Ophiuchus Star-forming Region Research Articles

Dynamical Mass of the Ophiuchus Intermediate-mass Stellar System S1 with DYNAMO-VLBA

We report dynamical mass measurements of the individual stars in the most luminous and massive stellar member of the nearby Ophiuchus star-forming region, the young tight binary system S1. We combine 28 archival data sets with seven recent proprietary Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations obtained as part of the Dynamical Masses of Young Stellar Multiple Systems with the VLBA project (DYNAMO–VLBA), to constrain the astrometric and orbital parameters of the system, and recover high-accuracy dynamical masses. The primary component, S1A, is found to have a mass of 4.11 ± 0.10 M ⊙, significantly lower than the typical value ∼6 M ⊙ previously reported in the literature. We show that the spectral energy distribution (SED) of S1A can be reproduced by a reddened blackbody with a temperature between roughly 14,000 and 17,000 K. According to evolutionary models, this temperature range corresponds to stellar masses between 4 M ⊙ and 6 M ⊙, so the SED is not a priori inconsistent with the dynamical mass of S1A. The luminosity of S1 derived from SED fitting, however, is only consistent with models for stellar masses above 5 M ⊙. Thus, we cannot reconcile the evolutionary models with the dynamical mass measurement of S1A: The models consistent with the location of S1A in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram correspond to masses higher by 25% at least than the dynamical mass. For the secondary component, S1B, a mass of 0.831 ± 0.014 M ⊙ is determined, consistent with a low-mass young star. While the radio flux of S1A remains roughly constant throughout the orbit, the flux of S1B is found to be higher near apastron.

Finding Substructures in Protostellar Disks in Ophiuchus

High-resolution, millimeter observations of disks at the protoplanetary stage reveal substructures such as gaps, rings, arcs, spirals, and cavities. While many protoplanetary disks host such substructures, only a few at the younger protostellar stage have shown similar features. We present a detailed search for early disk substructures in Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 1.3 and 0.87 mm observations of ten protostellar disks in the Ophiuchus star-forming region. Of this sample, four disks have identified substructure, two appear to be smooth disks, and four are considered ambiguous. The structured disks have wide Gaussian-like rings (σ R /R disk ∼ 0.26) with low contrasts (C < 0.2) above a smooth disk profile, in comparison to protoplanetary disks where rings tend to be narrow and have a wide variety of contrasts (σ R /R disk ∼ 0.08 and C ranges from 0 to 1). The four protostellar disks with the identified substructures are among the brightest sources in the Ophiuchus sample, in agreement with trends observed for protoplanetary disks. These observations indicate that substructures in protostellar disks may be common in brighter disks. The presence of substructures at the earliest stages suggests an early start for dust grain growth and, subsequently, planet formation. The evolution of these protostellar substructures is hypothesized in two potential pathways: (1) the rings are the sites of early planet formation, and the later observed protoplanetary disk ring–gap pairs are secondary features, or (2) the rings evolve over the disk lifetime to become those observed at the protoplanetary disk stage.

The Perseus ALMA Chemical Survey (PEACHES)

Context. Sulfur chemistry is poorly understood in the process of low-mass star and planet formation, where the main carriers of sulfur in both the gas and the dust phase are still unknown. Furthermore, the chemical evolution of sulfur-bearing species is not fully understood given that simple S-bearing molecules, such as SO and SO2, are commonly seen in embedded Class 0/I sources but hardly detected in more evolved Class II disks. Despite the fact that simple S-bearing molecules are usually detected toward embedded sources, large surveys of S-bearing molecules with high angular resolution and sensitive observations are currently lacking. Aims. The goal of this work is to present an unbiased survey of simple sulfur-bearing species in protostars and provide new statistics on detection rates, emitting regions, and molecular column densities. In addition, we investigate the role of S-bearing molecules in accretion processes and the connection between (non-)detection of complex organic molecules (COMs) and S-related species. Methods. We present the observations of sulfur-bearing species (CS, SO,34SO, and SO2) that are part of the Perseus ALMA Chemical Survey (PEACHES). We analyzed a total of 50 Class 0/I sources with observations that have an average angular resolution of about 0″.6 (∼180 au) in ALMA band 6. Results. Class 0 sources show detection rates of 97% for CS, 86% for SO, 31% for 34SO, and 44% for SO2, while Class I sources present detection rates of 71% for CS, 57% for SO, 36% for 34SO, and 43% for SO2. When 34SO is detected, the SO/34SO ratio is lower than the canonical value of 22, suggesting optically thick emission, and the lowest values are found for those sources that are rich in COMs. When SO2 is detected, those sources that show CS and SO emission parallel to the outflow direction are usually very rich in COMs, while for sources where the CS and SO emission is perpendicular to the outflow direction, only a few or no COMs are detected. When CH3OH and SO2 are detected, the comparison between CH3OH and SO2 abundances shows a positive trend and CH3OH is between 10 and 100 times more abundant than SO2. The SO2 abundances toward the PEACHES sample are, on average, two orders of magnitude lower than values from the Ophiuchus star-forming region and comparable with sources in Taurus. Conclusions. The SO/34SO ratio seems to be a good tracer of the inner high-density envelope and it could be used in the future to infer the presence of multiple COMs. The detection of multiple COMs seems to be related to the presence of collimated outflows (seen in CS and SO emission), where a high column density of warm material is expected close to the protostar, and SO2 emission seems to trace the warm gas in those sources where CH3OH is also detected. The difference in SO2 abundances between different star-forming regions might indicate that the sulfur depletion in the gas-phase could depend on the external UV radiation toward the molecular cloud. Finally, the SO2 emission detected in different evolutionary stages seems to arise from different physical mechanisms: high column density of warm material in Class 0 sources, shocks in Class I/II, and exposure to UV radiation from the protostar in more evolved Class II disks.

Protostellar and Protoplanetary Disk Masses in the Serpens Region

We present the results from an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm continuum and 12CO (J = 2 − 1) line survey spread over 10 deg2 in the Serpens star-forming region of 320 young stellar objects, 302 of which are likely members of Serpens (16 Class I, 35 flat-spectrum, 235 Class II, and 16 Class III). From the continuum data, we derive disk dust masses and show that they systematically decline from Class I to flat-spectrum to Class II sources. Grouped by stellar evolutionary state, the disk mass distributions are similar to other young (<3 Myr) regions, indicating that the large-scale environment of a star-forming region does not strongly affect its overall disk dust mass properties. These comparisons between populations reinforce previous conclusions that disks in the Ophiuchus star-forming region have anomalously low masses at all evolutionary stages. Additionally, we find a single deeply embedded protostar that has not been documented elsewhere in the literature and, from the CO line data, 15 protostellar outflows, which we catalog here.

Interplay between Young Stars and Molecular Clouds in the Ophiuchus Star-forming Complex

We present spatial and kinematic correlation between the young stellar population and the cloud clumps in the Ophiuchus star-forming region. The stellar sample consists of known young objects at various evolutionary stages, taken from the literature, some of which are diagnosed with Gaia EDR3 parallax and proper-motion measurements. The molecular gas is traced by the 850 μm Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array-2 image, reaching ∼2.3 mJy beam−1, the deepest so far for the region, stacked from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope/Transient program aiming to detect submillimeter outburst events. Our analysis indicates that the more evolved sources, namely the class II and III young stars, are located further away from clouds than class I and flat-spectrum sources that have ample circumstellar matter and are closely associated with natal clouds. Particularly the class II and III population is found to exhibit a structured spatial distribution indicative of passage of shock fronts from the nearby Sco–Cen OB association thereby compressing clouds to trigger star formation, with the latest starbirth episode occurring now in the densest cloud filaments. The young stars at all evolutionary stages share similar kinematics. This suggests that the stellar patterns trace the relics of parental cloud filaments that now have been dispersed.

Misaligned Rotations of the Envelope, Outflow, and Disks in the Multiple Protostellar System of VLA 1623–2417: FAUST. III

Abstract We report a study of the low-mass Class 0 multiple system VLA 1623AB in the Ophiuchus star-forming region, using H13CO+ (J = 3–2), CS (J = 5–4), and CCH (N = 3–2) lines as part of the ALMA Large Program FAUST. The analysis of the velocity fields revealed the rotation motion in the envelope and the velocity gradients in the outflows (about 2000 au down to 50 au). We further investigated the rotation of the circumbinary VLA 1623A disk, as well as the VLA 1623B disk. We found that the minor axis of the circumbinary disk of VLA 1623A is misaligned by about 12° with respect to the large-scale outflow and the rotation axis of the envelope. In contrast, the minor axis of the circumbinary disk is parallel to the large-scale magnetic field according to previous dust polarization observations, suggesting that the misalignment may be caused by the different directions of the envelope rotation and the magnetic field. If the velocity gradient of the outflow is caused by rotation, the outflow has a constant angular momentum and the launching radius is estimated to be 5–16 au, although it cannot be ruled out that the velocity gradient is driven by entrainments of the two high-velocity outflows. Furthermore, we detected for the first time a velocity gradient associated with rotation toward the VLA 16293B disk. The velocity gradient is opposite to the one from the large-scale envelope, outflow, and circumbinary disk. The origin of its opposite gradient is also discussed.

The Effects of Starspots on Spectroscopic Mass Estimates of Low-mass Young Stars

Abstract Magnetic fields and mass accretion processes create dark and bright spots on the surface of young stars. These spots manifest as surface thermal inhomogeneities, which alter the global temperature measured on the stars. To understand the effects and implications of these starspots, we conducted a large iSHELL high-resolution infrared spectroscopic survey of T Tauri stars in Taurus-Auriga and Ophiuchus star-forming regions. From the K-band spectra, we measured stellar temperatures and magnetic field strengths using a magnetic radiative transfer code. We compared our infrared-derived parameters against literature optical temperatures and found (a) a systematic temperature difference between optical and infrared observations, and (b) a positive correlation between the magnetic field strengths and the temperature differences. The discrepant temperature measurements imply significant differences in the inferred stellar masses from stellar evolutionary models. To discern which temperature better predicts the mass of the star, we compared our model-derived masses against dynamical masses measured from Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the Plateau de Bure Interferometer for a subsample of our sources. From this comparison we conclude that, in the range of stellar masses from 0.3 to 1.3 M ⊙, neither infrared nor optical temperatures perfectly reproduce the stellar dynamical masses. But, on average, infrared temperatures produce more precise and accurate stellar masses than optical ones.

Chemical Compositions in the Vicinity of Protostars in Ophiuchus

Abstract We have analyzed Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Cycle 4 Band 6 data toward two young stellar objects (YSOs), Oph-emb5 and Oph-emb9, in the Ophiuchus star-forming region. The YSO Oph-emb5 is located in a relatively quiescent region, whereas Oph-emb9 is irradiated by a nearby bright Herbig Be star. Molecular lines from cyclic-C3H2 (c-C3H2), H2CO, CH3OH, 13CO, C18O, and DCO+ have been detected from both sources, while DCN is detected only in Oph-emb9. Around Oph-emb5, c-C3H2 is enhanced at the west side, relative to the IR source, whereas H2CO and CH3OH are abundant at the east side. In the field of Oph-emb9, moment 0 maps of the c-C3H2 lines show a peak at the eastern edge of the field of view, which is irradiated by the Herbig Be star. Moment 0 maps of CH3OH and H2CO show peaks farther from the bright star. We derive the N(c-C3H2)/N(CH3OH) column density ratios at the peak positions of c-C3H2 and CH3OH near each YSO, which are identified based on their moment 0 maps. The N(c-C3H2)/N(CH3OH) ratio at the c-C3H2 peak is significantly higher than at the CH3OH peak by a factor of ∼19 in Oph-emb9, while the difference in this column density ratio between these two positions is a factor of ∼2.6 in Oph-emb5. These differences are attributed to the efficiency of the photon-dominated region chemistry in Oph-emb9. The higher DCO+ column density and the detection of DCN in Oph-emb9 are also discussed in the context of UV irradiation flux.

The first ALMA survey of protoplanetary discs at 3 mm: demographics of grain growth in the Lupus region

ABSTRACT We present the first ALMA survey of protoplanetary discs at 3 mm, targeting 36 young stellar objects in the Lupus star-forming region with deep observations (sensitivity 20–50 $\mu$Jy beam−1) at ∼0.35 arcsec resolution (∼50 au). Building on previous ALMA surveys at 0.89 and 1.3 mm that observed the complete sample of Class II discs in Lupus at a comparable resolution, we aim to assess the level of grain growth in the relatively young Lupus region. We measure 3 mm integrated fluxes, from which we derive disc-averaged 1–3 mm spectral indices. We find that the mean spectral index of the observed Lupus discs is $\alpha _\mathrm{1-3\, mm}=2.23\pm 0.06$, in all cases $\alpha _\mathrm{1-3\, mm}\lt 3.0$, with a tendency for larger spectral indices in the brightest discs and in transition discs. Furthermore, we find that the distribution of spectral indices in Lupus discs is statistically indistinguishable from that of the Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions. Assuming the emission is optically thin, the low values $\alpha _\mathrm{1-3\, mm}\le 2.5$ measured for most discs can be interpreted with the presence of grains larger than 1 mm. The observations of the faint discs in the sample can be explained without invoking the presence of large grains, namely through a mixture of optically thin and optically thick emission from small grains. However, the bright (and typically large) discs do inescapably require the presence of millimetre-sized grains in order to have realistic masses. Based on a disc mass argument, our results challenge previous claims that the presence of optically thick substructures may be a universal explanation for the empirical millimetre size-luminosity correlation observed at 0.89 mm.

A Wide Planetary-mass Companion to a Young Low-mass Brown Dwarf in Ophiuchus

Abstract We present the discovery of a planetary-mass companion to CFHTWIR-Oph 98, a low-mass brown dwarf member of the young Ophiuchus star-forming region, with a wide 200 au separation (1.″46). The companion was identified using Hubble Space Telescope images, and confirmed to share common proper motion with the primary using archival and new ground-based observations. Based on the very low probability of the components being unrelated Ophiuchus members, we conclude that Oph 98 AB forms a binary system. From our multiband photometry, we constrain the primary to be an M9–L1 dwarf, and the faint companion to have an L2–L6 spectral type. For a median age of 3 Myr for Ophiuchus, fits of evolutionary models to measured luminosities yield masses of 15.4 ± 0.8 M Jup for Oph 98 A and 7.8 ± 0.8 M Jup for Oph 98 B, with respective effective temperatures of 2320 ± 40 K and 1800 ± 40 K. For possible system ages of 1–7 Myr, masses could range from 9.6–18.4 M Jup for the primary, and from 4.1–11.6 M Jup for the secondary. The low component masses and very large separation make this binary the lowest binding energy system imaged to date, indicating that the outcome of low-mass star formation can result in such extreme, weakly bound systems. With such a young age, Oph 98 AB extends the growing population of young free-floating planetary-mass objects, offering a new benchmark to refine formation theories at the lowest masses.

A Novel Survey for Young Substellar Objects with the W-band Filter. I. Filter Design and New Discoveries in Ophiuchus and Perseus

We present the design and implementation of a medium-band near-IR filter tailored for detecting low-mass stars and brown dwarfs from the summit of Maunakea. The W-band filter is centered at 1.45 μm with a bandpass width of 6%, designed to measure the depth of the H2O water absorption prominent in objects with spectral types of M6 and later. When combined with standard J and H photometry, the W-band filter is designed to determine spectral types to ≈1.4 subtypes for late-M and L dwarfs, largely independent of surface gravity and reddening. This filter’s primary application is completing the census of young substellar objects in star-forming regions, using W-band selection to greatly reduce contamination by reddened background stars that impede broad-band imaging surveys. We deployed the filter on the UH 88 inch telescope to survey ∼3 degree2 of the NGC 1333, IC 348, and ρ Ophiuchus star-forming regions. Our spectroscopic followup of W-band selected candidates resulted in the confirmation of 48 ultracool dwarfs with a success rate of 89%, demonstrating the efficacy of this new filter and selection method.

Masses and Implications for Ages of Low-mass Pre-main-sequence Stars in Taurus and Ophiuchus

The accuracy of masses of pre-main sequence (PMS) stars derived from their locations on the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (HRD) can be tested by comparison with accurate and precise masses determined independently. We present 29 single stars in the Taurus star-forming region (SFR) and 3 in the Ophiuchus SFR with masses measured dynamically to a precision of at least $10 \%$. Our results include 9 updated mass determinations and 3 that have not had their dynamical masses published before. This list of stars with fundamental, dynamical masses, M$_{dyn}$, is drawn from a larger list of 39 targets in the Taurus SFR and 6 in the Ophiuchus SFR. Placing the stars with accurate and precise dynamical masses on HRDs that do not include internal magnetic fields underestimates the mass compared to M$_{dyn}$ by about $30 \%$. Placing them on an HRD that does include magnetic fields yields mass estimates in much better agreement with M$_{dyn}$, with an average difference between M$_{dyn}$ and the estimated track mass of $0.01\pm0.02$~\msun. The ages of the stars, 3--10 MY on tracks that include magnetic fields, is older than the 1--3 MY indicated by the non-magnetic models. The older ages of T Tauri stars predicted by the magnetic models increase the time available for evolution of their disks and formation of the giant gas exoplanets. The agreement between our M$_{dyn}$ values and the masses on the magnetic field tracks provides indirect support for these older ages.

The Ophiuchus DIsk Survey Employing ALMA (ODISEA): Disk Dust Mass Distributions across Protostellar Evolutionary Classes

Abstract As protostars evolve from optically faint/infrared-bright (Class I) sources to optically bright/infrared-faint (Class II) the solid material in their surrounding disks accumulates into planetesimals and protoplanets. The nearby, young Ophiuchus star-forming region contains hundreds of protostars in a range of evolutionary states. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array to observe their millimeter continuum emission, we have measured masses of, or placed strong upper limits on, the dust content of 279 disks. The masses follow a log-normal distribution with a clear trend of decreasing mass from less to more evolved protostellar infrared class. The (logarithmic) mean Class I disk mass, M = 3.8 M ⊕, is about 5 times greater than the mean Class II disk mass, but the dispersion in each class is so high, σ logM ≃ 0.8–1, that there is a large overlap between the two distributions. The disk mass distribution of flat-spectrum protostars lies in between Classes I and II. In addition, three Class III sources with little to no infrared excess are detected with low disk masses, M ≃ 0.3 M ⊕. Despite the clear trend of decreasing disk mass with protostellar evolutionary state in this region, a comparison with surveys of Class II disks in other regions shows that masses do not decrease monotonically with age. This suggests that the cloud-scale environment may determine the initial disk mass scale or that there is substantial dust regeneration after 1 Myr.

Orbital Motion of Young Binaries in Ophiuchus and Upper Centaurus–Lupus

Abstract We present measurements of the orbital positions and flux ratios of 17 binary and triple systems in the Ophiuchus star-forming region and the Upper Centaurus–Lupus cluster based on adaptive optics imaging at the Keck Observatory. We report the detection of visual companions in MML 50 and MML 53 for the first time, as well as the possible detection of a third component in WSB 21. For six systems in our sample, our measurements provide a second orbital position following their initial discoveries over a decade ago. For eight systems with sufficient orbital coverage, we analyze the range of orbital solutions that fit the data. Ultimately, these observations will help provide the groundwork toward measuring precise masses for these pre-main-sequence stars and understanding the distribution of orbital parameters in young multiple systems.

Far-infrared to Millimeter Data of Protoplanetary Disks: Dust Growth in the Taurus, Ophiuchus, and Chamaeleon I Star-forming Regions*

Abstract Far-infrared and (sub)millimeter fluxes can be used to study dust in protoplanetary disks, the building blocks of planets. Here, we combine observations from the Herschel Space Observatory with ancillary data of 284 protoplanetary disks in the Taurus, Chamaeleon I, and Ophiuchus star-forming regions, covering from the optical to mm/cm wavelengths. We analyze their spectral indices as a function of wavelength and determine their (sub)millimeter slopes when possible. Most disks display observational evidence of grain growth, in agreement with previous studies. No correlation is found between other tracers of disk evolution and the millimeter spectral indices. A simple disk model is used to fit these sources, and we derive posterior distributions for the optical depth at 1.3 mm and 10 au, the disk temperature at this same radius, and the dust opacity spectral index β. We find the fluxes at 70 μm to correlate strongly with disk temperatures at 10 au, as derived from these simple models. We find tentative evidence for spectral indices in Chamaeleon I being steeper than those of disks in Taurus/Ophiuchus, although more millimeter observations are needed to confirm this trend and identify its possible origin. Additionally, we determine the median spectral energy distribution of each region and find them to be similar across the entire wavelength range studied, possibly due to the large scatter in disk properties and morphologies.

Dynamical Masses of Low-mass Stars in the Taurus and Ophiuchus Star-forming Regions

Abstract We report new dynamical masses for five pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in the L1495 region of the Taurus star-forming region (SFR) and six in the L1688 region of the Ophiuchus SFR. Since these regions have VLBA parallaxes, these are absolute measurements of the stars’ masses and are independent of their effective temperatures and luminosities. Seven of the stars have masses , thus providing data in a mass range with little data, and of these, six are measured to precision . We find eight stars with masses in the range 0.09–1.1 that agree well with the current generation of PMS evolutionary models. The ages of the stars we measured in the Taurus SFR are in the range 1–3 Myr, and Myr for those in L1688. We also measured the dynamical masses of 14 stars in the ALMA archival data for Akeson &amp; Jensen’s Cycle 0 project on binaries in the Taurus SFR. We find that the masses of seven of the targets are so large that they cannot be reconciled with reported values of their luminosity and effective temperature. We suggest that these targets are themselves binaries or triples.

Angular Momentum Evolution of Young Stars in the nearby Scorpius–Centaurus OB Association

Abstract We report the results of a study of archival SuperWASP light curves for stars in Scorpius–Centaurus (Sco–Cen), the nearest OB association. We use SuperWASP time-series photometry to extract rotation periods for 189 candidate members of the Sco–Cen complex and verify that 162 of those are members of the classic Sco–Cen subgroups of Upper Scorpius (US), Upper Centaurus-Lupus (UCL), and Lower Centaurus-Crux (LCC). This study provides the first measurements of rotation periods explicitly for large samples of pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) stars spanning the UCL and LCC subgroups. Our final sample of 157 well-characterized pre-MS stars spans ages of ∼10–20 Myr, spectral types of ∼F3–M0, and masses of M ≃ 0.3–1.5  ⊙ N . For this sample, we find a distribution of stellar rotation periods with a median of P rot ≃ 2.4 days, an overall range of 0.2 &lt; P rot &lt; 8 days, and a fairly well-defined mass-dependent upper envelope of rotation periods. This distribution of periods is consistent with recently developed stellar angular momentum evolution models. These data are significant because they represent an undersampled age range and the number of measurable rotation periods is large compared to recent studies of other regions. We also search for new examples of eclipsing disk or ring systems analogous to 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 (J1407), but find none. Our survey yielded five eclipsing binaries, but only one appears to be physically associated with the Sco–Cen complex. V2394 Oph is a heavily reddened (A V ≃ 5 mag) massive contact binary in the LDN 1689 cloud whose Gaia astrometry is clearly consistent with kinematic membership with the Ophiuchus star-forming region.

EXTERNALLY HEATED PROTOSTELLAR CORES IN THE OPHIUCHUS STAR-FORMING REGION*

ABSTRACT We present APEX 218 GHz observations of molecular emission in a complete sample of embedded protostars in the Ophiuchus star-forming region. To study the physical properties of the cores, we calculate H2CO and c-C3H2 rotational temperatures, both of which are good tracers of the kinetic temperature of the molecular gas. We find that the H2CO temperatures range between 16 K and 124 K, with the highest H2CO temperatures toward the hot corino source IRAS 16293-2422 (69–124 K) and the sources in the ρ Oph A cloud (23–49 K) located close to the luminous Herbig Be star S1, which externally irradiates the ρ Oph A cores. On the other hand, the c-C3H2 rotational temperature is consistently low (7–17 K) in all sources. Our results indicate that the c-C3H2 emission is primarily tracing more shielded parts of the envelope whereas the H2CO emission (at the angular scale of the APEX beam; 3600 au in Ophiuchus) mainly traces the outer irradiated envelopes, apart from in IRAS 16293-2422, where the hot corino emission dominates. In some sources, a secondary velocity component is also seen, possibly tracing the molecular outflow.

PHOTO-REVERBERATION MAPPING OF A PROTOPLANETARY ACCRETION DISK AROUND A T TAURI STAR

ABSTRACT Theoretical models and spectroscopic observations of newborn stars suggest that protoplantary disks have an inner “wall” at a distance set by the disk interaction with the star. Around T Tauri stars, the size of this disk hole is expected to be on a 0.1 au scale that is unresolved by current adaptive optics imaging, though some model-dependent constraints have been obtained by near-infrared interferometry. Here we report the first measurement of the inner disk wall around a solar-mass young stellar object, YLW 16B in the ρ Ophiuchi star-forming region, by detecting the light-travel time of the variable radiation from the stellar surface to the disk. Consistent time lags were detected on two nights, when the time series in H (1.6 μm) and K (2.2 μm) bands were synchronized while the 4.5 μm emission lagged by 74.5 ± 3.2 s. Considering the nearly edge-on geometry of the disk, the inner rim should be 0.084 au from the protostar on average, with an error of order 0.01 au. This size is likely larger than the range of magnetospheric truncations and consistent with an optically and geometrically thick disk front at the dust sublimation radius at ∼1500 K. The widths of the cross-correlation functions between the data in different wavebands place possible new constraints on the geometry of the disk.

INTERNAL AND RELATIVE MOTIONS OF THE TAURUS AND OPHIUCHUS STAR-FORMING REGIONS

We investigate the internal and relative motions of the Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions using a sample of young stars with accurately measured radial velocities and proper motions. We find no evidence for expansion or contraction of the Taurus complex, but a clear indication for a global rotation, resulting in velocity gradients, this suggests a common origin, possibly related to that of Gould's Belt.