JWST/MIRI Detection of Molecular H2 Winds from an Edge-on Class II Source HV Tau C
Abstract
The evolution of protoplanetary disks is regulated by accretion onto the central star and mass loss through jets and winds. While atomic and ionized outflows are commonly observed, molecular winds in evolved Class II disks remain rarely detected. We characterize the spatial, thermal, kinematic, and dynamical properties of molecular hydrogen (H2) emission from the nearly edge-on Class II disk HV Tau C and assess the impact of its molecular wind. We also constrain accretion using H I recombination lines detected in the same mid-infrared spectrum. Using JWST/MIRI-MRS data from the MINDS Cycle 1 GTO program, we analyze spatially resolved pure-rotational H2 emission. Rotational and position-velocity diagrams constrain excitation and kinematics, from which we estimate wind properties. We detect extended H2 emission tracing a wide-angled, biconical molecular wind extending beyond the near-infrared scattered-light disk, ALMA 887 μm dust continuum, and compact 12CO (J=3-$2$) gas disk. The H2 rotational diagram requires warm (∼600K) and hot (∼2000K) components, similar to those in younger protostars. The gas shows outward motions of a few tens of km s−1 and dynamical timescales of tens to hundreds of years. The inferred mass-loss rate is ∼10−8 M⊙ yr−1, while accretion rates derived from H I lines are 10−10-10−8 M⊙ yr−1. The accretion rate may be underestimated because of the edge-on geometry. Our results show that wide-angled molecular H2 winds can persist into the Class II phase, with outflow rates comparable to some protostellar systems, suggesting that such winds may remain important for angular momentum removal, disk evolution, and dispersal. (Abstract modified; see the paper for the full version.)
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{pathak2026jwstmiri,
title = {{JWST/MIRI Detection of Molecular H$_2$ Winds from an Edge-on Class II Source HV Tau C}},
author = {Vinod Chandra Pathak and P. Manoj and Himanshu Tyagi and B. Shridharan and Th. Henning and I. Kamp and A. Caratti o Garatti and B. Banerjee and Mayank Narang and E. F. van Dishoeck and Kamber Schwarz and Manuel Güdel and Alice Somigliana and Giulia Perotti and Aditya M. Arabhavi and Sujay Vijay Jadhav and Göran Olofsson},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.25770},
eprint = {2607.25770},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.25770},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - JWST/MIRI Detection of Molecular H_2 Winds from an Edge-on Class II Source HV Tau C
AU - Vinod Chandra Pathak
AU - P. Manoj
AU - Himanshu Tyagi
AU - B. Shridharan
AU - Th. Henning
AU - I. Kamp
AU - A. Caratti o Garatti
AU - B. Banerjee
AU - Mayank Narang
AU - E. F. van Dishoeck
AU - Kamber Schwarz
AU - Manuel Güdel
AU - Alice Somigliana
AU - Giulia Perotti
AU - Aditya M. Arabhavi
AU - Sujay Vijay Jadhav
AU - Göran Olofsson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/28
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.25770
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.25770
AB - The evolution of protoplanetary disks is regulated by accretion onto the central star and mass loss through jets and winds. While atomic and ionized outflows are commonly observed, molecular winds in evolved Class II disks remain rarely detected. We characterize the spatial, thermal, kinematic, and dynamical properties of molecular hydrogen (H_2) emission from the nearly edge-on Class II disk HV Tau C and assess the impact of its molecular wind. We also constrain accretion using H I recombination lines detected in the same mid-infrared spectrum. Using JWST/MIRI-MRS data from the MINDS Cycle 1 GTO program, we analyze spatially resolved pure-rotational H_2 emission. Rotational and position-velocity diagrams constrain excitation and kinematics, from which we estimate wind properties. We detect extended H_2 emission tracing a wide-angled, biconical molecular wind extending beyond the near-infrared scattered-light disk, ALMA 887 μm dust continuum, and compact ^12CO (J=3-$2$) gas disk. The H_2 rotational diagram requires warm (∼600K) and hot (∼2000K) components, similar to those in younger protostars. The gas shows outward motions of a few tens of km s^−1 and dynamical timescales of tens to hundreds of years. The inferred mass-loss rate is ∼10^−8 M_⊙ yr^−1, while accretion rates derived from H I lines are 10^−10-10^−8 M_⊙ yr^−1. The accretion rate may be underestimated because of the edge-on geometry. Our results show that wide-angled molecular H_2 winds can persist into the Class II phase, with outflow rates comparable to some protostellar systems, suggesting that such winds may remain important for angular momentum removal, disk evolution, and dispersal. (Abstract modified; see the paper for the full version.)
ER -