Abstract
The origin of chromospheric and coronal emission is thought to derive ultimately from magnetic fields generated by a dynamo mechanism involving the interaction of rotation and convection1. Although these magnetic fields are difficult to detect directly, the dramatic stellar flares, believed to be the result of magnetic reconnection, have been observed for many years on dwarf Me (dMe) stars. Here we correlate Einstein observations of the X-ray flux of quiescent dMe stars with the time-averaged energy emitted by flares in the Johnson-U band, showing that the X-ray energy emitted by the coronae of these stars is about an order of magnitude greater than the U-band flare energy. From our estimate of the ratio of the total radiation emitted to the U-band flux, it is possible that, if a similar amount of energy were dissipated in the stellar atmosphere, then the observed flare events could heat the coronae of these stars.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Golub, L. IAU Colloq. 71, 83–108 (1983).
Vaiana, G. S. et al. Astrophys. J. 245, 163–182 (1981).
Joy, A. H. & Abt, H. A. Astrophys. J. (Suppl.) 28, 1–18 (1974).
Woolley, R., Epps, E. A., Penston, M. J. & Pocock, S B. R. Obs. Ann. 5, (1970).
Byrne, P. B., Doyle, J. G. & Menzies, J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. (in the press).
Pettersen, B. J. & Griffin, R. F. Observatory 100, 198–202 (1980).
Byrne, P.B., Doyle, J.G., Butler, C.J. & Andrews, A. D. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. (in the press).
Shakhovskaya, N. I. Inf. Bull. Var. Stars No. 487 (1970).
Lacy, C. H., Moffet, T. J. & Evans, D. S. Astrophys. J. (Suppl.) 30, 85–86 (1974).
Kunkel, S. W. Astrophys. J. (Suppl.) 25, 1–36 (1973).
Rosner, R. IAU Symp. 102, 279–300 (1983).
Rodono, M. et al. Proc. 4th Eur. IUE Conf. (in the press).
Haisch, B. M. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 242, L99–L103 (1980).
Cranfield, R. C. et al. in Solar Flares (ed. P. A. Sturrock) 451–469 (Colorado University Press, 1980).
Webb, D. F. et al. in Solar Flares (ed. P. A. Sturrock) 471–499 (Colorado University Press, 1980).
Brueckner, G. E. & Bartoe, J. D. F. Astrophys. J. 272, 329–348 (1983).
Priest, E. R. in Solar Active Regions (ed. F. Q. Orall) (Colorado University Press, 1981).
Vaiana, G. S. IAU Symp. 102, 165–186 (1983).
Vaiana, G. S. & Rosner, R. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 16, 393–428 (1978).
Mullan, D. J. Irish Astr. J. 15, 147–151 (1981).
Byrne, P. B., Doyle, J. G. & Butler, C. J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 206, 907–918 (1984).
Pettersen, B. J., Coleman, L. A. & Evans, D. S. Astrophys. J. (Suppl. 54, 375–386 (1984).
Kahler, S. W. et al. Astrophys. J. 252, 239–249 (1982).
Moffett, T. J. Astrophys. J. (Suppl.) 29, 1–42 (1974).
Ichimura, K. & Shimizu, Y. Inf. Bull. Var. Stars No. 1420 (1978).
Panov, K. P., Asteriadis, G. & Mavridis, L. N. Inf. Bull. Var. Stars No. 2359 (1983).
Byrne, P. B. & McFarland, J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 193, 525–532 (1980).
Byrne, P. B. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 195, 143–147 (1981).
Agrawal, P. C., Rao, A. R. & Sreekantan, B. V. IAU Colloq. 71, 125–129 (1983).
Caillault, J. P. Astr. J. 87, 558–562 (1982).
Busko, I. C. & Torres, C. A. O. Inf. Bull. Var. Stars No. 1186 (1976).
Walker, A. R. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 195, 1029–1035 (1981).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Doyle, J., Butler, C. Ultraviolet radiation from stellar flares and the coronal X-ray emission for dwarf-Me stars. Nature 313, 378–380 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/313378a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/313378a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
