A 7-Day, Multiwavelength Flare Monitoring Campaign on AU Mic
Abstract
M dwarf flares exhibit a strong response in the X-ray and NUV, in line with the standard Neupert effect observed in ~80% of (less energetic) solar flares. However, some stellar flares produce only bright X-rays and others only a bright NUV response. The detailed properties and causes of each of these types of flares are not well constrained because the vast majority of data of M dwarf flares in the past have been in the optical without information at other wavelengths. Our fundamental understanding of stellar flares has been hampered by a lack of a large multi-wavelength dataset covering many types of flares (Neupert vs. non-Neupert). We present first results from a large flare campaign over ~7 days (Oct 10 - Oct 17, 2018) in which we characterize AU Mic's flaring properties at X-ray, UV, optical, and radio wavelengths. AU Mic is the brightest M dwarf flare star in the sky, has a well-constrained (young) age, and is known to produce very energetic flares on occasion. The flare monitoring was done with a large fleet of ground and spaced-based observatories, including XMM-Newton, Swift, the VLA, the ATCA, the SMARTS 0.9m and 1.5m telescopes at CTIO, MINERVA-Australis, the ARC 3.5m at APO, and several sites in the LCO Global Telescope Network. In each wavelength regime, we have devised and made new measurements to probe the physics of flaring atmospheres from the photosphere and/or low chromosphere through the corona. We show how these data provide new constraints on radiative-hydrodynamic flare models, and we discuss implications for the space weather in the system.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #233
- Pub Date:
- January 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AAS...23336014K