Search

We present a multiwavelength analysis to reveal the nature of the enigmatic T Tauri triple star system. New optical and infrared measurements are coupled with archival X-ray, UV, and millimeter data sets to show the morphologies of disk material and outflow kinematics. A dark lane of obscuring material is seen in silhouette in several emission lines and in model-subtracted ALMA millimeter continuum dust residuals near the position of T Tau Sa+Sb, revealing the attenuating circumbinary ring around T Tau S. The flux variability of T Tau S is linked in part to the binary orbit; T Tau Sb brightens near orbital apastron as it emerges from behind circumbinary material. Outflow diagnostics confirm that T Tau N powers the blueshifted western outflow, and the T Tau S binary drives the northwest-southeastern flow. Analysis of the southern outflow shows periodic arcs ejected from the T Tau system. Correlation of these arc locations and tangential kinematics with the orbit timing suggests that launch of the last four southern outflow ejections is contemporaneous with, and perhaps triggered by, the T Tau Sa+Sb binary periastron passage. We present a geometry of the T Tau triple that has the southern components foreground to T Tau N, obscured by a circumbinary ring, with misaligned disks and interacting outflows. Particularly, a wind from T Tauri Sa that is perpendicular to its circumstellar disk might interact with the circumbinary material, which may explain conflicting high-contrast measurements of the system outflows in the literature. T Tauri is an important laboratory for understanding early dynamical processes in young multiple systems. We discuss the historical and future characteristics of the system in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report high-precision interferometric and radial velocity (RV) observations of the M-dwarf binary Gl 268. Combining measurements conducted using the IOTA interferometer and the ELODIE and Harvard Center for Astrophysics RV instruments leads to a mass of 0.22596 ± 0.00084 M☼ for component A and 0.19230 ± 0.00071 M☼ for component B. The system parallax as determined by these observations is 0.1560 ± 0.0030 arcsec—a measurement with 1.9% uncertainty in excellent agreement with Hipparcos (0.1572 ± 0.0033). The absolute H-band magnitudes of the component stars are not well constrained by these measurements; however, we can place an approximate upper limit of 7.95 and 8.1 for Gl 268A and B, respectively. We test these physical parameters against the predictions of theoretical models that combine stellar evolution with high fidelity, non-gray atmospheric models. Measured and predicted values are compatible within 2σ. These results are among the most precise masses measured for visual binaries and compete with the best adaptive optics and eclipsing binary results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]