Search

{Sulfur Monoxide is known to be a good shock tracer in molecular clouds and protostar environments, but its abundance is difficult to reproduce even using state-of-the-art astrochemical models. } {We investigate the properties of the observed SO emission in the protoplanetary disk of AB Auriga, a Herbig Ae star of 2.4 $\Msun$ located at 156 pc. The AB Aur system is unique because it exhibits a dust trap and at least one young putative planet orbiting at about 30 au from the central star.} {We reduced ALMA archival data (projects 2019.1.00579.S, 2021.1.00690.S and 2021.1.01216.S) and analyzed the three detected SO lines (SO $6_5-5_4$, $6_7-5_6$ and $5_6-4_5$). We also present C$^{17}$O and C$^{18}$O 2-1 data to complement the interpretation of the SO data.} {For the three SO lines, the maximum SO emission in the ring is not located in the dust trap. Moreover, the inner radius of the SO ring is significantly larger than the CO emission inner radius, $\sim 160$ au versus $\sim 90$ au. The SO emission traces gas located in part beyond the dust ring. This emission likely originates from shocks at the interface of the outer spirals, observed in CO and scattered light emission, and the molecular and dust ring. SO is also detected inside the cavity, at a radius $\sim 20-30$ au and with a rotation velocity compatible with the proto-planet P1. We speculate that this SO emission originates from accretion shocks onto the circumplanetary disk of the putative proto-planet P1.} {These observations confirm that SO is a good tracer of shocks in protoplanetary disks and could be a powerful, new tool to detect embedded (proto-)planets.} Conclusions. These observations confirm that SO is a good tracer of shocks in protoplanetary disks and could be a powerful, new tool to detect embedded (proto-)planets.

Resolved molecular line observations are essential for gaining insight into the physical and chemical structure of protoplanetary disks, particularly in cold, dense regions where planets form and acquire their chemical compositions. However, tracing these regions is challenging because most molecules freeze onto grain surfaces and are not observable in the gas phase. We investigated cold molecular chemistry in the triple stellar T Tauri disk GG Tau A, which harbours a massive gas and dust ring and an outer disk, using ALMA Band 7 observations. We present high angular resolution maps of N2H+ and DCO+ emission, with upper limits reported for H2D+, 13CS, and SO2. The radial intensity profile of N2H+ shows most emission near the ring outer edge, while DCO+ exhibits double peaks, one near the ring inner edge and the other in the outer disk. With complementary observations of lower-lying transitions, we constrained the molecular surface densities and rotation temperatures. We compared the derived quantities with model predictions across different cosmic ray ionization (CRI) rates, carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratios, and stellar UV fluxes. Cold molecular chemistry, affecting N2H+, DCO+, and H2D+ abundances, is most sensitive to CRI rates, while stellar UV flux and C/O ratios have minimal impact on these three ions. Our best model requires a low cosmic ray ionization rate of 1e-18 s-1. However, it fails to match the low temperatures derived from N2H+ and DCO+, 12 to 16 K, which are much lower than the CO freezing temperature., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal; 26 Pages (15 figures and 8 tables)

Molecular line surveys are among the main tools to probe the structure and physical conditions in protoplanetary disks (PPDs), the birthplace of planets. The large radial and vertical temperature as well as density gradients in these PPDs lead to a complex chemical composition, making chemistry an important step to understand the variety of planetary systems. We aimed to study the chemical content of the protoplanetary disk surrounding GG Tau A, a well-known triple T Tauri system. We used NOEMA with the new correlator PolyFix to observe rotational lines at 2.6 to 4 mm from a few dozen molecules. We analysed the data with a radiative transfer code to derive molecular densities and the abundance relative to $^{13}$CO, which we compare to those of the TMC1 cloud and LkCa15 disk. We report the first detection of CCS in PPDs. We also marginally detect OCS and find 16 other molecules in the GG Tauri outer disk. Ten of them had been found previously, while seven others ($^{13}$CN, N$_2$H$^+$, HNC, DNC, HC$_3$N, CCS, and C$^{34}$S) are new detections in this disk. The analysis confirms that sulphur chemistry is not yet properly understood. The D/H ratio, derived from DCO$^{+}$/HCO$^{+}$, DCN/HCN, and DNC/HNC ratios, points towards a low temperature chemistry. The detection of the rare species CCS confirms that GG Tau is a good laboratory to study the protoplanetary disk chemistry, thanks to its large disk size and mass., Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics

Grain surface chemistry is key to the composition of protoplanetary disks around young stars. The temperature of grains depends on their size. We evaluate the impact of this temperature dependence on the disk chemistry. We model a moderately massive disk with 16 different grain sizes. We use POLARIS to calculate the dust grain temperatures and the local UV flux. We model the chemistry using the 3-phase astrochemical code NAUTILUS. Photoprocesses are handled using frequency-dependent cross-sections, and a new method to account for self and mutual shielding. The multi-grain model outputs are compared to those of single-grain size models (0.1 $\mu$m), with two different assumptions for their equivalent temperature. We find that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) mechanism at equilibrium temperature is not efficient to form H$_2$ at 3-4 scale heights ($H$), and adopt a parametric fit to a stochastic method to model H$_2$ formation instead. We find the molecular layer composition (1-3 $H$) to depend on the amount of remaining H atoms. Differences in molecular surface densities between single and multi-grain models are mostly due to what occurs above 1.5 $H$. At 100 au, models with colder grains produce H$_2$O and CH$_4$ ices in the midplane, and warmer ones produce more CO$_2$ ices, both allowing efficient depletion of C and O as soon as CO sticks on grain surfaces. Complex organic molecules (COMs) production is enhanced by the presence of warmer grains in the multi-grain models. Using a single grain model mimicking grain growth and dust settling fails to reproduce the complexity of gas-grain chemistry. Chemical models with a single grain size are sensitive to the adopted grain temperature, and cannot account for all expected effects. A spatial spread of the snowlines is expected to result from the ranges in grain temperature. The amplitude of the effects will depend on the dust disk mass., Comment: 39 pages, 33 figures

We present a multi-wavelength analysis to reveal the nature of the enigmatic T Tauri triple star system. New optical and infrared measurements are coupled with archival X-ray, UV and mm datasets to show morphologies of disk material and outflow kinematics. A dark lane of obscuring material is seen in silhouette in several emission lines and in model-subtracted ALMA mm continuum dust residuals near the position of T Tau Sa+Sb, revealing the attenuating circumbinary ring around T Tau S. The flux variability of T Tau S is linked in part to the binary orbit; T Tau Sb brightens near orbital apastron as it emerges from behind circumbinary material. Outflow diagnostics confirm that T Tau N powers the blue-shifted western outflow, and the T Tau S binary drives the northwest-southeastern flow. Analysis of the southern outflow shows periodic arcs ejected from the T Tau system. Correlation of these arc locations and tangential kinematics with the orbit timing suggests that launch of the last four southern outflow ejections is contemporaneous with, and perhaps triggered by, the T Tau Sa+Sb binary periastron passage. We present a geometry of the T Tau triple that has the southern components foreground to T Tau N, obscured by a circumbinary ring, with mis-aligned disks and interacting outflows. Particularly, a wind from T Tauri Sa that is perpendicular to its circumstellar disk might interact with the circumbinary material, which may explain conflicting high contrast measurements of the system outflows in the literature. T Tauri is an important laboratory to understand early dynamical processes in young multiple systems. We discuss the historical and future characteristics of the system in this context., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Context. Planet formation is expected to take place in the first million years of a planetary system through various processes, which remain to be tested through observations. Aims. With the recent discovery, using ALMA, of two gaseous spiral arms inside the 120 au cavity and connected to dusty spirals, the famous protoplanetary disk around AB Aurigae presents a strong incentive for investigating the mechanisms that lead to giant planet formation. A candidate protoplanet located inside a spiral arm has already been claimed in an earlier study based on the same ALMA data. Methods. We used SPHERE at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to perform near-infrared (IR) high-contrast imaging of AB Aur in polarized and unpolarized light in order to study the morphology of the disk and search for signs of planet formation. Results. SPHERE has delivered the deepest images ever obtained for AB Aur in scattered light. Among the many structures that are yet to be understood, we identified not only the inner spiral arms, but we also resolved a feature in the form of a twist in the eastern spiral at a separation of about 30 au. The twist of the spiral is perfectly reproduced with a planet-driven density wave model when projection effects are accounted for. We measured an azimuthal displacement with respect to the counterpart of this feature in the ALMA data, which is consistent with Keplerian motion on a 4-yr baseline. Another point sxce is detected near the edge of the inner ring, which is likely the result of scattering as opposed to the direct emission from a planet photosphere. We tentatively derived mass constraints for these two features. Conclusions. The twist and its apparent orbital motion could well be the first direct evidence of a connection between a protoplanet candidate and its manifestation as a spiral imprinted in the gas and dust distributions., Comment: accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 8 pages, 5 figures

Analyzing Spitzer and Herschel archival measurements we identified a debris disk around the young K7/M0 star CP-72 2713. The system belongs to the 24Myr old $\beta$ Pic moving group. Our new 1.33mm continuum observation, obtained with the ALMA 7-m array, revealed an extended dust disk with a peak radius of 140au, probably tracing the location of the planetesimal belt in the system. The disk is outstandingly large compared to known spatially resolved debris disks and also to protoplanetary disks around stars of comparable masses. The dynamical excitation of the belt at this radius is found to be reconcilable with planetary stirring, while self-stirring by large planetesimals embedded in the belt can work only if these bodies form very rapidly, e.g. via pebble concentration. By analyzing the spectral energy distribution we derived a characteristic dust temperature of 43K and a fractional luminosity of 1.1$\times$10$^{-3}$. The latter value is prominently high, we know only four other similarly dust-rich Kuiper-belt analogs within 40pc of the Sun., Comment: Published in AJ, 20 pages, 8 figures; v2:typos corrected, references revised, minor changes in the abstract and the introduction

We used new ALMA $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O(3-2) observations obtained at high angular resolution ($\sim$0.2") together with previous CO(3-2) and (6-5) ALMA data and continuum maps at 1.3 and 0.8 mm in order to determine the gas properties (temperature, density, and kinematics) in the cavity and to a lesser extent in the outer disk of GG Tau A, the prototype of a young triple T Tauri star that is surrounded by a massive and extended Keplerian outer disk. By deprojecting, we studied the radial and azimuthal gas distribution and its kinematics. We also applied a new method to improve the deconvolution of the CO data and in particular better quantify the emission from gas inside the cavity. We perform local and nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium studies in order to determine the excitation conditions and relevant physical parameters inside the ring and in the central cavity. Residual emission after removing a smooth-disk model indicates unresolved structures at our angular resolution, probably in the form of irregular rings or spirals. The outer disk is cold, with a temperature $<20$ K beyond 250 au that drops quickly (r$^{-1}$). The kinematics of the gas inside the cavity reveals infall motions at about 10% of the Keplerian speed. We derive the amount of gas in the cavity, and find that the brightest clumps, which contain about 10% of this mass, have kinetic temperatures 40$-$80 K, CO column densities of a few 10$^{17}$ cm$^{-2}$, and H$_2$ densities around 10$^7$ cm$^{-3}$. Although the gas in the cavity is only a small fraction of the disk mass, the mass accretion rate throughout the cavity is comparable to or higher than the stellar accretion rate. It is accordingly sufficient to sustain the circumstellar disks on a long timescale., Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures

We report new dynamical masses for 5 pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in the L1495 region of the Taurus star-forming region (SFR) and 6 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 $<0.6$ solar masses, thus providing data in a mass range with little data, and of these, 6 are measured to precision $< 5 \%$. We find 8 stars with masses in the range 0.09 to 1.1 solar mass 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 MY, and $<1$ MY for those in L1688. We also measured the dynamical masses of 14 stars in the ALMA archival data for Akeson~\&~Jensen's Cycle 0 project on binaries in the Taurus SFR. We find that the masses of 7 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., Comment: 20 pages

Determining the gas density and temperature structures of protoplanetary disks is a fundamental task to constrain planet formation theories. This is a challenging procedure and most determinations are based on model-dependent assumptions. We attempt a direct determination of the radial and vertical temperature structure of the Flying Saucer disk, thanks to its favorable inclination of 90 degrees. We present a method based on the tomographic study of an edge-on disk. Using ALMA, we observe at 0.5$"$ resolution the Flying Saucer in CO J=2-1 and CS J=5-4. This edge-on disk appears in silhouette against the CO J=2-1 emission from background molecular clouds in $\rho$ Oph. The combination of velocity gradients due to the Keplerian rotation of the disk and intensity variations in the CO background as a function of velocity provide a direct measure of the gas temperature as a function of radius and height above the disk mid-plane. The overall thermal structure is consistent with model predictions, with a cold ($< 15-12 $~K), CO-depleted mid-plane, and a warmer disk atmosphere. However, we find evidence for CO gas along the mid-plane beyond a radius of about 200\,au, coincident with a change of grain properties. Such a behavior is expected in case of efficient rise of UV penetration re-heating the disk and thus allowing CO thermal desorption or favoring direct CO photo-desorption. CO is also detected up to 3-4 scale heights while CS is confined around 1 scale height above the mid-plane. The limits of the method due to finite spatial and spectral resolutions are also discussed. This method appears to be very promising to determine the gas structure of planet-forming disks, provided that the molecular data have an angular resolution which is high enough, of the order of $0.3 - 0.1"$ at the distance of the nearest star forming regions., Comment: 14 pages + 11 figures

The increased sensitivity of millimeter-wave facilities now makes possible the detection of low amounts of gas in debris disks. Some of the gas-rich debris disks harbor peculiar properties, with possible pristine gas and secondary generated dust. The origin of the gas in these hybrid disks is strongly debated and the current sample is too sparse to understand this phenomenon. More detections are necessary to increase the statistics on this population. Lying at the final stages of evolution of proto-planetary disks and at the beginning of the debris disk phase, these objects could provide new insight into the processes involved in the making of planetary systems. We carried out a deep survey of the 12CO(2-1) and 12CO(3-2) lines with the APEX and IRAM radiotelescopes in young debris disks selected according to hybrid disk properties. The survey is complemented with a bibliographic study of the ratio between the emission of the gas and the continuum (S_CO/F_cont) in CTTS, Herbig Ae, WTTS, hybrid, and debris disks. Our sub-mm survey comprises 25 stars, including 17 new targets, and we increase the sensitivity limit by a factor 2 on eight sources compared to similar published studies. We report a 4sigma tentative detection of a double-peaked 12CO(2-1) line around HD23642; an eclipsing binary located in the Pleiades. We also reveal a correlation between the emission of the CO gas and the dust continuum from CTTS, Herbig Ae and few debris disks. The observed trend of the gas to dust flux ratio suggests a concurrent dissipation of the dust and gas components. Hybrid disks systematically lie above this trend, suggesting that these systems may witness a transient phase, when the dust has evolved more rapidly than the gas, with a flux ratio S_CO/F_cont enhanced by a factor of between 10 and 100 compared to standard (proto-)planetary disks., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy&Astrophysics

Transition disks correspond to a short stage between the young protoplanetary phase and older debris phase. Along this evolutionary sequence, the gas component disappears leaving room for a dust-dominated environment where already-formed planets signpost their gravitational perturbations. We endeavor to study the very inner region of the well-known and complex debris, but still gas-rich disk, around HD 141569A using the exquisite high-contrast capability of SPHERE at the VLT. Recent near-infrared (IR) images suggest a relatively depleted cavity within ~200 au, while former mid-IR data indicate the presence of dust at separations shorter than ~100 au. We obtained multi-wavelength images in the near-IR in J, H2, H3 and Ks bands with the IRDIS camera and a 0.95-1.35 micrometers spectral data cube with the IFS. Data were acquired in pupil-tracking mode, thus allowing for angular differential imaging. We discovered several new structures inside 1", of which the most prominent is a bright ring with sharp edges (semi-major axis: 0.4") featuring a strong north-south brightness asymmetry. Other faint structures are also detected from 0.4" to 1" in the form of concentric ringlets and at least one spiral arm. Finally, the VISIR data at 8.6 micrometers suggests the presence of an additional dust population closer in. Besides, we do not detect companions more massive than 1-3 mass of Jupiter. The performance of SPHERE allows us to resolve the extended dust component, which was previously detected at thermal and visible wavelengths, into very complex patterns with strong asymmetries ; the nature of these asymmetries remains to be understood. Scenarios involving shepherding by planets or dust-gas interactions will have to be tested against these observations., Comment: Accepted by A&A. 10 pages, 8 figures

(abridged) We used the IRAM 30-m to perform a sensitive wideband survey of 30 protoplanetary disks in the Taurus Auriga region. We simultaneously observed HCO$^+$(3-2), HCN(3-2), C$_2$H(3-2), CS(5-4), and two transitions of SO. We combine the results with a previous survey which observed $^{13}$CO (2-1), CN(2-1), two o-H$_2$CO lines and one of SO. We use available interferometric data to derive excitation temperatures of CN and C$_2$H in several sources. We determine characteristic sizes of the gas disks and column densities of all molecules using a parametric power-law disk model. Our study is mostly sensitive to molecules at 200-400 au from the stars. We compare the derived column densities to the predictions of an extensive gas-grain chemical disk model, under conditions representative of T Tauri disks. This survey provides 20 new detections of HCO$^+$ in disks, 18 in HCN, 11 in C$_2$H, 8 in CS and 4 in SO. HCO$^+$ is detected in almost all sources, and its J=3-2 line is essentially optically thick, providing good estimates of the disk radii. The other transitions are (at least partially) optically thin. Variations of the column density ratios do not correlate with any specific property of the star or disk. Disks around Herbig Ae stars appear less rich in molecules than those around T Tauri stars, although the sample remains small. SO is only found in the (presumably younger) embedded objects, perhaps reflecting an evolution of the S chemistry due to increasing depletion with time. Overall, the molecular column densities, and in particular the CN/HCN and CN/C$_2$H ratios, are well reproduced by gas-grain chemistry in cold disks. This study provides a census of simple molecules in disks of radii $> 200-300$ au. Extending that to smaller disks, or searching for less abundant or more complex molecules requires a much more sensitive facility, i.e. NOEMA and ALMA., Comment: To appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Dust determines the temperature structure of protoplanetary disks. However, dust temperature determinations almost invariably rely on a complex modeling of the Spectral Energy Distribution. We attempt a direct determination of the temperature of large grains emitting at mm wavelengths.} We observe the edge-on dust disk of the Flying Saucer, which appears in silhouette against the CO J=2-1 emission from a background molecular cloud in $\rho$ Oph. The combination of velocity gradients due to the Keplerian rotation of the disk and intensity variations in the CO background as a function of velocity allows us to directly measure the %absorbing dust temperature. The dust opacity can then be derived from the emitted continuum radiation. The dust disk absorbs the radiation from the CO clouds at several velocities. We derive very low dust temperatures, 5 to 7 K at radii around 100 au, which is much lower than most model predictions. The dust optical depth is $> 0.2$ at 230 GHz, and the scale height at 100 au is at least 8 au (best fit 13 au). However, the dust disk is very flat (flaring index -0.35), which is indicative of dust settling in the outer parts., Comment: 5 pages

Debris disks are usually thought to be gas-poor, the gas being dissipated by accretion or evaporation during the protoplanetary phase. HD141569A is a 5 Myr old star harboring a famous debris disk, with multiple rings and spiral features. We present here the first PdBI maps of the 12CO(2-1), 13CO(2-1) gas and dust emission at 1.3 mm in this disk. The analysis reveals there is still a large amount of (primordial) gas extending out to 250 au, i. e. inside the rings observed in scattered light. HD141569A is thus a hybrid disk with a huge debris component, where dust has evolved and is produced by collisions, with a large remnant reservoir of gas., Comment: To appear in "Young Stars and Planets Near the Sun", Proceedings of IAU Symposium No. 314 (Cambridge University Press), J.H. Kastner, B. Stelzer, S.A. Metchev, eds

We attempt to determine the molecular composition of disks around young low-mass stars in the $\rho$ Oph region and to compare our results with a similar study performed in the Taurus-Auriga region. We used the IRAM 30 m telescope to perform a sensitive search for CN N=2-1 in 29 T Tauri stars located in the $\rho$ Oph and upper Scorpius regions. $^{13}$CO J=2-1 is observed simultaneously to provide an indication of the level of confusion with the surrounding molecular cloud. The bandpass also contains two transitions of ortho-H$_2$CO, one of SO, and the C$^{17}$O J=2-1 line, which provides complementary information on the nature of the emission. Contamination by molecular cloud in $^{13}$CO and even C$^{17}$O is ubiquitous. The CN detection rate appears to be lower than for the Taurus region, with only four sources being detected (three are attributable to disks). H$_2$CO emission is found more frequently, but appears in general to be due to the surrounding cloud. The weaker emission than in Taurus may suggest that the average disk size in the $\rho$ Oph region is smaller than in the Taurus cloud. Chemical modeling shows that the somewhat higher expected disk temperatures in $\rho$ Oph play a direct role in decreasing the CN abundance. Warmer dust temperatures contribute to convert CN into less volatile forms. In such a young region, CN is no longer a simple, sensitive tracer of disks, and observations with other tracers and at high enough resolution with ALMA are required to probe the gas disk population., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Aims: We attempt to determine the masses of single or multiple young T Tauri and HAeBe stars from the rotation of their Keplerian disks. Methods:We used the IRAM PdBI interferometer to perform arcsecond resolution images of the CN N=2-1 transition with good spectral resolution. Integrated spectra from the 30-m radiotelescope show that CN is relatively unaffected by contamination from the molecular clouds. Our sample includes 12 sources, among which isolated stars like DM Tau and MWC 480 are used to demonstrate the method and its accuracy. We derive the dynamical mass by fitting a disk model to the emission, a process giving M/D the mass to distance ratio. We also compare the CN results with higher resolution CO data, that are however affected by contamination. Results: All disks are found in nearly perfect Keplerian rotation. We determine accurate masses for 11 stars, in the mass range 0.5 to 1.9 solar masses. The remaining one, DG Tau B, is a deeply embedded object for which CN emission partially arises from the outflow. With previous determination, this leads to 14 (single) stars with dynamical masses. Comparison with evolutionary tracks, in a distance independent modified HR diagram, show good overall agreement (with one exception, CW Tau), and indicate that measurement of effective temperatures are the limiting factor. The lack of low mass stars in the sample does not allow to distinguish between alternate tracks., Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics in press, 20 pages

We aim at unveiling the observational imprint of physical mechanisms that govern planetary formation in young, multiple systems. In particular, we investigate the impact of tidal truncation on the inner circumstellar disks. We observed the emblematic system GG Tau at high-angular resolution: a hierarchical quadruple system composed of low-mass T Tauri binary stars surrounded by a well-studied, massive circumbinary disk in Keplerian rotation. We used the near-IR 4-telescope combiner PIONIER on the VLTI and sparse-aperture-masking techniques on VLT/NaCo to probe this proto-planetary system at sub-AU scales. We report the discovery of a significant closure-phase signal in H and Ks bands that can be reproduced with an additional low-mass companion orbiting GG Tau Ab, at a (projected) separation rho = 31.7 +/- 0.2mas (4.4 au) and PA = 219.6 +/- 0.3deg. This finding offers a simple explanation for several key questions in this system, including the missing-stellar-mass problem and the asymmetry of continuum emission from the inner dust disks observed at millimeter wavelengths. Composed of now five co-eval stars with 0.02 <= Mstar <= 0.7 Msun, the quintuple system GG Tau has become an ideal test case to constrain stellar evolution models at young ages (few 10^6yr)., Comment: 5pages, 3 figures, 1 appendix (online material)

(abridged) Most Class II sources (of nearby star forming regions) are surrounded by disks with weak millimeter continuum emission. These "faint" disks may hold clues to the disk dissipation mechanism. We attempt to determine the characteristics of such faint disks around classical T Tauri stars, and to explore the link between disk faintness and the proposed disk dispersal mechanisms (accretion, viscous spreading, photo-evaporation, planetary system formation). We performed high-angular resolution (0.3") imaging of a small sample of disks (9 sources) with low 1.3mm continuum flux (mostly <30 mJy) with the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer and simultaneously searched for 13CO (or CO) J=2-1 line emission. Using a simple parametric disk model, we determine characteristic sizes of the disks, in dust and gas, and we constrain surface densities in the central 50 AU. All disks are much smaller than the bright disks imaged so far, both in continuum and 13CO lines (5 detections). In continuum, half of the disks are very small, with characteristic radii less than 10AU, but still have high surface density values. Small sizes appear to be the main cause for the low disk luminosity. Direct evidence for grain growth is found for the three disks that are sufficiently resolved. Low continuum opacity is attested in two systems only, but we cannot firmly distinguish between a low gas surface density and a lower dust emissivity resulting from grain growth. We report a tentative discovery of a 20 AU radius cavity in DS Tau, bringing the proportion of transitional disks to a similar value to that of brighter sources, but cavities cannot explain the low mm flux. This study highlights a category of very compact dust disks, still exhibiting high surface densities, which may represent up to 25 % of the whole disk population, but its origin is unclear with the current data alone., Comment: 15 pages Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

(Abridged) Dust is expected to be ubiquitous in extrasolar planetary systems owing to the dynamical activity of minor bodies. Inner dust populations are, however, still poorly known because of the high contrast and small angular separation with respect to their host star. We aim to determine the level of near-infrared exozodiacal dust emission around a sample of 42 nearby main sequence stars with spectral types ranging from A to K and to investigate its correlation with various stellar parameters and with the presence of cold dust belts. We use high-precision K-band visibilities obtained with the FLUOR interferometer on the shortest baseline of the CHARA array. The calibrated visibilities are compared with the expected visibility of the stellar photosphere to assess whether there is an additional, fully resolved circumstellar emission. Near-infrared circumstellar emission amounting to about 1% of the stellar flux is detected around 13 of our 42 target stars. Follow-up observations showed that one of them (eps Cep) is associated with a stellar companion, while another one was detected around what turned out to be a giant star (kap CrB). The remaining 11 excesses found around single main sequence stars are most probably associated with hot circumstellar dust, yielding an overall occurrence rate of 28+8-6% for our (biased) sample. We show that the occurrence rate of bright exozodiacal discs correlates with spectral type, K-band excesses being more frequent around A-type stars. It also correlates with the presence of detectable far-infrared excess emission in the case of solar-type stars. This study provides new insight into the phenomenon of bright exozodiacal discs, showing that hot dust populations are probably linked to outer dust reservoirs in the case of solar-type stars. For A-type stars, no clear conclusion can be made regarding the origin of the detected near-infrared excesses., Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures

We use the IRAM 30-m telescope to perform a sensitive search for CN N=2-1 in 42 T Tauri or Herbig Ae systems located mostly in the Taurus-Auriga region. $^{13}$CO J=2-1 is observed simultaneously to indicate the level of confusion with the surrounding molecular cloud. The bandpass also contains two transitions of ortho-H$_2$CO, one of SO and the C$^{17}$O J=2-1 line which provide complementary information on the nature of the emission. While $^{13}$CO is in general dominated by residual emission from the cloud, CN exhibits a high disk detection rate $> 50$% in our sample. We even report CN detection in stars for which interferometric searches failed to detect $^{12}$CO, presumably because of obscuration by a foreground, optically thick, cloud. Comparison between CN and o-H$_2$CO or SO line profiles and intensities divide the sample in two main categories. Sources with SO emission are bright and have strong H$_2$CO emission, leading in general to [H$_2$CO/CN]$ > 0.5$. Furthermore, their line profiles, combined with a priori information on the objects, suggest that the emission is coming from outflows or envelopes rather than from a circumstellar disk. On the other hand, most sources have [H$_2$CO/CN]$ < 0.3$, no SO emission, and some of them exhibit clear double-peaked profiles characteristics of rotating disks. In this second category, CN is likely tracing the proto-planetary disks. From the line flux and opacity derived from the hyperfine ratios, we constrain the outer radii of the disks, which range from 300 to 600 AU. The overall gas disk detection rate (including all molecular tracers) is $\sim 68%$, and decreases for fainter continuum sources. This study shows that gas disks, like dust disks, are ubiquitous around young PMS stars in regions of isolated star formation, and that a large fraction of them have $R > 300$ AU., Comment: 31 pages (including 59 figures)

We aim at resolving the circumstellar environment around beta Pic in the near-infrared in order to study the inner planetary system (< 200 mas, i.e., ~4 AU). Precise interferometric fringe visibility measurements were obtained over seven spectral channels dispersed across the H band with the four-telescope VLTI/PIONIER interferometer. Thorough analysis of interferometric data was performed to measure the stellar angular diameter and to search for circumstellar material. We detected near-infrared circumstellar emission around beta Pic that accounts for 1.37% +/- 0.16% of the near-infrared stellar flux and that is located within the field-of-view of PIONIER (i.e., ~200 mas in radius). The flux ratio between this excess and the photosphere emission is shown to be stable over a period of 1 year and to vary only weakly across the H band, suggesting that the source is either very hot (> 1500 K) or dominated by the scattering of the stellar flux. In addition, we derived the limb-darkened angular diameter of beta Pic with an unprecedented accuracy (theta_LD= 0.736 +/- 0.019 mas). The presence of a small H-band excess originating in the vicinity of beta Pic is revealed for the first time thanks to the high-precision visibilities enabled by VLTI/PIONIER. This excess emission is likely due to the scattering of stellar light by circumstellar dust and/or the thermal emission from a yet unknown population of hot dust, although hot gas emitting in the continuum cannot be firmly excluded., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Although debris discs have been detected around a significant number of main-sequence stars, only a few of them are known to harbour hot dust in their inner part where terrestrial planets may have formed. Thanks to infrared interferometric observations, it is possible to obtain a direct measurement of these regions, which are of prime importance for preparing future exo-Earth characterisation missions. In this context, we have resolved the exozodiacal dust disc around Vega with the help of infrared stellar interferometry and estimated the integrated H-band flux originating from the first few AUs of the debris disc. Using precise H-band interferometric measurements obtained with the 3-telescope IOTA/IONIC interferometer (Mount Hopkins, Arizona), thorough modelling of both interferometric data (squared visibility and closure phase) and spectral energy distribution was performed to constrain the nature of the near-infrared excess emission. The most straightforward scenario consists in a compact dust disc producing a thermal emission that is largely dominated by small grains located between 0.1 and 0.3 AU from Vega and accounting for 1.23 +/- 0.45% of the near-infrared stellar flux for our best-fit model. This flux ratio is shown to vary slightly with the geometry of the model used to fit our interferometric data (variations within +/-0.19%). Initially revealed by K-band CHARA/FLUOR observations, the presence of hot exozodiacal dust in the vicinity of Vega is confirmed by our H-band IOTA/IONIC measurements at the 3-sigma level. Whereas the origin of the dust is still uncertain, its presence and the possible connection with the outer disc suggest that the Vega system is currently undergoing major dynamical perturbations., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Context. The young active star BD +20 1790 is believed to host a substellar companion, revealed by radial-velocity measurements that detected the reflex motion induced on the parent star. Aims. A complete characterisation of the radial-velocity signal is necessary in order to assess its nature. Methods. We used CORALIE spectrograph to obtain precise (~10 m/s) velocity measurements on this active star, while characterizing the bisector span variations. Particular attention was given to correctly sample both the proposed planetary orbital period, of 7.8 days, and the stellar rotation period, of 2.4 days. Results. A smaller radial-velocity signal (with peak-to-peak variations <500 m/s) than had been reported previously was detected, with different amplitude on two different campaigns. A periodicity similar to the rotational period is found on the data, as well as a clear correlation between radial-velocities and bisector span. This evidence points towards a stellar origin of the radial-velocity variations of the star instead of a barycentric movement of the star, and repudiates the reported detection of a hot-Jupiter., Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in A&A letters

We measured the radii of 7 low and very low-mass stars using long baseline interferometry with the VLTI interferometer and its VINCI and AMBER near-infrared recombiners. We use these new data, together with literature measurements, to examine the luminosity- radius and mass-radius relations for K and M dwarfs. The precision of the new interferometric radii now competes with what can be obtained for double-lined eclipsing binaries. Interferometry provides access to much less active stars, as well as to stars with much better measured distances and luminosities, and therefore complements the information obtained from eclipsing systems. The radii of magnetically quiet late-K to M dwarfs match the predictions of stellar evolution models very well, providing direct confirmation that magnetic activity explains the discrepancy that was recently found for magnetically active eclipsing systems. The radii of the early K dwarfs are well reproduced for a mixing length parameter that approaches the solar value, as qualitatively expected., Comment: 12 pages. Accepted on 16/05/2009 (A&A)

We present infrared interferometric observations of the inner regions of two A-star debris disks, beta Leo and zeta Lep, using the FLUOR instrument at the CHARA interferometer on both short (30 m) and long (>200 m) baselines. For the target stars, the short baseline visibilities are lower than expected for the stellar photosphere alone, while those of a check star, delta Leo, are not. We interpret this visibility offset of a few percent as a near-infrared excess arising from dust grains which, due to the instrumental field of view, must be located within several AU of the central star. For beta Leo, the near-infrared excess producing grains are spatially distinct from the dust which produces the previously known mid-infrared excess. For zeta Lep, the near-infrared excess may be spatially associated with the mid-infrared excess producing material. We present simple geometric models which are consistent with the near and mid-infrared excess and show that for both objects, the near-infrared producing material is most consistent with a thin ring of dust near the sublimation radius with typical grain sizes smaller than the nominal radiation pressure blowout radius. Finally, we discuss possible origins of the near-infrared emitting dust in the context of debris disk evolution models., Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the Astrophysical Journal

TW Hydrae shows significant radial-velocity variations in the optical regime. They have been attributed to a 10 Jupiter Mass planet orbiting the star at 0.04 AU. In this work, we have tested whether the observed RV variations can be caused by stellar spots. We have also analyzed new optical and infrared data to confirm the signal of the planet companion. We fitted the RV variations of TW Hya using a cool spot model. Our model shows that a cold spot covering 7% of the stellar surface and located at a latitude of 54 deg can reproduce the reported RV variations. The model also predicts a bisector semi-amplitude variation <10 m/s, which is less than the errors of the RV measurements discussed in an earlier publication. The analysis of new optical RV data, with typical errors of 10 m/s, shows a larger RV amplitude that varies depending on the correlation mask used. A slight correlation between the RV variation and the bisector is also observed, although not at a very significant level. The infrared H-band RV curve is almost flat, showing a small variation (<35 m/s) that is not consistent with the optical orbit. All these results support the spot scenario rather than the presence of a hot Jupiter around TW Hya., Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

High-precision interferometric observations of six early-type main sequence stars known to harbour cold debris discs have been obtained in the near-infrared K band with the FLUOR instrument at the CHARA Array. The measured squared visibilities are compared to the expected visibility of the stellar photospheres based on theoretical photospheric models taking into account rotational distortion, searching for potential visibility reduction at short baselines due to circumstellar emission. Our observations bring to light the presence of resolved circumstellar emission around one of the six target stars (zeta Aql) at the 5 sigma level. The morphology of the emission source cannot be directly constrained because of the sparse spatial frequency sampling of our interferometric data. Using complementary adaptive optics observations and radial velocity measurements, we find that the presence of a low-mass companion is a likely origin for the excess emission. The potential companion has a K-band contrast of four magnitudes, a most probable mass of about 0.6 Msun, and is expected to orbit between about 5.5 AU and 8 AU from its host star assuming a purely circular orbit. Nevertheless, by adjusting a physical debris disc model to the observed Spectral Energy Distribution of the zeta Aql system, we also show that the presence of hot dust within 10 AU from zeta Aql, producing a total thermal emission equal to 1.69 +- 0.31% of the photospheric flux in the K band, is another viable explanation for the observed near-infrared excess. Our re-interpretation of archival near- to far-infrared photometric measurements shows however that cold dust is not present around zeta Aql at the sensitivity limit of the IRS and MIPS instruments onboard Spitzer, and urges us to remove zeta Aql from the category of bona fide debris disc stars., Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in A&A

We probed the first 3AU around tau Ceti and epsilon Eridani with the CHARA array (Mt Wilson, USA) in order to gauge the 2micron excess flux emanating from possible hot dust grains in the debris disks and to also resolve the stellar photospheres. High precision visibility amplitude measurements were performed with the FLUOR single mode fiber instrument and telescope pairs on baselines ranging from 22 to 241m of projected length. The short baseline observations allow us to disentangle the contribution of an extended structure from the photospheric emission, while the long baselines constrain the stellar diameter. We have detected a resolved emission around tau Cet, corresponding to a spatially integrated, fractional excess flux of 0.98 +/- 0.21 x 10^{-2} with respect to the photospheric flux in the K'-band. Around eps Eri, our measurements can exclude a fractional excess of greater than 0.6x10^{-2} (3sigma). We interpret the photometric excess around tau Cet as a possible signature of hot grains in the inner debris disk and demonstrate that a faint, physical or background, companion can be safely excluded. In addition, we measured both stellar angular diameters with an unprecedented accuracy: Theta_LD(tau Cet)= 2.015 +/- 0.011 mas and Theta_LD(eps Eri)=2.126 +/- 0.014 mas., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Only a handful of debris disks have been imaged up to now. Due to the need for high dynamic range and high angular resolution, very little is known about the inner planetary region, where small amounts of warm dust are expected to be found. We investigate the close neighbourhood of Vega with the help of infrared stellar interferometry and estimate the integrated K-band flux originating from the central 8 AU of the debris disk. We performed precise visibility measurements at both short (~30 m) and long (~150 m) baselines with the FLUOR beam-combiner installed at the CHARA Array (Mt Wilson, California) in order to separately resolve the emissions from the extended debris disk (short baselines) and from the stellar photosphere (long baselines). After revising Vega's K-band angular diameter (3.202+/-0.005 mas), we show that a significant deficit in squared visibility (1.88+/-0.34%) is detected at short baselines with respect to the best-fit uniform disk stellar model. This deficit can be either attributed to the presence of a low-mass stellar companion around Vega, or as the signature of the thermal and scattered emissions from the debris disk. We show that the presence of a close companion is highly unlikely, as well as other possible perturbations (stellar morphology, calibration), and deduce that we have most probably detected the presence of dust in the close neighbourhood of Vega. The resulting flux ratio between the stellar photosphere and the debris disk amounts to 1.29+/-0.19% within the FLUOR field-of-view (~7.8 AU). Finally, we complement our K-band study with archival photometric and interferometric data in order to evaluate the main physical properties of the inner dust disk. The inferred properties suggest that the Vega system could be currently undergoing major dynamical perturbations., Comment: A&A, accepted -- Press release available at http://www2.cnrs.fr/presse/communique/848.htm

We have obtained high-precision interferometric measurements of Vega with the CHARA Array and FLUOR beam combiner in the K' band at projected baselines between 103m and 273m. The measured visibility amplitudes beyond the first lobe are significantly weaker than expected for a slowly rotating star characterized by a single effective temperature and surface gravity. Our measurements, when compared to synthetic visibilities and synthetic spectrophotometry from a Roche-von Zeipel gravity-darkened model atmosphere, provide strong evidence for the model of Vega as a rapidly rotating star viewed very nearly pole-on. Our best fitting model indicates that Vega is rotating at ~91% of its angular break-up rate with an equatorial velocity of 275 km/s. Together with the measured vsin(i), this velocity yields an inclination for the rotation axis of 5 degrees. For this model the pole-to-equator effective temperature difference is 2250 K, a value much larger than previously derived from spectral line analyses. The derived equatorial T_eff of 7900 K indicates Vega's equatorial atmosphere may be convective and provides a possible explanation for the discrepancy. The model has a luminosity of ~37 Lsun, a value 35% lower than Vega's apparent luminosity based on its bolometric flux and parallax, assuming a slowly rotating star. The model luminosity is consistent with the mean absolute magnitude of A0V stars. Our model predicts the spectral energy distribution of Vega as viewed from its equatorial plane; a model which may be employed in radiative models for the surrounding debris disk., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, accepted by ApJ

The availability of a number of new interferometric measurements of Main Sequence and subgiant stars makes it possible to calibrate the surface brightness relations of these stars using exclusively direct angular diameter measurements. These empirical laws allow to predict the limb darkened angular diameters theta_LD of dwarfs and subgiants using their dereddened Johnson magnitudes, or their effective temperature. The smallest intrinsic dispersions of sigma < 1% on theta_LD are obtained for the relations based on the K and L magnitudes, for instance log theta_LD = 0.0502 (B-L) + 0.5133 - 0.2 L or log theta_LD = 0.0755 (V-K) + 0.5170 - 0.2 K. Our calibrations are valid between the spectral types A0 and M2 for dwarf stars (with a possible extension to later types when using the effective temperature), and between A0 and K0 for subgiants. Such relations are particularly useful to estimate the angular size of calibrators for long baseline interferometry from readily available broadband photometry., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Main Sequence (MS) stars are by far the most numerous class in the Universe. They are often somewhat neglected as they are relatively quiet objects (but exceptions exist), though they bear testimony of the past and future of our Sun. An important characteristic of the MS stars, particularly the solar-type ones, is that they host the large majority of the known extrasolar planets. Moreover, at the bottom of the MS, the red M dwarfs pave the way to understanding the physics of brown dwarfs and giant planets. We have measured very precise angular diameters from recent VINCI/VLTI interferometric observations of a number of MS stars in the K band, with spectral types between A1V and M5.5V. They already cover a wide range of effective temperatures and radii. Combined with precise Hipparcos parallaxes, photometry, spectroscopy as well as the asteroseismic information available for some of these stars, the angular diameters put strong constraints on the detailed models of these stars, and therefore on the physical processes at play., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of IAU Symposium 219, "Stars as Suns", Editors A. Benz & A. Dupree, Astronomical Society of the Pacific

The interferometric observations of dwarf stars in the solar neighbourhood, combined with Hipparcos parallaxes provide very precise values of their linear diameters. In this paper, we report the direct measurement of the angular diameter of the bright star Sirius A with the VINCI/VLTI instrument. We obtain a uniform disk angular diameter of UD = 5.936 +/- 0.016 mas in the K band and a limb darkened value of LD = 6.039 +/- 0.019 mas. In combination with the Hipparcos parallax of 379.22 +/- 1.58 mas, this translates into a linear diameter of 1.711 +/- 0.013 Dsun. Using the VINCI/VLTI interferometric diameter and the published properties of Sirius A, we derive internal structure models corresponding to ages between 200 and 250 +/- 12 Myr. This range is defined mainly by the hypothesis on the mass of the star, the overshoot and the metallicity., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by A&A

We report here the first observations of a rapidly rotating Be star, $\alpha$ Eridani, using Earth-rotation synthesis on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Interferometer. Our measures correspond to a $2a/2b = 1.56\pm0.05$ apparent oblate star, $2a$ and $2b$ being the equivalent uniform disc angular diameters in the equatorial and polar direction. Considering the presence of a circumstellar envelope (CSE) we argue that our measurement corresponds to a truly distorted star since $\alpha$ Eridani exhibited negligible H$\alpha$ emission during the interferometric observations. In this framework we conclude that the commonly adopted Roche approximation (uniform rotation and centrally condensed mass) should not apply to $\alpha$ Eridani. This result opens new perspectives to basic astrophysical problems, such as rotationally enhanced mass loss and internal angular momentum distribution. In addition to its intimate relation with magnetism and pulsation, rapid rotation thus provides a key to the Be phenomenon: one of the outstanding non-resolved problems in stellar physics., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for Publication in A&A Letter