Preparing for the Early eVolution Explorer: Photometric Diagnostics of Magnetospheric Accretion Geometry in Young Stellar Objects

Abstract

The inner disk truncation radius, $R_T$, plays a crucial role in the regulation of star-disk interaction and the early evolution of star-disk-planet systems; however, measuring this parameter is observationally challenging. We present a new method for determining $R_T$ in young accreting systems that hinges on the color dependence of the accretion shock emission in multi-band time-domain surveys. Based on the accretion simulations of Robinson et al. (2017, 2021), we produce synthetic color-magnitude diagrams at near-UV and optical wavelengths that predict the loci of accreting stars as a function of $R_T$. We test these model predictions on young stars with interferometric $R_T$ estimates, finding very good agreement in our results. We apply this novel technique to a pilot survey of 26 classical T Tauri stars in Taurus and Upper Scorpius. We find a predominance of sources with small truncation radii, $R_T < 4\ R_\star$, and an overall distribution of $R_T$ that is statistically similar to that inferred from interferometric studies, while differing from those inferred from emission line modeling. Finally, we discuss the application of this technique to NASA's mission concept EVE, with the goal to provide simultaneous measurements of inner disk truncation radii, corotation radii and mass accretion rates for hundreds of young stars across the Galaxy. The unprecedented survey of inner disk properties that the mission would produce would enable the first stringent test of angular momentum evolution theories in young stars and reveal the impact of the inner disk conditions on early planet architectures.