A significant fraction of main-sequence stars are encircled by dusty debris discs, where the short-lived dust particles are replenished through collisions between planetesimals. Most destructive collisions occur when the orbits of smaller bodies are
dynamically stirred up, either by the gravitational effect of locally formed Pluto-sized planetesimals (self-stirring scenario), or via secular perturbation caused by an inner giant planet (planetary stirring). The relative importance of these scenarios in debris systems is unknown. Here we present new Herschel Space Observatory imagery of 11 discs selected from the most massive and extended known debris systems. All discs were found to be extended at far-infrared wavelengths, five of them being resolved for the first time. We evaluated the feasibility of the self-stirring scenario by comparing the measured disc sizes with the predictions of the model calculated for the ages of our targets. We concluded that the self-stirring explanation works for seven discs. However, in four cases, the predicted pace of outward propagation of the stirring front, assuming reasonable initial disc masses, was far too low to explain the radial extent of the cold dust. Therefore, for HD 9672, HD 16743, HD 21997, and HD 95086, another explanation is needed. We performed a similar analysis for {ss} Pic and HR 8799, reaching the same conclusion. We argue that planetary stirring is a promising possibility to explain the disk properties in these systems. In HR 8799 and HD 95086 we may already know the potential perturber, since their known outer giant planets could be responsible for the stirring process. Our study demonstrates that among the largest and most massive debris discs self-stirring may not be the only active scenario, and potentially planetary stirring is responsible for destructive collisions and debris dust production in a number of systems.
Recently, a new planet candidate was discovered on direct images around the young (10-17 Myr) A-type star HD95086. The strong infrared excess of the system indicates that, similarly to HR8799, {ss} Pic, and Fomalhaut, the star harbors a circumstellar
disk. Aiming to study the structure and gas content of the HD95086 disk, and to investigate its possible interaction with the newly discovered planet, here we present new optical, infrared and millimeter observations. We detected no CO emission, excluding the possibility of an evolved gaseous primordial disk. Simple blackbody modeling of the spectral energy distribution suggests the presence of two spatially separate dust belts at radial distances of 6 and 64 AU. Our resolved images obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory reveal a characteristic disk size of ~6.0x5.4 arcsec (540x490 AU) and disk inclination of ~25 degree. Assuming the same inclination for the planet candidates orbit, its re-projected radial distance from the star is 62 AU, very close to the blackbody radius of the outer cold dust ring. The structure of the planetary system at HD95086 resembles the one around HR8799. Both systems harbor a warm inner dust belt and a broad colder outer disk and giant planet(s) between the two dusty regions. Modelling implies that the candidate planet can dynamically excite the motion of planetesimals even out to 270 AU via their secular perturbation if its orbital eccentricity is larger than about 0.4. Our analysis adds a new example to the three known systems where directly imaged planet(s) and debris disks co-exist.
Context: It is hypothesized that low-mass young stellar objects undergo eruptive phases during their early evolution. The outburst of V1647 Ori between 2003 and 2006 offered a rare opportunity to investigate such an accretion event. Aims: By means of
our interferometry observing campaign during this outburst, supplemented by other observations, we investigate the temporal evolution of the inner circumstellar structure of V1647 Ori We also study the role of the changing extinction in the brightening of the object and separate it from the accretional brightening. Methods: We observed V1647 Ori with MIDI/VLTI at two epochs in this outburst. First, during the slowly fading plateau phase (2005 March) and second, just before the rapid fading of the object (2005 September), which ended the outburst. We used the radiative transfer code MC3D to fit the interferometry data and the spectral energy distributions from five different epochs at different stages of the outburst. The comparison of these models allowed us to trace structural changes in the system on AU-scales. We also considered qualitative alternatives for the interpretation of our data. Results: We found that the disk and the envelope are similar to those of non-eruptive young stars and that the accretion rate varied during the outburst. We also found evidence for the increase of the inner radii of the circumstellar disk and envelope at the beginning of the outburst. Furthermore, the change of the interferometric visibilities indicates structural changes in the circumstellar material. We test a few scenarios to interpret these data. We also speculate that the changes are caused by the fading of the central source, which is not immediately followed by the fading of the outer regions. However, if the delay in the fading of the disk is responsible for the changes seen in the MIDI data, the effect should be confirmed by dynamical modeling.
Context. V2492 Cyg is a young eruptive star that went into outburst in 2010. The near-infrared color changes observed since the outburst peak suggest that the source belongs to a newly defined sub-class of young eruptive stars, where time-dependent a
ccretion and variable line-of-sight extinction play a combined role in the flux changes. Aims. In order to learn about the origin of the light variations and to explore the circumstellar and interstellar environment of V2492 Cyg, we monitored the source at ten different wavelengths, between 0.55 mu m and 2.2 mu m from the ground and between 3.6 mu m and 160 mu m from space. Methods. We analyze the light curves and study the color-color diagrams via comparison with the standard reddening path. We examine the structure of the molecular cloud hosting V2492 Cyg by computing temperature and optical depth maps from the far-infrared data. Results. We find that the shapes of the light curves at different wavelengths are strictly self-similar and that the observed variability is related to a single physical process, most likely variable extinction. We suggest that the central source is episodically occulted by a dense dust cloud in the inner disk, and, based on the invariability of the far-infrared fluxes, we propose that it is a long-lived rather than a transient structure. In some respects, V2492 Cyg can be regarded as a young, embedded analog of UX Orionis-type stars. Conclusions. The example of V2492 Cyg demonstrates that the light variations of young eruptive stars are not exclusively related to changing accretion. The variability provided information on an azimuthally asymmetric structural element in the inner disk. Such an asymmetric density distribution in the terrestrial zone may also have consequences for the initial conditions of planet formation.
Optical and near-infrared variability is a well-known property of young stellar objects. However, a growing number of recent studies claim that a considerable fraction of them also exhibit mid-infrared flux changes. With the aim of studying and inter
preting variability on a decadal timescale, here we present a mid-infrared spectral atlas containing observations of 68 low- and intermediate mass young stellar objects. The atlas consists of 2.5-11.6 um low-resolution spectra obtained with the ISOPHOT-S instrument on-board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) between 1996 and 1998, as well as 5.2-14.5 um low-resolution spectra obtained with the IRS instrument on-board the Spitzer Space Telescope between 2004 and 2007. The observations were retrieved from the ISO and Spitzer archives and were post-processed interactively by our own routines. For those 47 objects where multi-epoch spectra were available, we analyze mid-infrared spectral variability on annual and/or decadal timescales. We identify 37 variable candidate sources. Many stars show wavelength-independent flux changes, possibly due to variable accretion rate. In several systems, all exhibiting 10 um silicate emission, the variability of the 6-8 um continuum and the silicate feature exhibit different amplitudes. A possible explanation is variable shadowing of the silicate emitting region by an inner disk structure of changing height or extra silicate emission from dust clouds in the disk atmosphere. Our results suggest that mid-infrared variability, in particular the wavelength-dependent changes, are more ubiquitous than was known before. Interpreting this variability is a new possibility to explore the structure of the disk and its dynamical processes.
Our Solar System originated in interstellar gas and dust; the latter is in the form of amorphous silicate particles and carbonaceous dust. The composition of cometary material shows that a significant fraction of the amorphous silicates was transform
ed into crystalline form during the early evolution of the protosolar nebula. How and when this transformation happened has been controversial, with the main options being heating by the young Sun or shock heating. Here we report mid-infrared features in the outburst spectrum of the young solar-like star EX Lupi that were not present in quiescence. We attribute them to crystalline forsterite; the crystals were produced via thermal annealing in the surface layer of the inner disk by heat from the outburst, a process that has hitherto not been considered. The observed lack of cold crystals excludes shock heating at larger radii.
We present the first high spatial resolution near-infrared direct and polarimetric observations of Parsamian 21, obtained with the VLT/NACO instrument. We complemented these measurements with archival infrared observations, such as HST/WFPC2 imaging,
HST/NICMOS polarimetry, Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry, Spitzer IRS spectroscopy as well as ISO photometry. Our main conclusions are the following: (1) we argue that Parsamian 21 is probably an FU Orionis-type object; (2) Parsamian 21 is not associated with any rich cluster of young stars; (3) our measurements reveal a circumstellar envelope, a polar cavity and an edge-on disc; the disc seems to be geometrically flat and extends from approximately 48 to 360 AU from the star; (4) the SED can be reproduced with a simple model of a circumstellar disc and an envelope; (5) within the framework of an evolutionary sequence of FUors proposed by Green et al. (2006) and Quanz et al. (2007), Parsamian 21 can be classified as an intermediate-aged object.
OO Serpentis is a deeply embedded pre-main sequence star that went into outburst in 1995 and gradually faded afterwards. Its eruption resembled the well-known FU Orionis-type or EX Lupi-type outbursts. Since very few such events have ever been docume
nted at infrared wavelengths, our aim is to study the temporal evolution of OO Ser in the infrared. OO Ser was monitored with the Infrared Space Observatory starting 4 months after peak brightness and covering 20 months. In 2004-2006 we again observed OO Ser from the ground and complemented this dataset with archival Spitzer obsevations also from 2004. We analysed these data with special attention to source confusion and constructed light curves at 10 different wavelengths as well as spectral energy distributions. The outburst caused brightening in the whole infrared regime. According to the infrared light curves, OO Ser started a wavelength-independent fading after peak brightness. Later the flux decay became slower but stayed wavelength-independent. The fading is still ongoing, and current fading rates indicate that OO Ser will not return to quiescent state before 2011. The outburst timescale of OO Ser seems to be shorter than that of FUors, but longer than that of EXors. The outburst timescale and the moderate luminosity suggest that OO Ser is different from both FUors and EXors, and shows similarities to the recently erupted young star V1647 Ori. Based on its spectral energy distribution and bolometric temperature, OO Ser seems to be an early class I object, with an age of < 10^5 yr. The object is probably surrounded by an accretion disc and a dense envelope. Due to the shorter outburst timescales, the viscosity in the circumstellar disc of OO Ser is probably an order of magnitude higher than usual for FUors.
