Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Circumstellar Medium Of Herbig Ae/Be Stars
We present a comprehensive mid-infrared spectroscopic survey of 124 Herbig Ae/Be stars using newly processed Spitzer/IRS spectra from the newly released CASSISjuice database.
Based on prominent dust and molecular signatures (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, silicates, and hydrogenated amorphous carbons), we classify the stars into five groups. Our analysis reveals that 64% of the spectra show PAH emission, with detections peaking in the stellar effective temperature range 7000-11000 K (B9-A5).
Silicate features appear in 50% of the sample and likewise diminish at higher temperatures. Additionally, we find that future PAH studies can focus on Herbig Ae/Be stars with a spectral index (n2−24 > -1) and flared morphologies to maximize PAH detections.
The 6.2 μm PAH band is the most frequently observed in our sample, shifting blueward with increasing stellar temperature, and this is the largest sample yet used to test that peak shift. The weaker 6.0 μm feature does not shift with 6.2 μm, implying a distinct origin of C=O (carbonyl) or olefinic C=C stretching relative to C–C vibrations.
We examined the 11.0/11.2 μm PAH ratio using high-resolution Spitzer spectra for the first time in a sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars, finding a range of ionization conditions. This study provides a strong foundation for future JWST observations of intermediate-mass pre-main-sequence stars.
Top row: Optical/near-infrared images showcasing the morphological diversity around the three reference stars. Left: DSS2 color composite of HD97300 (B9 star), highlighting its bright reflection nebulosity. Center: HST/ACS F165LP image of PDS144N (A2 star) seen nearly edge-on, revealing a flared, dark disk silhouette. Right: DSS2 color composite of SR 21A (G1 star), an intermediate-mass T Tauri. Middle and bottom rows: Spitzer/IRS spectra for the same three stars, illustrating both the low-resolution (SL/LL) and high-resolution (SH/LH) modules. Each spectrum demonstrates prominent mid-infrared PAHs features (e.g., at 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.2,µm). — astro-ph.SR
R. Arun, Blesson Mathew, B. Shridharan, K. Ujjwal, Akhil Krishna R, G. Maheswar, Sreeja S. Kartha
Comments: 22 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in RAA
Subjects: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:2506.14218 [astro-ph.SR] (or arXiv:2506.14218v1 [astro-ph.SR] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.14218
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Submission history
From: Roy Arun
[v1] Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:13:28 UTC (2,162 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.14218
Astrobiology,
