Characterising the surface magnetic fields of T Tauri stars with high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy

We aim to characterise the surface magnetic fields of a sample of 8 T Tauri stars from high-resolution near-IR spectroscopy. Some stars in our sample are known to be magnetic from previous spectroscopic or spectropolarimetric studies. Our goals are 1) to apply Zeeman broadening modelling to T Tauri stars with high-resolution data, 2) to expand the sample of stars with measured surface magnetic field strengths, 3) to investigate possible rotational or long-term magnetic variability by comparing spectral time series of given targets, and 4) to compare the magnetic field modulus tracing small-scale magnetic fields to those of large-scale magnetic fields derived by Stokes V Zeeman Doppler Imaging. We modelled the Zeeman broadening of magnetically sensitive spectral lines in the near-IR K-band from high-resolution spectra by using magnetic spectrum synthesis based on realistic model atmospheres and by using different descriptions of the surface magnetic field. We developped a Bayesian framework that selects the complexity of the magnetic field prescription based on the information contained in the data. We obtain individual magnetic field measurements for each star in our sample using four different models. We find that the Bayesian Model 4 performs best in the range of magnetic fields measured on the sample (from 1.5 kG to 4.4 kG). We do not detect a strong rotational variation of with a mean peak-to-peak variation of 0.3 kG. Our confidence intervals are of the same order of magnitude, which suggests that the Zeeman broadening is produced by a small-scale magnetic field homogeneously distributed over stellar surfaces. A comparison of our results with mean large-scale magnetic field measurements from Stokes V ZDI show different fractions of mean field strength being recovered, from 25-42% for relatively simple poloidal axisymmetric field topologies to 2-11% for more complex fields.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

The "+" for CRIRES: enabling better science at infrared wavelength and high spectral resolution at the ESO VLT

The adaptive optics (AO) assisted CRIRES instrument is an IR (0.92 - 5.2 μm) high-resolution spectrograph was in operation from 2006 to 2014 at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) observatory. CRIRES was a unique instrument, accessing a parameter space (wavelength range and spectral resolution) up to now largely uncharted. It consisted of a single-order spectrograph providing long-slit (40 arcsecond) spectroscopy with a resolving power up to R=100 000. However the setup was limited to a narrow, single-shot, spectral range of about 1/70 of the central wavelength, resulting in low observing efficiency for many scientific programmes requiring a broad spectral coverage. The CRIRES upgrade project, CRIRES+, transforms this VLT instrument into a cross-dispersed spectrograph to increase the simultaneously covered wavelength range by a factor of ten. A new and larger detector focal plane array of three Hawaii 2RG detectors with 5.3 μm cut-off wavelength will replace the existing detectors. For advanced wavelength calibration, custom-made absorption gas cells and an etalon system will be added. A spectro-polarimetric unit will allow the recording of circular and linear polarized spectra. This upgrade will be supported by dedicated data reduction software allowing the community to take full advantage of the new capabilities offered by CRIRES+. CRIRES+ has now entered its assembly and integration phase and will return with all new capabilities by the beginning of 2018 to the Very Large Telescope in Chile. This article will provide the reader with an update of the current status of the instrument as well as the remaining steps until final installation at the Paranal Observatory

A unique infrared spectropolarimetric unit for CRIRES+

High-resolution infrared spectropolarimetry has many science applications in astrophysics. One of them is measuring weak magnetic fields using the Zeeman effect. Infrared domain is particularly advantageous as Zeeman splitting of spectral lines is proportional to the square of the wavelength while the intrinsic width of the line cores increases only linearly. Important science cases include detection and monitoring of global magnetic fields on solar-type stars, study of the magnetic field evolution from stellar formation to the final stages of the stellar life with massive stellar winds, and the dynamo mechanism operation across the boundary between fully- and partially-convective stars. CRIRES+ (the CRIRES upgrade project) includes a novel spectropolarimetric unit (SPU) based on polar- ization gratings. The novel design allows to perform beam-splitting very early in the optical path, directly after the tertiary mirror of the telescope (the ESO Very Large Telescope, VLT), minimizing instrumental polariza- tion. The new SPU performs polarization beam-splitting in the near-infrared while keeping the telescope beam mostly unchanged in the optical domain, making it compatible with the adaptive optics system of the CRIRES+ instrument. The SPU consists of four beam-splitters optimized for measuring circular and linear polarization of spectral lines in YJ and HK bands. The SPU can perform beam switching allowing to correct for throughput in each beam and for variations in detector pixel sensitivity. Other new features of CRIRES+, such as substantially increased wavelength coverage, stability and advanced data reduction pipeline will further enhance the sensitivity of the polarimetric mode. The combination of the SPU, CRIRES+ and the VLT is a unique facility for making major progress in understanding stellar activity. In this article we present the design of the SPU, laboratory measurements of individual components and of the whole unit as well as the performance prediction for the operation at the VLT

Characterizing the cross dispersion reflection gratings of CRIRES+

The CRIRES+ project attempts to upgrade the CRIRES instrument into a cross dispersed Echelle spectrograph with a simultaneous recording of 8-10 diffraction orders. In order to transform the CRIRES spectrograph into a cross-dispersing instrument, a set of six reflection gratings, each one optimized for one of the wavelength bands CRIRES+ will operate in (YJHKLM), will be used as cross dispersion elements in CRIRES+. Due to the upgrade nature of the project, the choice of gratings depends on the fixed geometry of the instrument. Thus, custom made gratings would be required to achieve the ambitious design goals. Custom made gratings have the disadvantage, though, that they come at an extraordinary price and with lead times of more than 12 months. To mitigate this, a set of off-the-shelf gratings was obtained which had grating parameters very close to the ones being identified as optimal. To ensure that the rigorous specifications for CRIRES+ will be fulfilled, the CRIRES+ team started a collaboration with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Berlin (PTB) to characterize gratings underconditions similar to the operating conditions in CRIRES+ (angle of incidence, wavelength range). The respective test setup was designed in collaboration between PTB and the CRIRES+ consortium. The PTB provided optical radiation sources and calibrated detectors for each wavelength range. With this setup, it is possible to measure the absolute efficiency of the gratings both wavelength dependent and polarization state dependent in a wavelength range from 0.9 μm to 6 μm

Full system test and early preliminary acceptance Europe results for CRIRES+

CRIRES+ is the new high-resolution NIR echelle spectrograph intended to be operated at the platform B of VLT Unit telescope UT3. It will cover from Y to M bands (0.95-5.3um) with a spectral resolution of R = 50000 or R=100000. The main scientific goals are the search of super-Earths in the habitable zone of low-mass stars, the characterisation of transiting planets atmosphere and the study of the origin and evolution of stellar magnetic fields. Based on the heritage of the old adaptive optics (AO) assisted VLT instrument CRIRES, the new spectrograph will present improved optical layout, a new detector system and a new calibration unit providing optimal performances in terms of simultaneous wavelength coverage and radial velocity accuracy (a few m/s). The total observing efficiency will be enhanced by a factor of 10 with respect to CRIRES. An innovative spectro-polarimetry mode will be also offered and a new metrology system will ensure very high system stability and repeatability. Fiinally, the CRIRES+ project will also provide the community with a new data reduction software (DRS) package. CRIRES+ is currently at the initial phase of its Preliminary Acceptance in Europe (PAE) and it will be commissioned early in 2019 at VLT. This work outlines the main results obtained during the initial phase of the full system test at ESO HQ Garching

Magnetic fields of cool stars from near-infrared spectropolarimetry

Magnetic fields rule many physical processes in and around stars throughout their lifetime. All cool stars possess a magnetic field, likely generated by dynamo processes. In order to properly understand the evolution of cool stars, we need to understand their magnetism. Stellar magnetic fields can be directly observed through the imprint of the Zeeman effect in intensity and polarized spectra. In intensity spectra (Stokes I), spectral lines are broadened or split into several components by the magnetic field. Modelling this effect in high-resolution spectra allows us to determine the average unsigned magnetic field strength over the stellar surface. The magnetic field also induces circular (Stokes V) and linear polarization (Stokes QU) in spectral lines, according to its orientation. These polarization signals can be used to map the large-scale magnetic field at the surface of the star using tomographic techniques such as Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI).  In this thesis, we investigated pre-main-sequence T Tauri stars and the active M dwarf AD Leo with the goal to understand their magnetic fields. We modelled the Zeeman broadening in high-resolution near-infrared spectra of low-mass and intermediate-mass T Tauri stars and derived their mean magnetic field strengths. In intermediate-mass T Tauri stars, we only found fields weaker than 2-3 kG. However, we found that low-mass T Tauri stars can have a wide range of magnetic field strength from relatively weak fields of 1.5 kG to fields as strong as 4.4 kG, and that their field strengths do not correlate with stellar parameters. Our observations of the M dwarf AD Leo led to the first detection of linear polarization in the spectral lines of an M dwarf. We also discovered that its Stokes V profiles, which were constant over many years, had changed in our observations. We mapped its global magnetic field using ZDI and found that it became concentrated into smaller areas on the stellar surface. Finally, we analyzed Stokes IV observations of the spectroscopic binary V1878 Ori. Both components of this system are intermediate-mass T Tauri stars with very similar properties. We determined stellar parameters by studying orbital motion of the components and comparing their disentangled spectra to theoretical models. We then mapped the global magnetic fields of the two stars simultaneously using ZDI. We found that their magnetic fields have radically different geometries and different strengths

Magnetic fields of cool stars from near-infrared spectropolarimetry

Magnetic fields rule many physical processes in and around stars throughout their lifetime. All cool stars possess a magnetic field, likely generated by dynamo processes. In order to properly understand the evolution of cool stars, we need to understand their magnetism. Stellar magnetic fields can be directly observed through the imprint of the Zeeman effect in intensity and polarized spectra. In intensity spectra (Stokes I), spectral lines are broadened or split into several components by the magnetic field. Modelling this effect in high-resolution spectra allows us to determine the average unsigned magnetic field strength over the stellar surface. The magnetic field also induces circular (Stokes V) and linear polarization (Stokes QU) in spectral lines, according to its orientation. These polarization signals can be used to map the large-scale magnetic field at the surface of the star using tomographic techniques such as Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI).  In this thesis, we investigated pre-main-sequence T Tauri stars and the active M dwarf AD Leo with the goal to understand their magnetic fields. We modelled the Zeeman broadening in high-resolution near-infrared spectra of low-mass and intermediate-mass T Tauri stars and derived their mean magnetic field strengths. In intermediate-mass T Tauri stars, we only found fields weaker than 2-3 kG. However, we found that low-mass T Tauri stars can have a wide range of magnetic field strength from relatively weak fields of 1.5 kG to fields as strong as 4.4 kG, and that their field strengths do not correlate with stellar parameters. Our observations of the M dwarf AD Leo led to the first detection of linear polarization in the spectral lines of an M dwarf. We also discovered that its Stokes V profiles, which were constant over many years, had changed in our observations. We mapped its global magnetic field using ZDI and found that it became concentrated into smaller areas on the stellar surface. Finally, we analyzed Stokes IV observations of the spectroscopic binary V1878 Ori. Both components of this system are intermediate-mass T Tauri stars with very similar properties. We determined stellar parameters by studying orbital motion of the components and comparing their disentangled spectra to theoretical models. We then mapped the global magnetic fields of the two stars simultaneously using ZDI. We found that their magnetic fields have radically different geometries and different strengths

A sudden change of the global magnetic field of the active M dwarf AD Leo revealed by full Stokes spectropolarimetric observations

In this paper we present an analysis of the first high-resolution full Stokes vector spectropolarimetric observations of the active M dwarf AD Leo. Based on observations collected in 2016 with the ESPaDOnS instrument at CFHT, we derived the least-squares deconvolved Stokes profiles and detected linear polarization signatures in spectral lines. At the same time, we discovered that the circular polarisation profiles corresponding to our data set are significantly weaker compared to all archival spectra of AD Leo, which exhibited approximately constant profiles over the time-scale of at least 6 yr until 2012. Magnetic maps obtained using Zeeman Doppler imaging confirm the sudden change in the surface magnetic field. Although the total magnetic field energy decreased by about 20 per cent between 2012 and 2016, the field component responsible for the observed circular polarization signatures corresponds to a stronger field occupying a smaller fraction of the stellar surface in the more recent map. These results represent the first evidence that active M dwarfs with dipole-dominated axisymmetric field topologies can undergo a long-term global magnetic variation

The large-scale magnetic field of the eccentric pre-main-sequence binary system V1878 Ori

We report time-resolved, high-resolution optical spectropolarimetric observations of the young double-lined spectroscopic binary V1878 Ori. Our observations were collected with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope through the BinaMIcS large programme. V1878 Ori A and B are partially convective intermediate mass weak-line T Tauri stars on an eccentric and asynchronous orbit. We also acquired X-ray observations at periastron and outside periastron. Using the least-squares deconvolution technique (LSD) to combine information from many spectral lines, we clearly detected circular polarization signals in both components throughout the orbit. We refined the orbital solution for the system and obtained disentangled spectra for the primary and secondary components. The disentangled spectra were then employed to determine atmospheric parameters of the two components using spectrum synthesis. Applying our Zeeman Doppler imaging code to composite Stokes IV LSD profiles, we reconstructed brightness maps and the global magnetic field topologies of the two components. We find that V1878 Ori A and B have strikingly different global magnetic field topologies and mean field strengths. The global magnetic field of the primary is predominantly poloidal and non-axisymmetric (with a mean field strength of 180 G). While the secondary has a mostly toroidal and axisymmetric global field (mean strength of 310 G). These findings confirm that stars with very similar parameters can exhibit radically different global magnetic field characteristics. The analysis of the X-ray data shows no sign of enhanced activity at periastron, suggesting the lack of strong magnetospheric interaction at this epoch

Determination of small-scale magnetic fields on Sun-like stars in the near-infrared using CRIRES+

Aims: We aim to characterise the small-scale magnetic fields of a sample of 16 Sun-like stars and investigate the capabilities of the newly upgraded near-infrared (NIR) instrument CRIRES+ at the Very Large Telescope in the context of small-scale magnetic field studies. Our targets also had their magnetic fields studied with optical spectra, which allowed us to compare magnetic field properties at different spatial scales on the stellar surface and to contrast small-scale magnetic field measurements at different wavelengths. Methods: We analysed the Zeeman broadening signature for six magnetically sensitive and insensitive Fe I lines in the H-band to measure small-scale magnetic fields on the stellar surfaces of our sample. We used polarised radiative transfer modelling and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium departure coefficients in combination with Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to determine magnetic field characteristics and non-magnetic stellar parameters. We used two different approaches to describe the small-scale magnetic fields. The first is a two-component model with a single magnetic region and a free magnetic field strength. The second model contains multiple magnetic components with fixed magnetic field strengths. Results: We found average magnetic field strengths ranging from & SIM;0.4 kG down to < 0.1 kG. The results align closely with other results from high-resolution NIR spectrographs, such as SPIRou. It appears that the typical magnetic field strength in the magnetic region is slightly stronger than 1.3 kG, and for most stars in our sample, this strength is between 1 and 2 kG. We also found that the small-scale fields correlate with the large-scale fields and that the small-scale fields are at least ten times stronger than the large-scale fields inferred with Zeeman Doppler imaging. The two- and multi-component models produce systematically different results, as the strong fields from the multi-component model increase the obtained mean magnetic field strength. When comparing our results with the optical measurements of small-scale fields, we found a systematic offset two to three times stronger than fields in the optical results. This discrepancy cannot be explained by uncertainties in stellar parameters. Care should therefore be taken when comparing results obtained at different wavelengths until a clear cause can be established