Near-infrared polarized images of a nebula around T Tauri

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Near Infrared Radiation, Nebulae, Polarized Light, Stellar Envelopes, T Tauri Stars, Calibrating, Wavelengths

Scientific paper

A 6-arcsec-diameter coronagraphic spot placed in front of an IR array camera was used to image a circumstellar nebula that lies symmetrically around the premain-sequence star T Tauri. The intensity of scattered light, measured as a function of distance from T Tauri, reveals an approximate r exp -2.5 dependence. The distribution of polarized intensity is modeled, and it is deduced that the radial density gradient in the T Tauri nebula is approximately proportional to r exp -1.5. The 3D shape of the nebula is studied by analyzing the polarized light distribution in terms of the optical depth to the star along the line of sight and the optical depth to the star in the plane of the sky. The presence of an infalling envelope that is actively depositing heat in the outer disk is argued to account for the the shallow radial temperature gradient predicted from models of flat spectrum sources like T Tauri.

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