Into the thick of it: ALMA 0.45 mm observations of HL Tau at a resolution of 2 au
Por:
Guerra-Alvarado, OM, Carrasco-González, C, Macias, E, van der Marel, N, Houge, A, Maud, LT, Pinilla, P, Villenave, M, Asaki, Y, Humphreys, E
Publicada:
21 jun 2024
Resumen:
Aims. To comprehend the efficiency of dust evolution within protoplanetary disks, it is crucial to conduct studies of these disks using high-resolution observations at multiple wavelengths with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
Methods. In this work, we present high-frequency ALMA observations of the HL Tau disk using its Band 9 centered at a wavelength of 0.45 mm. These observations achieve the highest angular resolution in a protoplanetary disk to date, 12 milliarcseconds (mas), allowing the study of the dust emission at scales of 2 au. We used these data to extend the previously published multiwavelength analysis of the HL Tau disk, constraining the dust temperature, dust surface density, and maximum grain size throughout the disk. We performed this modeling for compact solid dust particles as well as for porous particles.
Results. Our new 0.45 mm data mainly trace optically thick emission, providing a tight constraint to the dust temperature profile. We derive maximum particle sizes of similar to 1 cm from the inner disk to similar to 60 au. Beyond this radius, we find particles between 300 mu m and 1 mm. The total dust mass of the disk is 2.1 M-J with compact grains, and it increases to 6.3 M-J assuming porous particles. Moreover, an intriguing asymmetry is observed at 32 au in the northeast inner part of the HL Tau disk at 0.45 mm. We propose that this asymmetry is the outcome of a combination of factors, including the optically thick nature of the emission, the orientation of the disk, and a relatively large dust scale height of the grains that is preferentially traced at 0.45 mm. To validate this, we conducted a series of radiative transfer models using the software RADMC-3D. Our models varying dust masses and scale heights successfully replicate the observed asymmetry in the HL Tau disk. If this scenario is correct, our measured dust mass within 32 au would suggest a dust scale height H/R > 0.08 for the inner disk. Finally, the unprecedented resolution allowed us to probe the dust emission down to scales of a few au for the first time. We observed an increase in brightness temperature inside the estimated water snowline, and we speculate whether this might indicate a traffic-jam effect in the inner disk.
Conclusions. Our results show that 0.45 mm observations of protoplanetary disks can be used to robustly constrain the radial profile of their dust temperature. Additionally, the higher optical depths at this wavelength can be used to constrain the vertical scale height of the dust. Finally, these higher frequencies allow us to reach higher spatial resolutions, which have the potential to resolve the region within the water snowline in disks.
Filiaciones:
Guerra-Alvarado, OM:
Leiden Univ, Leiden Observ, POB 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
Carrasco-González, C:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Radioastron & Astrofis IRyA, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
Macias, E:
ESO Garching, Karl Schwarzschild Str 2, D-85748 Garching, Germany
van der Marel, N:
Leiden Univ, Leiden Observ, POB 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
Houge, A:
ESO Garching, Karl Schwarzschild Str 2, D-85748 Garching, Germany
Univ Exeter, Dept Phys & Astron, Exeter EX4 4QL, England
Maud, LT:
ESO Garching, Karl Schwarzschild Str 2, D-85748 Garching, Germany
Pinilla, P:
Univ Coll London, Mullard Space Sci Lab, 3 Holmbury St Mary, Dorking RH5 6NT, Surrey, England
Villenave, M:
CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 USA
Univ Milan, Dipartimento Fis, Via Giovanni Celoria 16, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Asaki, Y:
Joint ALMA Observ, Alonso Cordova 3107, Santiago 7630355, Chile
Natl Astron Observ Japan, Abedules 3085 Oficina 701, Santiago 7630000, Chile
Grad Univ Adv Studies, SOKENDAI, Osawa 2-21-1, Mitaka, Tokyo 1818588, Japan
Humphreys, E:
ESO Garching, Karl Schwarzschild Str 2, D-85748 Garching, Germany
Green Submitted, All Open Access; Green Open Access
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