| 1. |
- Acke, B., et al.
(författare)
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Herschel images of Fomalhaut An extrasolar Kuiper belt at the height of its dynamical activity
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 540, s. Article Number: A125 -
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Fomalhaut is a young (2 +/- 1 x 10(8) years), nearby (7.7 pc), 2 M-circle dot star that is suspected to harbor an infant planetary system, interspersed with one or more belts of dusty debris. Aims. We present far-infrared images obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory with an angular resolution between 5.7 '' and 36.7 '' at wavelengths between 70 mu m and 500 mu m. The images show the main debris belt in great detail. Even at high spatial resolution, the belt appears smooth. The region in between the belt and the central star is not devoid of material; thermal emission is observed here as well. Also at the location of the star, excess emission is detected. We aim to construct a consistent image of the Fomalhaut system. Methods. We use a dynamical model together with radiative-transfer tools to derive the parameters of the debris disk. We include detailed models of the interaction of the dust grains with radiation, for both the radiation pressure and the temperature determination. Comparing these models to the spatially resolved temperature information contained in the images allows us to place strong constraints on the presence of grains that will be blown out of the system by radiation pressure. We use this to derive the dynamical parameters of the system. Results. The appearance of the belt points toward a remarkably active system in which dust grains are produced at a very high rate by a collisional cascade in a narrow region filled with dynamically excited planetesimals. Dust particles with sizes below the blow-out size are abundantly present. The equivalent of 2000 one-km-sized comets are destroyed every day, out of a cometary reservoir amounting to 110 Earth masses. From comparison of their scattering and thermal properties, we find evidence that the dust grains are fluffy aggregates, which indicates a cometary origin. The excess emission at the location of the star may be produced by hot dust with a range of temperatures, but may also be due to gaseous free-free emission from a stellar wind.
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| 2. |
- Cataldi, Gianni, et al.
(författare)
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Herschel/HIFI observations of ionised carbon in the beta Pictoris debris disk
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The dusty debris disk around the similar to 20 Myr old main-sequence A-star beta Pictoris is known to contain gas. Evidence points towards a secondary origin of the gas as opposed to being a direct remnant from the initial protoplanetary disk, although the dominant gas production mechanism is so far not identified. The origin of the observed overabundance of C and O compared with solar abundances of metallic elements such as Na and Fe is also unclear. Aims. Our goal is to constrain the spatial distribution of C in the disk, and thereby the gas origin and its abundance pattern. Methods. We used the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory to observe and spectrally resolve C II emission at 158 mu m from the beta Pic debris disk. Assuming a disk in Keplerian rotation and a model for the line emission from the disk, we used the spectrally resolved line profile to constrain the spatial distribution of the gas. Results. We detect the C II 158 mu m emission. Modelling the shape of the emission line shows that most of the gas is located at about similar to 100 AU or beyond. We estimate a total C gas mass of 1.3(-0.5)(+1.3) x 10(2) M-circle plus (central 90% confidence interval). The data suggest that more gas is located on the south-west side of the disk than on the north-east side. The shape of the emission line is consistent with the hypothesis of a well mixed gas (constant C/Fe ratio throughout the disk). Assuming instead a spatial profile expected from a simplified accretion disk model, we found it to give a significantly poorer fit to the observations. Conclusions. Since the bulk of the gas is found outside 30 AU, we argue that the cometary objects known as "falling evaporating bodies" are probably not the dominant source of gas; production from grain-grain collisions or photodesorption seems more likely. The incompatibility of the observations with a simplified accretion disk model might favour a preferential depletion explanation for the overabundance of C and O, although it is unclear how much this conclusion is affected by the simplifications made. More stringent constraints on the spatial distribution will be available from ALMA observations of C I emission at 609 mu m.
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| 3. |
- de Vries, B. L., et al.
(författare)
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Comet-like mineralogy of olivine crystals in an extrasolar proto-Kuiper belt
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 490:7418, s. 74-76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Some planetary systems harbour debris disks containing planetesimals such as asteroids and comets(1). Collisions between such bodies produce small dust particles(2), the spectral features of which reveal their composition and, hence, that of their parent bodies. A measurement of the composition of olivine crystals (Mg2-2xFe2xSiO4) has been done for the protoplanetary disk HD 100546 (refs 3, 4) and for olivine crystals in the warm inner parts of planetary systems. The latter compares well with the iron-rich olivine in asteroids(5,6) (x approximate to 0.29). In the cold outskirts of the beta Pictoris system, an analogue to the young Solar System, olivine crystals were detected(7) but their composition remained undetermined, leaving unknown how the composition of the bulk of Solar System cometary olivine grains compares with that of extrasolar comets(8,9). Here we report the detection of the 69-micrometre-wavelength band of olivine crystals in the spectrum of beta Pictoris. Because the disk is optically thin, we can associate the crystals with an extrasolar proto-Kuiper belt a distance of 15-45 astronomical units from the star (one astronomical unit is the Sun-Earth distance), determine their magnesium-rich composition (x = 0.01 +/- 0.001) and show that they make up 3.6 +/- 1.0 per cent of the total dust mass. These values are strikingly similar to those for the dust emitted by the most primitive comets in the Solar System(8-10), even though beta Pictoris is more massive and more luminous and has a different planetary system architecture.
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| 4. |
- Greaves, J. S., et al.
(författare)
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Extreme Conditions in a Close Analog to the Young Solar System: Herschel Observations of ∈ Eridani
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 791:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Far-infrared Herschel images of the is an element of Eridani system, seen at a fifth of the Sun's present age, resolve two belts of debris emission. Fits to the 160 mu m PACS image yield radial spans for these belts of 12-16 and 54-68 AU. The south end of the outer belt is approximate to 10% brighter than the north end in the PACS+SPIRE images at 160, 250, and 350 mu m, indicating a pericenter glow attributable to a planet "c" From this asymmetry and an upper bound on the offset of the belt center, this second planet should be mildly eccentric (e(c) approximate to 0.03-0.3). Compared to the asteroid and Kuiper Belts of the young Sun, the is an element of Eri belts are intermediate in brightness and more similar to each other, with up to 20 km sized collisional fragments in the inner belt totaling approximate to 5% of an Earth mass. This reservoir may feed the hot dust close to the star and could send many impactors through the Habitable Zone, especially if it is being perturbed by the suspected planet is an element of Eri b, at semi-major axis approximate to 3 AU.
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| 5. |
- Hartogh, P., et al.
(författare)
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HIFI observations of water in the atmosphere of comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 518:Article Number: L150
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-resolution far-infrared and sub-millimetre spectroscopy of water lines is an important tool to understand the physical and chemical properties of cometary atmospheres. We present observations of several rotational ortho- and para-water transitions in comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd) performed with HIFI on Herschel. These observations have provided the first detection of the 2(12)-1(01) (1669 GHz) ortho and 1(11)-0(00) (1113 GHz) para transitions of water in a cometary spectrum. In addition, the ground-state transition 1(10)-1(01) at 557 GHz is detected and mapped. By detecting several water lines quasi-simultaneously and mapping their emission we can constrain the excitation parameters in the coma. Synthetic line profiles are computed using excitation models which include excitation by collisions, solar infrared radiation, and radiation trapping. We obtain the gas kinetic temperature, constrain the electron density profile, and estimate the coma expansion velocity by analyzing the map and line shapes. We derive water production rates of 1.7-2.8 x 10(28) s(-1) over the range r(h) = 1.83-1.85 AU.
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| 6. |
- Jorissen, A., et al.
(författare)
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X Herculis and TX Piscium: two cases of ISM interaction with stellar winds observed by Herschel
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 532
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars X Her and TX Psc have been imaged at 70 and 160 μm with the PACS instrument onboard the Herschel satellite, as part of the large MESS (Mass loss of Evolved StarS) guaranteed time key program. The images reveal an axisymmetric extended structure with its axis oriented along the space motion of the stars. This extended structure is very likely to be shaped by the interaction of the wind ejected by the AGB star with the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). As predicted by numerical simulations, the detailed structure of the wind-ISM interface depends upon the relative velocity between star+wind and the ISM, which is large for these two stars (108 and 55 km s-1 for X Her and TX Psc, respectively). In both cases, there is a compact blob upstream whose origin is not fully elucidated, but that could be the signature of some instability in the wind-ISM shock. Deconvolved images of X Her and TX Psc reveal several discrete structures along the outermost filaments, which could be Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices. Finally, TX Psc is surrounded by an almost circular ring (the signature of the termination shock?) that contrasts with the outer, more structured filaments. A similar inner circular structure seems to be present in X Her as well, albeit less clearly.
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| 7. |
- Kamenetzky, J., et al.
(författare)
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CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE COLD DEBRIS OF SUPERNOVA 1987A
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 773:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report spectroscopic and imaging observations of rotational transitions of cold CO and SiO in the ejecta of SN1987A, the first such emission detected in a supernova remnant. In addition to line luminosities for the CO J = 1-0, 2-1, 6-5, and 7-6 transitions, we present upper limits for all other transitions up to J = 13-12, collectively measured from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Herschel Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver. Simple models show the lines are emitted from at least 0.01 M-circle dot of CO at a temperature >14 K, confined within at most 35% of a spherical volume expanding at similar to 2000 km s(-1). Moreover, we locate the emission within 1 '' of the central debris. These observations, along with a partial observation of SiO, confirm the presence of cold molecular gas within supernova remnants and provide insight into the physical conditions and chemical processes in the ejecta. Furthermore, we demonstrate the powerful new window into supernova ejecta offered by submillimeter observations.
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| 8. |
- Khouri, T., et al.
(författare)
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The wind of W Hydrae as seen by Herschel I. The CO envelope
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 561, s. Article no. A5-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars lose their envelopes by means of a stellar wind whose driving mechanism is not understood well. Characterizing the composition and thermal and dynamical structure of the outflow provides constraints that are essential for understanding AGB evolution, including the rate of mass loss and isotopic ratios. Aims. We characterize the CO emission from the wind of the low mass-loss rate oxygen-rich AGB star W Hya using data obtained by the HIFI, PACS, and SPIRE instruments on board the Herschel Space Observatory and ground-based telescopes. (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 lines are used to constrain the intrinsic C-12/C-13 ratio from resolved HIFI lines. Methods. We combined a state-of-the-art molecular line emission code and a dust continuum radiative transfer code to model the CO lines and the thermal dust continuum. Results. The acceleration of the outflow up to about 5.5 km s(-1) is quite slow and can be represented by a beta-type velocity law with index beta = 5. Beyond this point, acceleration up the terminal velocity of 7 km s(-1) is faster. Using the J = 10-9, 9-8, and 6-5 transitions, we find an intrinsic C-12/C-13 ratio of 18 +/- 10 for W Hya, where the error bar is mostly due to uncertainties in the (CO)-C-12 abundance and the stellar flux around 4.6 mu m. To match the low-excitation CO lines, these molecules need to be photo-dissociated at similar to 500 stellar radii. The radial dust emission intensity profile of our stellar wind model matches PACS images at 70 mu m out to 20 '' (or 800 stellar radii). For larger radii the observed emission is substantially stronger than our model predicts, indicating that at these locations there is extra material present. Conclusions. The initial slow acceleration of the wind may imply inefficient dust formation or dust driving in the lower part of the envelope. The final injection of momentum in the wind might be the result of an increase in the opacity thanks to the late condensation of dust species. The derived intrinsic isotopologue ratio for W Hya is consistent with values set by the first dredge-up and suggestive of an initial mass of 2 M-circle dot or more. However, the uncertainty in the isotopologic ratio is large, which makes it difficult to set reliable limits on W Hya's main-sequence mass.
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| 9. |
- Khouri, T., et al.
(författare)
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The wind of W Hydrae as seen by Herschel II. The molecular envelope of W Hydrae
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 570, s. Art. no. A67-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is mainly controlled by the rate at which these stars lose mass in a stellar wind. Understanding the driving mechanism and strength of the stellar winds of AGB stars and the processes enriching their surfaces with products of nucleosynthesis are paramount to constraining AGB evolution and predicting the chemical evolution of galaxies. Aims. In a previous paper we have constrained the structure of the outflowing envelope of W Hya using spectral lines of the (CO)-C-12 molecule. Here we broaden this study by including an extensive set of H2O and (SiO)-Si-28 lines. It is the first time such a comprehensive study is performed for this source. The oxygen isotopic ratios and the (SiO)-Si-28 abundance profile can be connected to the initial stellar mass and to crucial aspects of dust formation at the base of the stellar wind, respectively. Methods. We model the molecular emission observed by the three instruments on board Herschel Space Observatory using a state-of-the-art molecular excitation and radiative transfer code. We also account for the dust radiation field in our calculations. Results. We find an H2O ortho-to-para ratio of 2.5(-1.0)(+2.5), consistent with what is expected for an AGB wind. The O-16/O-17 ratio indicates that W Hya has an initial mass of about 1.5 M-circle dot. Although the ortho-and para-H2O lines observed by HIFI appear to trace gas of slightly different physical properties, we find that a turbulence velocity of 0.7 +/- 0.1 km s(-1) fits the HIFI lines of both spin isomers and those of (SiO)-Si-28 well. Conclusions. The modelling of H2O and (SiO)-Si-28 confirms the properties of the envelope model of W Hya, as derived from (CO)-C-12 lines, and allows us to constrain the turbulence velocity. The ortho-and para-(H2O)-O-16 and (SiO)-Si-28 abundances relative to H-2 are (6(2)(+3)) x 10(-4), (3(-1)(+2)) x 10(-4), and (3.3 +/- 0.8) x 10(-5), respectively, in agreement with expectations for oxygen-rich AGB outflows. Assuming a solar silicon-to-carbon ratio, the (SiO)-Si-28 line emission model is consistent with about one-third of the silicon atoms being locked up in dust particles.
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| 10. |
- Ladjal, D., et al.
(författare)
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870 µm observations of evolved stars with LABOCA
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 513:10, s. A53-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. During their evolution, asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars experience a high mass loss which leads to the formation of acircumstellar envelope (CSE) of dust and gas. The mass loss process is the most important phenomenon during this evolutionary stage.In order to understand it, it is important to study the physical parameters of the CSE. The emission of the CSE in the (sub)millimetrerange is dominated by the dust continuum. This means that (sub)millimetre observations are a key tool in tracing the dust andimproving our knowledge of the mass loss process.Aims. The aim of this study is to use new submillimetre observations of a sample of evolved stars to constrain the CSE physicalparameters.Methods. We used aperture photometry to determine the fluxes at 870 μm and to investigate the extended emission observed with thenew APEX bolometer LABoCa. We computed the spectral energy distribution (SEDs) with the 1D radiative transfer code DUSTY,which we compared to literature data. Grain properties were calculated with both the spherical grains distribution and the continuousdistribution of ellipsoids (CDE), and a comparison between the two is drawn. Synthetic surface brightness maps were derived fromthe modelling and were compared to the LABoCa brightness maps.Results. A sample of nine evolved stars with different chemistry was observed with LABoCa.We detected extended emission aroundfour stars. Physical parameters of the circumstellar envelope were derived from SED modelling, like the dust chemical composition,the dust condensation temperature and the total mass of the envelope. It proved to be difficult to fit the SED and the intensity profilesimultaneously however. The use of the CDE leads to “broad” SEDs when compared to spherical grains, and this results in steepdensity distributions (∝r−2.2 typically).
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