E. Flaccomio

The Origin of T Tauri X-Ray Emission: New Insights from the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project

The Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) provides the most comprehensive data set ever acquired on the X-rayemissionofpre–main-sequencestars.Inthispaper,westudythenearly600X-raysourcesthatcanbereliably identified with optically well-characterized T Tauri stars (TTSs) in the Orion Nebula Cluster. With a detection limit of LX; min � 10 27:3 ergs s � 1 for lightly absorbed sources, we detect X-ray emission from more than 97% of the optically visible late-type (spectral types F–M) cluster stars. This proves that there is no ‘‘X-ray–quiet’’ population of late-type stars with suppressed magnetic activity. We use this exceptional optical, infrared, and X-ray data set tostudythe dependenciesoftheX-rayproperties onotherstellarparameters. AllTTSs withknownrotationperiods lie in the saturated or supersaturated regime of the relation between activity and Rossby numbers seen for mainsequence (MS) stars, but the TTSs show a much larger scatter in X-ray activity than that seen for the MS stars. Strong near-linear relations between X-ray luminosities, bolometric luminosities, and mass are present. We also

Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project: Observations and Source Lists

We present a description of the data reduction methods and the derived catalog of more than 1600 X-ray point sources from the exceptionally deep 2003 January Chandra X-Ray Observatory (Chandra) observation of the Orion Nebula Cluster and embedded populations around OMC-1. The observation was obtained with Chandras Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) and has been nicknamed the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP). With an 838 ks exposure made over a continuous period of 13.2 days, the COUP observation provides the most uniform and comprehensive data set on the X-ray emission of normal stars ever obtained in the history of X-ray astronomy.

Bright X-Ray Flares in Orion Young Stars from COUP: Evidence for Star-Disk Magnetic Fields?

We have analyzed a number of intense X-ray flares observed in the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP), a 13 day observation of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC), concentrating on the events with the highest statistics (in terms of photon flux and event duration). Analysis of the flare decay allows to determine the physical parameters of the flaring structure, particularly its size and (using the peak temperature and emission measure of the event) the peak density, pressure, and minimum confining magnetic field. A total of 32 events, representing the most powerful 1% of COUP flares, have sufficient statistics and are sufficiently well resolved to grant a detailed analysis. A broad range of decay times are present in the sample of flares, with τlc (the 1/e decay time) ranging from 10 to 400 ks. Peak flare temperatures are often very high, with half of the flares in the sample showing temperatures in excess of 100 MK. Significant sustained heating is present in the majority of the flares. The magnetic structures that are found, from the analysis of the flares decay, to confine the plasma are in a number of cases very long, with semilengths up to 1012 cm, implying the presence of magnetic fields of hundreds of G (necessary to confine the hot flaring plasma) extending to comparable distance from the stellar photosphere. These very large sizes for the flaring structures (length L R*) are not found in more evolved stars, where, almost invariably, the same type of analysis results in structures with L ≤ R*. As the majority of young stars in the ONC are surrounded by disks, we speculate that the large magnetic structures that confine the flaring plasma are actually the same type of structures that channel the plasma in the magnetospheric accretion paradigm, connecting the stars photosphere with the accretion disk.

STELLAR ACTIVITY ON THE YOUNG SUNS OF ORION: COUP OBSERVATIONS OF K5-7 PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS

In 2003 January, the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) detected about 1400 young stars during a 13.2 day observation of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). This paper is a study of the X-ray properties of a well-defined sample of 28 solar-mass ONC stars based on COUP data. Our goals are to characterize the magnetic activity of analogs of the young Sun and thereby to improve understanding of the effects of solar X-rays on the solar nebula during the era of planet formation. Given the length of the COUP observation we are able to clearly distinguish characteristic and flare periods for all stars. We find that active young suns spend 70% of their time in a characteristic state with relatively constant flux and magnetically confined plasma with temperatures kT2 2.1 × kT1. During characteristic periods, the 0.5-8 keV X-ray luminosity is about 0.03% of the bolometric luminosity. One or two powerful flares per week with peak luminosities log LX ~ 30-32 ergs s-1 are typically superposed on this characteristic emission accompanied by heating of the hot plasma component from 2.4 to 7 keV at the flare peak. The energy distribution of flares superposed on the characteristic emission level follows the relationship dN/dE ∝ E-1.7. The flare rates are consistent with the production of sufficiently energetic protons to spawn a spallogenic origin of some important short-lived radionuclides found in ancient meteorites. The X-rays can ionize gas in the circumstellar disk at a rate of 6 × 10-9 ionizations per second at 1 AU from the central star, orders of magnitude above cosmic-ray ionization rates. The estimated energetic particle fluences are sufficient to account for many isotopic anomalies observed in meteoritic inclusions.

X-RAY EMISSION FROM EARLY-TYPE STARS IN THE ORION NEBULA CLUSTER

The X-ray properties of twenty ~1 Myr old O, B, and A stars of the Orion Trapezium are examined with data from the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP). On the basis of simple theories for X-ray emission, we define two classes separated at spectral type B4: hotter stars have strong winds that may give rise to X-ray emission in small- or large-scale wind shocks, and cooler stars that should be X-ray dark due to their weaker winds and absence of outer convection zones where dynamos can generate magnetic fields. Emission by late-type magnetically active companions may be present in either class. Sixteen of the 20 stars are detected with a wide range of X-ray luminosities, log LX ~ 29-33, and X-ray efficiencies, log(LX/Lbol) ~ -4 to -8. Only two stars, ?1 Ori D (B0.5) and NU Ori (B1), show exclusively the constant soft-spectrum emission at log(LX/Lbol) ~ -7 expected from the standard model involving many small shocks in an unmagnetized radiatively accelerated wind. Most of the other massive O7-B3 stars exhibit some combination of soft-spectrum wind emission, hard-spectrum flaring, and/or rotational modulation indicating large-scale inhomogeneity. Magnetic confinement of winds with large-scale shocks can be invoked to explain these phenomena. This is supported in some cases by nonthermal radio emission and/or chemical peculiarities, or direct detection of the magnetic field (?1 Ori C). Most of the stars in the weak-wind class exhibit X-ray flares and log LX < 31 ergs s-1, consistent with magnetic activity from known or unseen low-mass companions. In most cases, the X-ray spectra can be interpreted in terms of a two-temperature plasma model with a soft component of 3-10 MK and a hard component up to 40 MK. All nondetections belong to the weak-wind class. A group of stars exhibit hybrid properties?flarelike behavior superimposed on a constant component with log LX ~ 32 ergs s-1?which suggest both magnetic activity and wind emission.

Accretion dynamics and disk evolution in NGC 2264: a study based on CoRoT photometric observations

Context. The young cluster NGC 2264 was observed with the CoRoT satellite for 23 days uninterruptedly in March 2008 with unprecedented photometric accuracy. We present the first results of our analysis of the accreting population belonging to the cluster as observed by CoRoT. Aims. We search for possible light curve variability of the same nature as that observed in the classical T Tauri star AA Tau, which was attributed to a magnetically controlled inner disk warp. The inner warp dynamics is supposed to be directly associated with the interaction between the stellar magnetic field and the inner disk region. Methods. We analyzed the CoRoT light curves of 83 previously known classical T Tauri stars that belong to NGC 2264 classifying them according to their light-curve morphology. We also studied the CoRoT light-curve morphology as a function of a Spitzer-based classification of the star-disk systems. Results. The classification derived on the basis of the CoRoT light-curve morphology agrees very well with the Spitzer IRAC-based classification of the systems. The percentage of AA Tau-like light curves decreases as the inner disk dissipates, from 40% ± 10% in systems with thick inner disks to 36% ± 16% in systems with anemic disks and zero in naked photosphere systems. Indeed, 91% ± 29% of the CTTS with naked photospheres exhibit pure spot-like variability, while only 18% ± 7% of the thick disk systems do so, presumably those seen at low inclination and thus free of variable obscuration. Conclusions. AA Tau-like light curves are found to be fairly common, with a frequency of at least ~30 to 40% in young stars with inner dusty disks. The temporal evolution of the light curves indicates that the structure of the inner disk warp, located close to the corotation radius and responsible for the obscuration episodes, varies over a timescale of a few (~1-3) rotational periods. This probably reflects the highly dynamical nature of the star-disk magnetospheric interaction.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: metallicity and kinematic trends in the Milky Way bulge

Aims. Observational studies of the Milky Way bulge are providing increasing evidence of its complex chemo-dynamical patterns and morphology. Our intent is to use the iDR1 Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) data set to provide new constraints on the metallicity and kinematic trends of the Galactic bulge, exploring the viability of the currently proposed formation scenarios. Methods. We analyzed the stellar parameters and radial velocities of similar to 1200 stars in five bulge fields wich are located in the region -10 degrees < / < 7 degrees and -10 degrees < b < -4 degrees. We use VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) photometry to verify the internal consistency of the atmospheric parameters recommended by the consortium. As a by-product, we obtained reddening values using a semi-empirical Tdf -color calibration. We constructed the metallicity distribution functions and combined them with photometric and radial velocity data to analyze the properties of the stellar populations in the observed fields. Results. From a Gaussian decomposition of the metallicity distribution functions, we unveil a clear bimodality in all fields, with the relative size of components depending of the specific position on the sky. In agreement with some previous studies, we find a mild gradient along the minor axis (-0.05 dex/deg between b = -6 degrees and b = -10 degrees) that arises from the varying proportion of metal-rich and metal-poor components. The number of metal-rich stars fades in favor of the metal-poor stars with increasing b. The K-magnitude distribution of the metal-rich population splits into two peaks for two of the analyzed fields that intersects the near and far branches of the X-shaped bulge structure. In addition, two lateral fields at (l,b) = (7, -9) and (l, b) = (-10, 8) present contrasting characteristics. In the former, the metallicity distribution is dominated by metal-rich stars, while in the latter it presents a mix of a metal-poor population and and a metal-intermediate one, of nearly equal sizes. Finally, we find systematic differences in the velocity dispersion between the metal-rich and the metal-poor components of each field. Conclusions. The iDR I bulge data show chemo-dynamical distributions that are consistent with varying proportions of stars belonging to (i) a metal-rich boxy/peanut X-shaped component, with bar-like kinematics; and (ii) a metal-poor more extended rotating structure with a higher velocity dispersion that dominates far from the Galactic plane. These first GES data already allow studying the detailed spatial dependence of the Galactic bulge populations, thanks to the analysis of individual fields with relatively high statistics. (Less)

The Gaia-ESO Survey: the chemical structure of the Galactic discs from the first internal data release

Aims. Until recently, most high-resolution spectroscopic studies of the Galactic thin and thick discs were mostly confined to objects in the solar vicinity. Here we aim at enlarging the volume in which individual chemical abundances are used to characterise the thin and thick discs, using the first internal data release of the Gaia-ESO survey (GES iDR1). Methods. We used the spectra of around 2000 FGK dwarfs and giants from the GES iDR1, obtained at resolutions of up to R similar to 20 000 with the FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectrograph. We derive and discuss the abundances of eight elements (Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cr, Ni, and Y). Results. We show that the trends of these elemental abundances with iron are very similar to those in the solar neighbourhood. We find a natural division between alpha-rich and alpha-poor stars, best seen in the bimodality of the [Mg/M] distributions in bins of metallicity, which we attribute to thick-and thin-disc sequences, respectively. This separation is visible for most alpha-elements and for aluminium. With the possible exception of Al, the observed dispersion around the trends is well described by the expected errors, leaving little room for astrophysical dispersion. Using previously derived distances from the first paper from this series for our sample, we further find that the thick-disc is more extended vertically and is more centrally concentrated towards the inner Galaxy than the thin-disc, which indicates a shorter scale-length. We derive the radial (4 to 12 kpc) and vertical (0 to 3.5 kpc) gradients in metallicity, iron, four alpha-element abundances, and aluminium for the two populations, taking into account the identified correlation between R-GC and vertical bar Z vertical bar. Similarly to other works, a radial metallicity gradient is found in the thin disc. The positive radial individual [alpha/M] gradients found are at variance from the gradients observed in the RAVE survey. The thin disc also hosts a negative vertical metallicity gradient in the solar cylinder, accompanied by positive individual [alpha/M] and [Al/M] gradients. The thick-disc, on the other hand, presents no radial metallicity gradient, a shallower vertical metallicity gradient than the thin-disc, an alpha-elements-to-iron radial gradient in the opposite sense than that of the thin disc, and positive vertical individual [alpha/M] and [Al/M] gradients. We examine several thick-disc formation scenarii in the light of these radial and vertical trends.

Kinematics and chemistry of recently discovered reticulum 2 and horologium 1 dwarf galaxies

We report on VLT/GIRAFFE spectra of stars in two recently discovered ultra-faint satellites, Reticulum 2 and Horologium 1, obtained as part of the Gaia-ESO Survey. We identify 18 members in Reticulum 2 and five in Horologium 1. We find Reticulum 2 to have a velocity dispersion of 3.22(-0.49)(+1.64) km s(-1) , implying a mass-to-light ratio (M/L) of similar to 500. The mean metallicity of Reticulum 2 is [Fe/H] = -2.46, with an intrinsic dispersion of similar to 0.3 dex and alpha-enhancement of similar to 0.4 dex. We conclude that Reticulum 2 is a dwarf galaxy. We also report on the serendipitous discovery of four stars in a previously unknown stellar substructure near Reticulum 2 with [Fe/H] similar to -2 and V-hel similar to 220 km s(-1), far from the systemic velocity of Reticulum 2. For Horologium 1 we infer a velocity dispersion of sigma (V) = 4.9(-0.9)(+2.8) km s(-1) and a M/L ratio of similar to 600, leading us to conclude that Horologium 1 is also a dwarf galaxy. Horologium 1 is slightly more metal-poor than Reticulum 2 ([Fe/H] = -2.76) and is similarly alpha-enhanced: [alpha/Fe] similar to 0.3 dex with a significant spread of metallicities of 0.17 dex. The line-of-sight velocity of Reticulum 2 is offset by 100 km s(-1) from the prediction of the orbital velocity of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), thus making its association with the Cloud uncertain. However, at the location of Horologium 1, both the backward-integrated orbit of the LMC and its halo are predicted to have radial velocities similar to that of the dwarf. Therefore, it is possible that Horologium 1 is or once was a member of the Magellanic family.

Age Spreads in Star-forming Regions: The Lithium Test in the Orion Nebula Cluster*

We present the initial results of a study of the surface lithium abundance in a sample of low-mass members (M* ~ 0.4-1.0 M☉) of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) that provide an independent clock to estimate stellar ages. We report the discovery of a significant depletion of lithium in four stars with estimated masses of ~0.4 M☉ and ages ~10 Myr. Comparison with the predictions of numerical and analytical models shows excellent agreement between the isochronal age and lithium depletion timescale for two objects, the first such case for lithium-poor pre-main-sequence stars. Our results bear on the issue of the real age spread in the ONC and hence on the overall duration of the star formation process, indicating that the stellar population did not come into existence in a single, rapid burst.