We present observations of the young multiple system UX Tauri to look for circumstellar disks and for signs of dynamical interactions. We obtained SPHERE/IRDIS deep differential polarization images ...in the
J
and
H
bands. We also used ALMA archival CO data. Large extended spirals are well detected in scattered light coming out of the disk of UX Tau A. The southern spiral forms a bridge between UX Tau A and C. These spirals, including the bridge connecting the two stars, all have a CO (3–2) counterpart seen by ALMA. The disk of UX Tau C is detected in scattered light. It is much smaller than the disk of UX Tau A and has a major axis along a different position angle, suggesting a misalignment. We performed
PHANTOM
SPH hydrodynamical models to interpret the data. The scattered light spirals, CO emission spirals and velocity patterns of the rotating disks, and the compactness of the disk of UX Tau C all point to a scenario in which UX Tau A has been perturbed very recently (∼1000 years) by the close passage of UX Tau C.
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Abstract
HD 169142 is an excellent target for investigating signs of planet–disk interaction due to previous evidence of gap structures. We perform
J
-band (∼1.2
μ
m) polarized intensity imaging of ...HD 169142 with VLT/SPHERE. We observe polarized scattered light down to 0.″16 (∼19 au) and find an inner gap with a significantly reduced scattered-light flux. We confirm the previously detected double-ring structure peaking at 0.″18 (∼21 au) and 0.″56 (∼66 au) and marginally detect a faint third gap at 0.″70–0.″73 (∼82–85 au). We explore dust evolution models in a disk perturbed by two giant planets, as well as models with a parameterized dust size distribution. The dust evolution model is able to reproduce the ring locations and gap widths in polarized intensity but fails to reproduce their depths. However, it gives a good match with the ALMA dust continuum image at 1.3 mm. Models with a parameterized dust size distribution better reproduce the gap depth in scattered light, suggesting that dust filtration at the outer edges of the gaps is less effective. The pileup of millimeter grains in a dust trap and the continuous distribution of small grains throughout the gap likely require more efficient dust fragmentation and dust diffusion in the dust trap. Alternatively, turbulence or charging effects might lead to a reservoir of small grains at the surface layer that is not affected by the dust growth and fragmentation cycle dominating the dense disk midplane. The exploration of models shows that extracting planet properties such as mass from observed gap profiles is highly degenerate.
Context.
A large portion of stars is found to be part of binary or higher-order multiple systems. The ubiquity of planets found around single stars raises the question of whether and how planets in ...binary systems form. Protoplanetary disks are the birthplaces of planets, and characterizing them is crucial in order to understand the planet formation process.
Aims.
Our goal is to characterize the morphology of the GG Tau A disk, one of the largest and most massive circumbinary disks. We also aim to trace evidence for binary-disk interactions.
Methods.
We obtained observations in polarized scattered light of GG Tau A using the SPHERE/IRDIS instrument in the
H
-band filter. We analyzed the observed disk morphology and substructures. We ran 2D hydrodynamical models to simulate the evolution of the circumbinary ring over the lifetime of the disk.
Results.
The disk and also the cavity and the inner region are highly structured, with several shadowed regions, spiral structures, and streamer-like filaments. Some of these are detected here for the first time. The streamer-like filaments appear to connect the outer ring with the northern arc. Their azimuthal spacing suggests that they may be generated through periodic perturbations by the binary, which tear off material from the inner edge of the outer disk once during each orbit. By comparing observations to hydrodynamical simulations, we find that the main features, in particular, the gap size, but also the spiral and streamer filaments, can be qualitatively explained by the gravitational interactions of a binary with a semimajor axis of ~35 au on an orbit coplanar with the circumbinary ring.
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Protoplanetary discs are now routinely observed and exoplanets, after the numerous indirect discoveries, are starting to be directly imaged. To better understand the planet formation process, the ...next step is the detection of forming planets or of signposts of young planets still in their disc, such as gaps. A spectacular example is the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) science verification image of HL Tau showing numerous gaps and rings in its disc. To study the observability of planet gaps, we ran 3D hydrodynamical simulations of a gas and dust disc containing a 5 M
J gap-opening planet and characterized the spatial distribution of migrating, growing and fragmenting dust grains. We then computed the corresponding synthetic images for ALMA. For a value of the dust fragmentation threshold of 15 m s−1 for the collisional velocity, we identify for the first time a self-induced dust pile-up in simulations taking fragmentation into account. This feature, in addition to the easily detected planet gap, causes a second apparent gap that could be mistaken for the signature of a second planet. It is therefore essential to be cautious in the interpretation of gap detections.
Context.
Shadows in scattered light images of protoplanetary disks are a common feature and support the presence of warps or misalignments between disk regions. These warps are possibly caused by an ...inclined (sub-)stellar companion embedded in the disk.
Aims.
We aim to study the morphology of the protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 139614 based on the first scattered light observations of this disk, which we model with the radiative transfer code
MCMax3D
.
Methods.
We obtained
J
- and
H
-band observations that show strong azimuthal asymmetries in polarized scattered light with VLT/SPHERE. In the outer disk, beyond ~30 au, a broad shadow spans a range of ~240 deg in position angle, in the east. A bright ring at ~16 au also shows an azimuthally asymmetric brightness, with the faintest side roughly coincidental with the brightest region of the outer disk. Additionally, two arcs are detected at ~34 and ~50 au. We created a simple four-zone approximation to a warped disk model of HD 139614 in order to qualitatively reproduce these features. The location and misalignment of the disk components were constrained from the shape and location of the shadows they cast.
Results.
We find that the shadow on the outer disk covers a range of position angles too wide to be explained by a single inner misaligned component. Our model requires a minimum of two separate misaligned zones – or a continuously warped region – to cast this broad shadow on the outer disk. A small misalignment of ~4° between adjacent components can reproduce most of the observed shadow features.
Conclusions.
Multiple misaligned disk zones, potentially mimicking a warp, can explain the observed broad shadows in the HD 139614 disk. A planetary mass companion in the disk, located on an inclined orbit, could be responsible for such a feature and for the dust-depleted gap responsible for a dip in the SED.
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Context.
Planets are formed amidst young circumstellar disks of gas and dust. The latter is traced by thermal radiation, where strong asymmetric clumps have been observed in a handful of cases. These ...dust traps could be key to understanding the early stages of planet formation, when solids grow from micron-size to planetesimals.
Aims.
Vortices are among the few known asymmetric dust trapping scenarios. The present work aims to predict their characteristics in a complementary observable. Namely, line-of-sight velocities are well suited to trace the presence of a vortex. Moreover, the dynamics of disks is subject to recent developments.
Methods.
Two-dimensional hydro simulations were performed in which a vortex forms at the edge of a gas-depleted region. We derived idealized line-of-sight velocity maps, varying disk temperature and orientation relative to the observer. The signal of interest, as a small perturbation to the dominant axisymmetric component in velocity, may be isolated in observational data using a proxy for the dominant quasi-Keplerian velocity. We propose that the velocity curve on the observational major axis be such a proxy.
Results.
Applying our method to the disk around HD 142527 as a study case, we predict that line-of-sight velocities are barely detectable by currently available facilities, depending on disk temperature. We show that corresponding spirals patterns can also be detected with similar spectral resolutions, which will help to test against alternative explanations.
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Vortices are one of the most promising mechanisms to locally concentrate millimeter dust grains and allow the formation of planetesimals through gravitational collapse. The outer disk around the ...binary system HD 142527 is known for its large horseshoe structure with azimuthal contrasts of ~3–5 in the gas surface density and of ~50 in the dust. Using
13
CO and C
18
O
J
= 3–2 transition lines, we detect kinematic deviations to the Keplerian rotation, which are consistent with the presence of a large vortex around the dust crescent, as well as a few spirals in the outer regions of the disk. Comparisons with a vortex model suggest velocity deviations up to 350 m s
−1
after deprojection compared to the background Keplerian rotation, as well as an extension of ±40 au radially and ~200° azimuthally, yielding an azimuthal-to-radial aspect ratio of ~5. Another alternative for explaining the vortex-like signal implies artificial velocity deviations generated by beam smearing in association with variations of the gas velocity due to gas pressure gradients at the inner and outer edges of the circumbinary disk. The two scenarios are currently difficult to differentiate and, for this purpose, would probably require the use of multiple lines at a higher spatial resolution. The beam smearing effect, due to the finite spatial resolution of the observations and gradients in the line emission, should be common in observations of protoplanetary disks and may lead to misinterpretations of the gas velocity, in particular around ring-like structures.
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Models of planet formation and disc evolution predict a variety of observables in the dust structure of protoplanetary discs. Here, we present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) ...Band-6 and Band-7 observations of the transition disc Sz 91 showing that the continuum emission at 870 μm, which is dominated by emission from large dust grains, is localized in an optically thin narrow ring. We find that most of the emission (∼95 per cent) is concentrated in a ring located at 110 au from the central star that is only about 44 au wide. In contrast, the 12CO (2–1) emission peaks closer to the star and is detected up to ∼488 au from the star. The concentration of large grains in a ring-like structure while the gas disc extends much further in and further out is in qualitative agreement with predictions of hydrodynamical models of planet–disc interactions including radial drift and gas drag.
Context. Jets are rarely associated with pre-main sequence intermediate-mass stars. This contrasts with the frequent detection of jets in lower mass or younger stars. Optical and near-IR observations ...of jet-driving sources are often hindered by the presence of a natal envelope. Aims. Jets around partly embedded sources are a useful diagnostic to constrain the geometry of the concealed protoplanetary disk. We intend to clarify how the jet-driving mechanisms are affected by both spatial anisotropies and episodic variations at the (sub-)au scale from the star. Methods. We obtained a rich set of high-contrast VLT/SPHERE observations from 0.6 to 2.2 μm of the young intermediate-mass star RY Tau. Given the proximity to the Sun of this source, our images have the highest spatial resolution ever obtained for an atomic jet (down to ~4 au). Results. Optical observations in polarized light show no sign of the protoplanetary disk detected by ALMA. Instead, we observed a diffuse signal resembling a remnant envelope with an outflow cavity. The jet is detected in the Hα, S II at 1.03 μm, He I at 1.08 μm, and Fe II lines in the 1.25 μm and 1.64 μm. The jet appears to be wiggling and its radial width increasing with the distance is complementary to the shape of the outflow cavity suggesting a strong interaction with jet and envelope. Through the estimated tangential velocity (~100 km s−1), we revealed a possible connection between the launching time of the jet substructures and the stellar activity of RY Tau. Conclusions. RY Tau is at an intermediate stage toward the dispersal of the natal envelope. This source shows episodic increases of mass accretion and ejection similarly to other known intermediate-mass stars. The amount of observed jet wiggle is consistent with the presence of a precessing disk warp or misaligned inner disk that would be induced by an unseen planetary or sub-stellar companion at sub- or few-au scales respectively. The high disk mass of RY Tau and of two other jet-driving intermediate-mass stars, HD 163296 and MWC480, suggests that massive, full disks are more efficient at launching prominent jets.
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