134 research outputs found
Strong dust processing in circumstellar discs around 6 RV Tauri stars. Are dusty RV Tauri stars all binaries?
We present extended Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of seven classical
RV Tauri stars, using newly obtained submillimetre continuum measurements and
Geneva optical photometry supplemented with literature data. The broad-band
SEDs show a large IR excess with a black-body slope at long wavelengths in six
of the seven stars, R Sct being the noticeable exception. This long wavelength
slope is best explained assuming the presence of a dust component of large
grains in the circumstellar material. We show that the most likely distribution
of the circumstellar dust around the six systems is that the dust resides in a
disc. Moreover, very small outflow velocities are needed to explain the
presence of dust near the sublimation temperature and we speculate that the
discs are Keplerian. The structure and evolution of these compact discs are as
yet not understood but a likely prerequisite for their formation is that the
dusty RV Tauri stars are binaries.Comment: 10 pages, will be published in A&
A multi-transition submillimeter water maser study of evolved stars - detection of a new line near 475 GHz
Context: Maser emission from the H2O molecule probes the warm, inner
circumstellar envelopes of oxygen-rich red giant and supergiant stars.
Multi-maser transition studies can be used to put constraints on the density
and temperature of the emission regions.
Aims: A number of known H2O maser lines were observed toward the long period
variables R Leo and W Hya and the red supergiant VY CMa. A search for a new,
not yet detected line near 475 GHz was conducted toward these stars.
Methods: The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope was used for a
multi-transition observational study of submillimeter H2O lines.
Results: The 5_33-4_40 transition near 475 GHz was clearly detected toward VY
CMa and W Hya. Many other H2O lines were detected toward all three target
stars. Relative line intensity ratios and velocity widths were found to vary
significantly from star to star.
Conclusions: Maser action is observed in all but one line for which it was
theoretically predicted. In contrast, one of the strongest maser lines, in R
Leo by far the strongest, the 437 GHz 7_53-6_60 transition, is not predicted to
be inverted. Some other qualitative predictions of the model calculations are
at variance with our observations. Plausible reasons for this are discussed.
Based on our findings for W Hya and VY CMa, we find evidence that the H2O
masers in the AGB star W Hya arise from the regular circumstellar outflow,
while shock excitation in a high velocity flow seems to be required to excite
masers far from the red supergiant VY CMa.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, Astronomy and Astrophyics (in press
The variable mass loss of the AGB star WX Psc as traced by the CO J=1-0 through 7-6 lines and the dust emission
Low and intermediate mass stars lose a significant fraction of their mass
through a dust-driven wind during the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase.
Recent studies show that winds from late-type stars are far from being smooth.
Mass-loss variations occur on different time scales, from years to tens of
thousands of years. The variations appear to be particularly prominent towards
the end of the AGB evolution. The occurrence, amplitude and time scale of these
variations are still not well understood.
The goal of our study is to gain insight into the structure of the
circumstellar envelope (CSE) of WX Psc and map the possible variability of the
late-AGB mass-loss phenomenon.
We have performed an in-depth analysis of the extreme infrared AGB star WX
Psc by modeling (1) the CO J=1-0 through 7-6 rotational line profiles and the
full spectral energy distribution (SED) ranging from 0.7 to 1300 micron. We
hence are able to trace a geometrically extended region of the CSE.
Both mass-loss diagnostics bear evidence of the occurrence of mass-loss
modulations during the last ~2000 yr. In particular, WX Psc went through a high
mass-loss phase (Mdot~5e-5 Msun/yr) some 800 yr ago. This phase lasted about
600 yr and was followed by a long period of low mass loss (Mdot~5e-8 Msun/yr).
The present day mass-loss rate is estimated to be ~6e-6 Msun/yr.
The AGB star WX Psc has undergone strong mass-loss rate variability on a time
scale of several hundred years during the last few thousand years. These
variations are traced in the strength and profile of the CO rotational lines
and in the SED. We have consistently simulated the behaviour of both tracers
using radiative transfer codes that allow for non-constant mass-loss rates.Comment: 12 pages, accepted for publication in A&
Near-infrared polarimetric study of the bipolar nebula IRAS 19312+1950
We obtained H-band polarimetric data of IRAS 19312+1950 using the
near-infrared camera (CIAO) on the 8 m Subaru telescope. In order to
investigate the physical properties of the central star and the nebula, we
performed dust radiative transfer modeling and compared the model results with
the observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs), the radial profiles of the
total intensity image, and the fraction of linear polarization map. The total
intensity image shows a nearly spherical core with ~3" radius, an S-shaped arm
extending ~10" in the northwest to southeast direction, and an extended lobe
towards the southwest. The polarization map shows a centro-symmetric vector
alignment in almost the entire nebula and low polarizations along the S-shaped
arm. These results suggest that the nebula is accompanied by a central star,
and the S-shaped arm has a physically ring-like structure. From our radiative
transfer modeling, we estimated the stellar temperature, the bolometric
luminosity, and the current mass-loss rate to be 2800 K, 7000 L_sun, and
5.3x10^{-6} M_sun yr^{-1}, respectively. Taking into account previous
observational results, such as the detection of SiO maser emissions and
silicate absorption feature in the 10 m spectrum, our dust radiative
transfer analysis based on our NIR imaging polarimetry suggests that (1) the
central star of IRAS 19312+1950 is likely to be an oxygen-rich, dust-enshrouded
AGB star and (2) most of the circumstellar material originates from other
sources (e.g. ambient dark clouds) rather than as a result of mass loss from
the central star.Comment: 8 pages with 4 figure
Mapping the submillimeter spiral wave in NGC 6946
We have analysed SCUBA 850\mum images of the (near) face-on spiral galaxy NGC
6946, and found a tight correlation between dust thermal emission and molecular
gas. The map of visual optical depth relates well to the distribution of
neutral gas (HI+H2) and implies a global gas-to-dust ratio of 90. There is no
significant radial variation of this ratio: this can be understood, since the
gas content is dominated by far by the molecular gas. The latter is estimated
through the CO emission tracer, which is itself dependent on metallicity,
similarly to dust emission. By comparing the radial profile of our visual
optical depth map with that of the SCUBA image, we infer an emissivity (dust
absorption coefficient) at 850\mum that is 3 times lower than the value
measured by COBE in the Milky Way, and 9 times lower than in NGC 891. A
decomposition of the spiral structure half way out along the disk of NGC 6946
suggests an interarm optical depth of between 1 and 2. These surprisingly high
values represent 40-80% of the visual opacity that we measure for the arm
region (abridged).Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted in A&
Circumstellar molecular composition of the oxygen-rich AGB star IK~Tau: II. In-depth non-LTE chemical abundance analysis
Aims: Little information exists on the circumstellar molecular abundance
stratifications of many molecules. The aim is to study the circumstellar
chemical abundance pattern of 11 molecules and isotopologs (CO,
CO, SiS, SiO, SiO, SiO, HCN, CN, CS, SO, SO) in
the oxygen-rich evolved star IK~Tau. Methods: We have performed an in-depth
analysis of a large number of molecular emission lines excited in the
circumstellar envelope around IK~Tau. The analysis is done based on a non-local
thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative transfer analysis, which
calculates the temperature and velocity structure in a self-consistent way. The
chemical abundance pattern is coupled to theoretical outer wind model
predictions including photodestruction and cosmic ray ionization. Not only the
integrated line intensities, but also the line shapes, are used as diagnostic
tool to study the envelope structure. Results: The deduced wind acceleration is
much slower than predicted from classical theories. SiO and SiS are depleted in
the envelope, possibly due to the adsorption onto dust grains. For HCN and CS a
clear difference with respect to inner wind non-equilibrium predictions is
found, either indicating uncertainties in the inner wind theoretical modeling
or the possibility that HCN and CS (or the radical CN) participate in the dust
formation. The low signal-to-noise profiles of SO and CN prohibit an accurate
abundance determination; the modeling of high-excitation SO lines is
cumbersome, possibly related to line misidentifications or problems with the
collisional rates. The SiO isotopic ratios (SiO/SiO and
SiO/SiO) point toward an enhancement in SiO compared to
results of classical stellar evolution codes. Predictions for HO lines in
the spectral range of the Herschel/HIFI mission are performed. [abbreviated]Comment: 24 pagees, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
On the reliability of mass-loss-rate estimates for AGB stars
In the recent literature there has been some doubt as to the reliability of
CO multi-transitional line observations as a mass-loss-rate estimator for AGB
stars. Mass-loss rates for 10 intermediate- to high-mass-loss-rate AGB stars
are derived using a detailed non-LTE, non-local radiative transfer code based
on the Monte-Carlo method to model the CO radio line intensities. The
circumstellar envelopes are assumed to be spherically symmetric and formed by
constant mass-loss rates. The energy balance is solved self-consistently and
the effects of dust on the radiation field and thermal balance are included. An
independent estimate of the mass-loss rate is also obtained from the
combination of dust radiative transfer modelling with a dynamical model of the
gas and dust particles. We find that the CO radio line intensities and shapes
are successfully reproduced for the majority of our objects assuming a constant
mass-loss rate. Moreover, the CO line intensities are only weakly dependent on
the adopted micro-turbulent velocity, in contrast to recent claims in the
literature. The two methods used in the present work to derive mass-loss-rates
are consistent within a factor of ~3 for intermediate- to high-mass-loss-rate
objects, indicating that this is a lower limit to the uncertainty in present
mass-loss-rate estimates. We find a tentative trend with chemistry. Mass-loss
rates from the dust/dynamical model are systematically higher than those from
the CO model for the carbon stars and vice versa for the M-type stars. This
could be ascribed to a discrepancy in the adopted CO/H_2-abundance ratio, but
we caution that the sample is small and systematic errors cannot be excluded.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The close circumstellar environment of the semi-regular S-type star Pi^1 Gruis
We study the close circumstellar environment of the nearby S-type star Pi^1
Gruis using high spatial-resolution, mid-infrared observations from the
ESO/VLTI. Spectra and visibilities were obtained with the MIDI interferometer
on the VLT Auxiliary Telescopes. The cool M5III giant Beta Gruis was used as
bright primary calibrator, and a dedicated spectro-interferometric study was
undertaken to determine its angular diameter accurately. The MIDI measurements
were fitted with the 1D numerical radiative transfer code DUSTY to determine
the dust shell parameters of Pi^1 Gruis. Taking into account the low spatial
extension of the model in the 8-9 m spectral band for the smallest
projected baselines, we consider the possibility of a supplementary molecular
shell. The MIDI visibility and phase data are mostly dominated by the spherical
21 mas (694 Rsol) central star, while the extended dusty environment is
over-resolved even with the shortest baselines. No obvious departure from
spherical symmetry is found on the milliarcsecond scale. The
spectro-interferometric observations are well-fitted by an optically thin
(tau(dust)<0.01 in the band) dust shell that is located at about 14 stellar
radii with a typical temperature of 700 K and composed of 70% silicate and 30%
of amorphous alumina grains. An optically thin (tau(mol)<0.1 in the N band)
H2O+SiO molecular shell extending from the photosphere of the star up to 4.4
stellar radii with a typical temperature of 1000 K is added to the model to
improve the fit in the 8-9 m spectral band. We discuss the probable binary
origin of asymmetries as revealed by millimetric observations
- …