Document Magnetism and Activity of the Sun and Stars
J. Arnaud and N. Meunier (eds)
EAS Publications Series, Vol. 9, 2003
DOI: 10.1051/eas:2003113
Magnetospheric accretion in T Tauri stars
J. BouvierLaboratoire Astrophysique, Observatoire de Grenoble, BP. 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France; jbouvier@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr
Abstract
The magnetic field of T Tauri stars is believed to be strong enough to
disrupt the inner region of their accretion disk. At the inner disk edge,
matter flows along the magnetic field lines at free fall velocity and
accretes at the magnetic poles onto the star yielding hot accretion
shocks on the stellar surface. I review the observational evidence
supporting this magnetospheric accretion process in T Tauri stars and
highlight recent results which point to a highly dynamic and time
variable interaction between the inner disk and the stellar magnetosphere
on timescales ranging from hours to months.
© EAS, EDP Sciences 2003