We report upper limits to the radio and X-ray emission from the newly discovered ultracool dwarf binary WISE J104915.57$-$531906.1 (Luhman 16AB). As the nearest ultracool dwarf binary (2 pc), its proximity offers a hefty advantage to studying plasma
processes in ultracool dwarfs which are more similar in gross properties (radius, mass, temperature) to the solar system giant planets than stars. The radio and X-ray emission upper limits from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and Chandra observations, each spanning multiple rotation periods, provide the deepest fractional radio and X-ray luminosities to date on an ultracool dwarf, with $log{(L_{rm r, u}/L_{rm bol}) [Hz^{-1}]} < -18.1$ (5.5 GHz), $log{(L_{rm r, u}/L_{rm bol}) [Hz^{-1}]} < -17.9$ (9 GHz), and $log{(L_{rm x}/L_{rm bol})} < -5.7$. While the radio upper limits alone do not allow for a constraint on the magnetic field strength, we limit the size of any coherently emitting region in our line of sight to less than 0.2% of the radius of one of the brown dwarfs. Any source of incoherent emission must span less than about 20% of the brown dwarf radius, assuming magnetic field strengths of a few tens to a few hundred Gauss. The fast rotation and large amplitude photometric variability exhibited by the T dwarf in the Luhman 16AB system are not accompanied by enhanced nonthermal radio emission, nor enhanced heating to coronal temperatures, as observed on some higher mass ultracool dwarfs, confirming the expected decoupling of matter and magnetic field in cool neutral atmospheres.
This article represents a short review of the variability characteristics of young stellar objects. Variability is a key property of young stars. Two major origins may be distinguished: a scaled-up version of the magnetic activity seen on main-sequen
ce stars and various processes related to circumstellar disks, accretion and outflows.
We systematically study the X-ray and ultraviolet emission of a subsample of M dwarfs from a recent proper-motion survey, selecting all M dwarfs within 10pc to obtain a nearly volume-limited sample (~90% completeness). Archival ROSAT, XMM-Newton and
GALEX data are combined with published spectroscopic studies of Halpha emission and rotation to obtain a broad picture of stellar activity on M dwarfs. We make use of synthetic model spectra to determine the relative contributions of photospheric and chromospheric emission to the ultraviolet flux. We also analyse the same diagnostics for a comparison sample of young M dwarfs in the TWHya association (~10Myrs). We find that generally the emission in the GALEX bands is dominated by the chromosphere but the photospheric component is not negligible in early-M field dwarfs. The surface fluxes for the Halpha, near-ultraviolet, far-ultraviolet and X-ray emission are connected via a power law dependence. We present here for the first time such flux-flux relations involving broad-band ultraviolet emission for M dwarfs. For given spectral type the activity indices, defined as flux ratio between the activity diagnostic and the bolometric flux of the star, display a spread of 2-3 dex which is largest for M4 stars. The mean activity index for fast rotators, likely representing the saturation level, decreases from X-rays over the FUV to the NUV band and Halpha, i.e. the fractional radiation output increases with atmospheric height. The comparison to the ultraviolet and X-ray properties of TWHya members shows a drop of nearly three orders of magnitude for the luminosity in these bands between ~10Myr and few Gyrs age. A few young field dwarfs (< 1Gyr) in the 10pc sample bridge the gap indicating that the drop in magnetic activity with age is a continuous process. The slope of the age decay is steeper for the X-ray than for the UV luminosity.
The detection of X-ray emission from Ap stars can be an indicator for the presence of magnetic activity and dynamo action, provided different origins for the emission, such as wind shocks and close late-type companions, can be excluded. Here we repor
t on results for gamma Equu, the only roAp star for which an X-ray detection is reported in ROSAT catalogs. We use high resolution imaging in X-rays with Chandra and in the near-infrared with NACO/VLT that allow us to spatially resolve companions down to ~1 and ~0.06 separations, respectively. The bulk of the X-ray emission is associated with a companion of gamma Equu identified in our NACO image. Assuming coevality with the primary roAp star (~900 Myr), the available photometry for the companion points at a K-type star with ~0.6 M_sun. Its X-ray properties are in agreement with the predictions for its age and mass. An excess of photons with respect to the expected background and contribution from the nearby companion is observed near the optical position of gamma Equu. We estimate an X-ray luminosity of log L_x [erg/s] = 26.6 and log(L_x/L_bol) = -7.9 for this emission. A small offset between the optical and the X-ray image leaves some doubt on its association with the roAp star. The faint X-ray emission that we tentatively ascribe to the roAp star is difficult to explain as a solar-like stellar corona due to its very low L_x/L_bol level and the very long rotation period of gamma Equu. It could be produced in magnetically confined wind shocks implying a mass loss rate of ~10^(-14) M_sun/yr or from an additional unknown late-type companion at separation ~0.4. If confirmed by future deeper X-ray observations this emission could point at the origin for the presence of radioactive elements on some roAp stars.
This is the first paper of a series devoted to the Lambda Orionis star-forming region, from the X-ray perspective, which will provide a comprehensive view of this complex region. In this paper we focus in uncovering the population of the central, you
ng cluster Collinder 69 (C69), and in particular those diskless members not identified by previous near- and mid-infrared surveys, and to establish the X-ray luminosity function for the association. We have combined two exposures taken with the XMM-Newton satellite with an exhaustive data set of optical, near- and mid-infrared photometry to assess the membership of the X-ray sources based on color-color and color-magnitude diagrams, as well as other properties, such as effective temperatures, masses and bolometric luminosities. We detected a total of 164 X-ray sources, of which 66 are probable and possible cluster members. A total of 16 are newly identified probable members. The two XMM-Newton pointings east and west of the cluster center have allowed us to verify the heterogeneous spatial distribution of young stars, probably related to the large scale structure of the region. The disk fraction of the X-ray detected cluster sample is very low, close to 10%, in remarkable contrast to the low-mass stellar and substellar population (mostly undetected in X-rays) where the disk fraction reaches about 50%. The X-ray luminosity function of C69 provides support for an age of several Myr when compared with other well known young associations. With our improved cluster census we confirm previous reports on the untypically low disk fraction compared to other clusters of several Myr age. The different disk fractions of X-ray detected (essentially solar-like) and undetected (mostly low-mass stars and brown dwarfs) members can be understood as a consequence of a mass-dependence of the time-scale for disk evolution.
The reflection nebula NGC 7129 has long been known to be a site of recent star formation as evidenced, e.g., by the presence of deeply embedded protostars and HH objects. However, studies of the stellar population produced in the star formation proce
ss have remained rudimentary. At a presumed age of ~3 Myr, NGC7129 is in the critical range where disks around young stars disappear. We make use of Chandra X-ray and Spitzer and 2MASS IR imaging observations to identify the pre-main sequence stars in NGC7129. We define a sample of Young Stellar Objects based on color-color diagrams composed from IR photometry between 1.6 and 8 mu, from 2MASS and Spitzer, and based on X-ray detected sources from a Chandra observation. This sample is composed of 26 Class II and 25 Class III candidates. The sample is estimated to be complete down to ~ 0.5 solar masses. The most restricted and least biased sub-sample of pre-main sequence stars is composed of lightly absorbed (A_V < 5 mag) stars in the cluster core. This sample comprises 7 Class II and 14 Class III sources, it has a disk fraction of 33^{+24}_{-19} %, and a median X-ray luminosity of log (L_x) [erg/s] = 30.3. Despite the various uncertainties related to the sample selection, absorption, mass distribution, distance and, consequently, the computation of disk fraction and X-ray luminosities, the data yield consistent results. In particular, we confirm the age of ~3 Myr for the NGC7129 cluster. The derived disk fraction is similar to that of sigma Orionis, smaller than that of Cha I (~2 Myr), and larger than that of Upper Sco (5 Myr). The X-ray luminosity function is similar to that of NGC 2264 (2 Myr) but fainter than that of the Orion Nebula Cluster (1 Myr).
Among the 21 Herbig Ae/Be stars studied, new detections of a magnetic field were achieved in six stars. For three Herbig Ae/Be stars, we confirm previous magnetic field detections. The largest longitudinal magnetic field, <B_z> = -454+-42G, was detec
ted in the Herbig Ae/Be star HD101412 using hydrogen lines. No field detection at a significance level of 3sigma was achieved in stars with debris disks. Our study does not indicate any correlation of the strength of the longitudinal magnetic field with disk orientation, disk geometry, or the presence of a companion. We also do not see any simple dependence on the mass-accretion rate. However, it is likely that the range of observed field values qualitatively supports the expectations from magnetospheric accretion models giving support for dipole-like field geometries. Both the magnetic field strength and the X-ray emission show hints for a decline with age in the range of ~2-14Myrs probed by our sample supporting a dynamo mechanism that decays with age. However, our study of rotation does not show any obvious trend of the strength of the longitudinal magnetic field with rotation period. Furthermore, the stars seem to obey the universal power-law relation between magnetic flux and X-ray luminosity established for the Sun and main-sequence active dwarf stars.
Accretion shocks have been recognized as important X-ray emission mechanism for pre-main sequence stars. Yet the X-ray properties of FUor outbursts, events that are caused by violent accretion, have been given little attention. We have observed the F
Uor object Z CMa during optical outburst and quiescence with Chandra. No significant changes in X-ray brightness and spectral shape are found, suggesting that the X-ray emission is of coronal nature. Due to the binary nature of Z CMa the origin of the X-ray source is ambiguous. However, the moderate hydrogen column density derived from our data makes it unlikely that the embedded primary star is the X-ray source. The secondary star, which is the FUor object, is thus responsible for both the X-ray emission and the presently ongoing accretion outburst, which seem however to be unrelated phenomena. The secondary is also known to drive a large outflow and jet, that we detect here for the first time in X-rays. The distance of the X-ray emitting outflow source to the central star is higher than in jets of low-mass stars.
The interpretation of X-ray detections from Herbig Ae/Be stars is disputed as it is not clear if these intermediate-mass pre-main sequence stars are able to drive a dynamo and ensuing phenomena of magnetic activity. Alternative X-ray production mecha
nisms, related to stellar winds, star-disk magnetospheres, or unresolved late-type T Tauri star companions have been proposed. In a series of papers we have been investigating high-resolution X-ray Chandra images of Herbig Ae/Be and main-sequence B-type stars to test the T Tauri hypothesis by spatially resolving known visual companions from the primaries. Here we report on six as yet unpublished Chandra exposures from our X-ray survey of Herbig stars. The target list comprises six Herbig stars with known cool companions, and three further A/B-type stars that are serendipitously in the Chandra field-of-view. In this sample we record a detection rate of 100%, i.e. all A/B-type stars display X-ray emission at levels of log(L_x/L_bol) ~ -5...-7. The analysis of hardness ratios confirms that HAeBes have hotter and/or more absorbed X-ray emitting plasma than more evolved B-type stars. Radiative winds are ruled out as exclusive emission mechanism on basis of the high X-ray temperatures. Confirming earlier results, the X-ray properties of Herbig Ae/Be stars are not vastly different from those of their late-type companion stars (if such are known). The diagnostics provided by the presently available data leave open if the hard X-ray emission of Herbig stars is due to young age or indicative of further coronally active low-mass companion stars. In the latter case, our detection statistics imply a high fraction of higher-order multiple systems among Herbig stars.
