arXiv subjects

Jon E. Bjorkman

Publications and source records attributed to Jon E. Bjorkman.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Outbursts and stellar properties of the classical Be star HD 6226

The bright and understudied classical Be star HD 6226 has exhibited multiple outbursts in the last several years during which the star grew a viscous decretion disk. We analyze 659 optical spectra of the system collected from 2017-2020, along with a UV spectrum from the Hubble Space Telescope and high cadence photometry from both TESS and the KELT survey. We find that the star has a spectral type of B2.5IIIe, with a rotation rate of 74% of critical. The star is nearly pole-on with an inclination of $13.4$ degree. We confirm the spectroscopic pulsational properties previously reported, and report on three photometric oscillations from KELT photometry. The outbursting behavior is studied with equivalent width measurements of H$α$ and H$β$, and the variations in both of these can be quantitatively explained with two frequencies through a Fourier analysis. One of the frequencies for the emission outbursts is equal to the difference between two photometric oscillations, linking these pulsation modes to the mass ejection mechanism for some outbursts. During the TESS observation time period of 2019 October 7 to 2019 November 2, the star was building a disk. With a large dataset of H$α$ and H$β$ spectroscopy, we are able to determine the timescales of dissipation in both of these lines, similar to past work on Be stars that has been done with optical photometry. HD 6226 is an ideal target with which to study the Be disk-evolution given its apparent periodic nature, allowing for targeted observations with other facilities in the future.

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arXiv2017

The life cycles of Be viscous decretion discs: time-dependent modelling of infrared continuum observations

We apply the viscous decretion disc (VDD) model to interpret the infrared disc continuum emission of 80 Be stars observed in different epochs. In this way, we determined 169 specific disc structures, namely their density scale, $ρ_0$, and exponent, $n$. We found that the $n$ values range mainly between $1.5$ and $3.5$, and $ρ_0$ varies between $10^{-12}$ and $10^{-10}\,\mathrm{g\,cm^{-3}}$, with a peak close to the lower value. Our large sample also allowed us to firmly establish that the discs around early-type stars are denser than in late-type stars. Additionally, we estimated the disc mass decretion rates and found that they range between $10^{-12}$ and $10^{-9}\,\mathrm{M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}}$. These values are compatible with recent stellar evolution models of fast-rotating stars. One of the main findings of this work is a correlation between the $ρ_0$ and $n$ values. In order to find out whether these relations can be traced back to the evolution of discs or have some other origin, we used the VDD model to calculate temporal sequences under different assumptions for the time profile of the disc mass injection. The results support the hypothesis that the observed distribution of disc properties is due to a common evolutionary path. In particular, our results suggest that the timescale for disc growth, during which the disc is being actively fed by mass injection episodes, is shorter than the timescale for disc dissipation, when the disc is no longer fed by the star and dissipates as a result of the viscous diffusion of the disc material.

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arXiv2016

The Complex Circumstellar and Circumbinary Environment of V356 Sgr

We analyze 45 spectropolarimetric observations of the eclipsing, interacting binary star V356 Sgr, obtained over a period of 21 years, to characterize the geometry of the system's circumstellar material. After removing interstellar polarization from these data, we find the system exhibits a large intrinsic polarization signature arising from electron scattering. In addition, the lack of repeatable eclipses in the polarization phase curves indicates the presence of a substantial pool of scatterers not occulted by either star. We suggest that these scatterers form either a circumbinary disk coplanar with the gainer's accretion disk or an elongated structure perpendicular to the orbital plane of V356 Sgr, possibly formed by bipolar outflows. We also observe small-scale, cycle-to-cycle variations in the magnitude of intrinsic polarization at individual phases, which we interpret as evidence of variability in the amount of scattering material present within and around the system. This may indicate a mass transfer or mass loss rate that varies on the time-scale of the system's orbital period. Finally, we compare the basic polarimetric properties of V356 Sgr with those of the well studied beta Lyr system; the significant differences observed between the two systems suggests diversity in the basic circumstellar geometry of Roche-lobe overflow systems

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arXiv2016

Non-isothermal effects on Be disks

In the last decade, the viscous decretion disk model has emerged as the new paradigm for Be star disks. In this contribution, we propose a simple analytical model to estimate the continuum infrared excess arising from these circumstellar disks, in the light of the currently accepted scenario. We demonstrate that the disk can be satisfactorily described by a two component system: an inner optically thick region, which we call the pseudo-photosphere, and a diffuse outer part. In particular, a direct connexion between the disk brightness profile and the thermal structure is derived, and then confronted to realistic numerical simulations. This result quantifies how the non-isothermality of the disk ultimately affects both infrared measured fluxes and visibilities.

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arXiv2015

The pseudo-photosphere model for the continuum emission of gaseous discs

We investigate the continuum emission of viscous decretion discs around Be stars in this paper. The results obtained from non-LTE (local thermodynamic equilibrium) radiative transfer models show two regimes in the disc surface brightness profile: an inner optically thick region, which behaves as a pseudo-photosphere with a wavelength-dependent size, and an optically thin tenuous outer part, which contributes with about a third of the total flux. The isophotal shape of the surface brightness is well described by elliptical contours with an axial ratio $b/a=\cos i$ for inclinations $i<75^{\circ}$. Based on these properties, a semi-analytical model was developed to describe the continuum emission of gaseous discs. It provides fluxes and spectral slopes at the infrared within an accuracy of $10\%$ and $5\%$, respectively, when compared to the numerical results. The model indicates that the infrared spectral slope is mainly determined by both the density radial slope and the disc flaring exponent, being practically independent of disc inclination and base density. As a first application, the density structure of 15 Be stars was investigated, based on the infrared flux excess, and the results compared to previous determinations in the literature. Our results indicate that the decretion rates are in the range of $10^{-12}$ to $10^{-9}\,{\rm M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}}$, which is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than the previous outflowing disc model predictions.

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arXiv2014

Disk-Loss and Disk-Renewal Phases in Classical Be Stars II. Contrasting with Stable and Variable Disks

Recent observational and theoretical studies of classical Be stars have established the utility of polarization color diagrams (PCD) in helping to constrain the time-dependent mass decretion rates of these systems. We expand on our pilot observational study of this phenomenon, and report the detailed analysis of a long-term (1989-2004) spectropolarimetric survey of 9 additional classical Be stars, including systems exhibiting evidence of partial disk-loss/disk-growth episodes as well as systems exhibiting long-term stable disks. After carefully characterizing and removing the interstellar polarization along the line of sight to each of these targets, we analyze their intrinsic polarization behavior. We find that many steady-state Be disks pause at the top of the PCD, as predicted by theory. We also observe sharp declines in the Balmer jump polarization for later spectral type, near edge-on steady-state disks, again as recently predicted by theory, likely caused when the base density of the disk is very high, and the outer region of the edge-on disk starts to self absorb a significant number of Balmer jump photons. The intrinsic $V$-band polarization and polarization position angle of $γ$ Cas exhibits variations that seem to phase with the orbital period of a known one-armed density structure in this disk, similar to the theoretical predictions of Halonen & Jones. We also observe stochastic jumps in the intrinsic polarization across the Balmer jump of several known Be+sdO systems, and speculate that the thermal inflation of part of the outer region of these disks could be responsible for producing this observational phenomenon. Finally, we estimate the base densities of this sample of stars to be between $\approx 8\times 10^{-11}$ to $\approx 4 \times 10^{-12}\,\rm g cm^{-3}$ during quasi steady state periods given there maximum observed polarization.

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arXiv2013

Anomalous CO2 Ice Toward HOPS-68: A Tracer of Protostellar Feedback

We report the detection of a unique CO2 ice band toward the deeply embedded, low-mass protostar HOPS-68. Our spectrum, obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, reveals a 15.2 micron CO2 ice bending mode profile that cannot modeled with the same ice structure typically found toward other protostars. We develop a modified CO2 ice profile decomposition, including the addition of new high-quality laboratory spectra of pure, crystalline CO2 ice. Using this model, we find that 87-92% of the CO2 is sequestered as spherical, CO2-rich mantles, while typical interstellar ices show evidence of irregularly-shaped, hydrogen-rich mantles. We propose that (1) the nearly complete absence of unprocessed ices along the line-of-sight is due to the flattened envelope structure of HOPS-68, which lacks cold absorbing material in its outer envelope, and possesses an extreme concentration of material within its inner (10 AU) envelope region and (2) an energetic event led to the evaporation of inner envelope ices, followed by cooling and re-condensation, explaining the sequestration of spherical, CO2 ice mantles in a hydrogen-poor mixture. The mechanism responsible for the sublimation could be either a transient accretion event or shocks in the interaction region between the protostellar outflow and envelope. The proposed scenario is consistent with the rarity of the observed CO2 ice profile, the formation of nearly pure CO2 ice, and the production of spherical ice mantles. HOPS-68 may therefore provide a unique window into the protostellar feedback process, as outflows and heating shape the physical and chemical structure of protostellar envelopes and molecular clouds.

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arXiv2011

The first determination of the viscosity parameter in the circumstellar disk of a Be Star

Be stars possess gaseous circumstellar decretion disks, which are well described using standard $α$-disk theory. The Be star 28 CMa recently underwent a long outburst followed by a long period of quiescence, during which the disk dissipated. Here we present the first time-dependent models of the dissipation of a viscous decretion disk. By modeling the rate of decline of the V-band excess, we determine that the viscosity parameter $α=1.0\pm0.2$, corresponding to a mass injection rate $\dot{M}=(3.5\pm 1.3) \times 10^{-8}\ M_\sun\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. Such a large value of $α$ suggests that the origin of the turbulent viscosity is an instability in the disk whose growth is limited by shock dissipation. The mass injection rate is more than an order of magnitude larger than the wind mass loss rate inferred from UV observations, implying that the mass injection mechanism most likely is not the stellar wind, but some other mechanism.

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arXiv2011

The nature of the Na I D-lines in the Red Rectangle

In this paper we examine the profiles of the complex Na I D-lines in the Red Rectangle. The spectra were acquired with the ARCES échelle spectrograph R = 38,000 on the 3.5-m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory. Additional spectra taken with STIS were acquired from the Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA) and were used to independently confirm the spatial origin of the spectral features. The profile of a single D-line consists of double-peaked emission, red-shifted absorption and blue-shifted absorption. We find that the double-peaked emission originates from the bipolar outflow, the red-shifted absorption feature is due to the photospheric line, and the blue-shifted absorption arises from the bipolar outflow as seen against the photosphere of the luminous post-AGB component in HD 44179. In order to better understand the Na I D-line profile, we examined the periodically variable asymmetric photospheric absorption lines. The asymmetric lines are interpreted as a signature of slow self-accretion following enhanced mass-loss around periastron. An empirical model was constructed to remove the photospheric component from the Na I D-line profile in order to study the nebular emission and absorption of sodium along the line-of-sight to the primary. This paper also discusses the different origins of the single-peaked emission, the double-peaked emission and the blue-shifted and red-shifted absorption components.

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arXiv2011

A Spitzer-IRS Detection of Crystalline Silicates in a Protostellar Envelope

We present the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph spectrum of the Orion A protostar HOPS-68. The mid-infrared spectrum reveals crystalline substructure at 11.1, 16.1, 18.8, 23.6, 27.9, and 33.6 microns superimposed on the broad 9.7 and 18 micron amorphous silicate features; the substructure is well matched by the presence of the olivine end-member forsterite. Crystalline silicates are often observed as infrared emission features around the circumstellar disks of Herbig Ae/Be stars and T Tauri stars. However, this is the first unambiguous detection of crystalline silicate absorption in a cold, infalling, protostellar envelope. We estimate the crystalline mass fraction along the line-of-sight by first assuming that the crystalline silicates are located in a cold absorbing screen and secondly by utilizing radiative transfer models. The resulting crystalline mass fractions of 0.14 and 0.17, respectively, are significantly greater than the upper limit found in the interstellar medium (< 0.02-0.05). We propose that the amorphous silicates were annealed within the hot inner disk and/or envelope regions and subsequently transported outward into the envelope by entrainment in a protostellar outflow

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arXiv2011

A New Diagnostic of the Radial Density Structure of Be Disks

We analyze the intrinsic polarization of two classical Be stars in the process of losing their circumstellar disks via a Be to normal B star transition originally reported by Wisniewski et al. During each of five polarimetric outbursts which interrupt these disk-loss events, we find that the ratio of the polarization across the Balmer jump (BJ+/BJ-) versus the V-band polarization traces a distinct loop structure as a function of time. Since the polarization change across the Balmer jump is a tracer of the innermost disk density whereas the V-band polarization is a tracer of the total scattering mass of the disk, we suggest such correlated loop structures in Balmer jump-V band polarization diagrams (BJV diagrams) provide a unique diagnostic of the radial distribution of mass within Be disks. We use the 3-D Monte Carlo radiation transfer code HDUST to reproduce the observed clockwise loops simply by turning "on/off" the mass decretion from the disk. We speculate that counter-clockwise loop structures we observe in BJV diagrams might be caused by the mass decretion rate changing between subsequent "on/off" sequences. Applying this new diagnostic to a larger sample of Be disk systems will provide insight into the time-dependent nature of each system's stellar decretion rate.

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arXiv2011

Disk-Loss and Disk Renewal Phases in Classical Be Stars II. Detailed Analysis of Spectropolarimetric Data

In Wisniewski et al. 2010, paper I, we analyzed 15 years of spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric data from the Ritter and Pine Bluff Observatories of 2 Be stars, 60 Cygni and π Aquarii, when a transition from Be to B star occurred. Here we anaylize the intrinsic polarization, where we observe loop-like structures caused by the rise and fall of the polarization Balmer Jump and continuum V-band polarization being mismatched temporally with polarimetric outbursts. We also see polarization angle deviations from the mean, reported in paper I, which may be indicative of warps in the disk, blobs injected at an inclined orbit, or spiral density waves. We show our ongoing efforts to model time dependent behavior of the disk to constrain the phenomena, using 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes.

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arXiv2010

The Dynamical Evolution of Be star disks

We present a novel theoretical tool to analyze the dynamical behaviour of a Be disk fed by non-constant decretion rates. It is mainly based on the computer code HDUST, a fully three-dimensional radiative transfer code that has been successfully applied to study several Be systems so far, and the SINGLEBE code that solves the 1D viscous diffusion problem. We have computed models of the temporal evolution of different types of Be star disks for different dynamical scenarios. By showing the behaviour of a large number of observables (interferometry, polarization, photometry and spectral line profiles), we show how it is possible to infer from observations some key dynamical parameters of the disk.

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arXiv2010

Towards Understanding The B[e] Phenomenon: IV. Modeling of IRAS 00470+6429

FS CMa type stars are a recently described group of objects with the B[e] phenomenon that exhibit strong emission-line spectra and strong IR excesses. In this paper we report the first attempt for a detailed modeling of IRAS 00470+6429, for which we have the best set of observations. Our modeling is based on two key assumptions: the star has a main-sequence luminosity for its spectral type (B2) and the circumstellar envelope is bimodal, composed of a slowly outflowing disk-like wind and a fast polar wind. Both outflows are assumed to be purely radial. We adopt a novel approach to describe the dust formation site in the wind that employs timescale arguments for grain condensation and a self-consistent solution for the dust destruction surface. With the above assumptions we were able to reproduce satisfactorily many observational properties of IRAS 00470+6429, including the H line profiles and the overall shape of the spectral energy distribution. Our adopted recipe for dust formation proved successful in reproducing the correct amount of dust formed in the circumstellar envelope. Possible shortcomings of our model, as well as suggestions for future improvements, are discussed.

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arXiv2009

Disk Loss and Disk Renewal Phases in Classical Be Stars I: Analysis of Long-Term Spectropolarimetric Data

(Abridged) Classical Be stars occasionally transition from having a gaseous circumstellar disk (''Be phase'') to a state in which all observational evidence for the presence of these disks disappears (''normal B-star phase''). We present one of the most comprehensive spectropolarimetric views to date of such a transition for two Be stars, pi Aquarii and 60 Cygni. 60 Cyg's disk loss episode was characterized by a monotonic decrease in emission strength over a time-scale of 1000 days, consistent with the viscous time-scale of the disk, assuming alpha is 0.14. pi Aqr's disk loss was episodic in nature and occurred over a time-scale of 2440 days. An observed time lag between the behavior of the polarization and H-alpha in both stars indicates the disk clearing proceeded in an ''inside-out'' manner. We determine the position angle of the intrinsic polarization to be 166.7 +/- 0.1 degrees for pi Aqr and 107.7 +/- 0.4 degrees for 60 Cyg, and model the observed polarization during the quiescent diskless phase of each star to determine the interstellar polarization along the line of sight. Minor outbursts observed during the quiescent phase of each star shared similar lifetimes as those previously reported for mu Cen, suggesting that the outbursts represent the injection and subsequent viscous dissipation of individual blobs of material into the inner circumstellar environments of these stars. We also observe deviations from the mean intrinsic polarization position angle during polarization outbursts in each star, indicating deviations from axisymmetry. We propose that these deviations might be indicative of the injection (and subsequent circularization) of new blobs into the inner disk, either in the plane of the bulk of the disk material or in a slightly inclined (non-coplanar) orbit.

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arXiv2007

Discovery of a New Dusty B[e] Star in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present new optical spectroscopic and archival Spitzer IRAC photometric observations of a B-type star in the SMC cluster NGC 346, NGC 346:KWBBe 200. We detect numerous Fe II, [O I], and [Fe II] lines, as well as strong P-Cygni profile H I emission lines in its optical spectrum. The star's near-IR color and optical to IR SED clearly indicate the presence of an infrared excess, consistent with the presence of gas and warm, T ~800 K, circumstellar dust. Based on a crude estimate of the star's luminosity and the observed spectroscopic line profile morphologies, we find that the star is likely to be a B-type supergiant. We suggest that NGC 346:KWBBe 200 is a newly discovered B[e] supergiant star, and represents the fifth such object to be identified in the SMC.

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arXiv2007

The Role of Evolutionary Age and Metallicity in the Formation of Classical Be Circumstellar Disks II. Assessing the Evolutionary Nature of Candidate Disk Systems

(Abridged version) We present the first detailed imaging polarization observations of six SMC and six LMC clusters, known to have large populations of B-type stars which exhibit excess H-alpha emission, to constrain the evolutionary status of these stars and hence better establish links between the onset of disk formation in classical Be stars and cluster age and/or metallicity. The wavelength dependence of our intrinsic polarization data provides a diagnostic of the dominant and any secondary polarigenic agents present, enabling us to discriminate pure gas disk systems, i.e. classical Be stars, from composite gas plus dust disk systems, i.e. Herbig Ae/Be or B[e] stars. Our intrinsic polarization results, along with available near-IR color information, strongly supports the suggestion of Wisniewski et al. that classical Be stars are present in clusters of age 5-8 Myr, and contradict assertions that the Be phenomenon only develops in the second half of a B star's main sequence lifetime, i.e. no earlier than 10 Myr. Comparing the polarimetric properties of our dataset to a similar survey of Galactic classical Be stars, we find that the prevalence of polarimetric Balmer jump signatures decreases with metallicity. We speculate that these results might indicate that either it is more difficult to form large disk systems in low metallicity environments, or that the average disk temperature is higher in these low metallicity environments. We have characterized the polarimetric signatures of all candidate Be stars in our data sample and find ~25% are unlikely to arise from true classical Be star-disk systems.

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arXiv2007

Toward Mapping the Detailed Density Structure of Classical Be Circumstellar Disks

The first results from a near-contemporaneous optical and infrared spectroscopic observing program designed to probe the detailed density structure of classical Be circumstellar disks are presented. We report the discovery of asymmetrical infrared emission lines of He I, O I, Fe II, and the Brackett, Paschen, and Pfund series lines of H I which exhibit an opposite V/R orientation (V $>$ R) to that observed for the optical Balmer H$α$ line (V $<$ R) in the classical Be star $ζ$ Tau. We interpret these data as evidence that the density wave which characterizes $ζ$ Tau's disk has a significantly different average azimuthal morphology in the inner disk region as compared to the outer disk region. A follow-up multi-wavelength observational campaign to trace the temporal evolution of these line profile morphologies, along with detailed theoretical modeling, is suggested to test this hypothesis.

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