1996A&A...310..908V

The results of coordinated observations of the dMe star YZ CMi at optical, UV and radio wavelengths during 3-7 February 1983 are presented. YZ CMi showed repeated optical flaring with the largest flare having a magnitude of 3.8 in the U-band. This flare coincided with an IUE exposure which permits a comparison of the emission measure curves of YZ CMi in its flaring and quiescent state. During the flare a downward shift of the transition zone is observed while the radiative losses in the range 10⁴-10⁷K strongly increase. The optical flare is accompanied with a radio flare at 6cm, while at 20cm no emission is detected. The flare is interpreted in terms of optically thick synchrotron emission. We present a combined interpretation of the optical/radio flare and show that the flare can be interpreted within the context of solar two-ribbon/white-light flares. Special attention is paid to the bombardment of dMe atmospheres by particle beams. We show that the characteristic temperature of the heated atmosphere is almost independent of the beam flux and lies within the range of solar white-light flare temperatures. We also show that it is unlikely that stellar flares emit black-body spectra. The fraction of accelerated particles, as follows from our combined optical/radio interpretation is in good agreement with the fraction determined by two-ribbon flare reconnection models.