2025ApJ...995..189H -
Astrophys. J., 995, 189 (2025/December-3)
Hard X-Ray Emission in AU Mic Flares: A Minor Contributor to Planetary Atmospheric Escape.
HU Y., BRIGHTMAN M., FAVATA F., PAN H., GREFENSTETTE B., HARRISON F.A., STERN D., YUAN W., YUNG Y.L. and ZHAO X.
Abstract (from CDS):
Stellar flares are potent drivers of atmospheric evolution on orbiting exoplanets, primarily through extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray irradiation. However, the contribution of hard X-rays (HXR; 3-20 keV), which penetrate deeper into planetary atmospheres, to mass loss and particle acceleration has remained poorly understood. To quantify the HXR share of the total radiative budget, we conducted quasi-simultaneous observations of the active M-dwarf AU Mic using NuSTAR, Swift, and the Einstein Probe. Our analysis detected two major flares, and we performed an empirical check by deriving a quiescent-phase soft X-ray (SXR; 0.3-3 keV) to HXR relation and then applying it to the flares. By combining this with the quiescent coronal SXR-EUV relation conversion of J. Sanz-Forcada et al, we computed the total high-energy flux (EUV + SXR + HXR) and assessed the relative role of HXR in atmospheric escape. We find that HXR accounts for only a few percent of the total radiative energy budget during both quiescent and flaring states. While a high-energy spectral tail is detected in the second flare, time-resolved spectroscopy reveals a dominant chromospheric-evaporation signature, indicating that the flare energetics are primarily thermal.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Stellar activity - Stellar flares - X-ray transient sources - Star-planet interactions
Simbad objects:
4
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