Testing models of low-mass star formation - High-resolution far-infrared observations of L1551 IRS 5

H. M. Butner, Neal J. Evans, D. F. Lester, R. M. Levreault, S. E. Strom

The Astrophysical Journal · 1991 · 59 citations · 0 references

Abstract

A 50 and 100 micron wavelength study of L151 IRS 5 has yielded data consistent with the Adams et al. (1987) theoretical model prediction. It has proven possible to constrain a range of possible density gradients through source-emission modeling on the basis of the spherically-symmetric radiative transfer program of Egan et al. (1988) and a comparison of the observed scans at 50 and 100 microns. Attention is given to the effects of varying the dust grain properties of the spherical energy distribution of the source; the amount of mid-IR emission is highly sensitive to dust opacity and, because of poorly understood dust properties, is not a sensitive test for the presence of disks.