arXiv subjects

R. van Boekel

Publications and source records attributed to R. van Boekel.

86 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

HD 100453: A Link Between Gas-Rich Protoplanetary Disks and Gas-Poor Debris Disks

HD 100453 has an IR spectral energy distribution (SED) which can be fit with a power-law plus a blackbody. Previous analysis of the SED suggests that the system is a young Herbig Ae star with a gas-rich, flared disk. We reexamine the evolutionary state of the HD 100453 system by refining its age (based on a candidate low-mass companion) and by examining limits on the disk extent, mass accretion rate, and gas content of the disk environment. We confirm that HD 100453B is a common proper motion companion to HD 100453A, with a spectral type of M4.0V - M4.5V, and derive an age of 10 +/- 2 Myr. We find no evidence of mass accretion onto the star. Chandra ACIS-S imagery shows that the Herbig Ae star has L_X/L_Bol and an X-ray spectrum similar to non-accreting Beta Pic Moving Group early F stars. Moreover, the disk lacks the conspicuous Fe II emission and excess FUV continuum seen in spectra of actively accreting Herbig Ae stars, and from the FUV continuum, we find the accretion rate is < 1.4x10^-9 M_Sun yr^-1. A sensitive upper limit to the CO J = 3-2 intensity indicates that the gas in the outer disk is likely optically thin. Assuming a [CO]/[H2] abundance of 1x10^-4 and a depletion factor of 10^3, we find that the mass of cold molecular gas is less than ~0.33 M_J and that the gas-to-dust ratio is no more than ~4:1 in the outer disk. The combination of a high fractional IR excess luminosity, a relatively old age, an absence of accretion signatures, and an absence of detectable circumstellar molecular gas suggests that the HD 100453 system is in an unusual state of evolution between a gas-rich protoplanetary disk and a gas-poor debris disk.

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arXiv2009

An outflow origin of the [NeII] emission in the T Tau triplet

(Note: this is a shortened version of the original "structured" (A&A format) abstract.) The 12.81 micrometer [NeII] line has recently gained interest as a potential tracer of gas in the tenuous surface layers of circumstellar disks. The line has been detected using the Spitzer Space Telescope in many young stars, yet these observations neiter spatially nor spectrally resolve the [NeII emission, leaving the nature of the emission mechanism unclear. Both an origin in an X-ray irradiated disk surface and an origin in strong, dissociative shocks have been proposed. We have performed a high spatial and spectral resolution (0.4 arcsec, R=30000) study of the T Tau triplet. This system contains three young stars with disks, at least one strong X-ray source (T Tau N), and diffuse regions of shocked gas surrounding the system on a scale of a few arcseconds. We find that the dominant component of [NeII] emission is centered on T Tau S and has a spatial extent of approximately 1.1 arcseconds, which is much larger than the disks in T Tau S. We detect spatially extended red-shifted emission NW of the system and fainter blue-shifted emission to the SE, which we associate with the N-S outflow from T Tau S. Only a small fraction of the [NeII] emission appears to be directly related to the X-ray bright northern component. We propose [NeII] emission in jets as a major factor causing the observed large scatter in the X-ray luminosity vs. [NeII] luminosity relation. We argue that T Tau S is the driving source of the T Tau "NW-blob"

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arXiv2008

A parameter study of self-consistent disk models around Herbig AeBe stars

We present a parameter study of self-consistent models of protoplanetary disks around Herbig AeBe stars. We use the code developed by Dullemond and Dominik, which solves the 2D radiative transfer problem including an iteration for the vertical hydrostatic structure of the disk. This grid of models will be used for several studies on disk emission and mineralogy in followup papers. In this paper we take a first look on the new models, compare them with previous modeling attempts and focus on the effects of various parameters on the overall structure of the SED that leads to the classification of Herbig AeBe stars into two groups, with a flaring (group I) or self-shadowed (group II) SED. We find that the parameter of overriding importance to the SED is the total mass in grains smaller than 25um, confirming the earlier results by Dullemond and Dominik. All other parameters studied have only minor influences, and will alter the SED type only in borderline cases. We find that there is no natural dichotomy between group I and II. From a modeling point of view, the transition is a continuous function of the small dust mass. We also show that moderate grain growth produces spectra with weak or no 1um feature, both for flaring (Group I) and non-flaring (Group II) sources. The fact that sources with weak features have been found mostly in Group I sources is therefore surprising and must be due to observational biases or evolutionary effects.

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arXiv2008

The structure of the protoplanetary disk surrounding three young intermediate mass stars. II. Spatially resolved dust and gas distribution

[Abridged] We present the first direct comparison of the distribution of the gas, as traced by the [OI] 6300 AA emission, and the dust, as traced by the 10 micron emission, in the protoplanetary disk around three intermediate-mass stars: HD 101412, HD 135344 B and HD 179218. N-band visibilities were obtained with VLTI/MIDI. Simple geometrical models are used to compare the dust emission to high-resolution optical spectra in the 6300 AA [OI] line of the same targets. The disks around HD 101412 and HD 135344 B appear strongly flared in the gas, but self-shadowed in the dust beyond ~ 2 AU. In both systems, the 10 micron emission is rather compact (< 2 AU) while the [OI] brightness profile shows a double peaked structure. The inner peak is strongest and is consistent with the location of the dust, the outer peak is fainter and is located at 5-10 AU. Spatially extended PAH emission is found in both disks. The disk around HD 179218 is flared in the dust. The 10 micron emission emerges from a double ring-like structure with the first ring peaking at ~ 1 AU and the second at ~ 20 AU. No dust emission is detected between ~ 3 -- 15 AU. The oxygen emission seems also to come from a flared structure, however, the bulk of this emission is produced between ~ 1 -- 10 AU. This could indicate a lack of gas in the outer disk or could be due to chemical effects which reduce the abundance of OH -- the parent molecule of the observed [OI] emission -- further away from the star. The three systems, HD 179218, HD 135344 B and HD 101412, may form an evolutionary sequence: the disk initially flared becomes flat under the combined action of gas-dust decoupling, grain growth and dust settling.

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arXiv2008

Mid-infrared interferometry of massive young stellar objects

The very inner structure of massive young stellar objects (YSOs) is difficult to trace. With conventional observational methods we identify structures still several hundreds of AU in size. However, the (proto-)stellar growth takes place at the innermost regions (<100 AU) where the actual mass transfer onto the forming high-mass star occurs. We present results from our programme toward massive YSOs at the VLTI, utilising the two-element interferometer MIDI. To date, we observed 10 well-known massive YSOs down to scales of 20 mas (typically corresponding to 20 - 40 AU for our targets) in the 8-13 micron region. We clearly resolve these objects which results in low visibilities and sizes in the order of 30-50 mas. For two objects, we show results of our modelling. We demonstrate that the MIDI data can reveal decisive structure information for massive YSOs. They are often pivotal in order to resolve ambiguities still immanent in model parameters derived from sole SED fitting.

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arXiv2008

Dissecting Massive YSOs with Mid-Infrared Interferometry

The very inner structure of massive YSOs is difficult to trace. With conventional observational methods we often identify structures still several hundreds of AU in size. But we also need information about the innermost regions where the actual mass transfer onto the forming high-mass star occurs. An innovative way to probe these scales is to utilise mid-infrared interferometry. Here, we present first results of our MIDI GTO programme at the VLTI. We observed 10 well-known massive YSOs down to scales of 20 mas. We clearly resolve these objects which results in low visibilities and sizes in the order of 30 - 50 mas. Thus, with MIDI we can for the first time quantify the extent of the thermal emission from the warm circumstellar dust and thus calibrate existing concepts regarding the compactness of such emission in the pre-UCHII region phase. Special emphasis will be given to the BN-type object M8E-IR where our modelling is most advanced and where there is indirect evidence for a strongly bloated central star.

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arXiv2007

Evolution of dust and ice features around FU Orionis objects

(abridged) We present spectroscopy data for a sample of 14 FUors and 2 TTauri stars observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope or with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Based on the appearance of the 10 micron silicate feature we define 2 categories of FUors. Objects showing the silicate feature in absorption (Category 1) are still embedded in a dusty and icy envelope. The shape of the 10 micron silicate absorption bands is compared to typical dust compositions of the interstellar medium and found to be in general agreement. Only one object (RNO 1B) appears to be too rich in amorphous pyroxene dust, but a superposed emission feature can explain the observed shape. We derive optical depths and extinction values from the silicate band and additional ice bands at 6.0, 6.8 and 15.2 micron. In particular the analysis of the CO_2 ice band at 15.2 micron allows us to search for evidence for ice processing and constrains whether the absorbing material is physically linked to the central object or in the foreground. For objects showing the silicate feature in emission (Category 2), we argue that the emission comes from the surface layer of accretion disks. Analyzing the dust composition reveals that significant grain growth has already taken place within the accretion disks, but no clear indications for crystallization are present. We discuss how these observational results can be explained in the picture of a young, and highly active accretion disk. Finally, a framework is proposed as to how the two categories of FUors can be understood in a general paradigm of the evolution of young, low-mass stars. Only one object (Parsamian 21) shows PAH emission features. Their shapes, however, are often seen toward evolved stars and we question the object's status as a FUor and discuss other possible classifications.

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arXiv2005

Flaring and self-shadowed disks around Herbig Ae stars: simulations for 10 micron interferometers

We present simulations of the interferometric visibilities of Herbig Ae star disks. We investigate whether interferometric measurements in the 10 micrometer atmospheric window are sensitive to the presence of an increased scale height at the inner disk edge, predicted by recent models. Furthermore, we investigate whether such measurements can discriminate between disks with a ``flaring'' geometry and disks with a ``flat'' geometry. We show that both these questions can be addressed, using measurements at a small number of appropriately chosen baselines. The classification of Herbig Ae stars in two groups, based on the appearance of the spectral energy distribution (SED), has been attributed to a difference in disk geometry. Sources with a group I SED would have a flaring outer disk geometry, whereas the disk of group II sources is proposed to be flat (or ``self-shadowed''). We show that this hypothesis can be tested using long-baseline interferometric measurements in the micrometer atmospheric window.

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arXiv2005

A 10 micron spectroscopic survey of Herbig Ae star disks: grain growth and crystallization

We present spectroscopic observations of a large sample of Herbig Ae stars in the 10 micrometer spectral region. We perform compositional fits of the spectra based on properties of homogeneous as well as inhomogeneous spherical particles, and derive the mineralogy and typical grain sizes of the dust responsible for the 10 $μ$m emission. Several trends are reported that can constrain theoretical models of dust processing in these systems: i) none of the sources consists of fully pristine dust comparable to that found in the interstellar medium, ii) all sources with a high fraction of crystalline silicates are dominated by large grains, iii) the disks around more massive stars (M >~ 2.5 M_sun, L >~ 60 L_sun) have a higher fraction of crystalline silicates than those around lower mass stars, iv) in the subset of lower mass stars (M <~ 2.5 M_sun) there is no correlation between stellar parameters and the derived crystallinity of the dust. The correlation between the shape and strength of the 10 micron silicate feature reported by van Boekel et al. (2003) is reconfirmed with this larger sample. The evidence presented in this paper is combined with that of other studies to present a likely scenario of dust processing in Herbig Ae systems. We conclude that the present data favour a scenario in which the crystalline silicates are produced in the innermost regions of the disk, close to the star, and transported outward to the regions where they can be detected by means of 10 micron spectroscopy. Additionally, we conclude that the final crystallinity of these disks is reached very soon after active accretion has stopped.

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arXiv2004

Correlation between grain growth and disk geometry in Herbig Ae/Be systems

We have calculated the (sub-)mm spectral indices of 26 Herbig Ae/Be stars, for which we can determine the infrared spectral energy distribution (SED). We find a clear correlation between the strength of the ratio of the near- to mid-infrared excess of these sources, and the slope of the (sub-)mm energy distribution. Based on earlier multi-dimensional modeling of disks around Herbig Ae stars, we interpret this as a correlation between the geometry of the disk (flared or self-shadowed) and the size of the grains: self-shadowed disks have, on average, larger grains than their flared counterparts. These data suggest that the geometry of a young stellar disk evolves from flared to self-shadowed.

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arXiv2003

Evidence for grain growth in T Tauri disks

In this article we present the results from mid-infrared spectroscopy of a sample of 14 T Tauri stars with silicate emission. The qualitative analysis of the spectra reveals a correlation between the strength of the silicate feature and its shape similar to the one which was found recently for the more massive Herbig Ae/Be stars by van Boekel et al. (2003). The comparison with theoretical spectra of amorphous olivine with different grain sizes suggests that this correlation is indicating grain growth in the disks of T Tauri stars. Similar mechanisms of grain processing appear to be effective in both groups of young stars.

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arXiv2003

Direct measurement of the size and shape of the present-day stellar wind of Eta Carinae

We present new high angular resolution observations at near-IR wavelengths of the core of the Luminous Blue Variable Eta Carinae, using NAOS-CONICA at the VLT and VINCI at the VLT Interferometer (VLTI). The latter observations provide spatial information on a scale of 5 milli-arcsec or ~11 AU at the distance of Eta Carinae. The present-day stellar wind of Eta Carinae is resolved on a scale of several stellar radii. Assuming spherical symmetry, we find a mass loss rate of 1.6x10^{-3} M_sun/yr and a wind clumping factor of 0.26. The VLTI data taken at a baseline of 24 meter show that the object is elongated with a de-projected axis ratio of approximately 1.5; the major axis is aligned with that of the large bi-polar nebula that was ejected in the 19th century. The most likely explanation for this observation is a counter-intuitive model in which stellar rotation near the critical velocity causes enhanced mass loss along the rotation axis. This results from the large temperature difference between pole and equator in rapidly rotating stars. Eta Carinae must rotate in excess of 90 per cent of its critical velocity to account for the observed shape. The large outburst may have been shaped in a similar way. Our observations provide strong support for the existence of a theoretically predicted rotational instability, known as the Omega limit.

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arXiv2003

Explaining UXOR variability with self-shadowed disks

In this Letter we propose a new view on UX Orionis type variability. The idea is based on the earlier proposal by various authors that UXORs are nearly-edge-on disks in which hydrodynamic fluctuations could cause clumps of dust and gas to cross the line of sight. However, because the standard disk models have a flaring geometry, it is mostly the outer regions of the disk that obscure the star. The time scales for such obscuration events would be too long to match the observed time scales of weeks to months. Recent 2-D self-consistent models of Herbig Ae/Be protoplanetary disks (Dullemond et al. 2002,2003 henceforth D02/DD03), however, have indicated that for Herbig Ae/Be star disks there exists, in addition to the usual flared disks, also a new class of disks: those that are fully self-shadowed. Only their puffed-up inner rim (at the dust evaporation radius) is directly irradiated by the star, while the disk at larger radius resides in the shadow of the rim. For these disks there exist inclinations at which the line of sight towards the star skims the upper parts of the puffed-up inner rim, while passing high over the surface of outer disk regions. Small hydrodynamic fluctuations in the puffed-up inner rim could then be held responsible for the extinction events seen in UXORs. If this idea is correct, it makes a prediction for the shape of the SEDs of these stars. It was shown by D02/DD03 that flared disks have a strong far-IR excess and can be classified as `group I' (in the classification of Meeus et al. 2001), while self-shadowed disks have a relatively weak far-IR excess and are classified as `group II'. Our model therefore predicts that UXORs belong to the `group II' sources. We show that this correlation is indeed found within a sample of 86 Herbig Ae/Be stars.

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arXiv2001

Discovery of a double ring in the core of eta Carinae

We report the discovery of a double ring structure in the waist of the nebula surrounding eta Carinae. The rings are detected in the mid-IR dust continuum at wavelengths of 7.9, 11.9, 12.9 and 20 micronmeter. The dust in the rings has a temperature of about 300 K. The orientation of the rings is inclined with respect to the axis of the homunculus by either 37 or 58 degrees. The central star is not in the projected centre of the structure defined by the two rings. This geometry is reminiscent of that seen in SN1987A and some planetary nebulae. We discuss several possible origins for this remarkable geometry and its orientation.

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