An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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A protostellar phase resulting from the evolution of a → Class 0 object typically a few 10⁵ years after the beginning of the → gravitational collapse. The protostar grows in mass due to → accretion from the envelope, which becomes less massive than the protostar. An → accretion disk forms around the protostar through which mass is transferred to the central object. The → spectral energy distribution (SED) changes with respect to that of a Class 0. The peak of the SED shifts to → far infrared wavelengths (below 100 μm) as the temperature of the dust rises. Emission from both the envelope (about 100 K) and the thick disk (a few 100 K) are observed. The SED has a positive → spectral index (α_IR > 0), so that the bulk of the → luminosity (still due to accretion) emerges at the longer infrared wavelengths. Moreover, → bipolar outflows and → jets are observed which are generally less powerful than those in Class 0 objects. Class I objects evolve into → Class II.

→ class; → one.

A stage in the evolution of low-mass → protostars resulting from a → Class I object about 10⁶ years after the initial → gravitational collapse. Most of the envelope has been removed and the embedded object becomes visible at infrared and optical wavelengths. At this stage, the bulk of the material has → accreted onto the central object. A flattened → circumstellar disk or → protoplanetary disk is present in which material moves inward at a decreasing rate. The disk contributes only about 1% of the total mass of the system. Material from a remaining envelope may still accrete onto the outer parts of the disk. The → spectral energy distribution (SED) at → near infrared wavelengths is dominated by the emission of the central protostar and typically peaks around 2 μm, corresponding to temperatures around 1000 to 2000 K. At longer wavelengths an → infrared excess is observed, originating from the disk. The SED has a negative → spectral index (-1.5 < α_IR < 0). Estimated disk masses and → accretion rates are 10^-3 to 10^-1 → solar masses and 10^-8 solar masses per year, respectively. This stage initiates the → pre-main sequence stage of a star. The object is referred to as a → classical T Tauri star. The stellar → photosphere is revealed at optical wavelengths accompanied by strong → emission lines and photometric variability, but the infrared luminosity is far larger than can be explained by the photometric temperature and radius.

→ class; → two.

An evolutionary stage in the formation of low-mass → protostars resulting from a → Class II object between 1 to 10 million years after the initial → gravitational collapse. At this stage → accretion has ceased completely and what remains from the → circumstellar disk is a → debris disk. The temperature and density of the → pre-main sequence star keep increasing as the object slowly contracts to its final size. Most of the → luminosity derives from protostellar contraction. The → spectral energy distribution (SED) resembles a stellar → blackbody, peaking at optical and infrared wavelengths. Minor → infrared excess is still observed. The SED has a negative → spectral index (α_IR < -1.5). Class III objects are sometimes called → weak-line T Tauri stars.

→ class; → three.

In the → Fanaroff-Riley classification, sources with R_FR < 0.5. Fanaroff and Riley (1974) found that nearly all sources with luminosity L(178MHz) ≤ 2 × 10²⁵h₁₀₀^-2 W Hz^-1 sr^-1 were of class I. FR-I → radio jets are thought to be → subsonic, possibly due to mass entrainment, which makes them amenable to distortions in the interaction with the ambient medium.

→ Fanaroff-Riley classification; → class.

In the → Fanaroff-Riley classification, → radio sources with hotspots in their lobes at distances from the center which are such that R_FR > 0.5. The → radio jets in FR-II sources are expected to be highly → supersonic, allowing them to travel large distances.

→ Fanaroff-Riley classification; → class.