No Arabic abstract
The secondary of the famous young binary RW Aur is much less studied than the primary. To compensate this shortcoming, we present here the results of UBVRIJHK photometric, VRI polarimetric and optical spectral observations of RW Aur B. The star demonstrates chaotic brightness variations in the optical band with irregular short (~ 1 day) dimmings with an amplitude $Delta V$ up to $1.3^{rm m}.$ The dimmings are accompanied with an increase in the linear polarization (up to 3 per cent in the I band), presumably due to the scattering of the stellar radiation by dust in the circumstellar disc that means that RW Aur B can be classified as a UX Ori type star. We concluded that the observed excess emission at $lambda lesssim 0.45$ $mu$m and longward $approx$ 2 $mu$m as well as a variability of fluxes and profiles of HI, HeI and NaI D emission lines are due to the accretion process. At the same time, emission components of Ca II lines indicate that RW Aur B has a powerful chromosphere. Assuming the solar elemental abundances, we found the following parameters of the star: $T_{rm eff} = 4100-4200$ K, $A_{rm V}=0.6 pm 0.1$ (out of the dimming events), $L_* approx 0.6$ $L_odot,$ $R_* approx 1.5$ $R_odot,$ $Mapprox 0.85$ M$_odot,$ $dot M_{rm acc}<5times 10^{-9}$ M$_odot$ yr$^{-1}.$ Finally, we discuss possible reasons for the different levels of the accretion activity of RW Aur binary components and present arguments in favour of the fact that they are gravitationally bound.
Results of UBVRIJHKLM photometry, VRI polarimetry and optical spectroscopy of a young star RW Aur A obtained during 2010-11 and 2014-16 dimming events are presented. During the second dimming the star decreased its brightness to Delta V > 4.5 mag, polarization of its light in I-band was up to 30%, and color-magnitude diagram was similar to that of UX Ori type stars. We conclude that the reason of both dimmings is an eclipses of the star by dust screen, but the size of the screen is much larger than in the case of UXORs.
The primary star in the young stellar object (YSO) binary CO Ori displays UX Ori-type variability: irregular, high amplitude optical and near-infrared photometric fluctuations where flux minima coincide with polarization maxima. This is attributed to changes in local opacity. In CO Ori A, these variations exhibit a 12.4 yr cycle. Here, we investigate the physical origin of the fluctuating opacity and its periodicity using interferometric observations of CO Ori obtained using VLTI/GRAVITY. Continuum K-band circum-primary and circum-secondary emission are marginally spatially resolved for the first time while Br$gamma$ emission is detected in the spectrum of the secondary. We estimate a spectral type range for CO Ori B of K2-K5 assuming visual extinction, $A_{rm{V}}=2$ and a distance of 430 pc. From geometric modelling of the continuum visibilities, the circum-primary emission is consistent with a central point source plus a Gaussian component with a full-width-half-maximum of 2.31$pm$0.04 milliarcseconds (mas), inclined at 30.2$pm$2.2$^{circ}$ and with a major axis position angle of 40$pm$6$^{circ}$. This inclination is lower than that reported for the discs of other UX Ori-type stars, providing a first indication that the UX Ori phenomena may arise through fluctuations in circumstellar material exterior to a disc, e.g. in a dusty outflow. An additional wide, symmetric Gaussian component is required to fit the visibilities of CO Ori B, signifying a contribution from scattered light. Finally, closure phases of CO Ori A were used to investigate whether the 12.4 yr periodicity is associated with an undetected third component, as has been previously suggested. We rule out any additional companions contributing more than 3.6% to the K-band flux within ~7.3-20 mas of CO Ori A.
RW Aur is a young binary star that experienced a deep dimming in 2010-11 in component A and a second even deeper dimming from summer 2014 to summer 2016. We present new unresolved multi-band photometry during the 2014-16 eclipse, new emission line spectroscopy before and during the dimming, archive infrared photometry between 2014-15, as well as an overview of literature data. Spectral observations were carried out with the Fibre-fed RObotic Dual-beam Optical Spectrograph on the Liverpool Telescope. Photometric monitoring was done with the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network and James Gregory Telescope. Our photometry shows that RW Aur dropped in brightness to R = 12.5 in March 2016. In addition to the long-term dimming trend, RW Aur is variable on time scales as short as hours. The short-term variation is most likely due to an unstable accretion flow. This, combined with the presence of accretion-related emission lines in the spectra suggest that accretion flows in the binary system are at least partially visible during the eclipse. The equivalent width of [O I] increases by a factor of ten in 2014, coinciding with the dimming event, confirming previous reports. The blue-shifted part of the $Halpha$ profile is suppressed during the eclipse. In combination with the increase in mid-infrared brightness during the eclipse reported in the literature and seen in WISE archival data, and constraints on the geometry of the disk around RW Aur A we arrive at the conclusion that the obscuring screen is part of a wind emanating from the inner disk.
We have studied the environment of the FU Ori type star V582 Aur. Our aim is to explore the star-forming region associated with this young eruptive star. Using slitless spectroscopy we searched for H alpha emission stars within a field of 11.5arcmin times 11.5arcmin, centred on V582 Aur. Based on UKIDSS and Spitzer Space Telescope data we further selected infrared-excess young stellar object candidates. In all, we identified 68 candidate low-mass young stars, 16 of which exhibited H alpha emission in the slitless spectroscopic images. The colour-magnitude diagram of the selected objects, based on IPHAS data, suggests that they are low-mass pre-main-sequence stars associated with the Aur OB 1 association, located at a distance of 1.3 kpc from the Sun. The bright-rimmed globules in the local environment of V582 Aur probably belong to the dark cloud LDN~1516. Our results suggest that star formation in these globules might have been triggered by the radiation field of a few hot members of Aur OB 1. The bolometric luminosity of V582 Aur, based on archival photometric data and on the adopted distance, is 150-320 Lsun.
Resolved UBVRI photometry of RW Aur binary was performed on November 13/14, 2014 during the deep dimming of RW Aur with a newly installed 2.5 meter telescope of the Caucasus observatory of Lomonosov Moscow State University at the mount Shatzhatmaz. At that moment RW Aur A was $simeq 3^m$ fainter than in November 1994 in all spectral bands. We explain the current RW Aur A dimming as a result of eclipse of the star by dust particles with size $>1 mu m.$ We found that RW Aur B is also a variable star: it was brighter than 20 years ago at $0.7^m$ in each of UBVRI band (gray brightening).