Mass Accretion Impacts in Classical T Tauri Stars: A Multi-disciplinary Approach

Abstract

Accretion of matter is a process that plays a central role in the physics of young stellar objects. The analysis of the structure by which matter settles on the star can unveil key information about the process of star formation by providing details on mass accretion rates, stellar magnetic field configurations, possible effects of accretion on the stellar coronal activity, etc. Here we review some of the achievements obtained by our group by exploiting a multi-disciplinary approach based on the analysis of multi-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations, multi-wavelength observations, and laboratory experiments of accretion impacts occurring onto the surface of classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs).