Is FS Tau B Driving an Asymmetric Jet?
Resource
The Astrophysical Journal, 749(1), 62
Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Journal Volume
749
Journal Issue
1
Pages
62
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Liu, Chun-Fan
Pyo, Tae-Soo
Takami, Michihiro
Walter, Frederick M.
Yan, Chi-Hung
Wang, Shiang-Yu
Ohashi, Nagayoshi
Hayashi, Masahiko
Abstract
FS Tau B is one of the few T Tauri stars that possess a jet and a counterjet as well as an optically visible cavity wall. We obtained images and spectra of its jet-cavity system in the near-infrared H and K bands using the Subaru/Infrared Camera and Spectrograph and detected the jet and the counterjet in the [FeII] 1.644 μm line for the first time. Within 2″ the blueshifted jet is brighter, whereas beyond ∼5″ the redshifted counterjet dominates the [FeII] emission. The innermost blueshifted knot is spectrally resolved to have a large line width of ∼110kms-1, while the innermost redshifted knot appears spectrally unresolved. The velocity ratio of the jet to the counterjet is ∼1.34, which suggests that FS Tau B is driving an asymmetric jet, similar to those found in several T Tauri stars. Combining with optical observations in the literature, we showed that the blueshifted jet has a lower density and higher excitation than the redshifted counterjet. We suggest that the asymmetry in brightness and velocity is the manifestation of a bipolar outflow driving at different mass-loss rates, while maintaining balance of linear momentum. A full explanation of the asymmetry in the FS Tau B system awaits detail modeling and further investigation of the kinematic structure of the wind-associated cavity walls. © © 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
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