Photometric Variability of T Tauri S as a Probe for Circumstellar Material

The irregular photometric variability of the triple system T Tauri has been puzzling since its discovery. A circumbinary disk around T Tau Sa and Sb can explain the recent brightness fluctuations of T Tau Sb, due to changes in extinction depending on the position of T Tau Sb in its orbit. The photometric variations and orbital motion of T Tau Sb indicate a position angle of the disk of ~30°. Combined with information from the literature, we estimate its inclination to be ~60° or more.