English

Ejection of a Low Mass Star in a Young Stellar System in Taurus

Astrophysics 2009-11-07 v1

Abstract

We present the analysis of high angular resolution VLA radio observations, made at eleven epochs over the last 20 years, of the multiple system T Tauri. One of the sources (Sb) in the system has moved at moderate speed (5-10 km/s), on an apparently elliptical orbit during the first 15 years of observations, but after a close (< 2 AU) encounter with the source Sa, it appears to have accelerated westward to about 20 km/s in the last few years. Such a dramatic orbital change most probably indicates that Sb has just suffered an ejection - which would be the first such event ever detected. Whether Sb will ultimately stay on a highly elliptical bound orbit, or whether it will leave the system altogether will be known with about five more years of observations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0303315,
  title  = {Ejection of a Low Mass Star in a Young Stellar System in Taurus},
  author = {Laurent Loinard and Luis F. Rodriguez and Monica I. Rodriguez},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0303315},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, accepter in ApJ Letters