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arXiv 1301.7341astro-ph.SR
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深埋原恒星的连续变率作为包层结构的探测

Continuum Variability of Deeply Embedded Protostars as a Probe of Envelope Structure

Doug Johnstone, Benjamin Hendricks, Gregory J. Herczeg, Simon Bruderer

摘要:

恒星可能聚集在大的生长喷流中,然而这一假设的证据是间接的。在恒星生长的最早阶段直接研究吸积是具有挑战性的,因为年轻的恒星深深地嵌入在光学厚的包层中,这些包层的光谱能量分布在远红外中达到峰值,这是很难观察到的。在本文中,我们考虑的可行性,检测吸积爆发,从这些年轻的恒星调查的时间尺度如何的原恒星信封响应中央源的发射特性的变化。包层会因爆发而升温,在所有波长处变亮,发射峰向较短波长移动。这种变化的时间尺度取决于尘埃颗粒加热和重新发射光子的时间,以及能量逃离外壳内部光学厚度部分所需的时间。我们发现,尘埃的响应时间比光子的传播时间要短得多,因此,发射变化的时间尺度是由几何形状所施加的时间延迟所决定的。这些时间在光谱能量分布的峰值附近是几小时到几天,在亚毫米中是几周到几个月。因此,快速检测连续谱变化的理想位置是在光谱能量分布的峰值附近的中红外到远红外,其中发射幅度的变化最大。寻找亚毫米连续辐射的变化也是可行的,尽管有较长的时间间隔和较弱的关系,检测到的发射幅度的量和中心源光度的变化。这样的观测将限制原恒星的吸积历史,并将有助于追踪导致恒星生长的盘/包层不稳定性。

英文摘要:

Stars may be assembled in large growth spurts, however the evidence for this hypothesis is circumstantial. Directly studying the accretion at the earliest phases of stellar growth is challenging because young stars are deeply embedded in optically thick envelopes, which have spectral energy distributions that peak in the far-IR, where observations are difficult. In this paper, we consider the feasibility of detecting accretion outbursts from these younger stars by investigating the timescales for how the protostellar envelope responds to changes in the emission properties of the central source. The envelope heats up in response to an outburst, brightening at all wavelengths and with the emission peak moving to shorter wavelengths. The timescale for this change depends on the time for dust grains to heat and re-emit photons and the time required for the energy to escape the inner, optically-thick portion of the envelope. We find that the dust response time is much shorter than the photon propagation time and thus the timescale over which the emission varies is set by time delays imposed by geometry. These times are hours to days near the peak of the spectral energy distribution and weeks to months in the sub-mm. The ideal location to quickly detect continuum variability is therefore in the mid- to far-IR, near the peak of the spectral energy distribution, where the change in emission amplitude is largest. Searching for variability in sub-mm continuum emission is also feasible, though with a longer time separation and a weaker relationship between the amount of detected emission amplitude and change in central source luminosity. Such observations would constrain accretion histories of protostars and would help to trace the disk/envelope instabilities that lead to stellar growth.

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