Paper detail

Discovery of "isolated" comoving T Tauri stars in Cepheus

During the course of a large spectroscopic survey of X-ray active late-type stars in the solar neighbourhood, we discovered four lithium-rich stars packed within just a few degrees on the sky. These very young stars are projected several degrees away from the Cepheus-Cassiopea clouds, in front of an area void of interstellar matter. As such, they are very good "isolated" T Tauri star candidates. We acquired high-resolution optical spectra as well as photometric data allowing us to investigate in detail their nature and physical parameters with the aim of testing the "runaway" and "in-situ" formation scenarios. We derive accurate radial and rotational velocities and perform an automatic spectral classification. The spectral subtraction technique is used to infer chromospheric activity level in the H-alpha line core and clean the spectra of photospheric lines before measuring the equivalent width of the lithium absorption line. Both physical (lithium content, magnetic activity) and kinematical indicators show that all stars are very young (ages in the range 10-30 Myr). In particular, the spectral energy distribution of TYC4496-780-1 displays a strong near- and far-infrared excess, typical of T Tauri stars still surrounded by an accretion disc. They also share the same Galactic motion, proving that they form a homogeneous moving group of stars with the same origin. The most plausible explanation of how these "isolated" T Tauri stars formed is the "in-situ" model, although accurate distances are needed to clarify their connection with the Cepheus-Cassiopeia complex.