Spatially resolved H2 emission from the disk around T Tau N

TL;DR

This study detects spatially resolved H2 emission in a ring around T Tau N, likely caused by shocks in the disk atmosphere, providing insights into disk-wind interactions and excitation mechanisms.

Contribution

First spatially resolved detection of H2 emission in a ring around T Tau N, suggesting shock excitation in the disk atmosphere as the primary mechanism.

Findings

H2 emission forms a ring between 15 and 100 AU from T Tau N.

H2 emission velocity is consistent with the star's rest velocity.

Shocks from a wide-angle wind likely excite the H2 in the disk atmosphere.

Abstract

We report the detection of quiescent H2 emission in a spatially resolved ring-like structure within 100 AU of T Tau N. We present evidence to show that the emission most likely arises from shocks in the atmosphere of a nearly face-on disk around T Tau N. Using high spatial resolution 3D spectroscopic K-band data, we trace the spatial distribution of several H2 NIR rovibrational lines in the vicinity of T Tau N. We detect weak H2 emission from the v=1-0 S(0), S(1), Q(1) lines and the v=2-1 S(1) line in a ring-like structure around T Tau N between 0.1'' (~15 AU) and 0.7'' (~100AU) from the star. The v=1-0 S(0) and v=2-1 S(1) lines are detected only in the outer parts of the ring structure. Closer to the star, the strong continuum limits our sensitivity to these lines. The total flux of the v=1-0 S(1) line is 1.8 *10^{-14} ergs s^{-1}cm^{-2}, similar to previous measurements of H2 in circumstellar disks. The velocity of the H2 emitting gas around T Tau N is consistent with the rest velocity of the star, and the H2 does not seem to be part of a collimated outflow. Both shocks impinging on the surface of a disk and irradiation of a disk by UV-photons and X-rays from the central star are plausible candidates for the H2 excitation mechanism. However, irradiation should not create a large degree of excitation at radii larger than 20 AU. Most likely the H2 emission arises in the atmosphere of a flared disk with radius 85-100 AU and mass 0.005-0.5Msun, where the gas is excited by shocks created when a wide-angle wind impinges on the disk. The H2 emission could also originate from shock excitation in the cavity walls of an envelope, but this requires an unusually high velocity of the wide-angle wind from T Tau N.