P. Ábrahám

NEARBY DEBRIS DISK SYSTEMS WITH HIGH FRACTIONAL LUMINOSITY RECONSIDERED

By searching the IRAS and ISO databases, we compiled a list of 60 debris disks that exhibit the highest fractional luminosity values ( fd > 10 � 4 ) in the vicinity of the Sun (d 5 ; 10 � 4 are younger than 100 Myr.Thedistribution of the disks inthe fractional luminosityversus age diagram indicates that (1) the number of old systems with high fd is lower than was claimed before, (2) there exist many relatively young disks of moderate fractional luminosity, and (3) comparing the observations with a current theoretical model of debris disk evolution, a general good agreement could be found. Subject headings: circumstellar matter — infrared: stars — stars: kinematics

Episodic formation of cometary material in the outburst of a young Sun-like star

The Solar System originated in a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. The dust is in the form of amorphous silicate particles and carbonaceous dust. The composition of cometary material, however, shows that a significant fraction of the amorphous silicate dust was transformed into crystalline form during the early evolution of the protosolar nebula. How and when this transformation happened has been a question of debate, with the main options being heating by the young Sun and shock heating. Here we report mid-infrared features in the outburst spectrum of the young Sun-like star EX Lupi that were not present in quiescence. We attribute them to crystalline forsterite. We conclude that the crystals were produced through thermal annealing in the surface layer of the inner disk by heat from the outburst, a process that has hitherto not been considered. The observed lack of cold crystals excludes shock heating at larger radii.

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 ([Mg,Fe] 2 SiO 4 ) with different grain sizes suggests that this correlation is indicating grain growth in the disks of TTauri stars. Similar mechanisms of grain processing appear to be effective in both groups of young stars.

Transient dust in warm debris disks - Detection of Fe-rich olivine grains

Context. Debris disks trace remnant reservoirs of leftover planetesimals in planetary systems. In the past years, a handful of “warm” debris disks have been discovered in which emission in excess starts in the mid-infrared. An interesting subset of these warm debris disks shows emission features in mid-infrared spectra, which points towards the presence of μm-sized dust grains, with temperatures above hundreds K. Given the ages of the host stars, the presence of these small grains is puzzling, and raises questions about their origin and survival in time. Aims. This study focuses on determining the mineralogy of the dust around seven debris disks with evidence for warm dust, based on Spitzer/IRS spectroscopic data, to provide new insights into the origin of the dust grains. Methods. We developed and present a new radiative transfer code (Debra) dedicated to spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling of optically thin disks. The Debra code is designed such that it can simultaneously determine dust composition and disk properties. We used this code on the SEDs of seven warm debris disks, in combination with recent laboratory experiments on dust optical properties. Results. We find that most, if not all, debris disks in our sample are experiencing a transient phase, suggesting a production of small dust grains on relatively short timescales. Dust replenishment should be efficient on timescales of months for at least three sources. From a mineralogical point of view, we find that crystalline pyroxene grains (enstatite) have low abundances compared to crystalline olivine grains. The main result of our study is that we find evidence for Fe-rich crystalline olivine grains (Fe/[Mg + Fe] ∼ 0.2) for several debris disks. This finding contrasts with studies of gas-rich protoplanetary disks, where Fe-bearing crystalline grains are usually not observed. Conclusions. These Fe-rich olivine grains, and the overall differences between the mineralogy of dust in Class II disks compared to debris disks suggests that the transient crystalline dust in warm debris disk is of a new generation. We discuss possible crystallization routes to explain our results, and also comment on the mechanisms that may be responsible for the production of small dust grains.

ALMA OBSERVATIONS OF THE MOLECULAR GAS IN THE DEBRIS DISK OF THE 30 Myr OLD STAR HD 21997

The 30?Myr old A3-type star HD?21997 is one of the two known debris dust disks having a measurable amount of cold molecular gas. With the goal of understanding the physical state, origin, and evolution of the gas in young debris disks, we obtained CO line observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Here, we report on the detection of 12CO and 13CO in the J = 2-1 and J = 3-2 transitions and C18O in the J = 2-1 line. The gas exhibits a Keplerian velocity curve, one of the few direct measurements of Keplerian rotation in young debris disks. The measured CO brightness distribution could be reproduced by a simple star+disk system, whose parameters are r in < 26?AU, r out = 138 ? 20?AU, ?M ?, and i = 32.?6 ? 3.?1. The total CO mass, as calculated from the optically thin C18O line, is about (4-8) ? 10?2?M ?, while the CO line ratios suggest a radiation temperature on the order of 6-9?K. Comparing our results with those obtained for the dust component of the HD?21997 disk from ALMA continuum observations by Mo?r et?al., we conclude that comparable amounts of CO gas and dust are present in the disk. Interestingly, the gas and dust in the HD?21997 system are not colocated, indicating a dust-free inner gas disk within 55?AU of the star. We explore two possible scenarios for the origin of the gas. A secondary origin, which involves gas production from colliding or active planetesimals, would require unreasonably high gas production rates and would not explain why the gas and dust are not colocated. We propose that HD?21997 is a hybrid system where secondary debris dust and primordial gas coexist. HD?21997, whose age exceeds both the model predictions for disk clearing and the ages of the oldest T?Tauri-like or transitional gas disks in the literature, may be a key object linking the primordial and the debris phases of disk evolution.

The outburst and nature of two young eruptive stars in the North America/Pelican Nebula Complex

Context. In August 2010, the sudden optical brightening of two young stellar objects, HBC 722 and VSX J205126.1+440523, located in the North America/Pelican Nebula Complex, was announced. Early photometric and spectroscopic observations of these objects indicated that they may belong to the FUor or EXor class of young eruptive stars. The eruptions of FUors and EXors are often ex- plained by enhanced accretion of material from the circumstellar disk to the protostar. Aims. In order to determine the true nature of these two objects, we started an optical and near-infrared monitoring program, a nd complemented our data with archival observations and data from the literature. Methods. We plot and analyze pre-outburst and outburst spectral energy distributions (SEDs), multi-filter light curves, and col or-color diagrams. Results. The quiescent SED of HBC 722 is consistent with that of a slightly reddened normal T Tauri-type star. The source bright- ened monotonically in about two months, and the SED obtained during maximum brightness indicates the appearance of a hot, single-temperature blackbody. The current fading rate implies that the star will return to quiescence in about a year, q uestioning its classification as a bone fide FUor. The quiescent SED of VSX J20 5126.1+440523 looks like that of a highly embedded Class I source. The outburst of this source happened more gradually, but reached an unprecedentedly high amplitude. At 2.5 months after the peak, its light curves show a deep minimum, when the object was close to its pre-outburst optical brightness. Further monitori ng indicates that it is still far from being quiescent. Conclusions. The shape of the light curves, as well as the bolometric luminosities and accretion rates suggest that these objects do no t fit into the classic FUor group. Although HBC 722 exhibit all s pectral characteristics of a bona fide FUor, its luminosity a nd accretion rate is too low, and its timescale is too fast compared to clas sical FUors. VSX J205126.1+440523 seems to be an example where quick extinction changes modulate the light curve.

Disk Radii and Grain Sizes in Herschel-resolved Debris Disks

The radii of debris disks and the sizes of their dust grains are important tracers of the planetesimal formation mechanisms and physical processes operating in these systems. Here we use a representative sample of 34 debris disks resolved in various Herschel Space Observatory (Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA) programs to constrain the disk radii and the size distribution of their dust. While we modeled disks with both warm and cold components, and identified warm inner disks around about two-thirds of the stars, we focus our analysis only on the cold outer disks, i.e., Kuiper-belt analogs. We derive the disk radii from the resolved images and find a large dispersion for host stars of any spectral class, but no significant trend with the stellar luminosity. This argues against ice lines as a dominant player in setting the debris disk sizes, since the ice line location varies with the luminosity of the central star. Fixing the disk radii to those inferred from the resolved images, we model the spectral energy distribution to determine the dust temperature and the grain size distribution for each target. While the dust temperature systematically increases toward earlier spectral types, the ratio of the dust temperature to the blackbody temperature at the disk radius decreases with the stellar luminosity. This is explained by a clear trend of typical sizes increasing toward more luminous stars. The typical grain sizes are compared to the radiation pressure blowout limit s blow that is proportional to the stellar luminosity-to-mass ratio and thus also increases toward earlier spectral classes. The grain sizes in the disks of G- to A-stars are inferred to be several times s blow at all stellar luminosities, in agreement with collisional models of debris disks. The sizes, measured in the units of s blow, appear to decrease with the luminosity, which may be suggestive of the disks stirring level increasing toward earlier-type stars. The dust opacity index β ranges between zero and two, and the size distribution index q varies between three and five for all the disks in the sample.

On the relationship between debris disks and planets

Dust in debris disks is generated by collisions among planetesimals. The existence of these planetesimals is a consequence of the planet formation process, but the relationship between debris disks and planets has not been clearly established. Here we analyze Spitzer/MIPS 24 and 70 μm data for 150 planet-bearing stars, and compare the incidence of debris disks around these stars with a sample of 118 stars around which planets have been searched for, but not found. Together they comprise the largest sample ever assembled to deal with this question. The use of survival analysis techniques allows us to account for the large number of nondetections at 70 μm. We discovered 10 new debris disks around stars with planets and one around a star without known planets. We found that the incidence of debris disks is marginally higher among stars with planets, than among those without, and that the brightness of the average debris disk is not significantly different in the two samples. We conclude that the presence of a planet that has been detected via current radial velocity techniques is not a good predictor of the presence of a debris disk detected at infrared wavelengths.

THE 2008 OUTBURST OF EX Lup—SILICATE CRYSTALS IN MOTION

EX Lup is the prototype of the EXor class of eruptive young stars. These objects show optical outbursts which are thought to be related to runaway accretion onto the star. In a previous study we observed in situ crystal formation in the disk of EX Lup during its latest outburst in 2008, making the object an ideal laboratory to investigate circumstellar crystal formation and transport. This outburst was monitored by a campaign of ground-based and Spitzer Space Telescope observations. Here we modeled the spectral energy distribution (SED) of EX Lup in the outburst from optical to millimeter wavelengths with a two-dimensional radiative transfer code. Our results showed that the shape of the SED at optical wavelengths was more consistent with a single-temperature blackbody than a temperature distribution. We also found that this single-temperature component emitted 80%-100% of the total accretion luminosity. We concluded that a thermal instability, the most widely accepted model of EXor outbursts, was likely not the triggering mechanism of the 2008 outburst of EX Lup. Our mid-infrared Spitzer spectra revealed that the strength of all crystalline bands between 8 and 30 μm increased right after the end of the outburst. Six months later, however, the crystallinity in the 10 μm silicate feature complex decreased. Our modeling of the mid-infrared spectral evolution of EX Lup showed that, although vertical mixing should be stronger during the outburst than in the quiescent phase, fast radial transport of crystals (e.g., by stellar/disk wind) was required to reproduce the observed mid-infrared spectra.

EX Lupi in quiescence

Aims. EX Lupi is the prototype of EXors, a subclass of low-mass pre-main sequence stars whose episodic eruptions are attributed to temporarily increased accretion. In quiescence the optical and near-infrared properties of EX Lup cannot be distinguished from those of normal T Tau stars. Here we investigate whether it is the circumstellar disk structure that makes EX Lup an atypical Class II object. During outburst the disk might undergo structural changes. Our characterization of the quiescent disk is intended to serve as a reference for studying the physical changes related to one of EX Lupi’s strongest known eruptions in 2008 Jan–Sep. Methods. We searched the literature for photometric and spectroscopic observations including ground-based, IRAS, ISO, and Spitzer data. After constructing the optical–infrared spectral energy distribution (SED), we compared it with the typical SEDs of other young stellar objects and modeled it using the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code RADMC. We determined the mineralogical composition of the 10 μm silicate emission feature and also gave a description of the optical and near-infrared spectra. Results. The SED is similar to that of a typical T Tauri star in most aspects, though EX Lup emits higher flux above 7 μm. The quiescent phase data suggest low-level variability in the optical–mid-infrared domain. By integrating the optical and infrared fluxes, we derived a bolometric luminosity of 0.7 L� . The 10 μm silicate profile could be fitted by a mixture consisting of amorphous silicates,