Diffraction-limited bispectrum speckle interferometry of the Herbig Be
star R Mon
Gerd Weigelt, Yuri Y. Balega, Karl-Heinz Hofmann, Thomas Preibisch
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 392, 937 (2002)
Abstract
We explore the structures immediately surrounding
the intermediate-mass young stellar object R Mon with
bispectrum speckle interferometry, conventional near-infrared imaging
and by analyzing optical HST archive data.
Our near-infrared speckle images with unprecedented diffraction-limited
resolution of 55 mas (~ 44 AU; H-band)
and 76 mas (~ 61 AU; K-band) represent the highest resolution R Mon
images obtained so far and exhibit previously unseen complex
structures.
While the binary companion R Mon B appears as an unresolved point
source in our speckle images, the image of the primary R Mon A is
marginally extended in the K-band and significantly extended
in the H-band.
The most prominent new feature is a bright arc-shaped structure,
pointing away from R Mon in north-western direction. We interpret this
feature as the surface of a dense structure near the thick
circumstellar disk or torus around R Mon. Our images also reveal
several twisted filaments of helical shape
which are similar to the twisted filaments in the outer parts of the
nebula.
We identify structures which probably are responsible
for casting pronounced shadows in the outer regions
of the NGC 2261 reflection nebula.
Finally, we discuss the relation of the observed features,
in particular the arc-shaped speckle feature, to the
wind and outflow activity (Herbig-Haro objects and jets) of R Mon.
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