562 research outputs found
Dust in the wind: Crystalline silicates, corundum and periclase in PG 2112+059
We have determined the mineralogical composition of dust in the Broad
Absorption Line (BAL) quasar PG 2112+059 using mid-infrared spectroscopy
obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. From spectral fitting of the solid
state features, we find evidence for Mg-rich amorphous silicates with olivine
stoichiometry, as well as the first detection of corundum (Al_2O_3) and
periclase (MgO) in quasars. This mixed composition provides the first direct
evidence for a clumpy density structure of the grain forming region. The
silicates in total encompass 56.5% of the identified dust mass, while corundum
takes up 38 wt.%. Depending on the choice of continuum, a range of mass
fractions is observed for periclase ranging from 2.7% in the most conservative
case to 9% in a less constrained continuum. In addition, we identify a feature
at 11.2 micron as the crystalline silicate forsterite, with only a minor
contribution from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The 5% crystalline silicate
fraction requires high temperatures such as those found in the immediate quasar
environment in order to counteract rapid destruction from cosmic rays.Comment: 2 figure
Where Are The M Dwarf Disks Older Than 10 Million Years?
We present 11.7-micron observations of nine late-type dwarfs obtained at the
Keck I 10-meter telescope in December 2002 and April 2003. Our targets were
selected for their youth or apparent IRAS 12-micron excess. For all nine
sources, excess infrared emission is not detected. We find that stellar wind
drag can dominate the circumstellar grain removal and plausibly explain the
dearth of M Dwarf systems older than 10 Myr with currently detected infrared
excesses. We predict M dwarfs possess fractional infrared excess on the order
of L_{IR}/L_{*}\sim10^{-6} and this may be detectable with future efforts.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures, accepted to Ap
Spectroscopic diagnostic for the mineralogy of large dust grains
We examine the thermal infrared spectra of large dust grains of different
chemical composition and mineralogy. Strong resonances in the optical
properties result in detectable spectral structure even when the grain is much
larger than the wavelength at which it radiates. We apply this to the thermal
infrared spectra of compact amorphous and crystalline silicates. The weak
resonances of amorphous silicates at 9.7 and 18 micron virtually disappear for
grains larger than about 10 micron. In contrast, the strong resonances of
crystalline silicates produce emission dips in the infrared spectra of large
grains; these emission dips are shifted in wavelength compared to the emission
peaks commonly seen in small crystalline silicate grains. We discuss the effect
of a fluffy or compact grain structure on the infrared emission spectra of
large grains, and apply our theory to the dust shell surrounding Vega.Comment: Submitted to A&A Letter
The opacity of grains in protoplanetary atmospheres
We have computed the size distribution of silicate grains in the outer
radiative region of the envelope of a protoplanet evolving according to the
scenario of Pollack et al. (1996). Our computation includes grain growth due to
Brownian motion and overtake of smaller grains by larger ones. We also include
the input of new grains due to the breakup of planetesimals in the atmosphere.
We follow the procedure of Podolak (2003), but have speeded it up
significantly. This allows us to test the sensitivity of the code to various
parameters. We have also made a more careful estimate of the resulting grain
opacity. We find that the grain opacity is of the order of $10^{-2}\
\mathrm{cm^2 g^{-1}}\sim{1} \mathrm{cm^2 g^{-1}}$. We
discuss the effect of this on the evolution of the models.Comment: 28 pages, 13 Figs., to be published in Icarus (accepted Sep. 2007
2-Dust : a Dust Radiative Transfer Code for an Axisymmetric System
We have developed a general purpose dust radiative transfer code for an
axisymmetric system, 2-Dust, motivated by the recent increasing availability of
high-resolution images of circumstellar dust shells at various wavelengths.
This code solves the equation of radiative transfer following the principle of
long characteristic in a 2-D polar grid while considering a 3-D radiation field
at each grid point. A solution is sought through an iterative scheme in which
self-consistency of the solution is achieved by requiring a global luminosity
constancy throughout the shell. The dust opacities are calculated through Mie
theory from the given size distribution and optical properties of the dust
grains. The main focus of the code is to obtain insights on (1) the global
energetics of dust grains in the shell (2) the 2-D projected morphologies that
are strongly dependent on the mixed effects of the axisymmetric dust
distribution and inclination angle of the shell. Here, test models are
presented with discussion of the results. The code can be supplied with a
user-defined density distribution function, and thus, is applicable to a
variety of dusty astronomical objects possessing the axisymmetric geometry.Comment: To be published in ApJ, April 2003 issue; 13 pages, 4 tables, 17
figures, 5-page appendix (no figures for the main text included in this
preprint). For the complete preprint and code distribution, contact the
author
The Truncated Disk of CoKu Tau/4
We present a model of a dusty disk with an inner hole which accounts for the
Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph observations of the low-mass
pre-main sequence star CoKu Tau/4. We have modeled the mid-IR spectrum (between
8 and 25 mic) as arising from the inner wall of a disk. Our model disk has an
evacuated inner zone of radius ~ 10 AU, with a dusty inner ``wall'', of
half-height ~ 2 AU, that is illuminated at normal incidence by the central
star. The radiative equilibrium temperature decreases from the inner disk edge
outward through the optically-thick disk; this temperature gradient is
responsible for the emission of the silicate bands at 10 and 20 mic. The
observed spectrum is consistent with being produced by Fe-Mg amorphous glassy
olivine and/or pyroxene, with no evidence of a crystalline component. The
mid-infrared spectrum of CoKu Tau/4 is reminiscent of that of the much older
star TW Hya, where it has been suggested that the significant clearing of its
inner disk is due to planet formation. However, no inner disk remains in CoKu
Tau/4, consistent with the star being a weak-emission (non-accreting) T Tauri
star. The relative youth of CoKu Tau/4 (~ 1 Myr) may indicate much more rapid
planet formation than typically assumed.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures, accepted in Ap
3 - 14 Micron Spectroscopy of Comets C/2002 O4 (Honig), C/2002 V1 (NEAT), C/2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa), C/2002 Y1 (Juels-Holvorcem), 69P/Taylor, and the Relationships among Grain Temperature, Silicate Band Strength and Structure among Comet Families
We report 3 - 13 micron spectroscopy of 4 comets observed between August 2002
and February 2003: C/2002 O4 (Honig) on August 1, 2002, C/2002 V1 (NEAT) on
Jan. 9 and 10, 2003, C/2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa) on Jan. 9 and 10, 2003, and
C/2002 Y1 (Juels-Holvorcem) on Feb. 20, 2003. In addition, we include data
obtained much earlier on 69P/Taylor (February 9, 1998) but not previously
published. For Comets Taylor, Honig, NEAT, and Kudo-Fujikawa, the silicate
emission band was detected, being approximately 23%, 12%, 15%, and 10%,
respectively, above the continuum. The data for Comet Juels-Holvorcem were of
insufficient quality to detect the presence of a silicate band of comparable
strength to the other three objects, and we place an upper limit of 24% on this
feature. The silicate features in both NEAT and Kudo-Fujikawa contained
structure indicating the presence of crystalline material. Combining these data
with those of other comets, we confirm the correlation between silicate band
strength and grain temperature of Gehrz & Ney (1992) and Williams et al. (1997)
for dynamically new and long period comets, but the majority of Jupiter family
objects may deviate from this relation. The limited data available on Jupiter
family objects suggest that they may have silicate bands that are slightly
different from the former objects. Finally, when compared to the silicate
emission bands observed in pre-main sequence stars, the dynamically new and
long period comets most closely resemble the more evolved stellar systems,
while the limited data (in quantity and quality) on Jupiter family objects seem
to suggest that these have spectra more like the less-evolved stars.Comment: 45 pages, 12 figure
FU Orionis - The MIDI/VLTI Perspective
We present the first mid-infrared interferometric measurements of FU Orionis.
We clearly resolve structures that are best explained with an optically thick
accretion disk. A simple accretion disk model fits the observed SED and
visibilities reasonably well and does not require the presence of any
additional structure such as a dusty envelope. The inclination and also the
position angle of the disk can be constrained from the multibaseline
interferometric observations. Our disk model is in general agreement with most
published near-infrared interferometric measurements. From the shape and
strength of the 8-13 micrometer spectrum the dust composition of the accretion
disk is derived for the first time. We conclude that most dust particles are
amorphous and already much larger than those typically observed in the ISM.
Although the high accretion rate of the system provides both, high temperatures
out to large radii and an effective transport mechanism to distribute
crystalline grains, we do not see any evidence for crystalline silicates
neither in the total spectrum nor in the correlated flux spectra from the inner
disk regions. Possible reasons for this non-detection are mentioned. All
results are discussed in context with other high-spatial resolution
observations of FU Ori and other FU Ori objects. We also address the question
whether FU Ori is in a younger evolutionary stage than a classical TTauri star.Comment: 41 pages (aastex style), 11 figures, 8 tables, accepted by Ap
The SiC problem: astronomical and meteoritic evidence
Pre-solar grains of silicon carbide found in meteorites and interpreted as
having had an origin around carbon stars from their isotopic composition, have
all been found to be of the beta-SiC polytype. Yet to date fits to the 11.3
microns SiC emission band of carbon stars had been obtained only for alpha-SiC
grains. We present thin film infrared (IR) absorption spectra measured in a
diamond anvil cell for both the alpha- and beta- polymorphs of synthetic SiC
and compare the results with previously published spectra taken using the KBr
matrix method. We find that our thin film spectra have positions nearly
identical to those obtained previously from finely ground samples in KBr.
Hence, we show that this discrepancy has arisen from inappropriate `KBr
corrections' having been made to laboratory spectra of SiC particles dispersed
in KBr matrices. We re-fit a sample of carbon star mid-IR spectra, using
laboratory data with no KBr correction applied, and show that beta-SiC grains
fit the observations, while alpha-SiC grains do not. The discrepancy between
meteoritic and astronomical identifications of the SiC-type is therefore
removed. This work shows that the diamond anvil cell thin film method can be
used to produce mineral spectra applicable to cosmic environments without
further manipulation.Comment: to be published in Astrophysical Journal Letter 4 pages, 3 figure
Crystalline Silicate Emission in the Protostellar Binary Serpens--SVS20
We present spatially resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy of the class
I/flat-spectrum protostellar binary system SVS20 in the Serpens cloud core. The
spectra were obtained with the mid-infrared instrument T-ReCS on Gemini-South.
SVS20-South, the more luminous of the two sources, exhibits a mid-infrared
emission spectrum peaking near 11.3 \micron, while SVS20-North exhibits a
shallow amorphous silicate absorption spectrum with a peak optical depth of
. After removal of the the line-of-sight extinction by the
molecular common envelope, the ``protostar-only'' spectra are found to be
dominated by strong amorphous olivine emission peaking near 10 \micron. We also
find evidence for emission from crystalline forsterite and enstatite associated
with both SVS20-S and SVS20-N. The presence of crystalline silicate in such a
young binary system indicates that the grain processing found in more evolved
HAeBe and T Tauri pre-main sequence stars likely begins at a relatively young
evolutionary stage, while mass accretion is still ongoing.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journa
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