A Survey of Ro-vibrational CO Spectra from Protoplanetary Disks with ISHELL on the NASA IRTF Telescope
Date
2023-04
Authors
Abernathy, Kirsten M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Protoplanetary disks around pre-main-sequence stars are the birthplace of planets and planetary systems. The fundamental CO rovibrational band at ~4.7 μm is the most ubiquitous and easily observed tracer of gas in the inner disk region of protoplanetary disks, due to the sensitivity to warm temperatures (300-1500 K). When observed at high resolving power, CO spectra reveals both the kinematics and excitation of gas in planet-forming regions, and their evolution with time. After 20 years of studies of warm CO gas in disks with previous instruments, here at Texas State we have led a new survey with iSHELL on the NASA IRTF telescope in Hawaii, with the 0.375” and 0.75" slit widths that provide the unprecedented combination of large spectral coverage of 4.52–5.25 μm in one single exposure and high spectral resolution of R ~ 60-90k. With iSHELL, we remotely observed CO rovibrational spectra of ~70 protoplanetary disks, reaching an unprecedented high-quality and large sample. I will present how we reduced the spectra and fitted them as single or broad and narrow components for 12CO v = 1 − 0, v = 2 − 1, and where present 13CO v = 1 − 0 with a simple slab model. I will report the model fit results and discuss their correlation analysis in the context of stellar parameters and disk properties to illustrate the new properties that this survey is revealing.
Description
Keywords
astrophysics, protoplanetary disk, planet formation
Citation
Abernathy, K. M. (2023). A Survey of Ro-vibrational CO Spectra from Protoplanetary Disks with ISHELL on the NASA IRTF Telescope (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.