Discovery of an infrared companion to T Tauri

Abstract

One-dimensional speckle interferometry of T Tauri at 2.2, 3.8, and 4.8 microns has yielded visibility curves indicating this object to be a double star, with a north-south separation of 0.61 + or - 0.04 arcsec and very different component colors. A model according to which the cooler, northern component accounts for the IR excess in the 2.2-10 micron range is presented, along with indirect arguments suggesting that the visible, southern component drives the outflow evident in H2 and CO spectra and accounts for the 10 to the -7th solar mass/year mass loss rate.

Identifiers

DOI

10.1086/183778

Citations and references