We present multi-epoch high-spectral resolution observations with VLT/CRIRES of the OH doublet $^2Pi_{3/2}$ P4.5 (1+,1-) (2.934 $mu$m) towards the protoplanetary disk around HD 100546. The OH doublet is detected at all epochs and is spectrally resolv
ed while nearby H$_2$O lines remains undetected. The OH line velocity profile is different in the three datasets: in the first epoch (April 2012, PA=26$^{circ}$) the OH lines are symmetric and line broadening is consistent with the gas being in Keplerian rotation around the star. No OH emission is detected within a radius of 8-11 au from the star: the line emitting region is similar in size and extent to that of the CO ro-vibrational lines. In the other two epochs (March 2013 and April 2014, PA=90$^{circ}$ and 10$^{circ}$, respectively) the OH lines appear asymmetric and fainter compared to April 2012. We investigate the origin of these line asymmetries which were taken by previous authors as evidence for tidal interaction between an (unseen) massive planet and the disk. We show that the observed asymmetries can be fully explained by a misalignment of the slit of order 0farcs04-0farcs20 with respect to the stellar position. The disk is spatially resolved and the slit misalignment is likely caused by the extended dust emission which is brighter than the stellar photosphere at near-infrared wavelengths which is the wavelength used for the pointing. This can cause the photo-center of HD 100546 to be mis-aligned with the stellar position at near-infrared wavelengths.
Herschel/HIFI spectroscopic observations of CO J=10-9, CO J=16-15 and [CII] towards HD 100546 are presented. The objective is to resolve the velocity profile of the lines to address the emitting region of the transitions and directly probe the distri
bution of warm gas in the disk. The spectra reveal double-peaked CO line profiles centered on the systemic velocity, consistent with a disk origin. The J=16-15 line profile is broader than that of the J=10-9 line, which in turn is broader than those of lower J transitions (6-5, 3-2, observed with APEX), thus showing a clear temperature gradient of the gas with radius. A power-law flat disk model is used to fit the CO line profiles and the CO rotational ladder simultaneously, yielding a temperature of T_0=1100 pm 350 K (at r_0 = 13 AU) and an index of q=0.85 pm 0.1 for the temperature radial gradient. This indicates that the gas has a steeper radial temperature gradient than the dust (mean q_{dust} ~ 0.5), providing further proof of the thermal decoupling of gas and dust at the disk heights where the CO lines form. The [CII] line profile shows a strong single-peaked profile red-shifted by 0.5 km s-1 compared to the systemic velocity. We conclude that the bulk of the [CII] emission has a non-disk origin (e.g., remnant envelope or diffuse cloud).
[abridged] We present far-infrared spectroscopic observations of PMS stars taken with Herschel/PACS as part of the DIGIT key project. The sample includes 22 Herbig AeBe and 8 T Tauri sources. Multiple atomic fine structure and molecular lines are det
ected at the source position: [OI], [CII], CO, OH, H_2O, CH^+. The most common feature is the [OI] 63micron line detected in almost all of the sources followed by OH. In contrast with CO, OH is detected toward both Herbig AeBe groups (flared and non-flared sources). An isothermal LTE slab model fit to the OH lines indicates column densities of 10^13 < N_OH < 10^16 cm^-2, emitting radii 15 < r < 100 AU and excitation temperatures 100 < T_ex < 400 K. The OH emission thus comes from a warm layer in the disk at intermediate stellar distances. Warm H_2O emission is detected through multiple lines toward the T Tauri systems AS 205, DG Tau, S CrA and RNO 90 and three Herbig AeBe systems HD 104237, HD 142527, HD 163296 (through line stacking). Overall, Herbig AeBe sources have higher OH/H_2O abundance ratios across the disk than do T Tauri disks, from near- to far-infrared wavelengths. Far-infrared CH^+ emission is detected toward HD 100546 and HD 97048. The slab model suggests moderate excitation (T_ex ~ 100 K) and compact (r ~ 60 AU) emission in the case of HD 100546. The [CII] emission is spatially extended in all sources where the line is detected. This suggests that not all [CII] emission is associated with the disk and that there is a substantial contribution from diffuse material around the young stars. The flux ratios of the atomic fine structure lines are consistent with a disk origin for the oxygen lines for most of the sources.
We present observations of far-infrared (50-200 micron) OH and H2O emission of the disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 obtained with Herschel/PACS in the context of the DIGIT key program. In addition to strong [OI] emission, a number of OH doubl
ets and a few weak highly excited lines of H2O are detected. The presence of warm H2O in this Herbig disk is confirmed by a line stacking analysis, enabled by the full PACS spectral scan, and by lines seen in Spitzer data. The line fluxes are analyzed using an LTE slab model including line opacity. The water column density is 10^14 - 10^15 cm^-2, and the excitation temperature is 200-300 K implying warm gas with a density n > 10^5 cm^-3. For OH we find a column density of 10^14 - 2x10^15 cm^-2 and T_ex ~ 300-500 K. For both species we find an emitting region of r ~ 15-20 AU from the star. We argue that the molecular emission arises from the protoplanetary disk rather than from an outflow. This far-infrared detection of both H2O and OH contrasts with near- and mid-infrared observations, which have generally found a lack of water in the inner disk around Herbig AeBe stars due to strong photodissociation of water. Given the similarity in column density and emitting region, OH and H2O emission seems to arise from an upper layer of the disk atmosphere of HD 163296, probing a new reservoir of water. The slightly lower temperature of H2O compared to OH suggests a vertical stratification of the molecular gas with OH located higher and water deeper in the disk, consistent with thermo-chemical models.
We present high resolution (R = 100,000) L-band spectroscopy of 11 Herbig AeBe stars with circumstellar disks. The observations were obtained with the VLT/CRIRES to detect hot water and hydroxyl radical emission lines previously detected in disks aro
und T Tauri stars. OH emission lines are detected towards 4 disks. The OH P4.5 (1+,1-) doublet is spectrally resolved as well as the velocity profile of each component of the doublet. Its characteristic double-peak profile demonstrates that the gas is in Keplerian rotation and points to an emitting region extending out to ~ 15-30 AU. The OH, emission correlates with disk geometry as it is mostly detected towards flaring disks. None of the Herbig stars analyzed here show evidence of hot water vapor at a sensitivity similar to that of the OH lines. The non-detection of hot water vapor emission indicates that the atmosphere of disks around Herbig AeBe stars are depleted of water molecules. Assuming LTE and optically thin emission we derive a lower limit to the OH/H2O column density ratio > 1 - 25 in contrast to T Tauri disks for which the column density ratio is 0.3 -- 0.4.
We present the first far-IR observations of the solar-type stars delta Pav, HR 8501, 51 Peg and zeta^2 Ret, taken within the context of the DUNES Herschel Open Time Key Programme (OTKP). This project uses the PACS and SPIRE instruments with the objec
tive of studying infrared excesses due to exo-Kuiper belts around nearby solar-type stars. The observed 100 um fluxes from delta Pav, HR 8501, and 51 Peg agree with the predicted photospheric fluxes, excluding debris disks brighter than Ldust/Lstar ~ 5 x 10^-7 (1 sigma level) around those stars. A flattened, disk-like structure with a semi-major axis of ~ 100 AU in size is detected around zeta^2 Ret. The resolved structure suggests the presence of an eccentric dust ring, which we interpret as an exo-Kuiper belt with Ldust/Lstar ~ 10^-5.
About two dozen exo-solar debris systems have been spatially resolved. These debris discs commonly display a variety of structural features such as clumps, rings, belts, eccentric distributions and spiral patterns. In most cases, these features are b
elieved to be formed, shaped and maintained by the dynamical influence of planets orbiting the host stars. In very few cases has the presence of the dynamically important planet(s) been inferred from direct observation. The solar-type star q1 Eri is known to be surrounded by debris, extended on scales of < 30. The star is known to host at least one planet, albeit on an orbit far too small to make it responsible for structures at distances of tens to hundreds of AU. The aim of the present investigation is twofold: to determine the optical and material properties of the debris and to infer the spatial distribution of the dust, which may hint at the presence of additional planets. The photodetector array camera and spectrometer (PACS) aboard the Herschel Space Observatory allows imaging observations in the far infrared at unprecedented resolution, i.e. at better than 6 to 12 over the wavelength range of 60 {mu}m to 210 {mu}m. Together with the results from ground-based observations, these spatially resolved data can be modelled to determine the nature of the debris and its evolution more reliably than would be possible from unresolved data alone. For the first time has the q1 Eri disc been resolved at far infrared wavelengths. The PACS observations at 70, 100 and 160 {mu}m reveal an oval image showing a disc-like structure in all bands, the size of which increases with wavelength. Assuming a circular shape yields the inclination of its equatorial plane with respect to that of the sky, i > 53deg. The results of image de-convolution indicate that i likely is larger than 63deg, where 90deg corresponds to an edge-on disc. {abridged}
We present initial result of a large spectroscopic survey aimed at measuring the timescale of mass accretion in young, pre-main-sequence stars in the spectral type range K0 - M5. Using multi-object spectroscopy with VIMOS at the VLT we identified the
fraction of accreting stars in a number of young stellar clusters and associations of ages between 1 - 50 Myr. The fraction of accreting stars decreases from ~60% at 1.5 - 2 Myr to ~2% at 10 Myr. No accreting stars are found after 10 Myr at a sensitivity limit of $10^{-11}$ Msun yr-1. We compared the fraction of stars showing ongoing accretion (f_acc) to the fraction of stars with near-to-mid infrared excess (f_IRAC). In most cases we find f_acc < f_IRAC, i.e., mass accretion appears to cease (or drop below detectable level) earlier than the dust is dissipated in the inner disk. At 5 Myr, 95% of the stellar population has stopped accreting material at a rate of > 10^{-11} Msun yr-1, while ~20% of the stars show near-infrared excess emission. Assuming an exponential decay, we measure a mass accretion timescale (t_acc) of 2.3 Myr, compared to a near-to-mid infrared excess timescale (t_IRAC) of 2.9 Myr. Planet formation, and/or migration, in the inner disk might be a viable mechanism to halt further accretion onto the central star on such a short timescale.
[Abridged] We present the first direct comparison of the distribution of the gas, as traced by the [OI] 6300 AA emission, and the dust, as traced by the 10 micron emission, in the protoplanetary disk around three intermediate-mass stars: HD 101412, H
D 135344 B and HD 179218. N-band visibilities were obtained with VLTI/MIDI. Simple geometrical models are used to compare the dust emission to high-resolution optical spectra in the 6300 AA [OI] line of the same targets. The disks around HD 101412 and HD 135344 B appear strongly flared in the gas, but self-shadowed in the dust beyond ~ 2 AU. In both systems, the 10 micron emission is rather compact (< 2 AU) while the [OI] brightness profile shows a double peaked structure. The inner peak is strongest and is consistent with the location of the dust, the outer peak is fainter and is located at 5-10 AU. Spatially extended PAH emission is found in both disks. The disk around HD 179218 is flared in the dust. The 10 micron emission emerges from a double ring-like structure with the first ring peaking at ~ 1 AU and the second at ~ 20 AU. No dust emission is detected between ~ 3 -- 15 AU. The oxygen emission seems also to come from a flared structure, however, the bulk of this emission is produced between ~ 1 -- 10 AU. This could indicate a lack of gas in the outer disk or could be due to chemical effects which reduce the abundance of OH -- the parent molecule of the observed [OI] emission -- further away from the star. The three systems, HD 179218, HD 135344 B and HD 101412, may form an evolutionary sequence: the disk initially flared becomes flat under the combined action of gas-dust decoupling, grain growth and dust settling.
Aims: The recent outburst of the young eruptive star V1647 Orionis has produced a spectacular appearance of a new reflection nebula in Orion (McNeils nebula). We present an optical/near infrared investigation of McNeils nebula. This analysis is aimed
at determining the morphology, temporal evolution and nature of the nebula and its connection to the outburst. Method: We performed multi epoch B, V, R, I, z, and K imaging of McNeils nebula and V1647 Ori as well as K_S imaging polarimetry. The multiband imaging allows us to reconstruct the extinction map inside the nebula. Through polarimetric observations we attempt to disentangle the emission from the nebula from that of the accretion disk around V1647 Ori. We also attempt to resolve the small spatial scale structure of the illuminating source. Results: The energy distribution and temporal evolution of McNeils nebula mimic that of the illuminating source. The extinction map reveals a region of higher extinction in the direction of V1647 Ori. Excluding foreground extionction, the optical extinction due to McNeils nebula in the direction of V1647 Ori is A_V ~ 6.5 mag. The polarimetric measurement shows a compact high polarization emission around V1647 Ori. The percentage of K_S band linear polarization goes from 10 -- 20 %. The vectors are all well aligned with a position angle of 90 +/- 9 degree East of North. This may correspond to the orientation of a possible accretion disk around V1647 Ori. These findings suggest that the appearance of McNeils nebula is due to reflection of light by pre-existing material in the surroundings of V1647 Ori. We also report on the discovery of a new candidate brown dwarf or protostar in the vicinity of V1647 Ori as well as the presence of clumpy structure within HH 22A.
