Can complex T Tauri star light curves be modelled with star-spots?

ABSTRACT ‘Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite’ photometry of 10 young stars with very complex periodic light curves is considered. Previous findings that these cannot be due to dark surface spots are re-evaluated by allowing arbitrarily shaped areas on the stellar surface to have sub-photospheric fluxes. This is done by approximating flux integrals by sums over surface elements. The unknown ratios of spot to photospheric fluxes are determined by lasso or ridge regression procedures. It is found that almost all light curves can be modelled very accurately in this way. The usual, if rarely stated, caveat applies – star-spot models presented in the paper are not unique.

Predicting the time variation of radio emission from MHD simulations of a flaring T-Tauri star

ABSTRACT We model the time-dependent radio emission from a disc accretion event in a T-Tauri star using 3D, ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations combined with a gyrosynchrotron emission and radiative transfer model. We predict for the first time, the multifrequency (1–1000 GHz) intensity and circular polarization from a flaring T-Tauri star. A flux tube, connecting the star with its circumstellar disc, is populated with a distribution of non-thermal electrons that is allowed to decay exponentially after a heating event in the disc and the system is allowed to evolve. The energy distribution of the electrons, as well as the non-thermal power-law index and loss rate, are varied to see their effect on the overall flux. Spectra are generated from different lines of sight, giving different views of the flux tube and disc. The peak flux typically occurs around 20–30 GHz and the radio luminosity is consistent with that observed from T-Tauri stars. For all simulations, the peak flux is found to decrease and move to lower frequencies with elapsing time. The frequency-dependent circular polarization can reach 10$-30{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ but has a complex structure that evolves as the flare evolves. Our models show that observations of the evolution of the spectrum and its polarization can provide important constraints on physical properties of the flaring environment and associated accretion event.

Properties of CVSO 30 from TESS measurements: probably a binary T Tauri star with complex light curves and no obvious planets

ABSTRACT ‘Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite’ (TESS) photometry of CVSO 30 spanned 21.8 d, with a single large gap of 1.1 d. This allows alias-free determination of the two periodicities in the data. It is confirmed that both of these are non-sinusoidal: the dominant P1 = 0.4990 d has two detectable harmonics and P2 = 0.4486 d has seven. The large number of harmonics in the second periodicity characterizes a very complex light curve shape. One of the features in the light curve is a sharp dip of duration ∼2 h: this is probably the source of the previously claimed planetary transit signature. The star is a member of a small group of T Tauri stars with complex light curves, which have recently been exhaustively studied using Kepler and TESS observations. The two non-commensurate periods are most simply interpreted as being from two stars, i.e. CVSO 30 is probably a binary.

Evidence for planetary hypothesis for PTFO 8-8695 b with five-year optical/infrared monitoring observations

PTFO 8-8695 b (CVSO 30 b) is a young planet candidate whose host star is a $\sim\!\!{2.6}$-Myr-old T-Tauri star, and there have been continuous discussions about the nature of this system. To unveil the mystery of this system, we observed PTFO 8-8695 for around five years at optical and infrared bands simultaneously using the Kanata telescope at the Higashi-Hiroshima Observatory. Through our observations, we found that the reported fading event split into two: deeper but phase-shifted “dip-A” and shallower but equiphase “dip-B”. These dips disappeared at different epochs, and then, dip-B reappeared. Based on the observed wavelength dependence of dip depths, a dust clump and a precessing planet are likely origins of dip-A and B, respectively. Here we propose “a precessing planet associated with a dust cloud” scenario for this system. This scenario is consistent with the reported change in the depth of fading events, and even with the reported results, which were thought to be evidence against the planetary hypothesis.