CI observations in the CQ Tau proto-planetary disk: evidence for a very low gas-to-dust ratio ?

TL;DR

This study investigates the gas content of the CQ Tau proto-planetary disk using CI line observations, finding evidence for a very low gas-to-dust ratio which supports the idea that gas dissipates before dust in transition disks.

Contribution

First observational constraints on the gas-to-dust ratio in CQ Tau using CI lines, indicating a very low gas content consistent with a transition disk.

Findings

CI lines are not detected, setting upper limits on gas content.

Models with high gas-to-dust ratios are excluded by observations.

CQ Tau likely has a gas-to-dust ratio of a few, indicating significant gas dissipation.

Abstract

Gas and dust dissipation processes of proto-planetary disks are hardly known. Transition disks between Class II (proto-planetary disks) and Class III (debris disks) remain difficult to detect. We investigate the carbon chemistry of the peculiar CQ Tau gas disk. It is likely a transition disk because it exhibits weak CO emission with a relatively strong millimeter continuum, indicating that the disk might be currently dissipating its gas content. We used APEX to observe the two CI lines at 492GHz and 809 GHz in the disk orbiting CQ Tau. We compare the observations to several chemical model predictions. We focus our study on the influence of the stellar UV radiation shape and gas-to-dust ratio. We did not detect the CI lines. However, our upper limits are deep enough to exclude high-CI models. The only available models compatible with our limits imply very low gas-to-dust ratio, of the order of a few, only. These observations strengthen the hypothesis that CQ Tau is likely a transition disk and suggest that gas disappears before dust.