Magnetospheric outflows in young stellar objects

Abstract

Abstract. Different classes of outflows are associated with the magnetospheric activity of accreting T Tauri protostars. Stellar winds are accelerated along the open field lines anchored in the stellar surface; disk winds (extended or X-type) can be launched along the open magnetic surfaces threading the accretion disk; another type of ejection can arise from the region of interaction of the closed magnetosphere with the accretion disk (magnetospheric ejections, conical winds), where the magnetic surfaces undergo quasiperiodic episodes of inflation and reconnection. In this chapter I will present the main dynamical properties of these different types of outflow. Two main issues will be addressed. First, I will try to understand if these ejection phenomena can account for the origin of the jets often observed in young forming stellar systems. Second, I will evaluate the impact of these outflows on the angular momentum evolution of the central protostar.

Radio spectra of protostellar jets: Thermal and non-thermal emission

“…The ionization fraction or the degree of ionization plays an important role in quantifying the coupling of the gas to the magnetic field. The distribution of ionized gas in the jet is important as theories predict that the centrifugal launch of jet occurs along the magnetic field lines (Goodson & Winglee 1999;Zanni 2014).…”