2004/02/25 by Marshall D. Perrin, James R. Graham, Paul Kalas +7 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1094602
published as Science 303 (2004) 1345 · To appear in Science, 27 February 2004 (4 pages, 2 figures + refs)
arxiv created 2004/02/25 · openalex publication_date 2004/02/26 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We have used laser guide star adaptive optics and a near-infrared dual-channel imaging polarimeter to observe light scattered in the circumstellar environment of Herbig Ae/Be stars on scales of 100 to 300 astronomical units. We revealed a strongly polarized, biconical nebula 10 arc seconds (6000 astronomical units) in diameter around the star LkHalpha 198 and also observed a polarized jet-like feature associated with the deeply embedded source LkHalpha 198-IR. The star LkHalpha 233 presents a narrow, unpolarized dark lane consistent with an optically thick circumstellar disk blocking our direct view of the star. These data show that the lower-mass T Tauri and intermediate mass Herbig Ae/Be stars share a common evolutionary sequence.