您选择的条件: Hongpeng Lu
  • Detection of Flare-induced Plasma Flows in the Corona of EV Lac with X-ray Spectroscopy

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Stellar flares are characterized by sudden enhancement of electromagnetic radiation from the atmospheres of stars. Compared to their solar counterparts, our knowledge on the coronal plasma dynamics of stellar flares and their connection to coronal mass ejections (CMEs) remains very limited. With time-resolved high-resolution spectroscopic observations from the \textit{Chandra} X-ray observatory, we detected noticeable coronal plasma flows during several stellar flares on a nearby dMe star EV Lac. In the observed spectra of O~{\sc{viii}} (3 MK), Fe~{\sc{xvii}} (6 MK), Mg~{\sc{xii}} (10 MK), and Si~{\sc{xiv}} (16 MK) lines, these flare-induced upflows/downflows appear as significant Doppler shifts of several tens to \speed{130}, and the upflow velocity generally increases with temperature. Variable line ratios of the Si~{\sc{xiii}} triplet reveal that these plasma flows in most flares are accompanied by an increase of the coronal plasma density and temperature. We interpret these results as X-ray evidences for chromospheric evaporation on EV Lac. In two successive flares, the plasma flow pattern and a sharp increase of the measured coronal density are highly suggestive of explosive evaporation. The transition from redshifts to blueshifts in such an explosive evaporation occurs at a temperature of at least 10 MK, much higher than that observed in solar flares ($\sim$1 MK). However, in one flare the cool and warm upflows appear to be accompanied by a decreasing plasma density, which might be explained by a stellar filament/prominence eruption coupled to this flare. These results provide important clues to understand the coronal plasma dynamics during flares on M dwarfs.

  • Broadening and redward asymmetry of H$\alpha$ line profiles observed by LAMOST during a stellar flare on an M-type star

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Stellar flares are characterized by sudden enhancement of electromagnetic radiation in stellar atmospheres. So far much of our understanding of stellar flares comes from photometric observations, from which plasma motions in flare regions could not be detected. From the spectroscopic data of LAMOST DR7, we have found one stellar flare that is characterized by an impulsive increase followed by a gradual decrease in the H$\alpha$ line intensity on an M4-type star, and the total energy radiated through H${\alpha}$ is estimated to be on the order of $10^{33}$ erg. The H$\alpha$ line appears to have a Voigt profile during the flare, which is likely caused by Stark pressure broadening due to the dramatic increase of electron density and/or opacity broadening due to the occurrence of strong non-thermal heating. Obvious enhancement has been identified at the red wing of the H$\alpha$ line profile after the impulsive increase of the H$\alpha$ line intensity. The red wing enhancement corresponds to plasma moving away from the Earth at a velocity of 100$-$200 km s$^{-1}$. According to the current knowledge of solar flares, this red wing enhancement may originate from: (1) flare-driven coronal rain, (2) chromospheric condensation, or (3) a filament/prominence eruption that either with a non-radial backward propagation or with strong magnetic suppression. The total mass of the moving plasma is estimated to be on the order of $10^{15}$ kg.