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Context. How protoplanetary disks evolve is still an unsolved problem where different processes may be involved. Depending on the process, the disk gas surface density distribution Σgas may be very different and this could have diverse implications for planet formation. Together with the total disk mass, it is key to constrain Σgas as function of disk radius R from observational measurements. Aims. In this work we investigate whether spatially resolved observations of rarer CO isotopologues, such as 13CO, may be good tracers of the gas surface density distribution in disks. Methods. Physical-chemical disk models with different input Σgas(R) were run, taking into account CO freeze-out and isotope-selective photodissociation. The input disk surface density profiles were compared with the simulated 13CO intensity radial profiles to check whether and where the two follow each other. Results. For each combination of disk parameters, there is always an intermediate region in the disk where the slope of the 13CO radial emission profile and Σgas(R) coincide. In the inner part of the disk, the line radial profile underestimates Σgas, as 13CO emission becomes optically thick. The same happens at large radii where the column densities become too low and 13CO is not able to efficiently self-shield. Moreover, the disk becomes too cold and a considerable fraction of 13CO is frozen out, thus it does not contribute to the line emission. If the gas surface density profile is a simple power-law of the radius, the input power-law index can be retrieved within a ~20% uncertainty if one choses the proper radial range. If instead Σgas(R) follows the self-similar solution for a viscously evolving disk, retrieving the input power-law index becomes challenging, in particular for small disks. Nevertheless, we find that the power-law index γ can be in any case reliably fitted at a given line intensity contour around 6 K km s−1, and this produces a practical method to constrain the slope of Σgas(R). Application of such a method is shown in the case study of the TW Hya disk. Conclusions. Spatially resolved 13CO line radial profiles are promising to probe the disk surface density distribution, as they directly trace Σgas(R) profile at radii well resolvable by ALMA. There, chemical processes like freeze-out and isotope-selective photodissociation do not affect the emission, and, assuming that the volatile carbon does not change with radius, no chemical model is needed when interpreting the observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present observations of far-infrared (50-200μm) OH and H2O emission of the disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 obtained with Herschel/PACS in the context of the DIGIT key program. In addition to strong [OI] emission, a number of OH doublets and a few weak highly excited lines of H2O are detected. The presence of warm H2O in this Herbig disk is confirmed by a line stacking analysis, enabled by the full PACS spectral scan, and by lines seen in Spitzer data. The line fluxes are analyzed using a local-thermal-equilibrium slab model including line opacity. The H2O column density is 1014-1015cm-2, and the excitation temperature is 200-300 K, implying warm gas with a density n > 105?cm-3. For OH, we find Nmol of 1014-1015cm-2 and Tex ∼ 300-500 K. For both species, we find an emitting region of r ∼ 15-20AU from the star. We argue that the molecular emission arises from the protoplanetary disk rather than the outflow. This far-infrared detection of both H2O and OH contrasts with near- and mid-infrared observations, which have generally found a lack of water in the inner disk around Herbig AeBe stars owing to the strong photodissociation of H2O. Given the similar column density and emitting region, OH and H2O emission seems to arise from an upper layer of the disk atmosphere of HD 163296, which probes a new reservoir of water. The slightly lower temperature of H2O compared to OH suggests a vertical stratification of the molecular gas with OH located higher and H2O deeper in the disk, consistent with thermo-chemical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Water is a key tracer of dynamics and chemistry in low-mass star-forming regions, but spectrally resolved observations have so far been limited in sensitivity and angular resolution, and only data from the brightest low-mass protostars have been published. Aims. The first systematic survey of spectrally resolved water emission in 29 low-mass (L <40 Lʘ) protostellar objects is presented. The sources cover a range of luminosities and evolutionary states. The aim is to characterise the line profiles to distinguish physical components in the beam and examine how water emission changes with protostellar evolution. Methods. H2O was observed in the ground-slate 110-101 transition at 557 GHz (Eup/kB -∼ 60K) as single-point observations with the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI) on Herschel in 29 deeply embedded Class 0 and I low-mass protostars. Complementary far-R and tub-mm continuum data (including PACS data from our programme) are used to constrain the spectral energy distribution (SED) of each source. H20 intensities are compared to inferred envelope properties, e.g., mass and density, outflow properties and CO 3-2 emission. Results. H2O emission is detected in all objects except one (TMCIA). The line profiles are complex and consist of several kinematic components tracing different physical regions in each system. In particular, the profiles are typically dominated by a broad Gaussian emission feature, indicating that the bulk of the water emission arises in outflows, not in the quiescent envelope. Several sources show multiple shock components appearing in either emission or absorption, thus constraining the internal geometry of the system. Furthermore, the components include inverse P-Cygni profiles in seven sources (nix Class 0, one Class 1) indicative of infalling envelopes, and regular P-Cygni profiles in four sources (three Class 1, one Class 0) indicative of expanding envelopes. Molecular "bullets" moving at ≳50 km s-1 with respect to the source are detected in four Class 0 sources; three of these sources were not known to harbour bullets previously. In the outflow, the H2O/CO abundance ratio an a function of velocity in nearly the name for all line wings, increasing from 10-3 at low velocities (<5 km s-1) to ≳ 10-1 at high velocities (>10 km s-1). The water abundance in the outer cold envelope in low, ≳10-10. The different H2O profile components show a clear evolutionary trend: in the younger Class 0 sources the emission in dominated by outflow components originating inside an infalling envelope. When large-scale infall diminishes during the Class I phase, the outflow weakens and H2O emission all but disappears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Young stars interact vigorously with their surroundings, as evident from the highly rotationally excited CO (up to Eu/k = 4000 K) and H2O emission (up to 600 K) detected by the Herschel Space Observatory in embedded low-mass protostars. Our aim is to construct a model that reproduces the observations quantitatively, to investigate the origin of the emission, and to use the lines as probes of the various heating mechanisms. Methods. The model consists of a spherical envelope with a power-law density structure and a bipolar outflow cavity. Three heating mechanisms are considered: passive heating by the protostellar luminosity, ultraviolet irradiation of the outflow cavity walls, and small-scale C-type shocks along the cavity walls. Most of the model parameters are constrained from independent observations; the two remaining free parameters considered here are the protostellar UV luminosity and the shock velocity. Line fluxes are calculated for CO and H2O and compared to Herschel data and complementary ground-based data for the protostars NGC 1333 IRAS2A, HH 46 and DK Cha. The three sources are selected to span a range of evolutionary phases (early Stage 0 to late Stage I) and physical characteristics such as luminosity and envelope mass. Results. The bulk of the gas in the envelope, heated by the protostellar luminosity, accounts for 3-10% of the CO luminosity summed over all rotational lines up to J = 40-39; it is best probed by low-J CO isotopologue lines such as C18O 2-1 and 3-2. The UV-heated gas and the C-type shocks, probed by 12CO 10-9 and higher-J lines, contribute 20-80% each. The model fits show a tentative evolutionary trend: the CO emission is dominated by shocks in the youngest source and by UV-heated gas in the oldest one. This trend is mainly driven by the lower envelope density in more evolved sources. The total H2O line luminosity in all cases is dominated by shocks (>99%). The exact percentages for both species are uncertain by at least a factor of 2 due to uncertainties in the gas temperature as function of the incident UV flux. However, on a qualitative level and within the context of our model, both UV-heated gas and C-type shocks are needed to reproduce the emission in far-infrared rotational lines of CO and H2O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a key molecule for tracing physical and chemical processes in star-forming regions. The key program "Water in star-forming regions with Herschel" is observing several water transitions towards low-mass protostars with HIFI. Results regarding the 557 GHz transition of water are reported here showing that the line is surpris- ingly broad, and consists of several different velocity components. The bulk of the emission comes from shocks, where the abundance is increased by several orders of magnitude to ~10-4. The abundance of water in the outer envelope is determined to ~10-8, whereas only an upper limit of 10-5 is derived for the inner, warm envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our ALMA Cycle 0 and 2 observations in Band 6 provide tracers of the disk (C18O, 13CO), the envelope (13CO, DCO+) and the outflow and its cavity (12CO, 13CO, c-C3H2) towards VLA1623, a triple non-coeval system in ρ Ophiuchus (d~120 pc). The observations are combined with simple chemical and physical models. We find differing circumstellar envelope and outflows. VLA1623 appears to not be as chemically rich as other deeply embedded sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]