UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

ATOMIUM: The astounding complexity of the near circumstellar environment of the M-type AGB star R Hydrae: I. Morpho-kinematical interpretation of CO and SiO emission

Homan, W; Pimpanuwat, B; Herpin, F; Danilovich, T; McDonald, I; Wallstroem, SHJ; Richards, AMS; ... El Mellah, I; + view all (2021) ATOMIUM: The astounding complexity of the near circumstellar environment of the M-type AGB star R Hydrae: I. Morpho-kinematical interpretation of CO and SiO emission. Astronomy & Astrophysics , 651 , Article A82. 10.1051/0004-6361/202140512. Green open access

[thumbnail of aa40512-21.pdf]
Preview
Text
aa40512-21.pdf - Published Version

Download (41MB) | Preview

Abstract

Evolved low- to intermediate-mass stars are known to shed their gaseous envelope into a large, dusty, molecule-rich circumstellar nebula which typically develops a high degree of structural complexity. Most of the large-scale, spatially correlated structures in the nebula are thought to originate from the interaction of the stellar wind with a companion. As part of the ATOMIUM large programme, we observed the M-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star R Hydrae with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The morphology of the inner wind of R Hya, which has a known companion at ∼3500 au, was determined from maps of CO and SiO obtained at high angular resolution. A map of the CO emission reveals a multi-layered structure consisting of a large elliptical feature at an angular scale of ∼10″ that is oriented along the north–south axis. The wind morphology within the elliptical feature is dominated by two hollow bubbles. The bubbles are on opposite sides of the AGB star and lie along an axis with a position angle of ∼115°. Both bubbles are offset from the central star, and their appearance in the SiO channel maps indicates that they might be shock waves travelling through the AGB wind. An estimate of the dynamical age of the bubbles yields an age of the order of 100 yr, which is in agreement with the previously proposed elapsed time since the star last underwent a thermal pulse. When the CO and SiO emission is examined on subarcsecond angular scales, there is evidence for an inclined, differentially rotating equatorial density enhancement, strongly suggesting the presence of a second nearby companion. The position angle of the major axis of this disc is ∼70° in the plane of the sky. We tentatively estimate that a lower limit on the mass of the nearby companion is ∼0.65 M⊙ on the basis of the highest measured speeds in the disc and the location of its inner rim at ∼6 au from the AGB star.

Type: Article
Title: ATOMIUM: The astounding complexity of the near circumstellar environment of the M-type AGB star R Hydrae: I. Morpho-kinematical interpretation of CO and SiO emission
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202140512
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140512
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Astronomy & Astrophysics, stars: AGB and post-AGB, circumstellar matter, submillimeter: stars, MASS-LOSS, DETACHED SHELLS, MIRA, PULSATION, EVOLUTION, WIND, SHOCKS, MODELS, GAS, TEMPERATURES
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Computer Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10132686
Downloads since deposit
13Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item