Most stars form in clusters, and the nearest example of an embedded young cluster is the one in the L1688 cloud of the rho Ophiuchi region. It is one of the best explored star-forming region, an intermediate exemplar between the sparse regions of Taurus and the rich, massive cluster of Orion. With the aim of detecting brown dwarfs (BDs) with masses down to a few Jupiter masses, our group conducted a major preparatory observational project in L1688, where we have spectroscopically confirmed 28 new brown dwarfs. The new discoveries increased the known population of BDs by a factor of 3 and provided the so far most complete census of the (sub)stellar population of the rho Oph cluster. Here we propose a comprehensive study of the cold circumstellar disks of the pre-main sequence population, with particular emphasis on the very low mass objects and BDs. Utilizing the unprecedented far-infrared sensitivity and spatial resolution of Herschel, we will obtain deep 70 and 160 micrometer maps of a 1.6 deg^2 area centred on the L1688 cloud, covering also the location of the 28 new brown dwarfs. We intend to (1) study the most complete population of brown dwarf disks in rho Oph; (2) analyse disk properties and evolution across the stellar mass range; and (3) characterize the protostar population and its luminosity function. Our programme provides the opportunity to characterize the complete, homogeneous population of disks around both young BDs and low-mass stars in the benchmark protocluster of rho Oph. The produced deep 70 micrometer map of the region will also have a very high legacy value, since flux densities for sources to be discovered (e.g. new confirmed BDs) can be extracted in the future. The total Herschel observing time for the proposed programme is 12.8 h.
Publication
The (w)hole survey: An unbiased sample study of transition disk candidates based on Spitzer catalogs | van der Marel N. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 592 id.A126 36 pp. | 592 | 10.1051\\/0004-6361\\/201628075 | 2016A&A...592A.126V | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016A%26A...592A.126V
Revised SED of the triple protostellar system VLA 1623-2417 | Murillo N. M. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 615 id.L14 5 pp. | 615 | 10.1051\\/0004-6361\\/201833420 | 2018A&A...615L..14M | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018A%26A...615L..14M
Herschel survey of brown dwarf disks in r Ophiuchi | Alves de Oliveira C. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 559 id.A126 10 pp. | 559 | 10.1051\\/0004-6361\\/201322402 | 2013A&A...559A.126A | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013A%26A...559A.126A
Far-infrared to Millimeter Data of Protoplanetary Disks: Dust Growth in the Taurus, Ophiuchus, and Chamaeleon I Star-forming Regions | Ribas Alvaro et al. | The Astrophysical Journal Volume 849 Issue 1 article id. 63 27 pp. (2017). | 849 | 10.3847\\/1538-4357\\/aa8e99 | 2017ApJ...849...63R | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ApJ...849...63R
Infrared study of transitional disks in Ophiuchus with Herschel | Rebollido Isabel et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 581 id.A30 20 pp. | 581 | 10.1051\\/0004-6361\\/201425556 | 2015A&A...581A..30R | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015A%26A...581A..30R
Extremely Dense Cores Associated with Chandra Sources in Ophiuchus A: Forming Brown Dwarfs Unveiled? | Kawabe Ryohei et al. | The Astrophysical Journal Volume 866 Issue 2 article id. 141 15 pp. (2018). | 866 | 10.3847\\/1538-4357\\/aae153 | 2018ApJ...866..141K | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018ApJ...866..141K
The Ophiuchus DIsc Survey Employing ALMA (ODISEA) - III. The evolution of substructures in massive discs at 3-5 au resolution | Cieza Lucas A. et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2021MNRAS.501.2934C |
Catalog of High Protostellar Surface Density Regions in Nearby Embedded Clusters | Li Juan et al. | The Astrophysical Journal Volume 871 Issue 2 article id. 163 18 pp. (2019). | 871 | 10.3847\\/1538-4357\\/aaf652 | 2019ApJ...871..163L | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019ApJ...871..163L
A Search for Very Low-luminosity Objects in Gould Belt Clouds | Kim Mi-Ryang et al. | The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series Volume 225 Issue 2 article id. 26 17 pp. (2016). | 225 | 10.3847\\/0067-0049\\/225\\/2\\/26 | 2016ApJS..225...26K | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ApJS..225...26K
A Multi-band Catalog of 10978 Star Clusters, Associations, and Candidates in the Milky Way | Bica Eduardo et al. | The Astronomical Journal Volume 157 Issue 1 article id. 12 14 pp. (2019). | 157 | 10.3847\\/1538-3881\\/aaef8d | 2019AJ....157...12B | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019AJ....157...12B
Revealing H2D+ Depletion and Compact Structure in Starless and Protostellar Cores with ALMA | Friesen R. K. et al. | The Astrophysical Journal Volume 797 Issue 1 article id. 27 11 pp. (2014). | 797 | 10.1088\\/0004-637X\\/797\\/1\\/27 | 2014ApJ...797...27F | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014ApJ...797...27F
A homogeneous analysis of disks around brown dwarfs | Liu Y. et al. | Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume 582 id.A22 20 pp. | 582 | 10.1051\\/0004-6361\\/201526153 | 2015A&A...582A..22L | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015A%26A...582A..22L
A Solar System formation analogue in the Ophiuchus star-forming complex | Forbes John C. et al. | Nature Astronomy | null | null | 2021NatAs...5.1009F |
Instrument
PACS_PacsPhoto_largeScan
Temporal Coverage
2012-02-08T17:04:31Z/2012-02-09T05:50:30Z
Version
SPG v14.2.0
Mission Description
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
European Space Agency, abraham et al., 2012, 'A deep 70 micrometer study of cold circumstellar disks in rho Oph: down below the brown dwarf limit', SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-6c4pgqv
