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arXiv · 2606.04124

Rotational Modulation and Long-Term Variability of Magnetic Fields in T-Tauri Stars with IGRINS

Facundo Pérez Paolino·Lynne Hillenbrand·Jeff Bary
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Abstract

Magnetic fields play a central role in the evolution of pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars, yet direct observational constraints on their variability over rotational and multi-year timescales remain scarce. We investigate the temporal behavior of surface magnetic fields in a sample of nine PMS stars observed with the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer (IGRINS), using 489 high-resolution near-infrared spectra drawn from the Raw and Reduced IGRINS Spectral Archive. We fit each epoch with magnetic synthetic spectra to derive the mean surface magnetic field strength $\langle Bf \rangle$ and detect correlated magnetic and thermal variability in six of the nine stars while being able to recover the known stellar rotation period in at least one observing season for all six. We find that not only the mean magnetic field strength and effective temperature evolve on year-long baselines, but so does the amplitude of the rotational modulation signal (which in some cases weakens or disappears entirely). This behavior indicates that magnetic variability is driven by both changes in the total magnetic flux and the spatial distribution and contrast of surface magnetic inhomogeneities. For two stars in the sample with starspot measurements, we find that the magnetic filling factors are systematically larger than those inferred from temperature, implying that magnetic regions extend beyond the coolest spotted areas and occupy a broader fraction of the stellar surface (i.e., plages). These results provide direct evidence that PMS magnetic variability is structured, rotationally modulated, and evolves on year timescales.

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Facundo Pérez Paolino, Lynne Hillenbrand, Jeff Bary. 2026-06-02. Rotational Modulation and Long-Term Variability of Magnetic Fields in T-Tauri Stars with IGRINS. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.04124

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