Revisiting the case of R Monocerotis: Is CO removed at R

Context. To our knowledge, R Mon is the only B0 star in which a gaseous Keplerian disk has been detected. However, there is some controversy about the spectral type of R Mon. Some authors propose that it could be a later B8e star, where disks are more common. Aims. Our goal is to re-evaluate the R Mon spectral type and characterize its protoplanetary disk. Methods. The spectral type of R Mon has been re-evaluated using the available continuum data and UVES emission lines. We used a power-law disk model to fit previous12CO 1 →0 and 2 →1 interferometric observations and the PACS CO data to investigate the disk structure. Interferometric detections of13CO J = 1 →0, HCO+1 →0, and CN 1 →0 lines using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) are presented. The HCN 1 →0 line was not detected. Results. Our analysis confirms that R Mon is a B0 star. The disk model compatible with the12CO 1 →0 and 2 →1 interferometric observations falls short of predicting the observed fluxes of the 14 < Ju< 31 PACS lines; this is consistent with the scenario in which some contribution to these lines is coming from a warm envelope and/or UV-illuminated outflow walls. More interestingly, the upper limits to the fluxes of the Ju> 31 CO lines suggest the existence of a region empty of CO at R ? 20 au in the protoplanetary disk. The intense emission of the HCO+and CN lines shows the strong influence of UV photons on gas chemistry. Conclusions. The observations gathered in this paper are consistent with the presence of a transition disk with a cavity of Rin≥ 20 au around R Mon. This size is similar to the photoevaporation radius that supports the interpretation that UV photoevaporation is main disk dispersal mechanism in massive stars

First Images of the Molecular Gas around a Born-again Star Revealed by ALMA

Born-again stars allow probing stellar evolution in human timescales and provide the most promising path for the formation of hydrogen-deficient post-asymptotic giant branch objects, but their cold and molecular components remain poorly explored. Here we present ALMA observations of V 605 Aql that unveil for the first time the spatio-kinematic distribution of the molecular material associated with a born-again star. Both the continuum and molecular line emission exhibit a clumpy ring-like structure with a total extent of approximate to 1 \u27\u27 in diameter. The bulk of the molecular emission is interpreted as being produced in a radially expanding disk-like structure with an expansion velocity v(exp) similar to 90 km s(-1) and an inclination i approximate to 60 degrees with respect to the line of sight. The observations also reveal a compact high-velocity component, v(exp) similar to 280 km s(-1), that is aligned perpendicularly to the expanding disk. This component is interpreted as a bipolar outflow with a kinematical age tau less than or similar to 20 yr, which could either be material that is currently being ejected from V 605 Aql, or is being dragged from the inner parts of the disk by a stellar wind. The dust mass of the disk is in the range M-dust similar to 0.2-8 x 10(-3) M-circle dot, depending on the dust absorption coefficient. The mass of the CO is MCO approximate to 1.1 x 10(-5) M-circle dot, which is more than three orders of magnitude larger than the mass of the other detected molecules. We estimate a C-12/C-13 ratio of 5.6 +/- 0.6, which is consistent with the single stellar evolution scenario in which the star experienced a very late thermal pulse instead of a nova-like event as previously suggested

Gas kinematics of key prebiotic molecules in GV Tau N revealed with an ALMA, PdBI, and Herschel synergy

A large effort has been made to detect warm gas in the planet formation zone of circumstellar discs using space and ground-based near-infrared facilities. GV Tau N, the most obscured component of the GV Tau system, is an outstanding source, being one of the first targets detected in HCN and the only one detected in CH4 so far. Although near-infrared observations have shed light on its chemical content, the physical structure and kinematics of the circumstellar matter remained unknown. We use interferometric images of the HCN 3 -> 2 and (CO)-C-13 3 -> 2 lines, and far-IR observations of (CO)-C-13, HCN, CN, and H2O transitions to discern the morphology, kinematics, and chemistry of the dense gas close to the star. These observations constitute the first detection of H2O towards GV Tau N. Moreover, ALMA high spatial resolution (similar to 7 au) images of the continuum at 1.1mm and the HCN 3 -> 2 line resolve different gas components towards GV Tau N, a gaseous disc with R similar to 25 au, an ionized jet, and one (or two) molecular outflows. The asymmetric morphology of the gaseous disc shows that it has been eroded by the jet. All observations can be explained if GV Tau N is binary, and the primary component has a highly inclined individual disc relative to the circumbinary disc. We discuss the origin of the water and the other molecules emission according to this scenario. In particular, we propose that the water emission would come from the disrupted gaseous disc and the molecular outflows

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