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NASA NTRS2003

Blowing in the Wind: I. Velocities of Chondrule-sized Particles in a Turbulent Protoplanetary Nebula

Small but macroscopic particles - chondrules, higher temperature mineral inclusions, metal grains, and their like - dominate the fabric of primitive meteorites. The properties of these constituents, and their relationship to the fine dust grains which surround them, suggest that they led an extended existence in a gaseous protoplanetary nebula prior to their incorporation into their parent primitive bodies. In this paper we explore in some detail the velocities acquired by such particles in a turbulent nebula. We treat velocities in inertial space (relevant to diffusion), velocities relative to the gas and entrained microscopic dust (relevant to accretion of dust rims), and velocities relative to each other (relevant to collisions). We extend previous work by presenting explicit, closed-form solutions for the magnitude and size dependence of these velocities in this important particle size regime, and compare these expressions with new numerical calculations. The magnitude and size dependence of these velocities have immediate applications to chondrule and CAI rimming by fine dust, and to their diffusion in the nebula, which we explore separately.

Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Protoplanetary Nebula Evolution using the Beta Viscosity Model

The evolutionary dynamics of a protoplanetary disk is an important component of the planet formation process. In particular, the dynamic and thermodynamic field plays a critical role in chemical evolution, the migration of dust particles in the nebula, and the radial transport of meteoritic components. The dynamic evolution is investigated using analytical solutions of the surface density transport equations using a turbulence model based on hydrodynamic generation of turbulence. It captures the major properties of the disk including region of separation between radial inflow and-outflow and the evolution of the central plane temperature. The analytical formulas are compared with available numerical solutions based on the alpha viscosity model. The beta viscosity model, heretofore used for steady-state disks, is shown to be a useful approximation for unsteady problems.

Davis, Sanford S.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Formation of Primitive Bodies in the Protoplanetary Nebula

We have developed a simple model of global transport of solids in the protoplanetary nebula, including radial drift of large particles and diffusion of small ones. The model has been applied to the formation and redistribution of the Ca-A1 rich refractory mineral inclusions (CAIs) found in primitive chondrites. These objects form at much higher temperatures, and appear to be 1-3 million years older than, the dominant (chondrule) components found in the same parent bodies. A widespread concern has been the retention of CAIs for this long against gas-drag-induced radial drift into the sun. We show that outward radial diffusion in a weakly turbulent nebula can overwhelm inward drift, and prevent significant numbers of CAI-size particles from being lost into the sun for tines on the order of several Myr. An element of this model is rapid inward radial drift of boulder-sized primitive (carbon-rich) silicate material, more like Halley-dust than CI chondrites in the early days of the nebula. Thls process can enrich the abundance of silicate and carbon material in the inner nebula, and may provide possible explanations for both chemical and isotopic properties of CAIs. The predicted enhancement of CO relative to water might be of relevance to recent IR astronomical observations of CO in the inner disks of several actively accreting T Tauri stars. This process has applications to the transport and redistribution of volatiles in general. Depending on the rubble particle size distribution, rapid radial drift of boulder-sized solids can bring more material inwards across a condensation front, to evaporate, than can subsequently be removed by nebula advection or diffusion, until a strong local enhancement is produced which allows diffusive loss to balance the drifting source. Application of this process to enhancement of the abundance of water near the "ice line" will be discussed. Supported by the Origins of Solar Systems program.

Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.↗
NASA NTRS2004

VLA Imaging of Protoplanetary Environments

We summarize progress on our program to use high angular resolution observations at millimeter wavelengths to probe the structure of protoplanetary disks in nearby star forming regions. The primary facilities for this work are the Very Large Array (VLA) of the National Radio Astronomy Observatories (NRAO), and the recently upgraded Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) that now allows access to exciting targets in the far southern sky. We are improving our capabilities to interpret these observations with radiative transfer modeling. Many recent highlights of our program were presented in an invited review. Below we summarize major accomplishments of the past year.

Wilner, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Numerical Simulation of Protoplanetary Vortices

The fluid dynamics within a protoplanetary disk has been attracting the attention of many researchers for a few decades. Previous works include, to list only a few among many others, the well-known prescription of Shakura & Sunyaev, the convective and instability study of Stone & Balbus and Hawley et al., the Rossby wave approach of Lovelace et al., as well as a recent work by Klahr & Bodenheimer, which attempted to identify turbulent flow within the disk. The disk is commonly understood to be a thin gas disk rotating around a central star with differential rotation (the Keplerian velocity), and the central quest remains as how the flow behavior deviates (albeit by a small amount) from a strong balance established between gravitational and centrifugal forces, transfers mass and momentum inward, and eventually forms planetesimals and planets. In earlier works we have briefly described the possible physical processes involved in the disk; we have proposed the existence of long-lasting, coherent vortices as an efficient agent for mass and momentum transport. In particular, Barranco et al. provided a general mathematical framework that is suitable for the asymptotic regime of the disk; Barranco & Marcus (2000) addressed a proposed vortex-dust interaction mechanism which might lead to planetesimal formation; and Lin et al. (2002), as inspired by general geophysical vortex dynamics, proposed basic mechanisms by which vortices can transport mass and angular momentum. The current work follows up on our previous effort. We shall focus on the detailed numerical implementation of our problem. We have developed a parallel, pseudo-spectral code to simulate the full three-dimensional vortex dynamics in a stably-stratified, differentially rotating frame, which represents the environment of the disk. Our simulation is validated with full diagnostics and comparisons, and we present our results on a family of three-dimensional, coherent equilibrium vortices.

Lin, H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

VLA Imaging of Protoplanetary Environments

We summarize the major accomplishments of our program to use high angular resolution observations at millimeter wavelengths to probe the structure of protoplanetary disks in nearby regions of star formation. The primary facilities used in this work were the Very Large Array (VLA) of the National Radio Astronomy Observatories (NRAO) located in New Mexico, and the recently upgraded Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), located in Australia (to access sources in the far southern sky). We used these facilities to image thermal emission from dust particles in disks at long millimeter wavelengths, where the emission is optically thin and probes the full disk volume, including the inner regions of planet formation that remain opaque at shorter wavelengths. The best resolution obtained with the VLA is comparable to the size scales of the orbits of giant planets in our Solar System (< 10 AU).

Wilner, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

A laboratory analog for the carrier of the 3 micron emission of the protoplanetary nebula IRAS 05341+0852

A mixture of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), acenaphthylene and acenaphthene, when subjected to the energetic environment of a hydrogen plasma, is transformed into a material that exhibits an infrared absorption profile in the 3 micron region that is an excellent match of the protoplanetary nebula IRAS 05341+0852 emission profile in the same wavelength region. Acenaphthylene and acenaphthene were chosen as precursors in the experiment because these molecules have a structure that can be described as a keystone in a process in which carbon atoms in a stellar wind condense into PAH species. The spectral match between experiment and observations appears to validate that scenario.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2004

Dust Properties in Comets and Protoplanetary Disks

Our fundamental science goal is to characterize the connections between grain (siliceous and carbonaceous) mineralogy and the origins and evolution of disks and protoplanetesimals. To achieve this goal, we proposed a cooperative agreement which was divided into two separate yet complementary work efforts: 1) the study of solar system comets and 2) the study of dusty protoplanetary disks. In this final report we look at the goals achieved in each of these efforts and compare them with our initial stated goals. We also highlight our scientific findings accomplished under this JRI work effort.

Wooden, Diane H.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Blowing in the Wind: Velocities of Chondrule-Sized Particles in a Turbulent Protoplanetary Nebula - 1

Small but macroscopic particles-chondrules, higher temperature mineral inclusions, metal grains and their like-dominate the fabric of primitive meteorites. The properties of these constituents, and their relationship to the fine dust grains which surround them, suggest that they led an extended existence in a gaseous protoplanetary nebula prior to their incorporation into their parent primitive bodies. In this paper we explore in some detail the velocities acquired by such particles in a turbulent nebula. We treat velocities in inertial space (relevant to diffusion), velocities relative to the gas entrained microscopic dust (relevant to accretion of dust rims), and velocities relative to each other (relevant to collisions). We extend previous work by presenting explicit, closed-form solutions for the magnitude and size dependence of these velocities in this important particle size regime, and we compare these expressions with new numerical calculations. The magnitude and size dependence of these velocities have immediate applications to chondrule and CAI rimming by fine dust and to their diffusion in the nebula, which we explore separately.

Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.↗
NASA NTRS2005

A Survey of Large Molecules toward the Protoplanetary Nebula CRL 61 8

We present the results of our survey toward the protoplanetary nebula CRL 618 for several large, highly saturated, oxygen bearing organic molecules of biological importance including acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), acetic acid (CH3OOH), dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3), ethanol (CH3CH2OH), formic acid (HCOOH) and methyl formate (HCOOCH3); large carbon chain molecules including methyl cyanide (CH3CN) , methylcyanoacetylene (CH3C3N), cyanoacetylene (HC3N), cyanodiacetylene (HC5N), and C6H; and finally smaller molecules including SO-34, SO2, O(C-34)S and MgNC. No biologically important organic molecules were detected. However, we report the first interferometric detections of CH3CN and vibrationally excited HC3N and HC5N toward this source. The temperature and distribution of CH3CN toward CRL 618 indicates it is formed in the outer envelope surrounding the UC HII region. Furthermore, the P-Cygni line profile and corresponding channel maps of vibrationally excited HC5N supports its distribution in the extended envelope expanding radially from the central star. The detection of vibrationally excited HC3N confirmed the temperature structure and column density of HC3N in the inner envelope found by Wyrowski and colleagues (2003). Finally, our observations clearly indicate that CRL 618 is a good source of large carbon chain species but is a very poor source to detect or produce organic species of biological importance.

Remijan, Anthony J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Chondrites and the Protoplanetary Disk, Part 4

Topics discussed include: Cosmochemical fractionations, Chondritic meteorites and their components, Jet flows: Formation and thermal processing of solids in protoplanetary disks, A Search for Solar-System processing signatures in presolar grains, Experimental study of iron metal condensation, The chondrite types and their origins, Spinel-rich spherules from murchison, etc.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Distribution of Water in a Viscous Protoplanetary Disk

The distribution of water in the solar nebula is important to understand for a number of reasons. Firstly, in the inner regions of the solar nebula, the concentration of water vapor is expected to have played a major role in determining its oxidation state, and therefore would control which minerals would form there. Secondly, in the outer nebula, water would be a major condensable, making up nearly 50% of the mass of the solids and thus possibly playing a role in determining where giant planets formed. Lastly, liquid water is important for forming and sustaining life, and therefore understanding where and how water was transported to the habitable zone of a a star is critical to understanding how common life may be in the galaxy. Because of its importance, the distribution of water in the solar nebula has been studied by a number of authors. The main transport mechanisms which would determine the distribution of water would be diffusion and gas drag migration. Water vapor and small solids would diffuse in the nebula, moving away from areas of high concentrations. Larger bodies, while also subject to diffusion, though to a lesser extent, would experience gas drag migration, causing them to move inwards with time. The bodies most affected by this transport mechanism would be on the order of 1 meter in size. As objects continued to grow larger, their inertia would also grow, making them nearly immobile to gas drag. While efforts have been made to understand how water would be distributed in a protoplanetary disk, none of the published models simultaneously consider the effects of nebular evolution, transport of material throughout the nebula, and the existence of solids of various sizes at a given location of the nebula. We are currently developing a model which allows for these effects and is consistent with models for the accretion of bodies in the solar nebula.

Ciesla, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Companion to the Central Mira Star of the Protoplanetary Nebula OH 231.8+4.2

We present deep optical long-slit spectra of the peculiar protoplanetary nebula (PPN) OH 231.8+4.2 obtained with the 6.5 m Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory (Chile). In addition to the molecular absorption bands characteristic of the M9-10 III star inside OH 231.8+4.2 (QX Pup), we identify lines of the Balmer series in absorption, which do not form in the cool atmospheres of late M-type stars. We also confirm the presence of a blue continuum excess with an intensity that is a factor 30 larger than that expected for an M9-10 III star. Our results indicate the presence of a source hotter than QX Pup illuminating OH 231.8+4.2 that is likely a main-sequence star with spectral type A. We discuss how the formation and nebular evolution of OH 231.8+4.2 could have been affected by the presence of a binary system in its core.

binaries↗
NASA NTRS2007

The Chemistry of Multiply Deuterated Molecules in Protoplanetary Disks: I. The Outer Disk

We present new models of the deuterium chemistry in protoplanetary disks, including, for the first time, multiply deuterated species. We use these models to explore whether observations in combination with models can give us clues as to which desorption processes occur in disks.We find, in common with other authors, that photodesorption can allow strongly bound molecules such as HDO to exist in the gas phase in a layer above the midplane. Models including this process give the best agreement with the observations. In the midplane, cosmic-ray heating can desorb weakly bound molecules such as CO and N2. We find the observations suggest that N2 is gaseous in this region, but that CO must be retained on the grains to account for the observed DCO+/HCO+. This could be achieved by CO having a higher binding energy than N2 (as may be the case when these molecules are accreted onto water ice) or by a smaller cosmic-ray desorption rate for CO than assumed here, as suggested by recent theoretical work. For gaseous molecules the calculated deuteration can be greatly changed by chemical processing in the disk from the input molecular cloud values. On the grains singly deuterated species tend to retain the D/H ratio set in the molecular cloud, whereas multiply deuterated species are more affected by the disk chemistry. Consequently, the D/H ratios observed in comets may be partly set in the parent cloud and partly in the disk, depending on the molecule.

circumstellar matter↗
NASA NTRS2012

Observations of Herbig Ae/Be Stars with Herschel/PACS: The Atomic and Molecular Contents of Their Protoplanetary Discs

We observed a sample of 20 representative Herbig Ae/Be stars and 5 A-type debris discs with PACS onboard Herschel, as part of the GAS in Protoplanetary Systems (GASPS) project. The observations were done in spectroscopic mode, and cover the far-infrared lines of [OI], [CII], CO, CH+, H20, and OH. We have a [OI]63 micro/ detection rate of 100% for the Herbig Ae/Be and 0% for the debris discs. The [OI] 145 micron line is only detected in 25% and CO J = 18-17 in 45% (and fewer cases for higher J transitions) of the Herbig Ae/Be stars, while for [CII] 157 micron, we often find spatially variable background contamination. We show the first detection of water in a Herbig Ae disc, HD 163296, which has a settled disc. Hydroxyl is detected as well in this disc. First seen in HD 100546, CH+ emission is now detected for the second time in a Herbig Ae star, HD 97048. We report fluxes for each line and use the observations as line diagnostics of the gas properties. Furthermore, we look for correlations between the strength of the emission lines and either the stellar or disc parameters, such as stellar luminosity, ultraviolet and X-ray flux. accretion rate, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) band strength, and flaring. We find that the stellar ultraviolet flux is the dominant excitation mechanism of [OI] 63 micron, with the highest line fluxes being found in objects with a large amount of flaring and among the largest PAH strengths. Neither the amount of accretion nor the X-ray luminosity has an influence on the line strength. We find correlations between the line flux of [OI]63 micron and [OI] 145 micron, CO J = IS-17 and [OI] 6300 A, and between the continuum flux at 63 micron and at 1.3 mm, while we find weak correlations between the line flux. of [OI] 63 micron and the PAH luminosity, the line flux of CO J = 3-2, the continuum flux at 63 pm, the stellar effective temperature, and the Br-gamma luminosity. Finally, we use a combination of the [OI] 63 micron and C(12)O J = 2-1 line fluxes to obtain order of magnitude estimates of the disc gas masses, in agreement with the values that we find from detailed modelling of two Herbig Ae/Be stars, HD 163296 and HD 169142.

Meeus, G.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Polarimetric Imaging of Large Cavity Structures in the Pre-transitional Protoplanetary Disk Around PDS 70: Observations of the Disk

We present high resolution H-band polarized intensity (PI; FWHM = 0."1: 14 AU) and L'-band imaging data (FWHM = 0."11: 15 AU) of the circumstellar disk around the weak-lined T Tauri star PDS 70 in Centaurus at a radial distance of 28 AU (0."2) up to 210 AU (1."5). In both images, a giant inner gap is clearly resolved for the first time, and the radius of the gap is approx.70 AU. Our data show that the geometric center of the disk shifts by approx.6 AU toward the minor axis. We confirm that the brown dwarf companion candidate to the north of PDS 70 is a background star based on its proper motion. As a result of SED fitting by Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling, we infer the existence of an optically thick inner disk at a few AU. Combining our observations and modeling, we classify the disk of PDS 70 as a pre-transitional disk. Furthermore, based on the analysis of L'-band imaging data, we put an upper limit mass of companions at approx.30 to approx.50MJ within the gap. Taking account of the presence of the large and sharp gap, we suggest that the gap could be formed by dynamical interactions of sub-stellar companions or multiple unseen giant planets in the gap. Subject headings: planetary systems - protoplanetary disks - stars: individual (PDS 70) - stars: pre-main sequence - polarization

Hashimoto, J.↗