arXiv subjects

H. M. Günther

Publications and source records attributed to H. M. Günther.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Science of High Resolution X-ray Imaging

This report summarizes potential studies of the Hi-ReX Science Analysis Group for an Ultra-High Angular Resolution X-ray Observatory. Many potential science cases are presented, spanning a range of astrophysical topics from solar system planets and exoplanets to supermassive black holes and cosmology. These cases demonstrate the value of X-ray imaging beyond current capabilities with an aim toward milli-arcsecond and micro-arcsecond angular scales. There is an imaging gap between the current capability of the best X-ray imaging telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, compared to that of instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum. Next-generation, ultra-high angular resolution X-ray imaging will close this gap and transform our understanding of the universe and fundamental physics.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

RW Aur A : SpeX Spectral Evidence for Differentiated Planetesimal Formation, Migration and Destruction in an 3 Myr Old Excited CTTS System

We present 2007 - 2020 SpeX VISNIR spectral monitoring of the highly variable RW Aur A CTTS. We find direct evidence for a highly excited, IR bright, asymmetric, and time variable system. Comparison of the spectral and temporal trends found determines 5 different components: (1) a stable continuum from 0.7 - 1.3 um, with approx color temperature 4000K, produced by the CTTS photospheric surface; (2) variable hydrogen emission lines emitted from hot excited hydrogen in the CTTSs protostellar atmosphere/accretion envelope; (3) hot CO gas in the CTTSs protostellar atmosphere/accretion envelope; (4) highly variable 1.8-5.0 um thermal continuum emission with color temperature ranging from 1130 to 1650K, due to a surrounding accretion disk that is spatially variable and has an inner wall at r = 0.04 AU and T = 1650K, and outer edges at approx 1200K; and (5) transient, bifurcated signatures of abundant Fe II + associated SI, SiI, and SrI in the systems jet structures. The bifuracted signatures first appeared in 2015, but these collapsed and disappeared into a small single peak protostellar atmosphere feature by late 2020. The temporal evolution of RW Aur As spectral signatures is consistent with a dynamically excited CTTS system forming differentiated Vesta-sized planetesimals in an asymmetric accretion disk and migrating them inward to be destructively accreted. By contrast, nearby, coeval binary companion RW Aur B evinces only (1) a stable WTTS photospheric continuum from 0.7 - 1.3 um + (3) cold CO gas in absorption + (4) stable 1.8-5.0 um thermal disk continuum emission with color temperature approx 1650K.

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arXiv2021

UV Fluorescence Traces Gas and LyA Evolution in Protoplanetary Disks

Ultraviolet spectra of protoplanetary disks trace distributions of warm gas at radii where rocky planets form. We combine HST-COS observations of H2 and CO emission from 12 classical T Tauri stars to more extensively map inner disk surface layers, where gas temperature distributions allow radially stratified fluorescence from the two species. We calculate empirical emitting radii for each species under the assumption that the line widths are entirely set by Keplerian broadening, demonstrating that the CO fluorescence originates further from the stars (r ~ 20 AU) than the H2 (r ~ 0.8 AU). This is supported by 2-D radiative transfer models, which show that the peak and outer radii of the CO flux distributions generally extend further into the outer disk than the H2. These results also indicate that additional sources of LyA photons remain unaccounted for, requiring more complex models to fully reproduce the molecular gas emission. As a first step, we confirm that the morphologies of the UV-CO bands and LyA radiation fields are significantly correlated and discover that both trace the degree of dust disk evolution. The UV tracers appear to follow the same sequence of disk evolution as forbidden line emission from jets and winds, as the observed LyA profiles transition between dominant red wing and dominant blue wing shapes when the high-velocity optical emission disappears. Our results suggest a scenario where UV radiation fields, disk winds and jets, and molecular gas evolve in harmony with the dust disks throughout their lifetimes.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

PENELLOPE: the ESO data legacy program to complement the Hubble UV Legacy Library of Young Stars (ULLYSES) I. Survey presentation and accretion properties of Orion OB1 and $σ$-Orionis

The evolution of young stars and disks is driven by the interplay of several processes, notably accretion and ejection of material. Critical to correctly describe the conditions of planet formation, these processes are best probed spectroscopically. About five-hundred orbits of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) are being devoted in 2020-2022 to the ULLYSES public survey of about 70 low-mass (M<2Msun) young (age<10 Myr) stars at UV wavelengths. Here we present the PENELLOPE Large Program that is being carried out at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) to acquire, contemporaneous to HST, optical ESPRESSO/UVES high-resolution spectra to investigate the kinematics of the emitting gas, and UV-to-NIR X-Shooter medium-resolution flux-calibrated spectra to provide the fundamental parameters that HST data alone cannot provide, such as extinction and stellar properties. The data obtained by PENELLOPE have no proprietary time, and the fully reduced spectra are made available to the whole community. Here, we describe the data and the first scientific analysis of the accretion properties for the sample of thirteen targets located in the Orion OB1 association and in the sigma-Orionis cluster, observed in Nov-Dec 2020. We find that the accretion rates are in line with those observed previously in similarly young star-forming regions, with a variability on a timescale of days of <3. The comparison of the fits to the continuum excess emission obtained with a slab model on the X-Shooter spectra and the HST/STIS spectra shows a shortcoming in the X-Shooter estimates of <10%, well within the assumed uncertainty. Its origin can be either a wrong UV extinction curve or due to the simplicity of this modelling, and will be investigated in the course of the PENELLOPE program. The combined ULLYSES and PENELLOPE data will be key for a better understanding of the accretion/ejection mechanisms in young stars.

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arXiv2020

Discovery of a jet from the single HAe/Be star HD 100546

Young accreting stars drive outflows that collimate into jets, which can be seen hundreds of au from their driving sources. Accretion and outflow activity cease with system age, and it is believed that magneto-centrifugally launched disk winds are critical agents in regulating accretion through the protoplanetary disk. Protostellar jets are well studied in classical T~Tauri stars ($M_\star\lesssim2\,M_\odot$), while few nearby ($d\lesssim150\,$pc) intermediate-mass stars ($M_\star=2-10\,M_\odot$), known as Herbig Ae/Be stars, have detected jets. We report VLT/MUSE observations of the Herbig~Ae/Be star HD~100546 and the discovery of a protostellar jet. The jet is similar in appearance to jets driven by low-mass stars and compares well with the jet of HD~163296, the only other known optical jet from a nearby Herbig~Ae/Be star. We derive a (one-sided) mass-loss rate in the jet of $\log \dot{M}_{jet} \sim -9.5$ (in $M_\odot$\,yr$^{-1}$) and a ratio of outflow to accretion of roughly $3\times10^{-3}$, which is lower than that of CTTS jets. The discovery of the HD~100546 jet is particularly interesting because the protoplanetary disk around HD~100546 shows a large radial gap, spiral structure, and might host a protoplanetary system. A bar-like structure previously seen in H$α$ with VLT/SPHERE shares the jet position angle, likely represents the base of the jet, and suggests a jet-launching region within about 2\,au. We conclude that the evolution of the disk at radii beyond a few au does not affect the ability of the system to launch jets.

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arXiv2020

The UV Perspective of Low-Mass Star Formation

The formation of low-mass stars in molecular clouds involves accretion disks and jets, which are of broad astrophysical interest. Accreting stars represent the closest examples of these phenomena. Star and planet formation are also intimately connected, setting the starting point for planetary systems like our own. The ultraviolet (UV) spectral range is particularly suited to study star formation, because virtually all relevant processes radiate at temperatures associated with UV emission processes or have strong observational signatures in the UV. In this review, we describe how UV observations provide unique diagnostics for the accretion process, the physical properties of the protoplanetary disk, and jets and outflows.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Probing UV-Sensitive Pathways for CN and HCN Formation in Protoplanetary Disks with the Hubble Space Telescope

The UV radiation field is a critical regulator of gas-phase chemistry in surface layers of disks around young stars. In an effort to understand the relationship between photocatalyzing UV radiation fields and gas emission observed at infrared and sub-mm wavelengths, we present an analysis of new and archival HST, Spitzer, ALMA, IRAM, and SMA data for five targets in the Lupus cloud complex and 14 systems in Taurus-Auriga. The HST spectra were used to measure LyA and FUV continuum fluxes reaching the disk surface, which are responsible for dissociating relevant molecular species (e.g. HCN, N2). Semi-forbidden C II] 2325 and UV-fluorescent H2 emission were also measured to constrain inner disk populations of C+ and vibrationally excited H2. We find a significant positive correlation between 14 micron HCN emission and fluxes from the FUV continuum and C II] 2325, consistent with model predictions requiring N2 photodissociation and carbon ionization to trigger the main CN/HCN formation pathways. We also report significant negative correlations between sub-mm CN emission and both C II] and FUV continuum fluxes, implying that CN is also more readily dissociated in disks with stronger FUV irradiation. No clear relationships are detected between either CN or HCN and LyA or UV-H2 emission. This is attributed to the spatial stratification of the various molecular species, which span several vertical layers and radii across the inner and outer disk. We expect that future observations with JWST will build on this work by enabling more sensitive IR surveys than were possible with Spitzer.

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arXiv2018

Multiepoch, multiwavelength study of accretion onto T Tauri: X-ray versus optical and UV accretion tracers

Classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) accrete matter from the inner edge of their surrounding circumstellar disks. The impact of the accretion material on the stellar atmosphere results in a strong shock, which causes emission from the X-ray to the near-infrared (NIR) domain. Shock velocities of several 100 km s$^{-1}$ imply that the immediate post shock plasma emits mainly in X-rays. Indeed, two X-ray diagnostics, the so-called soft excess and the high densities observed in He-like triplets, differentiate CTTSs from their non-accreting siblings. However, accretion shock properties derived from X-ray diagnostics often contradict established ultraviolet (UV)-NIR accretion tracers and a physical model simultaneously explaining both, X-ray and UV-NIR accretion tracers, is not yet available. We present new XMM-Newton and Chandra grating observations of the CTTS T Tauri combined with UV and optical data. During all epochs, the soft excess is large and the densities derived from the O VII and Ne IX He-like triplets are compatible with coronal densities. This confirms that the soft X-ray emission cannot originate in accretion funnels that carry the bulk of the accretion rate despite T Tauri's large soft excess. Instead, we propose a model of radially density stratified accretion columns to explain the density diagnostics and the soft excess. In addition, accretion rate and X-ray luminosity are inversely correlated in T Tauri over several epochs. Such an anti-correlation has been observed in samples of stars. Hence the process causing it must be intrinsic to the accretion process, and we speculate that the stellar magnetic field configuration on the visibile hemisphere affects both the accretion rate and the coronal emission, eventually causing the observed anti-correlation.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

A UV-to-NIR Study of Molecular Gas in the Dust Cavity Around RY Lupi

We present a study of molecular gas in the inner disk $\left(r < 20 \, \text{AU} \right)$ around RY Lupi, with spectra from HST-COS, HST-STIS, and VLT-CRIRES. We model the radial distribution of flux from hot gas in a surface layer between $r = 0.1-10$ AU, as traced by Ly$α$-pumped H$_2$. The result shows H$_2$ emission originating in a ring centered at $\sim$3 AU that declines within $r < 0.1$ AU, which is consistent with the behavior of disks with dust cavities. An analysis of the H$_2$ line shapes shows that a two-component Gaussian profile $\left(\text{FWHM}_{broad, H_2} = 105 \pm 15 \, \text{km s}^{-1}; \, \text{FWHM}_{narrow, H_2} = 43 \pm 13 \, \text{km s}^{-1} \right)$ is statistically preferred to a single-component Gaussian. We interpret this as tentative evidence for gas emitting from radially separated disk regions $\left( \left \langle r_{broad, H_2} \right \rangle \sim 0.4 \pm 0.1 \, \text{AU}; \, \left \langle r_{narrow, H_2} \right \rangle \sim 3 \pm 2 \, \text{AU} \right)$. The 4.7 $μ$m $^{12}$CO emission lines are also well fit by two-component profiles $\left( \left \langle r_{broad, CO} \right \rangle = 0.4 \pm 0.1 \, \text{AU}; \, \left \langle r_{narrow, CO} \right \rangle = 15 \pm 2 \, \text{AU} \right)$. We combine these results with 10 $μ$m observations to form a picture of gapped structure within the mm-imaged dust cavity, providing the first such overview of the inner regions of a young disk. The HST SED of RY Lupi is available online for use in modeling efforts.

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arXiv2018

The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package

The Astropy project supports and fosters the development of open-source and openly-developed Python packages that provide commonly-needed functionality to the astronomical community. A key element of the Astropy project is the core package Astropy, which serves as the foundation for more specialized projects and packages. In this article, we provide an overview of the organization of the Astropy project and summarize key features in the core package as of the recent major release, version 2.0. We then describe the project infrastructure designed to facilitate and support development for a broader ecosystem of inter-operable packages. We conclude with a future outlook of planned new features and directions for the broader Astropy project.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

Chandra Characterization of X-ray Emission in the Young F-Star Binary System HD 113766

Using Chandra we have obtained imaging X-ray spectroscopy of the 10 to 16 Myr old F-star binary HD 113766. We individually resolve the binary components for the first time in the X-ray and find a total 0.3 to 2.0 keV luminosity of 2.2e29 erg/sec, consistent with previous RASS estimates. We find emission from the easternmost, infrared-bright, dusty member HD 113766A to be only 10% that of the western, infrared-faint member HD 113766B. There is no evidence for a 3rd late-type stellar or sub-stellar member of HD113766 with Lx > 6e25 erg s-1 within 2 arcmin of the binary pair. The ratio of the two stars Xray luminosity is consistent with their assignments as F2V and F6V by Pecaut et al. (2012). The emission is soft for both stars, kTApec = 0.30 to 0.50 keV, suggesting X-rays produced by stellar rotation and/or convection in young dynamos, but not accretion or outflow shocks which we rule out. A possible 2.8 +/- 0.15 (2σ) hr modulation in the HD 113766B X-ray emission is seen, but at very low confidence and of unknown provenance. Stellar wind drag models corresponding to Lx = 2e29 erg s-1 argue for a 1 mm dust particle lifetime around HD 113766B of only 90,0000 years, suggesting that dust around HD 113766B is quickly removed, whereas dust around HD 113766A can survive for > 1.5e6 yrs. At 1e28 to 1e29 erg s-1 luminosity, astrobiologically important effects, like dust warming and X-ray photolytic organic synthesis, are likely for any circumstellar material in the HD 113766 systems.

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arXiv2015

Modelling telluric line spectra in the optical and infrared with an application to VLT/X-Shooter spectra

Earth's atmosphere imprints a large number of telluric absorption and emission lines on astronomical spectra, especially in the near infrared, that need to be removed before analysing the affected wavelength regions. These lines are typically removed by comparison to A- or B-type stars used as telluric standards that themselves have strong hydrogen lines, which complicates the removal of telluric lines. We have developed a method to circumvent that problem. For our IDL software package tellrem we used a recent approach to model telluric absorption features with the line-by-line radiative transfer model (LBLRTM). The broad wavelength coverage of the X-Shooter at VLT allows us to expand their technique by determining the abundances of the most important telluric molecules H2O, O2, CO2, and CH4 from sufficiently isolated line groups. For individual observations we construct a telluric absorption model for most of the spectral range that is used to remove the telluric absorption from the object spectrum. We remove telluric absorption from both continuum regions and emission lines without systematic residuals for most of the processable spectral range; however, our method increases the statistical errors. The errors of the corrected spectrum typically increase by 10% for S/N~10 and by a factor of two for high-quality data (S/N~100), i.e. the method is accurate on the percent level. Modelling telluric absorption can be an alternative to the observation of standard stars for removing telluric contamination.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

X-raying circumstellar material around young stars

Young stars are surrounded by copious amounts of circumstellar material. Its composition, in particular its gas-to-dust ratio, is an important parameter. However, measuring this ratio is challenging, because gas mass estimates are often model dependent. X-ray absorption is sensitive to the gas along the line-of-sight while optical/near-IR extinction depends on the dust content. Therefore, the gas-to-dust ratio of an absorber is given by the ratio between X-ray and optical/near-IR extinction. We present three systems where we used X-ray and optical/near-IR data to constrain the gas-to-dust ratio of circumstellar material; from a dust-rich debris disk to gaseous protoplanetary disks.

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arXiv2015

The nature of the 2014-2015 dim state of RW Aur revealed by X-ray, optical, and NIR observations

The binary system RW Aur consists of two classical T~Tauri stars (CTTSs). The primary recently underwent its second observed major dimming event ($ΔV\,\sim2\,$mag). We present new, resolved Chandra X-ray and UKIRT near-IR (NIR) data as well as unresolved optical photometry obtained in the dim state to study the gas and dust content of the absorber causing the dimming. The X-ray data show that the absorbing column density increased from $N_H<0.1\times10^{22}\,$cm$^{-2}$ during the bright state to $\approx2\times10^{22}\,$cm$^{-2}$ in the dim state. The brightness ratio between dim and bright state at optical to NIR wavelengths shows only a moderate wavelength dependence and the NIR color-color diagram suggests no substantial reddening. Taken together, this indicates gray absorption by large grains ($\gtrsim1\,μ$m) with a dust mass column density of $\gtrsim2\times10^{-4}\,$g$\,$cm$^{-2}$. Comparison with $N_H$ shows that an absorber responsible for the optical/NIR dimming and the X-ray absorption is compatible with the ISM's gas-to-dust ratio, i.e., that grains grow in the disk surface layers without largely altering the gas-to-dust ratio. Lastly, we discuss a scenario in which a common mechanism can explain the long-lasting dimming in RW Aur and recently in AA Tau.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

X-ray to NIR emission from AA Tauri during the dim state - Occultation of the inner disk and gas-to-dust ratio of the absorber

AA Tau is a well-studied, nearby classical T Tauri star, which is viewed almost edge-on. A warp in its inner disk periodically eclipses the central star, causing a clear modulation of its optical light curve. The system underwent a major dimming event beginning in 2011 caused by an extra absorber, which is most likely associated with additional disk material in the line of sight toward the central source. We present new XMM-Newton X-ray, Hubble Space Telescope FUV, and ground based optical and near-infrared data of the system obtained in 2013 during the long-lasting dim phase. The line width decrease of the fluorescent H$_2$ disk emission shows that the extra absorber is located at $r>1\,$au. Comparison of X-ray absorption ($N_H$) with dust extinction ($A_V$), as derived from measurements obtained one inner disk orbit (eight days) after the X-ray measurement, indicates that the gas-to-dust ratio as probed by the $N_H$ to $A_V$ ratio of the extra absorber is compatible with the ISM ratio. Combining both results suggests that the extra absorber, i.e., material at $r>1\,$au, has no significant gas excess in contrast to the elevated gas-to-dust ratio previously derived for material in the inner region ($\lesssim0.1\,$au).

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

YSOVAR: mid-infrared variability of young stellar objects and their disks in the cluster IRAS 20050+2720

We present a time-variability study of young stellar objects in the cluster IRAS 20050+2720, performed at 3.6 and 4.5 micron with the Spitzer Space Telescope; this study is part of the Young Stellar Object VARiability project (YSOVAR). We have collected light curves for 181 cluster members over 40 days. We find a high variability fraction among embedded cluster members of ca. 70%, whereas young stars without a detectable disk display variability less often (in ca. 50% of the cases) and with lower amplitudes. We detect periodic variability for 33 sources with periods primarily in the range of 2-6 days. Practically all embedded periodic sources display additional variability on top of their periodicity. Furthermore, we analyze the slopes of the tracks that our sources span in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD). We find that sources with long variability time scales tend to display CMD slopes that are at least partially influenced by accretion processes, while sources with short variability time scales tend to display extinction-dominated slopes. We find a tentative trend of X-ray detected cluster members to vary on longer time scales than the X-ray undetected members.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

HST FUV monitoring of TW Hya

Classical T Tauri stars (CTTS) are young (< 10 Myr), cool stars that actively accrete matter from a disk. They show strong, broad and asymmetric, atomic FUV emission lines. Neither the width, nor the line profile is understood. Likely, different mechanisms influence the line profile; the best candidates are accretion, winds and stellar activity. We monitored the C IV 1548/1550 Ang doublet in the nearby, bright CTTS TW Hya with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origin Spectrograph (HST/COS) to correlate it with i) the cool wind, as seen in COS NUV Mg II line profiles, ii) the photometric period from joint ground-based monitoring, iii) the accretion rate as determined from the UV continuum, and iv) the Ha line profile from independent ground-based observations. The observations span 10 orbits distributed over a few weeks to cover the typical time scales of stellar rotation, accretion and winds. Here we describe a model with intrinsically asymmetric C IV lines.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Upgrading the Solar-Stellar Connection: News about activity in Cool Stars

In this splinter session, ten speakers presented results on solar and stellar activity and how the two fields are connected. This was followed by a lively discussion and supplemented by short, one-minute highlight talks. The talks presented new theoretical and observational results on mass accretion on the Sun, the activity rate of flare stars, the evolution of the stellar magnetic field on time scales of a single cycle and over the lifetime of a star, and two different approaches to model the radial-velocity jitter in cool stars that is due to the granulation on the surface. Talks and discussion showed how much the interpretation of stellar activity data relies on the sun and how the large number of objects available in stellar studies can extend the parameter range of activity models.

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