Gas kinematics of key prebiotic molecules in GV Tau N revealed with an ALMA, PdBI, and Herschel synergy
Journal article, 2020

A large effort has been made to detect warm gas in the planet formation zone of circumstellar discs using space and ground-based near-infrared facilities. GV Tau N, the most obscured component of the GV Tau system, is an outstanding source, being one of the first targets detected in HCN and the only one detected in CH4 so far. Although near-infrared observations have shed light on its chemical content, the physical structure and kinematics of the circumstellar matter remained unknown. We use interferometric images of the HCN 3 -> 2 and (CO)-C-13 3 -> 2 lines, and far-IR observations of (CO)-C-13, HCN, CN, and H2O transitions to discern the morphology, kinematics, and chemistry of the dense gas close to the star. These observations constitute the first detection of H2O towards GV Tau N. Moreover, ALMA high spatial resolution (similar to 7 au) images of the continuum at 1.1mm and the HCN 3 -> 2 line resolve different gas components towards GV Tau N, a gaseous disc with R similar to 25 au, an ionized jet, and one (or two) molecular outflows. The asymmetric morphology of the gaseous disc shows that it has been eroded by the jet. All observations can be explained if GV Tau N is binary, and the primary component has a highly inclined individual disc relative to the circumbinary disc. We discuss the origin of the water and the other molecules emission according to this scenario. In particular, we propose that the water emission would come from the disrupted gaseous disc and the molecular outflows.

stars: formation

stars: variables: T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be

protoplanetary discs

ISM: jets and outflows

astrochemistry

stars: individual (GV Tau N)

Author

A. Fuente

Spanish National Observatory (OAN)

Sandra Treviño Morales

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

R. Le Gal

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

P. Riviere-Marichalar

Spanish National Observatory (OAN)

P. Pilleri

University of Toulouse

M. Rodriguez-Baras

Spanish National Observatory (OAN)

D. Navarro-Almaida

Spanish National Observatory (OAN)

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

0035-8711 (ISSN) 1365-2966 (eISSN)

Vol. 496 4 5330-5340

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics

Other Chemistry Topics

DOI

10.1093/mnras/staa1919

More information

Latest update

11/23/2020