X-RAY IRRADIATION OF THE LkCa 15 PROTOPLANETARY DISK

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 2013 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/765/1/3· OSTI ID:22167675

Skinner, Stephen L. ^[1]; Guedel, Manuel ^[2]

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1. CASA, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0389 (United States)
2. Department of Astronomy, University of Vienna, Tuerkenschanzstr. 17, A-1180 Vienna (Austria)

LkCa 15 in the Taurus star-forming region has recently gained attention as the first accreting T Tauri star likely to host a young protoplanet. High spatial resolution infrared observations have detected the suspected protoplanet within a dust-depleted inner gap of the LkCa 15 transition disk at a distance of {approx}15 AU from the star. If this object's status as a protoplanet is confirmed, then LkCa 15 will serve as a unique laboratory for constraining physical conditions within a planet-forming disk. Previous models of the LkCa 15 disk have accounted for disk heating by the stellar photosphere but have ignored the potential importance of X-ray ionization and heating. We report here the detection of LkCa 15 as a bright X-ray source with Chandra. The X-ray emission is characterized by a cool, heavily absorbed plasma component at kT {sub cool} Almost-Equal-To 0.3 keV and a harder component at kT {sub hot} Almost-Equal-To 5 keV. We use the observed X-ray properties to provide initial estimates of the X-ray ionization and heating rates within the tenuous inner disk. These estimates and the observed X-ray properties of LkCa 15 can be used as a starting point for developing more realistic disk models of this benchmark system.

• OSTI ID: 22167675
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 765; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
BENCHMARKS
COSMIC DUST
DETECTION
HARD COMPONENT
HEATING RATE
IONIZATION
IRRADIATION
KEV RANGE
PHOTON EMISSION
PLANETS
PLASMA
PROTOPLANETS
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
STAR ACCRETION
T TAURI STARS
X RADIATION