Molecular Hydrogen Emission from the Disks of T Tauri Stars

金牛座 T 星圆盘的氢分子发射

• 批准号: 0307416
• 负责人: David Weintraub
• 金额: $ 30.39万
• 依托单位: Vanderbilt University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-08-15 至 2007-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0307416&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Molecular; Hydrogen; Emission; Disks; Tauri

AST 0307416PI WeintraubThis is a project to conduct a survey of the young T Tauri-type stars to ascertain whether evidence exists for the continued presence of their circumstellar disks at times beyond the epoch when the signatures of those disks as seen in submillimeter thermal emission and millimeter line emission have disappeared. Specifically, the researchers are carrying out an infrared survey of molecular hydrogen using very sensitive, high spectral resolution spectrometers primarily on the Gemini South telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Results from several years of preliminary work demonstrate the feasibility of detecting line emission from unshocked hydrogen around T Tauri stars. Previous results are consistent with the expected brightnesses of hydrogen emission and from the line shapes, it is shown definitively for one star and as likely for other stars, that the line emission is from gas in the middle layers of disks and from distances of 10 to 30 Astronomical Units (the earth-Sun distance) from the stars. A survey of hydrogen line emission from most of the T Tauri stars in several star forming regions will make an important contribution to developing a clearer understanding as to whether disks around Sun-like pre-main-sequence stars typically disperse prior to planet building or evolve toward planetesimals and planets within the first 10 million years.Broader Impact. All data will be made available to the public in the form of an on-line, searchable database of reduced, self-calibrated spectra. Also included on this project internet site will be web pages devoted to education and public outreach, including explanatory material concerning the role of spectroscopy in understanding the processes of star and planet formation. The Principle Investigator is actively engaged in bringing astronomy to teachers and students in the metropolitan Nashville area. He is a partner in a new program, "Exploring our Solar Neighborhood," which will bring astronomy content to teachers and students through teacher training workshops and student instruction. As part of these programs, which include a weeklong Summer Institute for 15 teachers and follow-up activities during the summer and school year with their students, the Principle Investigator will teach about the planets and about the processes by which planets form, thus bringing cutting edge knowledge and research from this program directly to teachers and potential future scientists. This regularly includes undergraduate students, especially those in a unique undergraduate major at Vanderbilt University called the Communication of Science and Technology, in the research activities of this project.

AST 0307416 PI Weintraub这是一个对年轻的金牛座T型恒星进行调查的项目，以确定是否有证据表明它们的拱星盘在亚毫米热发射和毫米线发射中所看到的这些盘的特征已经消失的时代之后继续存在。具体来说，研究人员正在使用非常灵敏的高光谱分辨率光谱仪对分子氢进行红外调查，主要是在双子座南望远镜和英国红外望远镜上。几年的初步工作结果表明，探测金牛T星周围未受冲击的氢的谱线发射是可行的。 先前的结果与氢发射的预期亮度一致，并且从线的形状来看，它明确地显示了一颗星星和其他恒星的可能性，线发射来自于盘的中间层的气体，距离恒星10到30个天文单位（地球-太阳距离）。 在几个星星形成区域对大多数金牛座T星的氢线发射进行调查，将对更清楚地了解类太阳前主序星周围的盘是否通常在行星形成之前分散或在最初的1000万年内向微行星和行星演化做出重要贡献。所有数据都将以在线、可搜索的简化、自校准光谱数据库的形式向公众提供。该项目网站上还将包括专门用于教育和公众宣传的网页，包括有关光谱学在理解星星和行星形成过程中的作用的解释材料。 首席研究员积极致力于将天文学带给大都市纳什维尔地区的教师和学生。他是一个新项目“探索我们的太阳邻居”的合作伙伴，该项目将通过教师培训讲习班和学生指导为教师和学生带来天文学内容。作为这些计划的一部分，其中包括为期一周的暑期研究所为15名教师和后续活动在夏季和学年与他们的学生，首席研究员将教授有关行星和行星形成的过程，从而将前沿知识和研究从这个程序直接教师和潜在的未来科学家。这通常包括本科生，特别是那些在一个独特的本科专业在范德比尔特大学称为科学和技术的传播，在这个项目的研究活动。