The connection between T Tauri stars and their jets

Jets are a ubiquitous aspect of star formation. They are found associated with young stellar objects of a range of different masses and evolutionary stages. Statistical studies of the properties of protostellar jets are important to help characterize them and to test different scenarios of jet formation. We analyze jet properties such as mass loss rates and mean propagation velocity for a sample of 99 T Tauri stars from different star-forming regions, derived from the analysis of high-velocity components of the forbidden [OI]6300A emission line using high and medium-resolution spectra. We compare these properties with properties of the source, such as its mass, mass accretion rates and stellar rotation rates, in an attempt to distinguish between different jet launching models. Besides the well-known relation between mass loss and mass accretion rates, we find a correlation between the terminal jet velocity and both the mass of the source and its accretion luminosity, as well as a correlation between the mechanical luminosity transported by the jet and the accretion luminosity onto the star. We discuss the implications of these findings within different jet launching scenarios.