Sebastian PerezUniversity of Santiago, Chile | USACH · Departamento de Física
Sebastian Perez
Doctor of Philosophy
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155
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Introduction
I am an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics appointed at the Department of Physics at Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH). I work in astrophysics, and in the art-science interplay through music, sound, and literature. My research in astrophysics focuses on the question of the origins of planets.
Publications
Publications (155)
Context . η Tel is an 18 Myr system composed of a 2.09 M ⊙ A-type star with an M7-M8 brown dwarf companion, η Tel B. The two objects have a projected separation of 4″.2 (~208 au). This system has been targeted by high-contrast imaging campaigns for over 20 yr, facilitating its orbital and photometric characterization. The companion, η Tel B, both b...
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 12-m, 7-m, and Total Power Array observations of the FU Orionis outbursting system, covering spatial scales ranging from 160 to 25,000 au. The high-resolution interferometric data reveal an elongated ¹² CO(2–1) feature previously observed at lower resolution in ¹² CO(3–2). Kinematic modeling i...
Context . The observed diversity of exoplanets can possibly be traced back to the planet formation processes. Planet-disk interactions induce sub-structures in the circumstellar disk that can be revealed via scattered light observations. However, a high-contrast imaging technique such as polarimetric differential imaging (PDI) must first be applied...
Aims. Eruptive stars are a class of young stellar objects that show an abrupt increase in luminosity. These burst-like episodes are thought to dominate the stellar accretion process during the Class 0 to Class I stage. We present an overview of a survey of seven episodically accreting protostars carried out to study their potentially complex circum...
The sample of planet-forming disks observed by high-contrast imaging campaigns over the last decade is mature enough to enable the demographical analysis of individual star-forming regions. We present the full census of Taurus sources with VLT/SPHERE polarimetric images available. The whole sample sums up to 43 targets (of which 31 have not been pr...
FU Orionis-type objects (FUors) are embedded protostars that undergo episodes of high accretion, potentially indicating a widespread but poorly understood phase in the formation of low-mass stars. Gaining a better understanding of the influence exerted by these outbursts on the evolution of the surrounding protoplanetary disc may hold significant i...
Warps have often been used to explain disc properties, but well characterised examples are important due to their role in disc evolution. Scattered light images of discs with central gaps have revealed sharp warps, such that the outer rings are shadowed by tilted inner discs. The near-IR intensity drops along the ring around TTauri star DoAr 44 hav...
The formation of giant planets has traditionally been divided into two pathways: core accretion and gravitational instability. However, in recent years, gravitational instability has become less favored, primarily due to the scarcity of observations of fragmented protoplanetary disks around young stars and low occurrence rate of massive planets on...
The formation of giant planets has traditionally been divided into two pathways: core accretion and gravitational instability. However, in recent years, gravitational instability has become less favored, primarily due to the scarcity of observations of fragmented protoplanetary disks around young stars and the low occurrence rate of massive planets...
Episodic accretion is a low-mass pre-main sequence phenomenon characterized by sudden outbursts of enhanced accretion. These objects are classified into two: protostars with elevated levels of accretion that lasts for decades or more, called FUors, and protostars with shorter and repetitive bursts, called EXors. HBC 494 is a FUor object embedded in...
Episodic accretion is a low-mass pre-main sequence phenomenon characterized by sudden outbursts of enhanced accretion. These objects are classified into two: protostars with elevated levels of accretion that lasts for decades or more, called FUors, and protostars with shorter and repetitive bursts, called EXors. HBC 494 is a FUor object embedded in...
The demographic of circumstellar disks, the birthplaces of planets, is diverse and rich in disks featuring rings, gaps, spirals, filaments, and arcs. Many studies revealing these disk structures have focused on objects around single stars and disks in isolation. The scenario is more complex if binarity or multiplicity is involved; most stars are pa...
The demographic of circumstellar disks, the birthplaces of planets, is diverse and rich in disks featuring rings, gaps, spirals, filaments, and arcs. Many studies revealing these disk structures have focused on objects around single stars and disks in isolation. The scenario is more complex if binarity or multiplicity is involved; most stars are pa...
The radial structure of debris discs can encode important information about their dynamical and collisional history. In this paper we present a 3-phase analytical model to analyse the collisional evolution of solids in debris discs, focusing on their joint radial and temporal dependence. Consistent with previous models, we find that as the largest...
The radial structure of debris discs can encode important information about their dynamical and collisional history. In this paper we present a 3-phase analytical model to analyse the collisional evolution of solids in debris discs, focusing on their joint radial and temporal dependence. Consistent with previous models, we find that as the largest...
Chile benefits from a favorable position to develop astronomy; however, teacher training in the area is low, and there are few opportunities for students to learn about frontier research. To address this challenge, we built a group of astrophysicists, science education specialists, and high school teachers to co-construct active-learning activities...
Aims. We aim to characterize the protoplanetary disk around the nearby ( d ~ 100 pc), young solar analog MP Mus (PDS 66) and to reveal any signs of planets or ongoing planet formation in the system.
Methods. We present new ALMA observations of MP Mus at 0.89 mm, 1.3 mm, and 2.2 mm with angular resolutions of ~1″, 0.05″, and 0.25″, respectively. The...
We present ALMA multiwavelength observations of the protoplanetary disk around the nearby (d$\sim$100 pc) young solar analog MP Mus (PDS 66). These observations at 0.89 mm, 1.3 mm, and 2.2 mm have angular resolutions of $\sim$ 1", 0.05", and 0.25", respectively, and probe the dust and gas in the system with unprecedented detail and sensitivity. The...
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the young, gas-rich debris disk around HD 110058 at 0.″3–0.″6 resolution. The disk is detected in the 0.85 and 1.3 mm continuum, as well as the J = 2–1 and J = 3–2 transitions of ¹² CO and ¹³ CO. The observations resolve the dust and gas distributions and reveal that thi...
Dense stellar environments as hosts of ongoing star formation increase the probability of gravitational encounters among stellar systems during the early stages of evolution. Stellar interaction may occur through non-recurring, hyperbolic or parabolic passages (a so-called ‘fly-by’), through secular binary evolution, or through binary capture. In a...
Dense stellar environments as hosts of ongoing star formation increase the probability of gravitational encounters among stellar systems during the early stages of evolution. Stellar interaction may occur through non-recurring, hyperbolic or parabolic passages (a so-called 'fly-by'), through secular binary evolution, or through binary capture. In a...
We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the young, gas-rich debris disk around HD110058 at 0.3-0.6\arcsec resolution. The disk is detected in the 0.85 and 1.3~mm continuum, as well as in the J=2-1 and J=3-2 transitions of $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO. The observations resolve the dust and gas distributions and reveal that this i...
High spatial resolution CO observations of midinclination (≈30°–75°) protoplanetary disks offer an opportunity to study the vertical distribution of CO emission and temperature. The asymmetry of line emission relative to the disk major axis allows for a direct mapping of the emission height above the midplane, and for optically thick, spatially res...
Context. Planets have been detected in circumbinary orbits in several different systems, despite the additional challenges faced during their formation in such an environment.
Aims. We investigate the possibility of planetary formation in the spectroscopic binary CS Cha by analyzing its circumbinary disk.
Methods. The system was studied with high a...
Planets have been detected in circumbinary orbits in several different systems, despite the additional challenges faced during their formation in such an environment. We investigate the possibility of planetary formation in the spectroscopic binary CS Cha by analyzing its circumbinary disk. The system was studied with high angular resolution ALMA o...
The interpretation of molecular-line data in terms of hydro dynamical simulations of planet-disk interactions fosters new hopes for the indirect detection of protoplanets. In a model-independent approach, embedded protoplanets should be found at the roots of abrupt Doppler flips in velocity centroid maps. However, the largest velocity perturbation...
High spatial resolution CO observations of mid-inclination (30-75{\deg}) protoplanetary disks offer an opportunity to study the vertical distribution of CO emission and temperature. The asymmetry of line emission relative to the disk major axis allows for a direct mapping of the emission height above the midplane, and for optically-thick, spatially...
Context. X-ray- and extreme-ultraviolet- (XEUV-) driven photoevaporative winds acting on protoplanetary disks around young T Tauri stars may strongly impact disk evolution, affecting both gas and dust distributions. Small dust grains in the disk are entrained in the outflow and may produce a detectable signal. In this work, we investigate the possi...
X-ray- and extreme-ultraviolet- (XEUV-) driven photoevaporative winds acting on protoplanetary disks around young T-Tauri stars may strongly impact disk evolution, affecting both gas and dust distributions. We compute dust densities for the wind regions of XEUV-irradiated transition disks with gap sizes of 20 and 30 AU, and determine whether they c...
We present far- and near-ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy of the ∼23 Myr edge-on debris disk surrounding the A0V star η Telescopii, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. We detect absorption lines from C i , C ii , O i , Mg ii , Al ii , Si ii , S ii , Mn ii , Fe ii , and marginally N i . The lines show tw...
Stellar binaries represent a substantial fraction of stellar systems, especially among young stellar objects. Accordingly, binaries play an important role in setting the architecture of a large number of protoplanetary discs. Binaries in coplanar and polar orientations with respect to the circumbinary disc are stable configurations and could induce...
Previous observations have shown that the ≲10 au, ≳400 K hot inner disk of the archetypal accretion outburst young stellar object, FU Ori, is dominated by viscous heating. To constrain dust properties in this region, we have performed radio observations toward this disk using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in 2020 June–July, September, and Nov...
Recent imaging of the disc around the V4046 Sgr spectroscopic binary revealed concentric regions of dust rings and gaps. The object’s proximity and expected equilibrated state due to its old age (<20 Myr) make it a superb testbed for hydrodynamical studies in direct comparison to observations.We employ two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of...
The nearby V4046 Sgr spectroscopic binary hosts a gas-rich disc known for its wide cavity and dusty ring. We present high resolution (∼20 mas or 1.4 au) ALMA observations of the 1.3 mm continuum of V4046 Sgr which, combined with SPHERE–IRDIS polarised images and a well-sampled spectral energy distribution (SED), allow us to propose a physical model...
Stellar binaries represent a substantial fraction of stellar systems, especially among young stellar objects. Accordingly, binaries play an important role in setting the architecture of a large number of protoplanetary discs. Binaries in coplanar and polar orientations with respect to the circumbinary disc are stable configurations and could induce...
The nearby V4046 Sgr spectroscopic binary hosts a gas-rich disc known for its wide cavity and dusty ring. We present high resolution ($\sim$20 mas or 1.4 au) ALMA observations of the 1.3mm continuum of V4046 Sgr which, combined with SPHERE--IRDIS polarised images and a well-sampled spectral energy distribution (SED), allow us to propose a physical...
Recent imaging of the disc around the V4046$\,$Sgr spectroscopic binary revealed concentric regions of dust rings and gaps. The object's proximity and expected equilibrated state due to its old age (>20$\,$Myr) make it a superb testbed for hydrodynamical studies in direct comparison to observations. We employ two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulati...
Context. X-ray- and extreme-ultraviolet- (together: XEUV-) driven photoevaporative winds acting on protoplanetary disks around young T-Tauri stars may crucially impact disk evolution, affecting both gas and dust distributions.
Aims. We constrain the dust densities in a typical XEUV-driven outflow, and determine whether these winds can be observed a...
X-ray- and EUV- (XEUV-) driven photoevaporative winds acting on protoplanetary disks around young T-Tauri stars may crucially impact disk evolution, affecting both gas and dust distributions. We constrain the dust densities in a typical XEUV-driven outflow, and determine whether these winds can be observed at $\mu\mathrm{m}$-wavelengths in scattere...
Previous observations have shown that the $\lesssim$10 au, $\gtrsim$400 K hot inner disk of the archetypal accretion outburst young stellar object, FU Ori, is dominated by viscous heating. To constrain dust properties in this region, we have performed radio observations toward this disk using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in 2020 June-...
The solar eclipse in Chile, was a perfect opportunity to invite the public to join a scientific investigation through a citizen science initiative. The aim was to gather data that would help us understand how changes in the illumination pattern affect our planet’s ionosphere. Shadowing by the Moon is expected to produce deviations in the Global Pos...
We present far- and near-ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy of the $\sim$23 Myr edge-on debris disk surrounding the A0V star $\eta$ Telescopii, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. We detect absorption lines from C I, C II, O I, Mg II, Al II, Si II, S II, Mn II, Fe II, and marginally N I. The lines show tw...
Planet-disc interactions build up local pressure maxima that may halt the radial drift of protoplanetary dust, and pile it up in rings and crescents. ALMA observations of the HD 135344B disc revealed two rings in the thermal continuum stemming from ∼mm-sized dust. At higher frequencies the inner ring is brighter relative to the outer ring, which is...
Context. Dynamical and turbulent motions of gas in a protoplanetary disk are crucial for their evolution and are thought to affect planet formation. Recent (sub-)millimeter observations show evidence of weak turbulence in the disk’s outer regions. However, the detailed physical mechanism of turbulence in these outer regions remains uncertain. The v...
Context. Dynamical and turbulent motions of gas in a protoplanetary disk are crucial for their evolution and affect planet formation. Recent observations suggest weak turbulence in the disk's outer regions. However, the physical mechanism of turbulence in these outer regions remains uncertain. The vertical shear instability (VSI) is a promising mec...
The presence of planets or substellar objects still embedded in their native protoplanetary disks is indirectly suggested by disk substructures like gaps, cavities, and spirals. However, these companions are rarely detected. We present Very Large Telescope/NACO high-contrast images in the J , H , K S , and bands of the young star [BHB2007]-1 probin...
We present ALMA observations of the 12CO, 13CO, C18O J=2-1 transitions and the 1.3 mm continuum emission for the circumbinary disc around HD 142527, at an angular resolution of ≈ 0.″3. We observe multiple spiral structures in intensity, velocity and velocity dispersion for the 12CO and 13CO gas tracers. A newly detected 12CO spiral originates from...
Planet-disc interactions build up local pressure maxima that may halt the radial drift of protoplanetary dust, and pile it up in rings and crescents. ALMA observations of the HD135344B disc revealed two rings in the thermal continuum stemming from ~mm-sized dust. At higher frequencies the inner ring is brighter relative to the outer ring, which is...
Recent observations of resolved cold debris discs at tens of au have revealed that gaps could be a common feature in these Kuiper-belt analogues. Such gaps could be evidence for the presence of planets within the gaps or closer in near the edges of the disc. We present SPHERE observations of HD 92945 and HD 107146, two systems with detected gaps. W...
The presence of planets or sub-stellar objects still embedded in their native protoplanetary disks is indirectly suggested by disk sub-structures like gaps, cavities, and spirals. However, these companions are rarely detected. We present VLT/NACO high-contrast images in $J$, $H$, $K_S$, and $L^{\prime}$ band of the young star [BHB2007]-1 probing th...
Understanding how giant planets form requires observational input from directly imaged protoplanets. We used VLT/NACO and VLT/SPHERE to search for companions in the transition disc of 2MASS J19005804-3645048 (hereafter CrA-9), an accreting M0.75 dwarf with an estimated age of 1–2 Myr. We found a faint point source at ∼0.7” separation from CrA-9 (∼1...
Understanding how giant planets form requires observational input from directly imaged protoplanets. We used VLT/NACO and VLT/SPHERE to search for companions in the transition disc of 2MASS J19005804-3645048 (hereafter CrA-9), an accreting M0.75 dwarf with an estimated age of 1-2 Myr. We found a faint point source at $\sim$0.7'' separation from CrA...
Recent observations of resolved cold debris disks at tens of au have revealed that gaps could be a common feature in these Kuiper belt analogues. Such gaps could be evidence for the presence of planets within the gaps or closer-in near the edges of the disk. We present SPHERE observations of HD 92945 and HD 107146, two systems with detected gaps. W...
We present 1.3 mm continuum ALMA long-baseline observations at 3-5 au resolution of 10 of the brightest discs from the Ophiuchus DIsc Survey Employing ALMA (ODISEA) project. We identify a total of 26 narrow rings and gaps distributed in 8 sources and 3 discs with small dust cavities (r <10 au). We find that two discs around embedded protostars lack...
We present 1.3 mm continuum ALMA long-baseline observations at 3-5 au resolution of 10 of the brightest discs from the Ophiuchus DIsc Survey Employing ALMA (ODISEA) project. We identify a total of 26 narrow rings and gaps distributed in 8 sources and 3 discs with small dust cavities (r $<$10 au). We find that two discs around embedded protostars la...
We present results from a near-infrared (NIR) adaptive optics (AO) survey of pre-main-sequence stars in the Lupus Molecular Cloud with VLT/NACO to identify (sub)stellar companions down to ∼20 au separation and investigate the effects of multiplicity on circumstellar disc properties. We observe for the first time in the NIR with AO a total of 47 tar...
We present results from a near-infrared (NIR) adaptive optics (AO) survey of pre-main-sequence stars in the Lupus Molecular Cloud with VLT/NACO to identify (sub)stellar companions down to $\sim$20 au separation and investigate the effects of multiplicity on circumstellar disc properties. We observe for the first time in the NIR with AO a total of 4...
We present ALMA observations of the $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O J=2-1 transitions and the 1.3mm continuum emission for the circumbinary disc around HD 142527, at an angular resolution of $\approx$0.3 arcseconds. We observe multiple spiral structures in intensity, velocity and velocity dispersion for the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO gas tracers. A ne...
Radial substructure in the form of rings and gaps has been shown to be ubiquitous among protoplanetary discs. This could be the case in exoKuiper belts as well, and evidence for this is emerging. In this paper we present ALMA observations of the debris/planetesimal disc surrounding HD 206893, a system that also hosts two massive companions at 2 and...
ISO-Oph 2 is a wide-separation (240 au) binary system where the primary star harbors a massive ( M dust ∼ 40 M ⊕ ) ring-like disk with a dust cavity ∼50 au in radius and the secondary hosts a much lighter ( M dust ∼ 0.8 M ⊕ ) disk. As part of the high-resolution follow-up of the “Ophiuchus Disk Survey Employing ALMA” (ODISEA) project, we present 1....
Radial substructure in the form of rings and gaps has been shown to be ubiquitous among protoplanetary discs. This could be the case in exo-Kuiper belts as well, and evidence for this is emerging. In this paper, we present ALMA observations of the debris/planetesimal disc surrounding HD 206893, a system that also hosts two massive companions at 2 a...
ISO-Oph 2 is a wide-separation (240 au) binary system where the primary star harbors a massive (M$_{dust}$ $\sim$40 M$_{\oplus}$) ring-like disk with a dust cavity $\sim$50 au in radius and the secondary hosts a much lighter (M$_{dust}$ $\sim$0.8 M$_{\oplus}$) disk. As part of the high-resolution follow-up of the "Ophiuchus Disk Survey Employing AL...
A stunning range of substructures in the dust of protoplanetary disks is routinely observed across a range of wavelengths. These gaps, rings and spirals are highly indicative of a population of unseen planets, hinting at the possibility of current observational facilities being able to capture planet-formation in action. Over the last decade, our u...
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm observations of four young, eruptive star–disk systems at 0.″4 resolution: two FUors (V582 Aur and V900 Mon), one EXor (UZ Tau E), and one source with an ambiguous FU/EXor classification (GM Cha). The disks around GM Cha, V900 Mon, and UZ Tau E are resolved. These observations in...
We present adaptive optics (AO) near-infrared (NIR) observations using VLT/NACO and Keck/NIRC2 of Ophiuchus DIsc Survey Employing ALMA (ODISEA) targets. ODISEA is an ALMA survey of the entire population of circumstellar discs in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. From the whole sample of ODISEA, we select all the discs that are not already observed in...
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm observations of four young, eruptive star-disk systems at 0\farcs4 resolution: two FUors (V582 Aur and V900 Mon), one EXor (UZ Tau E) and one source with an ambiguous FU/EXor classification (GM Cha). The disks around GM Cha, V900 Mon and UZ Tau E are resolved. These observations...
We present Adaptive Optics (AO) near infrared (NIR) observations using VLT/NACO and Keck/NIRC2 of ODISEA targets. ODISEA is an ALMA survey of the entire population of circumstellar discs in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. From the whole sample of ODISEA we select all the discs that are not already observed in the NIR with AO and that are observable...
FU Orionis objects are low-mass pre-main sequence stars characterized by dramatic outbursts several magnitudes in brightness. These outbursts are linked to episodic accretion events in which stars gain a significant portion of their mass. The physical processes behind these accretion events are not yet well understood. The archetypal FU Ori system,...
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we observed the young Herbig star HD 100546, host to a prominent disk with a deep, wide gap in the dust. The high-resolution 1.3 mm continuum observation reveals fine radial and azimuthal substructures in the form of a complex maze of ridges and trenches sculpting a dust ring. The ¹² CO(2–1) c...
The Art, Astronomy, Technology and Society (AATS) project is an artscience collaboration which dwells in the inbetweenness layer of scientific understanding of the origins of planets and the embodied, intuited ways of knowing. One of the oldest and at the same time one of the newest concerns of humanity is "How did the Earth and the planets come to...
The SR 24 multistar system hosts both circumprimary and circumsecondary disks, which are strongly misaligned with each other. The circumsecondary disk is circumbinary in nature. Interestingly, both disks are interacting, and they possibly rotate in opposite directions. To investigate the nature of this unique twin disk system, we present 0.″1 resol...
Context. The mechanisms of planet formation are still under debate. We know little about how planets form, even if more than 4000 exoplanets have been detected to date. Recent investigations target the cot of newly born planets: the protoplanetary disk. At the first stages of their life, exoplanets still accrete material from the gas-rich disk in w...
The Art, Astronomy, Technology and Society (AATS) project is an artscience collaboration which dwells in the inbetweenness layer of scientific understanding of the origins of planets and the embodied, intuited ways of knowing. One of the oldest and at the same time one of the newest concerns of humanity is “how did the Earth and the planets come to...