INFRARED STUDIES OF PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE INTERMEDIATE-MASS STARS - LKH-ALPHA-198

Far-infrared scans of LkH-alpha 198 at 50 and 100-mu-m along several directions reveal an extended, roughly spherical source with an average FWHM of 33" or 2 x 10(4) AU at 100-mu-m and up to 18" or 1.5 x 10(4) AU at 50-mu-m. By comparing the observed properties at optical, infrared, and millimeter wavelengths with the predictions of radiation transfer models, we estimate a luminosity of 250 L. at a distance of 600 pc. The optical depth at 100-mu-m is 0.004-0.006, implying a mass of approximately 2 M. within a radius of 10(4) AU. The dust configuration is characterized by a power-law distribution n(r) approximately r-alpha, with alpha-approximately 0.5, in most of the directions around the star and over large distances. The inner radius of the dusty envelope is probably rather small, r(i) less-than-or-similar-to 300 AU (0".5), and it may be as small as the dust destruction front: in LkH-alpha 198 there is no evidence of a large region devoid of grains. The fit to the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) from optical to millimeter wavelengths favors a model that includes a disk and a spherical envelope. The former is required in order to provide a good match to the SED at near-infrared wavelengths. The disk mass is 0.27 M., i.e., approximately 7% of the stellar mass. Alternatively, the SED can be fitted by a spherical dust envelope only, if there is a component of very small grains and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Within the current scenario of star formation, mostly developed for solar-mass stars, it is not easy to account for the flat density profile of the dusty envelope we observe around LkH-alpha 198.