Constraining the Disk Masses of the Class I Binary Protostar GV Tau

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution millimeter imaging and radiative transfer modeling to estimate the disk masses of the Class I binary protostar GV Tau, revealing they are potentially capable of forming giant planets and are more massive than Class II disks.

Contribution

It provides detailed disk mass estimates for GV Tau using combined observational data and modeling, and compares these with other Class I protostars to understand disk evolution.

Findings

GV Tau disks are near the lower end of the Minimum Mass Solar Nebula estimates.

Class I protostars are generally more massive than Class II, indicating evolution in disk mass.

Substantial dust processing occurs between Class I and Class II stages.

Abstract

We present new spatially resolved 1.3 mm imaging with CARMA of the GV Tau system. GV Tau is a Class I binary protostar system in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, the components of which are separated by 1.2". Each protostar is surrounded by a protoplanetary disk, and the pair may be surrounded by a circumbinary envelope. We analyze the data using detailed radiative transfer modeling of the system. We create synthetic protostar model spectra, images, and visibilities and compare them with CARMA 1.3 mm visibilities, an HST near-infrared scattered light image, and broadband SEDs from the literature to study the disk masses and geometries of the GV Tau disks. We show that the protoplanetary disks around GV Tau fall near the lower end of estimates of the Minimum Mass Solar Nebula, and may have just enough mass to form giant planets. When added to the sample of Class I protostars from \citet{Eisner2012} we confirm that Class I protostars are on average more massive than their Class II counterparts. This suggests that substantial dust grain processing occurs between the Class I and Class II stages, and may help to explain why the Class II protostars do not appear to have, on average, enough mass in their disks to form giant planets.