US-France Cooperative Research: The Environment of T Tauri Stars: Protoplanetary Disks and Collimated Winds

该奖项将支持加州大学伯克利分校的Gibor Basri博士和法国巴黎天体物理研究所的Claude Bertout博士在天文学方面的合作研究。该项目的目的是调查金牛座金牛座盘和风的物理性质。金牛座的演化阶段代表了在一颗年轻恒星的演化过程中，第一次可以直接观察到它的表面。此时，观测到的光谱有些不正常，显示出许多和各种各样的发射线，在红外和紫外中连续过剩。尽管已经提出了许多理论，但这些光谱特性一直没有一个统一的解释。研究人员目前的工作表明，如果这些年轻的恒星仍然被平坦的赤道气体和尘埃盘（行星可以从这些圆盘中形成）所包围，这些异常现象的起源就可以理解。有证据表明，物质正在继续流过这些圆盘，流向恒星。这些系统也在双极流中喷射出相当数量的物质。在这个联合项目中，研究人员建议通过协调观测和理论发展的合作来发展和扩大对新星的理解。他们将研究来自年轻的类太阳恒星的盘和风，这将揭示我们自己早期太阳系的状况，并最终揭示银河系中行星系统的普遍存在。该项目将受益于Basri博士收集的大量高色散梯队光谱，以及Bertout博士的理论专业知识。

This award will support collaborative research in astronomy between Dr. Gibor Basri, University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Claude Bertout, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, France. The objective of the project is the investigation of the physical properties of T Tauri disks and winds. The T Tauri evolutionary stage represents the first time during a young star's evolution that its surface can be directly observed. At this time the observed spectrum is somewhat abnormal, showing a number and variety of emission lines, and continuum excess in the infrared and ultraviolet. These spectral peculiarities have eluded a unified explanation, though many theories have been proposed. Current work by the investigators has shown that the origin of these anomalies can be understood if these young stars are still surrounded by flat equatorial disks of gas and dust (out of which planets could form). There is evidence that material is continuing to flow through these disks and onto the stars. The systems are also ejecting a considerable amount of material in bipolar flows. In this joint project, the investigators propose to develop and expand this understanding of new stars through a collaboration involving both coordinated observations and theoretical development. They will study both the disks and the winds from young solar-like stars, which should shed light on conditions in our own early solar system and eventually on the prevalence of planetary systems in the galaxy. This project will benefit from the large set of high dispersion echelle spectra collected by Dr. Basri, as well the theoretical expertise of Dr. Bertout.