Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997hst..prop.7456c&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #7456
Physics
Hst Proposal Id #7456 Young Stars And Circumstellar Material
Scientific paper
We propose to use the high-sensitivity, space-based capability of HST + NICMOS to study the physical conditions in pre-main- sequence disks at planet formation distances. Given its high abundance and the large number of transitions that sample a wide range in temperature, water vapor is expected to be an excellent probe of the physical properties of disks over a range of radii { 0.1-5AU}. Although strong absorption in the Earth's atmosphere generally precludes ground-based studies of water vapor, our discovery of hot { 2000K} water emission from pre-main-sequence disks, made in the wings of the strong telluric bands, demonstrates the viability of water as a probe of the physical conditions at small disk radii. The space- based capability of HST now enables detailed studies of water emission from cooler disk gas at larger radii {r>0.3 AU}. At the same time, the high-sensitivity of HST gives us access to a larger number of sources. Using NICMOS grism spectroscopy in the 1.1-2.5Mum region, we will conduct a sensitive survey for water emission features in a well-chosen sample of classical T Tauri stars. The strength and shape of the vibrational bands {e.g., at 1.4 and 1.9micron} are diagnostic of gas temperature and column density. Spectral modeling employing integrated water opacities will be used to extract these physical properties from the observed spectra. This survey will be the first to take a detailed look at the gas phase properties of pre-main-sequence disks at AU distances.
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