Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
Javascript must be enabled to continue!
Upper limits on the water vapour content of the β Pictoris debris disk
View through CrossRef
Context. The debris disk surrounding β Pictoris has been observed with ALMA to contain a belt of CO gas with a distinct peak at ~85 au. This CO clump is thought to be the result of a region of enhanced density of solids that collide and release CO through vaporisation. The parent bodies are thought to be comparable to solar system comets, in which CO is trapped inside a water ice matrix.
Aims. Since H2O should be released along with CO, we aim to put an upper limit on the H2O gas mass in the disk of β Pictoris.
Methods. We used archival data from the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI) aboard the Herschel Space Observatory to study the ortho-H2O 110–101 emission line. The line is undetected. Using a python implementation of the radiative transfer code RADEX, we converted upper limits on the line flux to H2O gas masses. The resulting lower limits on the CO/H2O mass ratio are compared to the composition of solar system comets.
Results. Depending on the assumed gas spatial distribution, we find a 95% upper limit on the ortho-H2O line flux of 7.5 × 10−20 W m−2 or 1.2 × 10−19 W m−2. These translate into an upper limit on the H2O mass of 7.4 × 1016–1.1 × 1018 kg depending on both the electron density and gas kinetic temperature. The range of derived gas-phase CO/H2O ratios is marginally consistent with low-ratio solar system comets.
Title: Upper limits on the water vapour content of the β Pictoris debris disk
Description:
Context.
The debris disk surrounding β Pictoris has been observed with ALMA to contain a belt of CO gas with a distinct peak at ~85 au.
This CO clump is thought to be the result of a region of enhanced density of solids that collide and release CO through vaporisation.
The parent bodies are thought to be comparable to solar system comets, in which CO is trapped inside a water ice matrix.
Aims.
Since H2O should be released along with CO, we aim to put an upper limit on the H2O gas mass in the disk of β Pictoris.
Methods.
We used archival data from the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI) aboard the Herschel Space Observatory to study the ortho-H2O 110–101 emission line.
The line is undetected.
Using a python implementation of the radiative transfer code RADEX, we converted upper limits on the line flux to H2O gas masses.
The resulting lower limits on the CO/H2O mass ratio are compared to the composition of solar system comets.
Results.
Depending on the assumed gas spatial distribution, we find a 95% upper limit on the ortho-H2O line flux of 7.
5 × 10−20 W m−2 or 1.
2 × 10−19 W m−2.
These translate into an upper limit on the H2O mass of 7.
4 × 1016–1.
1 × 1018 kg depending on both the electron density and gas kinetic temperature.
The range of derived gas-phase CO/H2O ratios is marginally consistent with low-ratio solar system comets.
Related Results
Anthropogenic materials in the nests of Passerine birds: does the environment matter?
Anthropogenic materials in the nests of Passerine birds: does the environment matter?
Background. For several past decades, a notable pollution of the environment by different kinds of solid waste has been noted. The number of studies addressing the issue of utilisi...
Debris cover effect on the evolution of glaciation in the Northern Caucasus
Debris cover effect on the evolution of glaciation in the Northern Caucasus
<p>A common disadvantage of almost all global glacier models is that they ignore the explicit description of the debris cover on the heat exchange of the glacier surf...
Mapping debris thickness on alpine glaciers using UAV thermography and photogrammetry
Mapping debris thickness on alpine glaciers using UAV thermography and photogrammetry
<p>Supraglacial debris covers the tongue of many mountain glaciers. In the course of ongoing climate change and the rapid melting of glaciers, debris extent and thick...
Debris cover and the thinning of Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, Part A:in situ mass balance measurements
Debris cover and the thinning of Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, Part A:in situ mass balance measurements
Abstract. The mass balance of many Alaskan glaciers is perturbed by debris cover. Yet the effect of debris on glacier response to climate change in Alaska has largely been overlook...
The far reaches of the β
Pictoris debris disk
The far reaches of the β
Pictoris debris disk
The nearby young star β Pictoris hosts a rich and complex planetary system, with at least two giant planets and a nearly edge-on debris disk that contains several dynamical subpopu...
The impact of flybys on the evolution of solar system analogs, the debris disk systems.
The impact of flybys on the evolution of solar system analogs, the debris disk systems.
Debris disks represent the last phase of the evolution of protoplanetary disks. As a by-product of the planet formation process, debris disks might host planetesimal belts, dust, a...
Chemical Classification of Space Debris
Chemical Classification of Space Debris
Abstract Space debris, here referring to all non‐operating orbital objects, has steadily increased in number so that it has become a potential barrier to the exploration of space....
Use of Formation Water and Associated Gases and their Simultaneous Utilization for Obtaining Microelement Concentrates Fresh Water and Drinking Water
Use of Formation Water and Associated Gases and their Simultaneous Utilization for Obtaining Microelement Concentrates Fresh Water and Drinking Water
Abstract Purpose: The invention relates to the oil industry, inorganic chemistry, in particular, to the methods of complex processing of formation water, using flare gas of oil and...