The Magnetic Fields of Classical T Tauri Stars

We report new magnetic field measurements for 14 classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs). We combine these data with one previous field determination in order to compare our observed field strengths with the field strengths predicted by magnetospheric accretion models. We use literature data on the stellar mass, radius, rotation period, and disk accretion rate to predict the field strength that should be present on each of our stars according to these magnetospheric accretion models. We show that our measured field values do not correlate with the field strengths predicted by simple magnetospheric accretion theory. We also use our field strength measurements and literature X-ray luminosity data to test a recent relationship expressing X-ray luminosity as a function of surface magnetic flux derived from various solar feature and main sequence star measurements. We find that the T Tauri stars we have observed have weaker than expected X-ray emission by over an order of magnitude on average using this relationship. We suggest the cause for this is actually a result of the very strong fields on these stars which decreases the efficiency with which gas motions in the photosphere can tangle magnetic flux tubes in the corona.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure

Self-Similar Solutions of Viscous-Resistive ADAFs With Poloidal Magnetic Fields

We carry out the self-similar solutions of viscous-resistive accretion flows around a magnetized compact object. We consider an axisymmetric, rotating, isotheral steady accretion flow which contains a poloidal magnetic field of the central star. The dominant mechanism of energy dissipation is assumed to be the turbulence viscosity and magnetic diffusivity due to magnetic field of the central star. We explore the effect of viscosity on a rotating disk in the presence of constant magnetic diffusivity. We show that the dynamical quantities of ADAFs are sensitive to the advection and viscosity parameters. Increase of the $\alpha$ coefficient in the $\alpha$-prescription model decreases the radial velocity and increases the density of the flow. It also affects the poloidal magnetic field considerably.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Accretion-Powered Stellar Winds II: Numerical Solutions for Stellar Wind Torques

[Abridged] In order to explain the slow rotation observed in a large fraction of accreting pre-main-sequence stars (CTTSs), we explore the role of stellar winds in torquing down the stars. For this mechanism to be effective, the stellar winds need to have relatively high outflow rates, and thus would likely be powered by the accretion process itself. Here, we use numerical magnetohydrodynamical simulations to compute detailed 2-dimensional (axisymmetric) stellar wind solutions, in order to determine the spin down torque on the star. We explore a range of parameters relevant for CTTSs, including variations in the stellar mass, radius, spin rate, surface magnetic field strength, the mass loss rate, and wind acceleration rate. We also consider both dipole and quadrupole magnetic field geometries. Our simulations indicate that the stellar wind torque is of sufficient magnitude to be important for spinning down a ``typical'' CTTS, for a mass loss rate of $\sim 10^{-9} M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The winds are wide-angle, self-collimated flows, as expected of magnetic rotator winds with moderately fast rotation. The cases with quadrupolar field produce a much weaker torque than for a dipole with the same surface field strength, demonstrating that magnetic geometry plays a fundamental role in determining the torque. Cases with varying wind acceleration rate show much smaller variations in the torque suggesting that the details of the wind driving are less important. We use our computed results to fit a semi-analytic formula for the effective Alfv\'en radius in the wind, as well as the torque. This allows for considerable predictive power, and is an improvement over existing approximations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

The Socio-Cultural Function of Media in Nineteenth-Century Latin America

In her article, The Socio-Cultural Function of Media in Nineteenth-Century Latin America, Annette Paatz explores the function of the review genre in the context of Latin American nation building. Paatz focuses, on the one hand, on the genre\u27s nationalist purposes and, on the other, on the appropriateness for intercultural communication. Drawing on the concept of mediated communication as social practice in the context of media cultural studies, Paatz analyses the reviews as representations of nineteenth-century Latin America\u27s negotiations of transatlantic and thus intercultural relationships. She highlights the pragmatic ways in which Latin America utilized European media products in order to increase the flow of information and to sustain a Latin American pan-subcontinental communication. This fact suggests that the often noted importance of Paris as the cultural center of the Western world throughout the nineteenth century can be described in terms of the medial support it offered to Latin American nations in their claim for and building of cultural identity. By considering the conditions of production as well as reception, Paatz pays attention to cultural biases inherent in media communication between Europe and Latin America

Measuring the Magnetic Field on the Classical T Tauri Star TW Hydrae

We present infrared (IR) and optical echelle spectra of the Classical T Tauri star TW Hydrae. Using the optical data, we perform detailed spectrum synthesis to fit atomic and molecular absorption lines and determine key stellar parameters: Teff = 4126 \pm 24 K, log g = 4.84 \pm 0.16, [M/H] = -0.10 \pm 0.12, vsini = 5.8 \pm 0.6 km/s. The IR spectrum is used to look for Zeeman broadening of photospheric absorption lines. We fit four Zeeman sensitive Ti I lines near 2.2 microns and find the average value of the magnetic field over the entire surface is 2.61 \pm 0.23 kG. In addition, several nearby magnetically insensitive CO lines show no excess broadening above that produced by stellar rotation and instrumental broadening, reinforcing the magnetic interpretation for the width of the Ti I lines. We carry out extensive tests to quantify systematic errors in our analysis technique which may result from inaccurate knowledge of the effective temperature or gravity, finding that reasonable errors in these quantities produce a 10% uncertainty in the mean field measurement.Comment: The tar file includes one Tex file and four .eps figures. The paper is accepted and tentatively scheduled for the ApJ 1 December 2005, v634, 2 issue. ApJ manuscript submission # 6310

Emission-line profile modelling of structured T Tauri magnetospheres

We present hydrogen emission line profile models of magnetospheric accretion onto Classical T Tauri stars. The models are computed under the Sobolev approximation using the three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative-transfer code TORUS. We have calculated four illustrative models in which the accretion flows are confined to azimuthal curtains - a geometry predicted by magneto-hydrodynamical simulations. Properties of the line profile variability of our models are discussed, with reference to dynamic spectra and cross-correlation images. We find that some gross characteristics of observed line profile variability are reproduced by our models, although in general the level of variability predicted is larger than that observed. We conclude that this excessive variability probably excludes dynamical simulations that predict accretion flows with low degrees of axisymmetry.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Published in MNRA

Magnetic-field measurements of T Tauri stars in the Orion Nebula cluster

We present an analysis of high-resolution ($R \sim 50,000$) infrared K-band echelle spectra of 14 T Tauri stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We model Zeeman broadening in three magnetically sensitive \ion{Ti}{1} lines near $2.2\ \mu$m and consistently detect kilogauss-level magnetic fields in the stellar photospheres. The data are consistent in each case with the entire stellar surface being covered with magnetic fields, suggesting that magnetic pressure likely dominates over gas pressure in the photospheres of these stars. These very strong magnetic fields might themselves be responsible for the underproduction of X-ray emission of T Tauri stars relative to what is expected based on main-sequence star calibrations. We combine these results with previous measurements of 14 stars in Taurus and 5 stars in the TW Hydrae association to study the potential variation of magnetic-field properties during the first 10 million years of stellar evolution, finding a steady decline in total magnetic flux with age.Comment: 34 pages, 17 figures, published in ApJ, 2011, 729, 8

Testing Models of Accretion-driven Coronal Heating and Stellar Wind Acceleration for T Tauri Stars

Classical T Tauri stars are pre-main-sequence objects that undergo simultaneous accretion, wind outflow, and coronal X-ray emission. The impact of plasma on the stellar surface from magnetospheric accretion streams is likely to be a dominant source of energy and momentum in the upper atmospheres of these stars. This paper presents a set of models for the dynamics and heating of three distinct regions on T Tauri stars that are affected by accretion: (1) the shocked plasmas directly beneath the magnetospheric accretion streams, (2) stellar winds that are accelerated along open magnetic flux tubes, and (3) closed magnetic loops that resemble the Sun's coronal active regions. For the loops, a self-consistent model of coronal heating was derived from numerical simulations of solar field-line tangling and turbulent dissipation. Individual models are constructed for the properties of 14 well-observed stars in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. Predictions for the wind mass loss rates are, on average, slightly lower than the observations, which suggests that disk winds or X-winds may also contribute to the measured outflows. For some of the stars, however, the modeled stellar winds do appear to contribute significantly to the measured mass fluxes. Predictions for X-ray luminosities from the shocks and loops are in general agreement with existing observations. The stars with the highest accretion rates tend to have X-ray luminosities dominated by the high-temperature (5-10 MK) loops. The X-ray luminosities for the stars having lower accretion rates are dominated by the cooler accretion shocks.Comment: 20 pages (emulateapj style), 13 figures, ApJ, in press (v. 706, December 1, 2009