A stable quasi-periodic 4.18-d oscillation and mysterious occultations in the 2011 MOST light-curve of TW Hya
- Author(s)
- Michal Siwak, Slavek M. Rucinski, Jaymie M. Matthews, Rainer Kuschnig, Werner Wolfgang Weiss
- Abstract
We present an analysis of the 2011 photometric observations ofTWHya by the MOST satellite; this is the fourth continuous series of this type. The large-scale light variations are dominated by a strong, quasi-periodic 4.18-d oscillation with superimposed, apparently chaotic flaring activity. The former is probably produced by stellar rotation with one large hotspot created by a stable accretion funnel, while the latter may be produced by small hotspots, created at moderate latitudes by unstable accretion tongues. A new, previously unnoticed feature is a series of semiperiodic, well-defined brightness dips of unknown nature, of which 19 were observed during 43 d of our nearly continuous observations. Re-analysis of the 2009 MOST light-curve revealed the presence of three similar dips. On the basis of recent theoretical results, we tentatively conclude that the dips may represent occultations of the small hotspots created by unstable accretion tongues by hypothetical optically thick clumps of dust.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- University of Toronto, University of British Columbia (UBC)
- Journal
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Volume
- 444
- Pages
- 327-335
- No. of pages
- 9
- ISSN
- 0035-8711
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu1304
- Publication date
- 10-2014
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/412e9e51-d37c-4a61-987e-757ea842ec6f