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Arxiv: JWST captures a sudden stellar outburst and inner disk wall destruction Published: 9/30/2024 9:18:40 PM Updated: 10/2/2024 7:55:28 AM

Paper abstract: We present JWST/MIRI observations of T~Cha, a highly variable (\Delta V~3-5\,mag) accreting Sun-like star surrounded by a disk with a large (~15\,au) dust gap. We find that the JWST mid-infrared spectrum is signiticantlydifferent from the {\it Spitzer} spectrum obtained 17 years before, where theemission at short wavelengths (5-10 \mu m) has decreased by ~ 2/3 whileat longer wavelengths (15-25 \mu m) it increased by up to a factor of ~3. This 'seesaw' behavior is contemporary with a fairly constant higheroptical emission captured by the All Sky Automated Survey. By analyzing andmodelling both SEDs, we propose that JWST caught the star during an outburstthat destructed the asymmetric inner disk wall responsible for the high opticalvariability and lower 15-25\,micron\ emission during the {\it Spitzer} time.The dust mass lost during this outburst is estimated to be comparable (~1/5) to the upper limit of the total micron-sized dust mass in the inner diskof T~Cha now. Monitoring this system during possible future outbursts and moreobservations of its quiescent state will reveal if the inner disk can bereplenished or will continue to be depleted and vanish.