Dust and Water in V883 Ori: Relics of a Retreating Snowline

Abstract

V883 Ori is an FU-Orionis-type outburst system characterized by a shoulder at 50-70 au in its ALMA band 6 and 7 intensity profiles. Previously, this feature was attributed to dust pile-up from pebble disintegration at the water snowline. However, recent multi-wavelength observations show continuity in the spectral index across the expected snowline region, disfavoring abrupt changes in grain properties. Moreover, extended water emission is detected beyond 80 au, pointing to a snowline further out. This Letter aims to explain both features with a model in which the snowline is receding. We construct a 2D disk model that solves the cooling and subsequent vapor recondensation during the post-outburst dimming phase. Our results show that both the intensity shoulder and the extended water emission are natural relics of a retreating snowline: the shoulder arises from excess surface density generated by vapor recondensation at the moving condensation front, while the outer water vapor reservoir persists due to the long recondensation timescales of $10^{2}-10^{3}$ yr at the disk atmosphere. As V883 Ori continues to fade, we predict that the intensity shoulder will migrate inward by an observationally significant amount of 10 au over about 25 years.