The Massive Disk Around OH 231.8+4.2

Abstract

We have obtained 11.7 micron and 17.9 micron images at the Keck I telescope of the circumstellar dust emission from OH 231.8+4.2, an evolved mass-losing red giant with a well studied bipolar outflow. We detect both a central unresolved point source and extended emission which is aligned with the bipolar outflow seen on larger scales. We find that the unresolved central source can be explained by an opaque, flared disk with an outer radius near 300 AU and an outer temperature of about 130 K. One possible model to explain this flaring is that the material in the disk is orbiting the central star and not simply undergoing a radial expansion.

ApJ, in press

References in corpus (2)

• A Possible Massive Asteroid Belt Around zeta Lep
• Why Every Bipolar Planetary Nebula is `Unique'

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Infrared Emission from the Dusty Disk Orbiting GD 362, An Externally-Polluted White Dwarf
• A mid-infrared imaging catalogue of post-AGB stars
• A Flared, Orbiting, Dusty Disk Around HD 233517
• Through the magnifying glass: ALMA acute viewing of the intricate nebular architecture of OH231.8+4.2
• The compact circumstellar material around OH 231.8+4.2
• A Model for the Formation of Large Circumbinary Disks Around Post AGB Stars
• Circumstellar ammonia in oxygen-rich evolved stars
• Dust temperature and density profiles of AGB and post-AGB stars from mid-infrared observations
• A Review of AGB Mass Loss Imaging Techniques
• Discovery of shocked H2 around OH 231.8+4.2