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Pre-Main Sequence Binaries with Aligned Disks?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2016

Sebastian Wolf
Affiliation:
1 Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Sternwarte 5, D–07778 Tautenburg, Germany
Bringfried Stecklum
Affiliation:
1 Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Sternwarte 5, D–07778 Tautenburg, Germany
Thomas Henning
Affiliation:
2 Astrophysikalisches Institut und Universitäts-Sternwarte, Schillergässchen 2–3, D–07745 Jena, Germany

Abstract

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We present the results of a study performed with the goal to investigate whether low-mass pre-main sequence binary stars are formed by multiple fragmentation or via stellar capture. If binaries form preferentially by fragmentation, we expect their disks to be co-planar. On the other hand, the capture scenario will lead to a random distribution of disk orientations. We performed near-infrared polarization measurements of 49 young visual binary stars in the K band with SOFI at the NTT. The near-infrared excess radiation of the targets mostly point to the presence of disks. For a major fraction of the sample, evidence for disks is also obvious from other features (outflows, jets, Herbig-Haro objects). We derived the disk orientation from the orientation of the polarization vector of both components of each binary. This statistical study allows to test which hypothesis (co-planarity, random orientation) is consistent with the observed distribution of polarimetric position angles. We find evidence that the disks are preferentially aligned.

Information

Type
VIII. Environments of Young Binaries - Indirect Observations
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2001