1,230 research outputs found
Interacting coronae of two T Tauri stars: first observational evidence for solar-like helmet streamers
Context {The young binary system V773 Tau A exhibits a persistent radio
flaring activity that gradually increases from a level of a few mJy at
apoastron to more than 100 mJy at periastron. Interbinary collisions between
very large (> 15 R) magnetic structures anchored on the two rotating stars of
the system have been proposed to be the origin of these periodic radio flares.
Magnetic structures extended over tens of stellar radii, that can also account
for the observed fast decay of the radio flares, seem to correspond to the
typical solar semi-open quite extended magnetic configurations called helmet
streamers.} Aims {We aim to find direct observational evidence for the
postulated, solar-like, coronal topologies.} Methods {We performed
seven-consecutive-day VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz using an array consisting of
the VLBA and the 100-m Effelsberg telescope.} Results {Two distintive
structures appear in the radio images here presented. They happen to be
associated with the primary and secondary stars of the V773 Tau A system. In
one image (Fig.2-B) the two features are extended up to 18 R each and are
nearly parallel revealing the presence of two interacting helmet streamers. One
image (Fig.2-E) taken a few hours after a flare monitored by the 100-m
Effelsberg telescope shows one elongated fading structure substantially rotated
with respect to those seen in the B run. The same decay scenario is seen in
Fig.2-G for the helmet streamer associated with the other star.} Conclusions
{This is the very first direct evidence revealing that even if the flare origin
is magnetic reconnection due to interbinary collision, both stars independently
emit in the radio range with structures of their own. These structures are
helmet streamers, observed for the first time in stars other than the Sun.}Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, A&A in pres
Synchrotron emission from the T Tauri binary system V773 Tau A
The pre-main sequence binary system V773 Tau A shows remarkable flaring
activity around periastron passage. Here, we present the observation of such a
flare at a wavelength of 3 mm (90 GHz) performed with the Plateau de Bure
Interferometer. We examine different possible causes for the energy losses
responsible for the e-folding time of 2.3 hours of that flare. We exclude
synchrotron, collisional, and inverse Compton losses because they are not
consistent with observational constraints, and we propose that the fading of
the emission is due to the leakage of electrons themselves at each reflection
between the two mirror points of the magnetic structure partially trapping
them. The magnetic structure compatible with both our leakage model and
previous observations is that of a helmet streamer that, as in the solar case,
can occur at the top of the X-ray-emitting, stellar-sized coronal loops of one
of the stars. The streamer may extend up to 20 R and interact with the corona
of the other star at periastron passage, causing recurring flares. The inferred
magnetic field strength at the two mirror points of the helmet streamer is in
the range 0.12 - 125 G, and the corresponding Lorentz factor, gamma, of the
partially trapped electrons is in the range 20 < gamma < 632. We therefore rule
out that the emission could be of gyro-synchrotron nature: the derived high
Lorentz factor proves that the nature of the emission at 90 GHz from this
pre-main binary system is synchrotron radiation.
Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure
Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN
(Spain).Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, A&A in pres
Acoustic energy transfer by friction induced vibrations
Friction-induced vibrations are often investigated for their unwanted effects, such as surface wear and dynamic instabilities. This article focuses on the exploitation of friction-induced vibrations to transfer the energy between different acoustic fields by an interface under frictional contact. One of the main possible applications is the use of the generated acoustic field for passive structural health monitoring (SHM). A mechanical device (secondary acoustic source, SAS), able to perform the energy transfer, is here tested on a simplified benchmark. The energy transfer is obtained between two vibrational fields: a primary field, which is the ambient acoustic field on the structure and is generated by a known source, and a secondary field with a different frequency content produced with the developed device by friction-induced vibrations. The test bench analyzed in this work is composed by a main structure, which is excited by the primary (ambient) acoustic field, and the SAS, able to absorb part of the acoustic energy of the primary field and radiate it within the secondary acoustic field. The device is composed by a main resonator, excited by the primary acoustic field, in frictional contact with a secondary resonator to provide a broadband secondary acoustic field. The objective of the article is to analyze and estimate the power flows from the main structure to the SAS and vice versa, within the two acoustic fields
Monte-Carlo radiative transfer simulation of the circumstellar disk of the Herbig Ae star HD 144432
Studies of pre-transitional disks, with a gap region between the inner
infrared-emitting region and the outer disk, are important to improving our
understanding of disk evolution and planet formation. Previous infrared
interferometric observations have shown hints of a gap region in the
protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Ae star HD~144432. We study the dust
distribution around this star with two-dimensional radiative transfer modeling.
We compare the model predictions obtained via the Monte-Carlo radiative
transfer code RADMC-3D with infrared interferometric observations and the
{\SED} of HD~144432. The best-fit model that we found consists of an inner
optically thin component at 0.21\enDash0.32~\AU and an optically thick outer
disk at 1.4\enDash10~\AU. We also found an alternative model in which the
inner sub-AU region consists of an optically thin and an optically thick
component. Our modeling suggests an optically thin component exists in the
inner sub-AU region, although an optically thick component may coexist in the
same region. Our modeling also suggests a gap-like discontinuity in the disk of
HD~144432.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figure
Spitzer-MIPS survey of the young stellar content in the Vela Molecular Cloud-D
A new, unbiased Spitzer-MIPS imaging survey (~1.8 square degs) of the young
stellar content of the Vela Molecular Cloud-D is presented. The survey is
complete down to 5mJy and 250mJy at 24micron (mu) and 70mu, respectively. 849
sources are detected at 24mu and 52 of them also have a 70mu counterpart. The
VMR-D region is one that we have already partially mapped in dust and gas
millimeter emission, and we discuss the correlation between the Spitzer compact
sources and the mm contours. About half of the 24mu sources are located inside
the region delimited by the 12CO(1-0) contours (corresponding to only one third
of the full area mapped with MIPS) with a consequent density increase of about
100% of the 24mu sources [four times for 70mu ones] moving from outside to
inside the CO contours. About 400 sources have a 2MASS counterpart. So we have
constructed a Ks vs. Ks-[24] diagram and identified the protostellar
population. We find an excess of Class I sources in VMR-D in comparison with
other star forming regions. This result is reasonably biased by the sensitivity
limits, or, alternatively, may reflect a very short lifetime (<=10^6yr) of the
protostellar content in this cloud. The MIPS images have identified embedded
cool objects in most of the previously identified starless cores; in addition,
there are 6 very young, possibly Class 0 objects identified. Finally we report
finding of the driving sources for a set of five out of six very compact
protostellar jets previously discovered in near-infrared images.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures. To appear in Ap.
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