2005/01/10 by Ryuichi Kurosawa, Tim J. Harries, Neil H. Symington
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08808.x
published as Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 358 (2005) 671-683 · 13 pages, 14 figures. Accepted by MNRAS
arxiv created 2005/01/10 · openalex publication_date 2005/03/15 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present time-series echelle spectra of the Paβ line of the T Tauri star SU Aur, observed over three consecutive nights. The line shows strong variability (∼10 per cent) over the velocity range 100–420 km s−1 in the red broad absorption component, and weaker variability (∼2 per cent) over the velocity range −200–0 km s−1 in the blue wing. The variability in the velocity range −200–0 km s−1 is correlated with that in 200–400 km s−1, and the variability in these velocity ranges anticorrelates with that in 0–100 km s−1. The mean spectrum from the second night shows the suggestion of a blueshifted absorption component at about −150 km s−1, similar to that found in the Hα and Hβ lines. We find the position of the subpeak in the red absorption component changes steadily with time, and its motion modulates at half the rotational period. We also find that the modulation of the line equivalent width is possibly associated with a half and a third of the rotational period, which is consistent with the surface Doppler images of SU Aur. Radiative transfer models of a rotationally modulated Paβ line, produced in the shock-heated magnetospheric accretion flow, are also presented. Models with a magnetic dipole offset reproduce the overall characteristics of the observed line variability, including the line equivalent width and the motion of the subpeak in the red absorption trough.