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At least 325 records · Page 18
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DOE OSTI2012

THE NATURE OF TRANSITION CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS. III. PERSEUS, TAURUS, AND AURIGA

As part of an ongoing program aiming to characterize a large number of Spitzer-selected transition disks (disks with reduced levels of near-IR and/or mid-IR excess emission), we have obtained (sub)millimeter wavelength photometry, high-resolution optical spectroscopy, and adaptive optics near-infrared imaging for a sample of 31 transition objects located in the Perseus, Taurus, and Auriga molecular clouds. We use these ground-based data to estimate disk masses, multiplicity, and accretion rates in order to investigate the mechanisms potentially responsible for their inner holes. Following our previous studies in other regions, we combine disk masses, accretion rates, and multiplicity data with other information, such as spectral energy distribution morphology and fractional disk luminosity, to classify the disks as strong candidates for the following categories: grain-growth-dominated disks (seven objects), giant planet-forming disks (six objects), photoevaporating disks (seven objects), debris disks (11 objects), and cicumbinary disks (one object, which was also classified as a photoevaporating disk). Combining our sample of 31 transition disks with those from our previous studies results in a sample of 74 transition objects that have been selected, characterized, and classified in a homogenous way. We discuss this combined high-quality sample in the context of the current paradigm of the evolution and dissipation of protoplanetary disks and use its properties to constrain different aspects of the key processes driving their evolution. We find that the age distribution of disks that are likely to harbor recently formed giant planets favors core accretion as the main planet formation mechanism and a {approx}2-3 Myr formation timescale.

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DOE OSTI2012

THE MISSING CAVITIES IN THE SEEDS POLARIZED SCATTERED LIGHT IMAGES OF TRANSITIONAL PROTOPLANETARY DISKS: A GENERIC DISK MODEL

Transitional circumstellar disks around young stellar objects have a distinctive infrared deficit around 10 {mu}m in their spectral energy distributions, recently measured by the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS), suggesting dust depletion in the inner regions. These disks have been confirmed to have giant central cavities by imaging of the submillimeter continuum emission using the Submillimeter Array (SMA). However, the polarized near-infrared scattered light images for most objects in a systematic IRS/SMA cross sample, obtained by HiCIAO on the Subaru telescope, show no evidence for the cavity, in clear contrast with SMA and Spitzer observations. Radiative transfer modeling indicates that many of these scattered light images are consistent with a smooth spatial distribution for {mu}m-sized grains, with little discontinuity in the surface density of the {mu}m-sized grains at the cavity edge. Here we present a generic disk model that can simultaneously account for the general features in IRS, SMA, and Subaru observations. Particularly, the scattered light images for this model are computed, which agree with the general trend seen in Subaru data. Decoupling between the spatial distributions of the {mu}m-sized dust and mm-sized dust inside the cavity is suggested by the model, which, if confirmed, necessitates a mechanism, such as dust filtration, for differentiating the small and big dust in the cavity clearing process. Our model also suggests an inwardly increasing gas-to-dust ratio in the inner disk, and different spatial distributions for the small dust inside and outside the cavity, echoing the predictions in grain coagulation and growth models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

WISE DETECTION OF THE CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK ASSOCIATED WITH 2MASS J0820-8003 IN THE {eta} Cha CLUSTER

The Nearby Young Moving Groups (NYMGs) of stars are ideal for the study of the evolution of circumstellar disks in which planets may form because their ages range from a few Myr to {approx}100 Myr, about the same as the interval over which planets are thought to form. Their stars are distributed over large regions of the sky. Hence, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which scanned the entire sky in four bands from 3.4 to 22.1 {mu}m, provides a database well suited for the study of members of the NYMGs, particularly those identified after the eras of the IRAS and Spitzer observatories. Here, we report our study of the stars in the {epsilon} and {eta} Cha, TW Hya, {beta} Pic, Tuc-Hor, and AB Dor NYMGs. The WISE Preliminary Release Source Catalog, which covers 57% of the sky, contains data for 64% of the stars in our search lists. WISE detected the 11.6 and 22.1 {mu}m emission of all the previously known disks except for the coldest one, AU Mic. WISE detected no disks in the Tuc-Hor and AB Dor groups, the two oldest in our sample; the frequency of disks detected by WISE decreases rapidly with the age of the group. WISE detected a circumstellar disk associated with 2M J0820-8003, a pre-main-sequence star with episodic accretion in the {approx}6 Myr old {eta} Cha cluster. The inner radius of the disk extends close to the star, {approx}0.02 AU and its luminosity is about a tenth of that of the star. The episodic accretion is probably powered by the circumstellar disk discussed here.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A RESOLVED CENSUS OF MILLIMETER EMISSION FROM TAURUS MULTIPLE STAR SYSTEMS

We present a high angular resolution millimeter-wave dust continuum imaging survey of circumstellar material associated with the individual components of 23 multiple star systems in the Taurus-Auriga young cluster. Combined with previous measurements in the literature, these new data permit a comprehensive look at how the millimeter luminosity (a rough tracer of disk mass) relates to the separation and mass of a stellar companion. Approximately one-third (28%-37%) of the individual stars in multiple systems have detectable millimeter emission, an incidence rate half that for single stars ({approx}62%) which does not depend on the number of companions. There is a strong, positive correlation between the luminosity and projected separation (a{sub p} ) of a stellar pair. Wide pairs (a{sub p} > 300 AU) have a similar luminosity distribution as single stars, medium pairs (a{sub p} Almost-Equal-To 30-300 AU) are a factor of five fainter, and close pairs (a{sub p} < 30 AU) are {approx}5 Multiplication-Sign fainter yet (aside from a small, but notable population of bright circumbinary disks). In most cases, the emission is dominated by a disk around the primary (or a wide tertiary in hierarchical triples), but there is no clear relationship between luminosity and stellar mass ratio. A direct comparison of resolved disk sizes with predictions from tidal truncation models yields mixed results; some disks are much larger than expected given the projected distances of their companions. We suggest that the presence of a stellar companion impacts disk properties at a level comparable to the internal evolution mechanisms that operate in an isolated system, with both the multiple star formation process itself and star-disk tidal interactions likely playing important roles in the evolution of circumstellar material. From the perspective of the mass content of the disk reservoir, we expect that (giant) planet formation is inhibited around the components of close pairs or secondaries, but should be as likely as for single stars around the primaries (or wide tertiaries in hierarchical triples) in more widely separated multiple star systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A POSSIBLE DETECTION OF OCCULTATION BY A PROTO-PLANETARY CLUMP IN GM Cephei

GM Cephei (GM Cep), in the young ({approx}4 Myr) open cluster Trumpler 37, has been known to be an abrupt variable and to have a circumstellar disk with a very active accretion. Our monitoring observations in 2009-2011 revealed that the star showed sporadic flare events, each with a brightening of {approx}< 0.5 mag lasting for days. These brightening events, associated with a color change toward blue, should originate from increased accretion activity. Moreover, the star also underwent a brightness drop of {approx}1 mag lasting for about a month, during which time the star became bluer when fainter. Such brightness drops seem to have a recurrence timescale of a year, as evidenced in our data and the photometric behavior of GM Cep over a century. Between consecutive drops, the star brightened gradually by about 1 mag and became blue at peak luminosity. We propose that the drop is caused by the obscuration of the central star by an orbiting dust concentration. The UX Orionis type of activity in GM Cep therefore exemplifies the disk inhomogeneity process in transition between the grain coagulation and the planetesimal formation in a young circumstellar disk.

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DOE OSTI2012

ON THE NATURE OF THE HERBIG B[e] STAR BINARY SYSTEM V921 SCORPII: GEOMETRY AND KINEMATICS OF THE CIRCUMPRIMARY DISK ON SUB-AU SCALES

V921 Scorpii is a close binary system (separation 0.''025) showing the B[e]-phenomenon. The system is surrounded by an enigmatic bipolar nebula, which might have been shaped by episodic mass-loss events, possibly triggered by dynamical interactions between the companion and the circumprimary disk. In this paper, we investigate the spatial structure and kinematics of the circumprimary disk, with the aim to obtain new insights into the still strongly debated evolutionary stage. For this purpose, we combine, for the first time, infrared spectro-interferometry (VLTI/AMBER, {lambda}/{Delta}{lambda} = 12, 000) and spectro-astrometry (VLT/CRIRES, {lambda}/{Delta}{lambda} = 100, 000), which allows us to study the AU-scale distribution of circumstellar gas and dust with an unprecedented velocity resolution of 3 km s{sup -1}. Using a model-independent photocenter analysis technique, we find that the Br{gamma}-line-emitting gas rotates in the same plane as the dust disk. We can reproduce the wavelength-differential visibilities and phases and the double-peaked line profile using a Keplerian-rotating disk model. The derived mass of the central star is 5.4 {+-} 0.4 M{sub Sun} {center_dot} (d/1150 pc), which is considerably lower than expected from the spectral classification, suggesting that V921 Sco might be more distant (d {approx} 2 kpc) than commonly assumed. Using the geometric information provided by our Br{gamma} spectro-interferometric data and Paschen, Brackett, and Pfund line decrement measurements in 61 hydrogen recombination line transitions, we derive the density of the line-emitting gas (N{sub e} = (2-6) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 19} m{sup -3}). Given that our measurements can be reproduced with a Keplerian velocity field without an outflowing velocity component and the non-detection of age-indicating spectroscopic diagnostics, our study provides new evidence for the pre-main-sequence nature of V921 Sco.

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DOE OSTI2012

AKARI NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY FOR CO{sub 2} IN 18 COMETS

We conducted a spectroscopic survey of cometary volatiles with the Infrared Camera on board the Japanese infrared satellite AKARI in the wavelength range from 2.5 to 5 {mu}m. In our survey, 18 comets, including both the Oort cloud comets and the Jupiter-family comets, were observed in the period from 2008 June to 2010 January, most of which were observed at least twice. The prominent emission bands in the observed spectra are the fundamental vibrational bands of water (H{sub 2}O) at 2.7 {mu}m and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) at 4.3 {mu}m. The fundamental vibrational band of carbon monoxide (CO) around 4.7 {mu}m and the broad emission feature, probably related to carbon-hydrogen-bearing molecules, can also be recognized around the 3.3-3.5-{mu}m region in some of the comets. With respect to H{sub 2}O, gas production rate ratios of CO{sub 2} have been derived in 17 comets, except for the comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1. Our data set provides the largest homogeneous database of CO{sub 2}/H{sub 2}O production rate ratios in comets obtained so far. The CO{sub 2}/H{sub 2}O production rate ratios are considered to reflect the composition of cometary ice when a comet is observed at a heliocentric distance within {approx}2.5 AU, since H{sub 2}O ice fully sublimates there. The CO{sub 2}/H{sub 2}O ratio in cometary ice spans from several to {approx}30% among the comets observed at <2.5 AU (13 out of the 17 comets). Alternatively, the ratio of CO/CO{sub 2} in the comets seems to be smaller than unity based on our observations, although we only obtain upper limits for CO in most of the comets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CIRCUMBINARY PLANET FORMATION IN THE KEPLER-16 SYSTEM. I. N-BODY SIMULATIONS

The recently discovered circumbinary planets (Kepler-16 b, Kepler 34-b, Kepler 35-b) represent the first direct evidence of the viability of planet formation in circumbinary orbits. We report on the results of N-body simulations investigating planetesimal accretion in the Kepler-16 b system, focusing on the range of impact velocities under the influence of both stars' gravitational perturbation and friction from a putative protoplanetary disk. Our results show that planet formation might be effectively inhibited for a large range in semimajor axis (1.75 {approx}< a{sub P} {approx}< 4 AU), suggesting that the planetary core must have either migrated from outside 4 AU or formed in situ very close to its current location.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE RX J1633.9-2442 TRANSITION DISK: EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE PLANETS IN THE MAKING

We present continuum high-resolution Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of the transition disk object RX J1633.9-2442, which is located in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud and has recently been identified as a likely site of ongoing giant planet formation. The observations were taken at 340 GHz (880 {mu}m) with the SMA in its most extended configuration, resulting in an angular resolution of 0.''3 (35 AU at the distance of the target). We find that the disk is highly inclined (i {approx} 50 Degree-Sign ) and has an inner cavity {approx}25 AU in radius, which is clearly resolved by our observations. We simultaneously model the entire optical to millimeter wavelength spectral energy distribution and SMA visibilities of RX J1633.9-2442 in order to constrain the structure of its disk. We find that an empty cavity {approx}25 AU in radius is inconsistent with the excess emission observed at 12, 22, and 24 {mu}m. Instead, the mid-IR excess can be modeled by either a narrow, optically thick ring at {approx}10 AU or an optically thin region extending from {approx}7 AU to {approx}25 AU. The inner disk (r {approx}< 5 AU) is mostly depleted of small dust grains as attested by the lack of detectable near-IR excess. We also present deep Keck aperture masking observations in the near-IR, which rule out the presence of a companion up to 500 times fainter than the primary star (in K band) for projected separations in the 5-20 AU range. We argue that the complex structure of the RX J1633.9-2442 disk is best explained by multiple planets embedded within the disk. We also suggest that the properties and incidence of objects such as RX J1633.9-2442, T Cha, and LkCa 15 (and those of the companions recently identified to these two latter objects) are most consistent with the runaway gas accretion phase of the core accretion model, when giant planets gain their envelopes and suddenly become massive enough to open wide gaps in the disk.

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DOE OSTI2012

RAPID COAGULATION OF POROUS DUST AGGREGATES OUTSIDE THE SNOW LINE: A PATHWAY TO SUCCESSFUL ICY PLANETESIMAL FORMATION

Rapid orbital drift of macroscopic dust particles is one of the major obstacles to planetesimal formation in protoplanetary disks. We re-examine this problem by considering the porosity evolution of dust aggregates. We apply a porosity model based on recent N-body simulations of aggregate collisions, which allows us to study the porosity change upon collision for a wide range of impact energies. As a first step, we neglect collisional fragmentation and instead focus on dust evolution outside the snow line, where the fragmentation has been suggested to be less significant than inside the snow line because of the high sticking efficiency of icy particles. We show that dust particles can evolve into highly porous aggregates (with internal densities of much less than 0.1 g cm{sup -3}) even if collisional compression is taken into account. We also show that the high porosity triggers significant acceleration in collisional growth. This acceleration is a natural consequence of the particles' aerodynamical properties at low Knudsen numbers, i.e., at particle radii larger than the mean free path of the gas molecules. Thanks to this rapid growth, the highly porous aggregates are found to overcome the radial drift barrier at orbital radii less than 10 AU (assuming the minimum-mass solar nebula model). This suggests that, if collisional fragmentation is truly insignificant, formation of icy planetesimals is possible via direct collisional growth of submicron-sized icy particles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

MID-INFRARED IMAGING OF THE TRANSITIONAL DISK OF HD 169142: MEASURING THE SIZE OF THE GAP

The disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 169142 was imaged and resolved at 18.8 and 24.5 {mu}m using Subaru/COMICS. We interpret the observations using a two-dimensional radiative transfer model and find evidence for the presence of a large gap. The mid-infrared images trace dust that is emitted at the onset of a strong rise in the spectral energy distribution (SED) at 20 {mu}m, and are therefore very sensitive to the location and characteristics of the inner wall of the outer disk and its dust. We determine the location of the wall to be 23{sup +3}{sub -5} AU from the star. An extra component of hot dust must exist close to the star. We find that a hydrostatic optically thick inner disk does not produce enough flux in the near-infrared, and an optically thin, geometrically thick component is our solution to fit the SED. Considering the recent findings of gaps and holes in a number of Herbig Ae/Be group I disks, we suggest that such disk structures may be common in group I sources. Classification as group I should be considered a strong case for classification as a transitional disk, though improved imaging surveys are needed to support this speculation.

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DOE OSTI2012

COLLISIONS OF POROUS CLUSTERS: A GRANULAR-MECHANICS STUDY OF COMPACTION AND FRAGMENTATION

The collision of granular clusters can result in a number of complex outcomes from sticking to partial or full destruction of the clusters. These outcomes will contribute to the size distribution of dust aggregates, changing their optical properties and their capability to contribute to solid-state astrochemistry. We study the collision of two clusters of equal size, formed by approximately 7000 sub-{mu}m grains each, with a mass and velocity range that is difficult to sample in experiments. We obtain the outcome of the collision: compaction, fragmentation, and size distribution of ejecta, and type of outcome, as a function of velocity and impact parameter. We compare our results to other models and simulations, at both atomistic and continuum scales, and find some agreement together with some discrepancies. We also study collision-induced compaction as a function of cluster size, up to sizes of N = 250, 000, and find that for large clusters considerably higher compactions result at higher velocities.

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DOE OSTI2012

DISCOVERY OF CRYSTALLIZED WATER ICE IN A SILHOUETTE DISK IN THE M43 REGION

We present the 1.9-4.2 {mu}m spectra of the five bright (L {<=} 11.2) young stars associated with silhouette disks with a moderate to high inclination angle of 39 Degree-Sign -80 Degree-Sign in the M42 and M43 regions. The water ice absorption is seen toward d121-1925 and d216-0939, while the spectra of d182-316, d183-405, and d218-354 show no water ice feature around 3.1 {mu}m within the detection limits. By comparing the water ice features toward nearby stars, we find that the water ice absorption toward d121-1925 and d216-0939 most likely originates from the foreground material and the surrounding disk, respectively. The angle of the disk inclination is found to be mainly responsible for the difference of the optical depth of the water ice among the five young stars. Our results suggest that there is a critical inclination angle between 65 Degree-Sign and 75 Degree-Sign for the circumstellar disk where the water ice absorption becomes strong. The average density at the disk surface of d216-0939 was found to be 6.38 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -18} g cm{sup -3}. The water ice absorption band in the d216-0939 disk is remarkable in that the maximum optical depth of the water ice band is at a longer wavelength than detected before. It indicates that the primary carrier of the feature is purely crystallized water ice at the surface of the d216-0939 disk with characteristic size of {approx}0.8 {mu}m, which suggests grain growth. This is the first direct detection of purely crystallized water ice in a silhouette disk.

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DOE OSTI2012

880 {mu}m IMAGING OF A TRANSITIONAL DISK IN UPPER SCORPIUS: HOLDOVER FROM THE ERA OF GIANT PLANET FORMATION?

We present 880 {mu}m images of the transition disk around the star [PZ99] J160421.7-213028, a solar mass star in the nearby Upper Scorpius association. With a resolution down to 0.''34, we resolve the inner hole in this disk, and via model fitting to the visibilities and spectral energy distribution we determine both the structure of the outer region and the presence of sparse dust within the cavity. The disk contains {approx}0.1 M{sub Jup} of millimeter-emitting grains, with an inner disk edge of about 70 AU. The inner cavity contains a small amount of dust with a depleted surface density in a region extending from about 20 to 70 AU. Taking into account prior observations indicating little to no stellar accretion, the lack of a binary companion, and the presence of dust near {approx}0.1 AU, we determine that the most likely mechanism for the formation of this inner hole is the presence of one or more giant planets.

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DOE OSTI2012

N-BODY SIMULATIONS OF SATELLITE FORMATION AROUND GIANT PLANETS: ORIGIN OF ORBITAL CONFIGURATION OF THE GALILEAN MOONS

As the number of discovered extrasolar planets has been increasing, diversity of planetary systems requires studies of new formation scenarios. It is important to study satellite formation in circumplanetary disks, which is often viewed as analogous to formation of rocky planets in protoplanetary disks. We investigated satellite formation from satellitesimals around giant planets through N-body simulations that include gravitational interactions with a circumplanetary gas disk. Our main aim is to reproduce the observable properties of the Galilean satellites around Jupiter through numerical simulations, as previous N-body simulations have not explained the origin of the resonant configuration. We performed accretion simulations based on the work of Sasaki et al., in which an inner cavity is added to the model of Canup and Ward. We found that several satellites are formed and captured in mutual mean motion resonances outside the disk inner edge and are stable after rapid disk gas dissipation, which explains the characteristics of the Galilean satellites. In addition, owing to the existence of the disk edge, a radial compositional gradient of the Galilean satellites can also be reproduced. An additional objective of this study is to discuss orbital properties of formed satellites for a wide range of conditions by considering large uncertainties in model parameters. Through numerical experiments and semianalytical arguments, we determined that if the inner edge of a disk is introduced, a Galilean-like configuration in which several satellites are captured into a 2:1 resonance outside the disk inner cavity is almost universal. In fact, such a configuration is produced even for a massive disk {approx}> 10{sup 4} g cm{sup -2} and rapid type I migration. This result implies the inevitability of a Galilean satellite formation in addition to providing theoretical predictions for extrasolar satellites. That is, we can predict a substantial number of exomoon systems in the 2:1 mean motion resonance close to their host planets awaiting discovery.

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DOE OSTI2012

GEOMETRIC CROSS SECTIONS OF DUST AGGREGATES AND A COMPRESSION MODEL FOR AGGREGATE COLLISIONS

Geometric cross sections of dust aggregates determine their coupling with disk gas, which governs their motions in protoplanetary disks. Collisional outcomes also depend on geometric cross sections of initial aggregates. In a previous paper, we performed three-dimensional N-body simulations of sequential collisions of aggregates composed of a number of sub-micron-sized icy particles and examined radii of gyration (and bulk densities) of the obtained aggregates. We showed that collisional compression of aggregates is not efficient and that aggregates remain fluffy. In the present study, we examine geometric cross sections of the aggregates. Their cross sections decrease due to compression as well as to their gyration radii. It is found that a relation between the cross section and the gyration radius proposed by Okuzumi et al. is valid for the compressed aggregates. We also refine the compression model proposed in our previous paper. The refined model enables us to calculate the evolution of both gyration radii and cross sections of growing aggregates and reproduces well our numerical results of sequential aggregate collisions. The refined model can describe non-equal-mass collisions as well as equal-mass cases. Although we do not take into account oblique collisions in the present study, oblique collisions would further hinder compression of aggregates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A METHOD FOR COUPLING DYNAMICAL AND COLLISIONAL EVOLUTION OF DUST IN CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS: THE EFFECT OF A DEAD ZONE

Dust is a major component of protoplanetary and debris disks as it is the main observable signature of planetary formation. However, since dust dynamics are size-dependent (because of gas drag or radiation pressure) any attempt to understand the full dynamical evolution of circumstellar dusty disks that neglect the coupling of collisional evolution with dynamical evolution is thwarted because of the feedback between these two processes. Here, a new hybrid Lagrangian/Eulerian code is presented that overcomes some of these difficulties. The particles representing 'dust clouds' are tracked individually in a Lagrangian way. This system is then mapped on an Eulerian spatial grid, inside the cells of which the local collisional evolutions are computed. Finally, the system is remapped back in a collection of discrete Lagrangian particles, keeping their number constant. An application example of dust growth in a turbulent protoplanetary disk at 1 AU is presented. First, the growth of dust is considered in the absence of a dead zone and the vertical distribution of dust is self-consistently computed. It is found that the mass is rapidly dominated by particles about a fraction of a millimeter in size. Then the same case with an embedded dead zone is investigated and it is found that coagulation is much more efficient and produces, in a short timescale, 1-10 cm dust pebbles that dominate the mass. These pebbles may then be accumulated into embryo-sized objects inside large-scale turbulent structures as shown recently.

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