Disk Evolution in Young Binaries: from Observations to Theory

The formation of a binary system surrounded by disks is the most common outcome of stellar formation. Hence studying and understanding the formation and the evolution of binary systems and associated disks is a cornerstone of star formation science. Moreover, since the components within binary systems are coeval and the sizes of their disks are fixed by the tidal truncation of their companion, binary systems provide an ideal "laboratory" in which to study disk evolution under well defined boundary conditions. In this paper, we review observations of several inner disk diagnostics in multiple systems, including hydrogen emission lines (indicative of ongoing accretion), $K-L$ and $K-N$ color excesses (evidence of warm inner disks), and polarization (indicative of the relative orientations of the disks around each component). We examine to what degree these properties are correlated within binary systems and how this degree of correlation depends on parameters such as separation and binary mass ratio. These findings will be interpreted both in terms of models that treat each disk as an isolated reservoir and those in which the disks are subject to re-supply from some form of circumbinary reservoir, the observational evidence for which we will also critically review. The planet forming potential of multiple star systems is discussed in terms of the relative lifetimes of disks around single stars, binary primaries and binary secondaries. Finally, we summarize several potentially revealing observational problems and future projects that could provide further insight into disk evolution in the coming decadeComment: 16 pages, 7 figures, chapter in Protostars and Planets

A near-infrared variability campaign of TMR-1: New light on the nature of the candidate protoplanet TMR-1C

(abridged) We present a near-infrared (NIR) photometric variability study of the candidate protoplanet, TMR-1C, located at a separation of about 10" (~1000 AU) from the Class I protobinary TMR-1AB in the Taurus molecular cloud. Our campaign was conducted between October, 2011, and January, 2012. We were able to obtain 44 epochs of observations in each of the H and Ks filters. Based on the final accuracy of our observations, we do not find any strong evidence of short-term NIR variability at amplitudes of >0.15-0.2 mag for TMR-1C or TMR-1AB. Our present observations, however, have reconfirmed the large-amplitude long-term variations in the NIR emission for TMR-1C, which were earlier observed between 1998 and 2002, and have also shown that no particular correlation exists between the brightness and the color changes. TMR-1C became brighter in the H-band by ~1.8 mag between 1998 and 2002, and then fainter again by ~0.7 mag between 2002 and 2011. In contrast, it has persistently become brighter in the Ks-band in the period between 1998 and 2011. The (H-Ks) color for TMR-1C shows large variations, from a red value of 1.3+/-0.07 and 1.6+/-0.05 mag in 1998 and 2000, to a much bluer color of -0.1+/-0.5 mag in 2002, and then again a red color of 1.1+/-0.08 mag in 2011. The observed variability from 1998 to 2011 suggests that TMR-1C becomes fainter when it gets redder, as expected from variable extinction, while the brightening observed in the Ks-band could be due to physical variations in its inner disk structure. The NIR colors for TMR-1C obtained using the high precision photometry from 1998, 2000, and 2011 observations are similar to the protostars in Taurus, suggesting that it could be a faint dusty Class I source. Our study has also revealed two new variable sources in the vicinity of TMR-1AB, which show long-term variations of ~1-2 mag in the NIR colors between 2002 and 2011.Comment: Accepted in A&

An Inexpensive Liquid Crystal Spectropolarimeter for the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Plaskett Telescope

A new, inexpensive polarimetric unit has been constructed for the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) 1.8-m Plaskett telescope. It is implemented as a plug-in module for the telescope's existing Cassegrain spectrograph, and enables medium resolution (R~10,000) circular spectropolarimetry of point sources. A dual-beam design together with fast switching of the wave plate at rates up to 100Hz, and synchronized with charge shuffling on the CCD, is used to significantly reduce instrumental effects and achieve high-precision spectropolarimetric measurements for a very low cost. The instrument is optimized to work in the wavelength range 4700 - 5300A to simultaneously detect polarization signals in the H beta line as well as nearby metallic lines. In this paper we describe the technical details of the instrument, our observing strategy and data reduction techniques, and present tests of its scientific performance.Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in PAS

New Brown Dwarfs and an Updated Initial Mass Function in Taurus

I have performed a search for young low-mass stars and brown dwarfs (BDs) in 2 regions encompassing a total area of 4 deg^2 in the Taurus star-forming region, discovering 15 new members of Taurus. In addition, I present 7 new members outside of these areas from the initial stage of a survey of all of Taurus. These 22 objects exhibit spectral types of M4.5-M9.25 and masses of 0.3-0.015 M_sun according to the theoretical evolutionary models of Baraffe and Chabrier, 7 of which are likely to be BDs. Emission in H(alpha), He I, Ca II, [O I], and [S II] and excess emission in optical and near-IR bands among some of these objects suggest the presence of accretion, outflows, and circumstellar disks. The results from the 4 deg^2 survey have been combined with previous studies of Taurus to arrive at an IMF for a total area of 12.4 deg^2. As in the previous IMFs for Taurus, the updated IMF peaks at a higher mass (0.8 M_sun) than the mass functions in IC 348 and Orion (0.1-0.2 M_sun). Meanwhile, the deficit of BDs in Taurus appears to be less significant (x1.4-1.8) than found in earlier studies (x2) because of a slightly higher BD fraction in the new IMF for Taurus and a lower BD fraction in the new spectroscopic IMF for the Trapezium from Slesnick and coworkers. The spatial distribution of the low-mass stars and BDs discovered in the two new survey areas closely matches that of the more massive members. Thus, on the degree size scales (~3 pc) probed to date, there is no indication that BDs form through ejection.Comment: 35 pages, The Astrophysical Journal, 2004, v617 (December 20

Refined masses and distance of the young binary Haro 1-14 C

We aim to refine the dynamical masses of the individual component of the low-mass pre-main sequence binary Haro 1-14 C. We combine the data of the preliminary orbit presented previously with new interferometric observations obtained with the four 8m telescopes of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. The derived masses are M_a=0.905\pm0.043\,\Msun and M_b=0.308\pm0.011\,\Msun for the primary and secondary components, respectively. This is about five times better than the uncertainties of the preliminary orbit. Moreover, the possibility of larger masses is now securely discarded. The new dynamical distance, $d=96\pm\,9\,$pc, is smaller than the distance to the Ophiuchus core with a significance of $2.6\,\sigma$. Fitting the spectral energy distribution yields apparent diameters of \phi_a=0.13\pm0.01\mas and \phi_b=0.10\pm0.01\mas (corresponding to \Ra=1.50\,\Rsun and \Rb=1.13\,\Rsun) and a visual extinction of $A_v\approx1.75$. Although the revised orbit has a nearly edge-on geometry, the system is unlikely to be a long-period eclipsing binary. The secondary in Haro~1-14C is one of the few low-mass, pre-main sequence stars with an accurately determined dynamical mass and distance

Disc orientations in pre-main-sequence multiple systems. A study in southern star formation regions

Classical T Tauri stars are encircled by accretion discs most of the time unresolved by conventional imaging observation. However, numerical simulations show that unresolved aperture linear polarimetry can be used to extract information about the geometry of the immediate circumstellar medium that scatter the starlight. Monin, Menard & Duchene (1998) previously suggested that polarimetry can be used to trace the relative orientation of discs in young binary systems in order to shed light on the stellar and planet formation process. In this paper, we report on new VLT/FORS1 optical linear polarisation measurements of 23 southern binaries spanning a range of separation from 0.8'' to 10''. In each field, the polarisation of the central binary is extracted, as well as the polarisation of nearby stars in order to estimate the local interstellar polarisation. We find that, in general, the linear polarisation vectors of individual components in binary systems tend to be parallel to each other. The amplitude of their polarisations are also correlated. These findings are in agreement with our previous work and extend the trend to smaller separations. They are also similar to other studies, e.g., Donar et al. 1999; Jensen et al. 2000, 2004; Wolf et al. 2001. However, we also find a few systems showing large differences in polarisation level, possibly indicating different inclinations to the line-of-sight for their discs.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics. accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A

Immune responses in the human female reproductive tract

Mucosal surfaces are key interfaces between the host and its environment, but also constitute ports of entry for numerous pathogens. The gut and lung mucosae act as points of nutrient and gas exchange, respectively, but the physiological purpose of the female reproductive tract (FRT) is to allow implantation and development of the fetus. Our understanding of immune responses in the FRT has traditionally lagged behind our grasp of the situation at other mucosal sites, but recently reproductive immunologists have begun to make rapid progress in this challenging area. Here, we review current knowledge of immune responses in the human FRT and their heterogeneity within and between compartments. In the commensal-rich vagina, the immune system must allow the growth of beneficial microbes, whereas the key challenge in the uterus is allowing the growth of the semi-allogeneic fetus. In both compartments, these objectives must be balanced with the need to eliminate pathogens. Our developing understanding of immune responses in the FRT will help us develop interventions to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and to improve outcomes of pregnancy for mothers and babies

The Taurus Boundary of Stellar/Substellar (TBOSS) Survey I: far-IR disk emission measured with Herschel

With Herschel/PACS 134 low mass members of the Taurus star-forming region spanning the M4-L0 spectral type range and covering the transition from low mass stars to brown dwarfs were observed. Combining the new Herschel results with other programs, a total of 150 of the 154 M4-L0 Taurus members members have observations with Herschel. Among the 150 targets, 70um flux densities were measured for 7 of the 7 ClassI objects, 48 of the 67 ClassII members, and 3 of the 76 ClassIII targets. For the detected ClassII objects, the median 70um flux density level declines with spectral type, however, the distribution of excess relative to central object flux density does not change across the stellar/substellar boundary in the M4-L0 range. Connecting the 70um TBOSS values with the results from K0-M3 ClassII members results in the first comprehensive census of far-IR emission across the full mass spectrum of the stellar and substellar population of a star-forming region, and the median flux density declines with spectral type in a trend analogous to the flux density decline expected for the central objects. SEDs were constructed for all TBOSS targets covering the optical to far-IR range and extending to the submm/mm for a subset of sources. Based on an initial exploration of the impact of different physical parameters; inclination, scale height and flaring have the largest influence on the PACS flux densities. From the 24um to 70um spectral index of the SEDs, 5 new candidate transition disks were identified. The steep 24um to 70um slope for a subset of 8 TBOSS targets may be an indication of truncated disks in these systems.Two examples of mixed pair systems that include secondaries with disks were measured. Finally, comparing the TBOSS results with a Herschel study of Ophiuchus brown dwarfs reveals a lower fraction of disks around the Taurus substellar population.Comment: 64 pages, 33 figures, 12 tables, accepted for publication in A&

Fractal dimension crossovers in turbulent passive scalar signals

The fractal dimension $\delta_g^{(1)}$ of turbulent passive scalar signals is calculated from the fluid dynamical equation. $\delta_g^{(1)}$ depends on the scale. For small Prandtl (or Schmidt) number $Pr<10^{-2}$ one gets two ranges, $\delta_g^{(1)}=1$ for small scale r and $\delta_g^{(1)}$=5/3 for large r, both as expected. But for large $Pr> 1$ one gets a third, intermediate range in which the signal is extremely wrinkled and has $\delta_g^{(1)}=2$. In that range the passive scalar structure function $D_\theta(r)$ has a plateau. We calculate the $Pr$-dependence of the crossovers. Comparison with a numerical reduced wave vector set calculation gives good agreement with our predictions.Comment: 7 pages, Revtex, 3 figures (postscript file on request

Geometry and violent events in turbulent pair dispersion

The statistics of Lagrangian pair dispersion in a homogeneous isotropic flow is investigated by means of direct numerical simulations. The focus is on deviations from Richardson eddy-diffusivity model and in particular on the strong fluctuations experienced by tracers. Evidence is obtained that the distribution of distances attains an almost self-similar regime characterized by a very weak intermittency. The timescale of convergence to this behavior is found to be given by the kinetic energy dissipation time measured at the scale of the initial separation. Conversely the velocity differences between tracers are displaying a strongly anomalous behavior whose scaling properties are very close to that of Lagrangian structure functions. These violent fluctuations are interpreted geometrically and are shown to be responsible for a long-term memory of the initial separation. Despite this strong intermittency, it is found that the mixed moment defined by the ratio between the cube of the longitudinal velocity difference and the distance attains a statistically stationary regime on very short timescales. These results are brought together to address the question of violent events in the distribution of distances. It is found that distances much larger than the average are reached by pairs that have always separated faster since the initial time. They contribute a stretched exponential behavior in the tail of the inter-tracer distance probability distribution. The tail approaches a pure exponential at large times, contradicting Richardson diffusive approach. At the same time, the distance distribution displays a time-dependent power-law behavior at very small values, which is interpreted in terms of fractal geometry. It is argued and demonstrated numerically that the exponent converges to one at large time, again in conflict with Richardson's distribution.Comment: 21 page