+/-150K, and Teff_B ~ 1600+/-100K, consistent with
their late-M and mid-to-late L types. For these Teff, and an age of 5-10 Myrs,
evolutionary models imply M_A ~ 24+/-6 M_Jup and M_B ~ 8+/-2 M_Jup. Independent
comparisons of these models to the observed colors, spanning ~I to L', also
yield the same masses and temperatures. Our primary mass agrees with other
recent analyses; however, our secondary mass, while still in the planetary
regime, is 2-3 times larger than claimed previously. This discrepancy can be
traced to the luminosities: while the absolute photometry and Mbol of the
primary agree with theoretical predictions, the secondary is ~ 2.5+/-0.5 mag
fainter than expected in all bands from I to L' and in Mbol. This accounts for
the much lower secondary mass (and temperature) derived earlier. We argue that
this effect is highly unlikely to result from a variety of model-related
problems, and is instead real. This conclusion is bolstered by the absence of
any luminosity problems in either the primary, or in AB Pic B which we also
analyse. We therefore suggest grey extinction in 2M1207B, due to occlusion by
an edge-on circum-secondary disk. This is consistent with the observed
properties of edge-on disks around T Tauri stars, and with the known presence
of a high-inclination evolved disk around the primary. Finally, the system's
implied mass ratio of ~0.3 suggests a binary-like formation scenario.
(abridged)Comment: Accepted by The Astrophysical Journal, 43 pages text + 16 figs + 1
tabl
Toward the Evidence of the Accretion Disk Emission in the Symbiotic Star RR Tel
In this paper, we argue that in the symbiotic star RR Tel the existence of an
accretion disk around the hot companion is strongly implied by the
characteristic features exhibited by the Raman-scattered O VI lines around 6830
\AA and 7088 \AA. High degrees of polarization and double-peaked profiles in
the Raman-scattered lines and single-peak profiles for other emission lines are
interpreted as line-of-sight effects, where the H I scatterers near the giant
see an incident double-peaked profile and an observer with a low inclination
sees single-peak profiles. It is predicted that different mass concentrations
around the accretion disk formed by a dusty wind may lead to the disparate
ratios of the blue peak strength to the red counterpart observed in the 6830
and 7088 features. We discuss the evolutionary links between symbiotic stars
and bipolar protoplanetary nebulae and conclude that the Raman scattering
processes may play an important role in investigation of the physical
properties of these objects.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ Letter
Evolution of dust and ice features around FU Orionis objects
(abridged) We present spectroscopy data for a sample of 14 FUors and 2 TTauri
stars observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope or with the Infrared Space
Observatory (ISO). Based on the appearance of the 10 micron silicate feature we
define 2 categories of FUors. Objects showing the silicate feature in
absorption (Category 1) are still embedded in a dusty and icy envelope. The
shape of the 10 micron silicate absorption bands is compared to typical dust
compositions of the interstellar medium and found to be in general agreement.
Only one object (RNO 1B) appears to be too rich in amorphous pyroxene dust, but
a superposed emission feature can explain the observed shape. We derive optical
depths and extinction values from the silicate band and additional ice bands at
6.0, 6.8 and 15.2 micron. In particular the analysis of the CO_2 ice band at
15.2 micron allows us to search for evidence for ice processing and constrains
whether the absorbing material is physically linked to the central object or in
the foreground. For objects showing the silicate feature in emission (Category
2), we argue that the emission comes from the surface layer of accretion disks.
Analyzing the dust composition reveals that significant grain growth has
already taken place within the accretion disks, but no clear indications for
crystallization are present. We discuss how these observational results can be
explained in the picture of a young, and highly active accretion disk. Finally,
a framework is proposed as to how the two categories of FUors can be understood
in a general paradigm of the evolution of young, low-mass stars. Only one
object (Parsamian 21) shows PAH emission features. Their shapes, however, are
often seen toward evolved stars and we question the object's status as a FUor
and discuss other possible classifications.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ; 63 pages preprint style including 8
tables and 24 figure
Low Velocity Ionized Winds from Regions Around Young O Stars
We have observed seven ultracompact HII regions in hydrogen recombination
lines in the millimeter band. Toward four of these regions, there is a high
velocity (full width to half maximum 60-80 km/s) component in the line
profiles. The high velocity gas accounts for 35-70% of the emission measure
within the beam. We compare these objects to an additional seven similar
sources we have found in the literature. The broad recombination line objects
(BRLOs) make up about 30% of all sources in complexes containing ultracompact
HII regions. Comparison of spectral line and continuum data implies that the
BRLOs coincide with sources with rising spectral indices, >=0.4 up to 100 GHz.
Both the number of BRLOs and their frequency of occurrence within HII region
complexes, when coupled with their small size and large internal motions, mean
that the apparent contradiction between the dynamical and population lifetimes
for BRLOs is even more severe than for ultracompact HII regions. We evaluate a
number of models for the origin of the broad recombination line emission. The
lifetime, morphology, and rising spectral index of the sources argue for photo-
evaporated disks as the cause for BRLOs. Existing models for such regions,
however, do not account for the large amounts of gas observed at supersonic
velocities.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figure
The expanding dusty bipolar nebula around the nova V1280 Sco
V1280 Sco is one of the slowest dust-forming nova ever historically observed.
We performed multi-epoch high-spatial resolution observations of the
circumstellar dusty environment of V1280 Sco to investigate the level of
asymmetry of the ejecta We observed V1280 Sco in 2009, 2010 and 2011 using
unprecedented high angular resolution techniques. We used the NACO/VLT adaptive
optics system in the J, H and K bands, together with contemporaneous VISIR/VLT
mid-IR imaging that resolved the dust envelope of V1280 Sco, and SINFONI/VLT
observations secured in 2011. We report the discovery of a dusty
hourglass-shaped bipolar nebula. The apparent size of the nebula increased from
0.30" x 0.17" in July 2009 to 0.64" x 0.42" in July 2011. The aspect ratio
suggests that the source is seen at high inclination. The central source shines
efficiently in the K band and represents more than 56+/-5% of the total flux in
2009, and 87+/-6% in 2011. A mean expansion rate of 0.39+/-0.03 mas per day is
inferred from the VISIR observations in the direction of the major axis, which
represents a projected upper limit. Assuming that the dust shell expands in
that direction as fast as the low-excitation slow ejecta detected in
spectroscopy, this yields a lower limit distance to V1280 Sco of 1kpc; however,
the systematic errors remain large due to the complex shape and velocity field
of the dusty ejecta. The dust seems to reside essentially in the polar caps and
no infrared flux is detected in the equatorial regions in the latest dataset.
This may imply that the mass-loss was dominantly polar
Tracing kinematical and physical asymmetries in the jet from DG Tau B
Stellar jets can be highly asymmetric and have multiple velocity components.
To clarify the origin of jet asymmetries and constrain their launch mechanism
we study the physical and kinematical structure of the flow emitted by DG Tau
B. The analysis of deep spectra taken at the KECK telescope allows us to infer
the physical properties (the electron and total density, ne and nh, the
ionisation fraction, xe, and the temperature, te) and the spatial distribution
of the velocity components in the two jet lobes. The presence of dust grains in
the jet is investigated by estimating the gas-phase abundance of calcium with
respect to its solar value. At the base of the jet the lines are broad (~100
km/s) and up to three velocity components are detected. At 5" from the source,
however, only the denser and more excited high velocity components survive and
the lines are narrower (~10-30 km/s). The jet is strongly asymmetric both in
velocity and in its physical structure. The red lobe, slower (~140 km/s) and
more collimated, presents low ionisation fractions (xe~0.1-0.4) and
temperatures (te<5e3 K), while the total density is up to ~2.5e4 ccm. The blue
lobe, faster (~-320 km/s) and less collimated, is also less dense (nh~1e4 ccm)
but highly excited (te up to ~5e4 K and xe up to 0.9). The estimated mass loss
rate is similar in the two lobes (~6-8e-9 Msol/yr), suggesting that the
ejection power is comparable on the two sides of the system, as expected from a
magneto-centrifugal ejection mechanism, and that the observed asymmetries are
due to different mass load and propagation properties in an inhomogeneous
environment. Calcium is strongly depleted, indicating that the jet contains
dust grains and, therefore, should originate from a region of the disk
extending beyond the dust sublimation radius. The depletion is lower for higher
velocities, consistent with dust destruction by shocks.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&
Critical Dynamics of Gelation
Shear relaxation and dynamic density fluctuations are studied within a Rouse
model, generalized to include the effects of permanent random crosslinks. We
derive an exact correspondence between the static shear viscosity and the
resistance of a random resistor network. This relation allows us to compute the
static shear viscosity exactly for uncorrelated crosslinks. For more general
percolation models, which are amenable to a scaling description, it yields the
scaling relation for the critical exponent of the shear
viscosity. Here is the thermal exponent for the gel fraction and
is the crossover exponent of the resistor network. The results on the shear
viscosity are also used in deriving upper and lower bounds on the incoherent
scattering function in the long-time limit, thereby corroborating previous
results.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures (revtex, amssymb); revised version (minor
changes
Herschel/PACS observations of young sources in Taurus: the far-infrared counterpart of optical jets
Observations of the atomic and molecular line emission associated with jets
and outflows emitted by young stellar objects can be used to trace the various
evolutionary stages they pass through as they evolve to become main sequence
stars.
To understand the relevance of atomic and molecular cooling in shocks, and
how accretion and ejection efficiency evolves with the source evolutionary
state, we will study the far-infrared counterparts of bright optical jets
associated with Class I and II sources in Taurus (T Tau, DG Tau A, DG Tau B, FS
Tau A+B, and RW Aur).
We have analysed Herschel/PACS observations of a number of atomic ([OI]63um,
145um, [CII]158um) and molecular (high-J CO, H2O, OH) lines, collected within
the OTKP GASPS. To constrain the origin of the detected lines we have compared
the FIR emission maps with the emission from optical-jets and
millimetre-outflows, and the line fluxes and ratios with predictions from shock
and disk models.
All of the targets are associated with extended emission in the atomic lines
correlated with the direction of the optical jet/mm-outflow. The atomic lines
can be excited in fast dissociative J-shocks. The molecular emission, on the
contrary, originates from a compact region, that is spatially and spectrally
unresolved. Slow C- or J- shocks with high pre-shock densities reproduce the
observed H2O and high-J CO lines; however, the disk and/or UV-heated outflow
cavities may contribute to the emission.
While the cooling is dominated by CO and H2O lines in Class 0 sources, [OI]
becomes an important coolant as the source evolves and the environment is
cleared. The cooling and mass loss rates estimated for Class II and I sources
are one to four orders of magnitude lower than for Class 0 sources. This
provides strong evidence to indicate that the outflow activity decreases as the
source evolves.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&