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Recurring millimeter flares as evidence for star-star magnetic reconnection events in the DQ Tauri PMS binary system

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Abstract

  • Observations of the T Tauri spectroscopic binary DQ Tau in April 2008 captured an unusual flare at 3 mm, which peaked at an observed maximum flux of 0.5 Jy (about 27 times the quiescent value). Here we present follow-up millimeter observations that demonstrate a periodicity to the phenomenon. While monitoring 3 new periastron encounters, we have detected flares within 17.5 h (or 4.6%) of the orbital phase of the first reported flare and constrained the main emitting region to a stellar height of 3.7-6.8 R_star. The recorded activity is consistent with the proposed picture for synchrotron emission initiated by a magnetic reconnection event when the two stellar magnetospheres of the highly eccentric (e = 0.556) binary are believed to collide near periastron as the stars approach a minimum separation of 8 R_star ( 13 R_?). The similar light curve decay profiles allow us to estimate

Publication Date

  • 2010

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