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W. M. Liu, P. M. Hinz, W. F. Hoffmann, G. Brusa, D. Miller, M. A. Kenworthy (Steward Obs., Univ. of Arizona)
We present the results of adaptive optics nulling interferometric observations of two Herbig Ae stars, AB Aur and V892 Tau, at 10.3 microns. Our observations show resolved circumstellar emission from both sources. The emission from AB Aur suggests that there is an inclined disk surrounding the star. The diameter of the disk is derived to be 24 to 30 AU with an inclination of 45 to 65 degrees from face-on, and a major-axis PA of 30 +/- 15 degrees (E of N). Differences in the physical characteristics between the mid-IR emission and emission at other wavelengths found in previous studies suggest a complex structure for AB Aur's circumstellar environment, which may not be explained by a disk alone. The similarity in the observed size of AB Aur's resolved emission and that of another Herbig Ae star, HD 100546, is likely coincidental, as their respective evolutionary states and spectral energy distributions suggest significantly different circumstellar environments.
The PI was supported under a Michelson Graduate Fellowship
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.