Hydrodynamic simulations of the shock-cloud interaction in the Vela supernova remnant

Effects of Flaring Activity on Dynamics of Accretion Disks in YSOs

We investigate the effects of strong flares on the accretion phenomena in YSOs. Among all classical assumptions, the model accounts magnetic-field oriented thermal conduction. We study the global dynamics of the system for two positions of the heating release triggering the flare.

SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY DISCOVERS THIN HIGH TEMPERATURE STRANDS IN CORONAL ACTIVE REGIONS

One scenario proposed to explain the million degrees solar corona is a finely-stranded corona where each strand is heated by a rapid pulse. However, such fine structure has neither been resolved through direct imaging observations nor conclusively shown through indirect observations of extended superhot plasma. Recently it has been shown that the observed difference in appearance of cool and warm coronal loops (~1 MK, ~2-3 MK, respectively) -- warm loops appearing "fuzzier" than cool loops -- can be explained by models of loops composed of subarcsecond strands, which are impulsively heated up to ~10 MK. That work predicts that images of hot coronal loops (>~6 MK) should again show fine s…

On X-ray Optical Depth in the Coronae of Active Stars

We have investigated the optical thickness of the coronal plasma through the analysis of high-resolution X-ray spectra of a large sample of active stars observed with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on Chandra. In particular, we probed for the presence of significant resonant scattering in the strong Lyman series lines arising from hydrogen-like oxygen and neon ions. The active RS CVn-type binaries II Peg and IM Peg and the single M dwarf EV Lac show significant optical depth. For these active coronae, the Lya/Lyb ratios are significantly depleted as compared with theoretical predictions and with the same ratios observed in similar active stars. Interpreting these decremen…

Generation of radiative knots in a randomly pulsed protostellar jet

HH objects are characterized by a complex knotty morphology detected mainly along the axis of protostellar jets in a wide range of bands. Evidence of interactions between knots formed in different epochs have been found, suggesting that jets may result from the ejection of plasma blobs from the source. We aim at investigating the physical mechanism leading to the irregular knotty structure observed in jets in different bands and the complex interactions occurring among blobs of plasma ejected from the stellar source. We perform 2D axisymmetric HD simulations of a randomly ejected pulsed jet. The jet consists of a train of blobs which ram with supersonic speed into the ambient medium. The in…

The fully developed remnant of a neutrino-driven supernova: Evolution of ejecta structure and asymmetries in SNR Cassiopeia A

Abridged. We aim at exploring to which extent the remnant keeps memory of the asymmetries that develop stochastically in the neutrino-heating layer due to hydrodynamic instabilities (e.g., convective overturn and the standing accretion shock instability) during the first second after core bounce. We coupled a 3D HD model of a neutrino-driven SN explosion with 3D MHD/HD simulations of the remnant formation. The simulations cover 2000 years of expansion and include all physical processes relevant to describe the complexities in the SN evolution and the subsequent interaction of the stellar debris with the wind of the progenitor star. The interaction of large-scale asymmetries left from the ea…

The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) for the Hinode Mission

著者人数：29名

The EM(T) of stellar coronae

Studying the solar corona, due to its vicinity, is the starting point to understand stellar activity. The emission measure distribution vs temperature, EM(T), is a useful tool to study coronal plasmas, in fact it allows: to investigate the energy balance of coronal plasmas, to easily compare different stars, and also to compare the solar corona to that of other active stars irrespective of the very different observing techniques. The EM(T) of the solar corona differs significantly, in terms of average plasma temperatures, peak temperatures, and total emission measure, with respect to that of active stars. In this work it is discussed how the evaluation of the EM(T) of the solar corona, and …

Emission Measure Distribution in Loops Impulsively Heated at the Footpoints

This work is prompted by the evidence of sharply peaked emission measure distributions in active stars, and by the claims of isothermal loops in solar coronal observations, at variance with the predictions of hydrostatic loop models with constant cross-section and uniform heating. We address the problem with loops heated at the foot-points. Since steady heating does not allow static loop models solutions, we explore whether pulse-heated loops can exist and appear as steady loops, on a time average. We simulate pulse-heated loops, using the Palermo-Harvard 1-D hydrodynamic code, for different initial conditions corresponding to typical coronal temperatures of stars ranging from intermediate …

Discovery of a jet-like structure with overionized plasma in the SNR IC443

IC443 is a supernova remnant located in a quite complex environment since it interacts with nearby clouds. Indications for the presence of overionized plasma have been found though the possible physical causes of overionization are still debated. Moreover, because of its peculiar position and proper motion, it is not clear if the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) within the remnant is the relic of the IC443 progenitor star or just a rambling one seen in projection on the remnant. Here we address the study of IC443 plasma in order to clarify the relationship PWN-remnant, the presence of overionization and the origin of the latter. We analyzed two \emph{XMM-Newton} observations producing background-su…

The X-ray emission mechanism in the protostellar jet HH 154

We study the mechanism causing the X-ray emission recently detected in protostellar jets, by performing a detailed modeling of the interaction between a supersonic jet originating from a young stellar object and the ambient medium, for various values of density contrast, ν, between the ambient density and the jet, and of Mach number, M; radiative losses and thermal conduction have been taken into account. Here we report a representative case which reproduces, without any ad hoc assumption, the characteristics of the X-ray emission recently observed in the protostellar jet HH 154. We find that the X-ray emission originates from a localized blob, consistent with observations, which moves with…

Coronal loop hydrodynamics. The solar flare observedon November 12 1980 revisited: the UV line emission

We revisit a well-studied solar flare whose X-ray emission originating from a simple loop structure was observed by most of the instruments on board SMM on November 12 1980. The X-ray emission of this flare, as observed with the XRP, was successfully modeled previously. Here we include a detailed modeling of the transition region and we compare the hydrodynamic results with the UVSP observations in two EUV lines, measured in areas smaller than the XRP rasters, covering only some portions of the flaring loop (the top and the foot-points). The single loop hydrodynamic model, which fits well the evolution of coronal lines (those observed with the XRP and the \FeXXI 1354.1 \AA line observed wit…

Viewing the Sun as an X-ray star

The Sun is the late-type star we can study with the highest level of detail. In the interpretation of stellar data, therefore, it is often assumed that the physical processes of the coronae of late-type stars are similar to those of the solar corona, i.e. the "solar-stellar analogy". In order to investigate the validity of this assumption, we have started a program to study systematically the Sun as an X-ray star. Our program aims to explore how far the solar model can be applied to other stars. In this paper we review the results obtained from these studies and, in particular, we discuss the variability of a star identical to the Sun during its cycle, the contribution of different coronal …

3D MHD MODELING of TWISTED CORONAL LOOPS

We perform MHD modeling of a single bright coronal loop to include the interaction with a non-uniform magnetic field. The field is stressed by random footpoint rotation in the central region and its energy is dissipated into heating by growing currents through anomalous magnetic diffusivity that switches on in the corona above a current density threshold. We model an entire single magnetic flux tube, in the solar atmosphere extending from the high-beta chromosphere to the low-beta corona through the steep transition region. The magnetic field expands from the chromosphere to the corona. The maximum resolution is ~30 km. We obtain an overall evolution typical of loop models and realistic loo…

X-rays from protostellar jets: emission from continuous flows

Recently X-ray emission from protostellar jets has been detected with both XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites, but the physical mechanism which can give rise to this emission is still unclear. We performed an extensive exploration of a wide space of the main parameters influencing the jet/ambient interaction. Aims include: 1) to constrain the jet/ambient interaction regimes leading to the X-ray emission observed in Herbig-Haro objects in terms of the emission by a shock forming at the interaction front between a continuous supersonic jet and the surrounding medium; 2) to derive detailed predictions to be compared with optical and X-ray observations of protostellar jets; 3) to get insight int…

Stars with circumstellar disks in NGC~6611

Radiative accretion shocks along nonuniform stellar magnetic fields in classical T Tauri stars

(abridged) AIMS. We investigate the dynamics and stability of post-shock plasma streaming along nonuniform stellar magnetic fields at the impact region of accretion columns. We study how the magnetic field configuration and strength determine the structure, geometry, and location of the shock-heated plasma. METHODS. We model the impact of an accretion stream onto the chromosphere of a CTTS by 2D axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Our model takes into account the gravity, the radiative cooling, and the magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction. RESULTS. The structure, stability, and location of the shocked plasma strongly depend on the configuration and strength of the magnetic f…

Are Coronae of Late‐Type Stars Made of Solar‐like Structures? The X‐Ray Surface Flux versus Hardness Ratio Diagram and the Pressure‐Temperature Correlation

This work is dedicated to the solar-stellar connection, i.e., the close similarity of the Sun and late-type stars; in particular, this work shows that stellar coronae can be composed of X-ray-emitting structures similar to those present in the solar corona. To this end we use a large set of ROSAT PSPC observations of late-type stars of all spectral types and activity levels and a large set of solar X-ray data collected with Yohkoh SXT. Solar data have been analyzed and formatted to study the Sun as an X-ray star; they include observations of the solar corona at various phases of the solar cycle and data on various kinds of X-ray coronal structures, from flares to the background corona, i.e.…

3D MHD modeling of the expanding remnant of SN 1987A : role of magnetic field and non-thermal radio emission

Aims. We investigate the role played by a pre-supernova (SN) ambient magnetic field on the dynamics of the expanding remnant of SN 1987A and the origin and evolution of the radio emission from the remnant, in particular, during the interaction of the blast wave with the nebula surrounding the SN. Methods. We model the evolution of SN 1987A from the breakout of the shock wave at the stellar surface to the expansion of its remnant through the surrounding nebula by 3D MHD simulations. The model considers the radiative cooling, the deviations from equilibrium of ionization, the deviation from temperature-equilibration between electrons and ions, and a plausible configuration of the pre-SN ambie…

X-ray spectral and timing characteristics of the stars in the young open cluster IC 2391

We present X-ray spectral and timing analysis of members of the young open cluster IC 2391 observed with the XMM-Newton observatory. We detected 99 X-ray sources by analysing the summed data obtained from MOS1, MOS2 and pn detectors of the EPIC camera; 24 of them are members, or probable members, of the cluster. Stars of all spectral types have been detected, from the early-types to the late-M dwarfs. Despite the capability of the instrument to recognize up to 3 thermal components, the X-ray spectra of the G, K and M members of the cluster are well described with two thermal components (at kT$_1 \sim$ 0.3-0.5 keV and kT$_2 \sim$ 1.0-1.2 keV respectively) while the X-ray spectra of F members…

The Corona of the Sun as a Star

We study the physics of the solar corona as a whole, i.e. of the Sun as a Star, in order to understand its global features and to provide a template for stellar coronae. In this process we strive to understand the features of various structures which compose the solar corona. This process in not straightforward given the problems of observing the Sun as a whole: e.g., no recent X‐ray wide‐band, medium‐resolution, spectrum of the Sun is avaible, unlike stars and no X‐ray spectral monitoring of the Sun at various activity phases is available. The presentation will discuss our work in this field; we present the method we have devised, based on Yohkoh/SXT data, to derive the Differential Emissi…

Hydrodynamic Modeling of Accretion Shock on CTTSs

High resolution (R ~ 600) X-ray observations of some classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) (TW Hya, BP Tau, V4046 Sgr, MP Mus and RU Lupi) have shown the presence of X-ray plasma at T ~ 2–3 × 106 K and denser than n e ~ 1011 cm-3 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], which suggests an origin different from the coronal one (n e ~ 1010 cm_3). Stationary models demonstrated that X-ray emission from CTTSs could also be produced by the accreting material [6]. We address this issue with the aid of a time-dependent hydrodynamic numerical model describing the impact of an accretion stream onto the chromosphere of a CTTS (see [7] for more details). Our simulations include the effects of gravity, radiative losses from opticall…

Accretion in young stars: measure of the stream velocity of TW Hya from the X-ray Doppler shift

High-resolution X-ray spectra are a unique tool to investigate the accretion process in young stars. In fact X-rays allow to investigate the accretion-shock region, where the infalling material is heated by strong shocks due to the impact with the denser stellar atmosphere. Here we show for the first time that it is possible to constrain the velocity of the accretion stream by measuring the Doppler shift of the emitted X-rays. To this aim we analyzed the deep Chandra/HETGS observation of the accreting young star TW Hya. We selected a sample of emission lines free from significant blends, fitted them with gaussian profiles, computed the radial velocity corresponding to each line, and average…

MHD Modeling of Accretion Processes in Young Stars with the PLUTO Code

As shown by observations, many young stars (age<5-10 Myr) harbor a circumstellar disk and accrete material from it through the star-disk magnetosphere. Despite the large amount of observational data in the infrared, optical and X-ray bands, different issues regarding star-disk interactions are still yet open. Many of these issues need detailed physical models of the star-disk system for a better insight. To this end, we are developing a model describing the interaction between the accreting material and the star atmosphere, using the 3D Magneto-HydroDynamical (MHD) code PLUTO developed at the University of Torino. We plan to perform a set of demanding simulations on the PI2S2 Grid infrastru…

Modeling Non-Confined Coronal Flares: Dynamics and X-Ray Diagnostics

Long-lasting, intense, stellar X-ray flares may approach conditions of breaking magnetic confinement and evolving in open space. We explore this hypothesis with hydrodynamic simulations of flares occurring in a non-confined corona: model flares are triggered by a transient impulsive heating injected in a plane-parallel stratified corona. The plasma evolution is described by means of a numerical 2-D model in cylindrical geometry R,Z. We explore the space of fundamental parameters. As a reference model, we consider a flare triggered by a heating pulse that would cause a 20 MK flare if delivered in a 40000 km long closed loop. The modeled plasma evolution is described. The X-ray emission, spec…

Correlation between the spatial distribution of the circumstellar disks and the massive stars in the open cluster NGC 6611. Compiled catalog and cluster parameters

Context: the observation of young stars with circumstellar disks suggests that the disks are dissipated, starting from the inner region, by the radiation of the central star and eventually by the formation of rocky planetesimals, over a time scale of several million years. It was also shown that strong UV radiation emitted by nearby massive stars can heat a circumstellar disk up to some thousand degrees, inducing the photoevaporation of the gas. This process strongly reduces the dissipation time scale. Aims: we study whether there exists a correlation between the spatial distribution of stars with circumstellar disks and the position of massive stars with spectral class earlier than B5, in …

One-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling of coronal plasmas on transputer arrays

Abstract We describe a concurrent implementation of the Palermo-Harvard hydrodynamic code on cost-effective and modularity expandable transputer arrays. We have tested the effectiveness of our approach by simulating an already well-studied compact solar-flare model on different transputer configurations and compared their performances with those of other machines. We have found that the speed of the concurrent program on a 16-T800 transputers array is ~1/9 of that of the equivalent code optimized for a CRAY X-MP/48. This work clearly shows that transputer-based arrays provide locally available high computing-power tools to extend the investigation of compact solar flares and similar astroph…

The density of coronal plasma in active stellar coronae

We have analyzed high-resolution X-ray spectra of a sample of 22 active stars observed with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on {\em Chandra} in order to investigate their coronal plasma density. Densities where investigated using the lines of the He-like ions O VII, Mg XI, and Si XIII. While Si XIII lines in all stars of the sample are compatible with the low-density limit, Mg XI lines betray the presence of high plasma densities ($&gt; 10^{12}$ cm$^{-3}$) for most of the sources with higher X-ray luminosity ($&gt; 10^{30}$ erg/s); stars with higher $L_X$ and $L_X/L_{bol}$ tend to have higher densities at high temperatures. Ratios of O VII lines yield much lower densities …

Generation of radiative knots in a randomly pulsed protostellar jet. II. X-ray emission

Protostellar jets are known to emit in a wide range of bands, from radio to IR to optical bands, and to date also about ten X-ray emitting jets have been detected, with a rate of discovery of about one per year. We aim at investigating the mechanism leading to the X-ray emission detected in protostellar jets and at constraining the physical parameters that describe the jet/ambient interaction by comparing our model predictions with observations. We perform 2D axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction between a supersonic jet and the ambient. The jet is described as a train of plasma blobs randomly ejected by the stellar source along the jet axis. We explore the parameter spac…

X-ray and optical emission in protostellar jets: model predictions and comparison with observations

X-ray variability of Pleiades late-type stars as observed with the ROSAT-PSPC

We present a comprehensive analysis of X-ray variability of the late-type (dF7-dM) Pleiades stars, detected in all ROSAT-PSPC observations; X-ray variations on short (hours) and medium (months) time scales have been explored. We have grouped the stars in two samples: 89 observations of 42 distinct dF7-dK2 stars and 108 observations of 61 dK3-dM stars. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test applied on all X-ray photon time series show that the percentage of cases of significant vari- ability is quite similar on both samples, suggesting that the presence of variability does not depend on mass for the time scales and mass range explored. The comparison between the Time X-ray Amplitude Distribution functi…

EUV FLICKERING OF SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS: A NEW DIAGNOSTIC OF CORONAL HEATING

A previous work of ours found the best agreement between EUV light curves observed in an active region core (with evidence of super-hot plasma) and those predicted from a model with a random combination of many pulse-heated strands with a power-law energy distribution. We extend that work by including spatially resolved strand modeling and by studying the evolution of emission along the loops in the EUV 94 angstrom and 335 angstrom channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Using the best parameters of the previous work as the input of the present one, we find that the amplitude of the random fluctuations driven by the random heat pulses increases …

Spectral Variability of the Nucleus of M33 in aChandra/ACIS Observation

We have analyzed a 90 ksec long observation of the bright nucleus of M33 made with Chandra/ACIS. We detected low-amplitude (~sim10%) highly significant variability on timescales of ~5000 sec. We also find associated spectral variability. The two main spectral components (a power-law with \Gamma~2 and a multicolor disk -MCD- with kT~0.9-1.2 keV) vary in relative flux. The MCD temperature also increases with increasing MCD flux. The pattern of variability is reminiscent of (but not identical to) galactic black hole binaries. A ~5 M$_{\odot}$ accreting black hole may explain this source.

Correcting the effect of stellar spots on ARIEL transmission spectra – II. The limb-darkening effect

This paper is part of an effort to correct the transmission spectra of a transiting planet orbiting an active star. In Paper I (Cracchiolo et al. 2020) we have demonstrated a methodology to minimize the potential bias induced by unocculted star spots on the transmission spectrum, assuming a spot model parameterized by filling factor and temperature. In this work we introduce the limb darkening effect, therefore the position of the spot in the stellar disk and the impact parameter of the transiting planet now play a key role. The method is tested on simulations of planetary transits of three representative kinds of planetary systems, at ARIEL resolution. We find that a realistic treatment of…

A coronal explosion on the flare star CN Leonis

We present simultaneous high-temporal and high-spectral resolution observations at optical and soft X-ray wavelengths of the nearby flare star CN Leo. During our observing campaign a major flare occurred, raising the star's instantaneous energy output by almost three orders of magnitude. The flare shows the often observed impulsive behavior, with a rapid rise and slow decay in the optical and a broad soft X-ray maximum about 200 seconds after the optical flare peak. However, in addition to this usually encountered flare phenomenology we find an extremely short (~2 sec) soft X-ray peak, which is very likely of thermal, rather than non-thermal nature and temporally coincides with the optical …

The Complex Morphology of the X-ray and Optical Emission from HH 154: The Pulsed Jet Scenario

We study the optical and X-ray emission from protostellar jets, focusing, in particular, on the case of HH 154. This project consists of two different and complementary approaches: the development of hydrodynamical models of the jet/ambient interaction, and the analysis of multi-wavelength observations. Comparing the results derived from the simulations with the observations we can infer the physical mechanisms leading to the complex morphology of the X-rays source observed at the base of HH 154.

Detection of X-ray Resonance Scattering in Active Stellar Coronae

An analysis of Lyman series lines arising from hydrogen-like oxygen and neon ions in the coronae of the active RS CVn-type binaries II Peg and IM Peg, observed using the {\it Chandra} High Resolution Transmission Grating Spectrograph, shows significant decrements in the Ly$\alpha$/Ly$\beta$ ratios as compared with theoretical predictions and with the same ratios observed in similar active binaries. We interpret these decrements in terms of resonance scattering of line photons out of the line-of-sight; these observations present the first strong evidence for this effect in active stellar coronae. The net line photon loss implies a non-uniform and asymmetric surface distribution of emitting s…

Modeling the X-ray emission from the nearest jets: HH 154 and DG Tau

Modeling the shock-cloud interaction in SN 1006: unveiling the origin of nonthermal X-ray and gamma-ray emission

The supernova remnant SN 1006 is a source of high-energy particles and its southwestern limb is interacting with a dense ambient cloud, thus being a promising region for gamma-ray hadronic emission. We aim at describing the physics and the nonthermal emission associated with the shock-cloud interaction to derive the physical parameters of the cloud (poorly constrained by the data analysis), to ascertain the origin of the observed spatial variations in the spectral properties of the X-ray synchrotron emission, and to predict spectral and morphological features of the resulting gamma-ray emission. We performed 3-D magnetohydrodynamic simulations modeling the evolution of SN 1006 and its inter…

The Sun as an X-ray star: Active region evolution, rotational modulation, and implications for stellar X-ray variability

We study the contribution of an active region and its core to the luminosity and the spectrum of the Sun in the X-ray band and to the relevant solar emission measure vs. temperature distribution, EM(T). We also study the relevant changes in the course of four solar rotations, and the solar rotational modulation due to this active region, the only one present at that time. To this end, we have used a large sample of full-disk Yohkoh/SXT observations taken between July and October 1996, covering most of the active region evolution. From the Yohkoh/SXT data we have synthesized the X-ray spectra of the whole solar corona, and the focal plane data as they would be collected with Rosat/PSPC, XMM-…

The Sun as an X‐Ray Star. I. Deriving the Emission Measure Distribution versus Temperature of the Whole Solar Corona from theYohkoh/Soft X‐Ray Telescope Data

The scope of this work is to obtain the emission measure distributions versus temperature, EM(T ), of the whole solar corona from Yohkoh Soft X-ray Telescope images. As discussed in Paper II, the EM(T ) is our starting point for studying the Sun as an X-ray star. To this purpose, we need to extract as much information as possible from the Yohkoh/SXT data covering the whole range of the Yohkoh/SXT tem- perature sensitivity, i.e., 5.5 \ log T (K) \ 8. In particular at low photon counts and temperatures below 106 K, errors on the temperature and emission measure determination are expected to be large. To this end, we have made an extensive set of simulations to explore the nominal performance …

X-ray emission from the old CTTS MP Muscae

We study the properties of X-ray emitting plasma of MP Mus, an old classical T Tauri star. XMM-Newton/RGS spectra allow us to measure the plasma electron density, which probes whether X-ray emission is produced in the accretion process. X-ray emission from MP Mus originates from high density cool plasma but a hot flaring component is also present, suggesting that both coronal magnetic activity and accretion contribute to the observed X-ray emission. From the soft part of the X-ray emission from MP Mus, mostly produced by plasma heated in the accretion shock, we derive the accretion parameters and the characteristics of the shock-heated plasma.

A Spatially Resolved Study of Hard X-Ray Emission in Kepler’s Supernova Remnant: Indications of Different Regimes of Particle Acceleration

Abstract Synchrotron X-ray emission in young supernova remnants (SNRs) is a powerful diagnostic tool to study the population of high-energy electrons accelerated at the shock front and the acceleration process. We performed a spatially resolved spectral analysis of NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the young Kepler’s SNR, aiming to study in detail its nonthermal emission in hard X-rays. We selected a set of regions all around the rim of the shell and extracted the corresponding spectra. The spectra were analyzed by adopting a model of synchrotron radiation in the loss-limited regime, to constrain the dependence of the cutoff energy of the synchrotron radiation on the shock velocity. We …

X-ray optical depth diagnostics of T Tauri accretion shocks

In classical T Tauri stars, X-rays are produced by two plasma components: a hot low-density plasma, with frequent flaring activity, and a high-density lower temperature plasma. The former is coronal plasma related to the stellar magnetic activity. The latter component, never observed in non-accreting stars, could be plasma heated by the shock formed by the accretion process. However its nature is still being debated. Our aim is to probe the soft X-ray emission from the high-density plasma component in classical T Tauri stars to check whether this is plasma heated in the accretion shock or whether it is coronal plasma. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy allows us to measure individual line f…

Role of local absorption on the X-ray emission from MHD accretion shocks in classical T Tauri stars

Accretion processes onto classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) are believed to generate shocks at the stellar surface due to the impact of supersonic downflowing plasma. Although current models of accretion streams provide a plausible global picture of this process, several aspects are still unclear. For example, the observed X-ray luminosity in accretion shocks is, in general, well below the predicted value. A possible explanation discussed in the literature is in terms of significant absorption of the emission due to the thick surrounding medium. Here we consider a 2D MHD model describing an accretion stream propagating through the atmosphere of a CTTS and impacting onto its chromosphere. The m…

X-ray Emission in protostellar jets

Prompted by the recent detection of X-ray emission from Herbig-Haro objects, we studied the interaction between a supersonic jet originating from a young stellar object and the ambient medium; our aim is to investigate the mechanisms causing the X-ray emission. Our model takes into account the radiative losses from optically in plasmas and Spitzer's thermal conduction including saturation effects. We explored the parameter space defined by the density contrast between the ambient medium and the jet and by the Mach number, to infer the configurations which can give rise to X-ray emission. From the models, we derived the X-ray emission as it would be observed with Chandra/ACIS-I and XMM-Newto…

Bright hot impacts by erupted fragments falling back on the Sun: a template for stellar accretion.

Impacts of falling fragments observed after the eruption of a filament in a solar flare on 7 June 2011 are similar to those inferred for accretion flows on young stellar objects. As imaged in the ultraviolet (UV)-extreme UV range by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, many impacts of dark, dense matter display uncommonly intense, compact brightenings. High-resolution hydrodynamic simulations show that such bright spots, with plasma temperatures increasing from ~10(4) to ~10(6) kelvin, occur when high-density plasma (>>10(10) particles per cubic centimeter) hits the solar surface at several hundred kilometers per second, producing high-energy emission as …

X-ray Emission from Protostellar Jets

Four-Color Infrared Bolometer System for One-Meter Telescope

As a part of the collaborative program between the University of Palermo and the Center for Astrophysics (HCO/SAO) a far infrared photometer has been designed, fabricated and tested by the Univsity of Palermo to be used as a focal plane instrument on the Center of Astrophysics/University of Arizona balloon-borne 102 cm telescope (Fazio et a1. 1974).

Pre-main sequence stars with disks in the Eagle Nebula observed in scattered light

NGC6611 and its parental cloud, the Eagle Nebula (M16), are well-studied star-forming regions, thanks to their large content of both OB stars and stars with disks and the observed ongoing star formation. We identified 834 disk-bearing stars associated with the cloud, after detecting their excesses in NIR bands from J band to 8.0 micron. In this paper, we study in detail the nature of a subsample of disk-bearing stars that show peculiar characteristics. They appear older than the other members in the V vs. V-I diagram, and/or they have one or more IRAC colors at pure photospheric values, despite showing NIR excesses, when optical and infrared colors are compared. We confirm the membership of…

CALOS: an experiment to study the solar corona with an array of NTD Ge microcalorimeters

In response to the Italian Space Agency announcement "New Ideas for Space Missions", we have proposed an observatory "CALorimetri per Osservazioni Solari" (CALOS) that will perform spatially resolved (Deltatheta similar to 2) X-ray spectroscopy of the solar corona over the 0.1 - 10 keV band using an array of NTD germanium microcalorimeters. The observatory will also include an X-ray polarimeter of radically new design that will study the hard X-ray solar emission and its polarization and will serve as a flare alarm.

X-ray rotational modulation of a supersaturated star in IC 2391

We present evidence of X-ray rotational modulation on VXR45, a young fast rotator star, member of IC 2391. It is a dG9 spectral type star whose rotational period and X-ray luminosity make it a supersaturated star. Our X-ray observation, made with EPIC/PN on XMM-Newton, covers about two photometric rotational periods. The detection of rotational modulation implies the presence of structural inhomogeneities. Possible interpretations are presented and discussed.

Ariel: Enabling planetary science across light-years

Ariel, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, was adopted as the fourth medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme to be launched in 2029. During its 4-year mission, Ariel will study what exoplanets are made of, how they formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of about 1000 extrasolar planets, simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths. It is the first mission dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures of hundreds of transiting exoplanets, enabling planetary science far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System. The payload consists of an off-axis Cassegrain telescope (primary mirror 1100 mm x 730 mm e…

MHD evolution of a fragment of a CME core in the outer solar corona

Detailed hydrodynamic modeling explained several features of a fragment of the core of a Coronal Mass Ejection observed with SoHO/UVCS at 1.7 Ro on 12 December 1997, but some questions remained unsolved. We investigate the role of the magnetic fields in the thermal insulation and the expansion of an ejected fragment (cloud) traveling upwards in the outer corona. We perform MHD simulations including the effects of thermal conduction and radiative losses of a dense spherical or cylindrical cloud launched upwards in the outer corona, with various assumptions on the strength and topology of the ambient magnetic field; we also consider the case of a cylindrical cloud with an internal magnetic fi…

X-rays from accretion shocks in classical T Tauri stars: 2D MHD modeling and the role of local absorption

AbstractIn classical T Tauri stars (CTTS) strong shocks are formed where the accretion funnel impacts with the denser stellar chromosphere. Although current models of accretion provide a plausible global picture of this process, some fundamental aspects are still unclear: the observed X-ray luminosity in accretion shocks is order of magnitudes lower than predicted; the observed density and temperature structures of the hot post-shock region are puzzling and still unexplained by models.To address these issues we performed 2D MHD simulations describing an accretion stream impacting onto the chromosphere of a CTTS, exploring different configurations and strengths of the magnetic field. From th…

Multi-wavelength diagnostics of accretion in an X-ray selected sample of CTTSs

High resolution X-ray spectroscopy has revealed soft X-rays from high density plasma in Classical T-Tauri stars (CTTSs), probably arising from the accretion shock region. However, the mass accretion rates derived from the X-ray observations are consistently lower than those derived from UV/optical/NIR studies. We aim to test the hypothesis that the high density soft X-ray emission is from accretion by analysing optical accretion tracers from an X-ray selected sample of CTTSs in a homogeneous manner. We analyse optical spectra of a sample of CTTSs and calculate the accretion rates based on measuring optical emission lines. These are then compared to the accretion rates derived from the X-ray…

X-ray spectroscopy of the Hertzsprung-gap giant star 31 Com, observed with XMM-Newton

We have analysed the XMM-Newton X-ray spectra of the yellow giant 31 Com with the aim of deriving information on the coronal structures of this archetypical Hertzsprung-gap star. To determine the emission measure distribution vs. temperature, EM(T), and the elemental abundances of the coronal plasma, with an accurate line-based approach, we have developed a new method for simple and accurate line measurements, based on rebinning and co-adding the two RGS spectra. We have reconstructed the EM(T) independently with both APED and CHIANTI atomic databases in order to investigate possible differences in the final outcome of the analysis, and we have obtained consistent results. The derived emiss…

On stellar coronae and solar active regions

Based on Yohkoh Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT) observations of the Sun near peak activity level obtained on 1992 January 6, we search for coronal structures that have emission measure distributions EM(T ) that match the observed stellar coronal emission measure distributions derived for the intermediate-activity stars v Eri (K2 V) and m Boo A (G8 V) from Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer spectro- scopic observations. We —nd that the temperatures of the peaks of the observed stellar distributions EM(T ), as well as their slopes in the temperature range are very similar to those 6.0 ( log T ( 6.5, obtained for the brightest of the solar active regions in the 1992 January 6 SXT images. The observed slo…

Collisionless shock heating of heavy ions in SN 1987A

Astrophysical shocks at all scales, from those in the heliosphere up to the cosmological shock waves, are typically "collisionless", because the thickness of their jump region is much shorter than the collisional mean free path. Across these jumps, electrons, protons, and ions are expected to be heated at different temperatures. Supernova remnants (SNRs) are ideal targets to study collisionless processes because of their bright post-shock emission and fast shocks. Although optical observations of Balmer-dominated shocks in young SNRs showed that the post-shock proton temperature is higher than the electron temperature, the actual dependence of the post-shock temperature on the particle mass…

Crushing of interstellar gas clouds in supernova remnants. I. The role of thermal conduction and radiative losses

We model the hydrodynamic interaction of a shock wave of an evolved supernova remnant with a small interstellar gas cloud like the ones observed in the Cygnus loop and in the Vela SNR. We investigate the interplay between radiative cooling and thermal conduction during cloud evolution and their effect on the mass and energy exchange between the cloud and the surrounding medium. Through the study of two cases characterized by different Mach numbers of the primary shock (M = 30 and 50, corresponding to a post-shock temperature $T\approx 1.7\times 10^6$ K and $\approx 4.7\times 10^6$ K, respectively), we explore two very different physical regimes: for M = 30, the radiative losses dominate the…

Modeling SNR shock waves expanding through the magnetized inhomogeneous interstellar medium

We review our recent results on the MHD modeling of supernova shock waves propagating through the magnetized and inhomogeneous ISM. We explore the role of different physical processes simultaneously at work, namely magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction, radiative cooling and MHD effects, in determining: 1) the mass and energy exchanges between different phases of the ISM and 2) the morphology of supernova remnants as observed in different bands. Our projects required an advanced 3D MHD code for parallel computers, FLASH, and high-performance computing. We discuss the results derived from the analysis of the local interaction of strong shocks with inhomogeneities of the ISM, and those d…

Accretion disk coronae of intermediate polar cataclysmic variables

Context. Intermediate polar cataclysmic variables (IPCV) contain a magnetic, rotating white dwarf surrounded by a magnetically truncated accretion disk. To explain their strong flickering X-ray emission, accretion has been successfully taken into account. Nevertheless, observations suggest that accretion phenomena might not be the only process behind it. An intense flaring activity occurring on the surface of the disk may generate a corona, contribute to the thermal X-ray emission, and influence the system stability. Aims. Our purposes are: investigating the formation of an extended corona above the accretion disk, due to an intense flaring activity occurring on the disk surface; studying t…

A Brightening Coronal Loop Observed byTRACE. II. Loop Modeling and Constraints on Heating

This is the second of two papers dedicated to the brightening of a coronal loop observed by the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) on 1998 June 26; it aims at hydrodynamic modeling of the brightening. Since the loop geometry is practically unchanged during the brightening, the evolution of the plasma confined in the loop is described with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic time-dependent numerical model, and from the results the emission along the loop in the TRACE 171 A band is synthesized. The information from Paper I is used to derive the geometry and the initial configuration of the loop as well as for comparison with the results of the model. The modeling is focused to determin…

On X-ray variability in ROSAT-PSPC observations of F7-K2 stars

We have analyzed the X-ray variability of dF7-dK2 stars in the solar neighborhood detected with the pointed ROSAT-PSPC observations. Our data base is the sample of all stars listed in the CNS3 catalog (Gliese & Jahrei β 1991) having a $B-V$ color between 0.5 and 0.9; it includes 70 pointed observations of 40 distinct stars or multiple systems. We have applied the unbinned Kolmogorov-Smirnov test on all X-ray photon time series of our sample: only 10 observations relative to 8 distinct stars are variable at a confidence level greater than 99% and 4 of them belong to multiple systems. For the subsample of 9 stars observed both at the beginning and at the end of the mission, we can study the v…

Recent X-ray studies of stellar cycles and long-term variability

AbstractWe discuss recent X-ray studies of stellar cycles and long-term variability.

3D modeling from the onset of the SN to the full-fledged SNR: Role of an initial ejecta anisotropy on matter mixing

The aim of this work is to bridge the gap between CC SNe and their remnants by investigating how post-explosion anisotropies in the ejecta influence the structure and chemical properties of the remnant at later times. We performed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations starting soon after the SN event and following the evolution of the system in the circumstellar medium (consisting of the wind of the stellar progenitor), for 5000 years, obtaining the physical scenario of a SNR. Here we focused the analysis on the case of a progenitor red supergiant of 19.8 M_sun. We also investigated how a post-explosion large-scale anisotropy in the SN affects the ejecta distribution and the …

A Brightening Coronal Loop Observed byTRACE. I. Morphology and Evolution

We analyze the transient brightening of a solar coronal loop observed, at high time cadence (30 s) and spatial resolution (05 pixel size), with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) in the 171 A band on 1998 June 26. The loop, located in AR 8253, is ≈1010 cm long and inclined with respect to the vertical to the solar surface. Its geometry and shape do not change significantly during the brightening, which lasts for ~2 hr and is preceded by highly dynamic events in nearby and perhaps interacting loops. The loop footpoints brighten first; after ~10 minutes, moving brightness fronts rise initially from the northern footpoint, and after another ~7 minutes from the southern one, at …

ROSAT-HRI investigation of the NGC 507 X-ray halo

We present an X-ray investigation of the elliptical galaxy NGC 507. We make use of archival Rosat HRI, PSPC and Chandra data, to connect the large-scale structure of the halo to the core morphology. Our analysis shows that the halo core (r&lt;2-3 r_e) and the external halo (r&gt;3 r_e) are characterised by different dynamical properties and suggests a different origin of the two components. The halo core has a complex morphology with a main X-ray emission peak, coincident with the center of the optical galaxy, and several secondary peaks. The spatial and spectral analysis of the central peak shows that this feature is produced by denser hot gas in the galaxy core. Our data support the scena…

The discovery of an expanding X-ray source in the HH 154 protostellar jet

We have performed, in October 2005, a deep Chandra X-ray observation of HH 154. Comparison with the previous (2001) Chandra observation allows to detect proper motion down to the level predicted by models of X-ray emitting shocks in the jet. The 2005 Chandra observation of HH 154 shows unexpected morphological changes of the X-ray emission in comparison with the 2001 data. Two components are present: a stronger, point-like component with no detectable motion and a weaker component which has expanded in size by approximately 300 AU over the 4 years time base of the two observations. This expansion corresponds to approximately 500 km/s, very close to the velocity of the X-ray emitting shock i…

Thermal conduction and modeling of static stellar coronal loops

We have modeled stellar coronal loops in static conditions for a wide range of loop length, plasma pressure at the base of the loop and stellar surface gravity, so as to describe physical conditions that can occur in coronae of stars ranging from low mass dwarfs to giants as well as on a significant fraction of the Main-Sequence stars.

Chronology of star formation and disk evolution in the Eagle Nebula

Massive SFR are characterized by intense ionizing fluxes, strong stellar winds and supernovae explosions, all of which have important effects on the surrounding media, on the star-formation (SF) process and on the evolution of YSOs and their disks. We present a multiband study of the massive young cluster NGC6611 and M16, to study how OB stars affect the early stellar evolution and the SF. We search for evidence of triggered SF by OB stars in NGC6611 on a large spatial scale (~10 pc) and how the efficiency of disks photoevaporation depends on the central stars mass. We assemble a multiband catalog with photometric data, from B band to 8.0micron, and X-ray data obtained with 2 new and 1 arch…

X‐Ray Spectroscopy of the Unsteady Quiescent Corona of AD Leonis withChandra

We present the analysis and interpretation of an observation of the flare star AD Leo (dM3e) with Chandra/LETG. The high resolution X-ray spectrum allowed us to infer the plasma emission measure distribution (EMD) vs. temperature, and the abundances of individual elements in the corona of this magnetically-active star, during a typical state characterized by significant variability but no large flaring event. We have also measured plasma densities at various temperatures using spectroscopic diagnostics provided by He-like triplets and Fe XXI lines. We show that the present EMD is similar to those previously obtained from EUVE spectra during quiescent and flaring states, confirming the long-…

Deep ROSAT-HRI observations of the NGC 1399/NGC 1404 region: morphology and structure of the X-ray halo

We present the analysis of a deep (167 ks) ROSAT HRI observation of the cD galaxy NGC 1399 in the Fornax cluster. Using both HRI and, at larger radii, archival PSPC data, we find that the radial behavior of the X-ray surface brightness profile is not consistent with a simple Beta model and suggests instead three distinct components. We use a multi-component bidimensional model to study in detail these three components that we identify respectively with the cooling flow region, the galactic and the cluster halo. From these data we derive a binding mass distribution in agreement with that suggested by optical dynamical indicators, with an inner core dominated by luminous matter and an extende…

A New Look at Spitzer Primary Transit Observations of the Exoplanet HD 189733b

Blind source separation techniques are used to reanalyse two exoplanetary transit lightcurves of the exoplanet HD189733b recorded with the IR camera IRAC on board the Spitzer Space Telescope at 3.6$\mu$m during the "cold" era. These observations, together with observations at other IR wavelengths, are crucial to characterise the atmosphere of the planet HD189733b. Previous analyses of the same datasets reported discrepant results, hence the necessity of the reanalyses. The method we used here is based on the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) statistical technique, which ensures a high degree of objectivity. The use of ICA to detrend single photometric observations in a self-consistent wa…

EBIT diagnostics using X-ray spectra of highly ionized Ne

We have carried out a detailed analysis of highly ionized neon spectra collected at the NIST EBIT using an NTD germanium X-ray microcalorimeter developed at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 444 (2000) 156]. Our attention was focused especially on the Ne IX He-like triplet to check electron density diagnostics through the intercombination/forbidden line ratio. We have investigated possible effects of the ion dynamics on the plasma emission line intensities, looking at the dependence of the count-rate and the charge state distribution on the electron beam energy and current. The temperature and spatial distribution of the neon ions, and hence the overl…

Accurate Period Determination of an Eclipsing Binary X-Ray Source in M33

We have analyzed the time variability of one of the X-ray sources in M33 observed by both the ROSAT and Einstein Observatory telescopes. The light curve of M33 X-7 exhibits a variability pattern of high and low states, suggesting an eclipsing binary X-ray source. The data suggest a binary period P=1.78572 days (very close to that of Her X-1) and an eclipse duration of ∼0.4 days. The low phase lasts about one-fourth of the period as in Cen X-3

Calibration of the XRT-SOLARB flight filters at the XACT facility of INAF-OAPA

The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) experiment on-board the Japanese satellite SOLAR-B (launch in 2006) aimed at providing full Sun field of view at ~ 1.5" angular resolution, will be equipped with two wheels of focal-plane filters to select spectral features of X-ray emission from the Solar corona, and a front-end filter to significantly reduce the visible light contamination. We present the results of the X-ray calibrations of the XRT flight filters performed at the X-ray Astronomy Calibration and Testing (XACT) facility of INAF-OAPA. We describe the instrumental set-up, the adopted measurement technique, and present the transmission vs. energy and position measurements.

Modeling the mixed-morphology supernova remnant IC 443. Origin of its complex morphology and X-ray emission

The morphology and the distribution of material observed in SNRs reflect the interaction of the SN blast wave with the ambient environment, the physical processes associated with the SN explosion and the internal structure of the progenitor star. IC 443 is a MM SNR located in a quite complex environment: it interacts with a molecular cloud in the NW and SE areas and with an atomic cloud in the NE. In this work we aim at investigating the origin of the complex morphology and multi-thermal X-ray emission observed in SNR IC 443, through the study of the effect of the inhomogeneous ambient medium in shaping its observed structure, and the exploration of the main parameters characterizing the re…

Mass Accretion Impacts in Classical T Tauri Stars: A Multi-disciplinary Approach

Accretion of matter is a process that plays a central role in the physics of young stellar objects. The analysis of the structure by which matter settles on the star can unveil key information about the process of star formation by providing details on mass accretion rates, stellar magnetic field configurations, possible effects of accretion on the stellar coronal activity, etc. Here we review some of the achievements obtained by our group by exploiting a multi-disciplinary approach based on the analysis of multi-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations, multi-wavelength observations, and laboratory experiments of accretion impacts occurring onto the surface of classical T Tauri stars (C…

Modeling an X-ray Flare on Proxima Centauri: evidence of two flaring loop components and of two heating mechanisms at work

We model in detail a flare observed on Proxima Centauri with the EPIC-PN on board XMM-Newton at high statistics and high time resolution and coverage. Time-dependent hydrodynamic loop modeling is used to describe the rise and peak of the light curve, and a large fraction of the decay, including its change of slope and a secondary maximum, over a duration of more than 2 hours. The light curve, the emission measure and the temperature derived from the data allow us to constrain the loop morphology and the heating function and to show that this flare can be described with two components: a major one triggered by an intense heat pulse injected in a single flaring loop with half-length ~1.0 10^{…

X-ray emitting structures in the Vela SNR: ejecta anisotropies and progenitor stellar wind residuals

The Vela supernova remnant (SNR) shows several ejecta fragments protruding beyond the forward shock (shrapnel). Recent studies have revealed high Si abundance in two shrapnel (A and G), located in opposite directions with respect to the SNR center. This suggests the possible existence of a Si-rich jet-counterjet structure. We analyzed an XMM-Newton observation of a bright clump, behind shrapnel G, which lies along the direction connecting A and G. The aim is to study the physical and chemical properties of this clump to ascertain whether it is part of this putative jet-like structure. We produced background-corrected and adaptively-smoothed count-rate images and median photon energy maps, a…

Modeling a coronal loop heated by magnetohydrodynamic turbulence nanoflares

We model the hydrodynamic evolution of the plasma confined in a coronal loop, 30,000 km long, subject to the heating of nanoflares due to intermittent magnetic dissipative events in the MHD turbulence produced by loop footpoint motions. We use the time-dependent distribution of energy dissipation along the loop obtained from a hybrid shell model, occurring for a magnetic field of about 10 G in the corona; the relevant heating per unit volume along the loop is used in the Palermo-Harvard loop plasma hydrodynamic model. We describe the results, focusing on the effects produced by the most intense heat pulses, which lead to loop temperatures between 1 and 1.5 MK.

Multiwavelength diagnostics of accretion in an X-ray selected sample of CTTSs

Context. High resolution X-ray spectroscopy has revealed soft X-rays from high density plasma in classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs), probably arising from the accretion shock region. However, the mass accretion rates derived from the X-ray observations are consistently lower than those derived from UV/optical/NIR studies. Aims: We aim to test the hypothesis that the high density soft X-ray emission originates from accretion by analysing, in a homogeneous manner, optical accretion indicators for an X-ray selected sample of CTTSs. Methods: We analyse optical spectra of the X-ray selected sample of CTTSs and calculate the accretion rates based on measuring the Hα, Hβ, Hγ, He ii 4686 Å, He i 5016 …

The nearest X-ray emitting protostellar jet (HH 154) observed with Hubble

Context. The jet coming from the YSO binary L1551 IRS5 is the closest astrophysical jet known. It is therefore a unique laboratory for studies of outflow mechanisms and of the shocks occurring when expanding material hits the ambient medium as well as of how the related processes influence the star- (and planet-) forming process. Aims. The optical data are related to other data covering the spectrum from the optical band to X-rays with goal of understanding the energetics of low-mass star jets, in general, and of this jet in particular. We study the time evolution of the jet, by measuring the proper motions of knots as they progress outwards from the originating source. Methods. The nebulos…

On coronal structures and their variability in active stars: The case of Capella observed with Chandra/LETGS

In this paper we present a detailed analysis of two X-ray spectra of Capella, taken eleven months apart with the Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS) of the Chandra Observatory. We have studied variability of the coronal emission over different time scales, both in the whole X-ray band and in narrow temperature ranges identified by lines. The comparison of the two observations shows that the whole coronal emission of Capella in March 2000 was 3% higher than in February 2001; there also appears to be a tendency, albeit a marginal one, for the hottest lines to show the largest changes between the two observations. A detailed search for short-term variability (on time scales ra…

Redshifted X-rays from the material accreting onto TW Hya: evidence of a low-latitude accretion spot

High resolution spectroscopy, providing constraints on plasma motions and temperatures, is a powerful means to investigate the structure of accretion streams in CTTS. In particular, the accretion shock region, where the accreting material is heated to temperatures of a few MK as it continues its inward bulk motion, can be probed by X-ray spectroscopy. To attempt to detect for the first time the motion of this X-ray-emitting post-shock material, we searched for a Doppler shift in the deep Chandra/HETGS observation of the CTTS TW Hya. This test should unveil the nature of this X-ray emitting plasma component in CTTS, and constrain the accretion stream geometry. We searched for a Doppler shift…

A stellar flare-coronal mass ejection event revealed by X-ray plasma motions

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), often associated with flares, are the most powerful magnetic phenomena occurring on the Sun. Stars show magnetic activity levels up to 10^4 times higher, and CME effects on stellar physics and circumstellar environments are predicted to be significant. However, stellar CMEs remain observationally unexplored. Using time-resolved high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of a stellar flare on the active star HR 9024 observed with Chandra/HETGS, we distinctly detected Doppler shifts in S XVI, Si XIV, and Mg XII lines that indicate upward and downward motions of hot plasmas (~10-25 MK) within the flaring loop, with velocity v~100-400 km/s, in agreement with a model of fl…

X-ray variability of NGC 2516 stars in the XMM-Newton observations

We present the characteristics of the X-ray variability of stars in the cluster NGC2516 as derived from XMM-Newton/EPIC/pn data. The X-ray variations on short (hours), medium (months), and long (years) time scales have been explored. We detected 303 distinct X-ray sources by analysing six EPIC/pn observations; 194 of them are members of the cluster. Stars of all spectral types, from the early-types to the late-M dwarfs, were detected. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test applied to the X-ray photon time series shows that, on short time scales, only a relatively small fraction (ranging from 6% to 31% for dG and dF, respectively) of the members of NGC2516 are variable with a confidence level $\geq$99%…

Non-local heat transport in static solar coronal loops

We investigate the limits of applicability of the Spitzer-Harm thermal conductivity in solar coronal loops and show that the ratio λ0/LTof electron mean-free path to temperature scale height in large-scale structures can approach the limits of the Spitzer-Harm theory. We use a non-local formulation of heat transport to compute a grid of loop models: the effects of non-local transport on the distribution of differential emission measure are particularly important in the coronal part of loops longer than the pressure scale height sp.We derive a scaling law for λ0/LTin the corona, showing that it grows exponentially with L/sp, and discuss effects of non-local heat transport in the transition r…

Correlation between the spatial distribution of circumstellar disks and massive stars in the young open cluster NGC 6611

Context: the observations of the proplyds in the Orion Nebula Cluster, showing clear evidence of ongoing photoevaporation, have provided a clear proof about the role of the externally induced photoevaporation in the evolution of circumstellar disks. NGC 6611 is an open cluster suitable to study disk photoevaporation, thanks to its large population of massive members and of stars with disk. In a previous work, we obtained evidence of the influence of the strong UV field generated by the massive cluster members on the evolution of disks around low-mass Pre-Main Sequence members. That work was based on a multi-band BVIJHK and X-ray catalog purposely compiled to select the cluster members with …

UV variability and accretion dynamics in the young open cluster NGC 2264

We explore UV and optical variability signatures for several hundred members of NGC 2264 (3 Myr). We performed simultaneous u- and r-band monitoring over two full weeks with CFHT/MegaCam. About 750 young stars are probed; 40% of them are accreting. Statistically distinct variability properties are observed for accreting and non-accreting cluster members. The accretors exhibit a significantly higher level of variability than the non-accretors, especially in the UV. The amount of u-band variability correlates statistically with UV excess in disk-bearing objects, which suggests that accretion and star-disk interaction are the main sources of variability. Cool magnetic spots, several hundred de…

Modeling accretion shocks on CTTSs and their X-ray emission

Recent high spectral resolution X-ray observations of some CTTSs show the presence of high density plasma (ne=10^{11}-10^{13} cm^{-3}) at temperature T=2-3 MK. This plasma is likely heated up by an accretion shock on the star surface. We investigate this issue by an accurate modelling of the impact of an accretion stream onto the stellar chromosphere. Specifically, we present a large set of 1D hydrodynamical simulations aimed at investigating the physical properties of the system as a function of the density, and the velocity of the accretion stream and of the abundances of the heavy elements. We also synthesize the plasma X-ray emission from the simulations results, in order to link the ob…

Magnetic activity and the solar corona: first results from the Hinode satellite

The structure, dynamics and evolution of the solar corona are governed by the magnetic field. In spite of significant progresses in our insight of the physics of the so- lar corona, several problems are still under debate, e.g. the role of impulsive events and waves in coronal heating, and the origin of eruptions, flares and CMEs. The Hinode mis- sion has started on 22 september 2006 and aims at giving new answers to these questions. The satellite contains three main instruments, two high resolution telescopes, one in the optical and one in the X-ray band, and an EUV imaging spectrometer. On the Italian side, INAF/Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo has contributed with the ground-calibrati…

SADE: The starspot and dynamo explorer

We propose a mission called SADE, the Starspot And Dynamo Explorer, to study dynamo activity in nearby late-type stars. The onboard instruments will be a Ca-K telescope for magnetically dominated chromospheric emission, and an X-ray grazing incidence telescope to study coronal emission. We design the mission for a life-time of 15 years or longer to capture a full activity cycle for most solar-type stars. We aim to firmly establish the spectrum of the relation between chromospheric and coronal emission in late-type stars, and capture one or more stars going into or coming out of a Maunder type minimum. Operation costs will be kept to a minimum by automating mission operations to a maximum, a…

New view of the corona of classical T Tauri stars: Effects of flaring activity in circumstellar disks

Classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) are young low-mass stellar objects accreting mass from their circumstellar disks. They are characterized by high levels of coronal activity as revealed by X-ray observations. This activity may affect the disk stability and the circumstellar environment. Here we investigate if an intense coronal activity due to flares occurring close to the accretion disk may perturb the inner disk stability, disrupt the inner part of the disk and, possibly, trigger accretion phenomena with rates comparable with those observed. We model a magnetized protostar surrounded by an accretion disk through 3D magnetohydrodinamic simulations. We explore cases characterized by a dipole …

X-ray emission in protostellar jets: comparison between model predictions and observations

Fine Thermal Structure of a Coronal Active Region

著者人数：12名

High Performance Computing on the COMETA Grid Infrastructure

We present the High Performance Computing (HPC) projects jointly developed at the INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo and at the DSFA - Universita` di Palermo which benefits of the Grid infrastructure of COMETA. We have contributed to setup the infrastructure in order to run HPC applications on the Grid. We report on our experience regarding to porting HPC applications to the Grid and to the first HPC simulations performed. The most demanding simulations describe the interaction of a magnetized supernova shock wave with an interstellar gas cloud. We discuss the resources required for the simulations, the performance and the scalability of our code on the Grid, and present first resul…

Hydrodynamic Modeling of Accretion Impacts in Classical T Tauri Stars: Radiative Heating of the Pre-shock Plasma

Context. It is generally accepted that, in classical T Tauri stars, the plasma from the circumstellar disc accretes onto the stellar surface with free-fall velocity and the impact generates a shock. The impact region is expected to contribute to emission in different spectral bands; many studies have confirmed that the X-rays arise from the post-shock plasma but, otherwise, there are no studies in the literature investigating the origin of the observed UV emission which is apparently correlated to accretion. Aims: We investigated the effect of radiative heating of the infalling material by the post-shock plasma at the base of the accretion stream, with the aim to identify in which region a …

Observability and diagnostics in the X-ray band of shock-cloud interactions in supernova remnants

X-ray emitting features originating from the interaction of supernova shock waves with small interstellar gas clouds are revealed in many X-ray observations of evolved supernova remnants (e.g. Cygnus Loop and Vela), but their interpretation is not straightforward. We develop a self-consistent method for the analysis and interpretation of shock-cloud interactions in middle-aged supernova remnants, which can provide the key parameters of the system and the role of relevant physical effects like the thermal conduction, without the need to run ad-hoc numerical simulations and to bother of morphology details. We explore all the possible values of the shock speed and cloud density contrast releva…

Long term X-ray spectral variability of the nucleus of M81

We have analysed the soft X-ray emission from the nuclear source of the nearby spiral galaxy M81, using the available data collected with ROSAT, ASCA, BeppoSAX and Chandra. The source flux is highly variable, showing (sometimes dramatic: a factor of 4 in 20 days) variability at different timescales, from 2 days to 4 years, and in particular a steady increase of the flux by a factor of &gt;~ 2 over 4 years, broken by rapid flares. After accounting for the extended component resolved by Chandra, the nuclear soft X-ray spectrum (from ROSAT/PSPC, BeppoSAX/LECS and Chandra data) cannot be fitted well with a single absorbed power-law model. Acceptable fits are obtained adding an extra component, …

Mass accretion to young stars triggered by flaring activity in circumstellar discs

Young low-mass stars are characterized by ejection of collimated outflows and by circumstellar disks which they interact with through accretion of mass. The accretion builds up the star to its final mass and is also believed to power the mass outflows, which may in turn remove the excess angular momentum from the star-disk system. However, although the process of mass accretion is a critical aspect of star formation, some of its mechanisms are still to be fully understood. A point not considered to date and relevant for the accretion process is the evidence of very energetic and frequent flaring events in these stars. Flares may easily perturb the stability of the disks, thus influencing th…

A two-dimensional hydrodynamic code for astrophysical flows

We present a two-dimensional hydrodynamic code suited to study astrophysical flows in many different environments. The code solves the hydrodynamic equations in conservative form in the most used coordinate systems and is based on an explicitfully two-dimensional flux corrected transport (FCT) technique, which ensures an accurate description of steep gradient regions and shocks, a relatively ample flexibility to include a variety of physical effects, and a good efficiency for speed on vector or array processors. Extensive testing has allowed an accurate «tuning» of the FCT numerical parameters. This code is among the best FCT codes and performs well in a whole set of demanding strongly nonl…

XMM-Newton survey of two upper Scorpius regions

We study X-ray emission from young stars by analyzing deep XMM-Newton observations of two regions of the Upper Scorpius association, having an age of 5 Myr. Based on near infrared and optical photometry we identify 22 Upper Scorpius photometric members among the 224 detected X-ray sources. We derive coronal properties of Upper Scorpius stars by performing X-ray spectral and timing analysis. The study of four strong and isolated stellar flares allows us to derive the length of the flaring loops. Among the 22 Upper Scorpius stars, 13 are identified as Upper Scorpius photometric members for the first time. The sample includes 7 weak-line T Tauri stars and 1 classical T Tauri star, while the na…

Monitoring the stability of thin and medium back-up filters of the Newton-XMM EPIC camera

We are conducting a measurement program on back-up filters of the XMM-Newton EPIC camera aimed at monitoring possible aging effects during the mission lifetime. One thin and one medium EPIC back-up filters have been stored since 1997 in an environment similar to that one of the flight filters (dry nitrogen box before launch, high vacuum after launch). The transmission of the two filters has been measured periodically in the 1900-10000 angstrom wavelength range where effects of aging would be clearly evident. The preliminary results, after 5 years of monitoring, show that a slight aging effect has occurred on both filters which, however, has no significant impact onto the EPIC calibration fo…

Modeling particle acceleration and non-thermal emission in supernova remnants

According to the most popular model for the origin of cosmic rays (CRs), supernova remnants (SNRs) are the site where CRs are accelerated. Observations across the electromagnetic spectrum support this picture through the detection of non-thermal emission that is compatible with being synchrotron or inverse Compton radiation from high energy electrons, or pion decay due to proton-proton interactions. These observations of growing quantity and quality promise to unveil many aspects of CRs acceleration and require more and more accurate tools for their interpretation. Here, we show how multi-dimensional MHD models of SNRs, including the effects on shock dynamics due to back-reaction of acceler…

Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling of the Accretion Shocks in Classical T Tauri Stars: The Role of Local Absorption in the X-Ray Emission

We investigate the properties of X-ray emission from accretion shocks in classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs), generated where the infalling material impacts the stellar surface. Both observations and models of the accretion process reveal several aspects that are still unclear: the observed X-ray luminosity in accretion shocks is below the predicted value, and the density versus temperature structure of the shocked plasma, with increasing densities at higher temperature, deduced from the observations, is at odds with that proposed in the current picture of accretion shocks. To address these open issues we investigate whether a correct treatment of the local absorption by the surrounding medium …

Numerical Simulations and Diagnostics in Astrophysics: A few Magnetohydrodynamics Examples

We discuss some issues related to numerical simulations in Astrophysics and, in particular, to their use both as a theoretical tool and as a diagnostic tool, to gain insight into the physical phenomena at work. We make our point presenting some examples of Magneto-hydro-dynamic (MHD) simulations of astrophysical plasmas and illustrating their use. In particular we show the need for appropriate tools to interpret, visualize and present results in an adequate form, and the importance of spectral synthesis for a direct comparison with observations.

The flaring and quiescent components of the solar corona

The solar corona is a template to understand stellar activity. The Sun is a moderately active star, and its corona differs from active stars: active stellar coronae have a double-peaked EM(T) with the hot peak at 8-20 MK, while the non flaring solar corona has one peak at 1-2 MK. We study the average contribution of flares to the solar EM(T) to investigate indirectly the hypothesis that the hot peak of the EM(T) of active stellar coronae is due to a large number of unresolved solar-like flares, and to infer properties on the flare distribution from nano- to macro-flares. We measure the disk-integrated time-averaged emission measure, EM_F(T), of an unbiased sample of solar flares analyzing u…

3D YSO accretion shock simulations: a study of the magnetic, chromospheric and stochastic flow effects

AbstractThe structure and dynamics of young stellar object (YSO) accretion shocks depend strongly on the local magnetic field strength and configuration, as well as on the radiative transfer effects responsible for the energy losses. We present the first 3D YSO shock simulations of the interior of the stream, assuming a uniform background magnetic field, a clumpy infalling gas, and an acoustic energy flux flowing at the base of the chromosphere. We study the dynamical evolution and the post-shock structure as a function of the plasma-beta (thermal pressure over magnetic pressure). We find that a strong magnetic field (~hundreds of Gauss) leads to the formation of fibrils in the shocked gas …

Unveiling pure-metal ejecta X-ray emission in supernova remnants through their radiative recombination continuum

Spectral analysis of X-ray emission from ejecta in supernova remnants (SNRs) is hampered by the low spectral resolution of CCD cameras, which creates a degeneracy between the best-fit values of abundances and emission measure. The combined contribution of shocked ambient medium and ejecta to the X-ray emission complicates the determination of the ejecta mass and chemical composition, leading to big uncertainties in mass estimates and it can introduce a bias in the comparison between the observed ejecta composition and the yields predicted by explosive nucleosynthesis. We explore the capabilities of present and future spectral instruments with the aim of identifying a spectral feature which …

X-ray emission from dense plasma in classical T Tauri stars: hydrodynamic modeling of the accretion shock

Context: High spectral resolution X-ray observations of classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) demonstrate the presence of plasma at temperature T~2-3×10^6 K and density n_e~10^11-10^13 cm^-3, which are unobserved in non-accreting stars. Stationary models suggest that this emission is due to shock-heated accreting material, but do not allow us to analyze the stability of the material and its position in the stellar atmosphere. Aims: We investigate the dynamics and stability of shock-heated accreting material in classical T Tauri stars and the role of the stellar chromosphere in determining the position and thickness of the shocked region. Methods: We perform one-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation…

Calibration of the XRT-SOLARB flat mirror samples at the XACT Facility of INAF-OAPA

The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) experiment on-board the Japanese satellite SOLAR-B (launch in 2006) is equipped with a modified Wolter I grazing incidence X-ray telescope (focal length 2700 mm) to image the full Sun at ~ 1.5" angular resolution onto a 2048 x 2048 back illuminated CCD focal plane detector. The X-ray telescope consisting of one single reflecting shell is coated with ion beam sputtered Iridium over a binding layer of Chromium to provide nearly 5 square centimetres effective area at 60 A. We present preliminary results of X-ray calibrations of the XRT flat mirror samples performed at the X-ray Astronomy Calibration and Testing (XACT) facility of INAF-OAPA. We describe the instrumenta…

Effects of radiation in accretion regions of classical T Tauri stars

Models and observations indicate that the impact of matter accreting onto the surface of young stars produces regions at the base of accretion columns, in which optically thin and thick plasma components coexist. Thus an accurate description of these impacts requires to account for the effects of absorption and emission of radiation. We study the effects of radiation emerging from shock-heated plasma in impact regions on the structure of the pre-shock downfalling material. We investigate if a significant absorption of radiation occurs and if it leads to a pre-shock heating of the accreting gas. We developed a radiation hydrodynamics model describing an accretion column impacting onto the su…

On the Origin of Asymmetries in Bilateral Supernova Remnants

AIMS: We investigate whether the morphology of bilateral supernova remnants (BSNRs) observed in the radio band is determined mainly either by a non-uniform interstellar medium (ISM) or by a non-uniform ambient magnetic field. METHODS: We perform 3-D MHD simulations of a spherical SNR shock propagating through a magnetized ISM. Two cases of shock propagation are considered: 1) through a gradient of ambient density with a uniform ambient magnetic field; 2) through a homogeneous medium with a gradient of ambient magnetic field strength. From the simulations, we synthesize the synchrotron radio emission, making different assumptions about the details of acceleration and injection of relativisti…

The Sun as an X‐Ray Star. IV. The Contribution of Different Regions of the Corona to Its X‐Ray Spectrum

We study X-ray-synthesized spectra of solar regions as templates to interpret analogous stellar spectra. We define three classes of coronal structures of different brightness, low (background quiet corona), medium (active regions), and high (active region cores), and determine their contribution to the solar X-ray emission measure versus temperature, EM(T), luminosity, and spectrum. This study defines the extent of the solar analogy quantitatively and accurately. To this end, we have selected a large sample of full-disk Yohkoh soft X-ray telescope observations taken between the maximum and the minimum of solar cycle 22, obtaining the contribution of each class to the whole Sun's EM(T). From…

The supernova remnant SN 1006 as a Galactic particle accelerator

The origin of cosmic rays is a pivotal open issue of high-energy astrophysics. Supernova remnants are strong candidates to be the Galactic factory of cosmic rays, their blast waves being powerful particle accelerators. However, supernova remnants can power the observed flux of cosmic rays only if they transfer a significant fraction of their kinetic energy to the accelerated particles, but conclusive evidence for such efficient acceleration is still lacking. In this scenario, the shock energy channeled to cosmic rays should induce a higher post-shock density than that predicted by standard shock conditions. Here we show this effect, and probe its dependence on the orientation of the ambient…

X-RAY EMISSION FROM PROTOSTELLAR JET HH 154: THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF A DIAMOND SHOCK?

X-ray emission from about ten protostellar jets has been discovered and it appears as a feature common to the most energetic jets. Although X-ray emission seems to originate from shocks internal to jets, the mechanism forming these shocks remains controversial. One of the best studied X-ray jet is HH 154 that has been observed by Chandra over a time base of about 10 years. We analyze the Chandra observations of HH 154 by investigating the evolution of its X-ray source. We show that the X-ray emission consists of a bright stationary component and a faint elongated component. We interpret the observations by developing a hydrodynamic model describing a protostellar jet originating from a nozz…

Additional Evidence for a Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Heart of SN 1987A from Multiepoch X-Ray Data and MHD Modeling

Since the day of its explosion, supernova (SN) 1987A has been closely monitored to study its evolution and to detect its central compact relic. In fact, the formation of a neutron star is strongly supported by the detection of neutrinos from the SN. However, besides the detection in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) data of a feature that is compatible with the emission arising from a proto-pulsar wind nebula (PWN), the only hint for the existence of such elusive compact object is provided by the detection of hard emission in NuSTAR data up to ~ 20 keV. We report on the simultaneous analysis of multi-epoch observations of SN 1987A performed with Chandra, XMM-Newton and…

Correcting the effect of stellar spots on ARIEL transmission spectra

The goal of this study is to assess the impact of the stellar spots on the extraction of the planetary transmission spectra observed by ARIEL. We develop a method to model the stellar spectrum of a star in the presence of spots by using the out-of-transit observations. It is based on a chi squared minimization procedure of the out-of-transit spectrum on a grid of stellar spectra with different sizes and temperatures of the spots. The approach allows us also to study the temporal evolution of the spots when comparing stellar spectra observed at different epochs. We also present a method to correct the transit depth variations due to non-occulted stellar spots and estimate the error we introd…

Mapping accretion and its variability in the young open cluster NGC 2264: A study based on u-band photometry

We aim at characterizing the accretion properties of several hundred members of the star-forming cluster NGC 2264 (3 Myr). We performed a deep u,g,r,i mapping and a simultaneous u+r monitoring of the region with CFHT/MegaCam in order to directly probe the accretion process from UV excess measurements. Photometric properties and stellar parameters are determined homogeneously for about 750 monitored young objects, spanning the mass range 0.1-2 Mo. About 40% are classical (accreting) T Tauri stars, based on various diagnostics (H_alpha, UV and IR excesses). The remaining non-accreting members define the (photospheric+chromospheric) reference UV emission level over which flux excess is detecte…

X-ray emission from protostellar jet HH 154: first evidence of a diamond shock?

Hydrodynamic modelling of ejecta shrapnel in the Vela supernova remnant

Many supernova remnants (SNRs) are characterized by a knotty ejecta structure. The Vela SNR is an excellent example of remnant in which detached clumps of ejecta are visible as X-ray emitting bullets that have been observed and studied in great detail. We aim at modelling the evolution of ejecta shrapnel in the Vela SNR, investigating the role of their initial parameters (position and density) and addressing the effects of thermal conduction and radiative losses. We performed a set of 2-D hydrodynamic simulations describing the evolution of a density inhomogeneity in the ejecta profile. We explored different initial setups. We found that the final position of the shrapnel is very sensitive …

UV And X-Ray Emission from Impacts of Fragmented Accretion Streams on Classical T Tauri Stars

According to the magnetoshperic accretion scenario, during their evo- lution, Classical T Tauri stars accrete material from their circumstellar disk. The accretion process is regulated by the stellar magnetic eld and produces hot and dense post-shocks on the stellar surface as a result of impacts of the downfalling material. The impact regions are expected to strongly radiate in UV and X-rays. Several lines of evidence support the magnetospheric accretion scenario, especially in optical and infrared bands. However several points still remain unclear as, for instance,where the complex-pro le UV lines originate, or whether and how UV and X-ray emission is produced in the same shock region. Th…

X-ray emission from MP Muscae: an old classical T Tauri star

We study the properties of X-ray emitting plasma of MP Mus, an old classical T Tauri star. We aim at checking whether an accretion process produces the observed X-ray emission and at deriving the accretion parameters and the characteristics of the shock-heated plasma. We compare the properties of MP Mus with those of younger classical T Tauri stars to test whether age is related to the properties of the X-ray emission plasma. XMM-Newton X-ray spectra allows us to measure plasma temperatures, abundances, and electron density. In particular the density of cool plasma probes whether X-ray emission is produced by plasma heated in the accretion process. X-ray emission from MP Mus originates from…

Hydrodynamic simulations unravel the progenitor-supernova-remnant connection in SN 1987A

(Abridged) We aim at linking the dynamical and radiative properties of the remnant of SN 1987A to the geometrical and physical characteristics of the parent aspherical SN explosion and to the internal structure of its progenitor star. We performed 3D hydrodynamic simulations which describe the long-term evolution of SN 1987A from the onset of the SN to the full-fledged remnant at the age of 50 years, accounting for the pre-SN structure of the progenitor star. The simulations include all physical processes relevant for the complex phases of SN evolution and for the interaction of the SNR with the highly inhomogeneous ambient environment around SN 1987A. From the simulations, we synthesize ob…

Indication of a Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Hard X-Ray Emission from SN 1987A

Since the day of its explosion, SN 1987A (SN87A) was closely monitored with the aim to study its evolution and to detect its central compact relic. The detection of neutrinos from the supernova strongly supports the formation of a neutron star (NS). However, the constant and fruitless search for this object has led to different hypotheses on its nature. Up to date, the detection in the ALMA data of a feature somehow compatible with the emission arising from a proto Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN) is the only hint of the existence of such elusive compact object. Here we tackle this 33-years old issue by analyzing archived observations of SN87A performed Chandra and NuSTAR in different years. We fir…

XMM-Newton spectroscopy of the metal depleted T Tauri star TWA 5

We present results of X-ray spectroscopy for TWA 5, a member of the young TW Hydrae association, observed with XMM-Newton. TWA~5 is a multiple system which shows Halpha emission, a signature typical of classical T Tauri stars, but no infrared excess. From the analysis of the RGS and EPIC spectra, we have derived the emission measure distribution vs. temperature of the X-ray emitting plasma, its abundances, and the electron density. The characteristic temperature and density of the plasma suggest a corona similar to that of weak-line T Tauri stars and active late-type main sequence stars. TWA 5 also shows a low iron abundance (~0.1 times the solar photospheric one) and a pattern of increasin…

The importance of magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction in the interaction of SNR shocks with interstellar clouds

We explore the importance of magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction in the interaction of supernova remnant (SNR) shocks with radiative gas clouds and in determining the mass and energy exchange between the clouds and the hot surrounding medium. We perform 2.5D MHD simulations of a shock impacting on an isolated gas cloud, including anisotropic thermal conduction and radiative cooling; we consider the representative case of a Mach 50 shock impacting on a cloud ten-fold denser than the ambient medium. We consider different configurations of the ambient magnetic field and compare MHD models with or without the thermal conduction. The efficiency of the thermal conduction in the presence of…

X-ray emitting MHD accretion shocks in classical T Tauri stars. Case for moderate to high plasma-beta values

AIMS. We investigate the stability and dynamics of accretion shocks in CTTSs, considering the case of beta &gt;= 1 in the post-shock region. In these cases the 1D approximation is not valid and a multi-dimensional MHD approach is necessary. METHODS. We model an accretion stream propagating through the atmosphere of a CTTS and impacting onto its chromosphere, by performing 2D axisymmetric MHD simulations. The model takes into account the stellar magnetic field, the gravity, the radiative cooling, and the thermal conduction (including the effects of heat flux saturation). RESULTS. The dynamics and stability of the accretion shock strongly depends on the plasma beta. In the case of shocks with…

Chemical Evolution of Interstellar Methanol Ice Analogs upon Ultraviolet Irradiation: The Role of the Substrate

An important issue in the chemistry of interstellar ices is the role of dust materials. In this work, we study the effect of an amorphous water-rich magnesium silicate deposited onto ZnSe windows on the chemical evolution of ultraviolet-irradiated methanol ices. For comparison, we also irradiate similar ices deposited onto bare ZnSe windows. Silicates are produced at relatively low temperatures exploiting a sol-gel technique. The chemical composition of the synthesized material reflects the forsterite stoichiometry. Si-OH groups and magnesium carbonates are incorporated during the process. The results show that the substrate material does affect the chemical evolution of the ice. In particu…

Three-dimensional modeling from the onset of the SN to the full-fledged SNR. Role of an initial ejecta anisotropy on matter mixing

Context. The manifold phases in the evolution of a core-collapse (CC) supernova (SN) play an important role in determining the physical properties and morphology of the resulting supernova remnant (SNR). Thus, the complex morphology of SNRs is expected to reflect possible asymmetries and structures developed during and soon after the SN explosion. Aims. The aim of this work is to bridge the gap between CC SNe and their remnants by investigating how post-explosion anisotropies in the ejecta influence the structure and chemical properties of the remnant at later times. Methods. We performed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations starting soon after the SN event and following the…

Crushing of interstellar gas clouds in supernova remnants II. X-ray emission

AIMS. We study and discuss the time-dependent X-ray emission predicted by hydrodynamic modeling of the interaction of a SNR shock wave with an interstellar gas cloud. The scope includes: 1) to study the correspondence between modeled and X-ray emitting structures, 2) to explore two different physical regimes in which either thermal conduction or radiative cooling plays a dominant role, and 3) to investigate the effects of the physical processes at work on the emission of the shocked cloud in the two different regimes. METHODS. We use a detailed hydrodynamic model, including thermal conduction and radiation, and explore two cases characterized by different Mach numbers of the primary shock: …

Mass Accretion Processes in Young Stellar Objects: Role of Intense Flaring Activity

According to the magnetospheric accretion scenario, young low-mass stars are surrounded by circumstellar disks which they interact with through accretion of mass. The accretion builds up the star to its final mass and is also believed to power the mass outflows, which may in turn have a significant role in removing the excess angular momentum from the star-disk system. Although the process of mass accretion is a critical aspect of star formation, some of its mechanisms are still to be fully understood. On the other hand, strong flaring activity is a common feature of young stellar objects (YSOs). In the Sun, such events give rise to perturbations of the interplanetary medium. Similar but mo…

Impacts of fragmented accretion streams onto Classical T Tauri Stars: UV and X-ray emission lines

Context. The accretion process in Classical T Tauri Stars (CTTSs) can be studied through the analysis of some UV and X-ray emission lines which trace hot gas flows and act as diagnostics of the post-shock downfalling plasma. In the UV band, where higher spectral resolution is available, these lines are characterized by rather complex profiles whose origin is still not clear. Aims. We investigate the origin of UV and X-ray emission at impact regions of density structured (fragmented) accretion streams.We study if and how the stream fragmentation and the resulting structure of the post-shock region determine the observed profiles of UV and X-ray emission lines. Methods. We model the impact of…

3D numerical modeling of YSO accretion shocks

International audience; The dynamics of YSO accretion shocks is determined by radiative processes as well as the strength and structure of the magnetic field. A quasi-periodic emission signature is theoretically expected to be observed, but observations do not confirm any such pattern. In this work, we assume a uniform background field, in the regime of optically thin energy losses, and we study the multi-dimensional shock evolution in the presence of perturbations, i.e. clumps in the stream and an acoustic energy flux flowing at the base of the chromosphere. We perform 3D MHD simulations using the PLUTO code, modeling locally the impact of the infalling gas onto the chromosphere. We find t…

Coronal properties of G-type stars in different evolutionary phases

We report on the analysis of XMM-Newton observations of three G-type stars in very different evolutionary phases: the weak-lined T Tauri star HD 283572, the Zero Age Main Sequence star EK Dra and the Hertzsprung-gap giant star 31 Com. They all have high X-ray luminosity (10^31 erg/s for HD 283572 and 31 Com and 10^30 erg/s for EK Dra). We compare the Emission Measure Distributions (EMDs) of these active coronal sources, derived from high-resolution XMM-Newton grating spectra, as well as the pattern of elemental abundances vs. First Ionization Potential (FIP). We also perform time-resolved spectroscopy of a flare detected by XMM from EK Dra. We interpret the observed $EMD$s as the result of …

Coronal fuzziness modelled with pulse-heated multistranded loop systems

Coronal active regions are observed to get fuzzier and fuzzier (i.e. more and more confused and uniform) in harder and harder energy bands or lines. We explain this evidence as due to the fine multi-temperature structure of coronal loops. To this end, we model bundles of loops made of thin strands, each heated by short and intense heat pulses. For simplicity, we assume that the heat pulses are all equal and triggered only once in each strand at a random time. The pulse intensity and cadence are selected so as to have steady active region loops ($\sim 3$ MK), on the average. We compute the evolution of the confined heated plasma with a hydrodynamic loop model. We then compute the emission al…

3-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Interaction of a Supernova Remnant Shock with an Isolated Cloud

We report on a computational key-project in astrophysics. The project is aimed at studying the interaction of a supernova shock wave with interstellar clouds. We describe the numerical code used, namely FLASH, a multi-dimensional astrophysical hydrodynamics code for parallel computers developed at the FLASH center (The University of Chicago); our team collaborates with, and contributes to, the FLASH project. We discuss the resources required for the whole project, the I/O management, the performance and the scalability of the code on IBM/Sp4 at CINECA. Finally, we present a selection of results. © 2005 IEEE.

Non-LTE radiation hydrodynamics in PLUTO

Modeling the dynamics of most astrophysical structures requires an adequate description of the radiation-matter interaction. Several numerical (magneto)hydrodynamics codes were upgraded with a radiation module to fulfill this request. However, those among them that use either the flux-limited diffusion (FLD) or the M1 radiation moment approaches are restricted to the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). This assumption may be not valid in some astrophysical cases. We present an upgraded version of the LTE radiation-hydrodynamics module implemented in the PLUTO code, originally developed by Kolb et al. (2013), which we have extended to handle non-LTE regimes. Starting from the general freq…

Herbig-Haro objects: model prediction and comparison with X-ray and optical observations

YSO accretion shocks: magnetic, chromospheric or stochastic flow effects can suppress fluctuations of X-ray emission

Context. Theoretical arguments and numerical simulations of radiative shocks produced by the impact of the accreting gas onto young stars predict quasi-periodic oscillations in the emitted radiation. However, observational data do not show evidence of such periodicity. Aims. We investigate whether physically plausible perturbations in the accretion column or in the chromosphere could disrupt the shock structure influencing the observability of the oscillatory behavior. Methods. We performed local 2D magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of an accretion shock impacting a chromosphere, taking optically thin radiation losses and thermal conduction into account. We investigated the effects of seve…

ADAHELI+: Exploring the fast, dynamic Sun in the X-ray, optical, and near-infrared

Advanced Astronomy for Heliophysics Plus (ADAHELI+) is a project concept for a small solar and space weather mission with a budget compatible with an European Space Agency (ESA) S-class mission, including launch, and a fast development cycle. ADAHELI+ was submitted to the European Space Agency by a European-wide consortium of solar physics research institutes in response to the "Call for a small mission opportunity for a launch in 2017," of March 9, 2012. The ADAHELI+ project builds on the heritage of the former ADAHELI mission, which had successfully completed its phase-A study under the Italian Space Agency 2007 Small Mission Programme, thus proving the soundness and feasibility of its in…

On the observability of T Tauri accretion shocks in the X-ray band

Context. High resolution X-ray observations of classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) show a soft X-ray excess due to high density plasma (n_e=10^11-10^13 cm^-3). This emission has been attributed to shock-heated accreting material impacting onto the stellar surface. Aims. We investigate the observability of the shock-heated accreting material in the X-ray band as a function of the accretion stream properties (velocity, density, and metal abundance) in the case of plasma-beta&lt;&lt;1 in the post-shock zone. Methods. We use a 1-D hydrodynamic model describing the impact of an accretion stream onto the chromosphere, including the effects of radiative cooling, gravity and thermal conduction. We expl…

High‐Resolution X‐Ray Spectroscopy of the Post–T Tauri Star PZ Telescopii

We present an analysis of the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer observation of the rapidly rotating P_(rot)=0.94 d post T Tauri (~20 Myr old) star PZ Telescopii, in the Tucana association. Using two different methods we have derived the coronal emission measure distribution, em(T), and chemical abundances. The em(T) peaks at log T = 6.9 and exhibits a significant emission measure at temperatures log T > 7. The coronal abundances are generally ~0.5 times the solar photospheric values that are presumed fairly representative of the composition of the underlying star. A minimum in abundance is seen at a first ionization potential (FIP) of 7-8 eV, with evidence for higher abu…

Modeling the remnants of core-collapse supernovae from luminous blue variable stars

LBVs are massive evolved stars that suffer sporadic and violent mass-loss events. They have been proposed as the progenitors of some core-collapse SNe, but this idea is still debated due to the lack of direct evidence. Since SNRs can carry in their morphology the fingerprints of the progenitor stars as well as of the inhomogeneous CSM sculpted by the progenitors, the study of SNRs from LBVs could help to place core-collapse SNe in context with the evolution of massive stars. We investigate the physical, chemical and morphological properties of the remnants of SNe originating from LBVs, in order to search for signatures, revealing the nature of the progenitors, in the ejecta distribution and…

Crushing of Interstellar Gas Clouds in Supernova Remnants: the Role of Thermal Conduction and Radiative Losses

We model hydrodynamic interactions of an old supernova remnant shock wave with a small interstellar gas cloud, taking into account the effects of thermal conduction and radiative losses. In particular, we consider a representative case of a Mach 30 shock impacting on an isolated cloud with density contrast χ = 10 with respect to the ambient medium. Thermal conduction appears to be effective in suppressing the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which would develop at the cloud boundaries. We demonstrate that the radiative losses play a crucial role in the dynamics of the shock-cloud interaction, dominating evolution of the shocked cloud medium.

X-Raying the Dark Side of Venus - Scatter from Venus Magnetotail?

This work analyzes the X-ray, EUV and UV emission apparently coming from the Earth-facing (dark) side of Venus as observed with Hinode/XRT and SDO/AIA during a transit across the solar disk occurred in 2012. We have measured significant X-Ray, EUV and UV flux from Venus dark side. As a check we have also analyzed a Mercury transit across the solar disk, observed with Hinode/XRT in 2006. We have used the latest version of the Hinode/XRT Point Spread Function (PSF) to deconvolve Venus and Mercury X-ray images, in order to remove possible instrumental scattering. Even after deconvolution, the flux from Venus shadow remains significant while in the case of Mercury it becomes negligible. Since s…

X-ray emission from fast moving shocks in the protostellar jet HH 154: a binding diagnostic of the emission mechanism

We propose to determine the proper motion of the X-ray source associated with HH 154, the only known protostellar jet in which the X-ray emission mechanism can be studied in detail. Our numerical simulations indicate that the X-rays are produced in a fast-moving (500 km/s) post-shock region, and our HST observations show high proper motion shocked material moving at similar speed. Detection (or lack of) of proper motion of the X-ray source will strongly confirm (or falsify) our model, and constitute the basis for a general theory of X-ray emission in protostellar jets. Understanding and modeling the emission mechanism is key to assess the lifetime of the X-ray emission and thus the influenc…