Periodic radial velocity variations in RU Lupi

Context. RU Lup is a Classical T Tauri star with unusually strong emission lines, which has been interpreted as manifestations of accretion. Recently, evidence has accumulated that this star might have a variable radial velocity. Aims. We intended to investigate in more detail the possible variability in radial velocity using a set of 68 high-resolution spectra taken at the VLT (UVES), the AAT (UCLES) and the CTIO (echelle). Methods. Using standard cross-correlation techniques, we determined the radial velocity of RU Lup. We analysed these results with Phasedispersion minimization and the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and searched for possible periodicities in the obtained radial velocities. We also analysed changes in the absorption line shapes and the photometric variability of RU Lup. Results. Our analysis indicated that RU Lup exhibits variations in radial velocity with a periodicity of 3.71 days and an amplitude of 2.17 km/s. These variations can be explained by the presence of large spots, or groups of spots, on the surface of RU Lup. We also considered a low-mass companion and stellar pulsations as alternative sources for these variations but found these to be unlikely.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Accepted by A&

WASP-1: A lithium- and metal-rich star with an oversized planet

In this paper we present our results of a comprehensive spectroscopicanalysis of WASP-1, the host star to the exoplanet WASP-1b. We derive T_eff = 6110 +/- 45 K, log g = 4.28 +/- 0.15, and [M/H] = 0.23 +/- 0.08, and also a high abundance of lithium, log n(Li) = 2.91 +/- 0.05. These parameters suggests an age for the system of 1-3 Gyr and a stellar mass of 1.25-1.35 M_sun. This means that WASP-1 has properties very similar to those of HD 149026, the host star for the highest density planet yet detected. Moreover, their planets orbit at comparable distances and receive comparable irradiating fluxes from their host stars. However, despite the similarity of WASP-1 with HD 149026, their planets have strongly different densities. This suggests that gas-giant planet density is not a simple function of host-star metallicity or of radiation environment at ages of ~2 Gyr.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 6 pages, 4 figure

A Disk-based Dynamical Mass Estimate for the Young Binary V4046 Sgr

We present sensitive, arcsecond-resolution Submillimeter Array observations of the 12CO J=2-1 line emission from the circumstellar disk orbiting the double-lined spectroscopic binary star V4046 Sgr. Based on a simple model of the disk structure, we use a novel Monte Carlo Markov Chain technique to extract the Keplerian velocity field of the disk from these data and estimate the total mass of the central binary. Assuming the distance inferred from kinematic parallax measurements in the literature (d is approximately 73 pc), we determine a total stellar mass M_star = 1.75^{+0.09}_{-0.06} solar masses and a disk inclination i_d = 33.5^{+0.7}_{-1.4} degrees from face-on. These measurements are in excellent agreement with independent dynamical constraints made from multi-epoch monitoring of the stellar radial velocities, confirming the absolute accuracy of this precise (~ few percent uncertainties) disk-based method for estimating stellar masses and reaffirming previous assertions that the disk and binary orbital planes are well aligned (with |i_d - i_star| \approx 0.1\pm1 degree). Using these results as a reference, we demonstrate that various pre-main sequence evolution models make consistent and accurate predictions for the masses of the individual components of the binary, and uniformly imply an advanced age of ~5-30 Myr. Taken together, these results verify that V4046 Sgr is one of the precious few nearby and relatively evolved pre-main sequence systems that still hosts a gas-rich accretion disk.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Unveiling extremely veiled T Tauri stars

Photospheric absorption lines in classical T Tauri stars (CTTS) are weak compared to normal stars. This so-called veiling is normally identified with an excess continuous emission formed in shock-heated gas at the stellar surface below the accretion streams. We have selected four stars (RW Aur A, RU Lup, S CrA NW and S CrA SE) with unusually strong veiling to make a detailed investigation of veiling versus stellar brightness and emission line strengths for comparisons to standard accretion models. We have monitored the stars photometrically and spectroscopically at several epochs. In standard accretion models a variable accretion rate will lead to a variable excess emission. Consequently, the stellar brightness should vary accordingly. We find that the veiling of absorption lines in these stars is strongly variable and usually so large that it would require the release of several stellar luminosities of potential energy. At states of very large line dilution, the correspondingly large veiling factors derived correlate only weakly with brightness. Moreover, the emission line strengths violate the expected trend of veiling versus line strength. The veiling can change dramatically in one night, and is not correlated with the phase of the rotation periods found for two stars. We show that in at least three of the stars, when the veiling becomes high, the photospheric lines become filled-in by line emission, which produces large veiling factors unrelated to changes in any continuous emission from shocked regions. We also consider to what extent extinction by dust and electron scattering in the accretion stream may affect veiling measures in CTTS. We conclude that the degree of veiling cannot be used as a measure of accretion rates in CTTS with rich emission line spectra.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters. New language-edited version. (4 pages, 3 figures

The Dusty, Solar Type Spectroscopic Binary BD +20 307

The dustiest known main‐sequence star, BD +20 307, is actually a double‐lined binary with a period of 3.4202 days and a circular orbit. The system is also metal poor with [Fe/H] = −0.4. The components are late‐F and early‐G dwarfs and have a mass ratio of 1.07. The photometric period of about 3.5 days indicates that the components are synchronously rotating. The metal poor, binary nature invalidates the idea that the object is a very young single star with a warm planet‐making dust disk. Instead, the metal poor nature of the system and the lithium abundances of the components argue that the system is likely several billion years old, and so the dust disk results from the recent collision of two planetary mass rocky objects. Thus, BD +20 307 may well be the first known system with planets orbiting a close binary star

Chemical spots in the absence of magnetic field in the binary HgMn star 66 Eridani

According to our current understanding, a subclass of the upper main sequence chemically peculiar stars, called mercury-manganese (HgMn), is non-magnetic. Nevertheless, chemical inhomogeneities were recently discovered on their surfaces. At the same time, no global magnetic fields stronger than 1-100 G are detected by modern studies. The goals of our study are to search for magnetic field in the HgMn binary system 66 Eri and to investigate chemical spots on the stellar surfaces of both components. Our analysis is based on high quality spectropolarimetric time-series observations obtained during 10 consecutive nights with the HARPSpol instrument at the ESO 3.6-m telescope. To increase the sensitivity of the magnetic field search we employed a least-squares deconvolution (LSD). We used spectral disentangling to measure radial velocities and study line profile variability. Chemical spot geometry was reconstructed using multi-line Doppler imaging. We report a non-detection of magnetic field in 66 Eri, with error bars 10-24 G for the longitudinal field. Circular polarization profiles also do not indicate any signatures of complex surface magnetic fields. For a simple dipolar field configuration we estimated an upper limit of the polar field strength to be 60-70 G. For the HgMn component we found variability in spectral lines of Ti, Ba, Y, and Sr with the rotational period equal to the orbital one. The surface maps of these elements reconstructed with the Doppler imaging technique, show relative underabundance on the hemisphere facing the secondary component. The contrast of chemical inhomogeneities ranges from 0.4 for Ti to 0.8 for Ba.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure

Three-dimensional magnetic and abundance mapping of the cool Ap star HD 24712 I. Spectropolarimetric observations in all four Stokes parameters

High-resolution spectropolarimetric observations provide simultaneous information about stellar magnetic field topologies and three-dimensional distributions of chemical elements. Here we present analysis of a unique full Stokes vector spectropolarimetric data set, acquired for the cool magnetic Ap star HD 24712. The goal of our work is to examine circular and linear polarization signatures inside spectral lines and to study variation of the stellar spectrum and magnetic observables as a function of rotational phase. HD 24712 was observed with the HARPSpol instrument at the 3.6-m ESO telescope over a period of 2010-2011. The resulting spectra have S/N ratio of 300-600 and resolving power exceeding 100000. The multiline technique of least-squares deconvolution (LSD) was applied to combine information from the spectral lines of Fe-peak and rare-earth elements. We used the HARPSPol spectra of HD 24712 to study the morphology of the Stokes profile shapes in individual spectral lines and in LSD Stokes profiles corresponding to different line masks. From the LSD Stokes V profiles we measured the longitudinal component of the magnetic field, , with an accuracy of 5-10 G. We also determined the net linear polarization from the LSD Stokes Q and U profiles. We determined an improved rotational period of the star, P_rot = 12.45812 +/- 0.00019d. We measured from the cores of Halpha and Hbeta lines. The analysis of measurements showed no evidence for a significant radial magnetic field gradient in the atmosphere of HD 24712. We used our and net linear polarization measurements to determine parameters of the dipolar magnetic field topology. We found that magnetic observables can be reasonably well reproduced by the dipolar model. We discovered rotational modulation of the Halpha core and related it a non-uniform surface distribution of rare-earth elements.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

X-ray accretion signatures in the close CTTS binary V4046 Sgr

We present Chandra HETGS observations of the classical T Tauri star (CTTS) V4046 Sgr. The He-like triplets of O VII, Ne IX, and Si XIII are clearly detected. Similar to the CTTS TW Hya and BP Tau, the forbidden lines of O VII and Ne IX are weak compared to the intercombination line, indicating high plasma densities in the X-ray emitting regions. The Si XIII triplet, however, is within the low-density limit, in agreement with the predictions of the accretion funnel infall model with an additional stellar corona. V4046 Sgr is the first close binary exhibiting these features. Together with previous high-resolution X-ray data on TW Hya and BP Tau, and in contrast to T Tau, now three out of four CTTS show evidence of accretion funnels.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Modelling Circumbinary Gas Flows in Close T Tauri Binaries

Young close binaries open central gaps in the surrounding circumbinary accretion disc, but the stellar components may still gain mass from gas crossing through the gap. It is not well understood how this process operates and how the stellar components are affected by such inflows. Our main goal is to investigate how gas accretion takes place and evolves in close T Tauri binary systems. In particular, we model the accretion flows around two close T Tauri binaries, V4046 Sgr and DQ Tau, both showing periodic changes in emission lines, although their orbital characteristics are very different. In order to derive the density and velocity maps of the circumbinary material, we employ two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with a locally isothermal equation of state. The flow patterns become quasi-stable after a few orbits in the frame co-rotating with the system. Gas flows across the circumbinary gap through the co-rotating Lagrangian points, and local circumstellar discs develop around both components. Spiral density patterns develop in the circumbinary disc that transport angular momentum efficiently. Mass is preferentially channelled towards the primary and its circumstellar disc is more massive than the disc around the secondary. We also compare the derived density distribution to observed line profile variability. The line profile variability tracing the gas flows in the central cavity shows clear similarities with the corresponding observed line profile variability in V4046 Sgr, but only when the local circumstellar disc emission was excluded. Closer to the stars normal magnetospheric accretion may dominate while further out the dynamic accretion process outlined here dominates. Periodic changes in the accretion rates onto the stars can explain the outbursts of line emission observed in eccentric systems such as DQ Tau.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Accretion-powered chromospheres in classical T Tauri stars

(Abridged) Optical spectra of classical T Tauri stars (cTTS) are rich in emission lines of low-excitation species that are composed of narrow and broad components, related to two regions with different kinematics, densities, and temperatures. The photospheric spectrum is often veiled by an excess continuous emission. This veiling is usually attributed to radiation from a heated region beneath the accretion shock. The aim of this research is to clarify the nature of the veiling, and whether the narrow chromospheric lines of Fe I and other metals represent a standard chromosphere of a late-type star, or are induced by mass accretion. From high-resolution spectroscopy of DR Tauri we found that the amount of veiling in this star varies from practically nothing to factors more than 10 times the stellar continuum intensity, and that the veiling is caused by both a non-photospheric continuum and chromospheric line emission filling in the photospheric absorption lines. This effect can be shown to exist in several other T Tauri stars. We conclude that enhanced chromospheric emission in cTTS is linked not only to solar-like magnetic activity, but is powered to a greater extent by the accreting gas. We suggest that the area of enhanced chromospheric emission is induced by mass accretion, which modifies the local structure of stellar atmosphere in an area that is more extended than the hot accretion spot. The narrow emission lines from this extended area are responsible for the extra component in the veiling through line-filling of photospheric absorption lines.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure