Flybys in protoplanetary discs: II. Observational signatures

TL;DR

This paper identifies observable features in optical, near-infrared, and millimeter wavelengths that indicate stellar flybys in protoplanetary discs, aiding the interpretation of recent observations of young star systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive catalogue of multi-wavelength observational signatures of stellar flybys, based on hydrodynamical simulations with radiative transfer modeling.

Findings

Warped discs and spirals are observable signatures of flybys.

Flybys cause increased accretion rates and disc truncation.

The catalogue helps identify recent observed systems affected by flybys.

Abstract

Tidal encounters in star clusters perturb discs around young protostars. In Cuello et al. (2019a, Paper I) we detailed the dynamical signatures of a stellar flyby in both gas and dust. Flybys produce warped discs, spirals with evolving pitch angles, increasing accretion rates, and disc truncation. Here we present the corresponding observational signatures of these features in optical/near-infrared scattered light and (sub-) millimeter continuum and CO line emission. Using representative prograde and retrograde encounters for direct comparison, we post-process hydrodynamical simulations with radiative transfer methods to generate a catalogue of multi-wavelength observations. This provides a reference to identify flybys in recent near-infrared and sub-millimetre observations (e.g., RW Aur, AS 205, HV Tau & DO Tau, FU Ori, V2775 Ori, and Z CMa).