Exoplanet detections have revolutionized astronomy, offering new insights into solar system architecture and planet demographics. While nearly 1,900 exoplanets have now been discovered and confirmed, ...none are still in the process of formation. Transition disks, protoplanetary disks with inner clearings best explained by the influence of accreting planets, are natural laboratories for the study of planet formation. Some transition disks show evidence for the presence of young planets in the form of disk asymmetries or infrared sources detected within their clearings, as in the case of LkCa 15 (refs 8, 9). Attempts to observe directly signatures of accretion onto protoplanets have hitherto proven unsuccessful. Here we report adaptive optics observations of LkCa 15 that probe within the disk clearing. With accurate source positions over multiple epochs spanning 2009-2015, we infer the presence of multiple companions on Keplerian orbits. We directly detect Hα emission from the innermost companion, LkCa 15 b, evincing hot (about 10,000 kelvin) gas falling deep into the potential well of an accreting protoplanet.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
We present near-infrared Large Binocular Telescope LMIRCam imagery of the disk around the Herbig Ae/Be star AB Aurigae. A comparison of the surface brightness at
K
s
(2.16
μ
m), H
2
O ...narrowband (3.08
μ
m), and
L
′
(3.7
μ
m) allows us to probe the presence of icy grains in this (pre)transitional disk environment. By applying reference differential imaging point-spread function subtraction, we detect the disk at high signal-to-noise ratios in all three bands. We find strong morphological differences between the bands, including asymmetries consistent with the observed spiral arms within 100 au in
L
′
. An apparent deficit of scattered light at 3.08
μ
m relative to the bracketing wavelengths (
K
s
and
L
′
) is evocative of ice absorption at the disk surface layer. However, the Δ(
K
s
− H
2
O) color is consistent with grains with little to no ice (0%–5% by mass). The
Δ
(
H
2
O
−
L
′
)
color, conversely, suggests grains with a much higher ice mass fraction (∼0.68), and the two colors cannot be reconciled under a single grain population model. Additionally, we find that the extremely red
Δ
(
K
s
−
L
′
)
disk color cannot be reproduced under conventional scattered light modeling with any combination of grain parameters or reasonable local extinction values. We hypothesize that the scattering surfaces at the three wavelengths are not colocated, and that the optical depth effects in each wavelength result from probing the grain population at different disk surface depths. The morphological similarity between
K
s
and H
2
O suggests that their scattering surfaces are near one another, lending credence to the Δ(
K
s
− H
2
O) disk color constraint of <5% ice mass fraction for the outermost scattering disk layer.
We present new 0.6-4 m imaging of the SR 21 transition disk from Keck/NIRC2 and Magellan/MagAO. The protoplanetary disk around SR 21 has a large (∼30-40 au) clearing first inferred from its spectral ...energy distribution and later detected in submillimeter imaging. Both the gas and small dust grains are known to have a different morphology, with an inner truncation in CO at ∼7 au, and micron-sized dust detected within the millimeter clearing. Previous near-infrared imaging could not distinguish between an inner dust disk with a truncation at ∼7 au or one that extended to the sublimation radius. The imaging data presented here require an inner dust disk radius of a few au, and complex structure such as a warp or spiral. We present a parametric warped disk model that can reproduce the observations. Reconciling the images with the spectral energy distribution gathered from the literature suggests grain growth to 2-5 m within the submillimeter clearing. The complex disk structure and possible grain growth can be connected to dynamical shaping by a giant-planet-mass companion, a scenario supported by previous observational and theoretical studies.
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) enables nulling interferometric observations across the N band (8 to 13 m) to suppress a star's bright light and probe for faint circumstellar ...emission. We present and statistically analyze the results from the LBTI/Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems survey for exozodiacal dust. By comparing our measurements to model predictions based on the solar zodiacal dust in the N band, we estimate a 1 median sensitivity of 23 zodis times the solar system dust surface density in its habitable zone (HZ; 23 zodis) for early-type stars and 48 zodis for Sun-like stars, where 1 zodi is the surface density of HZ dust in the solar system. Of the 38 stars observed, 10 show significant excess. A clear correlation of our detections with the presence of cold dust in the systems was found, but none with the stellar spectral type or age. The majority of Sun-like stars have relatively low HZ dust levels (best-fit median: 3 zodis, 1 upper limit: 9 zodis, 95% confidence: 27 zodis based on our N band measurements), while ∼20% are significantly more dusty. The solar system's HZ dust content is consistent with being typical. Our median HZ dust level would not be a major limitation to the direct imaging search for Earth-like exoplanets, but more precise constraints are still required, in particular to evaluate the impact of exozodiacal dust for the spectroscopic characterization of imaged exo-Earth candidates.
Cold brown dwarfs are excellent analogs of widely separated, gas giant exoplanets, and provide insight into the potential atmospheric chemistry and physics we may encounter in objects to be ...discovered by future direct imaging surveys. We present a low-resolution, R ∼ 300, M-band spectroscopic sequence of seven brown dwarfs with effective temperatures between 750 and 250 K along with Jupiter. These spectra reveal disequilibrium abundances of carbon monoxide (CO) produced by atmospheric quenching. We use the eddy diffusion coefficient (Kzz) to estimate the strength of vertical mixing in each object. The Kzz values of cooler gaseous objects are close to their theoretical maximum, and warmer objects show weaker mixing, likely due to less efficient convective mixing in primarily radiative layers. The CO-derived Kzz values imply that disequilibrium phosphine (PH3) should be easily observable in all of the brown dwarfs, but none as yet show any evidence for PH3 absorption. We find that ammonia is relatively insensitive to atmospheric quenching at these effective temperatures. We are able to improve the fit to WISE 0855's M-band spectrum by including both CO and water clouds in the atmospheric model.
We present new spatially resolved observations of MWC 349A from the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), a 23 m baseline interferometer made up of two, co-mounted 8 m telescopes. MWC 349A ...is a Be star with an unknown evolutionary state. Proposed scenarios range from a young stellar object, to a Be supergiant, to a tight binary system. Radio continuum and recombination line observations of this source revealed a sub-arcsecond bipolar outflow surrounding an ∼100 mas circumstellar disk. Follow-up infrared studies detected the disk, and suggested that it may have skew and an inner clearing. Our new infrared interferometric observations, which have more than twice the resolution of previously published data sets, support the presence of both skew and a compact infrared excess. They rule out inner clearings with radii greater than ∼14 mas. We show the improvements in disk parameter constraints provided by LBTI, and discuss the inferred disk parameters in the context of the posited evolutionary states for MWC 349A.
Dynamic recrystallization and phase mixing are considered to be important processes in ductile shear zone formation, as they collectively enable a permanent transition to the strain‐weakening, ...grain‐size sensitive deformation regime. While dynamic recrystallization is well understood, the underlying physical processes and timescales required for phase mixing remain enigmatic. Here, we present results from high‐strain phase mixing experiments on calcite‐anhydrite composites. A poorly mixed starting material was synthesized from fine‐grained calcite and anhydrite powders. Samples were deformed in the Large Volume Torsion apparatus at 500°C and shear strain rates of 5 × 10−5 to 5 × 10−4 s−1, to finite shear strains of up to γ = 57. Microstructural evolution is quantified through analysis of backscattered electron images and electron backscatter diffraction data. During deformation, polycrystalline domains of the individual phases are geometrically stretched and thinned, causing an increase in the spatial density of interphase boundaries. At moderate shear strains (γ ≥ 6), domains are so severely thinned that they become “monolayers” of only one or two grain's width and form a thin compositional layering. Monolayer formation is accompanied by a critical increase in the degree of grain boundary pinning and, consequently, grain‐size reduction below the theoretical limit established by the grain‐size piezometer or deformation mechanism field boundary. Ultimately, monolayers neck and disaggregate at high strains (17 <γ <57) to complete the phase mixing process. This “geometric” phase mixing mechanism is consistent with observations of mylonites, where layer (i.e., foliation) formation is associated with strain localization, and layers are ultimately destroyed at the mylonite‐ultramylonite transition.
Key Points
“Geometric” phase mixing occurs by the thinning and stretching of individual phase domains
Formation of thin compositional layers drives increase in the spatial density of interphase boundaries, enhancing grain boundary pinning
Ultramylonites can be generated at shear strains of 10‐100 by dynamic recrystallization and geometric phase mixing of their protoliths
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a versatile instrument designed for high angular resolution and high-contrast infrared imaging (1.5-13 m). In this paper, we focus on ...the mid-infrared (8-13 m) nulling mode and present its theory of operation, data reduction, and on-sky performance as of the end of the commissioning phase in 2015 March. With an interferometric baseline of 14.4 m, the LBTI nuller is specifically tuned to resolve the habitable zone of nearby main-sequence stars, where warm exozodiacal dust emission peaks. Measuring the exozodi luminosity function of nearby main-sequence stars is a key milestone to prepare for future exo-Earth direct imaging instruments. Thanks to recent progress in wavefront control and phase stabilization, as well as in data reduction techniques, the LBTI demonstrated in 2015 February a calibrated null accuracy of 0.05% over a 3 hr long observing sequence on the bright nearby A3V star β Leo. This is equivalent to an exozodiacal disk density of 15-30 zodi for a Sun-like star located at 10 pc, depending on the adopted disk model. This result sets a new record for high-contrast mid-infrared interferometric imaging and opens a new window on the study of planetary systems.
Context. Astrometric monitoring of directly imaged exoplanets allows the study of their orbital parameters and system architectures. Because most directly imaged planets have long orbital periods ...(>20 AU), accurate astrometry is challenging when based on data acquired on timescales of a few years and usually with different instruments. The LMIRCam camera on the Large Binocular Telescope is being used for the LBT Exozodi Exoplanet Common Hunt (LEECH) survey to search for and characterize young and adolescent exoplanets in L′ band (3.8 μm), including their system architectures. Aims. We first aim to provide a good astrometric calibration of LMIRCam. Then, we derive new astrometry, test the predictions of the orbital model of 8:4:2:1 mean motion resonance proposed for the system, and perform new orbital fitting of the HR 8799 bcde planets. We also present deep limits on a putative fifth planet inside the known planets. Methods. We use observations of HR 8799 and the Θ1 Ori C field obtained during the same run in October 2013. Results. We first characterize the distortion of LMIRCam. We determine a platescale and a true north orientation for the images of 10.707 ± 0.012 mas/pix and −0.430 ± 0.076°, respectively. The errors on the platescale and true north orientation translate into astrometric accuracies at a separation of 1′′ of 1.1 mas and 1.3 mas, respectively. The measurements for all planets agree within 3σ with a predicted ephemeris. The orbital fitting based on the new astrometric measurements favors an architecture for the planetary system based on 8:4:2:1 mean motion resonance. The detection limits allow us to exclude a fifth planet slightly brighter or more massive than HR 8799 b at the location of the 2:1 resonance with HR 8799 e (~9.5 AU) and about twice as bright as HR 8799 cde at the location of the 3:1 resonance with HR 8799 e (~7.5 AU).
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