Non coeval young multiple systems? On the pairing of protostars and T Tauri stars

Abstract

We summarize here the observed properties of ``infrared companions'' to T Tauri stars and argue that their observational properties are identical to those of Class I sources. They may therefore be embedded protostars in a much earlier evolutionary phase than T Tauri stars, in which case these multiple systems are significantly non-coeval as opposed to the majority of young binary systems. They would have formed through a different mechanism than core fragmentation. The only distinction between IRCs and Class I sources is that they lie within a few tens of AU of a T Tauri star, and so they cannot be at the center of a vast optically thick envelope as is believed to be the case for protostars. We discuss whether systems with an IRC are really candidates for non-coeval multiple systems.