GSC 07396-00759 = V4046 Sgr C[D]: A WIDE-SEPARATION COMPANION TO THE CLOSE T TAURI BINARY SYSTEM V4046 Sgr AB

Journal Article · Mon Oct 10 04:00:00 EDT 2011 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/740/1/L17· OSTI ID:21565402

Kastner, J H; Sacco, G G; Montez, R; Shi, H ^[1]; Huenemoerder, D P ^[2]; Alecian, E ^[3]; Argiroffi, C ^[4]; Audard, M ^[5]; Bouvier, J ^[6]; Damiani, F; Maggio, A ^[7]; Donati, J -F ^[8]; Gregory, S G ^[9]; Guedel, M ^[10]; Hussain, G A. J. ^[11]; Montmerle, T ^[12]

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1. Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)
2. MIT, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
3. Observatoire de Paris, LESIA, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon Principal Cedex (France)
4. Dip. di Fisica, Univ. di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, 90134 Palermo (Italy)
5. ISDC Data Center for Astrophysics, University of Geneva, Ch. d'Ecogia 16, CH-1290 Versoix (Switzerland)
6. UJF-Grenoble 1/CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planetologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274, Grenoble F-38041 (France)
7. INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, 90134 Palermo (Italy)
8. IRAP-UMR 5277, CNRS and Univ. de Toulouse, 14 Av. E. Belin, F-31400 Toulouse (France)
9. California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
10. Department of Astronomy, University of Vienna, Tuerkenschanzstrasse 17, 1180 Vienna (Austria)
11. ESO, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)
12. Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, 98bis bd Arago, FR 75014 Paris (France)

We explore the possibility that GSC 07396-00759 (spectral type M1e) is a widely separated ({approx}2.'82, or projected separation {approx}12,350 AU) companion to the 'old' (age {approx}12 Myr) classical T Tauri binary system V4046 Sgr AB, as suggested by the proximity and similar space motions of the two systems. If the two systems are equidistant and coeval, then GSC 07396-00759, like V4046 Sgr AB, must be a spectroscopic binary with nearly equal-mass components, and V4046 Sgr must be at least {approx}8 Myr old. Analysis of a serendipitous Chandra X-ray grating spectrum and light curve as well as XMM-Newton light curves and CCD spectra of GSC 07396-00759 obtained during long exposures targeting V4046 Sgr AB reveals a relatively hard (T{sub X} {approx} 10{sup 7} K) X-ray spectrum, strong flaring, and relatively low-density plasma. These X-ray characteristics of GCS 07396-00759 are indicative of a high level of coronal activity, consistent with its apparent weak-lined T Tauri star status. Interactions between V4046 Sgr AB and GCS 07396-00759 when the two systems were more closely bound may be responsible for (1) their dissolution {approx}10{sup 6} yr ago, (2) the present tight, circular orbit of V4046 Sgr AB, and (3) the persistence of the gaseous circumbinary disk still orbiting V4046 Sgr AB.

• OSTI ID: 21565402
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 740; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
BINARY STARS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
HARD X RADIATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
RADIATIONS
SPECTRA
STARS
T TAURI STARS
VARIABLE STARS
X RADIATION
X-RAY SPECTRA