No Arabic abstract
General results from a 3-5 micron spectroscopic survey of nearby low-mass young stellar objects are presented. L and M-band spectra have been obtained of ~50 low mass embedded young stars using the ISAAC spectrometer mounted on UT1-Antu at Paranal Observatory. For the first time, a consistent census of the CO, H2O ices and the minor ice species CH3OH and OCN- and warm CO gas present around young stars is obtained, using large number statistics and resolving powers of up to R=10000. The molecular structure of circumstellar CO ices, the depletion of gaseous CO onto grains in protoplanetary disks, the presence of hot gas in the inner parts of circumstellar disks and in outflows and infalls are studied. Furthermore, the importance of scattering effects for the interpretation of the spectra have been addressed.
NH3 and CH3OH are key molecules in astrochemical networks leading to the formation of more complex N- and O-bearing molecules, such as CH3CN and HCOOCH3. Despite a number of recent studies, little is known about their abundances in the solid state. (...) In this work, we investigate the ~ 8-10 micron region in the Spitzer IRS (InfraRed Spectrograph) spectra of 41 low-mass young stellar objects (YSOs). These data are part of a survey of interstellar ices in a sample of low-mass YSOs studied in earlier papers in this series. We used both an empirical and a local continuum method to correct for the contribution from the 10 micron silicate absorption in the recorded spectra. In addition, we conducted a systematic laboratory study of NH3- and CH3OH-containing ices to help interpret the astronomical spectra. We clearly detect a feature at ~9 micron in 24 low-mass YSOs. Within the uncertainty in continuum determination, we identify this feature with the NH3 nu_2 umbrella mode, and derive abundances with respect to water between ~2 and 15%. Simultaneously, we also revisited the case of CH3OH ice by studying the nu_4 C-O stretch mode of this molecule at ~9.7 micron in 16 objects, yielding abundances consistent with those derived by Boogert et al. 2008 (hereafter paper I) based on a simultaneous 9.75 and 3.53 micron data analysis. Our study indicates that NH3 is present primarily in H2O-rich ices, but that in some cases, such ices are insufficient to explain the observed narrow FWHM. The laboratory data point to CH3OH being in an almost pure methanol ice, or mixed mainly with CO or CO2, consistent with its formation through hydrogenation on grains. Finally, we use our derived NH3 abundances in combination with previously published abundances of other solid N-bearing species to find that up to 10-20 % of nitrogen is locked up in known ices.
With the goal to study the physical and chemical evolution of ices in solar-mass systems, a spectral survey is conducted of a sample of 41 low luminosity YSOs using 3-38 um Spitzer and ground-based spectra. The long-known 6.0 and 6.85 um bands are detected toward all sources, with the Class 0-type YSOs showing the deepest bands ever observed. In almost all sources the 6.0 um band is deeper than expected from the bending mode of pure solid H2O. The depth and shape variations of the remaining 5-7 um absorption indicate that it consists of 5 independent components, which, by comparison to laboratory studies, must be from at least 8 different carriers. Simple species are responsible for much of the absorption in the 5-7 um region, at abundances of 1-30% for CH3OH, 3-8% for NH3, 1-5% for HCOOH, ~6% for H2CO, and ~0.3% for HCOO- with respect to solid H2O. The 6.85 um band likely consists of one or two carriers, of which one is less volatile than H2O because its abundance relative to H2O is enhanced at lower H2O/tau_9.7 ratios. It does not survive in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM), however. The similarity of the 6.85 um bands for YSOs and background stars indicates that its carrier(s) must be formed early in the molecular cloud evolution. If an NH4+ salt is the carrier its abundance with respect to solid H2O is typically 7%, and low temperature acid-base chemistry or cosmic ray induced reactions must have been involved in its formation. Possible origins are discussed for the carrier of an enigmatic, very broad absorption between 5 and 8 um. Finally, all the phenomena observed for ices toward massive YSOs are also observed toward low mass YSOs, indicating that processing of the ices by internal ultraviolet radiation fields is a minor factor in the early chemical evolution of the ices. [abridged]
The aim of this study is to understand the chemical conditions of ices around embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) in the metal-poor Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We performed near-infrared (2.5-5 micron) spectroscopic observations toward 12 massive embedded YSOs and their candidates in the LMC using the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard AKARI. We estimated the column densities of the H2O, CO2, and CO ices based on their 3.05, 4.27, and 4.67 micron absorption features, and we investigated the correlation between ice abundances and physical properties of YSOs.The ice absorption features of H2O, CO2, 13CO2, CO, CH3OH, and possibly XCN are detected in the spectra. In addition, hydrogen recombination lines and PAH emission bands are detected toward the majority of the targets. The derived typical CO2/H2O ice ratio of our samples (~0.36 +- 0.09) is greater than that of Galactic massive YSOs (~0.17 +- 0.03), while the CO/H2O ice ratio is comparable. It is shown that the CO2 ice abundance does not correlate with the observed characteristics of YSOs; the strength of hydrogen recombination line and the total luminosity. Likewise, clear no correlation is seen between the CO ice abundance and YSO characteristics, but it is suggested that the CO ice abundance of luminous samples is significantly lower than in other samples.The systematic difference in the CO2 ice abundance around the LMCs massive YSOs, which was suggested by previous studies, is confirmed with the new near-infrared data. We suggest that the strong ultraviolet radiation field and/or the high dust temperature in the LMC are responsible for the observed high abundance of the CO2 ice. It is suggested that the internal stellar radiation does not play an important role in the evolution of the CO2 ice around a massive YSO, while more volatile molecules like CO are susceptible to the effect of the stellar radiation.
We present high-contrast observations of 68 young stellar objects (YSOs) explored as part of the SEEDS survey on the Subaru telescope. Our targets are very young ($<$10 Myr) stars, which often harbor protoplanetary disks where planets may be forming. We achieve a typical contrast of $sim$$10^{-4}$--$10^{-5.5}$ at an angular distance of 1arcsec from the central star, corresponding to typical mass sensitivities (assuming hot-start evolutionary models) of $sim$10 ${rm M_J}$ at 70 AU and $sim$6 ${rm M_J}$ at 140 AU. We detected a new stellar companion to HIP 79462 and confirmed the substellar objects GQ Lup b and ROXs 42B b. An additional six companion candidates await follow-up observations to check for common proper motion. Our SEEDS YSO observations probe the population of planets and brown dwarfs at the very youngest ages; these may be compared to the results of surveys targeting somewhat older stars. Our sample and the associated observational results will help enable detailed statistical analyses of giant planet formation.
Recent observations have suggested that circumstellar disks may commonly form around young stellar objects. Although the formation of circumstellar disks can be a natural result of the conservation of angular momentum in the parent cloud, theoretical studies instead show disk formation to be difficult from dense molecular cores magnetized to a realistic level, owing to efficient magnetic braking that transports a large fraction of the angular momentum away from the circumstellar region. We review recent progress in the formation and early evolution of disks around young stellar objects of both low-mass and high-mass, with an emphasis on mechanisms that may bridge the gap between observation and theory, including non-ideal MHD effects and asymmetric perturbations in the collapsing core (e.g., magnetic field misalignment and turbulence). We also address the associated processes of outflow launching and the formation of multiple systems, and discuss possible implications in properties of protoplanetary disks.