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Context. Transitional disks with large dust cavities are important laboratories in which to study planet formation and disk evolution. Cold gas may still be present inside these cavities, but quantying this gas is challenging. The gas content is important for constraining the origin of the dust cavity. Aims. We use Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of 12CO 6-5 and 690 GHz (Band 9) continuum of five well-studied transitional disks. In addition, we analyze previously published Band 7 observations of a disk in the 12CO 3-2 line and 345 GHz continuum. The observations are used to set constraints on the gas and dust surface density profiles, in particular, the drop δgas of the gas density inside the dust cavity. Methods. The physical-chemical modeling code DALI was used to simultaneously analyze the gas and dust images. We modeled SR21, HD135344B, LkCa15, SR24S, and RXJ1615-3255 (Band 9) and J1604-2130 (Band 7). The spectral energy distribution and continuum visibility curve constrain the dust surface density. Then we used the same model to calculate the 12CO emission, which we compared with the observations through spectra and intensity cuts. The amount of gas inside the cavity was quantified by varying the δgas parameter. Results. Model fits to the dust and gas indicate that gas is still present inside the dust cavity for all disks, but at a reduced level. The gas surface density drops inside the cavity by at least a factor 10, while the dust density drops by at least a factor 1000. Disk masses are comparable with previous estimates from the literature, cavity radii are found to be smaller than in the data obtained with the 345 GHz SubMillimeter Array. Conclusions. The derived gas surface density profiles suggest that the cavity was cleared by one or more companions in all cases, which trapped the millimeter-sized dust at the edge of the cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Simple molecules such as H2CO and CH3OH in protoplanetary disks are the starting point for the production of more complex organic molecules. So far, the observed chemical complexity in disks has been limited because of freeze-out of molecules onto grains in the bulk of the cold outer disk. Aims. Complex molecules can be studied more directly in transitional disks with large inner holes because these have a higher potential of detection through the UV heating of the outer disk and the directly exposed midplane at the wall. Methods. We used Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 9 (~680 GHz) line data of the transitional disk Oph IRS 48, which was previously shown to have a large dust trap, to search for complex molecules in regions where planetesimals are forming. Results. We report the detection of the H2CO 9(1, 8)-8(1, 7) line at 674 GHz, which is spatially resolved as a semi-ring at ~60 AU radius centered south from the star. The inferred H2CO abundance is ~10-8, derived by combining a physical disk model of the source with a non-LTE excitation calculation. Upper limits for CH3OH lines in the same disk give an abundance ratio H2CO/CH3OH >0.3, which indicates that both ice formation and gas-phase routes play a role in the H2CO production. Upper limits on the abundances of H13CO+, CN and several other molecules in the disk were also derived and found to be consistent with full chemical models. Conclusions. The detection of the H2CO line demonstrates the start of complex organic molecules in a planet-forming disk. Future ALMA observations are expected to reduce the abundance detection limits of other molecules by 1-2 orders of magnitude and test chemical models of organic molecules in (transitional) disks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Disks are observed around pre-main sequence stars, but how and when they form is still heavily debated. While disks around young stellar objects have been identified through thermal dust emission, spatially and spectrally resolved molecular line observations are needed to determine their nature. Only a handful of embedded rotationally supported disks have been identified to date. Aims. We identify and characterize rotationally supported disks near the end of the main accretion phase of low-mass protostars by comparing their gas and dust structures. Methods. Subarcsecond observations of dust and gas toward four Class I low-mass young stellar objects in Taurus are presented at significantly higher sensitivity than previous studies. The 13CO and C18O J = 2-1 transitions at 220 GHz were observed with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer at a spatial resolution of ⩽0.8" (56 AU radius at 140 pc) and analyzed using uv-space position velocity diagrams to determine the nature of their observed velocity gradient. Results. Rotationally supported disks (RSDs) are detected around 3 of the 4 Class I sources studied. The derived masses identify them as Stage I objects; i.e., their stellar mass is higher than their envelope and disk masses. The outer radii of the Keplerian disks toward our sample of Class I sources are ⩽100 AU. The lack of on-source C18O emission for TMR1 puts an upper limit of 50 AU on its size. Flattened structures at radii >100 AU around these sources are dominated by infalling motion (υ ∝ r-1). A large-scale envelope model is required to estimate the basic parameters of the flattened structure from spatially resolved continuum data. Similarities and differences between the gas and dust disk are discussed. Combined with literature data, the sizes of the RSDs around Class I objects are best described with evolutionary models with an initial rotation of Ω = 10-14 Hz and slow sound speeds. Based on the comparison of gas and dust disk masses, little CO is frozen out within 100 AU in these disks. Conclusions. Rotationally supported disks with radii up to 100 AU are present around Class I embedded objects. Larger surveys of both Class 0 and I objects are needed to determine whether most disks form late or early in the embedded phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Herschel-HIFI spectra of H2O towards low-mass protostars show a distinct velocity component not seen in observations from the ground of CO or other species. The aim is to characterise this component in terms of excitation conditions and physical origin. Methods. A velocity component with an offset of ~10 km s-1 detected in spectra of the H2O 110-101 557 GHz transition towards six low-mass protostars in the "Water in star-forming regions with Herschel" (WISH) programme is also seen in higher-excited H2O lines. The emission from this component is quantified and local excitation conditions are inferred using 1D slab models. Data are compared to observations of hydrides (high-J CO, OH+, CH+, C+, OH) where the same component is uniquely detected. Results. The velocity component is detected in all six targeted H2O transitions (Eup ~ 50-250 K), as well as in CO 16-15 towards one source, Ser SMM1. Inferred excitation conditions imply that the emission arises in dense (n ~ 5 × 106-108 cm-3) and hot (T ~ 750 K) gas. The H2O and CO column densities are ≳1016 and 1018 cm-2, respectively, implying a low H2O abundance of ~10-2 with respect to CO. The high column densities of ions such as OH+ and CH+ (both ≳1013 cm-2) indicate an origin close to the protostar where the UV field is strong enough that these species are abundant. The estimated radius of the emitting region is 100 AU. This component likely arises in dissociative shocks close to the protostar, an interpretation corroborated by a comparison with models of such shocks. Furthermore, one of the sources, IRAS 4A, shows temporal variability in the offset component over a period of two years which is expected from shocks in dense media. High-J CO gas detected with Herschel-PACS with Trot ~ 700 K is identified as arising in the same component and traces the part of the shock where H2 reforms. Thus, H2O reveals new dynamical components, even on small spatial scales in low-mass protostars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The OH radical is a key species in the water chemistry network of star-forming regions, because its presence is tightly related to the formation and destruction of water. Previous studies of the OH far-infrared emission from low- and intermediate-mass protostars suggest that the OH emission mainly originates from shocked gas and not from the quiescent protostellar envelopes. Aims. We aim to study the excitation of OH in embedded low- and intermediate-mass protostars, determine the influence of source parameters on the strength of the emission, investigate the spatial extent of the OH emission, and further constrain its origin. Methods. This paper presents OH observations from 23 low- and intermediate-mass young stellar objects obtained with the PACS integral field spectrometer on-board Herschel in the context of the "Water In Star-forming regions with Herschel" (WISH) key program. Radiative transfer codes are used to model the OH excitation. Results. Most low-mass sources have compact OH emission (≲5000 AU scale), whereas the OH lines in most intermediate-mass sources are extended over the whole 47."0 × 47."0 PACS detector field-of-view (≳20 000 AU). The strength of the OH emission is correlated with various source properties such as the bolometric luminosity and the envelope mass, but also with the [OI] and H2O emission. Rotational diagrams for sources with many OH lines show that the level populations of OH can be approximated by a Boltzmann distribution with an excitation temperature at around 70 K. Radiative transfer models of spherically symmetric envelopes cannot reproduce the OH emission fluxes nor their broad line widths, strongly suggesting an outflow origin. Slab excitation models indicate that the observed excitation temperature can either be reached if the OH molecules are exposed to a strong far-infrared continuum radiation field or if the gas temperature and density are sufficiently high. Using realistic source parameters and radiation fields, it is shown for the case of Ser SMM1 that radiative pumping plays an important role in transitions arising from upper level energies higher than 300 K. The compact emission in the low-mass sources and the required presence of a strong radiation field and/or a high density to excite the OH molecules points toward an origin in shocks in the inner envelope close to the protostar. [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]

Context. Models of pure gas-phase chemistry in well-shielded regions of molecular clouds predict relatively high levels of molecular oxygen, O2, and water, H2O. These high abundances imply high cooling rates, leading to relatively short timescales for the evolution of gravitationally unstable dense cores, forming stars and planets. Contrary to expectations, the dedicated space missions SWAS and Odin typically found only very small amounts of water vapour and essentially no O2 in the dense star-forming interstellar medium. Aims. Only toward ρ OphA did Odin detect a very weak line of O2 at 119 GHz in a beam of size 10 arcmin. The line emission of related molecules changes on angular scales of the order of some tens of arcseconds, requiring a larger telescope aperture such as that of the Herschel Space Observatory to resolve the O2 emission and pinpoint its origin. Methods. We use the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) aboard Herschel to obtain high resolution O2 spectra toward selected positions in the ρOphAcore. These data are analysed using standard techniques for O2 excitation and compared to recent PDR-like chemical cloud models. Results. The NJ = 33-12 line at 487.2 GHz is clearly detected toward all three observed positions in the ρ Oph Acore. In addition, an oversampled map of the 54-34 transition at 773.8 GHz reveals the detection of the line in only half of the observed area. On the basis of their ratios, the temperature of the O2 emitting gas appears to vary quite substantially, with warm gas (≳50 K) being adjacent to a much colder region, of temperatures lower than 30 K. Conclusions. The exploited models predict that the O2 column densities are sensitive to the prevailing dust temperatures, but rather insensitive to the temperatures of the gas. In agreement with these models, the observationally determined O2 column densities do not seem to depend strongly on the derived gas temperatures, but fall into the range N(O2) = 3 to ≳6 ×1015 cm-2. Beam-averaged O2 abundances are about 5 ×10-8 relative to H2. Combining the HIFI data with earlier Odin observations yields a source size at 119 GHz in the range of 4 to 5 arcmin, encompassing the entire ρ OphAcore. We speculate that one of the reasons for the generally very low detection rate of O2 is the short period of time during which O2 molecules are reasonably abundant in molecular clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]