Aperture synthesis imaging of V892 Tau and PV Cep: Disk evolution

Abstract

I present a study of two Herbig Ae stars that are in completely different evolutionary stages: V892 Tau and PV Cep. Using sub-arcsecond interferometric observations obtained with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeterwave Astronomy at λ = 1.3 and 2.7 mm, I have for the first time resolved their disks. I deduce that the 5 Myr old V892 Tau has a low dust opacity index β = 1.1 and a disk mass of ~0.03M⊙. These values correspond to the growth of its dust into large, up to centimeters size, structures. In contrast, the very young (a few ×105 yr) PV Cep has a quite high opacity index β = 1.75 and a more massive disk 0.8M⊙. PV Cep has the youngest resolved disk around any Herbig Ae star. Unlike the youngest T Tauri and Class 0 stars, which contain large and processed grains, the young Herbig Ae star, PV Cep, disk contains interstellar-medium-like unprocessed dust. This suggests that PV Cep's dust evolution is slower than T Tauri stars'. I also present high spatial resolution interferometric observationsof the PV Cep outflow. The outflow inclination is consistent with the orientation of the known Herbig-Haro flow in that region, HH315. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.