T Tauri stars Research Papers (original) (raw)

The 3.3 micron PAH feature is undetected for the majority of the sample (97%), with typical upper limits of 5E-16 W/m^2. Compact 11.2 micron PAH emission is seen directly towards 1 out of the 53 Spitzer Short-High spectra, for a source... more

The 3.3 micron PAH feature is undetected for the majority of the sample (97%), with typical upper limits of 5E-16 W/m^2. Compact 11.2 micron PAH emission is seen directly towards 1 out of the 53 Spitzer Short-High spectra, for a source that is borderline embedded. For all 12 sources with both VLT and Spitzer spectra, no PAH features are detected in either. In total, PAH features are detected toward at most 1 out of 63 (candidate) embedded protostars (<~ 2%), even lower than observed for class II T Tauri stars with disks (11-14%). Assuming typical class I stellar and envelope parameters, the absence of PAHs emission is most likely explained by the absence of emitting carriers through a PAH abundance at least an order of magnitude lower than in molecular clouds but similar to that found in disks. Thus, most PAHs likely enter the protoplanetary disks frozen out in icy layers on dust grains and/or in coagulated form.

The silicate emission features of the remaining eight sources are modelled with a mixture of silicates of different grain sizes and composition. Unprocessed dust dominates FU Ori, HD 143006 and CD-43 344. Large amorphous grains are the... more

The silicate emission features of the remaining eight sources are modelled with a mixture of silicates of different grain sizes and composition. Unprocessed dust dominates FU Ori, HD 143006 and CD-43 344. Large amorphous grains are the main dust component around HD 190073, HD 319139, KK Oph and PDS 144 S. Both small grains and crystalline dust is found for the Vega-type HD 123356, with a dominance of small amorphous grains. We show that the infrared emission of the binary HD 123356 is dominated by its late-type secondary, but optical spectroscopy is still required to confirm the age of the system and the spectral class of the companion. For most targets this is their first mid-infrared spectroscopic observation. We investigate trends between stellar, disk and silicate properties and confirm correlations of previous studies. Several objects present an exciting potential for follow-up high-resolution disk studies.

The C I, Na I D, and Halpha lines of the post-AGB binary HR 4049 have been studied. Na I D variability results from a photospheric absorption component ([Na/H]=-1.6+/-0.2) which follows the velocity of the primary and a stationary,... more

The C I, Na I D, and Halpha lines of the post-AGB binary HR 4049 have been studied. Na I D variability results from a photospheric absorption component ([Na/H]=-1.6+/-0.2) which follows the velocity of the primary and a stationary, non-photospheric component. An emission component is attributed to the circumbinary disc, and an absorption component to mass-loss from the system with

At the end of March 2004, the blazar S5 0716+714 underwent an optical outburst that prompted for quasi-simultaneous target-of-opportunity observations with the INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton satellites. In this paper, we report the results of... more

At the end of March 2004, the blazar S5 0716+714 underwent an optical outburst that prompted for quasi-simultaneous target-of-opportunity observations with the INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton satellites. In this paper, we report the results of the XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL OMC data analysis. The X-ray spectrum is well-represented by a concave broken power-law model, with the break at about 2 keV. In the framework of the synchrotron self-Compton model, the softer part of the spectrum, which is described by a power law of index alphasimeq1.8\alpha \simeq 1.8alphasimeq1.8 ($f_\nu \propto \nu^{-\alpha}$), is probably due to synchrotron emission, while the harder part of the spectrum, which has alphasimeq1\alpha \simeq 1alphasimeq1, is due to inverse Compton emission. The blazar shows the long and short-term variability typical of low-frequency peaked BL Lac (LBL): the former is manifested by a gradual decrease in the optical flux from the peak as observed by ground telescopes at the end of March 2004, while the latter is characterized by soft X-ray and optical flares on time scales from a few thousand seconds to few hours. We can follow spectral variations on sub-hour time scales and study their correlation with the flux variability. We find evidence that the peak energy of the time-resolved spectra is increasing with flux. The modeling of the spectral energy distribution compared with archival observations suggests that the long-term variability (from outburst to quiescence or viceversa) could be due to a change in the injected power, while the short-term variability (flares) could be explained with changes in the slope of the distribution of the electrons.

One of the most interesting constraints on star formation models comes from the study of multiplicity of young stars as a function of mass. While multiplicity studies of low-mass T Tauri stars have been quite exhaustive, an unbiased and... more

One of the most interesting constraints on star formation models comes from the study of multiplicity of young stars as a function of mass. While multiplicity studies of low-mass T Tauri stars have been quite exhaustive, an unbiased and systematic investigation of multiplicity among intermediate-mass Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBE) stars is still lacking. We are therefore conducting a photometric and spectroscopic survey of HAEBE stars to detect companions, establish their physical association with the primary and investigate their properties. The frequency and degree of multiplicity of HAEBE systems will provide new constraints on their formation mechanisms. In this paper we present preliminary results of the high resolution imaging part of the survey, carried out with the adaptive optics system Altair-NIRI on Gemini North. Of 72 stars observed, we find 44 possible binaries or multiples, including at least 25 not previously known.

Cool magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) disc wind physics is reviewed by means of a self-similar analytical model, putting special emphasis on the mathematical aspects of the solution. It is found that the key parameter of the theory (μ) measures... more

Cool magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) disc wind physics is reviewed by means of a self-similar analytical model, putting special emphasis on the mathematical aspects of the solution. It is found that the key parameter of the theory (μ) measures the relation between magnetic and tidal forces. The generation of MHD winds from accretion discs requires a subtle tuning between both stresses because only a narrow range of μ values is allowed; this range is, indeed, close to the cut-off of the magnetic turbulence induced by the development of the Balbus-Hawley instability. The space of solutions can be separated into two quite distinct classes: low-μsolutions generate magnetically dominated outflows and display a characteristic density change from horizontal to vertical stratification, while in high-μsolutions the density decreases without any intermediate enhancement as the rotation axis is approached. These theoretical (dynamical) results have been used to study the properties of the base of the wind. Density and velocity laws have been derived directly from the dynamics. The effect of the propagation of the stellar X-ray radiation through the wind has been analysed to determine the temperature law at the base of the wind (polar angles θ > 45°). It is shown that a cocoon of photoionized gas is generated around the star. The extent of the photoionized region is small (tenths of au) in dense outflows and close to the disc plane; however, it may cover the whole wind extent in diffuse winds, e.g. disc winds generated by small accretion rates (<=10-9 Msolar yr-1). Photoionization also modifies the electron density in the plasma. As a consequence, the ambipolar diffusion heating decreases in the inner part of the wind by roughly one order of magnitude with respect to that derived by other authors. In fact, radiative heating controls the thermal properties of the inner 0.3 and 1 au of the disc wind for accretion rates of 10-7 and 10-8 Msolar yr-1, respectively. The temperature of the densest region (base) of the wind is, at most, ~=10 000 K. Therefore, although densities as high as ~109 cm-3 can be achieved by disc winds, the temperature is significantly smaller than the ~5 × 105-8 × 105 K derived from the ultraviolet (UV) observations of the base of the optical jets. Also, it is shown that densities as high as ~109 cm-3 cannot be achieved at the jet recollimation point for the accretion rates observed in the T Tauri stars. In summary, we conclude that the flow traced by the UV semiforbidden lines is not associated with cold disc winds but, most likely, it is tracing the hot inner jet, postulated in cold disc wind theory, which prevents the radial collapse of the wind.

Phoenix, a high resolution near-infrared spectrograph build by NOAO, was first used on the Gemini South telescope in December 2001. Previously on the Kitt Peak 2.1 and 4 meter telescopes, Phoenix received a new detector, as well as... more

Phoenix, a high resolution near-infrared spectrograph build by NOAO, was first used on the Gemini South telescope in December 2001. Previously on the Kitt Peak 2.1 and 4 meter telescopes, Phoenix received a new detector, as well as modified refrigeration, mounting, and ...

... Received 2011 Feb 2, accepted 2011 Feb 7 Published online 2011 Mar 17 ... This hampers our ability to address the issue of planet formation, which depends on disk properties, such as the mass accretion rate ( ˙Macc), the ejection of... more

... Received 2011 Feb 2, accepted 2011 Feb 7 Published online 2011 Mar 17 ... This hampers our ability to address the issue of planet formation, which depends on disk properties, such as the mass accretion rate ( ˙Macc), the ejection of jets and winds, and the growth and settling of ...

Aims : We re-examine the conditions required to steadily deviate an accretion flow from a circumstellar disc into a magnetospheric funnel flow onto a slow rotating young forming star. Methods : New analytical constraints on the formation... more

Aims : We re-examine the conditions required to steadily deviate an accretion flow from a circumstellar disc into a magnetospheric funnel flow onto a slow rotating young forming star. Methods : New analytical constraints on the formation of accretion funnels flows due to the presence of a dipolar stellar magnetic field disrupting the disc are derived. The Versatile Advection Code is used to confirm these constraints numerically. Axisymmetric MHD simulations are performed, where a stellar dipole field enters the resistive accretion disc, whose structure is self-consistently computed. Results : The analytical criterion derived allows to predict a priori the position of the truncation radius from a non perturbative accretion disc model. Accretion funnels are found to be robust features which occur below the co-rotation radius, where the stellar poloidal magnetic pressure becomes both at equipartition with the disc thermal pressure and is comparable to the disc poloidal ram pressure. We confirm the results of Romanova et al. 2002 and find accretion funnels for stellar dipole fields as low as 140 G in the low accretion rate limit of 10−9Modot.yr−110^{-9} M_\odot.yr^{-1}10−9Modot.yr−1. With our present numerical setup with no disc magnetic field, we found no evidence of winds, neither disc driven nor X-winds, and the star is only spun up by its interaction with the disc. Conclusions : Weak dipole fields, similar in magnitude to those observed, lead to the development of accretion funnel flows in weakly accreting T Tauri stars. However, the higher accretion observed for most T Tauri stars (${\dot M} \sim 10^{-8} M_\odot.yr^{-1}$) requires either larger stellar field strength and/or different magnetic topologies to allow for magnetospheric accretion.

A 96-ks Chandra X-ray observation of rho Ophiuchus cloud core A detected 87 sources, of which 60 were identified with counterparts at other wavelengths. The X-ray detections include 12 of 14 known classical T Tauri stars in the field, 15... more

A 96-ks Chandra X-ray observation of rho Ophiuchus cloud core A detected 87 sources, of which 60 were identified with counterparts at other wavelengths. The X-ray detections include 12 of 14 known classical T Tauri stars in the field, 15 of 17 known weak-lined TTS, and 4 of 15 brown dwarf candidates. The X-ray detections are characterized by hard, heavily absorbed emission. The mean photon energy of a typical source is 3 keV, and more than half of the detections are variable. Prominent X-ray flares were detected in the unusual close binary system Oph S1, the X-ray bright WTTS DoAr 21, and the brown dwarf candidate GY 31. Time-resolved spectroscopic analysis of the DoAr~21 flare clearly reveals a sequence of secondary flares during the decay phase which may have reheated the plasma. We find that the X-ray luminosity distributions and spectral hardnesses of CTTS and WTTS are similar. We also conclude that the X-ray emission of detected brown-dwarf candidates is less luminous than T Tauri stars, but spectroscopically similar. Simultaneous multifrequency VLA observations detected 31 radio sources at 6 cm, of which ten were also detected by Chandra. We report new radio detections of the optically invisible IR source WLY 2-11 and the faint H-alpha emission line star Elias 24. We confirm circular polarization in Oph S1 and report a new detection of circular polarization in DoAr 21. We find no evidence that X-ray and radio luminosities are correlated in the small sample of TTS detected simultaneously with Chandra and the VLA. We describe a new non-parametric method for estimating X-ray spectral properties from unbinned photon event.

We present high-spatial resolution HST and adaptive optics observations, and high-sensitivity ISO (ISOCAM & ISOPHOT) observations of a sample of X-ray selected weak-line (WTTS) and post (PTTS) T Tauri stars located in the nearby... more

We present high-spatial resolution HST and adaptive optics observations, and high-sensitivity ISO (ISOCAM & ISOPHOT) observations of a sample of X-ray selected weak-line (WTTS) and post (PTTS) T Tauri stars located in the nearby Chamaeleon T and Scorpius-Centaurus OB associations. HST/NICMOS and adaptive optics observations aimed at identifying substellar companions at separations >=30 A.U. from the primary stars. No such

Continuous photometric observations of five young stars obtained by the MOST satellite in 2009 and 2010 in the Taurus and Lupus star formation regions are presented. Using light-curve modelling under the assumption of internal... more

Continuous photometric observations of five young stars obtained by the MOST satellite in 2009 and 2010 in the Taurus and Lupus star formation regions are presented. Using light-curve modelling under the assumption of internal invariability of spots, we obtained small values of the solar-type differential-rotation parameter (k = 0.0005-0.009) for three spotted weak-line T Tauri stars, V410 Tau, V987 Tau

Aims. A census of molecular hydrogen flows across the entire Orion A giant molecular cloud is sought. With this paper we aim to associate each flow with its progenitor and associated molecular core, so that the characteristics of the... more

Aims. A census of molecular hydrogen flows across the entire Orion A giant molecular cloud is sought. With this paper we aim to associate each flow with its progenitor and associated molecular core, so that the characteristics of the outflows and outflow sources can be established. Methods. We present wide-field near-infrared images of Orion A, obtained with the Wide Field Camera, WFCAM, on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Broad-band K and narrow-band H 2 1-0S (1) images of a contiguous~ 8 square degree region are ...