376 research outputs found
The Nature of Class I Sources: Periodic Variables in Orion
We present a quantitative, empirically based argument that at least some
Class I sources are low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars surrounded by spatially
extended envelopes of dusty gas. The source luminosity arises principally from
stellar gravitational contraction, as in optically visible pre-main-sequence
stars that lack such envelopes. We base our argument on the fact that some
Class I sources in Orion and other star-forming regions have been observed by
Spitzer to be periodic variables in the mid-infrared, and with periods
consistent with T Tauri rotation rates. Using a radiative transfer code, we
construct a variety of dust envelopes surrounding rotating, spotted stars, to
see if an envelope that produces a Class I SED at least broadly matches the
observed modulations in luminosity. Acceptable envelopes can either be
spherical or flattened, and may or may not have polar cavities. The key
requirement is that they have a modest equatorial optical depth at the Spitzer
waveband of 3.6 m, typically 0.6. The total
envelope mass, based on this limited study, is at most about 0.1
, less than a typical stellar mass. Future studies should
focus on the dynamics of the envelope, to determine whether material is
actually falling onto the circumstellar disk.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures. Additional light curve figures and associated
data table referred to in Appendix B available as online dat
A Spectroscopic Survey of Subarcsecond Binaries in the Taurus-Auriga Dark Cloud with the Hubble Space Telescope
We report the results of a spectroscopic survey of 20 close T Tauri binaries
in the Taurus-Auriga dark cloud where the separations between primaries and
their secondaries are less than the typical size of a circumstellar disk around
a young star. Analysis of low-resolution and medium-resolution STIS spectra
yields the stellar luminosities, reddenings, ages, masses, mass accretion
rates, IR excesses, and emission line luminosities for each star in each pair.
We examine the ability of IR color excesses, H-alpha equivalent widths, [O I]
emission, and veiling to distinguish between weak emission and classical T
Tauri stars. Four pairs have one cTTs and one wTTs; the cTTs is the primary in
three of these systems. This frequency of mixed pairs among the close T Tauri
binaries is similar to the frequency of mixed pairs in wider young binaries.
Extinctions within pairs are usually similar; however, the secondary is more
heavily reddened than the primary in some systems, where it may be viewed
through the primary's disk. Mass accretion rates of primaries and secondaries
are strongly correlated, and H-alpha luminosities, IR excesses, and ages also
correlate within pairs. Primaries tend to have somewhat larger accretion rates
than their secondaries do, and are typically slightly older than their
secondaries according to three different sets of modern pre-main-sequence
evolutionary tracks. Age differences for XZ Tau and FS Tau, systems embedded in
reflection nebulae, are striking; the secondary in each pair is less massive
but more luminous than the primary. The stellar masses of the UY Aur and GG Tau
binaries measured from their rotating molecular disks are about 30% larger than
the masses inferred from the spectra and evolutionary tracks
Giant Impacts and Debris Disk Morphology
Certain debris disks have non-axisymmetric shapes in scattered light which
are unexplained. The appearance of a disk depends on how its constituent
Keplerian ellipses are arranged. The more the ellipses align apsidally, the
more non-axisymmetric the disk. Apsidal alignment is automatic for fragments
released from a catastrophic collision between solid bodies. We synthesize
scattered light images, and thermal emission images, of such giant impact
debris. Depending on the viewing geometry, and if and how the initial apsidal
alignment is perturbed, the remains of a giant impact can appear in scattered
light as a one-sided or two-sided "fork", a lopsided "needle", or a set of
"double wings". Double wings are difficult to reproduce in other scenarios
involving gravitational forcing or gas drag, which do not align orbits as well.
We compare our images with observations and offer a scorecard assessing whether
the scattered light asymmetries in HD 15115, HD 32297, HD 61005, HD 111520, HD
106906, beta Pic, and AU Mic are best explained by giant impacts, gravitational
perturbations, or sculpting by the interstellar medium.Comment: Final ApJ-proofed version with updated references to summary Table 1.
Animations available at https://github.com/joshwajones/jones_etal_animations
Mid-Infrared Observations of Class I/Flat-Spectrum Systems in Six Nearby Molecular Clouds
We have obtained new mid-infrared observations of 65 Class I/Flat-Spectrum
(F.S.) objects in the Perseus, Taurus, Chamaeleon I/II, Rho Ophiuchi, and
Serpens dark clouds. We detected 45/48 (94%) of the single sources, 16/16
(100%) of the primary components, and 12/16 (75%) of the secondary/triple
components of the binary/multiple objects surveyed. The composite spectral
energy distributions (SEDs) for all of our sample sources are either Class I or
F.S., and, in 15/16 multiple systems, at least one of the individual components
displays a Class I or F.S. spectral index. However, the occurrence of mixed
pairings, such as F.S. with Class I, F.S. with Class II, and, in one case, F.S.
with Class III, is surprisingly frequent. Such behaviour is not consistent with
that of multiple systems among T Tauri stars (TTS), where the companion of a
classical TTS also tends to be a classical TTS, although other mixed pairings
have been previously observed among Class II objects. Based on an analysis of
the spectral indices of the individual binary components, there appears to be a
higher proportion of mixed Class I/F.S. systems (65-80%) than that of mixed
Classical/Weak-Lined TTS (25-40%), demonstrating that the envelopes of Class I/
F.S. systems are rapidly evolving during this evolutionary phase. We report the
discovery of a steep spectral index secondary companion to ISO-ChaI 97,
detected for the first time via our mid-infrared observations. In our previous
near- infrared imaging survey of binary/multiple Class I/F.S. sources, ISO-ChaI
97 appeared to be single. With a spectral index of Alpha >= 3.9, the secondary
component of this system is a member of a rare class of very steep spectral
index objects, those with Alpha > 3. Only three such objects have previously
been reported, all of which are either Class 0 or Class I.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures, 6 table
The Role of Mass and Environment in Multiple Star Formation: A 2MASS Survey of Wide Multiplicity in Three Young Associations
We present the results of a search for wide binary systems among 783 members
of three nearby young associations: Taurus-Auriga, Chamaeleon I, and two
subgroups of Upper Scorpius. Near-infrared (JHK) imagery from 2MASS was
analyzed to search for wide (1-30"; ~150-4500 AU) companions to known
association members, using color-magnitude cuts to reject likely background
stars. We identify a total of 131 candidate binary companions with colors
consistent with physical association, of which 39 have not been identified
previously in the literature. Our results suggest that the wide binary
frequency is a function of both mass and environment, with significantly higher
frequencies among high-mass stars than lower-mass stars and in the T
associations than in the OB association. We discuss the implications for wide
binary formation and conclude that the environmental dependence is not a direct
result of stellar density or total association mass, but instead might depend
on another environmental parameter like the gas temperature. We also analyze
the mass ratio distribution as a function of mass and find that it agrees with
the distribution for field stars to within the statistical uncertainties. The
binary populations in these associations generally follow the empirical
mass-maximum separation relation observed for field binaries, but we have found
one candidate low-mass system (USco-160611.9-193532; Mtot~0.4 Msun) which has a
projected separation (10.8"; 1550 AU) much larger than the suggested limit for
its mass. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted to ApJ; 27 pages in emulateapj format. The full version of
table 2 can be downloaded via http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~alk/tab2.pdf
(PDF) or http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~alk/tab2.txt (text
Observational Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Binary Stars
We present a high spatial resolution UV to NIR survey of 44 young binary
stars in Taurus with separations of 10-1000 AU. The primary results include:
(1) The relative ages of binary star components are more similar than the
relative ages of randomly paired single stars, supporting coeval formation. (2)
Only one of the companion masses is substellar, and hence the apparent
overabundance of T Tauri star companions relative to main-sequence star
companions can not be explained by a wealth of substellar secondaries that
would have been missed in main-sequence surveys. (3) Roughly 10% of T Tauri
binary star components have very red NIR colors (K-L > 1.4) and unusually high
mass accretion rates. This phenomenon does not appear to be restricted to
binary systems, however, since a comparable fraction of single T Tauri stars
exhibit the same properties. (4) Although the disk lifetimes of single stars
are roughly equal to their stellar ages, the disk lifetimes of binary stars are
an order of magnitude less than their ages. (5) The accretion rates for both
single and binary T Tauri stars appear to be moderately mass dependent. (6)
Although most classical T Tauri star binaries retain both a circumprimary and a
circumsecondary disk, there are several systems with only a circumprimary disk.
Together with the relative accretion rates, this suggests that circumprimary
disks survive longer, on average, than circumsecondary disks. (7) The disk
lifetimes, mass ratios, and relative accretion signatures of the closest
binaries (10-100 AU) suggest that they are being replenished from a
circumbinary reservoir with low angular momentum. Overall, these results
support fragmentation as the dominant binary star formation mechanism.Comment: 67 pages including 11 figures, LaTeX2e, accepted for publication in
Ap
Near-Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of Young Stellar Objects in rho-Ophiuchi
The results of a near-infrared (J H K LP) imaging linear polarimetry survey
of 20 young stellar objects (YSOs) in rho Ophiuchi are presented. The majority
of the sources are unresolved, with K-band polarizations, P_K < 6 per cent.
Several objects are associated with extended reflection nebulae. These objects
have centrosymmetric vector patterns with polarization discs over their cores;
maximum polarizations of P_K > 20 per cent are seen over their envelopes.
Correlations are observed between the degree of core polarization and the
evolutionary status inferred from the spectral energy distribution. K-band core
polarizations >6 per cent are only observed in Class I YSOs. A 3D Monte Carlo
model with oblate grains aligned with a magnetic field is used to investigate
the flux distributions and polarization structures of three of the rho Oph YSOs
with extended nebulae. A rho proportional to r^(-1.5) power law for the density
is applied throughout the envelopes. The large-scale centrosymmetric
polarization structures are due to scattering. However, the polarization
structure in the bright core of the nebula appears to require dichroic
extinction by aligned non-spherical dust grains. The position angle indicates a
toroidal magnetic field in the inner part of the envelope. Since the measured
polarizations attributed to dichroic extinction are usually <10 per cent, the
grains must either be nearly spherical or very weakly aligned. The higher
polarizations observed in the outer parts of the reflection nebulae require
that the dust grains responsible for scattering have maximum grain sizes <=1.05
microns.Comment: 26 pages. Accepted by MNRAS. Available as online early versio
Kinematic evidence for an embedded protoplanet in a circumstellar disc
Discs of gas and dust surrounding young stars are the birthplace of planets.
However, direct detection of protoplanets forming within discs has proved
elusive to date. We present the detection of a large, localized deviation from
Keplerian velocity in the protoplanetary disc surrounding the young star
HD163296. The observed velocity pattern is consistent with the dynamical effect
of a two Jupiter-mass planet orbiting at a radius 260au from the
star.Comment: Accepted for publication to ApJL, 8 pages, 5 figure
Stellar Multiplicity and the IMF: Most Stars Are Single
In this short communication I compare recent findings suggesting a low binary
star fraction for late type stars with knowledge concerning the forms of the
stellar initial and present day mass functions for masses down to the hydrogen
burning limit. This comparison indicates that most stellar systems formed in
the galaxy are likely single and not binary as has been often asserted. Indeed,
in the current epoch two-thirds of all main sequence stellar systems in the
Galactic disk are composed of single stars. Some implications of this
realization for understanding the star and planet formation process are briefly
mentioned.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 5
pages, 2 figures. Complete paper can be also obtained at
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~clada/pubs_html/binaries.htm
A Subarcsecond Companion to the T Tauri Star AS 353B
Adaptive optics imaging of the bright visual T Tauri binary AS 353 with the
Subaru Telescope shows that it is a hierarchical triple system. The secondary
component, located 5.6" south of AS 353A, is resolved into a subarcsecond
binary, AS 353Ba and Bb, separated by 0.24". Resolved spectroscopy of the two
close components shows that both have nearly identical spectral types of about
M1.5. Whereas AS 353A and Ba show clear evidence for an infrared excess, AS
353Bb does not. We discuss the possible role of multiplicity in launching the
large Herbig-Haro flow associated with AS 353A.Comment: AASTeXv5.0, 21 pages, 5 figures, Astronomical Journal, in pres
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