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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
Laser guide star adaptive optics imaging polarimetry of Herbig Ae/Be stars
Marshall D Perrin1, James R Graham, Paul Kalas
1Astronomy Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. mperrin@astro.berkeley.edu
Abstract:
We have used laser guide star adaptive optics and a near-infrared dual-channel imaging polarimeter to observe light scattered in the circumstellar environment of Herbig Ae/Be stars on scales of 100 to 300 astronomical units. We revealed a strongly polarized, biconical nebula 10 arc seconds (6000 astronomical units) in diameter around the star LkHalpha 198 and also observed a polarized jet-like feature associated with the deeply embedded source LkHalpha 198-IR. The star LkHalpha 233 presents a narrow, unpolarized dark lane consistent with an optically thick circumstellar disk blocking our direct view of the star. These data show that the lower-mass T Tauri and intermediate mass Herbig Ae/Be stars share a common evolutionary sequence.
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