Andrew F. Boden

The Palomar Testbed Interferometer

The Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI) is a long-baseline infrared interferometer located at Palomar Observatory, California. It was built as a testbed for interferometric techniques applicable to the Keck Interferometer. First fringes were obtained in 1995 July. PTI implements a dual-star architecture, tracking two stars simultaneously for phase referencing and narrow-angle astrometry. The three fixed 40 cm apertures can be combined pairwise to provide baselines to 110 m. The interferometer actively tracks the white-light fringe using an array detector at 2.2 μm and active delay lines with a range of ±38 m. Laser metrology of the delay lines allows for servo control, and laser metrology of the complete optical path enables narrow-angle astrometric measurements. The instrument is highly automated, using a multiprocessing computer system for instrument control and sequencing.

Debris Disks in Main-Sequence Binary Systems

We observed 69 A3-F8 main-sequence binary star systems using the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. We find emission significantly in excess of predicted photospheric flux levels for 9 % and 40 % of these systems at 24 and 70 μm, respectively. Twenty-two systems total have excess emission, including four systems that show excess emission at both wavelengths. A very large fraction (nearly 60%) of observed binary systems with small (<3 AU) separations have excess thermal emission. We interpret the observed infrared excesses as thermal emission from dust produced by collisions in planetesimal belts. The incidence of debris disks around main-sequence A3-F8 binaries is marginally higher than that for single old AFGK stars. Whatever combination of nature (birth conditions of binary systems) and nurture (interactions between the two stars) drives the evolution of debris disks in binary systems, it is clear that planetesimal formation is not inhibited to any great degree. We model these dust disks through fitting the spectral energy distributions and derive typical dust temperatures in the range 100-200 K and typical fractional luminosities around 10-5, with both parameters similar to other Spitzer-discovered debris disks. Our calculated dust temperatures suggest that about half the excesses we observe are derived from circumbinary planetesimal belts and around one-third of the excesses clearly suggest circumstellar material. Three systems with excesses have dust in dynamically unstable regions, and we discuss possible scenarios for the origin of this short-lived dust.

VLBA Determination of the Distance to Nearby Star-forming Regions. IV. A Preliminary Distance to the Proto-Herbig AeBe Star EC 95 in the Serpens Core

Using the Very Long Base Array, we observed the young stellar object EC 95 in the Serpens cloud core at eight epochs from 2007 December to 2009 December. Two sources are detected in our field and are shown to form a tight binary system. The primary (EC 95a) is a 4-5 M_⊙ proto-Herbig AeBe object (arguably the youngest such object known), whereas the secondary (EC 95b) is most likely a low-mass T Tauri star. Interestingly, both sources are non-thermal emitters. While T Tauri stars are expected to power a corona because they are convective while they go down the Hayashi track, intermediate-mass stars approach the main sequence on radiative tracks. Thus, they are not expected to have strong superficial magnetic fields, and should not be magnetically active. We review several mechanisms that could produce the non-thermal emission of EC 95a and argue that the observed properties of EC 95a might be most readily interpreted if it possessed a corona powered by a rotation-driven convective layer. Using our observations, we show that the trigonometric parallax of EC 95 is π = 2.41 ± 0.02 mas, corresponding to a distance of 414.9^(+4.4)_ (–4.3) pc. We argue that this implies a distance to the Serpens core of 415 ± 5 pc and a mean distance to the Serpens cloud of 415 ± 25 pc. This value is significantly larger than previous estimates (d ~ 260 pc) based on measurements of the extinction suffered by stars in the direction of Serpens. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is that these previous observations picked out foreground dust clouds associated with the Aquila Rift system rather than Serpens itself.

The near-infrared size-luminosity relations for Herbig Ae/Be disks

We report the results of a sensitive K-band survey of Herbig Ae/Be disk sizes using the 85 m baseline Keck Interferometer. Targets were chosen to span the maximum range of stellar properties to probe the disk size dependenceonluminosityandeffectivetemperature.Formosttargets,themeasurednear-infraredsizes(rangingfrom0.2to 4AU)supportasimple diskmodelpossessingacentralopticallythin(dust-free) cavity,ringedbyhotdustemitting at theexpected sublimation temperatures (Ts � 1000–1500 K).Furthermore, wefindatightcorrelation of disksizewith source luminosity R / L 1 =2 for Ae and late Be systems (valid over more than two decades in luminosity), confirming earlier suggestions based on lower quality data. Interestingly, the inferred dust-free inner cavities of the highest luminosity sources (Herbig B0–B3 stars) are undersized compared to predictions of the ‘‘optically thin cavity’’ model, likely because of optically thick gas within the inner AU. Subject headingg accretion, accretion disks — circumstellar matter — instrumentation: interferometers — radiative transfer — stars: formation — stars: pre–main-sequence

Astrometric Observation of MACHO Gravitational Microlensing

Following previous suggestions of other researchers, this paper discusses the prospects for astrometric observation of MACHO gravitational microlensing events. We derive the expected astrometric observables for a simple microlensing event with either a dark or self-luminous lens and demonstrate that accurate astrometry can determine the lens mass, distance, and proper motion in a very general fashion. In particular, we argue that in limited circumstances ground-based, narrow-angle differential astrometric techniques are sufficient to measure the lens mass directly and other lens properties (distance, transverse motion) by applying an independent model for the source distance and motion. We investigate the sensitivity of differential astrometry in determining lens parameters by Monte Carlo methods and derive a quasi-empirical relationship between astrometric accuracy and mass uncertainty.

FIRST SPACE-BASED MICROLENS PARALLAX MEASUREMENT: SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF OGLE-2005-SMC-001

We combine Spitzer and ground-based observations to measure the microlens parallax of OGLE-2005-SMC-001, the first such space-based determination since S. Refsdal proposed the idea in 1966. The parallax measurement yields a projected velocity ν(over tilde) ~ 230 km s^(-1), the typical value expected for halo lenses, but an order of magnitude smaller than would be expected for lenses lying in the Small Magellanic Cloud itself. The lens is a weak (i.e., non-caustic-crossing) binary, which complicates the analysis considerably but ultimately contributes additional constraints. Using a test proposed by Assef and coworkers, which makes use only of kinematic information about different populations but does not make any assumptions about their respective mass functions, we find that the likelihood ratio is L_(halo)/L(SMC) = 20. Hence, halo lenses are strongly favored, but Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) lenses are not definitively ruled out. Similar Spitzer observations of additional lenses toward the Magellanic Clouds would clarify the nature of the lens population. The Space Interferometry Mission could make even more constraining measurements.

ASTROPHYSICAL PARAMETERS AND HABITABLE ZONE OF THE EXOPLANET HOSTING STAR GJ 581

GJ 581 is an M dwarf host of a multiplanet system. We use long-baseline interferometric measurements from the CHARA Array, coupled with trigonometric parallax information, to directly determine its physical radius to be 0.299 ± 0.010 R_☉. Literature photometry data are used to perform spectral energy distribution fitting in order to determine GJ 581s effective surface temperature T_(EFF) = 3498 ± 56 K and its luminosity L = 0.01205 ± 0.00024 L_☉. From these measurements, we recompute the location and extent of the systems habitable zone and conclude that two of the planets orbiting GJ 581, planets d and g, spend all or part of their orbit within or just on the edge of the habitable zone.

Dynamical Masses for Low-Mass Pre-Main-Sequence Stars: A Preliminary Physical Orbit for HD 98800 B

We report on Keck Interferometer observations of the double-lined binary (B) component of the quadruple pre-main-sequence (PMS) system HD 98800. With these interferometric observations, combined with astrometric measurements made by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) and published radial velocity observations, we have estimated preliminary visual and physical orbits of the HD 98800 B subsystem. Our orbit model calls for an inclination of 668 ± 32 and allows us to infer the masses and luminosities of the individual components. In particular we find component masses of 0.699 ± 0.064 and 0.582 ± 0.051 M☉ for the Ba (primary) and Bb (secondary) components, respectively. Spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling of the B subsystem suggests that the B circumstellar material is a source of extinction along the line of sight to the B components. This seems to corroborate a conjecture by Tokovinin that the B subsystem is viewed through circumbinary material, but it raises important questions about the morphology of that circumbinary material. Our modeling of the subsystem component SEDs finds temperatures and luminosities in agreement with previous studies, and coupled with the component mass estimates allows for comparison with PMS models in the low-mass regime with few empirical constraints. Solar abundance models seem to underpredict the inferred component temperatures and luminosities, while assuming slightly subsolar abundances brings the models and observations into better agreement. The current preliminary orbit does not yet place significant constraints on existing PMS stellar models, but prospects for additional observations improving the orbit model and component parameters are very good.

Keck Interferometer Observations of Classical and Weak-line T Tauri Stars

We present observations of the T Tauri stars BP Tau, DG Tau, DI Tau, GM Aur, LkCa 15, RW Aur, and V830 Tau, using long baseline infrared interferometry at K band (2.2 μm) from the Keck Interferometer. The target sources have a range of mass accretion rates and excess near-infrared emission. The interferometer is most sensitive to extended emission on characteristic size scales of 1-5 mas. All sources show evidence for resolved K-band emission on these scales, although a few of the sources are marginally consistent with being unresolved. We calculate the infrared excess based on fitting stellar photosphere models to the optical photometry and estimate the physical size of the emission region using simple geometric models for the sources with a significant infrared excess. Assuming that the K-band-resolved emission traces the inner edge of the dust disk, we compare the measured characteristic sizes to predicted dust sublimation radii and find that the models require a range of dust sublimation temperatures and possibly optical depths within the inner rim to match the measured radii.

Interferometer Observations of Subparsec-Scale Infrared Emission in the Nucleus of NGC 4151

We report novel, high angular resolution interferometric measurements that imply that the near-infrared nuclear emission in NGC 4151 is unexpectedly compact. We have observed the nucleus of NGC 4151 at 2.2 μm using the two 10 m Keck telescopes as an interferometer and find a marginally resolved source ≤0.1 pc in diameter. Our measurements rule out models in which a majority of the K-band nuclear emission is produced on scales larger than this size. The interpretation of our measurement most consistent with other observations is that the emission mainly originates directly in the central accretion disk. This implies that active galactic nucleus unification models invoking hot, optically thick dust may not be applicable to NGC 4151.