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S.Guilloteau and A.Dutrey
Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique,
300 Rue de la Piscine, F-38406 Saint Martin d'Hères
Abstract: Using the IRAM 30-m telescope, we have detected a rotating gas disk
around the relatively old (5 10 yr) T Tauri star DM Tau. The
kinematic pattern and line profiles obtained from CO J=2--1 and
CO J=2--1 are consistent with a disk inclined about from
face-on, with a rotation axis at PA , and orbiting a
central star with a systemic velocity of . All
detected lines can be well fitted by a simple Keplerian disk model
with outer radius AU, mean temperature about 15 K, and
standard isotopic ratios. If the CO abundance is normal, the total
disk mass is .
Such a mass is small compared to that derived from mm and sub-mm
continuum emission (). This can be explained either
by CO depletion, or by an anomalous gas-to-dust ratio, or by the
existence of a dense, compact, optically thick core which dominates the
mm continuum emission. The size derived for such a core is consistent
with the size of the current solar system. In all cases, our results
indicate that significant amount of gas still exists several Myr after
star formation.
Robert Lucas
Thu Mar 9 12:58:13 MET 1995