Scientific article
English

The close T Tauri binary system V4046 Sgr: Rotationally modulated X-ray emission from accretion shocks

Published inThe Astrophysical journal, vol. 752, no. 2, 100
Publication date2012-06-20
First online date2012-05-31
Abstract

We report initial results from a quasi-simultaneous X-ray/optical observing campaign targeting V4046 Sgr, a close, synchronous-rotating classical T Tauri star (CTTS) binary in which both components are actively accreting. V4046 Sgr is a strong X-ray source, with the X-rays mainly arising from high-density (ne∼ 1011–1012 cm−3) plasma at temperatures of 3–4 MK. Our multi-wavelength campaign aims to simultaneously constrain the properties of this X-ray-emitting plasma, the large-scale magnetic field, and the accretion geometry. In this paper, we present key results obtained via time-resolved X-ray-grating spectra, gathered in a 360 ks XMM-Newton observation that covered 2.2 system rotations. We find that the emission lines produced by this high-density plasma display periodic flux variations with a measured period, 1.22 ± 0.01 d, that is precisely half that of the binary star system (2.42 d). The observed rotational modulation can be explained assuming that the high-density plasma occupies small portions of the stellar surfaces, corotating with the stars, and that the high-density plasma is not azimuthally symmetrically distributed with respect to the rotational axis of each star. These results strongly support models in which high-density, X-ray-emitting CTTS plasma is material heated in accretion shocks, located at the base of accretion flows tied to the system by magnetic field lines.

Keywords
  • Accretion, accretion disks
  • Stars: individual (V4046 Sgr)
  • Stars: magnetic field
  • Stars: variables: T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be
  • X-rays: stars
  • Stars: pre-main sequence
Citation (ISO format)
ARGIROFFI, C. et al. The close T Tauri binary system V4046 Sgr: Rotationally modulated X-ray emission from accretion shocks. In: The Astrophysical journal, 2012, vol. 752, n° 2, p. 100. doi: 10.1088/0004-637x/752/2/100
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Identifiers
Journal ISSN0004-637X
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