The Wilson-Bappu effect as a result of supersonic turbulence

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Chromosphere, Spectral Line Width, Stellar Atmospheres, Supersonic Flow, T Tauri Stars, Turbulence Effects, Emission Spectra, Energy Transfer, Late Stars, Optical Thickness, Spectral Energy Distribution, Supergiant Stars, Turbulent Diffusion, Turbulent Flow

Scientific paper

An analysis is performed to investigate qualitatively the possibility that a stellar chromosphere is dominated by the presence of supersonic turbulence. It is assumed that a chromosphere transforms only mechanical energy into radiation and is optically thin in the main energy-loss spectral region, that turbulence energy is distributed throughout the chromosphere in the form of turbulent eddies, and that the turbulence is supersonic. Momentum and energy conservation equations are combined with a boundary condition for the mechanical-energy input to obtain an expression for the turbulent velocity, the mechanical-energy flux is normalized relative to the photospheric radiative flux, and the dependence of chromospheric properties on surface gravity and effective temperature is examined. Assuming that the turbulent velocity is proportional to the line width of chromospheric Ca II K emission, it is concluded that the Wilson-Bappu effect implies temporally and spatially inhomogeneous chromospheres. The results are applied to the T Tauri star RU Lup, and observed widths of chromospheric emission lines are interpreted as being due to a supersonic turbulent velocity field.

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