Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013

Poster 2S015

Possible Observable Signatures of Classical T Tauri Stars Accreting in an Unstable Regime

Kurosawa, Ryuichi (Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy)
Romanova, Marina (Cornell University)

Abstract:
Although Classical T Tauri stars are variable in various time-scales, one type of variability may be associated with the accretion of gas via the Rayleigh-Taylor instability that occurs at the interface between an accretion disc and a stellar magnetosphere. In this regime, gas can accrete in a several, temporarily formed, accretion streams which appear in random locations, and produce stochastic photometric and line variability. Here, we present the results of (1). global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of matter flows in both stable and unstable accretion regimes; (2). the corresponding time-dependent hydrogen line profile calculations and their analysis of the variability behaviors. We discuss a few key observable signatures which are associated with the unstable accretion flows caused by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

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