Modeling the Photopolarimetric Variability of AA Tau
Abstract
We present Monte Carlo scattered light models of a warped disk that reproduce the observed photopolarimetric variability of the classical T Tauri star AA Tau. For a system inclination of 75 deg and using an analytic description for a warped inner disk, we find that the shape and amplitude of the photopolarimetric variability are reproduced with a warp which occults the star, located at 0.07 au, amplitude 0.016 au, extending over radial and azimuthal ranges 0.0084 au and 145 deg. We also show a time sequence of high spatial resolution scattered light images, showing a dark shadow cast by the warp sweeping round the disk. Using a modified smooth particle hydrodynamics code, we find that a stellar dipole magnetic field of strength 5.2 kG, inclined at 30 deg to the stellar rotation axis can reproduce the required disk warping to explain AA Tau's photopolarimetric variability.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0501506,
title = {Modeling the Photopolarimetric Variability of AA Tau},
author = {Mark O'Sullivan and Michael Truss and Christina Walker and Kenneth Wood and Owen Matthews and Barbara Whitney and J. E. Bjorkman},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0501506},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
9 Pages, 10 Figures. Accepted for publishing in MNRAS