We report the results of a synoptic study of the photometric and spectroscopic variability of the classical T Tauri star AA Tau on timescales ranging from a few hours to several weeks. The AA Tau light curve had been previously shown to vary with a 8.2 d period, exhibiting a roughly constant brightness level, interrupted by quasi-cyclic fading episodes, which we interpreted as recurrent eclipses of the central star by the warped inner edge of its accretion disk (Bouvier et al. 1999). Our observations show the system is dynamic and presents non-stationary variability both in the photometry and spectroscopy. The star exhibits strong emission lines that show substantial variety and variability in their profile shapes and fluxes. Emission lines such as Hα and Hβ show both infall and outflow signatures and are well reproduced by magnetospheric accretion models with moderate mass accretion rates (10 −8 −10 −9 M yr −1 ) and high inclinations (i ≥ 60 • ). The veiling shows variations that indicate the presence of 2 rotationally modulated hot spots corresponding to the two magnetosphere poles. It correlates well with the He  line flux, with B − V and the V excess flux. We have indications of a time delay between the main emission lines (Hα, Hβ and He ) and veiling, the lines formed farther away preceding the veiling changes. The time delay we measure is consistent with accreted material propagating downwards the accretion columns at free fall velocity from a distance of about 8 R . In addition, we report periodic radial velocity variations of the photospheric spectrum which might point to the existence of a 0.02 M object orbiting the star at a distance of 0.08 AU. During a few days, the eclipses disappeared, the variability of the system was strongly reduced and the line fluxes and veiling severely depressed. We argue that this episode of quiescence corresponds to the temporary disruption of the magnetic configuration at the disk inner edge. The smooth radial velocity variations of inflow and outflow diagnostics in the Hα profile yield further evidence for large scale variations of the magnetic configuration on a timescale of a month. These results may provide the first clear evidence for large scale instabilities developping in T Tauri magnetospheres as the magnetic field lines are twisted by differential rotation between the star and the inner disk. The interaction between the inner accretion disk and the stellar magnetosphere thus appears to be a highly dynamical and time dependent process.

We present the first comprehensive study of the narrow emission lines of T Tauri stars (TTS). These narrow lines have been reported in the literature as originating in the stellar atmosphere and having Gaussian-type profiles centered at the stellar rest velocity, with a base width not larger than 50 km s-1. Here, we concentrate on the Ca n lines XX8498, 8542, and 8662 and the helium line X5876. After applying veiling corrections, the average narrow component line emission is found to be larger than that found in active main-sequence stars: up to several times larger for classical T Tauri stars with strong rates of disk accretion. More striking is the finding that the resulting line emission strengths of these lines correlate with veiling. The correlation is confirmed on individual stars for which observations at several epochs exist and for which veiling varies widely on relatively short timescales. We also find a correlation between the narrow emission fluxes and the near-infrared excesses for stars with low levels of veiling, which includes the few weak-lined TTS of the sample. We discuss possible formation sites for the narrow emission lines in the classical TTS, and we present simple models to explain the observations. In these models, the excess line emission found for the stars with higher accretion rates is assumed to originate in localized regions near the magnetic footpoints of the accretion column. We refer to these hypothetical regions in the atmosphere collectively as the "hot chromosphere" since we assume they are additionally heated by the reprocessed energy of the colliding gas in the accretion process. Computing two chromospheric models, one representing the typical weak TTS chromosphere and the other representing the best guess at the "hot chromosphere," we find the following. The "hot chromosphere" is characterized by a steep temperature gradient beginning at low continuum optical depths in order to give simultaneously the large observed central flux and the relatively narrow baselines (50-60 km s ~1). The chromosphere temperature rise is not similar to the earlier deep chromosphere models in which a sudden chromospheric temperature rise is appended to the photosphere at relatively large mass column. For the most extreme cases (i.e., largest line fluxes), 20%, at most, of the star's surface must be covered by "hot chromospheric" regions.

No abstract

No abstract

Abstract.We present an analysis of 32 high-resolution echelle spectra of the pre-main sequence spectroscopic binary AK Sco obtained during 1998 and 2000, as well as a total of 72 photoelectric radial-velocity observations from the period 1986-1994. These data allow considerable improvement of the period and other orbital parameters of AK Sco. Our analysis also includes eight series of photometric observations in the uvby and Geneva seven-color systems from 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997. No eclipses or other periodic variations are seen in the photometry, but the well-determined HIPPARCOS parallax allows us to constrain the orbital inclination of the system to the range 65• , leading to the following physical parameters for the two near-identical stars: M = 1.35 ± 0.07 M , R = 1.59 ± 0.35 R , and v sin i = 18.5 ± 1.0 km s −1 . Disk models have been fit to the spectral energy distribution of AK Sco from 350 nm to 1100 µm. The above stellar parameters permit a consistent solution with an inner rim temperature of 1250 K, instead of the usual 1500 K corresponding to the dust evaporation temperature. Dynamical effects due to tidal interaction of the binary system are supposed to be responsible for pushing the inner disk radius outwards. Combining simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic data sets allows us to compute the dust obscuration in front of each star at several points over the orbit. The results demonstrate the existence of substructure at scales of just a single stellar diameter, and also that one side of the orbit is more heavily obscured than the other. The spectrum of AK Sco exhibits emission and absorption lines that show substantial variety and variability in shape. The accretion-related lines may show both outflow and infall signatures. The system displays variations at the binary orbital period in both the photospheric and accretion-related line intensities and equivalent widths, although with appreciable scatter. The periodic variations in the blue and red wing of Hβ are almost 180• out of phase. We find no evidence of enhanced accretion near the periastron passage in AK Sco as expected theoretically and observed previously in DQ Tau, a similarly young binary system with a mass ratio near unity and an eccentric orbit. The Hα equivalent width displays rather smooth variations at the stellar period, peaking around phases 0.6-0.7, far away from periastron where theory expects the maximum accretion rate to occur.

No abstract

Abstract. We present photometric light curves of T Tauri Stars (TTS) observed in the Southern hemisphere. Our list includes 26 TTS, half of which were discovered by the Pico dos Dias survey (PDS). The majority of the observed PDS stars are weak TTS and present, on average, the low range of variability typical of such stars. We monitored some of the stars for several seasons in order to detect possible changes in rotational modulation. In particular, we find that the classical TTS, AS 216, shows a stable period of 3.12d for three consecutive years (between 1985 and 1987) which then does not reveal itself during the observing season of 1989 and 1990. Coupled with this change during the last two observing seasons is an overall increase in the amplitude of the photometric variability in all colors. We derive photometric periods for 13 previously unmonitored objects, and confirm the previously published rotational period of SY Cha. In addition, we confirm that TW Cha and SZ 82 do not reveal any signs of periodic modulation.

Abstract. We report additional observations of the phase dependent behavior of the chromospheric Hα feature associated with the K-dwarf component of V471 Tau. Previously, all such observations have shown a sharply defined maximum of emission near the middle of the transit phase of the white dwarf across the disk of the K-dwarf. The precision and the reproducibility of that phase lock led many previous observers to conclude that the observed emission was due to chromospheric re-processing of ultraviolet radiation incident upon the K-dwarf from the white dwarf. Comparing these observations with previously published observations, we show that the emission strength has been steadily diminishing between epoch 1985 and epoch 1992 whence it has essentially vanished. The ultraviolet flux from the white dwarf is constant so the resulting re-processed chromospheric emission cannot be time dependent. This leads to the conclusion that most of the emission has been due to magnetically active regions located preferentially at the sub-stellar point of the white dwarf. We propose that tidal coupling in this close binary system preferentially affects the transfer of magnetic energy, coupling the internal dynamo of the K-dwarf to the outer envelope, giving a preferred longitude to magnetic activity. We further suggest that this mechanism may be common in most short period binary systems and in many cases may be the dominant mechanism causing the observed Hα behavior.