FU Orionis: The MIDI VLTI Perspective

We present the first mid-infrared interferometric measurements of FU Orionis. We clearly resolve structures that are best explained with an optically thick accretion disk. A simple accretion disk model fits the observed SED and visibilities reasonably well and does not require the presence of any additional structure such as a dusty envelope. The inclination and also the position angle of the disk can be constrained from the multibaseline interferometric observations. Our disk model is in general agreement with most published near-infrared interferometric measurements. From the shape and strength of the 8-13 μm spectrum, the dust composition of the accretion disk is derived for the first time. We conclude that most dust particles are amorphous and already much larger than those typically observed in the ISM. Although the high accretion rate of the system provides both high temperatures out to large radii and an effective transport mechanism to distribute crystalline grains, we do not see any evidence for crystalline silicates in either the total spectrum or the correlated flux spectra from the inner disk regions. Possible reasons for this nondetection are mentioned. All results are discussed in context with other high spatial resolution observations of FU Ori and other FU Ori objects. We also address the question whether FU Ori is in a younger evolutionary stage than a classical T Tauri star.