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Register a new userThe structure of disks around intermediate-mass young stars from mid-infrared interferometry. Evidence for a population of group II disks with gaps
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The disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars are commonly divided into group I and group II based on their far-infrared spectral energy distribution, and the common interpretation for that is flared and flat disks. Recent observations suggest that many flaring disks have gaps, whereas flat disks are thought to be gapless. The different groups of objects can be expected to have different structural signatures in high-angular-resolution data. Over the past 10 years, the MIDI instrument on the Very Large Telescope Interferometer has collected observations of several tens of protoplanetary disks. We model the large set of observations with simple geometric models. A population of radiative-transfer models is synthesized for interpreting the mid-infrared signatures. Objects with similar luminosities show very different disk sizes in the mid-infrared. Restricting to the young objects of intermediate mass, we confirm that most group I disks are in agreement with being transitional. We find that several group II objects have mid-infrared sizes and colors overlapping with sources classified as group I, transition disks. This suggests that these sources have gaps, which has been demonstrated for a subset of them. This may point to an intermediate population between gapless and transition disks. Flat disks with gaps are most likely descendants of flat disks without gaps. Gaps, potentially related to the formation of massive bodies, may therefore even develop in disks in a far stage of grain growth and settling. The evolutionary implications of this new population could be twofold. Either gapped flat disks form a separate population of evolved disks, or some of them may further evolve into flaring disks with large gaps. The latter transformation may be governed by the interaction with a massive planet, carving a large gap and dynamically exciting the grain population in the disk.
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We have identified four circumstellar disks with a deficit of dust emission from their inner 15-50 AU. All four stars have F-G spectral type, and were uncovered as part of the Spitzer Space Telescope ``Cores to Disks Legacy Program Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) first look survey of ~100 pre-main sequence stars. Modeling of the spectral energy distributions indicates a reduction in dust density by factors of 100-1000 from disk radii between ~0.4 and 15-50 AU, but with massive gas-rich disks at larger radii. This large contrast between the inner and outer disk has led us to use the term `cold disks to distinguish these unusual systems. However, hot dust [0.02-0.2 Mmoon] is still present close to the central star (R ~0.8 AU). We introduce the 30/13 micron, flux density ratio as a new diagnostic for identifying cold disks. The mechanisms for dust clearing over such large gaps are discussed. Though rare, cold disks are likely in transition from an optically thick to an optically thin state, and so offer excellent laboratories for the study of planet formation.
We are undertaking a large survey of over thirty disks using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) to see whether the observed dust structures match spectral energy distribution (SED) predictions and have any correlation with stellar properties. GPI can observe near-infrared light scattered from dust in circumstellar environments using high-resolution Polarimetric Differential Imaging (PDI) with coronagraphy and adaptive optics. The data have been taken in J and H bands over two years, with inner working angles of 0.08 and 0.11 respectively. Ahead of the release of the complete survey results, here we present five objects with extended and irregular dust structures within 2 of the central star. These objects are: FU Ori; MWC 789; HD 45677; Hen 3-365; and HD 139614. The observed structures are consistent with each object being a pre-main-sequence star with protoplanetary dust. The five objects circumstellar environments could result from extreme youth and complex initial conditions, from asymmetric scattering patterns due to shadows cast by misaligned disks, or in some cases from interactions with companions. We see complex U_phi structures in most objects that could indicate multiple scattering or result from the illumination of companions. Specific key findings include the first high-contrast observation of MWC 789 revealing a newly-discovered companion candidate and arc, and two faint companion candidates around Hen 3-365. These two objects should be observed further to confirm whether the companion candidates are co-moving. Further observations and modeling are required to determine the causes of the structures.
We detect emission from multiple low-excitation ro-vibrational transitions of OH from the two Herbig Ae stars AB Aurigae and MWC 758 in the 3.0 - 3.7 micron wavelength range (L-band), using the NIRSPEC instrument on Keck II. The inner radius for the emitting region in both stars is close to 1 AU. We compare an optically thin LTE model and a thin-wedge fluorescence model, finding rotational temperatures of 650 - 800 K and OH abundances of 10^42 - 10^45 molecules for the two stars. Comparisons with current chemical models support the fluorescence excitation model for AB Aurigae and possibly MWC 758, but further observations and detailed modeling are necessary to improve constraints on OH emission in different disk environments.
We calculate the emission of protoplanetary disks threaded by a poloidal magnetic field and irradiated by the central star. The radial structure of these disks was studied by Shu and collaborators and the vertical structure was studied by Lizano and collaborators. We consider disks around low mass protostars, T Tauri stars, and FU Ori stars with different mass-to-flux ratios $lambda_{rm sys}$. We calculate the spectral energy distribution and the antenna temperature profiles at 1 mm and 7 mm convolved with the ALMA and VLA beams. We find that disks with weaker magnetization (high values of $lambda_{rm sys}$) emit more than disks with stronger magnetization (low values of $lambda_{rm sys}$). This happens because the former are denser, hotter and have larger aspect ratios, receiving more irradiation from the central star. The level of magnetization also affects the optical depth at millimeter wavelengths, being larger for disks with high $lambda_{rm sys}$. In general, disks around low mass protostars and T Tauri stars are optically thin at 7 mm while disks around FU Ori are optically thick. A qualitative comparison of the emission of these magnetized disks, including heating by an external envelope, with the observed millimeter antenna temperature profiles of HL Tau indicates that large cm grains are required to increase the optical depth and reproduce the observed 7 mm emission at large radii.
We model the vertical structure of magnetized accretion disks subject to viscous and resistive heating, and irradiation by the central star. We apply our formalism to the radial structure of magnetized accretion disks threaded by a poloidal magnetic field dragged during the process of star formation developed by Shu and coworkers. We consider disks around low mass protostars, T Tauri, and FU Orionis stars. We consider two levels of disk magnetization, $lambda_{sys} = 4$ (strongly magnetized disks), and $lambda_{sys} = 12$ (weakly magnetized disks). The rotation rates of strongly magnetized disks have large deviations from Keplerian rotation. In these models, resistive heating dominates the thermal structure for the FU Ori disk. The T Tauri disk is very thin and cold because it is strongly compressed by magnetic pressure; it may be too thin compared with observations. Instead, in the weakly magnetized disks, rotation velocities are close to Keplerian, and resistive heating is always less than 7% of the viscous heating. In these models, the T Tauri disk has a larger aspect ratio, consistent with that inferred from observations. All the disks have spatially extended hot atmospheres where the irradiation flux is absorbed, although most of the mass ($sim 90-95$ %) is in the disk midplane. With the advent of ALMA one expects direct measurements of magnetic fields and their morphology at disk scales. It will then be possible to determine the mass-to-flux ratio of magnetized accretion disks around young stars, an essential parameter for their structure and evolution. Our models contribute to the understanding of the vertical structure and emission of these disks.
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