Dust Around T Tauri Stars

Abstract

To reproduce the multiple broad peaks and the fine spectral features in the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of T Tauri stars, we model dust around T Tauri stars using a radiative transfer model for multiple isothermal circumstellar dust shells. We calculate the radiative transfer model SEDs for multiple dust shells using the opacity functions for various dust grains at different temperatures. For six sample stars, we compare the model results with the observed SEDs including the Spitzer spectral data. We present model parameters for the best fit model SEDs that would be helpful to understand the overall structure of dust envelopes around classical T Tauri stars. We find that at least three separate dust components are required to reproduce the observed SEDs. For all the sample stars, an innermost hot (250-550 K) dust component of amorphous (silicate and carbon) and crystalline (corundum for all objects and forsterite for some objects) grains is needed. Crystalline forsterite grains can reproduce many fine spectral features of the sample stars. We find that crystalline forsterite grains exist in cold regions (80-100 K) as well as in hot inner shells.

Keywords

• stars: pre-main sequences
• infrared: stars
• circumstellar matter
• dust: extinction