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تسجيل مستخدم جديدThe magnetic propeller accretion regime of LkCa 15
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We present a spectropolarimetric study of the classical T Tauri star (cTTS) LkCa 15 investigating the large-scale magnetic topology of the central star and the way the field connects to the inner regions of the accretion disc. We find that the star hosts a strong poloidal field with a mainly axisymmetric dipole component of 1.35 kG, whereas the mass accretion rate at the surface of the star is $10^{-9.2}$ $hbox{${rm M}_{odot}$ yr$^{-1}$}$. It implies that the magnetic field of LkCa 15 is able to evacuate the central regions of the disc up to a distance of 0.07 au at which the Keplerian orbital period equals the stellar rotation period. Our results suggest that LkCa 15, like the lower-mass cTTS AA Tau, interacts with its disc in a propeller mode, a regime supposedly very efficient at slowing down the rotation of cTTSs hosting strong dipolar fields.
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Planet formation is one explanation for the partial clearing of dust observed in the disks of some T Tauri stars. Indeed studies using state-of-the-art high angular resolution techniques have very recently begun to observe planetary companions in the
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