AA Tau Research Articles

T Tauri stars: magnetic fields and planets

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.

Dipper-like variability of the Gaia alerted young star V555 Ori

ABSTRACT V555 Ori is a T Tauri star, whose 1.5 mag brightening was published as a Gaia science alert in 2017. We carried out optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometric, and optical spectroscopic observations to understand the light variations. The light curves show that V555 Ori was faint before 2017, entered a high state for about a year, and returned to the faint state by mid-2018. In addition to the long-term flux evolution, quasi-periodic brightness oscillations were also evident, with a period of about 5 d. At optical wavelengths both the long-term and short-term variations exhibited colourless changes, while in the NIR they were consistent with changing extinction. We explain the brightness variations as the consequence of changing extinction. The object has a low accretion rate whose variation in itself would not be enough to reproduce the optical flux changes. This behaviour makes V555 Ori similar to the pre-main sequence star AA Tau, where the light changes are interpreted as periodic eclipses of the star by a rotating inner disc warp. The brightness maximum of V555 Ori was a moderately obscured (AV = 2.3 mag) state, while the extinction in the low state was AV = 6.4 mag. We found that while the Gaia alert hinted at an accretion burst, V555 Ori is a standard dipper, similar to the prototype AA Tau. However, unlike in AA Tau, the periodic behaviour was also detectable in the faint phase, implying that the inner disc warp remained stable in both the high and low states of the system.

A Differential Measurement of Circumstellar Extinction for AA Tau’s 2011 Dimming Event*

Abstract AA Tau is a classical T Tauri star with a highly inclined, warped circumstellar disk. For decades, AA Tau exhibited photometric and spectroscopic variabilities that were successfully modeled as occultations of the primary star by circumstellar material. In 2011, AA Tau entered an extended faint state, presumably due to enhanced levels of circumstellar dust. We use two sets of contemporaneous optical–near-IR (NIR) spectra of AA Tau, obtained in 2008 and 2014 December, to directly measure the wavelength-dependent extinction associated with the dust enhancement driving AA Tau’s 2011 optical fade. Taken alone, AA Tau’s apparent optical–NIR increased extinction curve cannot be fit well with standard extinction laws. At optical wavelengths, AA Tau’s dimming event is consistent with predictions of common extinction models for an increase of A V = 2, but no such model reproduces AA Tau’s color–color excess at NIR wavelengths. We show that veiling emission accounts for the apparent anomalous NIR extinction: after including this veiling flux, AA Tau’s dimming event is consistent with a standard A V = 2 extinction law across the full optical–NIR range. We also report an increase in AA Tau’s mid-IR flux since its 2011 fade and suggest that an increase in the height of AA Tau’s inner disk is the most likely explanation for both the IR brightening and the additional extinction along the line of sight. In addition to informing our understanding of AA Tau, this analysis demonstrates that caution should be exercised when inferring extinction (and stellar parameters) from the NIR color–color excess of young stars with measurable NIR veiling fluxes.

Color Indices of T Tauri Stars in Variable Circumstellar Extinction Models

Variable circumstellar extinction models as applied to T Tauri stars are considered. In contrast to hotter UX Ori stars, for which simplified eclipse models are applicable, the star is deemed a point source of light, while the circumstellar dust clouds obscuring the star are assumed to be homogeneous. In the case considered here, both these simplifications may not work. Hot accretion spots are formed through accretion on T Tauri stars, while the dust structures obscuring the star from the observer can be inhomogeneous within the stellar disk. The families of color–magnitude diagrams have been computed by taking into account these two factors. It is shown that in such models the color tracks on the diagrams can differ greatly in shape from those computed in eclipse models for hot UX Ori stars. The results obtained may be applicable to AA Tau stars demonstrating eclipses by the inner circumstellar disk regions.

Звезды типа Т Тельца: магнитные поля и планеты

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.

Hunt for Starspots in HARPS Spectra of G and K Stars

Abstract We present a method for detecting starspots on cool stars using the cross-correlation function (CCF) of high-resolution molecular spectral templates applied to archival high-resolution spectra of G and K stars observed with the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS)/HARPS-N. We report nondetections of starspots on the Sun even when the Sun was spotted, the solar twin 18 Scorpii, and the very spotted Sun-like star HAT-P-11, suggesting that Sun-like starspot distributions will be invisible to the CCF technique, and should not produce molecular absorption signals that might be confused for signatures of exoplanet atmospheres. We detect strong TiO absorption in the T Tauri K-dwarfs LkCa 4 and AA Tau, consistent with significant coverage by cool regions. We show that despite the nondetections, the technique is sensitive to relatively small spot coverages on M dwarfs and large starspot areas on Sun-like stars.

ROME (Radio Observations of Magnetized Exoplanets). II. HD 189733 Does Not Accrete Significant Material from Its Exoplanet Like a T Tauri Star from a Disk

Abstract It has been asserted that the primary star in the HD 189733 system steadily accretes evaporated exospheric gases from its “hot Jupiter” companion, rather like a T Tauri star accreting from a disk. We conduct statistical and periodogram analyses of the photometric time series of the primary, as acquired by the automated photoelectric telescope, Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars, and Wise Observatory, to investigate this claim with the goal of revealing the presence of accretion shocks or photospheric accretion hotspots as are found in T Tauri systems such as AA Tau. None of the anticipated features were found. We re-analyze existing radio, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray data within the framework of accreting T Tauri systems to determine physical quantities such as plasma density and temperature, accretion rate, and flare lengths. We find that with an accretion rate of –1011 g s−1, the star is more similar to a system that intermittently absorbs gas from sungrazing comets in outburst than classical T Tauri systems, which have accretion rates at least two orders of magnitude larger. If such accretion exists, it would result in undetectably low activity at all wavelengths. Alternatively, all of the emission properties observed thus far are in agreement with stellar activity from a magnetically active star.

A Search for Spatially Resolved Infrared Rovibrational Molecular Hydrogen Emission from the Disks of Young Stars

Abstract We present results from a survey searching for spatially resolved near-infrared line emission from molecular hydrogen gas in the circumstellar environments of nine young stars: AA Tau, AB Aur, DoAr 21, GG Tau, GM Aur, LkCa 15, LkHα 264, UY Aur, and V773 Tau. Prior high-resolution spectra of these stars showed the presence of rovibrational H2 line emission at 2.12 μm with characteristics more typical of gas located in protoplanetary disks rather than outflows. In this study, we spatially resolve the H2 emission in the eight stars for which it is detected. LkCa 15 is the only target that exhibits no appreciable H2 despite a prior detection. We find an anticorrelation between H2 and X-ray luminosities, likely indicating that the X-ray ionization process is not the dominant H2 excitation mechanism in these systems. AA Tau, UY Aur, and V773 Tau show discrete knots of H2, as typically associated with shocks in outflowing gas. UY Aur and V773 Tau exhibit spatially resolved velocity structures, while the other systems have spectrally unresolved emission consistent with systemic velocities. V773 Tau exhibits a complex line morphology indicating the presence of multiple excitation mechanisms, including red- and blueshifted bipolar knots of shock-excited outflowing gas. AB Aur, GM Aur, and LkHα 264 have centralized yet spatially resolved H2 emission consistent with a disk origin. The H2 images of AB Aur reveal spiral structures within the disk, matching those observed in ALMA CO maps. This survey reveals new insights into the structure and excitation of warm gas in the circumstellar environments of these young stars.

CLIcK: a Continuum and Line fItting Kit for circumstellar disks

Infrared spectroscopy with medium to high spectral resolution is essential to characterize the gas content of circumstellar disks. Unfortunately, conducting continuum and line radiative transfer of thermochemical disk models is too time-consuming to carry out large parameter studies. Simpler approaches using a slab model to fit continuum-subtracted spectra require the identification of either the global or local continuum. Continuum subtraction, particularly when covering a broad wavelength range, is challenging but critical in rich molecular spectra as hot (several hundreds K) molecular emission lines can also produce a pseudo continuum. In this work, we present CLIcK, a flexible tool to simultaneously fit the continuum and line emission. The continuum model presented by Dullemond, Dominik, and Natta, and a plane-parallel slab of gas in local thermodynamic equilibrium are adopted to simulate the continuum and line emission, respectively, both of them are fast enough for homogeneous studies of large disk samples. We applied CLIcK to fit the observed water spectrum of the AA Tau disk and obtained water vapor properties that are consistent with literature results. We also demonstrate that CLIcK properly retrieves the input parameters used to simulate the water spectrum of a circumstellar disk. CLIcK will be a versatile tool for the interpretation of future James Webb Space Telescope spectra.

Variable Circumstellar Extinction in UX Ori Stars of Late Spectral Types: V695 Per

Eclipses of young stars by dust fragments in protoplanetary disks are the main reason for stochastic variability in the luminosity of UX Ori stars. In analyses and modeling of these kinds of eclipses, the star is often treated as a point light source. This approach is fully justified in the case of hot stars in this family, since the sublimation radius for the dust in their circumstellar disk is much greater than the star’s radius. This approach may not apply to the case of cold stars, since the evaporation zone for the circumstellar dust is close to the star. Here it is shown that accounting for the finite size of the radiation source leads to a change in the shape of a color track on a “color-magnitude” diagram. Calculations for the star V695 Per simultaneously illustrate the variability of the brightness of UX Ori and AA Tau stars for the coldest currently known star of this type.

Inclined massive planets in a protoplanetary disc: gap opening, disc breaking, and observational signatures

We carry out three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations to study planet-disc interactions for inclined high mass planets, focusing on the disc's secular evolution induced by the planet. We find that, when the planet is massive enough and the induced gap is deep enough, the disc inside the planet's orbit breaks from the outer disc. The inner and outer discs precess around the system's total angular momentum vector independently at different precession rates, which causes significant disc misalignment. We derive the analytical formulae, which are also verified numerically, for: 1) the relationship between the planet mass and the depth/width of the induced gap, 2) the migration and inclination damping rates for massive inclined planets, and 3) the condition under which the inner and outer discs can break and undergo differential precession. Then, we carry out Monte-Carlo radiative transfer calculations for the simulated broken discs. Both disc shadowing in near-IR images and gas kinematics probed by molecular lines (e.g. from ALMA) can reveal the misaligned inner disc. The relationship between the rotation rate of the disc shadow and the precession rate of the inner disc is also provided. Using our disc breaking condition, we conclude that the disc shadowing due to misaligned discs should be accompanied by deep gaseous gaps (e.g. in Pre/Transitional discs). This scenario naturally explains both the disc shadowing and deep gaps in several systems (e.g. HD 100453, DoAr 44, AA Tau, HD 143006) and these systems should be the prime targets for searching young massive planets ($>M_J$) in discs.

Inner disk structure of the classical T Tauri star LkCa 15

Context. Magnetospheric accretion has been thoroughly studied in young stellar systems with full non-evolved accretion disks, but it is poorly documented for transition disk objects with large inner cavities. Aims. We aim at characterizing the star-disk interaction and the accretion process onto the central star of LkCa 15, a prototypical transition disk system with an inner dust cavity that is 50 au wide. Methods. We obtained quasi-simultaneous photometric and spectropolarimetric observations of the system over several rotational periods. We analyzed the system light curve and associated color variations, as well as changes in spectral continuum and line profile to derive the properties of the accretion flow from the edge of the inner disk to the central star. We also derived magnetic field measurements at the stellar surface. Results. We find that the system exhibits magnetic, photometric, and spectroscopic variability with a period of about 5.70 days. The light curve reveals a periodic dip, which suggests the presence of an inner disk warp that is located at the corotation radius at about 0.06 au from the star. Line profile variations and veiling variability are consistent with a magnetospheric accretion model where the funnel flows reach the star at high latitudes. This leads to the development of an accretion shock close to the magnetic poles. All diagnostics point to a highly inclined inner disk that interacts with the stellar magnetosphere. Conclusions. The spectroscopic and photometric variability on a timescale of days to weeks of LkCa 15 is remarkably similar to that of AA Tau, the prototype of periodic dippers. We therefore suggest that the origin of the variability is a rotating disk warp that is located at the inner edge of a highly inclined disk close to the star. This contrasts with the moderate inclination of the outer transition disk seen on the large scale and thus provides evidence for a significant misalignment between the inner and outer disks of this planet-forming transition disk system.

The magnetic propeller accretion regime of LkCa 15

ABSTRACT We present a spectropolarimetric study of the classical T Tauri star (cTTS) LkCa 15 investigating the large-scale magnetic topology of the central star and the way the field connects to the inner regions of the accretion disc. We find that the star hosts a strong poloidal field with a mainly axisymmetric dipole component of 1.35 kG, whereas the mass accretion rate at the surface of the star is 10−9.2 M⊙ yr−1. It implies that the magnetic field of LkCa 15 is able to evacuate the central regions of the disc up to a distance of 0.07 au at which the Keplerian orbital period equals the stellar rotation period. Our results suggest that LkCa 15, like the lower mass cTTS AA Tau, interacts with its disc in a propeller mode, a regime supposedly very efficient at slowing down the rotation of cTTSs hosting strong dipolar fields.

Variability in IC5070: Two Young Stars with Deep Recurring Eclipses*

Investigating the structure and properties of the innermost parts of protoplanetary accretion disks on sub-AU scales is currently only possible via indirect methods. One option to map the planet-forming zone is to search for occultations of the central young stellar object (YSO) by circumstellar material, e.g., warps or clumps in the inner disks. Such disk eclipses typically last hours to days (Cody et al. 2014) and have been identified in massive HAeBe stars such as UX Ori (Herbst & Shevchenko 1999) and lower mass objects such as AA Tau (Bouvier et al. 1999). Of particular interest are quasi-periodic dimming events. They allow distance determinations of the occulting material from the central star. In such cases the actual azimuthal physical extent of the material can be determined from the duration of the dimming event relative to the period. Observations over several periods enable investigations into temporal changes in the line of sight column density distribution, and multi-wavelength data allows us to probe the dust scattering properties. Our citizen science project HOYS-CAPS (Froebrich et al. 2018) aims to identify such periodic dimming events around YSOs. We used this data-set to search for periodic signatures in light-curves from YSOs in the Pelican nebula (IC 5070). For this field we have ~200 individual observations in the V, R, and I-band filters, distributed over ~800 days. Hence, the average cadence is 4 days, but the most frequent gap (30%) between subsequent observations is 2 days. Observations are usually taken as 8 × 2 minutes integrations in all filters to achieve a consistent S/N.

Survey of Cold Water Lines in Protoplanetary Disks: Indications of Systematic Volatile Depletion

Abstract We performed very deep searches for 2 ground-state water transitions in 13 protoplanetary disks with the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory, with integration times up to 12 hr per line. We also searched for, with shallower integrations, two other water transitions that sample warmer gas. The detection rate is low, and the upper limits provided by the observations are generally much lower than predictions of thermo-chemical models with canonical inputs. One ground-state transition is newly detected in the stacked spectrum of AA Tau, DM Tau, LkCa 15, and MWC 480. We run a grid of models to show that the abundance of gas-phase oxygen needs to be reduced by a factor of at least to be consistent with the observational upper limits (and positive detections) if a dust-to-gas mass ratio of 0.01 were to be assumed. As a continuation of previous ideas, we propose that the underlying reason for the depletion of oxygen (hence the low detection rate) is the freeze-out of volatiles such as water and CO onto dust grains followed by grain growth and settling/migration, which permanently removes these gas-phase molecules from the emissive upper layers of the outer disk. Such depletion of volatiles is likely ubiquitous among different disks, though not necessarily to the same degree. The volatiles might be returned back to the gas phase in the inner disk ( au), which is consistent with current constraints. Comparison with studies on disk dispersal due to photoevaporation indicates that the timescale for volatile depletion is shorter than that of photoevaporation.

A Multi-ringed, Modestly Inclined Protoplanetary Disk around AA Tau

Abstract AA Tau is the archetype for a class of stars with a peculiar periodic photometric variability thought to be related to a warped inner disk structure with a nearly edge-on viewing geometry. We present high resolution (∼0.″2) ALMA observations of the 0.87 and 1.3 mm dust continuum emission from the disk around AA Tau. These data reveal an evenly spaced three-ringed emission structure, with distinct peaks at 0.″34, 0.″66, and 0.″99, all viewed at a modest inclination of 59.°1 ± 0.°3 (decidedly not edge-on). In addition to this ringed substructure, we find non-axisymmetric features, including a “bridge” of emission that connects opposite sides of the innermost ring. We speculate on the nature of this “bridge” in light of accompanying observations of HCO+ and 13CO (J = 3–2) line emission. The HCO+ emission is bright interior to the innermost dust ring, with a projected velocity field that appears rotated with respect to the resolved disk geometry, indicating the presence of a warp or inward radial flow. We suggest that the continuum bridge and HCO+ line kinematics could originate from gap-crossing accretion streams, which may be responsible for the long-duration dimming of optical light from AA Tau.

NEAR-INFRARED IMAGING POLARIMETRY OF INNER REGION OF GG TAU A DISK

ABSTRACT By performing non-masked polarization imaging with Subaru/HiCIAO, polarized scattered light from the inner region of the disk around the GG Tau A system was successfully detected in the H band, with a spatial resolution of approximately 0.″07, revealing the complicated inner disk structures around this young binary. This paper reports the observation of an arc-like structure to the north of GG Tau Ab, and part of a circumstellar structure that is noticeable around GG Tau Aa, extending to a distance of approximately 28 au from the primary star. The speckle noise around GG Tau Ab constrains its disk radius to au. Based on the size of the circumbinary ring and the circumstellar disk around GG Tau Aa, the semimajor axis of the binary’s orbit is likely to be 62 au. A comparison of the present observations with previous Atacama Large Millimeter Array and near-infrared H2 emission observations suggests that the north arc could be part of a large streamer flowing from the circumbinary ring to sustain the circumstellar disks. According to the previous studies, the circumstellar disk around GG Tau Aa has enough mass and can sustain itself for a duration sufficient for planet formation; thus, our study indicates that planets can form within close (separation ≲ 100 au) young binary systems.

Periodic Brightness Modulation of the T Tauri Star V716 Per Based on Optical and Infrared Photometry

Results of long-term optical and near infrared observations (VRI and JHK bands, respectively) of the T Tauri star V716 Per are reported. The previously discovered period of the optical brightness variation of the star is confirmed. Our data yield a period of 7.50 days. The period is stable over the entire interval of our observations (about 12 years), although the shape and amplitude of the brightness phase curves varied from season to season. For the first time it is shown that this period is also present in the variations of the JHK infrared fluxes. It is also shown that besides the short period, a slow wave with a duration comparable to the interval of our observations appears in the variations of the star’s brightness. Two models of the star’s variability are considered for analyzing its photometric behavior: (a) surface activity owing to the existence of cold (magnetic) spots on the star and (b) AA Tau type variability caused by periodic eclipsing of the star by its own circumstellar disk, the inner region of which is warped because of interactions with the star’s magnetosphere. The latter model matches the optical observations better. In the infrared, that model only provides a partial fit to the observed variability. In the K band, the major contribution to the variability is from changes in the luminosity of the inner disk caused by fluctuations in the accretion rate.

MAPPING CO GAS IN THE GG TAURI A TRIPLE SYSTEM WITH 50 au SPATIAL RESOLUTION

ABSTRACT We aim to unveil the observational imprint of physical mechanisms that govern planetary formation in the young, multiple system GG Tau A. We present ALMA observations of 12CO and 13CO 3–2 and 0.9 mm continuum emission with 0.″35 resolution. The 12CO 3–2 emission, found within the cavity of the circumternary dust ring (at radius <180 au) where no 13CO emission is detected, confirms the presence of CO gas near the circumstellar disk of GG Tau Aa. The outer disk and the recently detected hot spot lying at the outer edge of the dust ring are mapped both in 12CO and 13CO. The gas emission in the outer disk can be radially decomposed as a series of slightly overlapping Gaussian rings, suggesting the presence of unresolved gaps or dips. The dip closest to the disk center lies at a radius very close to the hot spot location at ∼250–260 au. The CO excitation conditions indicate that the outer disk remains in the shadow of the ring. The hot spot probably results from local heating processes. The two latter points reinforce the hypothesis that the hot spot is created by an embedded proto-planet shepherding the outer disk.

The nature of the 2014–2015 dim state of RW Aurigae revealed by X-ray, optical, and near-IR observations

The binary system RW Aur consists of two classical T~Tauri stars (CTTSs). The primary recently underwent its second observed major dimming event ($\Delta V\,\sim2\,$mag). We present new, resolved Chandra X-ray and UKIRT near-IR (NIR) data as well as unresolved optical photometry obtained in the dim state to study the gas and dust content of the absorber causing the dimming. The X-ray data show that the absorbing column density increased from $N_H<0.1\times10^{22}\,$cm$^{-2}$ during the bright state to $\approx2\times10^{22}\,$cm$^{-2}$ in the dim state. The brightness ratio between dim and bright state at optical to NIR wavelengths shows only a moderate wavelength dependence and the NIR color-color diagram suggests no substantial reddening. Taken together, this indicates gray absorption by large grains ($\gtrsim1\,\mu$m) with a dust mass column density of $\gtrsim2\times10^{-4}\,$g$\,$cm$^{-2}$. Comparison with $N_H$ shows that an absorber responsible for the optical/NIR dimming and the X-ray absorption is compatible with the ISM's gas-to-dust ratio, i.e., that grains grow in the disk surface layers without largely altering the gas-to-dust ratio. Lastly, we discuss a scenario in which a common mechanism can explain the long-lasting dimming in RW Aur and recently in AA Tau.