The dependence of the mass accretion rate on the stellar properties is a key constraint for star formation and disk evolution studies. Here we present a study of a sample of stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming region carried out using spectra taken with the ESO VLT/X-shooter spectrograph. The sample is nearly complete down to stellar masses (M-star) similar to 0.1 M-circle dot for the young stars still harboring a disk in this region. We derive the stellar and accretion parameters using a self-consistent method to fit the broadband flux-calibrated medium resolution spectrum. The correlation between accretion luminosity to stellar luminosity, and of mass accretion rate to stellar mass in the logarithmic plane yields slopes of 1.9 +/- 0.1 and 2.3 +/- 0.3, respectively. These slopes and the accretion rates are consistent with previous results in various star-forming regions and with different theoretical frameworks. However, we find that a broken power-law fit, with a steeper slope for stellar luminosity lower than similar to 0.45 L-circle dot and for stellar masses lower than similar to 0.3 M-circle dot is slightly preferred according to different statistical tests, but the single power-law model is not excluded. The steeper relation for lower mass stars can be interpreted as a faster evolution in the past for accretion in disks around these objects, or as different accretion regimes in different stellar mass ranges. Finally, we find two regions on the mass accretion versus stellar mass plane that are empty of objects: one region at high mass accretion rates and low stellar masses, which is related to the steeper dependence of the two parameters we derived. The second region is located just above the observational limits imposed by chromospheric emission, at M-star similar to 0.3-0.4 M-circle dot. These are typical masses where photoevaporation is known to be effective. The mass accretion rates of this region are similar to 10(-10) M-circle dot/yr, which is compatible with the value expected for photoevaporation to rapidly dissipate the inner disk.

HD 141569 A is a pre-main sequence B9.5 Ve star surrounded by a prominent and complex circumstellar disk, likely still in a transition stage from protoplanetary to debris disk phase. Here, we present a new image of the third inner disk component of HD 141569 A made in the L' band (3.8 mu m) during the commissioning of the vector vortex coronagraph that has recently been installed in the near-infrared imager and spectrograph NIRC2 behind the W.M. Keck Observatory Keck II adaptive optics system. We used reference point-spread function subtraction, which reveals the innermost disk component from the inner working distance of similar or equal to 23 au and up to similar or equal to 70 au. The spatial scale of our detection roughly corresponds to the optical and near-infrared scattered light, thermal Q, N, and 8.6 mu m PAH emission reported earlier. We also see an outward progression in dust location from the L' band to the H band (Very Large Telescope/SPHERE image) to the visible (Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/STIS image), which is likely indicative of dust blowout. The warm disk component is nested deep inside the two outer belts imaged by HST-NICMOS in 1999 (at 406 and 245 au, respectively). We fit our new L'-band image and spectral energy distribution of HD 141569 A with the radiative transfer code MCFOST. Our best-fit models favor pure olivine grains and are consistent with the composition of the outer belts. While our image shows a putative very faint point-like clump or source embedded in the inner disk, we did not detect any true companion within the gap between the inner disk and the first outer ring, at a sensitivity of a few Jupiter masses.

Context. Accretion outbursts are key elements in star formation. ASASSN-13db is a M5-type star with a protoplanetary disk, the lowest-mass star known to experience accretion outbursts. Since its discovery in 2013, it has experienced two outbursts, the second of which started in November 2014 and lasted until February 2017. Aims. We explore the photometric and spectroscopic behavior of ASASSN-13db during the 2014-2017 outburst. Methods. We use high- and low-resolution spectroscopy and time-resolved photometry from the ASAS-SN survey, the LCOGT and the Beacon Observatory to study the light curve of ASASSN-13db and the dynamical and physical properties of the accretion flow. Results. The 2014-2017 outburst lasted for nearly 800 days. A 4.15 d period in the light curve likely corresponds to rotational modulation of a star with hot spot(s). The spectra show multiple emission lines with variable inverse P-Cygni profiles and a highly variable blue-shifted absorption below the continuum. Line ratios from metallic emission lines (Fe I/Fe II, Ti I/Ti II) suggest temperatures of similar to 5800-6000 K in the accretion flow. Conclusions. Photometrically and spectroscopically, the 2014-2017 event displays an intermediate behavior between EXors and FUors. The accretion rate (<(M)over dot> = 1-3 x 10(-7) M-circle dot/yr), about two orders of magnitude higher than the accretion rate in quiescence, is not significantly different from the accretion rate observed in 2013. The absorption features in the spectra suggest that the system is viewed at a high angle and drives a powerful, non-axisymmetric wind, maybe related to magnetic reconnection. The properties of ASASSN-13db suggest that temperatures lower than those for solar-type stars are needed for modeling accretion in very-low-mass systems. Finally, the rotational modulation during the outburst reveals that accretion-related structures settle after the beginning of the outburst and can be relatively stable and long-lived. Our work also demonstrates the power of time-resolved photometry and spectroscopy to explore the properties of variable and outbursting stars.

No description available.

Le but de ce mémoire est de poser les jalons qui permettront d'identifier les sources d'énergie et les mécanismes physiques qui sont responsables de l'activité manifestée par les étoiles T Tauri. Dans le contexte offert par l'étude de l'activité des étoiles de type solaire, il s'agit ici de déterminer dans quelle mesure l'analogie solaire peut être appliquée à l'activité manifestée par les étoiles T Tauri. Cette démarche qui consiste à différencier les sources d'énergie dont disposent ces étoiles constitue une première étape vers leur identification. Le Chapitre 1 constitue un rappel des propriétés des étoiles T Tauri (1.2), des modèles théoriques qui s'y rapportent (1.3), et des sources d'énergie dont elles peuvent bénéficier (104). L'existence de champs magnétiques à la surface des étoiles T Tauri est établie dans le Chapitre II : en premier lieu, la détection de variations périodiques dans les courbes de lumière de 11 étoiles T Tauri y est rapportée (II.2.1) ; les variations photométriques périodiques sont interprétées en terme d'une distribution de température hétérogène à la surface des étoiles (11.2.2, 11.2.3) ; le développement (II.2A) et l'application (II.2.5) d'un modèle théorique visant à reproduire les courbes de lumière observées permettent ensuite de déduire les propriétés physiques et géométriques de cette distribution; finalement, la présence de champs magnétiques photosphériques à la surface des étoiles T Tauri, premier indice de l'existence d'un processus dynamo, est déduite de la comparaison des propriétés de cette distribution avec celles des taches magnétiques couvrant la surface des systèmes RS CVn (II.2.6). Le rôle du processus dynamo dans le chauffage non-radiatif de l'atmosphère des étoiles T Tauri est étudié dans le Chapitre III : pour ce faire, après avoir discuté les paramètres qui semblent au mieux refléter le niveau d'activité stellaire et l'efficacité du processus dynamo (III.2), le comportement des étoiles T Tauri est analysé dans des diagrammes activité-rotation et comparé à celui des étoiles de type solaire (III.3) , L'existence du processus dynamo y est établie et ses limites cernées, Les implications de ces résultats sur la physique du processus dynamo dans les étoiles complétement convectives sont abordées (III.4.1) et, après une analyse détaillée des différences existant entre l'atmosphère des étoiles T Tauri et celle des étoiles de type solaire (III.4.2), les résultats obtenus sont confrontés aux prévisions des modèles théoriques (III.4.3) ; finalement, l'accrétion de matière circumstellaire à la surface des étoiles est présentée comme une source d'énergie susceptible de suppléer le processus dynamo (III.4.4). Deux appendices, présentés sous la forme de publications parues dans Astronomy and Astrophysics, complètent cette étude. L'appendice A décrit l'analyse et l'interprétation de la courbe de lumière périodique de l'étoile DN Tauri, un membre représentatif de la classe des étoiles T Tauri. Cette appendice se rapporte directement au Chapitre II. L'ensemble de l'étude présentée dans ce mémoire repose sur la détermination précise des taux de rotation d'un échantillon statistiquement significatif d'étoiles T Tauri. Cette détermination, qui fut notre première tache, est décrite dans l'appendice B. Le lecteur y trouvera un exposé détaillé des différentes méthodes utilisées pour mesurer les taux de rotation de ces étoiles peu lumineuses. En outre, les résultats obtenus y sont analysés dans le cadre du problème de l'évolution du moment angulaire durant les phases pré-séquence principale.

Une étude de 2 diagnostics de perte de masse dans les objets stellaires est faite et un programme qui calcule la formation des raies rotationnelles de CO en géometrie axiale est developpé. Les contraintes posées par les résultats sur la structure à grande échelle des jets sont discutées. Les raies interdites dans les étoiles jeunes de faible masse sont ensuite etudiées. Plusieurs modèles capables d'expliquer les profils observés sont discutés

Stars form from the collapse of molecular clouds and evolve in an environment rich in gas and dust before becoming Main Sequence stars. During this phase, characterised by the presence of a protoplanetary disc, stars manifest changes in the structure and luminosity. This thesis performs a multi-wavelength analysis, from optical to mm range, on a sample of young stars (YSOs), mainly Classical T Tauri (CTTS). The purpose is to study optical and infrared variability and its relation with the protoplanetary disc. Longer wavelength, in the mm range, are used instead to investigate the evolution of the disc, in terms of dust growth. In optical, an F-test on a sample of 39 CTTS reveals that 67\% of the stars are variable. The variability, quantified through pooled sigma, is visible both in magnitude amplitudes and changes over time. Time series analysis applied on the more variable stars finds the presence of quasi periodicity, with periods longer than two weeks, interpreted either as eclipsing material in the disc happening on a non-regular basis, or as a consequence of star-disc interaction via magnetic field lines. The variability of YSOs is confirmed also in infrared, even if with lower amplitude. No strong correlations are found between optical and infrared variability, which implies a different cause or a time shift in the two events. By using a toy model to explore their origin, I find that infrared variations are likely to stem from emissions in the inner disc. The evolution of discs in terms of dust growth is confirmed in most discs by the analysis of the slope of the spectral energy distribution (SED), after correcting for wind emission and optical depth effects. However, the comparison with a radiative transfer model highlights that a number of disc parameters, in particular disc masses and temperature, dust size distribution and composition, can also affect the slope of the SED.