English

JWST study of the DG Tau B disk wind candidate: I -- Overview and Nested H$_2$/CO outflows

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2024-08-21 v1

Abstract

The origin and impact of outflows on proto-planetary disks and planet formation are key open questions. DG Tau B, a Class I protostar with a structured disk and a striking rotating conical CO outflow, recently identified with ALMA as one of the best MHD disk wind candidate, is an ideal target for studying these phenomena. Our aim is to analyse the outflow components intermediate between the fast axial jet and the wider molecular CO outflow to discriminate between the different scenarios at their origin (irradiated/shocked disk wind or swept-up material). Using observations from JWST NIRSpec-IFU, NIRCam and SINFONI/VLT, we investigate the morphology, kinematics and excitation conditions of H2_2 emission lines of the red-shifted outflow lobe. We find an onion-like structure of the outflows with increasing temperature, velocity and collimation towards the flow axis. The red-shifted H2_2 emission reveals a narrow conical cavity nested inside the CO outflow and originating from the inner disk regions (< 6 au). The H2_2 shell exhibits a constant vertical velocity (\simeq22 km/s), twice faster that of the CO flow and an average mass flux of M˙\dot{M}(H2_2) = 3e-11 M_\odot/yr significantly lower than the jet and CO values, suggesting low H2_2 abundance. The global layered structure of the H2_2/CO outflows is consistent with an MHD disk wind scenario, with the hot H2_2 possibly tracing an inner dense photodissociation layer of the wind coming from a launching radius in the disk of 0.2-0.4 au. Further analysis, including MIRI observations will provide additional insights into the H2_2 excitation mechanisms and the origin of the layered outflows observed in DG Tau B.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2403.19400,
  title  = {JWST study of the DG Tau B disk wind candidate: I -- Overview and Nested H$_2$/CO outflows},
  author = {Valentin Delabrosse and Catherine Dougados and Sylvie Cabrit and Benoit Tabone and Lukasz Tychoniec and Tom Ray and Linda Podio and Melissa McClure},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.19400},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

23 pages, 21 figures, 2 tables, submitted and reviewed to A&A