Magnetic Star-Disk Interaction in Classical T Tauri Stars

We carry out 2.5D MHD simulations to study the interaction between a dipolar magnetic field of a T Tauri Star, a circumstellar accretion disk, and the halo above the disk. The initial disk is the result of 1D radiation hydrodynamics computations with opacities appropriate for low temperatures. The gas is assumed resistive, and inside the disk accretion is driven by a Shakura–Sunyaev-type eddy viscosity. Magnetocentrifugal forces due to the rotational shear between the star and the Keplerian disk cause the magnetic field to be stretched outwards and part of the field lines are opened. For a solar-mass central star and an accretion rate of 10^?8 solar masses per year a field strength of 100 G (measured on the surface of the star) launches a substantial outflow from the inner parts of the disk. For a field strength of 1 kG the inner parts of disk is disrupted. The truncation of the disk turns out to be temporary, but the magnetic field structure remains changed after the disk is rebuilt.     

Observations of Magnetic Fields on T Tauri Stars

We present measurements of magnetic field strength and geometry on the surfaces of T Tauri stars (TTS) with and without circumstellar disks. We use these measurements to argue that magnetospheric accretion models should not assume that a fixed fraction of the stellar surface contains magnetic field lines that couple with the disk. We predict the fractional area of accretion footpoints, using magnetospheric accretion models and assuming field strength is roughly constant for all TTS. Analysis of Zeeman broadened infrared line profiles shows that individual TTS each have a distribution of surface magnetic field strengths extending up to 6 kG. Averaging over this distribution yields mean magnetic field strengths of 1-3 kG for all TTS, regardless of whether the star is surrounded by a disk. These strong magnetic fields suggest that magnetic pressure dominates gas pressure in TTS photospheres, indicating the need for new model atmospheres. The He I 5876 Å emission line in TTS can be strongly polarized, so that magnetic field lines at the footpoints of accretion have uniform polarity. The circular polarization signal appears to be rotationally modulated, implying that accretion and perhaps the magnetosphere are not axisymmetric. Time series spectropolarimetry is fitted reasonably well by a simple model with one magnetic spot on the surface of a rotating star. On the other hand, spectropolarimetry of photospheric absorption lines rules out a global dipolar field at the stellar surface for at least some TTS.     

Rotation of T Tauri Stars Revisited

This paper reviews the rotation of T Tauri stars. It summarizes the results of a complete bibliographical survey of all photometric and spectroscopic data available in connection with rotation studies of these stars. It is shown that T Tauri stars are slow rotators. More than half of the stars in the sample have been found to have v sin i < 25 km/s. Furthermore, the histogram for the photometric periods of rotation is clearly bimodal, with a peak at approximately 3 days and another at around 8 days. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spectral Variability of T Tauri Stars in the Optical

We present the results of time variability analysis of the Hα, He I (λ5876 Å) and Na D (λ5890, 5896 Å) lines in two active T Tauri stars, DL Tau and DR Tau. The aim is the study of time behavior of these lines, during one week, as well as possible correlations among them. The observed profiles of some lines are very complex, often showing characteristics of outflow and accretion.     

Chromospheric Activity of Weak-Lined T Tauri Stars

A summary of our ongoing high and medium resolution optical observational program, devoted to the study of chromospheric activity of pre-main sequence stars, is reported here. The study is centered in bona-fid weak-lined T Tauri stars (WTTS) in Taurus with known rotational period, and in WTTS recently discovered by the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. It is our purpose to quantify the phenomenology of the chromospheric activity of each star determining stellar surface fluxes in the more important chromospheric activity indicators (Ca II H & K, Hβ, Hα, Ca II IRT) as well as to obtain the Li I abundance, a better determination of the stellar parameters, spectral type, and possible binarity. By using these chromospheric excess emissions we will study the flux-flux and rotation-activity relationships in order to get insights into the mechanisms which drive solar-like stellar activity in this kind of low mass pre-main sequence stars. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

弱发射线T Tauri型星的高色散光谱观测

应用国家天文台兴隆观测基地2.16 m望远镜及其高色散光谱仪,对6颗弱发射线T Tauri型星(Weak-line T Tauri Stars,简称WTTS)进行了高色散光谱观测,计算了这些弱发射线T Tauri型星的锂元素丰度,讨论了这些弱发射线TTauri型星锂丰度和恒星自转周期、光变幅度的关系,研究发现:自转较快的弱发射线T Tauri型星锂丰度小于自转较慢的弱发射线T Tauri型星锂丰度;但是这些弱发射线TTauri型星,其锂丰度与恒星在V波段的光变幅度并没有明显的相关性.     

High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Winds Associated with T Tauri Stars

We carried out optical high-resolution spectroscopy of T Tauri stars using the Subaru Telescope.Using archived data from the Keck Telescope and the Very Large Telescope, we detected forbidden lines of [S II] at 4069 ?A, in addition to those of [O I] at 5577 ?A and 6300 ?A, for 13 T Tauri stars. We consider that low-velocity components of these forbidden lines emanate from the wind associated with T Tauri stars.Using two flux ratios of the three lines, we simultaneously determined the hydrogen density and temperature of the winds. The winds of T Tauri stars have a hydrogen density of 2.5 × 106cm-3- 2.5 × 109cm-3and a temperature of 10 800 –18 000 K. The mass loss rates by the wind are estimated to lie in the range from2.0 × 10-10M⊙yr-1to 1.4 × 10-9M⊙yr-1. The mass loss rates are found to increase with increasing mass accretion rates. The ratio of the mass loss rate to the mass accretion rate is 0.001–0.1 for classical T Tauri stars and 0.1–1 for transitional disk objects.     

Time Dependent Magnetospheric Accretion in T Tauri Stars

We review recent observational results which suggest that magnetically channeled accretion in T Tauri stars is a highly time dependent process on timescales ranging from hours to months.     

Photometric Monitoring of ROSAT-Selected Weak Line T Tauri Stars

We monitored the light curves of 22 weak-line T Tauri stars (WTTSs) discovered among the X-ray sources in the field of the Taurus-Auriga cloud. For 12 of the 22 WTTSs photometric periodic variability is confirmed and their rational periods are determined using Phase Dispersion Minimization (PDM) and Fourier analysis. Most of them are found to have periods shorter than one day. This gives further evidence for the spin up of solar-type stars predicted by the models of angular momentum evolution of pre-main sequence stars.     

A comparison of the rotational properties of T Tauri stars in Orion and Taurus

We analyse the distribution of projected equatorial velocities ( v  sin  i ) for a magnitude-limited sample of stars in Taurus, in order to assess whether this sample can contain a population of fast rotators (missed in previous photometric monitoring campaigns) similar to those recently discovered in Orion by Stassun et al. We find strong evidence, in line with the results of photometric monitoring campaigns in Taurus, that there is no such population of stars in Taurus that rotate at a large fraction of breakup velocity. We thus demonstrate that the stellar rotation distributions in the two star-forming regions are intrinsically different (with a statistical significance of this discrepancy in excess of 3 σ ), and discuss possible origins for this difference.     

Updated Inventory of Carbon Monoxide in the Taurus Molecular Cloud

The most extensive survey of carbon monoxide(CO) gas in the Taurus molecular cloud relied on ¹²CO and ¹³CO J=1→0 emission only,distinguishing the region where ¹²CO is detected without 13^CO(named mask 1 region)from the one where both are detected(mask 2 region)(Goldsmith et al.2008;Pineda et al.2010).We have taken advantage of recent ¹²CO J=3→2 James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observations,where they include mask 1regions to estimate density,tem...     

A near infrared speckle imaging study of T Tauri Stars

The results of a speckle imaging survey of T Tauri stars suggest that most, if not all, young low mass stars have companions. Repeated observations of these young binary stars have revealed orbital motion in the closest pairs (0.3), proving that these systems are indeed gravitationally bound and providing the basis for mass estimates in the upcoming years. These mass estimates are necessary to distinguish between the various binary star formation mechanisms that have been proposed to date.     

Magnetic star-disk interaction in classical T Tauri systems

We simulate the impact of a dipolar stellar magnetic field rooted in a classical T Tauri star on the accretion disk and the halo above using a 2.5D finite difference code. The gas is assumed resistive, and inside the disk accretion is driven by a Shakura-Sunyaev-type eddy viscosity. The rotational shear between the star and the Keplerian disk causes the magnetic field to be wound up and stretched outwards, away from the star. Part of the field lines open and an outflow is launched. Direct disk disruption by the Lorentz force only occurs for sufficient field strength. For our model system with a solar-mass central star, an accretion rate of 10^-7M⊙/a, and a viscosity parameter α_SS=0.01, a field strength of 1 kG, measured at the poles on the surface of the star, was found insufficient for disk disruption.     

Infrared Study of T Tauri Stars Based on IRAS and 2MASS Observations

The IRAS and 2MASS associations for 193 T Tauri stars are identified in this paper. From the color–color diagrams and spectral index, it is found that the IR excesses for most samples are due to thermal emission from the circumstellar material, as suggested previously. It is also found that the IR excesses at IRAS region for few T Tauri stars and the near-IR excesses for some T Tauri stars are likely attributed to free-free emission or free-bound emission from the circumstellar ionized gas. Moreover, It is found in deredened J–H versus H–K color–color diagram that there is a slight separation in different spectral groups. The T Tauri stars locus equation in J–H versus H–K color–color diagram for our sample is also presented.     

Kinematics of T Tauri Stars Close to the Sun from the Gaia DR2 Catalogue

Astronomy Letters - The spatial and kinematic properties of a large sample of young T Tauri stars from the solar neighborhood 500 pc in radius have been studied. The following parameters of the...