18 research outputs found
A 33 year constancy of the X-ray coronae of AR Lac and eclipse diagnosis of scale height
Extensive X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photometric observations of the
eclipsing RS CVn system AR Lac were obtained over the years 1997 to 2013 with
the Chandra X-ray Observatory Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer. During primary
eclipse, HRC count rates decrease by ~40%. A similar minimum is seen during one
primary eclipse observed by EUVE but not in others owing to intrinsic source
variability. Little evidence for secondary eclipses is present in either the
X-ray or EUV data, reminiscent of earlier X-ray and EUV observations. Primary
eclipses allow us to estimate the extent of a spherically symmetric corona on
the primary G star of about 1.3Rsun, or 0.86Rstar, and indicate the G star is
likely brighter than the K component by a factor of 2-5. Brightness changes not
attributable to eclipses appear to be dominated by stochastic variability and
are generally non-repeating. X-ray and EUV light curves cannot therefore be
reliably used to reconstruct the spatial distribution of emission assuming only
eclipses and rotational modulation are at work. Moderate flaring is observed,
where count rates increase by up to a factor of three above quiescence.
Combined with older ASCA, Einstein, EXOSAT, ROSAT and Beppo-SAX observations,
the data show that the level of quiescent coronal emission at X-ray wavelengths
has remained remarkably constant over 33 years, with no sign of variation due
to magnetic cycles. Variations in base level X-ray emission seen by Chandra
over 13 years are only ~10%, while variations back to pioneering Einstein
observations in 1980 amount to a maximum of 45% and more typically about 15%.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journa
Stellar Cycles in Fully Convective Stars and a New Interpretation of Dynamo Evolution
An dynamo, combining shear and cyclonic convection in the
tachocline, is believed to generate the solar cycle. However, this model cannot
explain cycles in fast rotators (with minimal shear) or in fully convective
stars (no tachocline); analysis of such stars could therefore provide key
insights into how these cycles work. We reexamine ASAS data for 15 M dwarfs, 11
of which are presumed fully convective; the addition of newer ASAS-SN data
confirms cycles in roughly a dozen of them, while presenting new or revised
rotation periods for five. The amplitudes and periods of these cycles follow
, with (where Ro is the Rossby number), very
similar to that we
find for 40 previously studied FGK stars, although
and are a factor of 20 smaller in the M stars. The very
different -Ro relationship seen here compared to
previous work suggests that two types of dynamo, with opposite Ro dependences,
operate in cool stars. Initially, a (likely or )
dynamo operates throughout the convective zone in mid-late M and fast rotating
FGK stars, but once magnetic breaking decouples the core and convective
envelope, a tachocline dynamo begins and eventually dominates in
older FGK stars. A change in in the tachocline dynamo generates the
fundamentally different -Ro relationship.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, submitted to ApJ. Figure sets will be available
in the final prin
Bayesian Estimation of Hardness Ratios: Modeling and Computations
A commonly used measure to summarize the nature of a photon spectrum is the
so-called Hardness Ratio, which compares the number of counts observed in
different passbands. The hardness ratio is especially useful to distinguish
between and categorize weak sources as a proxy for detailed spectral fitting.
However, in this regime classical methods of error propagation fail, and the
estimates of spectral hardness become unreliable. Here we develop a rigorous
statistical treatment of hardness ratios that properly deals with detected
photons as independent Poisson random variables and correctly deals with the
non-Gaussian nature of the error propagation. The method is Bayesian in nature,
and thus can be generalized to carry out a multitude of
source-population--based analyses. We verify our method with simulation
studies, and compare it with the classical method. We apply this method to real
world examples, such as the identification of candidate quiescent Low-mass
X-ray binaries in globular clusters, and tracking the time evolution of a flare
on a low-mass star.Comment: 43 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables; submitted to Ap
Breakthroughs in Cool Star Physics with the Line Emission Mapper X-ray Probe
We outline some of the highlights of the scientific case for the advancement
of stellar high energy physics using the Line Emission Mapper X-ray Probe ({\it
LEM}). The key to advancements with LEM lie in its large effective area -- up
to 100 times that of the {\it Chandra} MEG -- and 1~eV spectral resolution. The
large effective area opens up for the first time the ability to study
time-dependent phenomena on their natural timescales at high resolution, such
as flares and coronal mass ejections, and also opens the sky to much fainter
targets than available to {\it Chandra} or {\it XMM-Newton}.Comment: A Line Emission Mapper X-ray Probe White Pape
Perspectives on Astrophysics Based on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Techniques
About two generations ago, a large part of AMO science was dominated by
experimental high energy collision studies and perturbative theoretical
methods. Since then, AMO science has undergone a transition and is now
dominated by quantum, ultracold, and ultrafast studies. But in the process, the
field has passed over the complexity that lies between these two extremes. Most
of the Universe resides in this intermediate region. We put forward that the
next frontier for AMO science is to explore the AMO complexity that describes
most of the Cosmos.Comment: White paper submission to the Decadal Assessment and Outlook Report
on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Science (AMO 2020
Perspectives on Astrophysics Based on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Techniques
About two generations ago, a large part of AMO science was dominated by experimental high energy collision studies and perturbative theoretical methods. Since then, AMO science has undergone a transition and is now dominated by quantum, ultracold, and ultrafast studies. But in the process, the field has passed over the complexity that lies between these two extremes. Most of the Universe resides in this intermediate region. We put forward that the next frontier for AMO science is to explore the AMO complexity that describes most of the Cosmos
Solar Wind Charge Exchange Emission in the Chandra Deep Field North
International audienceThe diffuse soft X-ray background comes from distant galaxies, from hot Galactic gas, and from within the solar system. The latter emission arises from charge exchange between highly charged solar wind ions and neutral gas. This so-called solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission is spatially and temporally variable and interferes with our measurements of more distant cosmic emission while also providing important information on the nature of the solar wind-interstellar medium interaction. We present the results of our analysis of eight Chandra observations of the Chandra Deep Field North (CDFN) with the goal of measuring the cosmic and SWCX contributions to the X-ray background. Our modeling of both geocoronal and heliospheric SWCX emission is the most detailed for any observation to date. After allowing for ~30% uncertainty in the SWCX emission and subtracting it from the observational data, we estimate that the flux of cosmic background for the CDFN in the O VII Kα, Kβ, and O VIII Lyα lines totals 5.8 ± 1.1 photons s-1 cm-2 sr-1 (or LU). Heliospheric SWCX emission varied for each observation due to differences in solar wind conditions and the line of sight through the solar system, but was typically about half as strong as the cosmic background (i.e., one-third of the total) in those lines. The modeled geocoronal emission was 0.82 LU in one observation but averaged only 0.15 LU in the others. Our measurement of the cosmic background is lower than but marginally consistent with previous estimates based on XMM-Newton data