Research Note

Molecular content of the circumstellar disk in AB Aurigae

First detection of SO in a circumstellar disk

¹ Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (OAN), Apdo. 112, 28803 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: a.fuente@oan.es
² Departamento de Astrofísica, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Crta Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Madrid, Spain
³ LUTH, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 place Jules Janssen 92190 Meudon, France
⁴ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

Received: 30 April 2010
Accepted: 27 September 2010

Abstract

Aims. Very few molecular species have been detected in circumstellar disks surrounding young stellar objects. We are carrying out an observational study of the chemistry of circumstellar disks surrounding T Tauri and Herbig Ae stars. First results of this study are presented in this note.

Methods. We used the EMIR receivers recently installed at the IRAM 30 m telescope to carry out a sensitive search for molecular lines in the disks surrounding AB Aur, DM Tau, and LkCa 15.

Results. We detected lines of the molecules HCO⁺, CN, H₂CO, SO, CS, and HCN toward AB Aur. In addition, we tentatively detected DCO⁺ and H₂S lines. The line profiles suggest that the CN, HCN, H₂CO, CS, and SO lines arise in the disk. This makes it the first detection of SO in a circumstellar disk. We have unsuccessfully searched for SO toward DM Tau and LkCa 15, and for c-C₃H₂ toward AB Aur, DM Tau, and LkCa 15. Our upper limits show that contrary to all molecular species observed so far, SO is not as abundant in DM Tau as it is in AB Aur.

Conclusions. Our results demonstrate that the disk associated with AB Aur is rich in molecular species. Our chemical model shows that the detection of SO is consistent with that expected from a very young disk where the molecular adsorption onto grains does not yet dominate the chemistry.