The discovery of Argentine and Spanish scientists revolutionizes the model of young stars

he Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope And this is from large area (lat)they have studied the universe in the energy range from 20 MeV (gamma photons with wavelengths less than 10-11 MeV or with frequencies greater than 1019 Hz) to more than 300 GeV (GeV) since 2008, They provide studies of high-energy gamma rays with unprecedented sensitivity.

Based on 14 years of observations, four source catalogs have been published so far. However, now a A team of scientists from Argentina and Spain reported the first observational evidence of the existence of a type of young, low-mass star, known as The T Tauri star is capable of emitting gamma radiation. The study has just been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The highly energetic radiation from the sky cannot be easily observed from the Earth. The high sensitivity of the Fermi satellite helps solve this problem Analyzing the universe in gamma rays, the most active region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This satellite has been monitoring the sky continuously since its launch in 2008, and who knows this Approximately 30% of gamma ray sources detected across the night sky remain unknown; The origins of these discoveries are unknown.

The student studied some of these obscure sources Agustina Filocomo And a team of researchers in order to determine its origin. Many gamma-ray sources appear to originate in star-forming regions, but the team had no explanation for why, so they decided to investigate. The study focuses on Star forming region NGC 2071Which is located in the northern part of the Orion B molecular cloud.

To try to identify the cause of these mysterious gamma-ray bursts, the team decided to observe objects known as “T Tauri stars,” which are… Low-mass stars are forming. T Tauri stars consist of a central star and an orbiting disk of gas and dust, where planets can form. T Tauri stars are known for their fickle brightness and are usually found near active star formation regions.

The team noted that three unidentified gamma sources observed at different time periods came from the part of the sky where the young star formation region NGC 2071 is located. It is known that here At least 58 stars classified as T Tauri stars are forming. There are no other objects in this region that could be a source of gamma ray emission.

A likely explanation is that these stars produce scattered gamma-ray radiation during powerful rings known as Huge flaresin which electromagnetic explosions result from energy stored in the atmosphere of stars.

Massive flares can extend to several stellar radii and last for a few hours. Although there is currently flare activity on the Sun, it is not on the same scale as a massive flare. Megaflares are much more powerful, and if they occur on the Sun, It would harm life on planet Earth. This could explain the origin of multiple previously unknown sources of gamma rays.

Understanding the physical processes in T Tauri stars also provides insight into the early conditions that gave rise to the Sun and our solar system.

Agostina Filocomo, lead author of the document and specialist at the Research Department of Exact Sciences and Engineering at National University of Rio NegroHe stated: “This observational evidence is essential to understanding the origin of sources that have remained unknown for more than a decade. It is also necessary to understand the processes that occur during the early stages of star formation: if the T Tauri star produces gamma-ray radiation, this will affect the gas conditions in The protoplanetary disk, and thus on the evolution of planetary formation.Discovery of this phenomenon It helps to understand how not only the Sun, but also the Earth, formed and evolved.“.

They were also part of the investigation J. F. Albacete-Colombo, E. Mestre, L. J. Belleza, and J. A. Combi.