Spitzer Space Telescope - Directors Discretionary Time Proposal #13227


Connecting mass accretion and ejection in pre-main sequence stars

Principal Investigator: Catherine Espaillat
           Institution: Boston University

     Technical Contact: Catherine Espaillat, Boston University

Co-Investigators: 
Jesus Hernandez, UNAM                                                 
Sierra Grant, Boston University                                       
Enrique Macias, Boston University                                     
Mark Reynolds, University of Michigan                                 
Connor Robinson, Boston University                                    

Science Category: young stellar objects 
 Observing Modes: IRAC Post-Cryo Mapping
  Hours Approved: 9.6 

Abstract:
Many pre-main sequence stars are surrounded by circumstellar material and
display the typical signatures of astrophysical accretion disks, namely mass
accretion onto the central object and mass ejection via jets. There is an
observed correlation between the accretion rate onto the star and the mass loss
rate. This suggests a linked formation mechanism, presumably the stellar
magnetic field which can both channel material onto the star as well as eject it
in collimated jets along twisted field lines. Here we propose a test of the
observed correlation between mass accretion and ejection by using NIR emission
to trace the mass reservoir available for accretion in the innermost disk, UV
emission to detect accreting gas, and centimeter emission to trace the jet while
disentangling the influence of high-energy X-ray radiation from the star. These
would be the first simultaneous Chandra-HST-Spitzer-VLA observations of a young,
accreting star.