| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Cuong Nguyen, Duy, et al.
(författare)
-
Disk-Braking in Young Stars : Probing Rotation in Chamaeleon I and Taurus-Auriga
- 2009
-
Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- We present a comprehensive study of rotation, disk and accretion signatures for 144 T Tauri stars in the young (~2 Myr old) Chamaeleon I and Taurus-Auriga star forming regions based on multi-epoch high-resolution optical spectra from the Magellan Clay 6.5 m telescope supplemented by mid-infared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In contrast to previous studies in the Orion Nebula Cluster and NGC 2264, we do not see a clear signature of disk braking in Tau-Aur and Cha I. We find that both accretors and non-accretors have similar distributions of v sin i. The rotational velocities in both regions show a clear mass dependence, with F--K stars rotating on average about twice as fast as M stars, consistent with results reported for other clusters of similar age. Similarly, we find the upper envelope of the observed values of specific angular momentum j varies as M^0.5 for our sample which spans a mass range of ~0.16 to ~3 M_sun. This power law complements previous studies in Orion which estimated j is proportional to M^0.25 for < ~2 Myr stars in the same mass regime, and a sharp decline in j with decreasing mass for older stars (~10 Myr) with M < 2 M_sun. For a subsample of 67 objects with mid-IR photometry, we examine the connection between accretion signatures and dusty disks: in the vast majority of cases (63/67), the two properties correlate well, which suggests that the timescale of gas accretion is similar to the lifetime of inner disks.
|
|
| 3. |
- Cuong Nguyen, Duy, et al.
(författare)
-
How Variable is Accretion in Young Stars?
- 2009
-
Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- We analyze the variability in accretion-related emission lines for 40 Classical T Tauri stars to probe the extent of accretion variations in young stellar objects. Our analysis is based on multi-epoch high-resolution spectra for young stars in Tau-Aur and Cha I. For all stars, we obtain typically four spectra, covering timescales from hours to months. As proxies for the accretion rate, we use the H-alpha 10% width and the CaII-8662 line flux. We find that while the two quantities are correlated, their variability amplitude is not. Converted to accretion rates, the CaII fluxes indicate typical accretion rate changes of 0.35 dex, with 32% exceeding 0.5 dex, while H-alpha 10% width suggests changes of 0.65 dex, with 66% exceeding 0.5 dex. We conclude that CaII fluxes are a more robust quantitative indicator of accretion than H-alpha 10% width, and that intrinsic accretion rate changes typically do not exceed 0.5 dex on timescales of days to months. The maximum extent of the variability is reached after a few days, suggesting that rotation is the dominant cause of variability. We see a decline of the inferred accretion rates towards later spectral types, reflecting the dM/dt vs. M relationship. There is a gap between accretors and non-accretors, pointing to a rapid shutdown of accretion. We conclude that the ~2 orders of magnitude scatter in the dM/dt vs. M relationship is dominated by object-to-object scatter instead of intrinsic source variability.
|
|
| 4. |
- Damjanov, Ivana, et al.
(författare)
-
A Comprehensive View of Circumstellar Disks in Chamaeleon I : Infrared Excess, Accretion Signatures, and Binarity
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 670:2, s. 1337-1346
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a comprehensive study of disks around 81 young, low‐mass stars and brown dwarfs in the nearby 2 Myr old Chamaeleon I star‐forming region. We use mid‐infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope, supplemented by findings from ground‐based high‐resolution optical spectroscopy and adaptive optics imaging. We derive disk fractions of 52%±6% and 58-7+6% based on 8 and 24 μm color excesses, respectively, consistent with those reported for other clusters of similar age. Within the uncertainties, the disk frequency in our sample of K3–M8 objects in Cha I does not depend on stellar mass. Diskless and disk‐bearing objects have similar spatial distributions. There are no obvious transition disks in our sample, implying a rapid timescale for the inner disk clearing process; however, we find two objects with weak excess at 3–8 μm and substantial excess at 24 μm, which may indicate grain growth and dust settling in the inner disk. For a subsample of 35 objects with high‐resolution spectra, we investigate the connection between accretion signatures and dusty disks: in the vast majority of cases (29/35) the two are well correlated, suggesting that, on average, the timescale for gas dissipation is similar to that for clearing the inner dust disk. The exceptions are six objects for which dust disks appear to persist even though accretion has ceased or dropped below measurable levels. Adaptive optics images of 65 of our targets reveal that 17 have companions at (projected) separations of 10–80 AU. Of the five <20 AU binaries, four lack infrared excess, possibly indicating that a close companion leads to faster disk dispersal. The closest binary with excess is separated by ~20 AU, which sets an upper limit of ~8 AU for the outer disk radius. The overall disk frequency among stars with companions (35-13+15%) is lower than (but still statistically consistent with) the value for the total sample.
|
|
| 5. |
- Grigorieva, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
Survival of icy grains in debris discs. The role of photosputtering
- 2007
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We put theoretical constraints on the presence and survival of icy grains in debris discs. Particular attention is paid to UV sputtering of water ice, which has so far not been studied in detail in this context. We present a photosputtering model based on available experimental and theoretical studies. We quantitatively estimate the erosion rate of icy and ice-silicate grains, under the influence of both sublimation and photosputtering, as a function of grain size, composition and distance from the star. The effect of erosion on the grain's location is investigated through numerical simulations coupling the grain size to its dynamical evolution. Our model predicts that photodesorption efficiently destroy ice in optically thin discs, even far beyond the sublimation snow line. For the reference case of beta Pictoris, we find that only > 5mm grains can keep their icy component for the age of the system in the 50-150AU region. When taking into account the collisional reprocessing of grains, we show that the water ice survival on grains improves (grains down to ~ 20 um might be partially icy). However, estimates of the amount of gas photosputtering would produce on such a hypothetical population of big icy grains lead to values for the OI column density that strongly exceed observational constraints for beta Pic, thus ruling out the presence of a significant amount of icy grains in this system. Erosion rates and icy grains survival timescales are also given for a set of 11 other debris disc systems. We show that, with the possible exception of M stars, photosputtering cannot be neglected in calculations of icy grain lifetimes.
|
|
| 6. |
- Grigorieva, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
Survival of icy grains in debris discs. The role of photosputtering
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 475:2, s. 755-764
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims.We put theoretical constraints on the presence and survival of icy grains in debris discs. Particular attention is paid to UV sputtering of water ice, which has so far not been studied in detail in this context. Methods: We present a photosputtering model based on available experimental and theoretical studies. We quantitatively estimate the erosion rate of icy and ice-silicate grains, under the influence of both sublimation and photosputtering, as a function of grain size, composition and distance from the star. The effect of erosion on the grain's location is investigated through numerical simulations coupling the grain size to its dynamical evolution. Results: Our model predicts that photodesorption efficiently destroy ice in optically thin discs, even far beyond the sublimation snow line. For the reference case of β Pictoris, we find that only ⪆5 mm grains can keep their icy component for the age of the system in the 50-150 AU region. When taking into account the collisional reprocessing of grains, we show that the water ice survival on grains improves (grains down to ≃20 μm might be partially icy). However, estimates of the amount of gas photosputtering would produce on such a hypothetical population of big icy grains lead to values for the O I column density that strongly exceed observational constraints for β Pic, thus ruling out the presence of a significant amount of icy grains in this system. Erosion rates and icy grains survival timescales are also given for a set of 11 other debris disc systems. We show that, with the possible exception of M stars, photosputtering cannot be neglected in calculations of icy grain lifetimes.
|
|
| 7. |
- Krivov, A. V., et al.
(författare)
-
Can gas in young debris disks be constrained by their radial brightness profiles?
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 507:3, s. 1503-1516
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Disks around young stars are known to evolve from optically thick, gas-dominated protoplanetary disks to optically thin, almost gas-free debris disks. It is thought that the primordial gas is largely removed at ages of ~10 Myr and indeed, only little amounts of gas have been deduced from observations for debris disks at ages of ⪆10 Myr. However, gas detections are difficult and often indirect, not allowing one to discern the true gas densities. This suggests using dynamical arguments: it has been argued that gas, if present with higher densities, would lead to flatter radial profiles of the dust density and brightness than those actually observed. In this paper, we systematically study the influence of gas on the radial profiles of brightness. We assume that dust is replenished by planetesimals orbiting in a “birth ring” and model the dust distribution and scattered-light brightness profile in the outer part of the disk exterior to the birth ring, under different assumptions about the gas component. Our numerical simulations, supported with an analytic model, show that the radial profile of dust density and the surface brightness are surprisingly insensitive to variation of the parameters of a central star, location of the dust-producing planetesimal belt, dustiness of the disk and - most importantly - the parameters of the ambient gas. The radial brightness slopes in the outer disks are all typically in the range -3...-4. This result holds for a wide range of gas densities (three orders of magnitude), for different radial profiles of the gas temperature, both for gas of solar composition and gas of strongly non-solar composition. The slopes of -3...-4 we find are the same that were theoretically found for gas-free debris disks, and they are the same as actually retrieved from observations of many debris disks. Our specific results for three young (10-30 Myr old), spatially resolved, edge-on debris disks (β Pic, HD 32297, and AU Mic) show that the observed radial profiles of the surface brightness do not pose any stringent constraints on the gas component of the disk. We cannot exclude that outer parts of the systems may have retained substantial amounts of primordial gas which is not evident in the gas observations (e.g. as much as 50 Earth masses for β Pic). However, the possibility that gas, most likely secondary, is only present in little to moderate amounts, as deduced from gas detections (e.g. ~0.05 Earth masses in the β Pic disk or even less), remains open, too.
|
|
| 8. |
- Lafreniere, David, et al.
(författare)
-
A Multiplicity Census of Young Stars in Chamaeleon I
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 683:2, s. 844-861
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the results of a multiplicity survey of 126 stars spanning ~0.1-3 Msolar in the ~2 Myr old Chamaeleon I star-forming region, based on adaptive optics imaging with the ESO Very Large Telescope. Our observations have revealed 30 binaries and six triples, of which 19 and four, respectively, are new discoveries. The overall multiplicity fraction we find for Cha I (~30%) is similar to those reported for other dispersed young associations, but significantly higher than seen in denser clusters and the field, for comparable samples. Both the frequency and the maximum separation of Cha I binaries decline with decreasing mass, while the mass ratios approach unity; conversely, tighter pairs are more likely to be equal mass. We confirm that brown dwarf companions to stars are rare, even at young ages at wide separations. Based on follow-up spectroscopy of two low-mass substellar companion candidates, we conclude that both are likely background stars. The overall multiplicity fraction in Cha I is in rough agreement with numerical simulations of cloud collapse and fragmentation, but its observed mass dependence is less steep than predicted. The paucity of higher order multiples, in particular, provides a stringent constraint on the simulations, and seems to indicate a low level of turbulence in the prestellar cores in Cha I.
|
|
| 9. |
- Liseau, Rene, et al.
(författare)
-
q1 Eridani : a solar-type star with a planet and a dust belt
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 480:3, s. L47-L50
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Far-infrared excess emission from main-sequence stars is due to dust produced by orbiting minor bodies. In these disks, larger bodies, such as planets, may also be present and the understanding of their incidence and influence currently presents a challenge. Aims. Only very few solar-type stars exhibiting an infrared excess and harbouring planets are known to date. Indeed, merely a single case of a star-planet-disk system has previously been detected at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths. Consequently, one of our aims is to understand the reasons for these poor statistics, i.e., whether these results reflected the composition and/or the physics of the planetary disks or were simply due to observational bias and selection effects. Finding more examples would be very significant. Methods. The selected target, q(1) Eri, is a solar-type star, which was known to possess a planet, q(1) Eri b, and to exhibit excess emission at IRAS wavelengths, but had remained undetected in the millimeter regime. Therefore, submm flux densities would be needed to better constrain the physical characteristics of the planetary disk. Consequently, we performed submm imaging observations of q(1) Eri. Results. The detected dust toward q(1) Eri at 870 mu m exhibits the remarkable fact that the entire SED, from the IR to mm-wavelengths, is fit by a single-temperature blackbody function (60 K). This would imply that the emitting regions are confined to a narrow region (ring) at radial distances much larger than the orbital distance of q(1) Eri b, and that the emitting particles are considerably larger than some hundred micron. However, the 870 mu m source is extended, with a full-width-half-maximum of roughly 600AU. Therefore, a physically more compelling model also invokes a belt of cold dust (17 K), located at 300AU from the star and about 60AU wide. Conclusions. The minimum mass of 0.04 M-circle plus (3 M-Moon) of 1 mm-size icy ring-particles is considerable, given the stellar age of >= 1Gyr. These big grains form an inner edge at about 25 AU, which may suggest the presence of an unseen outer planet (q(1) Eri c).
|
|
| 10. |
- Mentuch, Erin, et al.
(författare)
-
Lithium Depletion of Nearby Young Stellar Associations
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 689, s. 1127-1140
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We estimate cluster ages from lithium depletion in five pre-main-sequence groups found within 100 pc of the Sun: the TW Hydrae association, η Chamaeleontis cluster, β Pictoris moving group, Tucanae-Horologium association, and AB Doradus moving group. We determine surface gravities, effective temperatures, and lithium abundances for over 900 spectra through least-squares fitting to model-atmosphere spectra. For each group, we compare the dependence of lithium abundance on temperature with isochrones from pre-main-sequence evolutionary tracks to obtain model-dependent ages. We find that the η Cha cluster and the TW Hydrae association are the youngest, with ages of 12+/-6 Myr and 12+/-8 Myr, respectively, followed by the β Pic moving group at 21+/-9 Myr, the Tucanae-Horologium association at 27+/-11 Myr, and the AB Dor moving group at an age of at least 45 Myr (whereby we can only set a lower limit, since the models-unlike real stars-do not show much lithium depletion beyond this age). Here the ordering is robust, but the precise ages depend on our choice of both atmospheric and evolutionary models. As a result, while our ages are consistent with estimates based on Hertzsprung-Russell isochrone fitting and dynamical expansion, they are not yet more precise. Our observations do show that with improved models, much stronger constraints should be feasible, as the intrinsic uncertainties, as measured from the scatter between measurements from different spectra of the same star, are very low: around 10 K in effective temperature, 0.05 dex in surface gravity, and 0.03 dex in lithium abundance.
|
|
| 11. |
- Nguyen, Duy, et al.
(författare)
-
A Search for Disk-Locking in the Chamaeleon I Star Forming Region
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Precision Spectroscopy in Astrophysics.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We investigated the connection between disks and stellar rotation. Disk-locking theory predicts that accreting stars are preferentially slow rotators compared to their peers. If true, classical T Tauri stars (CTTS), which are accreting based on strong Hα, emission, should have observably lower vsini, values compared to weak-lined T Tauri stars (WTTS), which are not accreting. We present our findings from high-resolution optical spectra taken with the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) spectrograph on the Magellan Clay 6.5-m telescope located at the Las Campanas Observatory of 63 T Tauri stars in the Cha I SFR.
|
|
| 12. |
- Nguyen, Duy Cuong, et al.
(författare)
-
Disk Braking in young Stars : Probing Rotation in Chamaeleon i and Taurus-Auriga
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 695, s. 1648-1656
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a comprehensive study of rotation, disk, and accretion signatures for 144 T Tauri stars in the young (~2 Myr old) Chamaeleon I and Taurus-Auriga star-forming regions based on multi-epoch high-resolution optical spectra from the Magellan Clay 6.5 m telescope supplemented by mid-infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In contrast to previous studies in the Orion Nebula Cluster and NGC 2264, we do not see a clear signature of disk braking in Tau-Aur and Cha I. We find that both accretors and non-accretors have similar distributions of vsin i. This result could be due to different initial conditions, insufficient time for disk braking, or a significant age spread within the regions. The rotational velocities in both regions show a clear mass dependence, with F-K stars rotating on average about twice as fast as M stars, consistent with results reported for other clusters of similar age. Similarly, we find the upper envelope of the observed values of specific angular momentum j varies as M 0.5 for our sample which spans a mass range of ~0.16-3 M sun. This power law complements previous studies in Orion which estimated j vprop M 0.25 for lsim2 Myr stars in the same mass regime, and a sharp decline in j with decreasing mass for older stars (~10 Myr) with M < 2 M sun. Furthermore, the overall specific angular momentum of this ~10 Myr population is five times lower than that of non-accretors in our sample, and implies a stellar braking mechanism other than disk braking could be at work. For a subsample of 67 objects with mid-infrared photometry, we examine the connection between accretion signatures and dusty disks: in the vast majority of cases (63/67), the two properties correlate well, which suggests that the timescale of gas accretion is similar to the lifetime of inner disks.
|
|
| 13. |
- Nguyen, Duy Cuong, et al.
(författare)
-
How Variable is Accretion in Young Stars?
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 694, s. L153-L157
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyze the variability in accretion-related emission lines for 40 Classical T Tauri stars to probe the extent of accretion variations in young stellar objects. Our analysis is based on multi-epoch high-resolution spectra for young stars in Taurus-Auriga and Chamaeleon I. For all stars, we typically obtain four spectra, covering timescales from hours to months. As proxies for the accretion rate, we use the Hα 10% width and the Ca II-λ8662 line flux. We find that while the two quantities are correlated, their variability amplitude is not. Converted to accretion rates, the Ca II fluxes indicate typical accretion rate changes of 0.35 dex, with 32% exceeding 0.5 dex, while Hα 10% width suggests changes of 0.65 dex, with 66% exceeding 0.5 dex. We conclude that Ca II fluxes are a more robust quantitative indicator of accretion than Hα 10% width, and that intrinsic accretion rate changes typically do not exceed 0.5 dex on timescales of days to months. The maximum extent of the variability is reached after a few days, suggesting that rotation is the dominant cause of variability. We see a decline of the inferred accretion rates toward later spectral types, reflecting the \dot{M} versus M relationship. There is a gap between accretors and nonaccretors, pointing to a rapid shutdown of accretion. We conclude that the ~two orders of magnitude scatter in the \dot{M} versus M relationship is dominated by object-to-object scatter instead of intrinsic source variability.
|
|
| 14. |
- Nguyen, Duy Cuong, et al.
(författare)
-
Multiplicity in Star Formation : Close Binaries in Chamaeleon I and Taurus-Auriga
- 2009
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A large fraction of stars are members of binary systems. Yet, the formation and early evolution of binary and multiple stars is not well understood theoretically and poorly constrained observationally. We present findings from a comprehensive spectroscopic survey for close binaries among nearly 200 members of the Chamaeleon I and Taurus-Auriga star-forming regions. We find that higher mass stars in our sample have a higher spectroscopic binary frequency than their lower mass counterparts, similar to what is seen in the field and for resolved (wide) binaries in young associations. More intriguingly, our observations also reveal a significantly larger fraction of tight binaries in Tau-Aur compared to Cha I, both for F-K stars and for M dwarfs, implying possible regional variations in the formation of multiple stars.
|
|
| 15. |
- Nilsson, Ricky, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
-
A submillimetre search for cold extended debris disks in the β Pictoris moving group
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 508:2, s. 1057-1065
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Previous observations with the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and the Infrared Space Observatory, and ongoing observations with Spitzer and AKARI, have led to the discovery of over 200 debris disks, based on detected mid-and far infrared excess emission, indicating warm circumstellar dust. To constrain the properties of these systems, e.g., to more accurately determine the dust mass, temperature and radial extent, follow-up observations in the submillimetre wavelength region are needed. Aims. The beta Pictoris moving group is a nearby stellar association of young (similar to 12 Myr) co-moving stars including the classical debris disk star beta Pictoris. Due to their proximity and youth, they are excellent targets when searching for submillimetre emission from cold, extended, dust components produced by collisions in Kuiper-Belt-like disks. They also allow an age independent study of debris disk properties as a function of other stellar parameters. Methods. We observed 7 infrared-excess stars in the beta Pictoris moving group with the LABOCA bolometer array, operating at a central wavelength of 870 mu m at the 12-m submillimetre telescope APEX. The main emission at these wavelengths comes from large, cold dust grains, which constitute the main part of the total dust mass, and hence, for an optically thin case, make better estimates on the total dust mass than earlier infrared observations. Fitting the spectral energy distribution with combined optical and infrared photometry gives information on the temperature and radial extent of the disk. Results. From our sample, beta Pic, HD181327, and HD172555 were detected with at least 3 sigma certainty, while all others are below 2 sigma and considered non-detections. The image of beta Pic shows an offset flux density peak located near the south-west extension of the disk, similar to the one previously found by SCUBA at the JCMT. We present SED fits for detected sources and give an upper limit on the dust mass for undetected ones. Conclusions. We find a mean fractional dust luminosity (f) over bar (dust) = 1.1 x 10(-3) at t approximate to 12 Myr, which together with recent data at 100 Myr suggests an f(dust) proportional to t(-alpha) a decline of the emitting dust, with alpha > 0.8.
|
|
| 16. |
|
|
