The masses of young stars: CN as a probe of dynamical masses

Abstract

Aims. We attempt to determine the masses of single or multiple young T Tauri and HAeBe stars from the rotation of their Keplerian disks. Methods. We used the IRAM PdBI interferometer to perform arcsecond resolution images of the CN N = 2-1 transition with good spectral resolution. Integrated spectra from the 30m radiotelescope show that CN is relatively unaffected by contamination from the molecular clouds. Our sample includes 12 sources, among which isolated stars like DM Tau and MWC 480 are used to demonstrate the method and its accuracy. We derive the dynamical mass by fitting a disk model to the emission, a process giving M/D, the mass-to-distance ratio. We also compare the CN results with higher resolution CO data, that are however affected by contamination. Results. All disks are found in nearly perfect Keplerian rotation. We determine accurate masses for 11 stars, in the mass range 0.5 to 1.9 M. The remaining one, DG Tau B, is a deeply embedded object for which CN emission partially arises from the outflow. With previous determinations, this leads to 14 (single) stars with dynamical masses. Comparison with evolutionary tracks, in a distance independent modified HR diagram, show good overall agreement (with one exception, CW Tau), and indicate that measurement of effective temperatures are the limiting factor. The lack of low mass stars in the sample does not allow to distinguish between alternate tracks. © ESO, 2014.