We analyze the variability in accretion-related emission lines for 40 Classical T Tauri stars to probe the extent of accretion variations in young stellar objects. Our analysis is based on multi-epoch high-resolution spectra for young stars in Tau-Aur and Cha I. For all stars, we obtain typically four spectra, covering timescales from hours to months. As proxies for the accretion rate, we use the H-alpha 10% width and the CaII-8662 line flux. We find that while the two quantities are correlated, their variability amplitude is not. Converted to accretion rates, the CaII fluxes indicate typical accretion rate changes of 0.35 dex, with 32% exceeding 0.5 dex, while H-alpha 10% width suggests changes of 0.65 dex, with 66% exceeding 0.5 dex. We conclude that CaII fluxes are a more robust quantitative indicator of accretion than H-alpha 10% width, and that intrinsic accretion rate changes typically do not exceed 0.5 dex on timescales of days to months. The maximum extent of the variability is reached after a few days, suggesting that rotation is the dominant cause of variability. We see a decline of the inferred accretion rates towards later spectral types, reflecting the dM/dt vs. M relationship. There is a gap between accretors and non-accretors, pointing to a rapid shutdown of accretion. We conclude that the ~2 orders of magnitude scatter in the dM/dt vs. M relationship is dominated by object-to-object scatter instead of intrinsic source variability.
This article represents a short review of the variability characteristics of young stellar objects. Variability is a key property of young stars. Two major origins may be distinguished: a scaled-up version of the magnetic activity seen on main-sequence stars and various processes related to circumstellar disks, accretion and outflows.
The early stages of the pre-Main-Sequence (PMS) evolution of young stars are characterized by a substantial interaction between the central star and the surrounding disk. Among the processes that take place, the accretion of material from the disk onto the star is a crucial one, as it traces the disk evolution and, in turn, affects how planets are formed and evolve in disks. Even if accretion has been studied for many years, it is still the focus of a large body of work, as we do not fully understand how it happens.
Accretion onto Classical T Tauri stars is thought to take place through the action of magnetospheric processes, with gas in the inner disk being channeled onto the star's surface by the stellar magnetic field lines. Young stars are known to accrete material in a time-variable manner and the source of this variability remains an open problem, particularly on the shortest (~ day) timescales. Using one-dimensional time-dependent numerical simulations that follow the field line geometry, we find that for plausibly realistic young stars, steady-state transonic accretion occurs naturally in the abse…
Buoyancy of the fossil magnetic field in the accretion disks of young stars is investigated. It is assumed that the Parker instability leads to the formation of slender flux tubes of toroidal magnetic field in the regions of effective magnetic field generation. Stationary solution of the induction equation is written in the form in which buoyancy is treated as the additional mechanism of the magnetic flux escape. We calculate the fossil magnetic field intensity in the accretion disks of young T Tauri stars for the cases when radius of the magnetic flux tubes $a_{\mathrm{mft}} = 0.1H$, $0.5 H$ …
Mass Accretion Processes in Young Stellar Objects: Role of Intense Flaring Activity
根据磁层吸积的假设，年轻的低质量恒星被星周盘包围，它们通过质量吸积与星周盘相互作用。这种吸积作用使恒星达到最终质量，也被认为是物质外流的动力，而物质外流反过来又可能在从星盘系统中去除多余的角动量方面发挥重要作用。虽然质量吸积过程是恒星形成的一个关键方面，但它的一些机制仍有待完全理解。另一方面，强烈的耀斑活动是年轻恒星天体（YSO）的共同特征。在太阳中，这类事件引起行星际介质的扰动。类似但更有活力的现象发生在YSO中，并可能影响星周环境。事实上，最近的一项研究表明，靠近盘的强烈耀斑活动可能会强烈扰动星周盘的稳定性，从而引发质量吸积事件（Orlando et al. 2011）。在这里，我们回顾了在该领域取得的主要成果和未来的前景。
The paper describes the modelling of the structure and spectra of the hot accretion spots on the surface of young stars with taking into account departures from LTE for hydrogen and helium. It has been found that the existence of the ram pressure of the in-falling gas at the outer boundary of the hot spot leads to the Stark broadening of the hydrogen line profiles up to FWHM of about 1000 km/s at the considered accretion parameters. It is shown that taking into account departures from LTE for atoms and ions of carbon and oxygen does not lead to noticeable changes in the structure of the hot sp…
We present 29 likely members of the young $ρ$ Oph or Upper Sco regions of recent star formation that exhibit "accretion burst" type light curves in $K2$ time series photometry. The bursters were identified by visual examination of their ~80 day light curves, though all satisfy the $M < -0.25$ flux asymmetry criterion for burst behavior defined by Cody et al. (2014). The burst sources represent $\approx$9% of cluster members with strong infrared excess indicative of circumstellar material. Higher amplitude burster behavior is correlated with larger inner disk infrared excesses, as inferred from…
X-shooter spectroscopy of young stellar objects: I - Mass accretion rates of low-mass T Tauri stars in σOrionis
我们提供了猎户座σ星团中12颗质量很低的恒星在300-2500 nm范围内的高质量、中等分辨率的X-shooter/VLT光谱。该样本包括质量从0.08到0.3 M $_\odot$的恒星。这第一篇论文的目的是调查的可靠性，目前使用的许多吸积示踪剂测量质量吸积率在低质量，年轻的恒星。我们用我们的光谱来测量吸积光度的连续过剩的紫外线和可见光的排放量，推导出的质量吸积率范围从10 $^{-9}$ M $_{\odot}$年$^{-1}$下降到5 $\times10^{-11}$ M $_{\odot}$年$^{-1}$，使我们能够调查的吸积驱动的发射线在非常低的质量吸积率制度的行为。我们计算了十个吸积驱动的发射线的光度，从紫外到近红外，同时获得。大多数次级示踪剂与来自连续超额发射的吸积光度有很好的相关性。我们证实了文献中给出的吸积光度和线光度之间的关联的有效性，但Hα可能是个例外。在观察单个物体时，我们发现从紫外到近红外的氢复合线对吸积光度进行了良好且一致的测量，通常比所采用的相关性引入的不确定性更一致。由多条氢谱线同时测量得到的平均吸积光度的误差大大减小。这表明，在文献相关性的一些传播可能是由于使用非同时观测线和连续。我们样本中的三颗恒星偏离了这种行为，我们单独讨论它们。
An observational review is provided of the properties of accretion disks around young stars. It concerns the primordial disks of intermediate- and high-mass young stellar objects in embedded and optically revealed phases. The properties were derived from spatially resolved observations and therefore predominantly obtained with interferometric means, either in the radio/(sub)millimeter or in the optical/infrared wavelength regions. We make summaries and comparisons of the physical properties, kinematics, and dynamics of these circumstellar structures and delineate trends where possible. Amongst…
About a dozen substellar companions orbiting young stellar objects or pre-main sequence stars at several hundred au have been identified in the last decade. These objects are interesting both due to the uncertainties surrounding their formation, and because their large separation from the host star offers the potential to study the atmospheres of young giant planets and brown dwarfs. Here, we present X-shooter spectroscopy of SR 12 C, a $\sim\,2\,$Myrs young brown dwarf orbiting SR 12 at an orbital separation of 1083 au. We determine the spectral type, gravity, and effective temperature via co…
In the framework of the GIARPS@TNG High-resolution Observations of T Tauri stars (GHOsT) project, we study the accretion properties of 37 Classical T Tauri Stars of the Taurus-Auriga star forming region (SFR) with the aim of characterizing their relation with the properties of the central star, of jets and disk winds, and of the global disk structure, in synergy with complementary ALMA millimiter observations. We derive stellar parameters, optical veiling, accretion luminosity ($\rm L_{acc}$) and mass accretion rate ($\rm \dot M_{acc}$) in a homogeneous and self-consistent way using high-resol…
Young stars interact with their accretion disk through their strong magnetosphere. We investigate the magnetospheric accretion process in the young stellar system DoAr 44. We monitored the system over several rotational cycles, combining high-resolution optical and near-IR spectropolarimetry with long-baseline near-IR interferometry and multicolor photometry. DoAr 44 is a young 1.2 solar mass star, moderately accreting from its disk, and seen at a low inclination. We derive a rotational period of 2.96 d from the system's light curve. Several optical and near-IR line profiles probing the accret…
We present an optical/near-IR survey of 11 variable young stars (EXors and EXor candidates) aimed at deriving and monitoring their accretion properties. About 30 optical and near-infrared spectra ($\Re$ $\sim$ 1500-2000) were collected between 2014-2019 with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). From the spectral analysis we have derived the accretion luminosity and mass accretion rate, the visual extinction, the temperature and density of the permitted line formation region, and the signature of the outflowing matter. Two sources (ASASSN-13db and iPTF15afq) have been observed in outburst and q…
We aim at characterizing the accretion properties of several hundred members of the star-forming cluster NGC 2264 (3 Myr). We performed a deep u,g,r,i mapping and a simultaneous u+r monitoring of the region with CFHT/MegaCam in order to directly probe the accretion process from UV excess measurements. Photometric properties and stellar parameters are determined homogeneously for about 750 monitored young objects, spanning the mass range 0.1-2 Mo. About 40% are classical (accreting) T Tauri stars, based on various diagnostics (H_alpha, UV and IR excesses). The remaining non-accreting members de…
The vertical structure of the accretion disks of young stars with fossil large-scale magnetic field is studied. The equations of magnetostatic equilibrium of the disk are solved taking into account the stellar gravity, gas and magnetic pressure, turbulent heating, and heating by stellar radiation. The modelled physical structure of the disk is used to simulate its chemical structure, in particular, to study the spatial distribution of CN molecules. The disk of the typical T Tauri star is considered. Simulations show that the temperature within the disk in the region $r<50$ au decreases with he…
Young stellar objects are thought to accrete material from their circumstellar disks through their strong stellar magnetospheres. We aim to directly probe the magnetospheric accretion region on a scale of a few 0.01 au in a young stellar system using long-baseline optical interferometry. We observed the pre-transitional disk system DoAr 44 with VLTI/GRAVITY on two consecutive nights in the K-band. We computed interferometric visibilities and phases in the continuum and in the BrG line in order to constrain the extent and geometry of the emitting regions. We resolve the continuum emission of th…
The enigmatic young brown dwarf binary FU Tau: accretion and activity
富头星属于一个罕见的年轻宽棕矮星双星。我们在钱德拉X射线观测中解决了该系统，并仅检测到了主要的FU Tau A。硬X射线发射，可能来自日冕，但出乎意料的是，我们还检测到来自FU Tau A的强烈和异常柔软的成分。它的X射线特性，迄今为止在褐矮星中是独一无二的，与金牛座T星TW Hya的X射线特性非常相似。与TW Hya的类比表明，占主导地位的软X射线成分可以解释为吸积冲击的发射。然而，褐矮星的典型自由落体速度太低，无法将观测到的X射线温度解释为激波后区域。另一方面，超过自由落体速度的速度来自档案光学光谱学，并在光学光度学中发现了FU Tau A强吸积的独立证据。FU Tau A的高X射线光度与高辐射热光度相吻合，证实了年轻棕矮星中一种无法解释的趋势。事实上，FU头A是overloughly相对于进化模型，而FU头B是在1万年的等时线表明非同期形成的两个组成部分的二进制。FU Tau A的极端年轻可能是其特殊X射线特性的原因，就非典型的磁活动或吸积而言。或者，旋转和磁场效应可能会降低对流的效率，这又会影响FU Tau A的有效温度和半径，使其在HR图中的位置发生偏移。虽然有没有直接证明后一种情况下，到目前为止，我们提出的论据，其可扩展性。
Protoplanetary disks around young stars are the birth sights of planetary systems like our own. Disks represent the gaseous dusty matter left after the formation of their central stars. The mass and luminosity of the star, initial disk mass and angular momentum, and gas viscosity govern disk evolution and accretion. Protoplanetary disks are the cosmic nurseries where microscopic dust grains grow into pebbles, planetesimals, and planets.
We present the results of FLAMES/UVES and FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectroscopic observations of 23 low-mass stars in the L1615/L1616 cometary cloud, complemented with FORS2 and VIMOS spectroscopy of 31 additional stars in the same cloud. L1615/L1616 is a cometary cloud where the star formation was triggered by the impact of the massive stars in the Orion OB association. From the measurements of the lithium abundance and radial velocity, we confirm the membership of our sample to the cloud. We use the equivalent widths of the H$α$, H$β$, and the HeI $λ$5876, $λ$6678, $λ$7065 Å$ $emission lines to calcul…
We investigate the structure and dynamics of the magnetospheric accretion region and associated outflows on a scale smaller than 0.1 au around the young transitional disk system GM Aur. We monitored the variability of the system on timescales ranging from days to months, using high-resolution optical and near-infrared spectroscopy, multiwavelength photometry, and low-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy, over a total duration of six months (30 rotational cycles). We analyzed the photometric and line profile variability to characterize the accretion and ejection processes. The luminosity of th…
3D simulations of magnetospheric accretion in T Tauri stars: I. Disk truncation, stellar torques, and application to observations
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens（雅典国立卡波蒂斯坦大学）；Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学，法国国家科学研究中心，IPAG）；INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino（意大利国家天体物理研究所都灵天文台）
We present high spatial resolution ($52$ au) observations of the high-mass young stellar object (HMYSO) G345.4938+01.4677 made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA). This O-type HMYSO is located at 2.38 kpc and it is associated with a luminosity of $1.5\times10^5 L_\odot$. We detect circumstellar emission from the H$38β$ hydrogen recombination line showing a compact structure rotating perpendicularly to the previously detected radio jet. We interpret this emission as tracing a photo-ionized accretion disk around the HMYSO. While this disk-like structure seems currently…
Young stellar objects in their pre-main sequence phase are characterized by irregular changes in brightness, generally attributed to an increase of the mass accretion rate due to various kind of instabilities occurring in the circumstellar disk. In the era of large surveys aimed to monitor the sky, we present a pipeline to detect irregular bursts, in particular EXors-like ( EX Lupi type eruptive variables), in the light curves. The procedure follows a heuristic approach and is tested against the light curves already collected for a few objects presently recognized as bona fide or candidate EXo…
Accretion Properties of the Young Brown Dwarf 2MASS J08440915-7833457
Rice University（莱斯大学）；Johns-Hopkins University（约翰霍普金斯大学）；Peking University（北京大学）；Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University（北京大学柯尔夫天文与天体物理研究所）
Solar-mass stars form via circumstellar disk accretion (disk-mediated accretion). Recent findings indicate that this process is likely episodic in the form of accretion bursts, possibly caused by disk fragmentation. Although it cannot be ruled out that high-mass young stellar objects (HMYSOs; $M>$8 M$_\odot$, $L_{bol}>$5$\times$10$^3$ L$_\odot$) arise from the coalescence of their low-mass brethren, latest results suggest that they more likely form via disks. Accordingly, disk-mediated accretion bursts should occur. Here we report on the discovery of the first disk-mediated accretion burst fro…
The majority of stars are part of gravitationally bound stellar systems, such as binaries. Observations of protobinary systems constrain the conditions that lead to stellar multiplicity and subsequent orbital evolution. We report high-angular resolution observations of the circumbinary disk around [BHB2007] 11, a young binary protostar system. The two protostars are embedded in circumstellar disks that have radii of 2 to 3 astronomical units and probably contain a few Jupiter masses. These systems are surrounded by a complex structure of filaments connecting to the larger circumbinary disk. We…
The science case on studies of accretion and outflows in low-mass ($<$1.5 $M_{\odot}$) young stellar objects (YSOs) with the new CUBES instrument is presented. We show the need for a high-sensitivity, near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectrograph like CUBES, with a resolving power at least four times that of X-Shooter and combined with UVES via a fibrelink for simultaneous observations. Simulations with the CUBES exposure time calculator and the end-to-end software show that a significant gain in signal-to -noise can be achieved compared to current instruments, for both the spectral continuum and emissi…
Our goal is to relate the photometric and spectroscopic variability of classical T Tauri stars, of the star-forming cluster NGC 2264, to the physical processes acting in the stellar and circumstellar environment, within a few stellar radii from the star. NGC 2264 was the target of a multiwavelength observational campaign with CoRoT, MOST, Spitzer, and Chandra satellites and observations from the ground. We classified the CoRoT light curves of accreting systems according to their morphology and compared our classification to several accretion diagnostics and disk parameters. The morphology of t…
Although the Orion Nebula Cluster is one of the most studied clusters in the solar neighborhood, the evolution of the very low-mass members ($M_* < 0.25 \, M_\odot$) has not been fully addressed due to their faintness. Our goal is to verify if some young and very low-mass objects in the Orion Nebula Cluster show evidence of ongoing accretion using broadband VLT/X-Shooter spectra. For each target, we determined the corresponding stellar parameters, veiling, observed Balmer jump, and accretion rates. Additionally, we searched for the existence of circumstellar disks through available on-line pho…
We explore UV and optical variability signatures for several hundred members of NGC 2264 (3 Myr). We performed simultaneous u- and r-band monitoring over two full weeks with CFHT/MegaCam. About 750 young stars are probed; 40% of them are accreting. Statistically distinct variability properties are observed for accreting and non-accreting cluster members. The accretors exhibit a significantly higher level of variability than the non-accretors, especially in the UV. The amount of u-band variability correlates statistically with UV excess in disk-bearing objects, which suggests that accretion and…
