533 research outputs found
Debris Disks in Nearby Young Moving Groups in the ALMA Era
Many members of nearby young moving groups exhibit infrared excess attributed
to circumstellar debris dust, formed via erosion of planetesimals. With their
proximity and well-dated ages, these groups are excellent laboratories for
studying the early evolution of debris dust and of planetesimal belts. ALMA can
spatially resolve the disk emission, revealing the location and extent of these
belts, putting constraints on planetesimal evolution models, and allowing us to
study planet-disk interactions. While the main trends of dust evolution in
debris disks are well-known, there is almost no information on the evolution of
gas. During the transition from protoplanetary to debris state, even the origin
of gas is dubious. Here we review the exciting new results ALMA provided by
observing young debris disks, and discuss possible future research directions.Comment: To appear in "Young Stars and Planets Near the Sun", Proceedings of
IAU Symposium No. 314 (Cambridge University Press), J.H. Kastner, B. Stelzer,
S.A. Metchev, ed
Interferometric view of the circumstellar envelopes of northern FU Orionis-type stars
FU Orionis-type objects are young, low-mass stars with large outbursts in
visible light that last for several years or decades. They are thought to
represent an evolutionary phase during the life of every young star when
accretion from the circumstellar disk is enhanced during recurring time
periods. These outbursts are able to rapidly build up the star while affecting
the circumstellar disk and thus the ongoing or future planet formation. In many
models infall from a circumstellar envelope seems to be necessary to trigger
the outbursts. We observed the J=10 rotational transition of CO and
CO towards eight northern FU Orionis-type stars (V1057 Cyg, V1515 Cyg,
V2492 Cyg, V2493 Cyg, V1735 Cyg, V733 Cep, RNO 1B and RNO 1C) and derive
temperatures and envelope masses and discuss the morphology and kinematics of
the circumstellar material. We detected extended CO emission associated with
all our targets. Smaller scale CO clumps were found to be associated with five
objects with radii of 20005000 AU and masses of 0.020.5 ;
these are clearly heated by the central stars. Three of these envelopes are
also strongly detected in the 2.7 mm continuum. No central CO clumps were
detected around V733 Cep and V710 Cas but there are many other clumps in their
environments. Traces of outflow activity were observed towards V1735 Cyg, V733
Cep and V710 Cas. The diversity of the observed envelopes enables us to set up
an evolutionary sequence between the objects. We find their evolutionary state
to range from early, embedded Class I stage to late, Class II-type objects with
very low-mass circumstellar material. The results reinforce the idea of FU
Orionis-type stars as representatives of a transitory stage between embedded
Class I young stellar objects and classical T-Tauri stars.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in A&
Cold CO gas in the envelopes of FU Orionis-type young eruptive stars
FUors are young stellar objects experiencing large optical outbursts due to
highly enhanced accretion from the circumstellar disk onto the star. FUors are
often surrounded by massive envelopes, which play a significant role in the
outburst mechanism. Conversely, the subsequent eruptions might gradually clear
up the obscuring envelope material and drive the protostar on its way to become
a disk-only T Tauri star. Here we present an APEX CO and CO
survey of eight southern and equatorial FUors. We measure the mass of the
gaseous material surrounding our targets. We locate the source of the CO
emission and derive physical parameters for the envelopes and outflows, where
detected. Our results support the evolutionary scenario where FUors represent a
transition phase from envelope-surrounded protostars to classical T Tauri
stars.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the Ap
The inner disks of EXor-type eruptive stars
EX Lupi-type young stars (EXors) show sporadic brightenings of several magnitudes, caused by the episodic increase in the accretion rate of the circumstellar matter onto the young star. As the inner disk plays a crucial role during the onset of the outburst, we examined the quiescent properties of the circumstellar environment of EXors, focusing on the inner regions. We found that in case of three EXors (VY Tau, V1143 Ori and EX Lup) the spectral energy distributions show no or weak excess above the stellar photosphere at NIR-MIR wavelengths, indicative of inner disk clearing. A detailed radiative transfer modeling of the sources revealed that the inner regions of these disks had to go through significant evolution, either the inner radius of the dusty disk is beyond the sublimation radius and/or the inner disks are flattene
Long-term evolution of FU Orionis objects at infrared wavelengths
We investigate the brightness evolution of 7 FU Orionis systems in the 1-100
micrometer wavelength range using data from the Infrared Space Observatory
(ISO). The ISO measurements were supplemented with 2MASS and MSX observations
performed in the same years as the ISO mission (1995-98). The spectral energy
distributions (SEDs) based on these data points were compared with earlier ones
derived from the IRAS photometry as well as from ground-based observations
carried out around the epoch 1983. In 3 cases (Z CMa, Parsamian 21, V1331 Cyg)
no difference between the two epochs was seen within the measurement
uncertainties. V1057 Cyg, V1515 Cyg and V1735 Cyg have become fainter at
near-infrared wavelengths while V346 Nor has become slightly brighter. V1057
Cyg exhibits a similar flux change also in the mid-infrared. At lambda >= 60
micrometer most of the sources remained constant; only V346 Nor seems to fade.
Our data on the long-term evolution of V1057 Cyg agree with the model
predictions of Kenyon & Hartmann (1991) and Turner et al. (1997) at near- and
mid-infrared wavelengths, but disagree at lambda > 25 micrometer. We discuss if
this observational result at far-infrared wavelengths could be understood in
the framework of the existing models.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Grain growth in newly discovered young eruptive stars
FU Orionis-type stars are young stellar objects showing large outbursts due
to highly enhanced accretion from the circumstellar disk onto the protostar.
FUor-type outbursts happen in a wide variety of sources from the very embedded
ones to those with almost no sign of extended emission beyond the disk. The
subsequent eruptions might gradually clear up the obscuring envelope material
and drive the protostar on its way to become a disk-only T Tauri star. We used
VLT/VISIR to obtain the first spectra that cover the 8-13 m mid-infrared
wavelength range in low-resolution of five recently discovered FUors. Four
objects from our sample show the 10 m silicate feature in emission. We
study the shape and strength of the silicate feature in these objects and find
that they mostly contain large amorphous grains, suggesting that large grains
are typically not settled to the midplane in FUor disks. This is a general
characteristic of FUors, as opposed to regular T Tauri-type stars whose disks
display anything from pristine small grains to significant grain growth. We
classify our targets by determining whether the silicate feature is in emission
or in absorption, and confront them with the evolutionary scenarios on the
dispersal of the envelopes around young stars. In our sample, all Class II
objects exhibit silicate emission, while for Class I objects, the appearance of
the feature in emission or absorption depends on the viewing angle with respect
to the outflow cavity. This highlights the importance of geometric effects when
interpreting the silicate feature.Comment: 7 pages, 1 table, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Near-infrared spectroscopy of EX Lupi in outburst
EX Lup is the prototype of the EXor class of young eruptive stars: objects
showing repetitive brightenings due to increased accretion from the
circumstellar disk to the star. In this paper, we report on medium-resolution
near-infrared spectroscopy of EX\,Lup taken during its extreme outburst in
2008, as well as numerical modeling with the aim of determining the physical
conditions around the star. We detect emission lines from atomic hydrogen,
helium, and metals, as well as first overtone bandhead emission from carbon
monoxide. Our results indicate that the emission lines are originating from gas
located in a dust-free region within ~ 0.2 AU of the star. The profile of the
CO bandhead indicates that the CO gas has a temperature of 2500 K, and is
located in the inner edge of the disk or in the outer parts of funnel flows.
The atomic metals are probably co-located with the CO. Some metallic lines are
fluorescently excited, suggesting direct exposure to ultraviolet photons. The
Brackett series indicates emission from hot (10000 K) and optically thin gas.
The hydrogen lines display a strong spectro-astrometric signal, suggesting that
the hydrogen emission is probably not coming from an equatorial boundary layer;
a funnel flow or disk wind origin is more likely. This picture is broadly
consistent with the standard magnetospheric accretion model usually assumed for
normally accreting T Tauri stars. Our results also set constraints on the
eruption mechanism, supporting a model where material piles up around the
corotation radius and episodically falls onto the star.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap
Optical spectroscopy of EX Lupi during quiescence and outburst: Infall, wind, and dynamics in the accretion flow
We explore the accretion mechanisms in EX Lupi, prototype of EXor variables,
during its quiescence and outburst phases. We analyse high-resolution optical
spectra taken before, during, and after its 2008 outburst. In quiescence and
outburst, the star presents many permitted emission lines, including typical
CTTS lines and numerous neutral and ionized metallic lines. During the
outburst, the number of emission lines increases to over a thousand, with
narrow plus broad component structure (NC+BC). The BC profile is highly
variable on short timescales (24-72h). An active chromosphere can explain the
metallic lines in quiescence and the outburst NC. The dynamics of the BC line
profiles suggest an origin in a hot, dense, non-axisymmetric, and non-uniform
accretion column that suffers velocity variations along the line-of-sight on
timescales of days. Assuming Keplerian rotation, the emitting region would be
located at ~0.1-0.2 AU, consistent with the inner disk rim, but the velocity
profiles of the lines reveal a combination of rotation and infall. Line ratios
of ions and neutrals can be reproduced with a temperature of T~6500 K for
electron densities of a few times 10cm in the line-emitting
region. The data confirm that the 2008 outburst was an episode of increased
accretion, albeit much stronger than previous EX Lupi and typical EXors
outbursts. The line profiles are consistent with the infall/rotation of a
non-axisymmetric structure that could be produced by clumpy accretion during
the outburst phase. A strong inner disk wind appears in the epochs of higher
accretion. The rapid recovery of the system after the outburst and the
similarity between the pre-outburst and post-outburst states suggest that the
accretion channels are similar during the whole period, and only the accretion
rate varies, providing a superb environment for studying the accretion
processes.Comment: 15 pages plus 26 pages online material, accepted by A&
V346 Nor: the post-outburst life of a peculiar young eruptive star
FU Orionis-type objects (FUors) are young low-mass stars undergoing powerful accretion outbursts. The increased accretion is often accompanied by collimated jets and energetic, large-scale molecular outflows. The extra heating during the outburst may also induce detectable geometrical, chemical, and mineralogical changes in the circumstellar material, affecting possible planet formation around these objects. V346 Nor is a southern FUor with peculiar spectral characteristics. Decades after the beginning of its outburst, it unexpectedly underwent a fading event around 2010 due to a decrease in the mass accretion rate onto the star by at least two orders of magnitude. Here we present optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy obtained after the minimum. Our light curves show a gradual re-brightening of V346 Nor, with its K s-band brightness only 1.5 mag below the outburst brightness level. Our Very Large Telescope (VLT)/XSHOOTER spectroscopic observations display several strong forbidden emission lines toward the source from various metals and molecular hydrogen, suggesting the launch of a new jet. Our N-band spectrum obtained with VLT/VISIR outlines a deeper silicate absorption feature than before, indicating that the geometry of the circumstellar medium has changed in the post-outburst period compared to peak brightness.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
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