Small Dust Grains Research Articles

Comprehensive Study of Thermal Desorption of Grain-surface Species by Accretion Shocks around Protostars

Abstract We conducted numerical simulations of the dust heating in accretion shocks induced by the interaction between the infalling envelope and the Keplerian disk surrounding a protostar, in order to investigate the thermal desorption of molecules from the dust-grain surfaces. It is thought that the surfaces of the amorphous dust grains are inhomogeneous; various adsorption sites with different binding energies should therefore exist. We assumed that the desorption energy has a Gaussian distribution and investigated the effect of the desorption energy distribution on the desorption-efficiency evaluation. We calculated the desorption fractions of the grain-surface species for wide ranges of input parameters and summarized our results in a shock diagram. The resulting shock diagram suggests that the enhanced line emissions around protostars observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array cannot be explained by the thermal desorption in an accretion shock if typical interstellar dust-grain sizes ( ) and a single desorption energy are considered. On the other hand, if significantly smaller dust grains are the main grain-surface species carriers and the desorption energy has a Gaussian distribution, the origin of the enhanced line emission can be explained by the accretion shock heating scenario for all of the three protostars examined in this study: IRAS 04368+2557, IRAS 04365+2535, and IRAS 16293–2422. The small-grain-carrier supposition is quite reasonable when the dust grains have a power-law size distribution because the smaller grains primarily contribute to the dust-grain surface area.

Evidence for detection of energetic neutral atoms by LADEE

The integrated current of the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) instrument aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) includes sources of current in addition to small (<0.3μm) dust grains. LDEX current correlates strongly with solar wind density and flux, though solar wind ions should be excluded from the signal. Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), produced by solar wind that is neutralized and reflected from the moon's surface, might contribute to LDEX current. To investigate this possibility, we developed a geometrical model for ENA detection. We find high correlation between predicted ENA flux and LDEX current. Based on the inverse dependence of ENA detection sensitivity on solar wind speed, we exclude sputtering from the spherical surface inside the instrument as the mechanism for ENA detection. Additionally, we observe a drop in LDEX current that is consistent with a drop in the predicted ENA flux associated with a lunar magnetic anomaly (LMA) centered at -178°E and 6°N selenographic longitude and latitude, respectively. This provides additional confirmation that ENAs are the main contributor to the LDEX current rather than ions, because the ENA flux decreases in LMA regions and reflected hydrogen ion flux increases in LMA regions.

Multi-band polarimetry of post-asymptotic giant branch stars – I. Optical measurements

We present new optical broad-band (UBVRI) aperture polarimetric observations of 53 post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars selected to exhibit a large near-infrared excess. 24 out of the 53 stars (45% of our sample) are presented for the first time. A statistical analysis shows four distinctive groups of polarized post-AGB stars: unpolarized or very lowly polarized (degree of polarization or DoP < 1%), lowly polarized (1% < DoP < 4%), moderately polarized (4% < DoP < 8%) and highly polarized (DoP > 8%). 23 out of the 53 (66%) belong to the first group, 10 (19%) to the second, five (9%) to the third and only three (6%) to the last group. Approximately, 34% of our sample was found to be unpolarized objects, which is close to the percentage of round planetary nebulae. On average, the low and moderate groups show a wavelength-dependent polarization that increases towards shorter wavelength, implying an intrinsic origin of the polarization, which signifies a Rayleigh-like scattering spectrum typical for non-symmetrical envelopes composed principally of small dust grains. The moderately polarized stars exhibit higher K-W3 and W1-W3 colour indices compared with the group of lowly polarized stars suggesting a possible relation between DoP and mass-loss rate. Moreover, they are found to be systematically colder (redder in B-V), which may be associated with the condensation process close to these stars that results in higher degree of polarization. We also provide evidence that multiple scattering in optically thin polar outflows is the mechanism that gives high DoP in post-AGB stars with a bipolar or multi-polar envelopes.

Self-induced dust traps: overcoming planet formation barriers

Planet formation is thought to occur in discs around young stars by the aggregation of small dust grains into much larger objects. The growth from grains to pebbles and from planetesimals to planets is now fairly well understood. The intermediate stage has however been found to be hindered by the radial-drift and fragmentation barriers. We identify a powerful mechanism in which dust overcomes both barriers. Its key ingredients are i) backreaction from the dust onto the gas, ii) grain growth and fragmentation, and iii) large-scale gradients. The pile-up of growing and fragmenting grains modifies the gas structure on large scales and triggers the formation of pressure maxima, in which particles are trapped. We show that these self-induced dust traps are robust: they develop for a wide range of disc structures, fragmentation thresholds and initial dust-to-gas ratios. They are favored locations for pebbles to grow into planetesimals, thus opening new paths towards the formation of planets.

Radial decoupling of small and large dust grains in the transitional disk RX J1615.3-3255

We present H-band (1.6 {\mu}m) scattered light observations of the transitional disk RX J1615.3-3255, located in the ~1 Myr old Lupus association. From a polarized intensity image, taken with the HiCIAO instrument of the Subaru Telescope, we deduce the position angle and the inclination angle of the disk. The disk is found to extend out to 68 $\pm$ 12 AU in scattered light and no clear structure is observed. Our inner working angle of 24 AU does not allow us to detect a central decrease in intensity similar to that seen at 30 AU in the 880 {\mu}m continuum observations. We compare the observations with multiple disk models based on the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) and submm interferometry and find that an inner rim of the outer disk at 30 AU containing small silicate grains produces a polarized intensity signal which is an order of magnitude larger than observed. We show that a model in which the small dust grains extend smoothly into the cavity found for large grains is closer to the actual H-band observations. A comparison of models with different dust size distributions suggests that the dust in the disk might have undergone significant processing compared to the interstellar medium.

Electrostatic forces on grains near asteroids and comets

Dust on and near the surface of small planetary bodies (e.g. asteroids, the Moon, Mars’ moons) is subject to gravity, cohesion and electrostatic forces. Due to the very low gravity on small bodies, the behavior of small dust grains is driven by non-gravitational forces. Recent work by Scheeres et al. has shown that cohesion, specifically van der Waals force, is significant for grains on asteroids. In addition to van der Waals cohesion, dust grains also experience electrostatic forces, arising from their interaction with each other (through tribocharging) and the solar wind plasma (which produces both grain charging and an external electric field). Electrostatic forces influence both the interactions of grains on the surface of small bodies as well as the dynamics of grains in the plasma sheath above the surface. While tribocharging between identical dielectric grains remains poorly understood, we have recently expanded an existing charge transfer model to consider continuous size distributions of grains and are planning an experiment to test the charge predictions produced. Additionally, we will present predictions of the size of dust grains that are capable of detaching from the surface of small bodies.

Discovery of a Perseus-like cloud in the early Universe

We present the discovery of a molecular cloud at zabs ≈ 2.5255 along the line of sight to the quasar SDSS J 000015.17+004833.3. We use a high-resolution spectrum obtained with the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph together with a deep multi-wavelength medium-resolution spectrum obtained with X-shooter (both on the Very Large Telescope) to perform a detailed analysis of the absorption lines from ionic, neutral atomic and molecular species in different excitation levels, as well as the broad-band dust extinction. We find that the absorber classifies as a Damped Lyman-α system (DLA) with log N(H i) (cm-2) = 20.8 ± 0.1. The DLA has super-solar metallicity (Z ~ 2.5 Z⊙, albeit to within a factor of two to three) with a depletion pattern typical of cold gas and an overall molecular fraction f = 2N(H2)/(2N(H2) + N(H i)) ~ 50%. This is the highest f-value observed to date in a high-z intervening system. Most of the molecular hydrogen arises from a clearly identified narrow (b ~ 0.7km s-1), cold component in which carbon monoxide molecules are also found, with log N(CO)≈ 15. With the help of the spectral synthesis code Cloudy, we study the chemical and physical conditions in the cold gas. We find that the line of sight probes the gas deep after the H i-to-H2 transition in a ~4−5 pc-size cloud with volumic density nH ~ 80 cm-3 and temperature of only 50 K. Our model suggests that the presence of small dust grains (down to about 0.001 μm) and high cosmic ray ionisation rate (ζH ~ a few times 10-15 s-1) are needed to explain the observed atomic and molecular abundances. The presence of small grains is also in agreement with the observed steep extinction curve that also features a 2175 Å bump. Interestingly, the chemical and physical properties of this cloud are very similar to what is seen in diffuse molecular regions of the nearby Perseus complex, despite the former being observed when the Universe was only 2.5 Gyr old. The high excitation temperature of CO rotational levels towards J0000+0048 betrays however the higher temperature of the cosmic microwave background. Using the derived physical conditions, we correct for a small contribution (0.3 K) of collisional excitation and obtain TCMB(z = 2.53) ≈ 9.6 K, in perfect agreement with the predicted adiabatic cooling of the Universe.

On the dynamics of dust during protostellar collapse

The dynamics of dust and gas can be quite different from each other when the dust is poorly coupled to the gas. In protoplanetary discs, it is well known that this decoupling of the dust and gas can lead to diverse spatial structures and dust-to-gas ratios. In this paper, we study the dynamics of dust and gas during the earlier phase of protostellar collapse, before a protoplanetary disc is formed. We find that for dust grains with sizes < 10 micron, the dust is well coupled during the collapse of a rotating, pre-stellar core and there is little variation of the dust-to-gas ratio during the collapse. However, if larger grains are present, they may have trajectories that are very different from the gas during the collapse, leading to mid-plane settling and/or oscillations of the dust grains through the mid-plane. This may produce variations in the dust-to-gas ratio and very different distributions of large and small dust grains at the very earliest stages of star formation, if large grains are present in pre-stellar cores.

Missing Fe: hydrogenated iron nanoparticles

Abstract Although it was found that the FeH lines exist in the spectra of some stars, none of the spectral features in the interstellar medium (ISM) have been assigned to this molecule. We suggest that iron atoms interact with hydrogen and produce Fe-H nanoparticles which sometimes contain many H atoms. We calculate infrared spectra of hydrogenated iron nanoparticles using density functional theory methods and find broad, overlapping bands. Desorption of H2 could induce spinning of these small Fe-H dust grains. Some of hydrogenated iron nanoparticles possess magnetic and electric moments and should interact with electromagnetic fields in the ISM. FenHm nanoparticles could contribute to the polarization of the ISM and the anomalous microwave emission. We discuss the conditions required to form FeH and FenHm in the ISM.

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SUB-MICRON-SIZED DUST GRAINS IN THE ATMOSPHERES OF RED L0–L6 DWARFS

ABSTRACT We examine the hypothesis that the red near-infrared colors of some L dwarfs could be explained by a “dust haze” of small particles in their upper atmospheres. This dust haze would exist in conjunction with the clouds found in dwarfs with more typical colors. We developed a model that uses Mie theory and the Hansen particle size distributions to reproduce the extinction due to the proposed dust haze. We apply our method to 23 young L dwarfs and 23 red field L dwarfs. We constrain the properties of the dust haze including particle size distribution and column density using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. We find that sub-micron-range silicate grains reproduce the observed reddening. Current brown dwarf atmosphere models include large-grain (1–100 μm) dust clouds but not sub-micron dust grains. Our results provide a strong proof of concept and motivate a combination of large and small dust grains in brown dwarf atmosphere models.

CLOUD ATLAS: DISCOVERY OF PATCHY CLOUDS AND HIGH-AMPLITUDE ROTATIONAL MODULATIONS IN A YOUNG, EXTREMELY RED L-TYPE BROWN DWARF

ABSTRACT Condensate clouds fundamentally impact the atmospheric structure and spectra of exoplanets and brown dwarfs, but the connections between surface gravity, cloud structure, dust in the upper atmosphere, and the red colors of some brown dwarfs remain poorly understood. Rotational modulations enable the study of different clouds in the same atmosphere, thereby providing a method to isolate the effects of clouds. Here, we present the discovery of high peak-to-peak amplitude (8%) rotational modulations in a low-gravity, extremely red ( s = 2.55) L6 dwarf WISEP J004701.06+680352.1 (W0047). Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) time-resolved grism spectroscopy, we find a best-fit rotational period (13.20 ± 0.14 hr) with a larger amplitude at 1.1 μm than at 1.7 μm. This is the third-largest near-infrared variability amplitude measured in a brown dwarf, demonstrating that large-amplitude variations are not limited to the L/T transition but are present in some extremely red L-type dwarfs. We report a tentative trend between the wavelength dependence of relative amplitude, possibly proxy for small dust grains lofted in the upper atmosphere, and the likelihood of large-amplitude variability. By assuming forsterite as a haze particle, we successfully explain the wavelength-dependent amplitude with submicron-sized haze particle sizes of around 0.4 μm. W0047 links the earlier spectral and later spectral type brown dwarfs in which rotational modulations have been observed; the large amplitude variations in this object make this a benchmark brown dwarf for the study of cloud properties close to the L/T transition.

PANCHROMATIC IMAGING OF A TRANSITIONAL DISK: THE DISK OF GM AUR IN OPTICAL AND FUV SCATTERED LIGHT

ABSTRACT We have imaged GM Aurigae with the Hubble Space Telescope, detected its disk in scattered light at 1400 and 1650 Å, and compared these with observations at 3300 Å, 5550 Å, 1.1 μm, and 1.6 μm. The scattered light increases at shorter wavelengths. The radial surface brightness profile at 3300 Å shows no evidence of the 24 au radius cavity that has been previously observed in submillimeter observations. Comparison with dust grain opacity models indicates that the surface of the entire disk is populated with submicron grains. We have compiled a spectral energy distribution from 0.1 μm to 1 mm and used it to constrain a model of the star + disk system that includes the submillimeter cavity using the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code by Barbara Whitney. The best-fit model image indicates that the cavity should be detectable in the F330W bandpass if the cavity has been cleared of both large and small dust grains, but we do not detect it. The lack of an observed cavity can be explained by the presence of submicron grains interior to the submillimeter cavity wall. We suggest one explanation for this that could be due to a planet of mass &lt;9 M J interior to 24 au. A unique cylindrical structure is detected in the far-UV data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel. It is aligned along the system semiminor axis, but does not resemble an accretion-driven jet. The structure is limb brightened and extends 190 ± 35 au above the disk midplane. The inner radius of the limb brightening is 40 ± 10 au, just beyond the submillimeter cavity wall.

CONFRONTING STANDARD MODELS OF PROTO-PLANETARY DISKS WITH NEW MID-INFRARED SIZES FROM THE KECK INTERFEROMETER

ABSTRACT We present near- and mid-infrared (MIR) interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the infrared telescope facilities (IRTFs) of 11 well-known young stellar objects, several of which were observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With au-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inner rim and MIR disk emission. We find a high degree of correlation between the stellar luminosity and the MIR disk sizes after using near-infrared data to remove the contribution from the inner rim. We then use a semi-analytical physical model to also find that the very widely used “star + inner dust rim + flared disk” class of models strongly fails to reproduce the spectral energy distribution (SED) and spatially resolved MIR data simultaneously; specifically a more compact source of MIR emission is required than results from the standard flared disk model. We explore the viability of a modification to the model whereby a second dust rim containing smaller dust grains is added, and find that the 2-rim model leads to significantly improved fits in most cases. This complexity is largely missed when carrying out SED modeling alone, although detailed silicate feature fitting by McClure et al. recently came to a similar conclusion. As has been suggested recently by Menu et al., the difficulty in predicting MIR sizes from the SED alone might hint at “transition disk”-like gaps in the inner au; however, the relatively high correlation found in our MIR disk size versus stellar luminosity relation favors layered disk morphologies and points to missing disk model ingredients instead.

CIRCUMSTELLAR DEBRIS DISKS: DIAGNOSING THE UNSEEN PERTURBER

ABSTRACT The first indication of the presence of a circumstellar debris disk is usually the detection of excess infrared emission from the population of small dust grains orbiting the star. This dust is short-lived, requiring continual replenishment, and indicating that the disk must be excited by an unseen perturber. Previous theoretical studies have demonstrated that an eccentric planet orbiting interior to the disk will stir the larger bodies in the belt and produce dust via interparticle collisions. However, motivated by recent observations, we explore another possible mechanism for heating a debris disk: a stellar-mass perturber orbiting exterior to and inclined to the disk and exciting the disk particles’ eccentricities and inclinations via the Kozai–Lidov mechanism. We explore the consequences of an exterior perturber on the evolution of a debris disk using secular analysis and collisional N-body simulations. We demonstrate that a Kozai–Lidov excited disk can generate a dust disk via collisions and we compare the results of the Kozai–Lidov excited disk with a simulated disk perturbed by an interior eccentric planet. Finally, we propose two observational tests of a dust disk that can distinguish whether the dust was produced by an exterior brown dwarf or stellar companion or an interior eccentric planet.

Dust Evolution and the Formation of Planetesimals

The solid content of circumstellar disks is inherited from the interstellar medium: dust particles of at most a micrometer in size. Protoplanetary disks are the environment where these dust grains need to grow at least 13 orders of magnitude in size. Our understanding of this growth process is far from complete, with different physics seemingly posing obstacles to this growth at various stages. Yet, the ubiquity of planets in our galaxy suggests that planet formation is a robust mechanism. This chapter focuses on the earliest stages of planet formation, the growth of small dust grains towards the gravitationally bound "planetesimals", the building blocks of planets. We will introduce some of the key physics involved in the growth processes and discuss how they are expected to shape the global behavior of the solid content of disks. We will consider possible pathways towards the formation of larger bodies and conclude by reviewing some of the recent observational advances in the field.

Protostellar disc formation enabled by removal of small dust grains

It has been shown that a realistic level of magnetization of dense molecular cloud cores can suppress the formation of a rotationally supported disk (RSD) through catastrophic magnetic braking in the axisymmetric ideal MHD limit. In this study, we present conditions for the formation of RSDs through non-ideal MHD effects computed self-consistently from an equilibrium chemical network. We find that removing from the standard MRN distribution the large population of very small grains (VSGs) of ~10 $\AA$ to few 100 $\AA$ that dominate the coupling of the bulk neutral matter to the magnetic field increases the ambipolar diffusivity by ~1--2 orders of magnitude at densities below 10$^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$. The enhanced ambipolar diffusion (AD) in the envelope reduces the amount of magnetic flux dragged by the collapse into the circumstellar disk-forming region. Therefore, magnetic braking is weakened and more angular momentum can be retained. With continuous high angular momentum inflow, RSDs of tens of AU are able to form, survive, and even grow in size, depending on other parameters including cosmic-ray ionization rate, magnetic field strength, and rotation speed. Some disks become self-gravitating and evolve into rings in our 2D (axisymmetric) simulations, which have the potential to fragment into (close) multiple systems in 3D. We conclude that disk formation in magnetized cores is highly sensitive to chemistry, especially to grain sizes. A moderate grain coagulation/growth to remove the large population of VSGs, either in the prestellar phase or during free-fall collapse, can greatly promote AD and help formation of tens of AU RSDs.

Gas and dust hydrodynamical simulations of massive lopsided transition discs – II. Dust concentration

We investigate the dynamics of large dust grains in massive lopsided transition discs via 2D hydrodynamical simulations including both gas and dust. Our simulations adopt a ring-like gas density profile that becomes unstable against the Rossby-wave instability and forms a large crescent-shaped vortex. When gas self-gravity is discarded, but the indirect force from the displacement of the star by the vortex is included, we confirm that dust grains with stopping times of order the orbital time, which should be typically a few centimetres in size, are trapped ahead of the vortex in the azimuthal direction, while the smallest and largest grains concentrate towards the vortex centre. We obtain maximum shift angles of about 25 degrees. Gas self-gravity accentuates the concentration differences between small and large grains. At low to moderate disc masses, the larger the grains, the farther they are trapped ahead of the vortex. Shift angles up to 90 degrees are reached for 10 cm-sized grains, and we show that such large offsets can produce a double-peaked continuum emission observable at mm/cm wavelengths. This behaviour comes about because the large grains undergo horseshoe U-turns relative to the vortex due to the vortex's gravity. At large disc masses, since the vortex's pattern frequency becomes increasingly slower than Keplerian, small grains concentrate slightly beyond the vortex and large grains form generally non-axisymmetric ring-like structures around the vortex's radial location. Gas self-gravity therefore imparts distinct trapping locations for small and large dust grains which may be probed by current and future observations, and which suggest that the formation of planetesimals in vortices might be more difficult than previously thought.

DUST DYNAMICS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISK WINDS DRIVEN BY MAGNETOROTATIONAL TURBULENCE: A MECHANISM FOR FLOATING DUST GRAINS WITH CHARACTERISTIC SIZES

ABSTRACT We investigate the dynamics of dust grains of various sizes in protoplanetary disk winds driven by magnetorotational turbulence, by simulating the time evolution of the dust grain distribution in the vertical direction. Small dust grains, which are well-coupled to the gas, are dragged upward with the upflowing gas, while large grains remain near the midplane of a disk. Intermediate-size grains float near the sonic point of the disk wind located at several scale heights from the midplane, where the grains are loosely coupled to the background gas. For the minimum mass solar nebula at 1 au, dust grains with size of 25–45 μm float around 4 scale heights from the midplane. Considering the dependence on the distance from the central star, smaller-size grains remain only in an outer region of the disk, while larger-size grains are distributed in a broader region. We also discuss the implications of our result for observations of dusty material around young stellar objects.

Dust production in debris discs: constraints on the smallest grains

The surface energy constraint puts a limit on the smallest fragment $s_{surf}$ that can be produced after a collision. Based on analytical considerations, this mechanism has been recently identified as been potentially able to prevent the production of small dust grains in debris discs and cut off their size distribution at sizes larger than the blow-out size. We numerically investigate the importance of this effect to find under which conditions it can leave a signature in the small-size end of a disc's particle size distribution (PSD). An important part of this work is to map out, in a disc at steady-state, what is the most likely collisional origin for micron-sized grains, in terms of the sizes of their collisional progenitors. We implement, for the first time, the surface energy constraint into a collisional evolution code. We consider a debris disc extending from 50 to 100AU and 2 different stellar types. We also consider two levels of stirring in the disc: dynamically "hot" (e=0.075) and "cold" (e=0.01). For all cases, we derive $s_{surf}$ maps as a function of target and projectile sizes, $s_t$ and $s_p$, and compare them to equivalent maps for the dust-production rate. We then compute disc-integrated PSDs and estimate the imprint of the surface energy constraint. We find that the ($s_p$,$s_t$) regions of high $s_{surf}$ values do not coincide with those of high dust production rate. As a consequence, the surface energy constraint has generally a weak effect on the system's PSD. The maximum $s_{surf}$-induced depletion of $\mu$m-sized grains is $\sim 30$% and is obtained for a sun-like star and a dynamically hot case. For the e=0.01 cases, the surface energy effect is negligible compared to the massive small grain depletion induced by another mechanism: the natural imbalance between dust production and destruction rates in low-stirring discs identified by Thebault&Wu(2008).

ANALYSIS OF THE INSTABILITY DUE TO GAS–DUST FRICTION IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

ABSTRACT We study the stability of a dust layer in a gaseous disk subject to linear axisymmetric perturbations. Instead of considering single-size particles, however, the population of dust particles is assumed to consist of two grain species. Dust grains exchange momentum with the gas via the drag force and their self-gravity is also considered. We show that the presence of two grain sizes can increase the efficiency of the linear growth of drag-driven instability in the protoplanetary disks (PPDs). A second dust phase with a small mass, compared to the first dust phase, would reduce the growth timescale by a factor of two or more, especially when its coupling to the gas is weak. This means that once a certain amount of large dust particles form, even though it is much smaller than that of small dust particles, the dust layer becomes more unstable and dust clumping is accelerated. Thus, the presence of dust particles of various sizes must be considered in studies of dust clumping in PPDs where both large and small dust grains are present.