Variation in the Flare Frequency of Flare Stars. III. Flare Stars in the Orion Association

The possible variation of the flare frequency of flare stars in the Orion association is considered. It is shown that of the 23 chosen stars, each having exhibited four or more flares, a change in flare frequency at the 0.1 significance level can be suspected for 13.     

疏散星团中的耀星及其演化学意义

耀星是红矮星早期演化的一个必经阶段，这个阶段的持续时间取决于恒星的质量。在年轻和比较年轻的疏散星闭中，都含有大量耀星，它们的光度分布是疏散星闭年龄的标志。在昴生闭中已发现大量耀星，对它们的自行，测光和分光资料进行深入的统计研究，对于解决疏散星闭及矮星起源和演化问题，有着极其重要的价值。     

Reconstruction of the Three-Dimensional Density Distribution of Flare Stars in the Pleiades

This paper deals with the determination of the three-dimensional distribution of flare stars in the Pleiades cluster. For this purpose a one-dimensional distribution is first constructed from the observed two-dimensional distribution of the stars. It is shown that reliable construction of one dimensioned distribution requires solution of the Abel equation. The last one used to determine the dependence of the true three-dimensional distribution of the density of flare stars on distance from the center of the cluster. This reveals a spherical layer of width 0.5 pc (2.8 R 3.5 pc) with a deficit in the number of flare stars. A profile of the three-dimensional density distribution of flare stars is constructed in the region of deficit. The characteristics of this region are described.     

Flare star activity in the open cluster Alpha Persei

The results from a flare star investigation in the open cluster Alpha Persei are presented. Photographic flare star monitoring and CCD photometry of the discovered 4 new flare stars are made. The flare star activity phenomenon is restricted to the classical flare stars (UV Ceti type) as classified in the GCVS. The V/V‐I diagramme of the members of the cluster with the locations of the considered flare stars is given. Most of the flare stars are probable cluster members. The flare frequency determined from the Rozhen flare star monitoring is very low–one flare event occurs for 38.5 hours effective observing time. Comparison with the flare activity of the Pleiades is made because of the small difference in the age and distance of the clusters.     

Flare variability in the close binary FL Vir

The results of U -filter flare monitoring of the binary flare star FL Vir = Wolf 424 is presented. 57 flares with energies between  2 × 10²⁸  and  2 × 10³¹ erg  were recorded in 20 h of observation. The properties of flare occurrence and flare time-scales are analysed, and the flare activity level in 1980 April is determined to be   L _f( U ) = 8.0 × 10²⁶ erg s⁻¹  . This is larger than previously published results and may indicate a variation in the flare activity level on a time-scale of years. An analysis of existing data indicates that the flare activity level correlates with the relative orbital positions of the stars.     

Flare stars and the fast electron hypothesis

An extensive analysis is made of the theory of flare stars based on the fast electron hypothesis, in the light of the latest observational evidence. It is shown that an adequate agreement of theory with the observations obtains regarding the internal regular features in the flare amplitude data inUBV rays, as well as the changes of the colour characteristics of stars during the flares; in the latter case the analysis is made not only in respect of the UV Cet-type stars, but flare stars as well, forming a part of the Orion association. Problems bearing on the negative flare and the screening effect are dealt with. New properties of the light curves of flares are revealed, based on the above theory.Particular emphasis is laid on the X-ray radiation from flare stars. It is shown that the observed spectrum of X-ray radiation of flare stars differs sharply from that of X-ray radiation both of the stellar corona and solar X-ray flares. At the same time, the observed X-ray spectrum of flares is in complete harmony with the previously calculated theoretical spectrum corresponding to nonthermal bremsstrahlung with the energy of monoenergetic fast electrons 1.5 MeV. The durations of X-ray flares should be essentially shorter than that of the optical flares. The very high momentary intensities of the X-ray brightness with the exceedingly small duration at the curve maximum is predicted. It is shown that the gamma-ray bursts recorded so far have no relation whatever to flare stars.     

Flare event statistics on UV Ceti-type stars

A statistical study of 228 flares on the three UV Ceti-type stars, i.e., YZ CMi, AD Leo, and EV Lac, is presented. Observations were gathered by Ichimura and Shimizu over a total monitoring time of 907 hours distributed over 18 years (1971 to 1988). Period analysis of flare activity was performed, and no periodicity was detected on the three stars for either the flare number rate or the energy rate in time-scales ranging from a year up to 14 years. Average colour of flares at peak was (U-B)=–0.98±0.17 and (B-V)=0.05±0.13. Cumulative number distributions of flare event time-integrated energies were solved by a least-squares method on a log-log plot for a power-law function to get both the constant of and the gradient , which were found to be similar among the three stars. The gradient showed that rare large flare events radiate most of the energy released by all the flare events in the monitoring time. The flare number rate and energy rate are similar if the power-law distributions are extended up to a specific maximum energy. In reality, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test showed that the observed cumulative number distributions of flare event energy were not necessarily a power-law function. The monte-Carlo simulation, however, indicates that the monitoring time and/or the patrol observation time interval may not be long enough to get the average flare number rate and energy rate, especially at the upper energy limits which are statistically unreliable.     

Flare stars: Postflare behaviour of emission lines

The problem of the postflare behaviour of chromospheric emission lines in UV Cet-type flare stars is considered. It is shown that the postflare behaviours of different emission lines differ essentially from one another. In particular, the intensity of hydrogen and helium lines must be greatest at flare peak in continuum, while the intensities of 2800 Mg_II and H and K Ca_II lines reach their maximum magnitudes in the intermediate period between two flares. Theoretical postflare light curves are derived for the most important chromospheric lines: helium, hydrogen ionized magnesium and calcium (Figures 8, 9, 11, and 16). The definite regularities in sequence of these light curves are established (Figure 17). Methods of obtaining the mass concentration,n _*, in the chromospheres of flare stars based on the analysis of hydrogen and calcium light curves are elaborated. Values ofn _* obtained for a group of UV Cet-type flare stars are listed in Table VII. The conditions of the intensification of emission lines during the flare are examined, as is the possibility of the existence of an empirical relationship between chromospheric concentration,n _* and flare frequency,f _U .     

Multi-Wavelength Observations of Quasi-Periodic Pulsations in a Solar Flare

We have performed a search for flares and quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) from low-mass M-dwarf stars using Transient Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) two-minute cadence data. We find seven stars that show evidence of QPPs. Using Fourier and empirical mode decomposition techniques, we confirm the presence of 11 QPPs in these seven stars with a period between 10.2 and 71.9 minutes, including an oscillation with strong drift in the period and a double-mode oscillation. The fraction of flares that showed QPPs (7%) is higher than other studies of stellar flares, but it is very similar to the fraction of solar C-class flares. Based on the stellar parameters taken from the TESS Input Catalog, we determine the lengths and magnetic-field strengths of the flare coronal loops using the period of the QPPs and various assumptions about the origin of the QPPs. We also use a scaling relationship based on flares from the Sun and solar-type stars and the observed energy, plus the duration of the flares, finding that the different approaches predict loop lengths that are consistent to within a factor of about two. We also discuss the flare frequency of the seven stars determining whether this could result in ozone depletion or abiogenesis in any orbiting exoplanet. Three of our stars have a sufficiently high rate of energetic flares, which are likely to cause abiogenesis. However, two of these stars are also in the range where ozone depletion is likely to occur. We speculate on the implications of the flare rates, loop lengths, and QPPs for life on potential exoplanets orbiting in their host star’s habitable zone.

     

恒星射电耀发6cm波段偏振观测试验

利用新疆天文台南山基地25m射电望远镜在6cm波段对恒星V772 Her和βPer进行了偏振观测试验.通过数据处理和校准得到恒星的射电光变曲线.探测到V772 Her的射电耀发现象,耀发时的线偏振度约达30%,偏振位置角约4°;探测到βPer的缓变成份及叠加其上的快速耀发,βPer耀发时线偏振很弱.     

Spectroscopic observations of red dwarfs. III. Observations of red stars in the solar neighborhood

This list is based on 20 stars in the solar neighborhood for which there are 52 spectra. Twelve of them are known as UV Ceti flare stars. The others behave like flare stars, but are not known to be such. Among the 20 there are many binary and triple flare stars. They all belong to the disk population of the Galaxy. Red dwarfs comprise one of the numerous populations of the system. Flare stars either continue to flare or have ceased flare activity. Three diagrams are given that show satisfactory agreement with the expected ones. A cluster analysis is carried out, which is in agreement with the original proposition and confirms the foregoing.     

On the 100-th anniversary of the birth of Academician V. A. Ambartsumian

A brief review is given of the applications of some methods, mainly developed at the Byurakan Observatory, to the statistics of flare stars. These developments originate in papers by Ambartsumian which led to the fundamental conclusion that a stage of flare activity is a natural stage in the evolution of red dwarf stars. In terms of their scientific value and novelty, the mathematical methods developed by Ambartsumian for solving specific astrophysical problems in the statistics of flare stars are just as significant as the astrophysical results obtained using these methods.     

类太阳活动星的X射线观测与研究进展

扼要介绍了类太阳恒星星晚射线辐射的研究历史,综述了Ｘ射线辐射与恒星参量的关系,并对星冕的加热机制作了介绍。类太阳恒星的Ｘ射线辐射与表面磁场有关,因此测定晚型星表面的磁场很重要。     

Investigation of flare stars in the pleiades by the method of stellar tracks. I

Observations of the Pleiades cluster by the method of stellar tracks, carried out on the 40-inch Schmidt telescope of Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, have resulted in the detection of 49 flares from 38 stars, 17 of which were not previously known to be flare stars. It is shown that for bright stars (U ≤ 16.0) the detection of flares in observations by the method of stellar tracks is at least three times more efficient than for observations by the method of stellar chains. Another advantage of the first method is that one can detect brief flares that last less than 6 min. The visual stellar magnitude at the minimum for the brightest of the flare stars that we found is 11.92. This raised the upper luminosity limit of known flare stars in the Pleiades by 0.21 magnitude. A comparison of the expected number of bright flare stars in the Pleiades with the number of all bright members of the cluster (falling in the range from V ≈ 12.0 toV ≈16.0) suggested that all these stars evidently must be flare stars. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 351–358, July–September, 1999.     

Solar Flare Occurrence Rate and Waiting Time Statistics

We use Renewal Theory for the estimation and interpretation of the flare rate from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) soft X-ray?flare catalogue. It is found that, in addition to the flare rate variability with the solar cycles, a much faster variation occurs. The fast variation on time scales of days and hours down to minute scale appears to be comparable with time intervals between two successive flares (waiting times). The detected fast non-stationarity of the flaring rate is discussed in the framework of the previously published stochastic models of the waiting time dynamics.     

Variation of the flare frequency of flare stars

The question of the possible variation of the flare frequency of flare stars is considered. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 555–562, October–December, 1999.     

Flare activity variations on stars of different ages comparable to those of the sun

Photometric data collected by wide-field photographic telescopes with medium time resolution provided the raw material for this study. More than 1500 flare-ups of stars of the Tauri fields were statistically investigated and flare activity variations of the most active objects were analyzed. Such variations seem to be usual rather than exceptional.Although observational selection effects raised difficulties, a new method developed in order to exempt from dubious data was tested successfully and used regularly. It was found that activity variations of dwarf stars are common on younger and older objects too.Time-dependence of these phenomena is reminiscent of the solar white-light flare occurrence.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Rotation Periods of Nine ROSAT Selected Solar-Type Stars

We monitored 16 X-ray selected young solar-type stars for light variation and found appreciable periodic light variability with amplitudes of a few hundredths of a magni-tude in nine of the objects. Using the method of Phase Dispersion Minimization (PDM) and Fourier analysis (software PERIOD04), the rotation periods of these stars were determined from the photometric data. The rotation periods of all nine stars are shorter than about 3days. It is suggested that, as with the Pleiades cluster, small amplitude light variations are quite common among young solar-type stars with rotation periods around 3 days or less. This gives further evidence for the spin up of solar-type stars predicted by models of angular momentum evolution of pre-main sequence stars.     

Subsystems of flare stars of different ages in Orion and the Pleiades

The two best-studied subsystems of flare stars, in Orion and the Pleiades, which are of considerably different ages, are compared. It is shown that the observed differences between them are consistent with the evolutionary status of flare stars that represent a stage in the evolution of red dwarfs. It is found that less luminous stars exhibit higher flare frequencies. For equally luminous stars, flare activity is lower in older stars.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 59–72, January–February, 1994.