arXiv subjects

L. Cieza

Publications and source records attributed to L. Cieza.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Multi-epoch scattered-light analysis of HD 135344B: new evidence for a spiral-driving protoplanet

The HD 135344B (SAO 206462) disk exhibits strong signposts of planet formation. ALMA images in the sub-mm revealed a gap-crossing dust filament whose position coincides with a twist detected in the scattered-light spiral structure. Analysis of the spirals in polarized light also hints at a spiral-driving protoplanet in the sub-mm gap. We aim to study the spirals dynamics, as well as the twist, over a 10-year baseline, in different bands. We also seek to assess the authenticity of a recently claimed candidate protoplanet. We use high-fidelity post-processing algorithms such as IPCA to minimize the biases induced by ADI on extended sources and analyze archival VLT/NACO, VLT/SPHERE, VLT/ERIS and JWST/NIRCam datasets to obtain the spiral traces and measure their orbital motion in multiple scattered light bands. We measure an average spiral orbital motion of 0.81$\pm$0.05 deg/yr, in agreement with the literature value of about 0.85$\pm$0.05 deg/yr at all wavelengths. With simple modeling of the twist morphology, we confirm that it is co-moving with the spiral in which it is embedded. While the position angle of the twist coincides with the dust filament, it is located at a smaller angular separation from the star, which we attribute to the fact that the spiral trace moves away from the central star with increasing wavelength. We find that a recently claimed protoplanet candidate can be explained as a post-processing artifact. Our confirmation that the motion of the scattered light twist is consistent with the orbital velocity of a planet at 69$\pm$4 au over a 10-year baseline suggests that the spirals, the gap, the dust filament, and the twist, could indeed be attributed to the same hypothetical protoplanet embedded within the spiral. A perplexing trend for a wavelength-dependence of the angular distance of the spiral traces to the central star remains to be explained.

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arXiv2026

Substellar population of the young massive cluster RCW 36 in Vela

The initial mass function (IMF) is a cornerstone of star formation studies, yet its universality remains debated. We investigate the IMF in the young massive cluster RCW 36, located in the Vela Molecular Ridge and comparable to the Orion Nebula Cluster in stellar density. Our goal is to build the most complete census of RCW 36 and derive its first IMF and star-to-brown-dwarf (BD) ratio. We combine new GLAO observations from HAWK-I/VLT with archival data (2MASS, SOFI/NTT) and Gaia DR3 kinematics. Photometric accuracy and source extraction were improved using \textsc{DeNeb}, a deep-learning algorithm that removes complex nebular emission. Membership probabilities were assigned via color-magnitude diagram comparisons with a control field, and stellar masses were estimated using model isochrones. We find a revised distance of $954\pm40\,$pc and determine the IMF down to $\sim0.03\,M_{\odot}$, described by a broken power law ($dN/dM\propto M^{-\alpha}$) with $\alpha=1.62\pm0.03$ for $0.20$-$20\,M_{\odot}$ and $\alpha=0.46\pm0.14$ for $0.03$-$0.20\,M_{\odot}$. The star-BD ratio is $2$-$5$, consistent with other Galactic clusters. Lastly, through a study of the differences in the IMF within and outside $0.2\,$pc and the cumulative mass distributions for low-mass and intermediate to high-mass sources, we also detected signs of possible mass segregation within RCW 36, which should be primordial. RCW 36 shares many characteristics with other young massive clusters, such as a shallower than Salpeter high-mass slope and the possibility of mass segregation. The flatter lower-mass regime of the IMF is similar to most Galactic clusters. The star-BD ratio is also in line with the observed values in other clusters, independent of their inherent properties.

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arXiv2025

The Outbursting YSOs Catalogue (OYCAT)

YSOs can display unpredictable and high-amplitude rises in brightness that can last from a few months to possibly over 100 years. These types of outbursts are explained by large changes in the mass accretion rate from the disk onto the central star. The outbursts support to a model of star formation (episodic accretion) where stars would spend most of their lifetimes accreting at low rates, and gain most of their mass through these short-lived accretion outbursts. The universality of episodic accretion, as well as its potential impact on stellar and planetary formation are still under debate. Improvement on the statistics of the members of the eruptive class is needed to better understand the episodic accretion phenomenon and its universality across different mass regimes and environments. In this paper we collect published information on the spectroscopic and photometric characteristics of 174 YSOs confirmed to belong to the eruptive variable class. We classify these objects into five different sub-classes (we find 49 FUor, 20 FUor-like, 16 EX Lupi-type, 81 Peculiar/V1647 Ori-like/MNors and 8 Periodic YSOs). The classification follows what has been done previously in the literature, and it is not an attempt to redefine these classes. In addition, we present a list of 18 embedded, and 6 massive YSOs, as additional categories of eruptive variable YSOs. Due to the complexity and/or faintness of these systems, it is hard to place them into the original classification scheme of this class of variable YSOs. Finally, we present a separate list of 355 candidate eruptive variable YSOs, which either lack spectroscopic information or the available spectroscopic data is not sufficient for an unambiguous classification. The online catalogue of confirmed and candidate eruptive YSOs will be maintained and updated in the future to serve as an important reference for the star formation community.

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arXiv2024

Discovery of an accretion streamer and a slow wide-angle outflow around FU Orionis

We present ALMA 12-m, 7-m & Total Power (TP) Array observations of the FU Orionis outbursting system, covering spatial scales ranging from 160 to 25,000 au. The high-resolution interferometric data reveals an elongated $^{12}$CO(2-1) feature previously observed at lower resolution in $^{12}$CO(3-2). Kinematic modeling indicates that this feature can be interpreted as an accretion streamer feeding the binary system. The mass infall rate provided by the streamer is significantly lower than the typical stellar accretion rates (even in quiescent states), suggesting that this streamer alone is not massive enough to sustain the enhanced accretion rates characteristic of the outbursting class prototype. The observed streamer may not be directly linked to the current outburst but rather a remnant of a previous, more massive streamer that may have contributed enough to the disk mass to render it unstable and trigger FU Ori's outburst. The new data detects, for the first time, a vast, slow-moving carbon monoxide molecular outflow emerging from this object. To accurately assess the outflow properties (mass, momentum, kinetic energy), we employed $^{13}$CO(2-1) data to correct for optical depth effects. The analysis indicates that the outflow corresponds to swept-up material not associated with the current outburst, similar to slow-molecular outflows observed around other FUor and Class I protostellar objects.

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arXiv2024

The environment around young eruptive stars. SPHERE/IRDIS polarimetric imaging of 7 protostars

Eruptive stars are a class of young stellar objects that show an abrupt increase in their luminosity. These burst-like episodes are thought to dominate the stellar accretion process during the class 0/class I stage. We present an overview of a survey of seven episodically accreting protostars aimed at studying their potentially complex circumstellar surroundings. The observations were performed with the instrument SPHERE, mounted at the VLT. We observed the eruptive stars in $H$-band with the near-infrared imager IRDIS and used the polarimeter to extract the polarized light scattered from the stars' surroundings. We produced polarized light images for three FUor objects, Z CMa, V960 Mon, and FU Ori, and four EXor objects, XZ Tau, UZ Tau, NY Ori, and EX Lup. We calculated the intrinsic polarization fraction for all the observed stars. In all systems we registered scattered light from around the primary star. FU Ori and V960 Mon are surrounded by complex structures including spiral-like features. In Z CMa, we detected a point source 0.7 arcsec to the northeast of the primary. Based on the astrometric measurements from archival Keck/NIRC2 data, we find this source to be a third member of the system. Further, Z CMa displays an outflow extending thousands of au. Unlike the other EXor objects in our sample, XZ Tau shows bright, extended scattered light structures, also associated with an outflow on a scale of hundreds of au. The other EXors show relatively faint disk-like structures in the immediate vicinity of the coronagraph. Asymmetric arms were only found around FUor objects, while faint disks seem to predominantly occur around EXors. Importantly, for Z CMa the detection of the faint extended structure questions previous interpretations of the system's dynamic state. The streamer which was associated with a fly-by object turned out to be part of a huge outflow extending 6000 au.

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arXiv2024

The SPHERE view of the Taurus star-forming region

The sample of planet-forming disks observed by high-contrast imaging campaigns over the last decade is mature enough to enable the demographical analysis of individual star-forming regions. We present the full census of Taurus sources with VLT/SPHERE polarimetric images available. The whole sample sums up to 43 targets (of which 31 have not been previously published) corresponding to one-fifth of the Class II population in Taurus and about half of such objects that are observable. A large fraction of the sample is apparently made up of isolated faint disks (equally divided between small and large self-shadowed disks). Ambient signal is visible in about one-third of the sample. This probes the interaction with the environment and with companions or the outflow activity of the system. The central portion of the Taurus region almost exclusively hosts faint disks, while the periphery also hosts bright disks interacting with their surroundings. The few bright disks are found around apparently older stars. The overall picture is that the Taurus region is in an early evolutionary stage of planet formation. Yet, some objects are discussed individually, as in an intermediate or exceptional stage of the disk evolution. This census provides a first benchmark for the comparison of the disk populations in different star forming regions.

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arXiv2023

Spirals and clumps in V960 Mon: signs of planet formation via gravitational instability around an FU Ori star?

The formation of giant planets has traditionally been divided into two pathways: core accretion and gravitational instability. However, in recent years, gravitational instability has become less favored, primarily due to the scarcity of observations of fragmented protoplanetary disks around young stars and low occurrence rate of massive planets on very wide orbits. In this study, we present a SPHERE/IRDIS polarized light observation of the young outbursting object V960 Mon. The image reveals a vast structure of intricately shaped scattered light with several spiral arms. This finding motivated a re-analysis of archival ALMA 1.3 mm data acquired just two years after the onset of the outburst of V960 Mon. In these data, we discover several clumps of continuum emission aligned along a spiral arm that coincides with the scattered light structure. We interpret the localized emission as fragments formed from a spiral arm under gravitational collapse. Estimating the mass of solids within these clumps to be of several Earth masses, we suggest this observation to be the first evidence of gravitational instability occurring on planetary scales. This study discusses the significance of this finding for planet formation and its potential connection with the outbursting state of V960 Mon.

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arXiv2022

A Chemical Map of the Outbursting V883 Ori system: Vertical and Radial Structures

We present the first results of a pilot program to conduct an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 (211-275 GHz) spectral line study of young stellar objects (YSO) that are undergoing rapid accretion episodes, i.e. FU Ori objects (FUors). Here, we report on molecular emission line observations of the FUor system, V883 Ori. In order to image the FUor object with full coverage from ~0.5 arcsec to the map size of ~30 arcsec, i.e. from disc to outflow scales, we combine the ALMA main array (the 12-m array) with the Atacama Compact Array (7-m array) and the total power (TP) array. We detect HCN, HCO$^{+}$, CH$_{3}$OH, SO, DCN, and H$_{2}$CO emissions with most of these lines displaying complex kinematics. From PV diagrams, the detected molecules HCN, HCO$^{+}$, CH$_{3}$OH, DCN, SO, and H$_{2}$CO probe a Keplerian rotating disc in a direction perpendicular to the large-scale outflow detected previously with the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO lines. Additionally, HCN and HCO$^{+}$ reveal kinematic signatures of infall motion. The north outflow is seen in HCO$^{+}$, H$_{2}$CO, and SO emissions. Interestingly, HCO$^{+}$ emission reveals a pronounced inner depression or "hole" with a size comparable to the radial extension estimated for the CH$_{3}$OH and 230 GHz continuum. The inner depression in the integrated HCO$^{+}$ intensity distribution of V883 Ori is most likely the result of optical depth effects, wherein the optically thick nature of the HCO$^{+}$ and continuum emission towards the innermost parts of V883 Ori can result in a continuum subtraction artifact in the final HCO$^{+}$ flux level.

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arXiv2021

Probing protoplanetary disk evolution in the Chamaeleon II region

Context. Characterizing the evolution of protoplanetary disks is necessary to improve our understanding of planet formation. Constraints on both dust and gas are needed to determine the dominant disk dissipation mechanisms. Aims. We aim to compare the disk dust masses in the Chamaeleon II (Cha II) star-forming region with other regions with ages between 1 and 10Myr. Methods. We use ALMA band 6 observations (1.3 mm) to survey 29 protoplanetary disks in Cha II. Dust mass estimates are derived from the continuum data. Results. Out of our initial sample of 29 disks, we detect 22 sources in the continuum, 10 in 12CO, 3 in 13CO, and none in C18O (J=2-1). Additionally, we detect two companion candidates in the continuum and 12CO emission. Most disk dust masses are lower than 10Mearth, assuming thermal emission from optically thin dust. We compare consistent estimations of the distributions of the disk dust mass and the disk-to-stellar mass ratios in Cha II with six other low mass and isolated star-forming regions in the age range of 1-10Myr: Upper Sco, CrA, IC 348, Cha I, Lupus, and Taurus. When comparing the dust-to-stellar mass ratio, we find that the masses of disks in Cha II are statistically different from those in Upper Sco and Taurus, and we confirm that disks in Upper Sco, the oldest region of the sample, are statistically less massive than in all other regions. Performing a second statistical test of the dust mass distributions from similar mass bins, we find no statistical differences between these regions and Cha II. Conclusions. We interpret these trends, most simply, as a sign of decline in the disk dust masses with time or dust evolution. Different global initial conditions in star-forming regions may also play a role, but their impact on the properties of a disk population is difficult to isolate in star-forming regions lacking nearby massive stars.

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arXiv2021

A faint companion around CrA-9: protoplanet or obscured binary?

Understanding how giant planets form requires observational input from directly imaged protoplanets. We used VLT/NACO and VLT/SPHERE to search for companions in the transition disc of 2MASS J19005804-3645048 (hereafter CrA-9), an accreting M0.75 dwarf with an estimated age of 1-2 Myr. We found a faint point source at $\sim$0.7'' separation from CrA-9 ($\sim$108 au projected separation). Our 3-epoch astrometry rejects a fixed background star with a $5σ$ significance. The near-IR absolute magnitudes of the object point towards a planetary-mass companion. However, our analysis of the 1.0-3.8$μ$m spectrum extracted for the companion suggests it is a young M5.5 dwarf, based on both the 1.13-$μ$m Na index and comparison with templates of the Montreal Spectral Library. The observed spectrum is best reproduced with high effective temperature ($3057^{+119}_{-36}$K) BT-DUSTY and BT-SETTL models, but the corresponding photometric radius required to match the measured flux is only $0.60^{+0.01}_{-0.04}$ Jovian radius. We discuss possible explanations to reconcile our measurements, including an M-dwarf companion obscured by an edge-on circum-secondary disc or the shock-heated part of the photosphere of an accreting protoplanet. Follow-up observations covering a larger wavelength range and/or at finer spectral resolution are required to discriminate these two scenarios.

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arXiv2021

A search for a 5th planet around HR 8799 using the star-hopping RDI technique at VLT/SPHERE

The direct imaging of extrasolar giant planets demands the highest possible contrasts (dH ~10 magnitudes) at the smallest angular separations (~0.1'') from the star. We present an adaptive optics observing method, called star-hopping, recently offered as standard queue observing for the SPHERE instrument at the VLT. The method uses reference difference imaging (RDI) but unlike earlier works, obtains images of a reference star for PSF subtraction, within minutes of observing the target star. We aim to significantly gain in contrast over the conventional angular differencing imaging (ADI) method, to search for a fifth planet at separations less than 10 au, interior to the four giant planets of the HR 8799 system. We obtained a total of 4.5 hours of simultaneous integral field spectroscopy (R~30, Y-H band with IFS) and dual-band imaging (K1 and K2-band with IRDIS) of the HR 8799 system and a reference star. The reference star was observed for ~1/3 of the total time, and should have dR~1 mag and separated on sky by ~1-2 deg. The star hops were made every 6-10 minutes, with only 1 minute gaps in on-sky integration per hop. We did not detect the hypothetical fifth planet at the most plausible separations, 7.5 and 9.7 au, down to mass limits of 3.6 MJup high signal-to-noise ratios. As noted in previous works, the planet spectra are matched very closely by some red field dwarfs. We also demonstrated that with star-hopping RDI, the contrast improvement at 0.1'' separation can be up to 2 magnitudes. Since ADI, meridian transit and the concomitant sky rotation are not needed, the time of observation can be chosen from within a 2-3 times larger window. In general, star-hopping can be used for stars fainter than R=4 magnitudes, since for these a reference star of suitable brightness and separation is usually available. The reduction software used in this paper has been made available online.

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arXiv2019

The widest H$α$ survey of accreting protoplanets around nearby transition disks

The mechanisms of planet formation are still under debate. We know little about how planets form, even if more than 4000 exoplanets have been detected to date. Recent investigations target the cot of newly born planets: the protoplanetary disk. At the first stages of their life, exoplanets still accrete material from the gas-rich disk in which they are embedded. Transitional disks are indeed disks that show peculiarities, such as gaps, spiral arms, and rings, which can be connected to the presence of substellar companions. To investigate what is responsible for these features, we selected all the known transitional disks in the solar neighborhood (<200 pc) that are visible from the southern hemisphere. We conducted a survey of 11 transitional disks (TDs) with the SPHERE instrument at the VLT. This is the largest Halpha survey that has been conducted so far to look for protoplanets. The observations were performed with the Halpha filter of ZIMPOL in order to target protoplanets that are still in the accretion stage. All the selected targets are very young stars, less than 20 Myr, and show low extinction in the visible. We reduced the ZIMPOL pupil stabilized data by applying the method of the angular spectral differential imaging (ASDI), which combines both techniques. The datacubes are composed of the CntHalpha and the narrow band filter Halpha, which are taken simultaneously to permit the suppression of the speckle pattern. The principal component analysis (PCA) method was employed for the reduction of the data. For each dataset, we derived the 5sigma contrast limit and converted it in upper limits on the accretion luminosity. We do not detect any new accreting substellar companions around the targeted transition disks down to an average contrast of 12 magnitudes at 0.2 arcsec from the central star (continues in the manuscript).

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arXiv2019

A census of $ρ$ Oph candidate members from Gaia DR2

The Ophiuchus cloud complex is one of the best laboratories to study the earlier stages of the stellar and protoplanetary disc evolution. The wealth of accurate astrometric measurements contained in the Gaia Data Release 2 can be used to update the census of Ophiuchus member candidates. We seek to find potential new members of Ophiuchus and identify those surrounded by a circumstellar disc. We constructed a control sample composed of 188 bona fide Ophiuchus members. Using this sample as a reference we applied three different density-based machine learning clustering algorithms (DBSCAN, OPTICS, and HDBSCAN) to a sample drawn from the Gaia catalogue centred on the Ophiuchus cloud. The clustering analysis was applied in the five astrometric dimensions defined by the three-dimensional Cartesian space and the proper motions in right ascension and declination. The three clustering algorithms systematically identify a similar set of candidate members in a main cluster with astrometric properties consistent with those of the control sample. The increased flexibility of the OPTICS and HDBSCAN algorithms enable these methods to identify a secondary cluster. We constructed a common sample containing 391 member candidates including 166 new objects, which have not yet been discussed in the literature. By combining the Gaia data with 2MASS and WISE photometry, we built the spectral energy distributions from 0.5 to $22\microm$ for a subset of 48 objects and found a total of 41 discs, including 11 Class II and 1 Class III new discs. Density-based clustering algorithms are a promising tool to identify candidate members of star forming regions in large astrometric databases. If confirmed, the candidate members discussed in this work would represent an increment of roughly 40% of the current census of Ophiuchus.

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arXiv2019

ALMA study of the HD 100453 AB system and the tidal interaction of the companion with the disk

Context: The complex system HD 100453 AB with a ring-like circumprimary disk and two spiral arms, one of which is pointing to the secondary, is a good laboratory to test spiral formation theories. Aims: To quantify the interaction of HD 100453 B with the circumprimary disk. Methods: Using ALMA band 6 dust continuum and CO isotopologue observations we study the HD 100453 AB system with a spatial resolution of 0.09" x 0.17" at 234 GHz. We use SPH simulations and orbital fitting to investigate the tidal influence of the companion on the disk. Results: We resolve the continuum emission around HD 100453 A into a disk between 0.22" and 0.40" with an inclination of 29.5 deg. and a position angle of 151.0 deg., an unresolved inner disk, and excess mm emission cospatial with the northern spiral arm which was previously detected using scattered light observations. We also detect CO emission from 7 au (well within the disk cavity) out to 1.10", i.e., overlapping with HD 100453 B at least in projection. The outer CO disk PA and inclination differ by up to 10 deg. from the values found for the inner CO disk and the dust continuum emission, which we interpret as due to gravitational interaction with HD 100453 B. Both the spatial extent of the CO disk and the detection of mm emission at the same location as the northern spiral arm are in disagreement with the previously proposed near co-planar orbit of HD 100453 B. Conclusions: We conclude that HD 100453 B has an orbit that is significantly misaligned with the circumprimary disk. Because it is unclear whether such an orbit can explain the observed system geometry we highlight an alternative scenario that explains all detected disk features where another, (yet) undetected, low mass close companion within the disk cavity, shepherds a misaligned inner disk whose slowly precessing shadows excite the spiral arms.

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arXiv2018

The Circumstellar Disk and Asymmetric outflow of the EX Lup Outburst System

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations at 0.3 arcsec-resolution of EX Lup, the prototype of the EXor class of outbursting pre-main sequence stars. The circumstellar disk of EX Lup is resolved for the first time in 1.3mm continuum emission and in the $J$=2--1 spectral line of three isotopologues of CO. At the spatial resolution and sensitivity achieved, the compact dust continuum disk shows no indications of clumps, fragments, or asymmetries above 5-sigma level. Radiative transfer modeling constrains the characteristic radius of the dust disk to 23 au and a total dust mass of 1.0$\times$10$^{-4}$ M$_\odot$ (33 M_earth), similar to other EXor sources. The $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O line emission trace the disk rotation and are used to constrain the disk geometry, kinematics, and a total gas disk mass of 5.1$\times$10$^{-4}$ M$_\odot$. The $^{12}$CO emission extends out to a radius of 200 au and is asymmetric, with one side deviating from Keplerian rotation. We detect blue-shifted, $^{12}$CO arc-like emission located 0.8 arcsec to the north-west, and spatially disconnected from the disk emission. We interpret this extended structure as the brightened walls of a cavity excavated by an outflow, which are more commonly seen in FUor sources. Such outflows have also been seen in the borderline FU/EXor object V1647 Ori, but not towards EXor objects. Our detection provides evidence that the outflow phenomenon persists into the EXor phase, suggesting that FUor and EXor objects are a continuous population in which outflow activity declines with age, with transitional objects such as EX Lup and V1647 Ori.

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arXiv2017

HD 169142 in the eyes of ZIMPOL/SPHERE

We present new data of the protoplanetary disc surrounding the Herbig Ae/Be star HD 169142 obtained in the very broad-band (VBB) with the Zurich imaging polarimeter (ZIMPOL), a sub-system of the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument (SPHERE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Our Polarimetric Differential Imaging (PDI) observations probe the disc as close as 0.03" (3.5au) to the star and are able to trace the disc out to ~1.08" (~126au). We find an inner hole, a bright ring bearing substructures around 0.18" (21au), and an elliptically shaped gap stretching from 0.25" to 0.47" (29-55au). Outside of 0.47", the surface brightness drops off, discontinued only by a narrow annular brightness minimum at ~0.63"-0.74" (74-87au). These observations confirm features found in less-well resolved data as well as reveal yet undetected indications for planet-disc interactions, such as small-scale structures, star-disk offsets, and potentially moving shadows.

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arXiv2017

A 80 au cavity in the disk around HD 34282

Context: Large cavities in disks are important testing grounds for the mechanisms proposed to drive disk evolution and dispersion, such as dynamical clearing by planets and photo-evaporation. Aims: We aim to resolve the large cavity in the disk around HD 34282, such as has been predicted by previous studies modeling the spectral energy distribution Methods: Using ALMA band 7 observations we study HD 34282 with a spatial resolution of 0.10\arcsec x 0.17\arcsec at 345 GHz. Results: We resolve the disk around HD 34282 into a ring between 0.24\arcsec and 1.15\arcsec (78 and 374 au adopting a distance of 325 pc). The emission in this ring shows azimuthal asymmetry centered at a radial distance of 0.46\arcsec and a position angle of 135 degrees and an azimuthal FWHM of 51 degrees. We detect CO emission both inside the disk cavity and as far out as 2.7 times the radial extent of the dust emission. Conclusions: Both the large disk cavity and the azimuthal structure in the disk around HD 34282 can be explained by the presence of a 50 jupiter mass brown dwarf companion at a separation of ~ 0.1\arcsec.

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arXiv2016

The Frequency Of Binary Star Interlopers Amongst Transitional Discs

Using Non-Redundant Mask interferometry (NRM), we searched for binary companions to objects previously classified as Transitional Disks (TD). These objects are thought to be an evolutionary stage between an optically thick disk and optically thin disk. We investigate the presence of a stellar companion as a possible mechanism of material depletion in the inner region of these disks, which would rule out an ongoing planetary formation process in distances comparable to the binary separation. For our detection limits, we implement a new method of completeness correction using a combination of randomly sampled binary orbits and Bayesian inference. The selected sample of 24 TDs belong to the nearby and young star forming regions: Ophiuchus ($\sim$ 130 pc), Taurus-Auriga ($\sim$ 140 pc) and IC348 ( $\sim$ 220 pc). These regions are suitable to resolve faint stellar companions with moderate to high confidence levels at distances as low as 2 au from the central star. With a total of 31 objects, including 11 known TDs and circumbinary disks from the literature, we have found that a fraction of 0.38 $\pm$ 0.09 of the SEDs of these objects are likely due to the tidal interaction between a close binary and its disk, while the remaining SEDs are likely the result of other internal processes such as photoevaporation, grain growth, planet disk interactions. In addition, we detected four companions orbiting outside the area of the truncation radii and we propose that the IR excesses of these systems are due to a disk orbiting a secondary companion

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