Time Variability of Jet Velocities and Mass-Loss Rates

Characterize the variability of jet velocities and mass-loss rates on daily and annual–decadal timescales in outflows from young stellar objects, quantifying how these properties evolve and connect to inner-disk accretion variability.

Background

Moderate-to-high resolution spectroscopy can trace protostellar jets and winds and measure mass-loss rates and velocity variability. Monitoring on monthly-to-yearly cadences is essential for identifying episodic ejections and linking them to accretion state changes.

References

Here are the major open questions that the next big telescope developed by ESO will address through conducting a decadal spectroscopic survey of YSOs: How do jet velocities and mass-loss rates vary on short (daily) and long (annual–decadal) timescales?

— Toward the time-domain spectroscopic study of the dynamic life of stars: from accretion to magnetic activity  (2512.12453 - Majidi et al., 13 Dec 2025) in Key Questions