The magnetic field topology of the weak-lined T Tauri star V410 Tauri

We report the analysis, conducted as part of the MaTYSSE programme, of a spectropolarimetric monitoring of the ∼0.8 Myr, ∼1.4 M⊙ disc-less weak-line T Tauri star V410 Tau with the ESPaDOnS instrument at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and NARVAL at the Télescope Bernard Lyot, between 2008 and 2016. With Zeeman-Doppler Imaging, we reconstruct the surface brightness and magnetic field of V410 Tau, and show that the star is heavily spotted and possesses a ∼550 G relatively toroidal magnetic field. We find that V410 Tau features a weak level of surface differential rotation between the equator and pole ∼5 times weaker than the solar differential rotation. The spectropolarimetric data exhibit intrinsic variability, beyond differential rotation, which points towards a dynamo-generated field rather than a fossil field. Long-term variations in the photometric data suggest that spots appear at increasing latitudes over the span of our data set, implying that, if V410 Tau has a magnetic cycle, it would have a period of more than 8 yr. Having derived raw radial velocities (RVs) from our spectra, we filter out the stellar activity jitter, modelled either from our Doppler maps or using Gaussian process regression. Thus filtered, our RVs exclude the presence of a hot Jupiter-mass companion below ∼0.1 au, which is suggestive that hot Jupiter formation may be inhibited by the early depletion of the circumstellar disc, which for V410 Tau may have been caused by the close (few tens of au) M dwarf stellar companion.

Information about stellar magnetic field topologies is obtained primarily from high-resolution circular polarisation (Stokes $V$) observations. Due to their generally complex morphologies, the stellar Stokes $V$ profiles are usually interpreted with elaborate inversion techniques such as Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI). Here we further develop a new method of interpretation of circular polarisation signatures in spectral lines using cumulative Stokes $V$ profiles (anti-derivative of Stokes $V$). This method is complimentary to ZDI and can be applied for validation of the inversion results or when the available observational data are insufficient for an inversion. Based on the rigorous treatment of polarised line formation in the weak-field regime, we show that, for rapidly rotating stars, the cumulative Stokes $V$ profiles contain information about the spatially resolved longitudinal magnetic field density. Rotational modulation of these profiles can be employed for a simple, qualitative characterisation of the stellar magnetic field topologies. We apply this diagnostic method to the archival observations of the weak-line T Tauri star V410 Tau and Bp He-strong star HD 37776. We show that the magnetic field in V410 Tau is dominated by an azimuthal component, in agreement with the ZDI map that we recover from the same data set. For HD 37776 the cumulative Stokes $V$ profile variation indicates the presence of multiple regions of positive and negative field polarity. This behaviour agrees with the ZDI results but contradicts the popular hypothesis that the magnetic field of this star is dominated by an axisymmetric quadrupolar component.

We report results of a spectropolarimetric and photometric monitoring of the weak-line T Tauri star V410 Tau based on data collected mostly with SPIRou, the near-infrared (NIR) spectropolarimeter recently installed at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, as part of the SPIRou Legacy Survey large programme, and with TESS between October and December 2019. Using Zeeman–Doppler Imaging (ZDI), we obtained the first maps of photospheric brightness and large-scale magnetic field at the surface of this young star derived from NIR spectropolarimetric data. For the first time, ZDI is also simultaneously applied to high-resolution spectropolarimetric data and very-high-precision photometry. V410 Tau hosts both dark and bright surface features and magnetic regions similar to those previously imaged with ZDI from optical data, except for the absence of a prominent dark polar spot. The brightness distribution is significantly less contrasted than its optical equivalent, as expected from the difference in wavelength. The large-scale magnetic field (${\sim}410$ G), found to be mainly poloidal, features a dipole of ${\sim}390$ G, again compatible with previous studies at optical wavelengths. NIR data yield a surface differential rotation slightly weaker than that estimated in the optical at previous epochs. Finally, we measured the radial velocity of the star and filtered out the stellar activity jitter using both ZDI and Gaussian Process Regression down to a precision of ${\sim}0.15$ and 0.08 $\mathrm{km}\, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$ RMS, respectively, confirming the previously published upper limit on the mass of a potential close-in massive planet around V410 Tau.

This paper reports the results of five years (five runs, 23 nights) of spectropolarimetric observations of active stars with the UCL Echelle Spectrograph of the Anglo-Australian Telescope. 225 circularly (and four linearly) polarized spectra were recorded on 28 objects (21 active stars and seven calibration standards) using the new technique of Zeeman-Doppler imaging. To extract polarization echelle spectra from raw frames, we developed a new dedicated automatic software package (called ESpRIT, which utilizes optimal extraction techniques) whose detailed description is given in the paper. For each recorded spectrum, we extract 'mean' polarized and unpolarized profiles using 'least-squares deconvolution', a technique similar to cross-correlation, which can enhance enormously the sensitivity of Zeeman-Doppler imaging, by up to 7.5 mag in flux with respect to a single average line analysis or by 4.5 mag compared with the older technique of Donati et al. in the particular case of a K1 star. Magnetic field is detected unambiguously on 14 objects, namely the weak-line T Tauri star V410 Tau, the pre-main-sequence binary HD 155555, the ZAMS stars AB Dor and LQ Hya, the dwarf flare star CC Eri, the RS CVn systems HR 1099, EI Eri, TY Pyx, CF Tue, SZ Psc, II Peg, IM Peg and IL Hya, and the FK Com star YY Men. Marginal field detections are also obtained for the weak-line T Tauri star HD 283572 and the Herbig Ae star HD 104237. Except on HR 1099 and II Peg, our results represent the first direct field detections ever reported on these objects, and in particular the first direct field detection on as young a star as V410 Tau. Most of the magnetic signatures we detect on cool stars show several sign reversals throughout the line profile, indicating that the parent field structure is rather complex and must feature (as expected) many small-scale magnetic regions of different polarities. For all stars on which Zeeman detections are recorded with sufficient accuracy (namely LQ Hya, CC Eri, HR 1099, El Eri, II Peg, IL Hya and YY Men), differential least-squares deconvolution from both the blue and the red parts of the spectral domain indicates that the magnetic regions we detect are mostly 500 to 1000 K cooler than, and sometimes at the same temperature as, but never warmer than the surrounding photosphere. Serendipitous results include the first detection (i) of small-amplitude radial velocity variations (1.3 kms -1 peak to peak) of the Herbig Ae star HD 104237 with small enough a period (37.5 ± 1 min) that they must be due to stellar pulsations and (ii) of the solar-like secondary component of the RS CVn system IL Hya.

We present new brightness and magnetic images of the weak-line T Tauri star V410 Tau, made by using data from the Narval spectropolarimeter at Télescope Bernard Lyot (TBL). The brightness image shows a large polar spot and significant spot coverage at lower latitudes. The magnetic maps show a field that is predominantly dipolar and non-axisymmetric with a strong azimuthal component. The field is 50 per cent poloidal and 50 per cent toroidal, and very little differential rotation is apparent from the magnetic images. A photometric monitoring campaign on this star has previously revealed V-band variability of up to 0.6 mag, but in 2009 the light curve is much flatter. The Doppler image presented here is consistent with this low variability. Calculating the flux predicted by the mapped spot distribution gives a peak-to-peak variability of 0.04 mag. The reduction in the amplitude of the light curve, compared with previous observations, appears to be related to a change in the distribution of the spots rather than the number or area. This paper is the first from a Zeeman–Doppler imaging campaign being carried out on V410 Tau between 2009 and 2012 at the TBL. During this time, it is expected that the light curve will return to a high-amplitude state, allowing us to ascertain whether the photometric changes are accompanied by a change in the magnetic field topology.

We analyse spectropolarimetric data of the pre-cataclysmic variable binary system V471 Tau obtained with ESPaDOnS at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope in two observational campaigns (in 2004 November/December and 2005 December). Using Zeeman–Doppler imaging, we reconstruct the distribution of brightness map and large-scale magnetic field of the K2 dwarf at both epochs, as well as the amount of differential rotation by which surface maps are sheared. We detect significant fluctuations in the surface shear between the two campaigns. It goes from about twice the solar differential rotation rate to less than the solar value in a 1-yr interval. We conclude that the differential rotation fluctuations obtained for the K2 dwarf resemble those detected on the single-star analogue AB Dor, although even larger amplitudes of variation are seen in the K2 dwarf of V471 Tau. Finally, we show that the differential rotation results obtained in this work do not favour an Applegate mechanism operating in the V471 Tau system, at least in its standard form, but leave room for explaining the observed orbital period fluctuations with exotic forms of similar phenomena based on dynamo processes operating within the convective zone of the K2 star.

We report results of an extended spectropolarimetric and photometric\nmonitoring of the weak-line T Tauri star V830 Tau and its recently-detected\nnewborn close-in giant planet. Our observations, carried out within the MaTYSSE\nprogramme, were spread over 91d, and involved the ESPaDOnS and Narval\nspectropolarimeters linked to the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii, the 2m Bernard\nLyot and the 8-m Gemini-North Telescopes. Using Zeeman-Doppler Imaging, we\ncharacterize the surface brightness distributions, magnetic topologies and\nsurface differential rotation of V830 Tau at the time of our observations, and\ndemonstrate that both distributions evolve with time beyond what is expected\nfrom differential rotation. We also report that near the end of our\nobservations, V830 Tau triggered one major flare and two weaker precursors,\nshowing up as enhanced red-shifted emission in multiple spectral activity\nproxies. With 3 different filtering techniques, we model the radial velocity\n(RV) activity jitter (of semi-amplitude 1.2km/s) that V830 Tau generates,\nsuccessfully retrieve the 68m/s RV planet signal hiding behind the jitter,\nfurther confirm the existence of V830 Tau b and better characterize its orbital\nparameters. We find that the method based on Gaussian-process regression\nperforms best thanks to its higher ability at modelling not only the activity\njitter, but also its temporal evolution over the course of our observations,\nand succeeds at reproducing our RV data down to a rms precision of 35m/s. Our\nresult provides new observational constraints on scenarios of star / planet\nformation and demonstrates the scientific potential of large-scale searches for\nclose-in giant planets around T Tauri stars.\n

In this short review we present the results of a study of the large-scale magnetic topologies of T Tauri stars (TTS). A small spectropolarimetric survey of 8 young stars was carried out within two international projects MaPP (Magnetic Protostars and Planets) and MaTYSSE (Magnetic Topologies of Young Stars and the Survival of massive close-in Exoplanets) between 2009 and 2016. For each of our targets we reconstructed the brightness map and the magnetic field topology using Zeeman–Doppler imaging (ZDI). This review contains a brief description of spectropolarimetricdata, the ZDI method, one example of the reconstruction of brightness and magnetic maps, and the properties of magnetic fields of 8 TTS. Our results suggest that AA Tau and LkCa 15 interact with their disks in the propeller mode when their rotation is actively slowed by the star/disk magnetic coupling. We find that magnetic fields of some TTS are variable on a time scale of a few years and are thus intrinsically nonstationary. We report on the detection of a giant exoplanet around V830 Tau and TAP 26. These two new detections suggest that the type II disk migration is efficient at generating newborn hot Jupiters (hJs) around young TTS. The result of our survey is compared to the global picture of magnetic field properties of twenty TTS in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. The comparison shows that WTTS exhibit a wider range of field topologies as compared to CTTS, and that magnetic fields of all TTS (CTTS and WTTS as a whole) are mostly poloidal and axisymmetric when they are mostly convective and cooler than 4300 K. This needs to be confirmed with a larger sample of stars.

We have applied Zeeman-Doppler imaging (ZDI) to an extensive spectropolarimetric HARPSpol data set of the magnetically active young solar analogue V889 Her, covering 35 spectra obtained during six nights in May 2011. The data set allows us to study Stokes V profiles of the star at almost identical rotational phases, separated by one or more stellar rotations. We use these data to study if the line profiles evolve from one rotation to the next, and find that some evolution does indeed occur. We consider two possible explanations for this: abrupt changes in the large-scale magnetic field or differential rotation. We find it quite difficult to distinguish between the two alternatives using ZDI alone. A strong differential rotation could, however, explain the changes in the line profiles, so we conclude that it must be present, and the abrupt magnetic field evolution is left uncertain. Commonly, rapidly rotating stars are assumed to have only weak differential rotation. If the strong differential rotation of V889 Her is indeed present, as has been found in other studies as well, it could indicate that the theoretical and numerical results of differential rotation still need to be revised. The rapid changes that may have occurred in the magnetic field indicate that one should be quite cautious when interpreting ZDI maps constructed from data over long time intervals.

We suggest a model based on the representation of the stellar magnetic field as a superposition of a finite number of poloidal and toroidal free decay modes to describe the dynamo action in fully convective stars. For the adopted law of stellar differential rotation, we determined the dynamo number in exceeding which the generation of a cyclically varying magnetic field is possible in stars without a radiative core and derived an expression for the period of the cycle. The dynamo cycles in fully convective stars and in stars with thin convective envelopes are shown to differ qualitatively: first, the distributions of spots in latitude during the cycle are different for these two types of stars and, second, the model predicts a great weakening of the spot formation in fully convective stars at certain phases of the cycle. To compare the theory with observations, we have analyzed the historical light curve for the weak-line T Tauri star V410 Tau and found that its long-term activity is not a well-defined cycle with a definite period—its activity is more likely quasi-cyclic with a characteristic time of ∼4 yr and with a chaotic component superimposed. we have also concluded that a redistribution of spots in longitude is responsible for the secular brightness variations in the star. This does not allow the results of photometric observations to be directly compared with predictions of ourmodel, in which, for simplicity, we assumed a symmetry in longitude and investigated the temporal evolution of the spot distribution in latitude. Therefore, we discuss the questions of what and how observations can be compared with predictions of the dynamo theory.

В этом кратком обзоре мы представляем результаты исследования крупномасштабных магнитных полей у звезд типа Т Тельца (TTS). Небольшой спектрополяриметрический обзор 8 молодых звезд был осуществлен в рамках двух международных проектов MaPP (Magnetic Protostars and Planets) и MaTYSSE (Magnetic Topologies of Young Stars and the Survival of massive close-in Exoplanets) в период с 2009 по 2016 годы. Для каждого нашего объекта мы реконструировали карту яркости и топологию магнитного поля с использованием метода доплер-зеемановского картирования (ZDI). Обзор содержит краткое описание спектрополяриметрических данных, метода ZDI, пример восстановления яркостных и магнитных карт, а также свойства магнитных полей 8 TTS. Наши результаты показывают, что AA Tau и LkCa 15 взаимодействуют со своими дисками в режиме пропеллера, когда звездное вращение активно замедляется магнитным взаимодействием между звездой и диском. Мы обнаружили, что магнитные поля некоторых TTS являются переменными на временном масштабе в несколько лет и, следовательно, по своей природе нестационарны. Мы сообщаем об открытии двух гигантских экзопланет вокруг V830 Tau и TAP 26. Эти два новых обнаружения предполагают, что теория дисковой миграции 2-го типа хорошо объясняет образование горячих юпитеров около молодых TTS. Результаты нашего обзора сравниваются с общей картиной свойств магнитных полей двадцати TTS на диаграмме Герцшпрунга – Рассела. Сравнение показывает, что WTTS демонстрируют более широкий диапазон различных топологий магнитного поля по сравнению с CTTS, и что магнитное поле TTS (CTTS и WTTS) в основном полоидальное и осесимметричное у более холодных (меньше 4300 К) звезд, которые остаются в значительной степени конвективными. Эти выводы нуждаются в подтверждении на основании анализа более представительной выборки молодых звезд.

Aims. Previous studies have related surface temperature maps, obtained with the Doppler imaging (DI) technique, of LQ Hya with long-term photometry. Here, we compare surface magnetic field maps, obtained with the Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) technique, with contemporaneous photometry, with the aim of quantifying the star’s magnetic cycle characteristics. Methods. We inverted Stokes IV spectropolarimetry, obtained with the HARPSpol and ESPaDOnS instruments, into magnetic field and surface brightness maps using a tomographic inversion code that models high signal-to-noise ratio mean line profiles produced by the least squares deconvolution (LSD) technique. The maps were compared against long-term ground-based photometry acquired with the T3 0.40 m Automatic Photoelectric Telescope (APT) at Fairborn Observatory, which offers a proxy for the spot cycle of the star, as well as with chromospheric Ca II H&K activity derived from the observed spectra. Results. The magnetic field and surface brightness maps reveal similar patterns relative to previous DI and ZDI studies: non-axisymmetric polar magnetic field structure, void of fields at mid-latitudes, and a complex structure in the equatorial regions. There is a weak but clear tendency of the polar structures to be linked with a strong radial field and the equatorial ones with the azimuthal field. We find a polarity reversal in the radial field between 2016 and 2017 that is coincident with a spot minimum seen in the long-term photometry, although the precise relation of chromospheric activity to the spot activity remains complex and unclear. The inverted field strengths cannot be easily related with the observed spottedness, but we find that they are partially connected to the retrieved field complexity. Conclusions. This field topology and the dominance of the poloidal field component, when compared to global magnetoconvection models for rapidly rotating young suns, could be explained by a turbulent dynamo, where differential rotation does not play a major role (so-called 2 or 2 dynamos) and axi- and non-axisymmetric modes are excited simultaneously. The complex equatorial magnetic field structure could arise from the twisted (helical) wreaths often seen in these simulations, while the polar feature would be connected to the mostly poloidal non-axisymmetric component that has a smooth spatial structure.

We study the changes of the CaI λ6102.7 A line profile and the magnetic field structure during the 1B/M2.2 while-light flare of August 12, 1981. The two brightest flare knots located in the penumbra of a sunspot with a δ configuration are investigated. The 1 ± V line profiles are analyzed. The reduction and analysis of our observations have yielded the following results. (1) The line profiles changed significantly during the flare, especially at the time of optical continuum emission observed near the flare maximum. In addition to the significant decrease in the depth, a narrow polarized emission whose Zeeman splitting corresponded to a longitudinal magnetic field strength of 3600 Gs was observed. This is much larger than the magnetic field strength in the underlying sunspot determined from the Zeeman splitting of absorption lines. (2) The largest changes of the CaI λ6102.7 A line profile observed during the flare can lead to an underestimation of the longitudinal magnetic field strength measured with a video magnetograph by a factor of 4.5, but they cannot be responsible for the polarity reversal. (3) A sharp short-term displacement of the neutral line occurred at a time close to the flare maximum, which gave rise to a reversed-polarity magnetic field on a small area of the active region, i.e., a magnetic transient. This can be interpreted as a change in the inclination of the magnetic field lines to the line of sight during the flare. The short-term depolarization of the CaI λ6102.7 A line emission observed at the other flare knot can also be the result of a change in the magnetic field structure. (4) These fast dynamic changes of the magnetic field lines occurred after the maximum of the impulsive flare phase and were close in time to the appearance of type II radio emission.

Context. Classical T Tauri stars are thought to accrete material from their surrounding protoplanetary disks through funnel flows along their magnetic field lines. The classical T Tauri stars with high accretion rates (∼10−7 M⊙ yr−1) are ideal targets for testing this magnetospheric accretion scenario in a sustained regime. Aims. We constrained the accretion-ejection phenomena around the strongly accreting northern component of the S CrA young binary system (S CrA N) by deriving its magnetic field topology and its magnetospheric properties, and by detecting ejection signatures, if any. Methods. We led a two-week observing campaign on S CrA N with the ESPaDOnS optical spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We recorded 12 Stokes I and V spectra over 14 nights. We computed the corresponding least-squares deconvolution (LSD) profiles of the photospheric lines and performed Zeeman-Doppler imaging (ZDI). We analyzed the kinematics of noticeable emission lines, namely He I λ5876 and the first four lines of the Balmer series, which are known to trace the accretion process. Results. We found that S CrA N is a low-mass (0.8 M⊙) young (∼1 Myr) and fully convective object exhibiting strong and variable veiling (with a mean value of 7 ± 2), which suggests that the star is in a strong accretion regime. These findings could indicate a stellar evolutionary stage between Class I and Class II for S CrA N. We reconstructed an axisymmetric large-scale magnetic field (∼70% of the total energy) that is primarily located in the dipolar component, but has significant higher poloidal orders. From the narrow emission component radial velocity curve of He I λ5876, we derived a stellar rotation period of P* = 7.3 ± 0.2 days. We found a magnetic truncation radius of ∼2 R* which is significantly closer to the star than the corotation radius of ∼6 R*, suggesting that S CrA N is in an unstable accretion regime. That the truncation radius is quite smaller than the size of the Brγ line emitting region, as measured with the GRAVITY interferometer (∼8 R*), supports the presence of outflows, which is nicely corroborated by the line profiles presented in this work. Conclusions. The findings from spectropolarimetry are complementary to those provided by optical long-baseline interferometry, allowing us to construct a coherent view of the innermost regions of a young, strongly accreting star. The strong and complex magnetic field reconstructed for S CrA N is inconsistent with the observed magnetic signatures of the emission lines associated with the postshock region, however. We recommend a multitechnique synchronized campaign of several days to place more constrains on a system that varies on a timescale of about one day.

New photometry and a model of the spot distribution and its evolution on the weak T Tauri star V410 Tau are presented. In addition to the rotation period, 1.871 days, the modeling indicates that (1) the inclination angle is very large (i = 80 deg + or - 5 deg), (2) at least two spots are present, (3) the spots are very large (angular radii of roughly 40 deg or more), (4) they are centered at latitudes above 50 deg or below -50 deg, and (5) there is a high degree of symmetry between the northern and southern hemispheres. The evolution of the shape and amplitude of the light curve comes primarily from a drift in the relative longitudes of the northern and southern hemisphere spots. The radius of the star is determined to be 2.65 + or - 0.15 solar radii. In combination with the spectral type, this value implies a distance of 160 pc. On the theoretical H-R diagram, the star lies close to the expected position of a one solar mass star with an age of about one million yr. 27 refs.