The Red Rectangle: a thin disk with big grains

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Alcolea, Javier, Bujarrabal, Valentin, Castro-Carrizo, Arancha, Kluska, Jacques, Contreras, Carmen Sanchez, van Winckel, Hans
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Alcolea, Javier
Bujarrabal, Valentin
Castro-Carrizo, Arancha
Kluska, Jacques
Contreras, Carmen Sanchez
van Winckel, Hans
author_facet Alcolea, Javier
Bujarrabal, Valentin
Castro-Carrizo, Arancha
Kluska, Jacques
Contreras, Carmen Sanchez
van Winckel, Hans
contents The Red Rectangle is a nebula surrounding the post-AGB star HD 44179. It is the prototype of a particular class of nebulae associated with post-AGB binaries characterised by the presence of stable circumbinary disks in (quasi-)Keplerian rotation. Here we present the results of new high-resolution (20-50 mas) ALMA observations of continuum and line emissions at 0.9 mm. The continuum maps are analysed through a simple model of dust emission, which can reproduce the observational data. We find that most dust emission in the Red Rectangle is concentrated in the central regions of the rotating disk and that the settlement of dust grains onto the equatorial plane is very significant, particularly in comparison with the much larger scale height displayed by the gas distribution. The diameter of the dust-emitting region is about 250 au, with a total width of about 50 au. This region coincides with the warm PDR where certain molecules (like HCN), CI, and CII are presumably formed, as well as probably PAHs. From the spectral index, we confirm the presence in the disk of large grains, with a typical radius of about 0.150 mm, which supports the long-lived hypothesis for this structure. We also confirm the existence of a compact ionised wind at the centre of the nebula, probably emerging from the accretion disk around the companion, for which we derive an extent of about 10 au and a total flux of 8 mJy. We also briefly present the results on molecular lines of 12CO, 13CO, and other less abundant species.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_16734
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Red Rectangle: a thin disk with big grains
Alcolea, Javier
Bujarrabal, Valentin
Castro-Carrizo, Arancha
Kluska, Jacques
Contreras, Carmen Sanchez
van Winckel, Hans
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The Red Rectangle is a nebula surrounding the post-AGB star HD 44179. It is the prototype of a particular class of nebulae associated with post-AGB binaries characterised by the presence of stable circumbinary disks in (quasi-)Keplerian rotation. Here we present the results of new high-resolution (20-50 mas) ALMA observations of continuum and line emissions at 0.9 mm. The continuum maps are analysed through a simple model of dust emission, which can reproduce the observational data. We find that most dust emission in the Red Rectangle is concentrated in the central regions of the rotating disk and that the settlement of dust grains onto the equatorial plane is very significant, particularly in comparison with the much larger scale height displayed by the gas distribution. The diameter of the dust-emitting region is about 250 au, with a total width of about 50 au. This region coincides with the warm PDR where certain molecules (like HCN), CI, and CII are presumably formed, as well as probably PAHs. From the spectral index, we confirm the presence in the disk of large grains, with a typical radius of about 0.150 mm, which supports the long-lived hypothesis for this structure. We also confirm the existence of a compact ionised wind at the centre of the nebula, probably emerging from the accretion disk around the companion, for which we derive an extent of about 10 au and a total flux of 8 mJy. We also briefly present the results on molecular lines of 12CO, 13CO, and other less abundant species.
title The Red Rectangle: a thin disk with big grains
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.16734