First results from VLTI near-infrared interferometry on high-mass young stellar objects
- Others:
- Department of Astronomy [Ann Arbor] ; University of Michigan [Ann Arbor] ; University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIFR)
- Laboratoire Hippolyte Fizeau (FIZEAU) ; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS) ; COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur ; COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (LAOG) ; Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- I. Physikalisches Institut [Köln] ; Universität zu Köln = University of Cologne
- INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (OAA) ; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
Description
Due to the recent dramatic technological advances, infrared interferometry can now be applied to new classes of objects, resulting in exciting new science prospects, for instance, in the area of high-mass star formation. Although extensively studied at various wavelengths, the process through which massive stars form is still only poorly understood. For instance, it has been proposed that massive stars might form like low-mass stars by mass accretion through a circumstellar disk/envelope, or otherwise by coalescence in a dense stellar cluster. After discussing the technological challenges which result from the special properties of these objects, we present first near-infrared interferometric observations, which we obtained on the massive YSO IRAS 13481-6124 using VLTI/AMBER infrared long-baseline interferometry and NTT speckle interferometry. From our extensive data set, we reconstruct a model-independent aperture synthesis image which shows an elongated structure with a size of 13x19 AU, consistent with a disk seen under an inclination of 45 degree. The measured wavelength-dependent visibilities and closure phases allow us to derive the radial disk temperature gradient and to detect a dust-free region inside of 9.5 AU from the star, revealing qualitative and quantitative similarities with the disks observed in low-mass star formation. In complementary mid-infrared Spitzer and sub-millimeter APEX imaging observations we detect two bow shocks and a molecular out ow which are oriented perpendicular to the disk plane and indicate the presence of a bipolar outflow emanating from the inner regions of the system.
Abstract
11 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010
Additional details
- URL
- https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00511350
- URN
- urn:oai:HAL:hal-00511350v1
- Origin repository
- UNICA