Spatially Resolved Silicate Features in T Tauri Binaries with MMT Mid-IR Adaptive Optics
First Author:
Andrew Skemer
Email: askemer AT as.arizona.edu
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
933 N Cherry Ave
Tucson, AZ 85721
Coauthors:
Close, Laird, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
Hinz, Philip, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
Hoffmann, William, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
Greene, Thomas, NASA Ames
Beck, Tracy, STSCI
Abstract
While Spitzer's unprecedented sensitivity has produced detailed studies of silicate emission from T Tauri stars, its limited angular resolution precludes resolved studies of binaries. Ground-based mid-infrared work can complement Spitzer by spatially resolving the brightest binaries. We use the MMT's unique mid-IR adaptive optics system with MIRAC4 to resolve T Tau (0.68"/0.12" hierarchical triple) and XZ Tau (0.3" binary) in narrow-band silicate filters. Our results give evidence for misaligned disks in T Tauri, and surprisingly large variability in XZ Tau. Future work with the MMT's mid-IR AO system will produce resolved N-band spectra of a large sample of T Tauri binaries, and provide a valuable testbed for JWST science.
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