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At least 307 records · Page 17
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DOE OSTI2012

CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS. II. ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND X-RAY IONIZATION

We investigate the impact of photochemistry and X-ray ionization on the molecular composition of, and ionization fraction in, a protoplanetary disk surrounding a typical T Tauri star. We use a sophisticated physical model, which includes a robust treatment of the radiative transfer of UV and X-ray radiation, and calculate the time-dependent chemical structure using a comprehensive chemical network. In previous work, we approximated the photochemistry and X-ray ionization; here, we recalculate the photoreaction rates using the explicit UV wavelength spectrum and wavelength-dependent reaction cross sections. We recalculate the X-ray ionization rate using our explicit elemental composition and X-ray energy spectrum. We find that photochemistry has a larger influence on the molecular composition than X-ray ionization. Observable molecules sensitive to the photorates include OH, HCO{sup +}, N{sub 2}H{sup +}, H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, and CH{sub 3}OH. The only molecule significantly affected by the X-ray ionization is N{sub 2}H{sup +}, indicating that it is safe to adopt existing approximations of the X-ray ionization rate in typical T Tauri star-disk systems. The recalculation of the photorates increases the abundances of neutral molecules in the outer disk, highlighting the importance of taking into account the shape of the UV spectrum in protoplanetary disks. A recalculation of the photoreaction rates also affects the gas-phase chemistry due to the adjustment of the H/H{sub 2} and C{sup +}/C ratios. The disk ionization fraction is not significantly affected by the methods adopted to calculate the photochemistry and X-ray ionization. We determine that there is a probable 'dead zone' where accretion is suppressed, present in a layer, Z/R {approx}< 0.1-0.2, in the disk midplane, within R Almost-Equal-To 200 AU.

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DOE OSTI2012

ON THE NATURE OF THE TRANSITION DISK AROUND LkCa 15

We present Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy 1.3 mm continuum observations of the T Tauri star LkCa 15, which resolve the circumstellar dust continuum emission on angular scales between 0.''2 and 3'', corresponding to 28-420 AU at the distance of the star. The observations resolve the inner gap in the dust emission and reveal an asymmetric dust distribution in the outer disk. By comparing the observations with theoretical disk models, we calculate that 90% of the dust emission arises from an azimuthally symmetric ring that contains about 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} M{sub Sun} of dust. A low surface-brightness tail that extends to the northwest out to a radius of about 300 AU contains the remaining 10% of the observed continuum emission. The ring is modeled with a rather flat surface density profile between 40 and 120 AU, while the inner cavity is consistent with either a sharp drop of the 1.3 mm dust optical depth at about 42 AU or a smooth inward decrease between 3 and 85 AU. We show that early science Atacama Large Millimeter Array observations will be able to disentangle these two scenarios. Within 40 AU, the observations constrain the amount of dust between 10{sup -6} and 7 Earth masses, where the minimum and maximum limits are set by the near-infrared spectral energy distribution modeling and by the millimeter-wave observations of the dust emission, respectively. In addition, we confirm the discrepancy in the outer disk radius inferred from the dust and gas, which corresponds to 150 AU and 900 AU, respectively. We cannot reconcile this difference by adopting an exponentially tapered surface density profile as suggested for other systems, but we instead suggest that the gas surface density in the outer disk decreases less steeply than that predicted by model fits to the dust continuum emission. The lack of continuum emission at radii larger than 120 AU suggests a drop of at least a factor of five in the dust-to-gas ratio or in the dust opacity. We show that a sharp dust opacity drop of this magnitude is consistent with a radial variation of the grain size distribution as predicted by existing grain growth models.

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DOE OSTI2012

EFFECT OF PHOTODESORPTION ON THE SNOW LINES AT THE SURFACE OF OPTICALLY THICK CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS AROUND HERBIG Ae/Be STARS

We investigate the effect of photodesorption on the snow line position at the surface of a protoplanetary disk around a Herbig Ae/Be star, motivated by the detection of water ice particles at the surface of the disk around HD142527 by Honda et al. For this aim, we obtain the density and temperature structure in the disk with a 1+1D radiative transfer and determine the distribution of water ice particles in the disk by the balance between condensation, sublimation, and photodesorption. We find that photodesorption induced by far-ultraviolet radiation from the central star depresses the ice-condensation front toward the mid-plane and pushes the surface snow line significantly outward when the stellar effective temperature exceeds a certain critical value. This critical effective temperature depends on the stellar luminosity and mass, the water abundance in the disk, and the yield of photodesorption. We present an approximate analytic formula for the critical temperature. We separate Herbig Ae/Be stars into two groups on the HR diagram according to the critical temperature: one is the disks where photodesorption is effective and from which we may not find ice particles at the surface, and the other is the disks where photodesorption is not effective. We estimate the snow line position at the surface of the disk around HD142527 to be 100-300 AU, which is consistent with the water ice detection at >140 AU in the disk. All the results depend on the dust grain size in a complex way, and this point requires more work in the future.

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DOE OSTI2012

HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF Ne II EMISSION FROM YOUNG STELLAR OBJECTS

Constraining the spatial and thermal structure of the gaseous component of circumstellar disks is crucial for understanding star and planet formation. Models predict that the [Ne II] line at 12.81 {mu}m detected in young stellar objects (YSOs) with Spitzer traces disk gas and its response to high-energy radiation, but such [Ne II] emission may also originate in shocks within powerful outflows. To distinguish between these potential origins for mid-infrared [Ne II] emission and to constrain disk models, we observed 32 YSOs using the high-resolution (R {approx} 30,000) mid-infrared spectrograph VISIR at the Very Large Telescope. We detected the 12.81 {mu}m [Ne II] line in 12 objects, tripling the number of detections of this line in YSOs with high spatial and spectral resolution spectrographs. We obtain the following main results. (1) In Class I objects the [Ne II] emission observed from Spitzer is mainly due to gas at a distance of more than 20-40 AU from the star, where neon is, most likely, ionized by shocks due to protostellar outflows. (2) In transition and pre-transition disks, most of the emission is confined to the inner disk, within 20-40 AU from the central star. (3) Detailed analysis of line profiles indicates that, in transition and pre-transition disks, the line is slightly blueshifted (2-12 km s{sup -1}) with respect to the stellar velocity, and the line width is directly correlated with the disk inclination, as expected if the emission is due to a disk wind. (4) Models of EUV/X-ray-irradiated disks reproduce well the observed relation between the line width and the disk inclination, but underestimate the blueshift of the line.

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DOE OSTI2012

FIRST DETECTION OF NEAR-INFRARED LINE EMISSION FROM ORGANICS IN YOUNG CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS

We present an analysis of high-resolution spectroscopy of several bright T Tauri stars using the CRIRES spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope and NIRSPEC spectrograph on the Keck Telescope, revealing the first detections of emission from HCN and C{sub 2}H{sub 2} in circumstellar disks at near-infrared wavelengths. Using advanced data reduction techniques, we achieve a dynamic range with respect to the disk continuum of {approx}500 at 3 {mu}m, revealing multiple emission features of H{sub 2}O, OH, HCN, and C{sub 2}H{sub 2}. We also present stringent upper limits for two other molecules thought to be abundant in the inner disk, CH{sub 4} and NH{sub 3}. Line profiles for the different detected molecules are broad but centrally peaked in most cases, even for disks with previously determined inclinations of greater than 20 Degree-Sign , suggesting that the emission has both a Keplerian and non-Keplerian component as observed previously for CO emission. We apply two different modeling strategies to constrain the molecular abundances and temperatures: we use a simplified single-temperature local thermal equilibrium (LTE) slab model with a Gaussian line profile to make line identifications and determine a best-fit temperature and initial abundance ratios, and we compare these values with constraints derived from a detailed disk radiative transfer model assuming LTE excitation but utilizing a realistic temperature and density structure. Abundance ratios from both sets of models are consistent with each other and consistent with expected values from theoretical chemical models, and analysis of the line shapes suggests that the molecular emission originates from within a narrow region in the inner disk (R < 1 AU).

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DOE OSTI2012

KINEMATICS OF IONIZED GAS AT 0.01 AU OF TW Hya

We report two-dimensional spectroastrometry of Br{gamma} emission of TW Hya to study the kinematics of the ionized gas in the star-disk interface region. The spectroastrometry with the integral field spectrograph SINFONI at the Very Large Telescope is sensitive to the positional offset of the line emission down to the physical scale of the stellar diameter ({approx}0.01 AU). The centroid of Br{gamma} emission is displaced to the north with respect to the central star at the blue side of the emission line, and to the south at the red side. The major axis of the centroid motion is P.A. = -20 Degree-Sign , which is nearly equal to the major axis of the protoplanetary disk projected on the sky, previously reported by CO submillimeter spectroscopy (P.A. = -27 Degree-Sign ). The line-of-sight motion of the Br{gamma} emission, in which the northern side of the disk is approaching toward us, is also consistent with the direction of the disk rotation known from the CO observation. The agreement implies that the kinematics of Br{gamma} emission is accounted for by the ionized gas in the inner edge of the disk. A simple modeling of the astrometry, however, indicates that the accretion inflow similarly well reproduces the centroid displacements of Br{gamma}, but only if the position angles of the centroid motion and the projected disk ellipse are a chance coincidence. No clear evidence of disk wind is found.

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DOE OSTI2012

INFRARED VARIABILITY OF EVOLVED PROTOPLANETARY DISKS: EVIDENCE FOR SCALE HEIGHT VARIATIONS IN THE INNER DISK

We present the results of a multi-wavelength multi-epoch survey of five evolved protoplanetary disks in the IC 348 cluster that show significant infrared variability. Using 3-8 {mu}m and 24 {mu}m photometry along with 5-40 {mu}m spectroscopy from the Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as ground-based 0.8-5 {mu}m spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, and near-infrared photometry, covering timescales of days to years, we examine the variability in the disk, stellar, and accretion flux. We find substantial variations (10%-60%) at all infrared wavelengths on timescales of weeks to months for all of these young stellar objects. This behavior is not unique when compared to other cluster members and is consistent with changes in the structure of the inner disk, most likely scale height fluctuations on a dynamical timescale. Previous observations, along with our near-infrared photometry, indicate that the stellar fluxes are relatively constant; stellar variability does not appear to drive the large changes in the infrared fluxes. Based on our near-infrared spectroscopy of the Pa{beta} and Br{gamma} lines we find that the accretion rates are variable in most of the evolved disks but the overall rates are probably too small to cause the infrared variability. We discuss other possible physical causes for the variability, including the influence of a companion, magnetic fields threading the disk, and X-ray flares.

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DOE OSTI2012

A HOT GAP AROUND JUPITER'S ORBIT IN THE SOLAR NEBULA

The Sun was an order of magnitude more luminous during the first few hundred thousand years of its existence, due in part to the gravitational energy released by material accreting from the solar nebula. If Jupiter was already near its present mass, the planet's tides opened an optically thin gap in the nebula. Using Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations, we show that sunlight absorbed by the nebula and re-radiated into the gap raised temperatures well above the sublimation threshold for water ice, with potentially drastic consequences for the icy bodies in Jupiter's feeding zone. Bodies up to a meter in size were vaporized within a single orbit if the planet was near its present location during this early epoch. Dust particles lost their ice mantles, and planetesimals were partially to fully devolatilized, depending on their size. Scenarios in which Jupiter formed promptly, such as those involving a gravitational instability of the massive early nebula, must cope with the high temperatures. Enriching Jupiter in the noble gases through delivery trapped in clathrate hydrates will be more difficult, but might be achieved by either forming the planet much farther from the star or capturing planetesimals at later epochs. The hot gap resulting from an early origin for Jupiter also would affect the surface compositions of any primordial Trojan asteroids.

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DOE OSTI2012

THE NATURE OF TRANSITION CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS. II. SOUTHERN MOLECULAR CLOUDS

Transition disk objects are pre-main-sequence stars with little or no near-IR excess and significant far-IR excess, implying inner opacity holes in their disks. Here we present a multifrequency study of transition disk candidates located in Lupus I, III, IV, V, VI, Corona Australis, and Scorpius. Complementing the information provided by Spitzer with adaptive optics (AO) imaging (NaCo, VLT), submillimeter photometry (APEX), and echelle spectroscopy (Magellan, Du Pont Telescopes), we estimate the multiplicity, disk mass, and accretion rate for each object in our sample in order to identify the mechanism potentially responsible for its inner hole. We find that our transition disks show a rich diversity in their spectral energy distribution morphology, have disk masses ranging from {approx}<1 to 10 M{sub JUP}, and accretion rates ranging from {approx}<10{sup -11} to 10{sup -7.7} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}. Of the 17 bona fide transition disks in our sample, three, nine, three, and two objects are consistent with giant planet formation, grain growth, photoevaporation, and debris disks, respectively. Two disks could be circumbinary, which offers tidal truncation as an alternative origin of the inner hole. We find the same heterogeneity of the transition disk population in Lupus III, IV, and Corona Australis as in our previous analysis of transition disks in Ophiuchus while all transition disk candidates selected in Lupus V, VI turned out to be contaminating background asymptotic giant branch stars. All transition disks classified as photoevaporating disks have small disk masses, which indicates that photoevaporation must be less efficient than predicted by most recent models. The three systems that are excellent candidates for harboring giant planets potentially represent invaluable laboratories to study planet formation with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array.

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DOE OSTI2012

MINIMUM DUST ABUNDANCES FOR PLANETESIMAL FORMATION VIA SECULAR GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITIES

We estimate minimum dust abundances required for secular gravitational instability (SGI) to operate at the midplane dust layer of protoplanetary disks. For SGI to be a viable process, the growth time of the instability T{sub grow} must be shorter than the radial drift time of the dust T{sub drift}. The growth time depends on the turbulent diffusion parameter {alpha} because the modes with short wavelengths are stabilized by turbulent diffusion. Assuming that turbulence is excited via the Kelvin-Helmholtz or streaming instabilities in the dust layer, and that its strength is controlled by the energy supply rate from dust accretion, we estimate the diffusion parameter and the growth time of the instability. The condition T{sub grow} < T{sub drift} requires that the dust abundance must be greater than a critical abundance Z{sub min}, which is a function of the Toomre parameter Q{sub g} and the aspect ratio h{sub g} /r of the gas disk. For a wide range of parameter space, the required dust abundance is less than 0.1. A slight increase in dust abundance opens a possible route for the dust to directly collapse to planetesimals.

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DOE OSTI2012

ORTHO-TO-PARA ABUNDANCE RATIO OF WATER ION IN COMET C/2001 Q4 (NEAT): IMPLICATION FOR ORTHO-TO-PARA ABUNDANCE RATIO OF WATER

The ortho-to-para abundance ratio (OPR) of cometary molecules is considered to be one of the primordial characteristics of cometary ices, and contains information concerning their formation. Water is the most abundant species in cometary ices, and OPRs of water in comets have been determined from infrared spectroscopic observations of H{sub 2}O rovibrational transitions so far. In this paper, we present a new method to derive OPR of water in comets from the high-dispersion spectrum of the rovibronic emission of H{sub 2}O{sup +} in the optical wavelength region. The rovibronic emission lines of H{sub 2}O{sup +} are sometimes contaminated by other molecular emission lines but they are not affected seriously by telluric absorption compared with near-infrared observations. Since H{sub 2}O{sup +} ions are mainly produced from H{sub 2}O by photoionization in the coma, the OPR of H{sub 2}O{sup +} is considered to be equal to that of water based on the nuclear spin conservation through the reaction. We have developed a fluorescence excitation model of H{sub 2}O{sup +} and applied it to the spectrum of comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT). The derived OPR of water is 2.54{sup +0.32}{sub -0.25}, which corresponds to a nuclear spin temperature (T{sub spin}) of 30{sup +10}{sub -4} K. This is consistent with the previous value determined in the near-infrared for the same comet (OPR = 2.6 {+-} 0.3, T{sub spin} = 31{sup +11}{sub -5} K).

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DOE OSTI2012

GAPS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS AS SIGNATURES OF PLANETS. I. METHODOLOGY AND VALIDATION

We examine the observational consequences of partial gaps being opened by planets in protoplanetary disks. We model the disk using a static {alpha}-disk model with detailed radiative transfer, parameterizing the shape and size of the partially cleared gaps based on the results of hydrodynamic simulations. Shadowing and illumination by stellar irradiation at the surface of the gap leads to increased contrast as the gap trough is deepened by shadowing and cooling and the far gap wall is puffed up by illumination and heating. In calculating observables, we find that multiple scattering is important and derive an approximation to include these effects. A gap produced by a 200 M{sub Circled-Plus} (70 M{sub Circled-Plus }) planet at 10 AU can lower/raise the midplane temperature of the disk by up to {approx} - 25%/+29% ({approx} - 11/+ 19) by shadowing in the gap trough and illumination on the far shoulder of the gap. At the distance of Taurus, this gap would be resolvable with {approx}0.''01 angular resolution. The gap contrast is most significant in scattered light and at thermal continuum wavelengths characteristic of the surface temperature, reducing or raising the surface brightness by up to order of magnitude. Since gap sizes are correlated with planet mass, this is a promising way of finding and determining the masses of planets embedded in protoplanetary disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE PATHWAYS TO DEUTERIUM ENHANCEMENTS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

The distributions of deuterated molecules in protoplanetary disks are expected to depend on the molecular formation pathways. We use observations of spatially resolved DCN emission from the disk around TW Hya, acquired during ALMA science verification with a {approx}3'' synthesized beam, together with comparable DCO{sup +} observations from the Submillimeter Array, to investigate differences in the radial distributions of these species and hence differences in their formation chemistry. In contrast to DCO{sup +}, which shows an increasing column density with radius, DCN is better fit by a model that is centrally peaked. We infer that DCN forms at a smaller radii and thus at higher temperatures than DCO{sup +}. This is consistent with chemical network model predictions of DCO{sup +} formation from H{sub 2}D{sup +} at T < 30 K and DCN formation from additional pathways involving CH{sub 2}D{sup +} at higher temperatures. We estimate a DCN/HCN abundance ratio of {approx}0.017, similar to the DCO{sup +}/HCO{sup +} abundance ratio. Deuterium fractionation appears to be efficient at a range of temperatures in this protoplanetary disk. These results suggest caution in interpreting the range of deuterium fractions observed in solar system bodies, as multiple formation pathways should be taken into account.

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DOE OSTI2012

ORBITAL MIGRATION OF INTERACTING LOW-MASS PLANETS IN EVOLUTIONARY RADIATIVE TURBULENT MODELS

The torques exerted by a locally isothermal disk on an embedded planet lead to rapid inward migration. Recent work has shown that modeling the thermodynamics without the assumption of local isothermality reveals regions where the net torque on an embedded planet is positive, leading to outward migration of the planet. When a region with negative torque lies directly exterior to this, planets in the inner region migrate outward and planets in the outer region migrate inward, converging where the torque is zero. We incorporate the torques from an evolving non-isothermal disk into an N-body simulation to examine the behavior of planets or planetary embryos interacting in the convergence zone. We find that mutual interactions do not eject objects from the convergence zone. Small numbers of objects in a laminar disk settle into near resonant orbits that remain stable over the 10 Myr periods that we examine. However, either or both increasing the number of planets or including a correlated, stochastic force to represent turbulence drives orbit crossings and mergers in the convergence zone. These processes can build gas giant cores with masses of order 10 Earth masses from sub-Earth mass embryos in 2-3 Myr.

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DOE OSTI2012

ON THE ORIGIN OF PLANETS AT VERY WIDE ORBITS FROM THE RECAPTURE OF FREE FLOATING PLANETS

In recent years, several planets have been discovered at wide orbits (>100 AU) around their host stars. Theoretical studies encounter difficulties in explaining their formation and origin. Here we propose a novel scenario for the production of planetary systems at such orbits, through the dynamical recapture of free floating planets (FFPs) in dispersing stellar clusters and stellar associations. This process is a natural extension of the recently suggested scenario for the formation of wide stellar binaries. We use N-body simulations of dispersing clusters with 10-1000 stars and comparable numbers of FFPs to study this process. We find that planets are captured into wide orbits in the typical range {approx}few Multiplication-Sign 100-10{sup 6} AU and have a wide range of eccentricities (thermal distribution). Typically, 3-6 Multiplication-Sign (f{sub FFP}/1)% of all stars capture a planetary companion with such properties (where f{sub FFP} is the number of FFP per star in the birth clusters). The planetary capture efficiency is comparable to that of capture-formed stellar binaries, and shows a similar dependence on the cluster size and structure. It is almost independent of the specific planetary mass; planets as well as substellar companions of any mass can be captured. The capture efficiency decreases with increasing cluster size, and for a given cluster size it increases with the host/primary mass. We also find that more than one planet can be captured around the same host through independent consecutive captures; similarly, planets can be captured into binary systems, both in circumstellar and circumbinary orbits. We also expect planets to be captured into pre-existing planetary (and protoplanetary systems) as well as into orbits around black holes and massive white dwarfs, if these formed early enough before the cluster dispersal. In particular, stellar black holes have a high capture efficiency (>50% and 5-10 Multiplication-Sign (f{sub FFP}/1)% for capture of stars and planetary companions, respectively) due to their large mass. Finally, although rare, two FFPs or brown dwarfs can become bound and form an FFP-binary system with no stellar host.

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DOE OSTI2012

USING SCHUMANN RESONANCE MEASUREMENTS FOR CONSTRAINING THE WATER ABUNDANCE ON THE GIANT PLANETS-IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S FORMATION

The formation and evolution of the solar system is closely related to the abundance of volatiles, namely water, ammonia, and methane in the protoplanetary disk. Accurate measurement of volatiles in the solar system is therefore important for understanding not only the nebular hypothesis and origin of life but also planetary cosmogony as a whole. In this work, we propose a new remote sensing technique to infer the outer planets' water content by measuring Tremendously and Extremely Low Frequency (TLF-ELF) electromagnetic wave characteristics (Schumann resonances) excited by lightning in their gaseous envelopes. Schumann resonance detection can be potentially used for constraining the uncertainty of volatiles of the giant planets, mainly Uranus and Neptune, because such TLF-ELF wave signatures are closely related to the electric conductivity profile and water content.

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DOE OSTI2012

NEW SPATIALLY RESOLVED MID-INFRARED OBSERVATIONS OF THE TRANSITIONAL DISK TW Hya AND TENTATIVE EVIDENCE FOR A SELF-LUMINOUS COMPANION

We present spatially resolved observations of the canonical transition disk object TW Hya at 8.74 {mu}m, 11.66 {mu}m, and 18.30 {mu}m, obtained with the T-ReCS instrument on the Gemini telescope. These observations are a result of a novel observing mode at Gemini that enables speckle imaging. Using this technique, we image our target with short enough exposure times to achieve diffraction limited images. We use Fourier techniques to reduce our data, which allows high-precision calibration of the instrumental point-spread function. Our observations span two epochs and we present evidence for temporal variability at 11.66 {mu}m in the disk of TW Hya. We show that previous models of TW Hya's disk from the literature are incompatible with our observations and construct a model to explain the discrepancies. We detect marginal asymmetry in our data, most significantly at the shortest wavelengths. To explain our data, we require a model that includes an optically thin inner disk extending from 0.02 to 3.9 AU, an optically thick ring representing the outer disk wall at 3.9 AU and extending to 4.6 AU, and a hotter-than-disk-equilibrium source of emission located at {approx}3.5 AU.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CRYSTALLOGRAPHICALLY ANISOTROPIC SHAPE OF FORSTERITE: NEW PROBE FOR EVALUATING DUST FORMATION HISTORY FROM INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

Crystalline dust has been observed by infrared spectroscopy around dust-enshrouded asymptotic giant branch stars, in protoplanetary disks, and from some comets. Crystalline materials often have a specific shape related to a specific crystallographic orientation (crystallographically anisotropic shape), which reflects the anisotropic nature of crystals, and their infrared spectral features depend on crystallographically anisotropic shapes. The crystallographically anisotropic shape is thus a potentially powerful probe to evaluate circumstellar dust-forming conditions quantitatively. In order to assess the possibility to determine the crystallographically anisotropic shape from infrared spectra, we calculated mass absorption coefficients for ellipsoidal forsterite particles, the most abundant circumstellar crystalline silicate, elongated and flattened along the crystallographic a-, b-, and c-axes with various aspect ratios in the wavelength range of 9-70 {mu}m. It was found that differences in infrared features caused by various crystallographicaly anisotropic shapes are distinguishable from each other irrespective of the effects of temperature, size, chemical composition, and grain edges of forsterite in the range of 9-12 {mu}m and 15-20 {mu}m. We thus concluded that the crystallographically anisotropic shape of forsterite can be deduced from peak features in infrared spectra. We also showed that the crystallographically anisotropic shapes formed by evaporation and condensation of forsterite can be distinguished from each other and the temperature condition for evaporation can be evaluated from the peak features. We applied the present results to the infrared spectrum of a protoplanetary disk HD100546 and found that a certain fraction ({approx}25%) of forsterite dust may have experienced high-temperature evaporation (>1600 K).

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