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We report on the results of an optical spectroscopic survey designed to confirm the youth and determine the spectral types among a sample of young stellar object (YSO) candidates in the Serpens Molecular Cloud. We observed 150 infrared excess objects, previously discovered by the Spitzer Legacy Program "From Molecular Cores to Planet-Forming Disks" (c2d), bright enough for subsequent Spitzer/IRS spectroscopy. We obtained 78 optical spectra of sufficient S/N for analysis. Extinctions, effective temperatures and luminosities are estimated for this sample, and used to construct H-R diagrams for the population. We identified 20 background giants contaminating the sample, based on their relatively high extinction, position in the H-R diagram, the lack of Halpha emission and relatively low infrared excess. Such strong background contamination (25%) is consistent with the location of Serpens being close to the Galactic plane (5degrees Galactic latitude). The remaining 58 stars (75%) were all confirmed to be young, mostly K and M-type stars that are presumed to belong to the cloud. Individual ages and masses for the YSOs are inferred based on theoretical evolutionary models. The models indicate a spread in stellar ages from 1 to 15 Myr, peaking at 2 - 6 Myr, and a mass distribution of 0.2 to 1.2 Msun with median value around 0.8 Msun. Strong H emission lines (EW[Halpha] > 3 A) have been detected in more than half of the sample (35 stars). The mass accretion rates as derived from the H line widths span a broad distribution over 4 orders of magnitude with median accretion rate of 10^-8 Msun/yr. Our analysis shows that the majority of the infrared excess objects detected in Serpens are actively accreting, young T-Tauri stars., Comment: ApJ in press

We present velocity-resolved spectro-astrometric imaging of the 4.7 $\mu$m rovibrational lines of CO gas in protoplanetary disks using the CRIRES high resolution infrared spectrometer on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The method as applied to three disks with known dust gaps or inner holes out to 4-45 AU (SR 21, HD 135344B and TW Hya) achieves an unprecedented spatial resolution of $0.1-0.5$ AU. While one possible gap formation mechanism is dynamical clearing by giant planets, other equally good explanations (stellar companions, grain growth, photo-evaporation) exist. One way of distinguishing between different scenarios is the presence and distribution of gas inside the dust gaps. Keplerian disk models are fit to the spectro-astrometric position-velocity curves to derive geometrical parameters of the molecular gas. We determine the position angles and inclinations of the inner disks with accuracies as good as 1-2\degr, as well as the radial extent of the gas emission. Molecular gas is detected well inside the dust gaps in all three disks. The gas emission extends to within a radius of 0.5 AU for HD 135344B and to 0.1 AU for TW Hya, supporting partial clearing by a $< 1-10 M_{\rm Jup}$ planetary body as the cause of the observed dust gaps, or removal of the dust by extensive grain coagulation and planetesimal formation. The molecular gas emission in SR 21 appears to be truncated within $\sim 7 $AU, which may be caused by complete dynamical clearing by a more massive companion. We find a smaller inclination angle of the inner disk of TW Hya than that determined for the outer disk, suggestive of a disk warp. We also detect significant azimuthal asymmetries in the SR 21 and HD 135344B inner disks., Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ

CH4 is proposed to be the starting point of a rich organic chemistry. Solid CH4 abundances have previously been determined mostly toward high mass star forming regions. Spitzer/IRS now provides a unique opportunity to probe solid CH4 toward low mass star forming regions as well. Infrared spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope are presented to determine the solid CH4 abundance toward a large sample of low mass young stellar objects. 25 out of 52 ice sources in the $c2d$ (cores to disks) legacy have an absorption feature at 7.7 um, attributed to the bending mode of solid CH4. The solid CH4 / H2O abundances are 2-8%, except for three sources with abundances as high as 11-13%. These latter sources have relatively large uncertainties due to small total ice column densities. Toward sources with H2O column densities above 2E18 cm-2, the CH4 abundances (20 out of 25) are nearly constant at 4.7+/-1.6%. Correlation plots with solid H2O, CH3OH, CO2 and CO column densities and abundances relative to H2O reveal a closer relationship of solid CH4 with CO2 and H2O than with solid CO and CH3OH. The inferred solid CH4 abundances are consistent with models where CH4 is formed through sequential hydrogenation of C on grain surfaces. Finally the equal or higher abundances toward low mass young stellar objects compared with high mass objects and the correlation studies support this formation pathway as well, but not the two competing theories: formation from CH3OH and formation in gas phase with subsequent freeze-out., Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, accepted by ApJ

This paper presents Spitzer-IRS spectroscopy of the CO2 15.2 micron bending mode toward a sample of 50 embedded low-mass stars in nearby star-forming clouds, taken mostly from the ``Cores to Disks (c2d)'' Legacy program. The average abundance of solid CO2 relative to water in low-mass protostellar envelopes is 0.32 +/- 0.02, significantly higher than that found in quiescent molecular clouds and in massive star forming regions. It is found that a decomposition of all the observed CO2 bending mode profiles requires a minimum of five unique components. Roughly 2/3 of the CO2 ice is found in a water-rich environment, while most of the remaining 1/3 is found in a CO environment. Ground-based observations of solid CO toward a large subset of the c2d sample are used to further constrain the CO2:CO component and suggest a model in which low-density clouds form the CO2:H2O component and higher density clouds form the CO2:CO ice during and after the freeze-out of gas-phase CO. It is suggested that the subsequent evolution of the CO2 and CO profiles toward low-mass protostars, in particular the appearance of the splitting of the CO2 bending mode due to pure, crystalline CO2, is first caused by distillation of the CO2:CO component through evaporation of CO due to thermal processing to ~20-30 K in the inner regions of infalling envelopes. The formation of pure CO2 via segregation from the H2O rich mantle may contribute to the band splitting at higher levels of thermal processing (>50 K), but is harder to reconcile with the physical structure of protostellar envelopes around low-luminosity objects., Comment: Accepted for ApJ

We present a survey of mid-infrared gas-phase lines toward a sample of 76 circumstellar disks around low mass pre-main sequence stars from the Spitzer "Cores to Disks" legacy program. We report the first detections of [Ne II] and [Fe I] toward classical T Tauri stars in ~20% respectively ~9% of our sources. The observed [Ne II] line fluxes and upper limits are consistent with [Ne II] excitation in an X-ray irradiated disk around stars with X-ray luminosities L_X=10^{29}-10^{31} erg s^{-1}. [Fe I] is detected at ~10^-5-10^-4 L_Sun, but no [S I] or [Fe II] is detected down to ~10^{-6} L_Sun. The [Fe I] detections indicate the presence of gas-rich disks with masses of >~0.1 M_J. No H_2 0-0 S(0) and S(1) disk emission is detected, except for S(1) toward one source. These data give upper limits on the warm (T~100-200K) gas mass of a few Jovian masses, consistent with recent T Tauri disk models which include gas heating by stellar radiation. Compact disk emission of hot (T>~500K) gas is observed through the H_2 0-0 S(2) and/or S(3) lines toward ~8% of our sources. The line fluxes are, however, higher by more than an order of magnitude than those predicted by recent disk models, even when X-ray and excess UV radiation are included. Similarly the [Ne II]/H_2 0-0 S(2) ratios for these sources are lower than predicted, consistent with the presence of an additional hot molecular gas component not included in current disk models. Oblique shocks of stellar winds interacting with the disk can explain many aspects of the hot gas emission, but are inconsistent with the non-detection of [S I] and [Fe II] lines., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 19 pages, 11 figures, and 4 tables, f7,f10a, f11a, and f11b replaced with slightly modified versions

We present deep Spitzer-IRS low-resolution (lambda/Delta lambda ~ 100) 5-35 micron spectroscopy of the edge-on disk ``the Flying Saucer'' (2MASS J16281370-2431391) in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. The spectral energy distribution exhibits the characteristic two-peak shape predicted for a circumstellar disk viewed very close to edge-on. The short-wavelength peak is entirely due to photons scattered off the surface of the disk, while the long-wavelength peak is due to thermal emission from the disk itself. The Spitzer spectrum represents the first spectroscopic detection of scattered light out to 15 micron from a bona-fide, isolated edge-on disk around a T Tauri star. The depth and the wavelength of the mid-infrared "valley" of the SED give direct constraints on the size distribution of large grains in the disk. Using a 2D continuum radiative transfer model, we find that a significant amount of 5-10 micron-sized grains is required in the surface layers of the disk at radii of 50-300 AU. The detection of relatively large grains in the upper layers implies that vertical mixing is effective, since grain growth models predict the grains would otherwise settle deep in the disk on short time scales. Additionally, we tentatively detect the 9.66 micron S(3) line of H2 and the 11.2 micron emission feature due to PAHs., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

We present mid-infrared Spitzer IRAC and MIPS images of the UX Orionis star VV Ser and the surrounding cloud. The 5.6--70 micron images show bright, localized and nebulous emission extended over 4 arcmin centered on VV Ser. We interpret the nebulosity as being due to transiently heated grains excited by UV photons emitted by VV Ser. A companion paper describes how the physical structure of the VV Ser disk has been constrained using a wide range of observational data modeled by an axisymmetric Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. In this paper we employ the model to study the nebulosity surrounding VV Ser using quantum-heated PAH molecules and Very Small Grains (VSGs) consisting of amorphous carbon in the thermal cooling approximation. Imprinted on the nebulosity is a wedge-shaped dark band, centered on the star. We interpret this dark wedge as the shadow cast by the inner regions of a near-edge-on disk in UV light, allowing the PAHs to be excited only outside of this shadow. The presence of a disk shadow strongly constrains the inclination as well as the position angle of the disk. Although depending on the adopted PAH opacity, the abundance of PAHs in the surrounding cloud is constrained to 5+/-2% of the total dust mass, given the opacity. The extent of the nebulosity constrains the density of the gas surrounding the VV Ser disk to 500+/-200 cm-3 for a gas-to-dust ratio of 100. This low density suggests that the quantum heated material is not part of the original envelope of VV Ser and that it is rather a quiescent part of the Serpens molecular cloud that the star has passed into after being formed. [Abstract abridged], Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present mid-infrared Spitzer-IRS spectra of the well-known UX Orionis star VV Ser. We combine the Spitzer data with interferometric and spectroscopic data from the literature covering UV to submillimeter wavelengths. The full set of data are modeled by a two-dimensional axisymmetric Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. The model is used to test the prediction of (Dullemond et al. 2003) that disks around UX Orionis stars must have a self-shadowed shape, and that these disks are seen nearly edge-on, looking just over the edge of a puffed-up inner rim, formed roughly at the dust sublimation radius. We find that a single, relatively simple model is consistent with all the available observational constraints spanning 4 orders of magnitude in wavelength and spatial scales, providing strong support for this interpretation of UX Orionis stars. The grains in the upper layers of the puffed-up inner rim must be small (0.01-0.4 micron) to reproduce the colors (R_V ~ 3.6) of the extinction events, while the shape and strength of the mid-infrared silicate emission features indicate that grains in the outer disk (> 1-2 AU) are somewhat larger (0.3-3.0 micron). From the model fit, the location of the puffed-up inner rim is estimated to be at a dust temperature of 1500 K or at 0.7-0.8 AU for small grains. This is almost twice the rim radius estimated from near-infrared interferometry. A best fitting model for the inner rim in which large grains in the disk mid-plane reach to within 0.25 AU of the star, while small grains in the disk surface create a puffed-up inner rim at ~0.7-0.8 AU, is able to reproduce all the data, including the near-infrared visibilities. [Abstract abridged], Comment: 12 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present 5.2-37.2 micron spectroscopy of the edge-on circumstellar disk CRBR 2422.8-3423 obtained using the InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) of the Spitzer Space Telescope. The IRS spectrum is combined with ground-based 3-5 micron spectroscopy to obtain a complete inventory of solid state material present along the line of sight toward the source. We model the object with a 2D axisymmetric (effectively 3D) Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. It is found that the model disk, assuming a standard flaring structure, is too warm to contain the very large observed column density of pure CO ice, but is possibly responsible for up to 50% of the water, CO2 and minor ice species. In particular the 6.85 micron band, tentatively due to NH4+, exhibits a prominent red wing, indicating a significant contribution from warm ice in the disk. It is argued that the pure CO ice is located in the dense core Oph-F in front of the source seen in the submillimeter imaging, with the CO gas in the core highly depleted. The model is used to predict which circumstances are most favourable for direct observations of ices in edge-on circumstellar disks. Ice bands will in general be deepest for inclinations similar to the disk opening angle, i.e. ~70 degrees. Due to the high optical depths of typical disk mid-planes, ice absorption bands will often probe warmer ice located in the upper layers of nearly edge-on disks. The ratios between different ice bands are found to vary by up to an order of magnitude depending on disk inclination due to radiative transfer effects caused by the 2D structure of the disk. Ratios between ice bands of the same species can therefore be used to constrain the location of the ices in a circumstellar disk. [Abstract abridged], Comment: 49 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ

A solid-state feature was detected at around 2175 cm-1 towards 30 embedded young stellar objects in spectra obtained using the ESO VLT-ISAAC. We present results from laboratory studies of CO adsorbed at the surface of Zeolite wafers, where absorption bands were detected at 2177 and 2168 cm-1 (corresponding to CO chemisorbed at the Zeolite surface), and 2130 cm-1 (corresponding to CO physisorbed at the Zeolite surface), providing an excellent match to the observational data. We propose that the main carrier of the 2175-band is CO chemisorbed at bare surfaces of dust grains in the interstellar medium. This result provides the first direct evidence that gas-surface interactions do not have to result in the formation of ice mantles on interstellar dust. The strength of the 2175-band is estimated to be ~ 4 x 10-19 cm molecule-1. The abundance of CO adsorbed at bare grain surfaces ranges from 0.06 to 0.16 relative to H2O ice, which is, at most, half of the abundance (relative to H2O ice) of CO residing in H2O-dominated ice environments. These findings imply that interstellar grains have a large (catalytically-active) surface area, providing a refuge for interstellar species. Consequently the potential exists for heterogeneous chemistry to occur involving CO molecules in unique surface chemistry pathways not currently considered in gas-grain models of the interstellar medium., Comment: 19 pages inc. 3 figures 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS