High-Energy Processes in Young Stars: Chandra X-ray Spectroscopy of HDE 283572, RY Tau, and LkCa 21

Weak-lined T Tauri stars (WTTS) represent the important stage of stellar evolution between the accretion phase and the zero-age main sequence. At this stage, the star decouples from its accretion disk, and spins up to a higher rotation rate than in the preceding classical T Tauri phase. Consequently...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2004-09
Main Authors: Audard, Marc, Skinner, Stephen L, Smith, Kester W, Guedel, Manuel, Pallavicini, Roberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A stars
Accretion disks
Asteroids
Energy transmission
Fluorescence
Ionization
Main sequence stars
Photoelectricity
Planet formation
Protoplanets
Solar system
Spectrum analysis
Stellar age
Stellar evolution
T Tauri stars
X ray spectra
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Summary:Weak-lined T Tauri stars (WTTS) represent the important stage of stellar evolution between the accretion phase and the zero-age main sequence. At this stage, the star decouples from its accretion disk, and spins up to a higher rotation rate than in the preceding classical T Tauri phase. Consequently, dynamo processes can be expected to become even stronger at this stage. High energy processes can have effects on the remaining circumstellar material, possibly including protoplanets and planetesimals, and these effects may account for certain observable properties of asteroids in the current solar system. Chandra observed for 100 ks the WTTS HDE 283572 which probes the PMS stage of massive A-type stars. We present first results of the analysis of its high-resolution X-ray spectrum obtained with the High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. A wide range of Fe lines of high ionization states are observed, indicating a continuous emission measure distribution. No significant signal is detected longward of the O \textsc{viii} Ly\(\alpha\) line because of the high photoelectric absorption. We also report on the preliminary analysis of the zeroth order spectra of RY Tau and LkCa21. In particular, we show evidence of an emission line in RY Tau at 6.4 keV that we identify as fluorescent emission by neutral Fe caused by a strong X-ray flare which illuminated some structure in (or surrounding) the CTTS. A comparison of X-ray spectra of classical T Tau stars, other WTTS, and young main-sequence stars is made.
ISSN:2331-8422