1,132 research outputs found
The Great Flare of 2021 November 19 on AD Leonis: Simultaneous XMM-Newton and TESS observations
We present a detailed analysis of a superflare on the active M dwarf star AD Leonis. The event presents a rare case of a stellar flare that was simultaneously observed in X-rays (with XMM-Newton) and in the optical (with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, TESS). The radiated energy in the 0.2 - 12 keV X-ray band (1.26 +/- 0.01 x 10(33) erg) and the bolometric value (E-F,E-bol=5.57 +/- 0.03 x 10(33) erg) place this event at the lower end of the superflare class. The exceptional photon statistics deriving from the proximity of AD Leo has enabled measurements in the 1 - 8 angstrom GOES band for the peak flux (X1445 class) and integrated energy (E-F,E-GOES=4.30 +/- 0.05 x 10(32) erg), which enables a direct comparison with data on flares from our Sun. From extrapolations of empirical relations for solar flares, we estimate that a proton flux of at least 10(5)cm(-2)s(-1)sr(-1) accompanied the radiative output. With a time lag of 300 s between the peak of the TESS white-light flare and the GOES band flare peak as well as a clear Neupert effect, this event follows the standard (solar) flare scenario very closely. Time-resolved spectroscopy during the X-ray flare reveals, in addition to the time evolution of plasma temperature and emission measure, a temporary increase in electron density and elemental abundances, and a loop that extends into the corona by 13% of the stellar radius (4 x 10(9) cm). Independent estimates of the footprint area of the flare from TESS and XMM-Newton data suggest a high temperature of the optical flare (25000 K), but we consider it more likely that the optical and X-ray flare areas represent physically distinct regions in the atmosphere of AD Leo
Rotation-activity relations and flares of M dwarfs with K2 long- and short-cadence data
Funding: UK STFC grant no. ST/R000824/1 (A.S.).Using light curves obtained by the K2 mission, we study the relation between stellar rotation and magnetic activity with special focus on stellar flares. Our sample comprises 56 bright and nearby M dwarfs observed by K2 during campaigns C0-C18 in long- and short-cadence mode. We derive rotation periods for 46 M dwarfs and measure photometric activity indicators such as amplitude of the rotational signal, standard deviation of the light curves, and the basic flare properties (flare rate, flare energy, flare duration, and flare amplitude). We found 1662 short-cadence flares, 363 of which have a long-cadence counterpart with flare energies of up to 5.6 × 1034 erg. The flare amplitude, duration, and frequency derived from the short-cadence light curves differ significantly from those derived from the long-cadence data. The analysis of the short-cadence light curves results in a flare rate that is 4.6 times higher than the long-cadence data. We confirm the abrupt change in activity level in the rotation-activity relation at a critical period of ~10 d when photometric activity diagnostics are used. This change is most drastic in the flare duration and frequency for short-cadence data. Our flare studies revealed that the highest flare rates are not found among the fastest rotators and that stars with the highest flare rates do not show the most energetic flares. We found that the superflare frequency (E ≥ 5 × 1034 erg) for the fast-rotating M stars is twice higher than for solar like stars in the same period range. By fitting the cumulative FFD, we derived a power-law index of α = 1.84 ± 0.14, consistent with previous M dwarf studies and the value found for the Sun.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Transit analysis of the CoRoT-5, CoRoT-8, CoRoT-12, CoRoT-18, CoRoT-20, and CoRoT-27 systems with combined ground- and space-based photometry
We have initiated a dedicated project to follow-up with ground-based
photometry the transiting planets discovered by CoRoT in order to refine the
orbital elements, constrain their physical parameters and search for additional
bodies in the system. From 2012 September to 2016 December we carried out 16
transit observations of six CoRoT planets (CoRoT-5b, CoRoT-8b, CoRoT-12b,
CoRoT-18b, CoRoT-20b, and CoRoT-27b) at three observatories located in Germany
and Spain. These observations took place between 5 and 9 yr after the planet's
discovery, which has allowed us to place stringent constraints on the planetary
ephemeris. In five cases we obtained light curves with a deviation of the
mid-transit time of up to ~115min from the predictions. We refined the
ephemeris in all these cases and reduced the uncertainties of the orbital
periods by factors between 1.2 and 33. In most cases our determined physical
properties for individual systems are in agreement with values reported in
previous studies. In one case, CoRoT-27b, we could not detect any transit event
in the predicted transit window.Comment: 17 pages, 23 figures, 15 tables, accepted by MNRA
Transit observations at the observatory in Grossschwabhausen: XO-1b and TrES-1
We report on observations of transit events of the transiting planets XO-1b
and TrES-1 with the AIU Jena telescope in Grossschwabhausen. Based on our IR
photometry (in March 2007) and available transit timings (SuperWASP, XO and
TLC-project-data) we improved the orbital period of XO-1b (P =
3.9414970.000006) and TrES-1 (P = 3.03007370.000006), respectively.
The new ephemeris for the both systems are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Variability of young stars: Determination of rotational periods of weak-line T Tauri stars in the Cepheus-Cassiopeia star-forming region
We report on observation and determination of rotational periods of ten
weak-line T Tauri stars in the Cepheus-Cassiopeia star-forming region.
Observations were carried out with the Cassegrain-Teleskop-Kamera (CTK) at
University Observatory Jena between 2007 June and 2008 May. The periods
obtained range between 0.49 d and 5.7 d, typical for weak-line and post T Tauri
stars.Comment: 11 pages, 26 figures, accepted to be published in A
WASP-14 b: Transit Timing analysis of 19 light curves
Although WASP-14 b is one of the most massive and densest exoplanets on a
tight and eccentric orbit, it has never been a target of photometric follow-up
monitoring or dedicated observing campaigns. We report on new photometric
transit observations of WASP-14 b obtained within the framework of "Transit
Timing Variations @ Young Exoplanet Transit Initiative" (TTV@YETI). We
collected 19 light-curves of 13 individual transit events using six telescopes
located in five observatories distributed in Europe and Asia. From light curve
modelling, we determined the planetary, stellar, and geometrical properties of
the system and found them in agreement with the values from the discovery
paper. A test of the robustness of the transit times revealed that in case of a
non-reproducible transit shape the uncertainties may be underestimated even
with a wavelet-based error estimation methods. For the timing analysis we
included two publicly available transit times from 2007 and 2009. The long
observation period of seven years (2007-2013) allowed us to refine the transit
ephemeris. We derived an orbital period 1.2 s longer and 10 times more precise
than the one given in the discovery paper. We found no significant periodic
signal in the timing-residuals and, hence, no evidence for TTV in the system.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, 7 table
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