arXiv subjects

Anna Miotello

Publications and source records attributed to Anna Miotello.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

The Present and Future of Astronomy (ASTRO2022)

Being one of the most fascinating and ancient sciences, astronomy has always played a special role in society. In 2022 ESO organised an online conference to offer the community a platform to discuss astronomical topics of sociological and philosophical relevance in a professional atmosphere. The talks touched on several crucial aspects, moving from the methodology of science to the use of metrics, to the importance of diversity in evaluation processes, and to the link between astronomy and society.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

FAUST III. Misaligned rotations of the envelope, outflow, and disks in the multiple protostellar system of VLA 1623$-$2417

We report a study of the low-mass Class-0 multiple system VLA 1623AB in the Ophiuchus star-forming region, using H$^{13}$CO$^+$ ($J=3-2$), CS ($J=5-4$), and CCH ($N=3-2$) lines as part of the ALMA Large Program FAUST. The analysis of the velocity fields revealed the rotation motion in the envelope and the velocity gradients in the outflows (about 2000 au down to 50 au). We further investigated the rotation of the circum-binary VLA 1623A disk as well as the VLA 1623B disk. We found that the minor axis of the circum-binary disk of VLA 1623A is misaligned by about 12 degrees with respect to the large-scale outflow and the rotation axis of the envelope. In contrast, the minor axis of the circum-binary disk is parallel to the large-scale magnetic field according to previous dust polarization observations, suggesting that the misalignment may be caused by the different directions of the envelope rotation and the magnetic field. If the velocity gradient of the outflow is caused by rotation, the outflow has a constant angular momentum and the launching radius is estimated to be $5-16$ au, although it cannot be ruled out that the velocity gradient is driven by entrainments of the two high-velocity outflows. Furthermore, we detected for the first time a velocity gradient associated with rotation toward the VLA 16293B disk. The velocity gradient is opposite to the one from the large-scale envelope, outflow, and circum-binary disk. The origin of its opposite gradient is also discussed.

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arXiv2021

The first ALMA survey of protoplanetary discs at 3 mm: demographics of grain growth in the Lupus region

We present the first ALMA survey of protoplanetary discs at 3 mm, targeting 36 young stellar objects in the Lupus star-forming region with deep observations (sensitivity 20-50 microJy/beam) at ~0.35" resolution (~50 au). Building on previous ALMA surveys at 0.89 and 1.3 mm that observed the complete sample of Class II discs in Lupus at a comparable resolution, we aim to assess the level of grain growth in the relatively young Lupus region. We measure 3 mm integrated fluxes, from which we derive disc-averaged 1-3 mm spectral indices. We find that the mean spectral index of the observed Lupus discs is $α_\mathrm{1-3 mm}=2.23\pm0.06$, in all cases $α_\mathrm{1-3 mm}<3.0$, with a tendency for larger spectral indices in the brightest discs and in transition discs. Furthermore, we find that the distribution of spectral indices in Lupus discs is statistically indistinguishable from that of the Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions. Assuming the emission is optically thin, the low values $α_\mathrm{1-3 mm}\leq 2.5$ measured for most discs can be interpreted with the presence of grains larger than 1 mm. The observations of the faint discs in the sample can be explained without invoking the presence of large grains, namely through a mixture of optically thin and optically thick emission from small grains. However, the bright (and typically large) discs do inescapably require the presence of millimeter-sized grains in order to have realistic masses. Based on a disc mass argument, our results challenge previous claims that the presence of optically thick sub-structures may be a universal explanation for the empirical millimeter size-luminosity correlation observed at 0.89 mm.

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arXiv2021

Compact Disks: an explanation to faint CO emission in Lupus disks

A large fraction of observed protoplanetary disks in nearby Star-Forming Regions (SFRs) are fainter than expected in CO isotopologue emission. Disks not detected in 13CO line emission are also faint and often unresolved in the continuum emission at an angular resolution of around 0.2 arcseconds. Focusing on the Lupus SFR, the aim of this work is to investigate whether the population of CO-faint disks comprises radially extended and low mass disks - as commonly assumed so far - or if it is of intrinsically radially compact disks, an interpretation that we propose in this paper. The latter scenario was already proposed for individual sources or small samples of disks, while this work targets a large population of disks in a single SFR for which statistical arguments can be made. A new grid of physical-chemical models of compact disks has been run with DALI in order to cover a region of the parameter space that had not been explored before with this code. Such models have been compared with 12CO and 13CO ALMA observations of faint disks in Lupus. Disks that are not detected in 13CO emission and with faint or undetected 12CO emission are consistent with compact disk models. For radially compact disk, the emission of CO isotopologues is mostly optically thick and it scales with the surface area: i.e., it is fainter for smaller objects. The fraction of compact disks is potentially between roughly 50% and 60% of the entire Lupus sample. Deeper observations of 12CO and 13CO at a moderate angular resolution will allow us to distinguish whether faint disks are intrinsically compact, or if they are extended but faint, without the need of resolving them. If the fainter end of the disk population observed by ALMA disk surveys is consistent with such objects being very compact, this will either create a tension with viscous spreading or require MHD winds or external processes to truncate the disks.

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arXiv2021

FAUST II. Discovery of a Secondary Outflow in IRAS 15398-3359: Variability in Outflow Direction during the Earliest Stage of Star Formation?

We have observed the very low-mass Class 0 protostar IRAS 15398-3359 at scales ranging from 50 au to 1800 au, as part of the ALMA Large Program FAUST. We uncover a linear feature, visible in H2CO, SO, and C18O line emission, which extends from the source along a direction almost perpendicular to the known active outflow. Molecular line emission from H2CO, SO, SiO, and CH3OH further reveals an arc-like structure connected to the outer end of the linear feature and separated from the protostar, IRAS 15398-3359, by 1200 au. The arc-like structure is blue-shifted with respect to the systemic velocity. A velocity gradient of 1.2 km/s over 1200 au along the linear feature seen in the H2CO emission connects the protostar and the arc-like structure kinematically. SO, SiO, and CH3OH are known to trace shocks, and we interpret the arc-like structure as a relic shock region produced by an outflow previously launched by IRAS 15398-3359. The velocity gradient along the linear structure can be explained as relic outflow motion. The origins of the newly observed arc-like structure and extended linear feature are discussed in relation to turbulent motions within the protostellar core and episodic accretion events during the earliest stage of protostellar evolution.

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arXiv2020

Dynamical stellar masses of pre-main sequence stars in Lupus and Taurus obtained with ALMA surveys in comparison with stellar evolutionary models

We analysed archival molecular line data of pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in the Lupus and Taurus star-forming regions obtained with ALMA surveys with an integration time of a few minutes per source. We stacked the data of $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O (J = 2-1 & 3-2) and CN (N = 3-2, J = 7/2-5/2) lines to enhance the signal-to-noise ratios, and measured the stellar masses of 45 out of 67 PMS stars from the Keplerian rotation in their circumstellar disks. The measured dynamical stellar masses were compared to the stellar masses estimated from the spectroscopic measurements with seven different stellar evolutionary models. We found that the magnetic model of Feiden (2016) provides the best estimate of the stellar masses in the mass range of $0.6~M_{\odot}\leq M_{\star} \leq 1.3~M_{\odot}$ with a deviation of $<$0.7$σ$ from the dynamical masses, while all the other models underestimate the stellar masses in this mass range by 20% to 40%. In the mass range of $<0.6~M_{\odot}$, the stellar masses estimated with the magnetic model of Feiden (2016) have a larger deviation ($>2σ$) from the dynamical masses, and other, non-magnetic stellar evolutionary models of Siess et al. (2000), Baraffe et al. (2015) and Feiden (2016) show better agreements with the dynamical masses with the deviations of 1.4$σ$ to 1.6$σ$. Our results show the mass dependence of the accuracy of these stellar evolutionary models.

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arXiv2020

A highly non-Keplerian protoplanetary disc: Spiral structure in the gas disc of CQ Tau

In the past years, high angular resolution observations have revealed that circumstellar discs appear in a variety of shapes with diverse substructures being ubiquitous. This has given rise to the question of whether these substructures are triggered by planet-disc interactions. Besides direct imaging, one of the most promising methods to distinguish between different disc shaping mechanisms is to study the kinematics of the gas disc. In particular, the deviations of the rotation profile from Keplerian velocity can be used to probe perturbations in the gas pressure profile that may be caused by embedded planets. In this paper we aim to analyze the gas brightness temperature and kinematics of the transitional disc around the CQ Tau star in order to resolve and characterize substructure in the gas, caused by possible perturbers. For our analysis we use spatially resolved ALMA observations of 12CO, 13CO and C18O (J=2-1). We further extract robust line centroids for each channel map and fit a number of Keplerian disc models to the velocity field. The gas kinematics of the CQ Tau disc present non-Keplerian features, showing bent and twisted iso-velocity curves in 12CO and 13CO. Significant spiral structures are detected between 10-180 au in both the brightness temperature and the rotation velocity of 12CO after subtraction of an azimuthally symmetric model, which may be tracing planet-disc interactions with an embedded planet or low-mass companion. We identify three spirals, two in the brightness temperature and one in the velocity residuals, spanning a large azimuth and radial extent. The brightness temperature spirals are morphologically connected to spirals observed in NIR scattered light in the same disc, indicating a common origin. Together with the observed large dust and gas cavity, the spirals support the hypothesis of a massive embedded companion in the CQ Tau disc.

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arXiv2020

Temperature structures of embedded disks: young disks in Taurus are warm

The chemical composition of gas and ice in disks around young stars set the bulk composition of planets. In contrast to protoplanetary disks (Class II), young disks that are still embedded in their natal envelope (Class 0 and I) are predicted to be too warm for CO to freeze out, as has been confirmed observationally for L1527 IRS. To establish whether young disks are generally warmer than their more evolved counterparts, we observed five young (Class 0/I and Class I) disks in Taurus with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), targeting C$^{17}$O $2-1$, H$_2$CO $3_{1,2}-2_{1,1}$, HDO $3_{1,2}-2_{2,1}$ and CH$_3$OH $5_K-4_K$ transitions at $0.48^{\prime\prime} \times 0.31^{\prime\prime}$ resolution. The different freeze-out temperatures of these species allow us to derive a global temperature structure. C$^{17}$O and H$_2$CO are detected in all disks, with no signs of CO freeze-out in the inner $\sim$100 au, and a CO abundance close to $\sim$10$^{-4}$. H$_2$CO emission originates in the surface layers of the two edge-on disks, as witnessed by the especially beautiful V-shaped emission pattern in IRAS~04302+2247. HDO and CH$_3$OH are not detected, with column density upper limits more than 100 times lower than for hot cores. Young disks are thus found to be warmer than more evolved protoplanetary disks around solar analogues, with no CO freeze-out (or only in the outermost part of $\gtrsim$100 au disks) or CO processing. However, they are not as warm as hot cores or disks around outbursting sources, and therefore do not have a large gas-phase reservoir of complex molecules.

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arXiv2020

ALMA chemical survey of disk-outflow sources in Taurus (ALMA-DOT): I. CO, CS, CN, and H2CO around DG Tau B

The chemical composition of planets is inherited by the distribution of the various molecular species in the protoplanetary disk at thetime of their formation. As of today, only a handful of disks has been imaged in multiple spectral lines with high spatial resolution. As part of a small campaign devoted to the chemical characterization of disk-outflow sources in Taurus, we report on new ALMA Band 6 observations with 20 au resolution toward the embedded young star DG Tau B. Images of the continuum emission reveals a dust disk with rings and, putatively, a leading spiral arm. The disk, as well as the prominent outflow cavities, are detected in CO, H2CO, CS, and CN while they remain undetected in SO2, HDO, and CH3OH. From the absorption of the back-side outflow, we inferred that the disk emission is optically thick in the inner 50 au. This morphology explains why no line emission is detected from this inner region and poses some limitations toward the calculation of the dust mass and the characterization of the inner gaseous disk. The H2CO and CS emission from the inner 200 au is mostly from the disk and their morphology is very similar. The CN emission significantly differs from the other two molecules as it is observed only beyond 150 au. This ring-like morphology is consistent with previous observations and the predictions of thermochemical disk models. Finally, we constrained the disk-integrated column density of all molecules. In particular, we found that the CH3OH/H2CO ratio must be smaller than 2, making the methanol non-detection still consistent with the only such a ratio available from the literature (1.27 in TW Hya).

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arXiv2019

A dust and gas cavity in the disc around CQ Tau revealed by ALMA

The combination of high resolution and sensitivity offered by ALMA is revolutionizing our understanding of protoplanetary discs, as their bulk gas and dust distributions can be studied independently. In this paper we present resolved ALMA observations of the continuum emission ($λ=1.3$ mm) and CO isotopologues ($^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O $J=2-1$) integrated intensity from the disc around the nearby ($d = 162$ pc), intermediate mass ($M_{\star}=1.67\,M_{\odot}$) pre-main-sequence star CQ Tau. The data show an inner depression in continuum, and in both $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O emission. We employ a thermo-chemical model of the disc reproducing both continuum and gas radial intensity profiles, together with the disc SED. The models show that a gas inner cavity with size between 15 and 25 au is needed to reproduce the data with a density depletion factor between $\sim 10^{-1}$ and $\sim 10^{-3}$. The radial profile of the distinct cavity in the dust continuum is described by a Gaussian ring centered at $R_{\rm dust}=53\,$au and with a width of $σ=13\,$au. Three dimensional gas and dust numerical simulations of a disc with an embedded planet at a separation from the central star of $\sim20\,$au and with a mass of $\sim 6\textrm{-} 9\,M_{\rm Jup}$ reproduce qualitatively the gas and dust profiles of the CQ Tau disc. However, a one planet model appears not to be able to reproduce the dust Gaussian density profile predicted using the thermo-chemical modeling.

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arXiv2018

Gas density perturbations induced by forming planet(s) in the AS 209 protoplanetary disk as seen with ALMA

The formation of planets occurs within protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars, resulting in perturbation of the gas and dust surface densities. Here, we report the first evidence of spatially resolved gas surface density ($Σ_{g}$) perturbation towards the AS~209 protoplanetary disk from the optically thin C$^{18}$O ($J=2-1$) emission. The observations were carried out at 1.3~mm with ALMA at a spatial resolution of about 0.3$\arcsec$ $\times$ 0.2$\arcsec$ (corresponding to $\sim$ 38 $\times$ 25 au). The C$^{18}$O emission shows a compact ($\le$60~au), centrally peaked emission and an outer ring peaking at 140~au, consistent with that observed in the continuum emission and, its azimuthally averaged radial intensity profile presents a deficit that is spatially coincident with the previously reported dust map. This deficit can only be reproduced with our physico-thermochemical disk model by lowering $Σ_{gas}$ by nearly an order of magnitude in the dust gaps. Another salient result is that contrary to C$^{18}$O, the DCO$^{+}$ ($J=3-2$) emission peaks between the two dust gaps. We infer that the best scenario to explain our observations (C$^{18}$O deficit and DCO$^{+}$ enhancement) is a gas perturbation due to forming-planet(s), that is commensurate with previous continuum observations of the source along with hydrodynamical simulations. Our findings confirm that the previously observed dust gaps are very likely due to perturbation of the gas surface density that is induced by a planet of at least 0.2~M$\rm_{Jupiter}$ in formation. Finally, our observations also show the potential of using CO isotopologues to probe the presence of saturn mass planet(s).

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arXiv2018

On the Effects of Self-Obscuration in the (Sub-)Millimeter Spectral Indices and Appearance of Protostellar Disks

In this paper we explore the effects of self-obscuration in protostellar disks with a radially decreasing temperature gradient and a colder midplane. We are motivated by recent reports of resolved dark lanes (`hamburgers') and (sub)mm spectral indices systematically below the ISM value for optically thin dust $α_{\rm ISM} =3.7$. We explore several model grids, scaling disk mass and varying inclination angle $i$ and observing frequency $ν$ from the VLA Ka band ($\sim 37$ GHz) to ALMA Band 8 ($\sim 405$ GHz). We also consider the effects of decreasing the index of the (sub-)mm dust opacity power law $β$ from 1.7 to 1. We find that a distribution of disk masses in the range $M_{\rm disk} = 0.01-2~M_\odot$ is needed to reproduce the observed distribution of spectral indices, and that assuming a fixed $β=1.7$ gives better results than $β=1$. A wide distribution of disk masses is also needed to produce some cases with $α<2$, as reported for some sources in the literature. Such extremely low spectral indices arise naturally when the selected observing frequencies sample the appropriate change in the temperature structure of the optically thick model disk. Our results show that protostellar disk masses could often be underestimated by $> \times10$, and are consistent with recent hydrodynamical simulations. Although we do not rule out the possibility of some grain growth occurring within the short protostellar timescales, we conclude that self-obscuration needs to be taken into account.

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arXiv2018

Probing the protoplanetary disk gas surface density distribution with $^{13}$CO emission

It is key to constrain the gas surface density distribution, Sigma_gas, as function of disk radius in protoplanetary disks. In this work we investigate if spatially resolved observations of rarer CO isotopologues may be good tracers of Sigma_gas. Physical-chemical models with different input Sigma_gas(R) are run. The input disk surface density profiles are compared with the simulated 13CO intensity radial profiles to check if and where the two follow each other. There is always an intermediate region in the disk where the slope of the 13CO radial emission profile and Sigma_gas(R) coincide. At small radii the line radial profile underestimates Sigma_gas, as 13CO emission becomes optically thick. The same happens at large radii where the column densities become too low and 13CO is not able to efficiently self-shield. If the gas surface density profile is a simple power-law of the radius, the input power-law index can be retrieved within 20% uncertainty if one choses the proper radial range. If instead Sigma_gas(R) follows the self-similar solution for a viscously evolving disk, retrieving the input power-law index becomes challenging, in particular for small disks. Nevertheless, it is found that the power-law index can be in any case reliably fitted at a given line intensity contour around 6 K km/s, and this produces a practical method to constrain the slope of Sigma_gas(R). Application of such a method is shown in the case study of the TW Hya disk. Spatially resolved 13CO line radial profiles are promising to probe the disk surface density distribution, as they directly trace Sigma_gas(R)profile at radii well resolvable by ALMA. There, chemical processes like freeze-out and isotope selective photodissociation do not affect the emission, and, assuming that the volatile carbon does not change with radius, no chemical model is needed when interpreting the observations.

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arXiv2018

Stellar masses and disk properties of Lupus young stellar objects traced by velocity-aligned stacked ALMA 13CO and C18O spectra

In recent ALMA surveys, the gas distributions and velocity structures of most of the protoplanetary disks can still not be imaged at high S/N due to the short integration time. In this work, we re-analyzed the ALMA 13CO (3-2) and C18O (3-2) data of 88 young stellar objects in Lupus with the velocity-aligned stacking method to enhance S/N and to study the kinematics and disk properties traced by molecular lines. This method aligns spectra at different positions in a disk based on the projected Keplerian velocities at their positions and then stacks them. This method enhances the S/N ratios of molecular-line data and allows us to obtain better detections and to constrain dynamical stellar masses and disk orientations. We obtain 13CO detections in 41 disks and C18O detections in 18 disks with 11 new detections in 13CO and 9 new detections in C18O after applying the method. We estimate the disk orientations and the dynamical stellar masses from the 13CO data. Our estimated dynamical stellar masses correlate with the spectroscopic stellar masses, and in a subsample of 16 sources, where the inclination angles are better constrained, the two masses are in a good agreement within the uncertainties and with a mean difference of 0.15 Msun. With more detections of fainter disks, our results show that high gas masses derived from the 13CO and C18O lines tend to be associated with high dust masses estimated from the continuum emission. Nevertheless, the scatter is large (0.9 dex), implying large uncertainties in deriving the disk gas mass from the line fluxes. We find that with such large uncertainties it is expected that there is no correlation between the disk gas mass and the mass accretion rate with the current data. Deeper observations to detect disks with gas masses <1E-5 Msun in molecular lines are needed to investigate the correlation between the disk gas mass and the mass accretion rate.

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arXiv2018

New insights into the nature of transition disks from a complete disk survey of the Lupus star forming region

Transition disks with large dust cavities around young stars are promising targets for studying planet formation. Previous studies have revealed the presence of gas cavities inside the dust cavities hinting at recently formed, giant planets. However, many of these studies are biased towards the brightest disks in the nearby star forming regions, and it is not possible to derive reliable statistics that can be compared with exoplanet populations. We present the analysis of 11 transition disks with large cavities (>20 AU radius) from a complete disk survey of the Lupus star forming region, using ALMA Band 7 observations at 0.3" (22-30 AU radius) resolution of the 345 GHz continuum, 13CO and C18O 3-2 observations and the Spectral Energy Distribution of each source. Gas and dust surface density profiles are derived using the physical-chemical modeling code DALI. This is the first study of transition disks of large cavities within a complete disk survey within a star forming region. The dust cavity sizes range from 20-90 AU radius and in three cases, a gas cavity is resolved as well. The deep drops in gas density and large dust cavity sizes are consistent with clearing by giant planets. The fraction of transition disks with large cavities in Lupus is ~11%, which is inconsistent with exoplanet population studies of giant planets at wide orbits. Furthermore, we present a hypothesis of an evolutionary path for large massive disks evolving into transition disks with large cavities.

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arXiv2017

ALMA Survey of Lupus Protoplanetary Disks I: Dust and Gas Masses

We present the first high-resolution sub-mm survey of both dust and gas for a large population of protoplanetary disks. Characterizing fundamental properties of protoplanetary disks on a statistical level is critical to understanding how disks evolve into the diverse exoplanet population. We use ALMA to survey 89 protoplanetary disks around stars with $M_{\ast}>0.1~M_{\odot}$ in the young (1--3~Myr), nearby (150--200~pc) Lupus complex. Our observations cover the 890~$μ$m continuum and the $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O 3--2 lines. We use the sub-mm continuum to constrain $M_{\rm dust}$ to a few Martian masses (0.2--0.4~$M_{\oplus}$) and the CO isotopologue lines to constrain $M_{\rm gas}$ to roughly a Jupiter mass (assuming ISM-like $\rm {[CO]/[H_2]}$ abundance). Of 89 sources, we detect 62 in continuum, 36 in $^{13}$CO, and 11 in C$^{18}$O at $>3σ$ significance. Stacking individually undetected sources limits their average dust mass to $\lesssim6$ Lunar masses (0.03~$M_{\oplus}$), indicating rapid evolution once disk clearing begins. We find a positive correlation between $M_{\rm dust}$ and $M_{\ast}$, and present the first evidence for a positive correlation between $M_{\rm gas}$ and $M_{\ast}$, which may explain the dependence of giant planet frequency on host star mass. The mean dust mass in Lupus is 3$\times$ higher than in Upper Sco, while the dust mass distributions in Lupus and Taurus are statistically indistinguishable. Most detected disks have $M_{\rm gas}\lesssim1~M_{\rm Jup}$ and gas-to-dust ratios $<100$, assuming ISM-like $\rm {[CO]/[H_2]}$ abundance; unless CO is very depleted, the inferred gas depletion indicates that planet formation is well underway by a few Myr and may explain the unexpected prevalence of super-Earths in the exoplanet population.

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arXiv2017

HD far infrared emission as a measure of protoplanetary disk mass

Protoplanetary disks around young stars are the sites of planet formation. While the dust mass can be estimated using standard methods, determining the gas mass - and thus the amount of material available to form giant planets - has proven to be very difficult. Hydrogen deuteride (HD) is a promising alternative to the commonly-used gas mass tracer, CO. We aim to examine the robustness of HD as tracer of the disk gas mass, specifically the effect of gas mass on the HD FIR emission and its sensitivity to the vertical structure. Deuterium chemistry reactions relevant for HD were implemented in the thermochemical code DALI and models were run for a range of disk masses and vertical structures. The HD J=1-0 line intensity depends directly on the gas mass through a sublinear power law relation with a slope of ~0.8. Assuming no prior knowledge about the vertical structure of a disk and using only the HD 1-0 flux, gas masses can be estimated to within a factor of 2 for low mass disks (M$_{\rm disk} < 10^{-3}$ M$_\odot$). For more massive disks, this uncertainty increases to more than an order of magnitude. Adding the HD 2-1 line or independent information about the vertical structure can reduce this uncertainty to a factor of ~3 for all disk masses. For TW Hya, using the radial and vertical structure from Kama et al. 2016b the observations constrain the gas mass to $6\cdot10^{-3}$ M$_\odot$ < M$_{\rm disk} < 9\cdot10^{-3}$ M$_\odot$. Future observations require a 5$σ$ sensitivity of $1.8\cdot10^{-20}$ W m$^{-2}$ ($2.5\cdot10^{-20}$ W m$^{-2}$) and a spectral resolving power R > 300 (1000) to detect HD 1-0 (HD 2-1) for all disk masses above $10^{-5}$ M$_\odot$ with a line-to-continuum ratio > 0.01. These results show that HD can be used as an independent gas mass tracer with a relatively low uncertainty and should be considered as an important science goal for future FIR missions.

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arXiv2017

An ALMA Survey of Protoplanetary Disks in the $σ$ Orionis Cluster

The $σ$ Orionis cluster is important for studying protoplanetary disk evolution, as its intermediate age ($\sim$3-5 Myr) is comparable to the median disk lifetime. We use ALMA to conduct a high-sensitivity survey of dust and gas in 92 protoplanetary disks around $σ$ Orionis members with $M_{\ast}\gtrsim0.1 M_{\odot}$. Our observations cover the 1.33 mm continuum and several CO $J=2-1$ lines: out of 92 sources, we detect 37 in the mm continuum and six in $^{12}$CO, three in $^{13}$CO, and none in C$^{18}$O. Using the continuum emission to estimate dust mass, we find only 11 disks with $M_{\rm dust}\gtrsim10 M_{\oplus}$, indicating that after only a few Myr of evolution most disks lack sufficient dust to form giant planet cores. Stacking the individually undetected continuum sources limits their average dust mass to 5$\times$ lower than that of the faintest detected disk, supporting theoretical models that indicate rapid dissipation once disk clearing begins. Comparing the protoplanetary disk population in $σ$ Orionis to those of other star-forming regions supports the steady decline in average dust mass and the steepening of the $M_{\rm dust}$-$M_{\ast}$ relation with age; studying these evolutionary trends can inform the relative importance of different disk processes during key eras of planet formation. External photoevaporation from the central O9 star is influencing disk evolution throughout the region: dust masses clearly decline with decreasing separation from the photoionizing source, and the handful of CO detections exist at projected separations $>1.5$ pc. Collectively, our findings indicate that giant planet formation is inherently rare and/or well underway by a few Myr of age.

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