On the Class II Methanol Maser Periodic Variability due to the Rotating Spiral Shocks in the Gaps of Disks Around Young Binary Stars

TL;DR

This study explains the periodic variability of Class II methanol masers in young binary star systems by modeling the effects of spiral shock-induced dust temperature changes in accretion disks, revealing significant brightness variations during different illumination phases.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking maser brightness variability to spiral shock dynamics in binary star disks, using CLOUDY and LVG approximation to predict observable maser behavior.

Findings

Strong masers show increased brightness during the MMISS phase.

Brightness of 9.9 GHz masers varies with impact parameter, increasing beyond 200 AU.

Maser brightness can exhibit flares or dips depending on system properties.

Abstract

We argue that the periodic variability of Class II methanol masers can be explained by variations of the dust temperature in the accretion disk around proto-binary star with at least one massive component. The dust temperature variations are caused by rotation of hot and dense material of the spiral shock wave in the disk central gap. The aim of this work is to show how different can be the Class II methanol maser brightness in the disk during the Moment of Maximum Illumination by the Spiral Shock material (hereafter MMISS) and the Moment when the disk is Illuminated by the Stars Only (MISO). We used the code CLOUDY (v13.02) to estimate physical conditions in the flat disk in the MISO and the MMISS. Model physical parameters of the disk were then used to estimate the brightness of 6.7, 9.9, 12.1 and 107 GHz masers at different impact parameters $p$ using LVG approximation. It was shown that the strong masers experience considerable brightness increase during the MMISS with respect to MISO. There can happen both flares and dips of the 107 GHz maser brightness under the MMISS conditions, depending on the properties of the system. The brightest 9.9 GHz masers in the MMISS are situated at the greater $p$ than the strong 6.7, 12.1 and 107 GHz masers that are situated at $p<200$ AU. The brightness of 9.9 GHz maser in the MMISS suppressed at $p<200$ AU and increase at $p>200$ AU.