Abstract
We have produced brightness and magnetic field maps of the surfaces of CV Cha and CR Cha: two actively accreting G- and K-type T Tauri stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming cloud with ages of 3-5 Myr. Our magnetic field maps show evidence for strong, complex multipolar fields similar to those obtained for young rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Brightness maps indicate the presence of dark polar caps and low-latitude spots - these brightness maps are very similar to those obtained for other pre-main-sequence and rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Only two other classical T Tauri stars have been studied using similar techniques so far: V2129 Oph and BP Tau. CV Cha and CR Cha show magnetic field patterns that are significantly more complex than those recovered for BP Tau, a fully convective T Tauri star. We discuss possible reasons for this difference and suggest that the complexity of the stellar magnetic field is related to the convection zone; with more complex fields being found in T Tauri stars with radiative cores (V2129 Oph, CV Cha and CR Cha). However, it is clearly necessary to conduct magnetic field studies of T Tauri star systems, exploring a wide range of stellar parameters in order to establish how they affect magnetic field generation, and thus how these magnetic fields are likely to affect the evolution of T Tauri star systems as they approach the main sequence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 189-200 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Volume | 398 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Open clusters and associations: Individual: Chamaeleon I
- Stars: Formation
- Stars: Imaging
- Stars: Individual: CR Cha
- Stars: Individual: CV Cha
- Stars: Magnetic fields
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