Subarcsecond images of CW-Tauri - constraints on disk size and jet formation

Abstract

Subarcsecond spatial resolution images in the [S II] and [N II] + Halpha emission lines of the T Tauri star (TTS) CW Tau are presented. It is shown that CW Tau has a jet that extends up to 2.2'' (300 AU) from the star in the direction P.A. = 144-degrees. The jet emits strongly in [S II], and it is already collimated at 1.3'' (176 AU) from the star. The images also indicate that CW Tau is extended in the east-west direction and that the jet is slightly shifted to the east. This suggests that CW Tau may be a binary with the two components separated 0.20'' (28 AU). The observations are compared with the theoretical models proposed for the production of forbidden line emission regions (FLERs) and protostellar jets.