C I observations in the CQ Tauri proto-planetary disk: evidence of a very low gas-to-dust ratio ?^*

¹ MPIfR, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany e-mail: [echapill;bparise]@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
² Université de Bordeaux, Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers, BP 89, 33271 Floirac Cedex, France
³ CNRS, UMR 5804, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, BP 89, 33271 Floirac Cedex, France e-mail: [guilloteau;dutrey;wakelam]@obs.u-bordeaux1.fr

Received: 21 April 2010
Accepted: 18 June 2010

Abstract

Context. The gas and dust dissipation processes of proto-planetary disks are hardly known. Transition disks between Class II (proto-planetary disks) and Class III (debris disks) remain difficult to detect.

Aims. We investigate the carbon chemistry of the peculiar CQ Tau gas disk. It is likely to be a transition disk because it exhibits weak CO emission with a relatively strong millimeter continuum, indicating that the disk may currently be dissipating its gas content.

Methods. We used APEX to observe the two C i transitions ³P₁ ³P₀ at 492 GHz and ³P₂ ³P₁ at 809 GHz in the disk orbiting CQ Tau. We compare the observations to several chemical model predictions. We focus our study on the influence of the stellar UV radiation shape and gas-to-dust ratio.

Results. We did not detect the C i lines. However, our upper limits are deep enough to exclude high-C i models. The only available models compatible with our limits imply very low gas-to-dust ratios, of the order of only a few.

Conclusions. These observations strengthen the hypothesis that CQ Tau is likely to be a transition disk and suggest that gas disappears before dust.