Submillimeter lines from circumstellar disks around pre-main sequence stars

Abstract

Observations of submillimeter lines of CO (up to J=6-5), HCO+, HCN (up to J=4-3) and their isotopes from circumstellar disks around low mass pre-main sequence stars are presented. The different line ratios and optical depths indicate that most of the observed line emission arises from an intermediate disk layer with high densities of 1E6-1E8 cm-3 and moderately warm temperatures in the outer regions. The data are compared with three disk models from the literature using a full 2D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. The abundances of the molecules are constrained from the more optically thin 13C species and indicate depletions of 1-30 for LkCa 15 and very high depletions of > 100 for TW Hya with respect to dark cloud abundances. Evidence for significant freeze-out (factors 10 or larger) of CO and HCO+ onto grain surfaces at temperatures below 22 K is found, but the abundances of these molecules must also be low in the warmer upper layer, most likely as a result of photodissociation. A warm upper layer near the surface of a flaring disk heated by stellar and interstellar radiation is an appropriate description of the observations of TW Hya. LkCa 15 seems to be cooler at the surface, perhaps due to dust settling.