arXiv subjects

Keiichi Ohnaka

Publications and source records attributed to Keiichi Ohnaka.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

High spectral resolution spectroscopy of the SiO fundamental lines in red giants and red supergiants with VLT/VISIR

We present high spectral resolution (R = 30000) spectroscopic observations of the SiO fundamental lines near 8.1 micron in 16 bright red giants and red supergiants using VLT/VISIR. Our sample consists of seven normal K--M giants, three Mira stars, three optically bright red supergiants, two dusty red supergiants, and the enigmatic object GCIRS3 near the Galactic center. We detected SiO fundamental lines in all of our program stars except for GCIRS3. The SiO lines in normal K and M giants as well as optically bright red supergiants do not show P-Cyg profiles or blueshifts, which means the absence of systematic outflows in the SiO line forming region. On the other hand, we detected P-Cyg profiles in the SiO lines in the dusty red supergiants VY CMa and VX Sgr (with the latter being a new detection), which suggest outflow velocities of 27 and 17 km/s, respectively. We derived basic stellar parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, luminosity, and mass) for the normal K--M giants and optically bright red supergiants in our sample and compared the observed VISIR spectra with synthetic spectra predicted from MARCS photospheric models. Most of the SiO lines observed in the program stars warmer than ~3400 K are reasonably reproduced by the MARCS models, which allowed us to estimate the silicon abundance as well as the 28Si/29Si and 28Si/30Si ratios. However, we detected possible absorption excess in some SiO lines. Moreover, the SiO lines in the cooler red giants and red supergiant cannot be explained by the MARCS models at all even if the dust emission is taken into account. This disagreement may be a signature of the dense, extended molecular outer atmosphere.

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arXiv2013

Exploring the water and carbon monoxide shell around Betelgeuse with VLTI/AMBER

We present the results of the analysis of our recent interferometric observations of Betelgeuse, using the AMBER instrument of the VLTI. Using the medium spectral resolution mode ($R \sim 1500$) we detected the presence of the water vapour and carbon monoxide (CO) molecules in the H and K bands. We also derived the photospheric angular diameter in the continuum. By analysing the depth of the molecular lines and the interferometric visibilities, we derived the column densities of the molecules, as well as the temperature and the size of the corresponding regions in the atmosphere of Betelgeuse (the MOLsphere) using a single shell model around the photosphere. Our results confirm the findings by Perrin \et al\ (\cite{Perrin2004}) and Ohnaka \et al\ (\cite{Ohnaka2011}) that the H$_2$O and CO molecules are distributed around Betelgeuse in a MOLsphere extending to approximately 1.3 times the star's photospheric radius.

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arXiv2013

High spectral resolution imaging of the dynamical atmosphere of the red supergiant Antares in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER

We present high spectral resolution aperture-synthesis imaging of the red supergiant Antares (alpha Sco) in individual CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER. The reconstructed images reveal that the star appears differently in the blue wing, line center, and red wing and shows an asymmetrically extended component. The appearance of the star within the CO lines changes drastically within one year, implying a significant change in the velocity field in the atmosphere. Our modeling suggests an outer atmosphere (MOLsphere) extending to 1.2--1.4 stellar radii with CO column densities of (0.5--1)x10^{20} cm^{-2} and a temperature of ~2000 K. While the velocity field in 2009 is characterized by strong upwelling motions at 20--30 km/s, it changed to strong downdrafts in 2010. On the other hand, the AMBER data in the continuum show only a slight deviation from limb-darkened disks and only marginal time variations. We derive a limb-darkened disk diameter of 37.38+/-0.06 mas and a power-law-type limb-darkening parameter of (8.7+/-1.6)x10^{-2} (2009) and 37.31+/-0.09 mas and (1.5+/-0.2)x10^{-1} (2010). We also obtain Teff = 3660+/-120 K and log L/Lsun = 4.88+/-0.23, which suggests a mass of 15+/-5 Msun with an age of 11-15 Myr. This age is consistent with the recently estimated age for the Upper Scorpius OB association. The properties of the outer atmosphere of Antares are similar to those of another well-studied red supergiant, Betelgeuse. The density of the extended outer atmosphere of Antares and Betelgeuse is higher than predicted by the current 3-D convection simulations by at least six orders of magnitude, implying that convection alone cannot explain the formation of the extended outer atmosphere.

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arXiv2013

Spatially resolved, high-spectral resolution observation of the K giant Aldebaran in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER

Aim: We present a high-spatial and high-spectral resolution observation of the well-studied K giant Aldebaran with AMBER at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our aim is to spatially resolve the outer atmosphere (so-called MOLsphere) in individual CO first overtone lines and derive its physical properties, which are important for understanding the mass-loss mechanism in normal (i.e., non-Mira) K--M giants. Methods: Aldebaran was observed between 2.28 and 2.31 micron with a projected baseline length of 10.4m and a spectral resolution of 12000. Results: The uniform-disk diameter observed in the CO first overtone lines is 20--35% larger than is measured in the continuum. We have also detected a signature of inhomogeneities in the CO-line-forming region on a spatial scale of ~45 mas, which is more than twice as large as the angular diameter of the star itself. While the MARCS photospheric model reproduces the observed spectrum well, the angular size in the CO lines predicted by the MARCS model is significantly smaller than observed. This is because the MARCS model with the parameters of Aldebaran has a geometrical extension of only ~2% (with respect to the stellar radius). The observed spectrum and interferometric data in the CO lines can be simultaneously reproduced by placing an additional CO layer above the MARCS photosphere. This CO layer is extended to 2.5 +/- 0.3 stellar radii with CO column densities of 5x10^{19}--2x10^{20} cm^-2 and a temperature of 1500 +/- 200 K. Conclusions: The high spectral resolution of AMBER has enabled us to spatially resolve the inhomogeneous, extended outer atmosphere (MOLsphere) in the individual CO lines for the first time in a K giant. Our modeling of the MOLsphere of Aldebaran suggests a rather small gradient in the temperature distribution above the photosphere up to 2--3 stellar radii.

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arXiv2009

VLTI/AMBER unveils a possible dusty pinwheel nebula in WR118

Most Wolf-Rayet stars (WR) of WC9 sub-type exhibit a dusty circumstellar envelope, but it is still a matter of debate how dust can form in their harsh environment. In a few cases, a pinwheel-like structure of the dusty envelope has been detected. Therefore, it has been suggested that dust formation in all dusty WR stars might be linked to colliding winds in a binary system. We probed the innermost region of the circumstellar dust shell of the deeply embedded WR star WR 118. We carried out spectro-interferometric observations using the AMBER instrument of ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer in low-spectral resolution mode (R = 35). The K-band observations were obtained with three 1.8 m telescopes spanning projected baselines between 9.2 and 40.1 m. At high spatial frequencies, the AMBER visibilities exhibit a prominent lobe, indicating that the envelope contains one or several zones with a large local intensity gradient. The strong closure phase signal clearly shows that the circumstellar envelope of WR 118 can only be described by an asymmetric intensity distribution. We show that a pinwheel nebula seen at low inclination is consistent with the AMBER data. Its size was determined to be 13.9+-1.1 mas. WR 118 possibly harbors a pinwheel nebula, which suggests a binary nature of the system. According to our best model, the period of the system would be ~60 days (for d=3 kpc), making WR 118 the shortest-period pinwheel nebula known so far.

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arXiv2008

Asymmetric silicate dust distribution toward the silicate carbon star BM Gem

Silicate carbon stars show the 10 micron silicate emission, despite their carbon-rich photospheres. They are considered to have circumbinary or circum-companion disks, which serve as a reservoir of oxygen-rich material shed by mass loss in the past. We present N-band spectro-interferometric observations of the silicate carbon star BM Gem using MIDI at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our aim is to probe the spatial distribution of oxygen-rich dust with high spatial resolution. BM Gem was observed with VLTI/MIDI at 44--62 m baselines using the UT2-UT3 and UT3-UT4 baseline configurations. The N-band visibilities observed for BM Gem show a steep decrease from 8 to ~10 micron and a gradual increase longward of ~10 micron, reflecting the optically thin silicate emission feature emanating from sub-micron-sized amorphous silicate grains. The differential phases obtained at baselines of ~44--46 m show significant non-zero values (~ -70 degrees) in the central part of the silicate emission feature between ~9 and 11 micron, revealing a photocenter shift and the asymmetric nature of the silicate emitting region. The observed N-band visibilities and differential phases can be fairly explained by a simple geometrical model in which the unresolved star is surrounded by a ring with azimuthal brightness modulation. The best-fit model is characterized by a broad ring (~70 mas across at 10 micron) with a bright region which is offset from the unresolved star by ~20 mas at a position angle of ~280 degrees. This model can be interpreted as a system with a circum-companion disk and is consistent with the spectroscopic signatures of an accretion disk around an unseen companion recently discovered in the violet spectrum of BM Gem.

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arXiv2008

Spatially resolved dusty torus toward the red supergiant WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present N-band spectro-interferometric observations of the red supergiant WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using MIDI at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The location of WOH G64 on the H-R diagram based on the previously estimated luminosities is in serious disagreement with the current stellar evolution theory. The dust envelope around WOH G64 has been spatially resolved with a baseline of ~60 m--the first MIDI observations to resolve an individual stellar source in an extragalactic system. The observed N-band visibilities show a slight decrease from 8 to 10 micron and a gradual increase longward of 10 micron, reflecting the 10 micron silicate feature in self-absorption. The visibilities measured at four position angles differing by ~60 degrees but at approximately the same baseline length (~60 m) do not show a noticeable difference, suggesting that the object appears nearly centrosymmetric. The observed N-band visibilities and spectral energy distribution can be reproduced by an optically and geometrically thick silicate torus model viewed close to pole-on. The luminosity of the central star is derived to be 2.8 x 10^5 Lsun, which is by a factor of 2 lower than the previous estimates based on spherical models. The lower luminosity newly derived from our MIDI observations and two-dimensional modeling brings the location of WOH G64 on the H-R diagram in much better agreement with theoretical evolutionary tracks for a 25 Msun star. We also identify the H2O absorption features at 2.7 and 6 micron in the spectra obtained with the Infrared Space Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The 2.7 micron feature originates in the photosphere and/or the extended molecular layers, while the 6 micron feature is likely to be of circumstellar origin.

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arXiv2008

The close circumstellar environment of the semi-regular S-type star Pi^1 Gruis

We study the close circumstellar environment of the nearby S-type star Pi^1 Gruis using high spatial-resolution, mid-infrared observations from the ESO/VLTI. Spectra and visibilities were obtained with the MIDI interferometer on the VLT Auxiliary Telescopes. The cool M5III giant Beta Gruis was used as bright primary calibrator, and a dedicated spectro-interferometric study was undertaken to determine its angular diameter accurately. The MIDI measurements were fitted with the 1D numerical radiative transfer code DUSTY to determine the dust shell parameters of Pi^1 Gruis. Taking into account the low spatial extension of the model in the 8-9 $μ$m spectral band for the smallest projected baselines, we consider the possibility of a supplementary molecular shell. The MIDI visibility and phase data are mostly dominated by the spherical 21 mas (694 Rsol) central star, while the extended dusty environment is over-resolved even with the shortest baselines. No obvious departure from spherical symmetry is found on the milliarcsecond scale. The spectro-interferometric observations are well-fitted by an optically thin (tau(dust)<0.01 in the band) dust shell that is located at about 14 stellar radii with a typical temperature of 700 K and composed of 70% silicate and 30% of amorphous alumina grains. An optically thin (tau(mol)<0.1 in the N band) H2O+SiO molecular shell extending from the photosphere of the star up to 4.4 stellar radii with a typical temperature of 1000 K is added to the model to improve the fit in the 8-9 $μ$m spectral band. We discuss the probable binary origin of asymmetries as revealed by millimetric observations.

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arXiv2008

Resolving the inner active accretion disk around the Herbig Be star MWC 147 with VLTI/MIDI+AMBER spectro-interferometry

We studied the geometry of the inner (AU-scale) circumstellar environment around the Herbig Be star MWC 147. Combining, for the first time, near- (NIR, K band) and mid-infrared (MIR, N band) spectro-interferometry on a Herbig star, our VLTI/MIDI and AMBER data constrain not only the geometry of the brightness distribution, but also the radial temperature distribution in the disk. For our detailed modeling of the interferometric data and the spectral energy distribution, we employ 2-D radiation transfer simulations, showing that passive irradiated Keplerian dust disks can easily fit the SED, but predict much lower visibilities than observed. Models of a Keplerian disk with emission from an optically thick inner gaseous accretion disk (inside the dust sublimation zone), however, yield a good fit of the SED and simultaneously reproduce the observed NIR and MIR visibilities. We conclude that the NIR continuum emission from MWC 147 is dominated by accretion luminosity emerging from an optically thick inner gaseous disk, while the MIR emission also contains strong contributions from the outer dust disk.

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arXiv2007

Imaging the oxygen-rich disk toward the silicate carbon star EU And

We present multi-epoch high-angular resolution observations of 22 GHz H2O masers toward the silicate carbon star EU And to probe the spatio-kinematic distribution of oxygen-rich material. EU And was observed at three epochs (maximum time interval of 14 months) with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). Our VLBA observations of the 22 GHz H2O masers have revealed that the maser spots are distributed along a straight line across ~20 mas, with a slight hint of an S-shaped structure. The observed spectra show three prominent velocity components at V_LSR = -42, -38, and -34 km s^-1, with the masers in SW redshifted and those in NE blueshifted. The maser spots located in the middle of the overall distribution correspond to the component at V_LSR = -38 km s^-1, which approximately coincides with the systemic velocity. These observations can be interpreted as either an emerging helical jet or a disk viewed almost edge-on (a circumbinary or circum-companion disk). However, the outward motion measured in the VLBA images taken 14 months apart is much smaller than that expected from the jet scenario. Furthermore, the mid-infrared spectrum obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope indicates that the 10 micron silicate emission is optically thin and the silicate grains are of sub-micron size. This lends support to the presence of a circum-companion disk, because an optically thin circumbinary disk consisting of such small grains would be blown away by the intense radiation pressure of the primary (carbon-rich) star. If we assume Keplerian rotation for the circum-companion disk, the mass of the companion is estimated to be 0.5--0.8 M_sun. We also identify CO2 emission features at 13--16 micron in the Spitzer spectrum of EU And--the first unambiguous detection of CO2 in silicate carbon stars.

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arXiv2007

Detection of an inner gaseous component in a Herbig Be star accretion disk: Near- and mid-infrared spectro-interferometry and radiative transfer modeling of MWC 147

We study the geometry and the physical conditions in the inner (AU-scale) circumstellar region around the young Herbig Be star MWC 147 using long-baseline spectro-interferometry in the near-infrared (NIR K-band, VLTI/AMBER observations and PTI archive data) as well as the mid-infrared (MIR N-band, VLTI/MIDIobservations). The emission from MWC 147 is clearly resolved and has a characteristic physical size of approx. 1.3 AU and 9 AU at 2.2 micron and 11 micron respectively (Gaussian diameter). The spectrally dispersed AMBER and MIDI interferograms both show a strong increase in the characteristic size towards longer wavelengths, much steeper than predicted by analytic disk models assuming power-law radial temperature distributions. We model the interferometric data and the spectral energy distribution of MWC 147 with 2-D, frequency-dependent radiation transfer simulations. This analysis shows that models of spherical envelopes or passive irradiated Keplerian disks (with vertical or curved puffed-up inner rim) can easily fit the SED, but predict much lower visibilities than observed; the angular size predicted by such models is 2 to 4 times larger than the size derived from the interferometric data, so these models can clearly be ruled out. Models of a Keplerian disk with optically thick gas emission from an active gaseous disk (inside the dust sublimation zone), however, yield a good fit of the SED and simultaneously reproduce the absolute level and the spectral dependence of the NIR and MIR visibilities. We conclude that the NIR continuum emission from MWC 147 is dominated by accretion luminosity emerging from an optically thick inner gaseous disk, while the MIR emission also contains contributions from the outer, irradiated dust disk.

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arXiv2007

Temporal variations of the outer atmosphere and the dust shell of the carbon-rich Mira variable V Oph probed with VLTI/MIDI

We present the first multi-epoch N-band spectro-interferometric observations of the carbon-rich Mira variable V Oph using MIDI at the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer. Our MIDI observations were carried out at three different phases 0.18, 0.49, and 0.65, using three different baselines configurations (UT2-UT4, UT1-UT4, and UT2-UT3) with projected baseline lengths of 42-124 m. The wavelength dependence of the uniform-disk diameters obtained at all epochs is characterized by a roughly constant region between 8 and 10 micron with a slight dip centered at ~9.5 micron and a gradual increase longward of 10 micron. These N-band angular sizes are significantly larger than the estimated photospheric size of V Oph. The angular sizes observed at different epochs reveal that the object appears smaller at phase 0.49 (minimum light) with uniform-disk diameters of ~5-12 mas than at phases 0.18 (~12-20 mas) and 0.65 (~9-15 mas). We interpret these results with a model consisting of optically thick C2H2 layers and an optically thin dust shell. Our modeling suggests that the C2H2 layers around V Oph are more extended (~1.7-1.8 Rstar) at phases 0.18 and 0.65 than at phase 0.49 (~1.4 Rstar) and that the C2H2 column densities appear to be the smallest at phase 0.49. We also find that the dust shell consists of amorphous carbon and SiC with an inner radius of ~2.5 Rstar, and the total optical depths at phases 0.18 and 0.65 are higher than that at phase 0.49. Our MIDI observations and modeling indicate that carbon-rich Miras also have extended layers of polyatomic molecules as previously confirmed in oxygen-rich Miras.

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arXiv2005

High angular resolution N-band observation of the silicate carbon star IRAS08002-3803 with the VLTI/MIDI instrument

We present the results of N-band spectro-interferometric observations of the silicate carbon star IRAS08002-3803 with the MID-infrared Interferometric instrument (MIDI) at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The observations were carried out using two unit telescopes (UT2 and UT3) with projected baseline lengths ranging from 39 to 47 m. Our observations of IRAS08002-3803 have spatially resolved the dusty environment of a silicate carbon star for the first time and revealed an unexpected wavelength dependence of the angular size in the N band: the uniform-disk diameter is found to be constant and ~36 mas (72 Rstar) between 8 and 10 micron, while it steeply increases longward of 10 micron to reach ~53 mas (106 Rstar) at 13 micron. Model calculations with our Monte Carlo radiative transfer code show that neither spherical shell models nor axisymmetric disk models consisting of silicate grains alone can simultaneously explain the observed wavelength dependence of the visibility and the spectral energy distribution (SED). We propose that the circumstellar environment of IRAS08002-3803 may consist of two grain species coexisting in the disk: silicate and a second grain species, for which we consider amorphous carbon, large silicate grains, and metallic iron grains. Comparison of the observed visibilities and SED with our models shows that such disk models can fairly -- though not entirely satisfactorily -- reproduce the observed SED and N-band visibilities. Our MIDI observations and the radiative transfer calculations lend support to the picture where oxygen-rich material around IRAS08002-3803 is stored in a circumbinary disk surrounding the carbon-rich primary star and its putative low-luminosity companion.

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arXiv2004

Warm water vapor envelope in Mira variables and its effects on the apparent size from the near-infrared to the mid-infrared

We present a possible interpretation for the increase of the angular diameter of the Mira variables o Cet, R Leo, and chi Cyg from the K band to the 11 micron region revealed by the recent interferometric observations using narrow bandpasses where no salient spectral feature is present (Weiner et al. 2003a, 2003b). A simple two-layer model consisting of hot and cool H2O layers for the warm water vapor envelope can reproduce the angular diameters observed with Infrared Spatial Interferometer as well as the high-resolution TEXES spectra obtained in the 11 micron region. The strong absorption of H2O expected from the dense water vapor envelope is filled in by emission from the extended part of the envelope, and this results in the high-resolution 11 micron spectra which exhibit only weak, fine spectral features, masking the spectroscopic evidences of the dense, warm water vapor envelope. On the other hand, the presence of the warm water vapor envelope manifests itself as the larger angular diameters in the 11 micron region as compared to those measured in the near-infrared. Furthermore, comparison of the visibilities predicted in the near-infrared with observational results available in the literature demonstrates that our two-layer model for the warm water vapor envelope can also reproduce the observed near-infrared visibilities and angular diameters. The radii of the hot H2O layers in the three Mira variables are derived to be 1.5--1.7 Rstar with temperatures of 1800--2000 K and H2O column densities of (1--5) x 10^{21} cm^{-2}, while the radii of the cool H2O layers are derived to be 2.2--2.5 Rstar with temperatures of 1200--1400 K and H2O column densities of (1--7) x 10^{21} cm^{-2}.

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arXiv2004

Warm water vapor envelope in the supergiants alf Ori and alf Her and its effects on the apparent size from the near-infrared to the mid-infrared

We present a possible interpretation for the increase of the angular diameter of the supergiants alf Ori (M1-2 Ia-Ibe) and alf Her (M5 Ib-II) from the K band to the 11 micron region and the high-resolution 11 micron spectra without any salient spectral features revealed by Weiner et al. (2003). The angular diameters as well as the high-resolution spectra of alf Ori and alf Her obtained in the 11 micron region can be reproduced by a warm water vapor envelope, whose presence in alf Ori was revealed by Tsuji (2000) based on the reanalysis of the near-infrared data obtained with the Stratoscope II. While prominent absorption due to H2O can be expected from such a dense, warm water vapor envelope, the absorption lines can be filled in by emission from the extended part of the envelope. This effect leads to a significant weakening of the H2O lines in the 11 micron region, and makes the observed spectra appear to be rather featureless and continuum-like. However, the emission due to H2O lines from the extended envelope leads to an increase of the apparent size in this spectral region. The observed angular diameter and the high resolution spectra of alf Ori and alf Her in the 11 micron region can be best interpreted by the water vapor envelope extending to 1.4--1.5 Rstar, with a temperature of about 2000 K and a column density of H2O of the order of 10^20 cm^-2.

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