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IN-SYNC. V. Stellar Kinematics and Dynamics in the Orion A Molecular CloudDa Rio, Nicola, Tan, Jonathan C., Covey, Kevin R., Cottaar, Michiel, Foster, Jonathan B., Cullen, Nicholas C., Tobin, John, Kim, Jinyoung S., Meyer, Michael R., Nidever, David L., Stassun, Keivan G., Chojnowski, S. Drew, Flaherty, Kevin M., Majewski, Steven R., Skrutskie, Michael F., Zasowski, Gail, Pan, Kaike 16 August 2017 (has links)
The kinematics and dynamics of young stellar populations enable us to test theories of star formation. With this aim, we continue our analysis of the SDSS-III/APOGEE IN-SYNC survey, a high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopic survey of young clusters. We focus on the Orion A star-forming region, for which IN-SYNC obtained spectra of similar to 2700 stars. In Paper IV we used these data to study the young stellar population. Here we study the kinematic properties through radial velocities (vr). The young stellar population remains kinematically associated with the molecular gas, following a similar to 10 km s(-1) gradient along the filament. However, near the center of the region, the vr distribution is slightly blueshifted and asymmetric; we suggest that this population, which is older, is slightly in the foreground. We find evidence for kinematic subclustering, detecting statistically significant groupings of colocated stars with coherent motions. These are mostly in the lower-density regions of the cloud, while the ONC radial velocities are smoothly distributed, consistent with it being an older, more dynamically evolved cluster. The velocity dispersion sigma(v) varies along the filament. The ONC appears virialized, or just slightly supervirial, consistent with an old dynamical age. Here there is also some evidence for ongoing expansion, from a v(r)-extinction correlation. In the southern filament, sigma(v) is similar to 2-3 times larger than virial in the L1641N region, where we infer a superposition along the line of sight of stellar subpopulations, detached from the gas. In contrast, sv decreases toward L1641S, where the population is again in agreement with a virial state.
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Exteme variables in star forming regionsContreras Peña, Carlos Eduardo January 2015 (has links)
The notion that low- to intermediate-mass young stellar objects (YSOs) gain mass at a constant rate during the early stages of their evolution appears to be challenged by observations of YSOs suffering sudden increases of the rate at which they gain mass from their circumstellar discs. Also, this idea that stars spend most of their lifetime with a low accretion rate and gain most of their final mass during short-lived episodes of high accretion bursts, helps to solve some long-standing problems in stellar evolution. The original classification of eruptive variables divides them in two separate subclasses known as FU Orionis stars (FUors) and EX Lupi stars (EXors). In this classical view FUors are at an early evolutionary stage and are still gaining mass from their parent envelopes, whilst EXors are thought to be older objects only surrounded by an accretion disc. The problem with this classical view is that it excludes younger protostars which have higher accretion rates but are too deeply embedded in circumstellar matter to be observed at optical wavelengths. Optically invisible protostars have been observed to display large variability in the near-infrared. These and some recent discoveries of new eruptive variables, show characteristics that can be attributed to both of the optically-defined subclasses of eruptive variables. The new objects have been proposed to be part of a new class of eruptive variables. However, a more accepted scenario is that in fact the original classes only represent two extremes of the same phenomena. In this sense eruptive variability could be explained as arising from one physical mechanism, i.e. unsteady accretion, where a variation in the parameters of such mechanism can cause the different characteristics observed in the members of this class. With the aim of studying the incidence of episodic accretion among young stellar objects, and to characterize the nature of these eruptive variables we searched for high amplitude variability in two multi-epoch infrared surveys: the UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey (GPS) and the Vista Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV). In order to further investigate the nature of the selected variable stars, we use photometric information arising from public surveys at near- to farinfrared wavelengths. In addition we have performed spectroscopic and photometric follow-up for a large subset of the samples arising from GPS and VVV. We analyse the widely separated two-epoch K-band photometry in the 5th, 7th and 8th data releases of the UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey. We find 71 stars with _K > 1 mag, including 2 previously known OH/IR stars and a Nova. Even though the mid-plane is mostly excluded from the dataset, we find the majority (66%) of our sample to be within known star forming regions (SFRs), with two large concentrations in the Serpens OB2 association (11 stars) and the Cygnus-X complex (27 stars). The analysis of the multi-epoch K-band photometry of 2010-2012 data from VVV covering the Galactic disc at |b| < 1◦ yields 816 high amplitude variables, which include known variables of different classes such as high mass X-ray binaries, Novae and eclipsing binaries among others. Remarkably, 65% of the sample are found concentrated towards areas of star formation, similar to the results from GPS. In both surveys, sources in SFRs show spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that support classification as YSOs. This indicates that YSOs dominate the Galactic population of high amplitude infrared variable stars at low luminosities and therefore likely dominate the total high amplitude population. Spectroscopic follow-up allows us to confirm the pre-main sequence nature of several GPS and VVV Objects. Most objects in both samples show spectroscopic signatures that can be attributed to YSOs undergoing high states of accretion, such as veiling of photospheric features and CO emission, or show FUor-like spectra. We also find a large fraction of objects with 2.12 μm H2 emission that can be explained as arising from shock-excited emission caused by molecular outflows. Whether these molecular outflows are related to outbursts events cannot be confirmed from our data. Adding the GPS and VVV spectroscopic results, we find that between 6 and 14 objects are new additions to the FUor class from their close resemblance to the near-infrared spectra of FUors, and at least 23 more objects are new additions to the eruptive variable class. For most of these we are unable to classify them into any of the original definitions for this variable class. In any case, we are adding up to 37 new stars to the eruptive variable class which would double the current number of known objects. We note that most objects are found to be deeply embedded optically invisible stars, thus increasing the number of objects belonging to this subclass by a much larger factor. In general, objects in our samples which are found to be likely eruptive variable stars show a mixture of characteristics that can be attributed to both of the optically-defined classes. This agrees well with the recent discoveries in the literature. Finally, we are able to derive a first rough estimate on the incidence of episodic accretion among class I YSOs in the star-forming complex G305. We find that _ 9% of such objects are in a state of high accretion. This number is in agreement with previous theoretical and observational estimates among class I YSOs.
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The Sizes and Depletions of the Dust and Gas Cavities in the Transitional Disk J160421.7-213028Dong, Ruobing, Marel, Nienke van der, Hashimoto, Jun, Chiang, Eugene, Akiyama, Eiji, Liu, Hauyu Baobab, Muto, Takayuki, Knapp, Gillian R., Tsukagoshi, Takashi, Brown, Joanna, Bruderer, Simon, Koyamatsu, Shin, Kudo, Tomoyuki, Ohashi, Nagayoshi, Rich, Evan, Satoshi, Mayama, Takami, Michihiro, Wisniewski, John, Yang, Yi, Zhu, Zhaohuan, Tamura, Motohide 21 February 2017 (has links)
We report ALMA Cycle 2 observations of 230 GHz (1.3 mm) dust continuum emission, and (CO)-C-12, (CO)-C-13, and (CO)-O-18 J = 2-1 line emission, from the Upper Scorpius transitional disk [PZ99] J160421.7-213028, with an angular resolution of similar to 0''.25 (35 au). Armed with these data and existing H-band scattered light observations, we measure the size and depth of the disk's central cavity, and the sharpness of its outer edge, in three components: sub-mu m-sized "small" dust traced by scattered light, millimeter-sized "big" dust traced by the millimeter continuum, and gas traced by line emission. Both dust populations feature a cavity of radius similar to 70 au that is depleted by factors of at least 1000 relative to the dust density just outside. The millimeter continuum data are well explained by a cavity with a sharp edge. Scattered light observations can be fitted with a cavity in small dust that has either a sharp edge at 60 au, or an edge that transitions smoothly over an annular width of 10 au near 60 au. In gas, the data are consistent with a cavity that is smaller, about 15 au in radius, and whose surface density at 15 au is 10(3 +/- 1) times smaller than the surface density at 70 au; the gas density grades smoothly between these two radii. The CO isotopologue observations rule out a sharp drop in gas surface density at 30 au or a double-drop model, as found by previous modeling. Future observations are needed to assess the nature of these gas and dust cavities (e.g., whether they are opened by multiple as-yet-unseen planets or photoevaporation).
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What is the Mass of a Gap-opening Planet?Dong, Ruobing, Fung, Jeffrey 24 January 2017 (has links)
High-contrast imaging instruments such as GPI and SPHERE are discovering gap structures in protoplanetary disks at an ever faster pace. Some of these gaps may be opened by planets forming in the disks. In order to constrain planet formation models using disk observations, it is crucial to find a robust way to quantitatively back out the properties of the gap-opening planets, in particular their masses, from the observed gap properties, such as their depths and widths. Combining 2D and 3D hydrodynamics simulations with 3D radiative transfer simulations, we investigate the morphology of planet-opened gaps in near-infrared scattered-light images. Quantitatively, we obtain correlations that directly link intrinsic gap depths and widths in the gas surface density to observed depths and widths in images of disks at modest inclinations under finite angular resolution. Subsequently, the properties of the surface density gaps enable us to derive the disk scale height at the location of the gap h, and to constrain the quantity M-p(2)/alpha, where Mp is the mass of the gap-opening planet and a characterizes the viscosity in the gap. As examples, we examine the gaps recently imaged by VLT/SPHERE, Gemini/GPI, and Subaru/HiCIAO in HD 97048, TW Hya, HD 169142, LkCa. 15, and RX J1615.3-3255. Scale heights of the disks and possible masses of the gap-opening planets are derived assuming each gap is opened by a single planet. Assuming a = 10(-3), the derived planet masses in all cases are roughly between 0.1 and 1M(J).
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Kicking at the darkness: detecting deeply embedded protostars at 1–10 μmMaxwell, Aaron J. 03 November 2010 (has links)
We present an analysis of observations using the Spitzer Space Telescope and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope of deeply embedded protostars in the Perseus Giant Molecular Cloud. Building on the results of Jørgensen et al. (2007), we attempt to characterize the physical properties of these deeply embedded protostars, discovered due to their extremely red near infrared colours and their proximity to protostellar cores detected at 850 μm. Using a grid of radiative transfer models by Robitaille et al. (2006), we fit the observed fluxes of each source, and build statistical descriptions of the best fits. We also use simple one dimensional analytic approximations to the protostars in order to determine the physical size and mass of the protostellar envelope, and use these 1D models to provide a goodness-of-fit criterion when considering the model grid fits to the Perseus sources. We find that it is possible to create red [3.6]-[4.5] and [8.0]-[24] colours by inflating the inner envelope radius, as well as by observing embedded protostars through the bipolar outflows. The majority of the deeply embedded protostars, however, are well fit by models seen at intermediate inclinations, with outflow cavity opening angles < 30o, and scattering of photons off of the cavity walls produces the red colours. We also discuss other results of the SED fitting.
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X-shooter study of accretion in Chamaeleon IManara, C. F., Testi, L., Herczeg, G. J., Pascucci, I., Alcalá, J. M., Natta, A., Antoniucci, S., Fedele, D., Mulders, G. D., Henning, T., Mohanty, S., Prusti, T., Rigliaco, E. 25 August 2017 (has links)
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.
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CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INNER DISK AROUND HD 141569 A FROM KECK/NIRC2 L-BAND VORTEX CORONAGRAPHYMawet, Dimitri, Choquet, Élodie, Absil, Olivier, Huby, Elsa, Bottom, Michael, Serabyn, Eugene, Femenia, Bruno, Lebreton, Jérémy, Matthews, Keith, Gonzalez, Carlos A. Gomez, Wertz, Olivier, Carlomagno, Brunella, Christiaens, Valentin, Defrère, Denis, Delacroix, Christian, Forsberg, Pontus, Habraken, Serge, Jolivet, Aissa, Karlsson, Mikael, Milli, Julien, Pinte, Christophe, Piron, Pierre, Reggiani, Maddalena, Surdej, Jean, Catalan, Ernesto Vargas 03 January 2017 (has links)
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.
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The 2014–2017 outburst of the young star ASASSN-13dbSicilia-Aguilar, A., Oprandi, A., Froebrich, D., Fang, M., Prieto, J. L., Stanek, K., Scholz, A., Kochanek, C. S., Henning, Th., Gredel, R., Holoien, T. W.- S., Rabus, M., Shappee, B. J., Billington, S. J., Campbell-White, J., Zegmott, T. J. 24 November 2017 (has links)
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.
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Simulações Numéricas Tri-dimensionais de Ventos Magnetizados de Estrelas de Baixa Massa / Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulations of Magnetized Winds of Low-Mass StarsVidotto, Aline de Almeida 16 November 2009 (has links)
O tópico abordado nesta tese é a perda de massa através de ventos coronais magnetizados em estrelas de baixa massa. Ventos estelares têm sido estudados extensivamente há vários anos, tendo inicialmente como foco o vento solar. Atualmente, sabe-se que o campo magnético é essencial na aceleração e aquecimento dos ventos coronais. Apesar do conhecimento detalhado que temos da estrutura magnética do Sol, pouco se sabe sobre a configuração do campo magnético em outras estrelas. Nesta tese, é investigada a estrutura do campo magnético nas coroas de estrelas do tipo solar na Seqüência Principal e de suas predecessoras na pré Seqüência Principal através de simulações numéricas magneto-hidrodinâmicas tri-dimensionais. Aqui, consideramos de forma auto-consistente a interação entre o vento e o campo magnético e vice-versa. Dessa forma, pela interação entre forças magnéticas e forças do vento, consegue-se determinar a configuração do campo magnético e a estrutura dos ventos coronais. Realizamos um estudo de ventos de estrelas do tipo solar e a dependência dos mesmos com o parâmetro beta do plasma (a razão entre as densidades de energia térmica e magnética). Este é o primeiro estudo a realizar tal análise resolvendo as equações tri-dimensionais da magneto-hidrodinâmica ideal. Em nossas simulações, adotamos um parâmetro de aquecimento descrito por gamma, que é responsável pela aceleração térmica do vento. Então, nós analisamos ventos com intensidades de campo magnético nos pólos no intervalo de B0 = 1 a 20 G e mostramos que a estrutura do vento apresenta características que são similares à do vento coronal do Sol. No estado estacionário, a topologia do campo magnético obtida é similar para todos os casos estudados, apresentando uma configuração do tipo helmet streamer, com zonas de linhas fechadas e abertas de campo magnético co-existindo. Intensidades mais altas de campo levam a ventos mais acelerados e mais quentes. O aumento na intensidade do campo gera também uma zona morta maior no vento, i.e., os loops fechados que previnem que a matéria escape da coroa em latitudes menores que ~45 graus se estendem a maiores distâncias da estrela. Além disso, mostramos também que a força de Lorentz gera naturalmente um vento que é dependente da latitude. Ao aumentar a densidade da coroa mantendo B0 = 20 G, mostramos que o sistema volta a apresentar ventos menos acelerados e mais frios. Para um valor fixo de gamma, mostramos que o parâmetro essencial na determinação do perfil de velocidade do vento é o parâmetro beta calculado na base da coroa. Dessa forma, acredita-se que haja um grupo de ventos magnetizados que apresenta a mesma velocidade terminal independentemente das densidades de energia térmica ou magnética, desde que o parâmetro beta seja o mesmo. No entanto, essa degenerescência pode ser removida ao se comparar outros parâmetros físicos do vento, tal como a taxa de perda de massa. Nós também analisamos a influência do gamma nos nossos resultados e mostramos que ele é importante na determinação da estrutura do vento. Além disso, investigamos ventos magnetizados de estrelas de baixa massa da pré Seqüência Principal. Em particular, analisamos sob quais circunstâncias tais estrelas apresentam estruturas magnéticas alongadas (e.g., helmet streamers, proeminências do tipo slingshot, etc). Focamos especialmente em estrelas do tipo T Tauri fracas, uma vez que o tênue disco de acreção, quando presente ao redor de tais estrelas, não deve causar forte influência na estrutura do vento estelar e nem na do campo magnético coronal. Nós mostramos que o parâmetro beta do plasma é um fator decisivo na configuração do campo magnético do vento estelar. Usando parâmetros iniciais adequados ao que se é observado para tais estrelas, nós mostramos que a configuração do campo magnético pode variar entre uma configuração semelhante à de um dipolo e uma configuração com linhas fortemente colimadas em torno do eixo polar e streamers fechados ao redor do equador (configuração de multi-componentes para o campo magnético). Mostramos que as estruturas alongadas do campo magnético somente estão presentes se o parâmetro beta do plasma na base da coroa é beta0 << 1. Usando nossos modelos magneto-hidrodinâmicos, auto-consistentes, tri-dimensionais, estimamos para ventos de estrelas da pré Seqüência Principal a escala temporal de migração planetária devido a forças de arraste exercidas pelo vento em um planeta tipo hot-Jupiter (i.e., um planeta gigante que orbita muito próximo da estrela). Nosso modelo sugere que os ventos estelares de coroas com multi-componentes de campo magnético não têm influências significativas na migração de hot-Jupiters. / The subject of this thesis is the mass loss of low-mass stars through magnetized coronal winds. Stellar winds have been a topic of extensive research in Astrophysics for a long time, and their first investigations focused on the solar wind. Nowadays, we know that the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the acceleration and heating of coronal winds. Despite of the knowledge of the fine structure of the solar magnetic field, much less information is known regarding the configuration of the magnetic field in other stars. In this thesis, we investigate the structure of the magnetic field in the coronae of solar-like stars and young stars by means of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical numerical simulations. We self-consistently take into consideration the interaction of the outflowing wind with the magnetic field and vice versa. Hence, from the interplay between magnetic forces and wind forces, we are able to determine the configuration of the magnetic field and the structure of the coronal winds. We investigate solar-like stellar winds and their dependence on the plasma-beta parameter (the ratio between thermal and magnetic energy densities). This is the first study to perform such analysis solving the fully ideal three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics equations. We adopt in our simulations a heating parameter described by gamma, which is responsible for the thermal acceleration of the wind. We analyze winds with polar magnetic field intensities ranging from B0 = 1 to 20 G and we show that the wind structure presents characteristics that are similar to the solar coronal wind. The steady-state magnetic field topology for all cases is similar, presenting a configuration of helmet streamer-type, with zones of closed field lines and open field lines coexisting. Higher magnetic field intensities lead to faster and hotter winds. The increase of the field intensity generates a larger ``dead zone\'\' in the wind, i.e., the closed loops that inhibit matter to escape from latitudes lower than 45 degrees extend farther away from the star. The Lorentz force leads naturally to a latitude-dependent wind. We show that by increasing the density and maintaining B0 = 20 G, the system recovers to slower and cooler winds. For a fixed gamma, we show that the key parameter in determining the wind velocity profile is the beta-parameter at the coronal base. Therefore, there is a group of magnetized flows that would present the same terminal velocity despite of its thermal and magnetic energy densities, as long as the plasma-beta parameter is the same. This degeneracy, however, can be removed if we compare other physical parameters of the wind, such as the mass-loss rate. We also analyze the influence of gamma in our results and we show that it is also important in determining the wind structure. We further investigate magnetized stellar winds of low-mass pre-main-sequence stars. In particular we analyze under which circumstances these stars present elongated magnetic features (e.g., helmet streamers, slingshot prominences, etc). We focus on weak-lined T Tauri stars, as the presence of the tenuous accretion disk is not expected to have strong influence on the structure of the stellar wind neither on the coronal magnetic field. We show that the plasma-beta parameter is a decisive factor in defining the magnetic configuration of the stellar wind. Using initial parameters within the observed range for these stars, we show that the coronal magnetic field configuration can vary between a dipole-like configuration and a configuration with strong collimated polar lines and closed streamers at the equator (multicomponent configuration for the magnetic field). We show that elongated magnetic features will only be present if the plasma-beta parameter at the coronal base is beta0 << 1. Using our self-consistent three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical model, we estimate for the stellar winds of pre-main-sequence stars the timescale of planet migration due to drag forces exerted by the stellar wind on a hot-Jupiter (i.e., on a giant planet that orbits very close to the star). Our model suggests that the stellar wind of these multicomponent coronae are not expected to have significant influence on the migration of hot-Jupiters.
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Simulações Numéricas Tri-dimensionais de Ventos Magnetizados de Estrelas de Baixa Massa / Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulations of Magnetized Winds of Low-Mass StarsAline de Almeida Vidotto 16 November 2009 (has links)
O tópico abordado nesta tese é a perda de massa através de ventos coronais magnetizados em estrelas de baixa massa. Ventos estelares têm sido estudados extensivamente há vários anos, tendo inicialmente como foco o vento solar. Atualmente, sabe-se que o campo magnético é essencial na aceleração e aquecimento dos ventos coronais. Apesar do conhecimento detalhado que temos da estrutura magnética do Sol, pouco se sabe sobre a configuração do campo magnético em outras estrelas. Nesta tese, é investigada a estrutura do campo magnético nas coroas de estrelas do tipo solar na Seqüência Principal e de suas predecessoras na pré Seqüência Principal através de simulações numéricas magneto-hidrodinâmicas tri-dimensionais. Aqui, consideramos de forma auto-consistente a interação entre o vento e o campo magnético e vice-versa. Dessa forma, pela interação entre forças magnéticas e forças do vento, consegue-se determinar a configuração do campo magnético e a estrutura dos ventos coronais. Realizamos um estudo de ventos de estrelas do tipo solar e a dependência dos mesmos com o parâmetro beta do plasma (a razão entre as densidades de energia térmica e magnética). Este é o primeiro estudo a realizar tal análise resolvendo as equações tri-dimensionais da magneto-hidrodinâmica ideal. Em nossas simulações, adotamos um parâmetro de aquecimento descrito por gamma, que é responsável pela aceleração térmica do vento. Então, nós analisamos ventos com intensidades de campo magnético nos pólos no intervalo de B0 = 1 a 20 G e mostramos que a estrutura do vento apresenta características que são similares à do vento coronal do Sol. No estado estacionário, a topologia do campo magnético obtida é similar para todos os casos estudados, apresentando uma configuração do tipo helmet streamer, com zonas de linhas fechadas e abertas de campo magnético co-existindo. Intensidades mais altas de campo levam a ventos mais acelerados e mais quentes. O aumento na intensidade do campo gera também uma zona morta maior no vento, i.e., os loops fechados que previnem que a matéria escape da coroa em latitudes menores que ~45 graus se estendem a maiores distâncias da estrela. Além disso, mostramos também que a força de Lorentz gera naturalmente um vento que é dependente da latitude. Ao aumentar a densidade da coroa mantendo B0 = 20 G, mostramos que o sistema volta a apresentar ventos menos acelerados e mais frios. Para um valor fixo de gamma, mostramos que o parâmetro essencial na determinação do perfil de velocidade do vento é o parâmetro beta calculado na base da coroa. Dessa forma, acredita-se que haja um grupo de ventos magnetizados que apresenta a mesma velocidade terminal independentemente das densidades de energia térmica ou magnética, desde que o parâmetro beta seja o mesmo. No entanto, essa degenerescência pode ser removida ao se comparar outros parâmetros físicos do vento, tal como a taxa de perda de massa. Nós também analisamos a influência do gamma nos nossos resultados e mostramos que ele é importante na determinação da estrutura do vento. Além disso, investigamos ventos magnetizados de estrelas de baixa massa da pré Seqüência Principal. Em particular, analisamos sob quais circunstâncias tais estrelas apresentam estruturas magnéticas alongadas (e.g., helmet streamers, proeminências do tipo slingshot, etc). Focamos especialmente em estrelas do tipo T Tauri fracas, uma vez que o tênue disco de acreção, quando presente ao redor de tais estrelas, não deve causar forte influência na estrutura do vento estelar e nem na do campo magnético coronal. Nós mostramos que o parâmetro beta do plasma é um fator decisivo na configuração do campo magnético do vento estelar. Usando parâmetros iniciais adequados ao que se é observado para tais estrelas, nós mostramos que a configuração do campo magnético pode variar entre uma configuração semelhante à de um dipolo e uma configuração com linhas fortemente colimadas em torno do eixo polar e streamers fechados ao redor do equador (configuração de multi-componentes para o campo magnético). Mostramos que as estruturas alongadas do campo magnético somente estão presentes se o parâmetro beta do plasma na base da coroa é beta0 << 1. Usando nossos modelos magneto-hidrodinâmicos, auto-consistentes, tri-dimensionais, estimamos para ventos de estrelas da pré Seqüência Principal a escala temporal de migração planetária devido a forças de arraste exercidas pelo vento em um planeta tipo hot-Jupiter (i.e., um planeta gigante que orbita muito próximo da estrela). Nosso modelo sugere que os ventos estelares de coroas com multi-componentes de campo magnético não têm influências significativas na migração de hot-Jupiters. / The subject of this thesis is the mass loss of low-mass stars through magnetized coronal winds. Stellar winds have been a topic of extensive research in Astrophysics for a long time, and their first investigations focused on the solar wind. Nowadays, we know that the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the acceleration and heating of coronal winds. Despite of the knowledge of the fine structure of the solar magnetic field, much less information is known regarding the configuration of the magnetic field in other stars. In this thesis, we investigate the structure of the magnetic field in the coronae of solar-like stars and young stars by means of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical numerical simulations. We self-consistently take into consideration the interaction of the outflowing wind with the magnetic field and vice versa. Hence, from the interplay between magnetic forces and wind forces, we are able to determine the configuration of the magnetic field and the structure of the coronal winds. We investigate solar-like stellar winds and their dependence on the plasma-beta parameter (the ratio between thermal and magnetic energy densities). This is the first study to perform such analysis solving the fully ideal three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics equations. We adopt in our simulations a heating parameter described by gamma, which is responsible for the thermal acceleration of the wind. We analyze winds with polar magnetic field intensities ranging from B0 = 1 to 20 G and we show that the wind structure presents characteristics that are similar to the solar coronal wind. The steady-state magnetic field topology for all cases is similar, presenting a configuration of helmet streamer-type, with zones of closed field lines and open field lines coexisting. Higher magnetic field intensities lead to faster and hotter winds. The increase of the field intensity generates a larger ``dead zone\'\' in the wind, i.e., the closed loops that inhibit matter to escape from latitudes lower than 45 degrees extend farther away from the star. The Lorentz force leads naturally to a latitude-dependent wind. We show that by increasing the density and maintaining B0 = 20 G, the system recovers to slower and cooler winds. For a fixed gamma, we show that the key parameter in determining the wind velocity profile is the beta-parameter at the coronal base. Therefore, there is a group of magnetized flows that would present the same terminal velocity despite of its thermal and magnetic energy densities, as long as the plasma-beta parameter is the same. This degeneracy, however, can be removed if we compare other physical parameters of the wind, such as the mass-loss rate. We also analyze the influence of gamma in our results and we show that it is also important in determining the wind structure. We further investigate magnetized stellar winds of low-mass pre-main-sequence stars. In particular we analyze under which circumstances these stars present elongated magnetic features (e.g., helmet streamers, slingshot prominences, etc). We focus on weak-lined T Tauri stars, as the presence of the tenuous accretion disk is not expected to have strong influence on the structure of the stellar wind neither on the coronal magnetic field. We show that the plasma-beta parameter is a decisive factor in defining the magnetic configuration of the stellar wind. Using initial parameters within the observed range for these stars, we show that the coronal magnetic field configuration can vary between a dipole-like configuration and a configuration with strong collimated polar lines and closed streamers at the equator (multicomponent configuration for the magnetic field). We show that elongated magnetic features will only be present if the plasma-beta parameter at the coronal base is beta0 << 1. Using our self-consistent three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical model, we estimate for the stellar winds of pre-main-sequence stars the timescale of planet migration due to drag forces exerted by the stellar wind on a hot-Jupiter (i.e., on a giant planet that orbits very close to the star). Our model suggests that the stellar wind of these multicomponent coronae are not expected to have significant influence on the migration of hot-Jupiters.
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