Millimeter-sized Dust Grains Appear Surviving the Water-sublimating Temperature in the Inner 10 au of the FU Ori Disk

TL;DR

This study uses radio and optical observations to show that millimeter-sized dust grains can survive in the hot, water-sublimating inner regions of FU Ori's disk, challenging previous assumptions about dust destruction at high temperatures.

Contribution

It provides new constraints on dust grain sizes in the hot inner disk of FU Ori and discusses implications for dust stickiness and growth in outbursting young stellar objects.

Findings

Maximum dust grain size is ≥1.6 mm in the hot inner disk.

Dust emission has been approximately stationary over observation periods.

Optical and radio brightness have increased, indicating dynamic accretion activity.

Abstract

Previous observations have shown that the $\lesssim$10 au, $\gtrsim$400 K hot inner disk of the archetypal accretion outburst young stellar object, FU Ori, is dominated by viscous heating. To constrain dust properties in this region, we have performed radio observations toward this disk using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in 2020 June-July, September, and November. We also performed complementary optical photometric monitoring observations. We found that the dust thermal emission from the hot inner disk mid-plane of FU Ori has been approximately stationary and the maximum dust grain size is $\gtrsim$1.6 mm in this region. If the hot inner disk of FU Ori which is inward of the 150-170 K water snowline is turbulent (e.g., corresponding to a Sunyaev & Shakura viscous $\alpha_{t}\gtrsim$0.1), or if the actual maximum grain size is still larger than the lower limit we presently constrain, then as suggested by the recent analytical calculations and the laboratory measurements, water-ice free dust grains may be stickier than water-ice coated dust grains in protoplanetary disks. Additionally, we find that the free-free emission and the Johnson B and V bands magnitudes of these binary stars are brightening in 2016-2020. The optical and radio variability might be related to the dynamically evolving protostellar or disk accretion activities. Our results highlight that hot inner disks of outbursting objects are important laboratories for testing models of dust grain growth. Given the active nature of such systems, to robustly diagnose the maximum dust grain sizes, it is important to carry out coordinated multi-wavelength radio observations.