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Alain Spang

Publications and source records attributed to Alain Spang.

20 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

An asymmetry detected in the disk of Kappa CMa with the AMBER/VLTI

Aims. We study the geometry and kinematics of the circumstellar environment of the Be star Kappa CMa in the Br gamma emission line and its nearby continuum. Methods. We use the VLTI/AMBER instrument operating in the K band which provides a spatial resolution of about 6 mas with a spectral resolution of 1500 to study the kinematics within the disk and to infer its rotation law. In order to obtain more kinematical constraints we also use an high spectral resolution Pa beta line profile obtain in December 2005 at the Observatorio do Pico do Dios, Brazil and we compile V/R line profile variations and spectral energy distribution data points from the literature. Results. Using differential visibilities and differential phases across the Br gamma line we detect an asymmetry in the disk. Moreover, we found that kappa CMa seems difficult to fit within the classical scenario for Be stars, illustrated recently by alpha Arae observations, i.e. a fast rotating B star close to its breakup velocity surrounded by a Keplerian circumstellar disk with an enhanced polar wind. Finally we discuss the possibility for kappa CMa to be a critical rotator with a Keplerian rotating disk and try to see if the detected asymmetry can be interpreted within the "one-armed" viscous disk framework.

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First direct detection of a Keplerian rotating disk around the Be star $α$ Arae using the VLTI/AMBER instrument

Aims. We aim to study the geometry and kinematics of the disk around the Be star $α$ Arae as a function of wavelength, especially across the Br$γ$ emission line. The main purpose of this paper is to answer the question about the nature of the disk rotation around Be stars. Methods. We use the VLTI/AMBER instrument operating in the K band which provides a gain by a factor 5 in spatial resolution compared to previous VLTI/MIDI observations. Moreover, it is possible to combine the high angular resolution provided with the (medium) spectral resolution of AMBER to study the kinematics of the inner part of the disk and to infer its rotation law. Results. We obtain for the first time the direct evidence that the disk is in keplerian rotation, answering a question that occurs since the discovery of the first Be star $γ$ Cas by father Secchi in 1866. We also present the global geometry of the disk showing that it is compatible with a thin disk + polar enhanced winds modeled with the SIMECA code. We found that the disk around $α$ Arae is compatible with a dense equatorial matter confined in the central region whereas a polar wind is contributing along the rotational axis of the central star. Between these two regions the density must be low enough to reproduce the large visibility modulus (small extension) obtained for two of the four VLTI baselines. Moreover, we obtain that $α$ Arae is rotating very close to its critical rotation. This scenario is also compatible with the previous MIDI measurements.

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