Testing the Accretion-Outflow Paradigma.

• Applicant: Dr. Christian Schneider
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2013 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 247815996

We propose to use CAFE to test a fundamental property of stellar jet launching theory, namely the relation of mass-accretion and mass-loss. Young stellar objects (YSOs) are thought to eject _ 10% of the accreted mass in bi-polar jets from the system. This fraction is a key parameter of jet theories, but a plasma temperature of 104 K is usually assumed to derive this value. However, two recent findings require to thoroughly test the general validity of this assumption: (A) Some YSO jets contain plasma exceeding 106 K, and (B) the slow jets of young brown dwarfs eject about the same mass as is accreted. We propose to measures lines tracing higher temperature plasma, e.g., [O ii] and [O iii], in a sample of jet-driving YSOs to check whether a significant fraction of the mass-loss has been missed.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants