HDE 245059: A Weak-Lined T Tauri Binary Revealed by Chandra and Keck

We present the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) and Keck observations of HDE 245059, a young weak-lined T Tauri star (WTTS), member of the pre-main sequence group in the Lambda Orionis Cluster. Our high spatial resolution, near-infrared observations with Keck reveal that HDE 245059 a binary separated by 0.87". Based on this new information we have obtained an estimate of the masses of the binary components; 3M_{sun} and 2.5M_{sun} for the north and south components, respectively. We have estimated the age of the system to be ~2-3 Myr. We detect both components of the binary in the zeroth order Chandra image and in the grating spectra. Our fits to the spectrum of the binary have shown that the emission is dominated by a plasma between 8 and 15 MK, a soft component at 4 MK and a hard component at 50 MK are also detected. The value of the hydrogen column density was low, 8 x 10^{19} cm^{-2}, likely due to the clearing of the inner region of the Lambda Orionis cloud. The abundance pattern shows an inverse First Ionization Potential (FIP) effect for all elements from O to Fe, the only exception being Ca. A 3-T model was fitted to the individual zeroth order spectra using the abundances derived for the binary. We have also obtained several lines fluxes from the grating spectra. The fits to the triplets show no evidence of high densities. We conclude that the X-ray properties of the weak-lined T Tau binary HDE 245059 are similar to those generally observed in other weak-lined T Tau stars. Although its accretion history may have been affected by the clearing of the interstellar material around Lambda Ori, its coronal properties appears not to have been strongly modified.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures Accepted for publication in Ap

A Study of the Coronal Plasma in RS CVn binary systems

XMM-Newton has been performing comprehensive studies of X-ray bright RS CVn binaries in its Calibration and Guaranteed Time programs. We present results from ongoing investigations in the context of a systematic study of coronal emission from RS CVns. We concentrate in this paper on coronal abundances and investigate the abundance pattern in RS CVn binaries as a function of activity and average temperature. A transition from an Inverse First Ionization Potential (FIP) effect towards an absence of a clear trend is found in intermediately active RS CVn systems. This scheme corresponds well into the long-term evolution from an IFIP to a FIP effect found in solar analogs. We further study variations in the elemental abundances during a large flare.Comment: to appear in The Twelfth Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun, eds. A. Brown, T.R. Ayres, G.M. Harper, (Boulder: Univ. of Colorado), in pres

Infrared and sub-mm observations of outbursting young stars with Herschel and Spitzer

Episodic accretion plays an important role in the evolution of young stars. Although it has been under investigation for a long time, the origin of such episodic accretion events is not yet understood. We investigate the dust and gas emission of a sample of young outbursting sources in the infrared to get a better understanding of their properties and circumstellar material, and we use the results in a further work to model the objects. We used Herschel data, from our PI program of 12 objects and complemented with archival observations to obtain the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and spectra of our targets. We report here the main characteristics of our sample, focussing on the SED properties and on the gas emission lines detected in the PACS and SPIRE spectra. The SEDs of our sample show the diversity of the outbursting sources, with several targets showing strong emission in the far-infrared from the embedded objects. Most of our targets reside in a complex environment, which we discuss in detail. We detected several atomic and molecular lines, in particular rotational CO emission from several transitions from J=38-37 to J=4-3. We constructed rotational diagrams for the CO lines, and derived in three domains of assumed local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) temperatures and column densities, ranging mainly between 0-100 K and 400-500K. We confirm correlation in our sample between intense CO $J=16-15$ emission and the column density of the warm domain of CO, N(warm). We notice a strong increase in luminosity of HH 381 IRS and a weaker increase for PP 13 S, which shows the beginning of an outburst.Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures, A&A accepte

A Preliminary Seismic Analysis of 51 Peg: Large and Small Spacings from Standard Models

We present a preliminary theoretical seismic study of the astronomically famous star 51 Peg. This is done by first performing a detailed analysis within the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD). Using the Yale stellar evolution code (YREC), a grid of stellar evolutionary tracks has been constructed for the masses 1.00 M_sun, 1.05 M_sun and 1.10 M_sun, in the metallicity range Z=0.024-0.044, and for values of the Galactic helium enrichment ratio DY/DZ in the range 0-2.5. Along these evolutionary tracks, we select 75 stellar model candidates that fall within the 51 Peg observational error box in the HRD (all turn out to have masses of 1.05 M_sun and 1.10 M_sun. The corresponding allowable age range for these models, which depends sensitively on the parameters of the model, is relatively large and is ~2.5 - 5.5 Gyr. For each of the 75 models, a non-radial pulsation analysis is carried out, and the large and small frequency spacings are calculated. The results show that just measuring the large and small frequency spacings will greatly reduce the present uncertainties in the derived physical parameters and in the age of 51 Peg. Finally we discuss briefly refinements in the physics of the models and in the method of analysis which will have to be included in future models to make the best of the precise frequency determinations expected from space observations.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publicaton by Ap

First Light Measurements with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometers: Evidence for an Inverse First Ionisation Potential Effect and Anomalous Ne A bundance in the Coronae of HR 1099

The RS CVn binary system HR 1099 was extensively observed by the XMM-Newton observatory in February 2000 as its first-light target. A total of 570 ks of exposure time was accumulated with the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS). The integrated X-ray spectrum between 5-35 Angstrom is of unprecedented quality and shows numerous features attributed to transitions of the elements C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Fe, and Ni. We perform an in-depth study of the elemental composition of the average corona of this system, and find that the elemental abundances strongly depend on the first ionisation potential (FIP) of the elements. But different from the solar coronal case, we find an inverse FIP effect, i.e., the abundances (relative to oxygen) increase with increasing FIP. Possible scenarios, e.g., selective enrichment due to Ne-rich flare-like events, are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by A&A Letters, XMM issu

X-Ray Evidence for Flare Density Variations and Continual Chromospheric Evaporation in Proxima Centauri

Using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to monitor the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, we recorded the weakest X-ray flares on a magnetically active star ever observed. Correlated X-ray and optical variability provide strong support for coronal energy and mass supply by a nearly continuous sequence of rapid explosive energy releases. Variable emission line fluxes were observed in the He-like triplets of OVII and NeIX during a giant flare. They give direct X-ray evidence for density variations, implying densities between 2x10^{10} - 4x10^{11} cm^{-3} and providing estimates of the mass and the volume of the line-emitting plasma. We discuss the data in the context of the chromospheric evaporation scenario.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted by The Astrophysical Journal, Letters; improved calculations of radiative loss of cool plasma (toward end of paper

Deuteration and evolution in the massive star formation process: the role of surface chemistry

An ever growing number of observational and theoretical evidence suggests that the deuterated fraction (column density ratio between a species containing D and its hydrogenated counterpart, Dfrac) is an evolutionary indicator both in the low- and the high-mass star formation process. However, the role of surface chemistry in these studies has not been quantified from an observational point of view. In order to compare how the deuterated fractions of species formed only in the gas and partially or uniquely on grain surfaces evolve with time, we observed rotational transitions of CH3OH, 13CH3OH, CH2DOH, CH3OD at 3 and 1.3~mm, and of NH2D at 3~mm with the IRAM-30m telescope, and the inversion transitions (1,1) and (2,2) of NH3 with the GBT, towards most of the cores already observed by Fontani et al.~(2011, 2014) in N2H+, N2D+, HNC, DNC. NH2D is detected in all but two cores, regardless of the evolutionary stage. Dfrac(NH3) is on average above 0.1, and does not change significantly from the earliest to the most evolved phases, although the highest average value is found in the protostellar phase (~0.3). Few lines of CH2DOH and CH3OD are clearly detected, and only towards protostellar cores or externally heated starless cores. This work clearly confirms an expected different evolutionary trend of the species formed exclusively in the gas (N2D+ and N2H+) and those formed partially (NH2D and NH3) or totally (CH2DOH and CH3OH) on grain mantles. The study also reinforces the idea that Dfrac(N2H+) is the best tracer of massive starless cores, while high values of Dfrac(CH3OH) seem rather good tracers of the early protostellar phases, at which the evaporation/sputtering of the grain mantles is most efficient.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 2 Appendice