A

First Resolution of a Main Sequence G-Star Astrosphere Using Chandra

arXiv (Cornell University)

Abstract

We report resolution of a halo of X-ray line emission surrounding the Zero Age Main Sequence (ZAMS) G8.5V star HD 61005 by Chandra ACIS-S. Located only 36.4 pc distant, HD 61005 is young (approx. 100 Myr), x-ray bright (300 times Solar), observed with nearly edge-on geometry, and surrounded by Local Interstellar Medium (LISM) material denser than in the environ of the Sun. HD 61005 is known to harbor large amounts of circumstellar dust in a dense ecliptic plane full of mm-sized particles plus attached, extended wing like structures full of micron sized particles, which are evidence for a strong LISM-dust disk interaction. These properties aided our ability to resolve the 220 au wide astrosphere of HD61005, the first ever observed for a main sequence G-star. The observed x-ray emission morphology is roughly spherical, as expected for an astrospheric structure dominated by the host star. The Chandra spectrum of HD 61005 is a combination of a hard stellar coronal emission (T=8 MK) at Lx = 6 x10e29 erg per sec, plus an extended halo contribution at Lx = 1x10e29 erg per sec dominated by charge exchange (CXE) lines, such as those of OVIII and NeIX. The Chandra CXE x-ray morphology does not track the planar dust morphology but does extend out roughly to where the base of the dust wings begins. We present a toy model of x-ray emission produced by stellar wind (SW)-LISM CXE interactions, similar to the state of the young Sun when it was approximately 100 Myrs old (Guinan and Engle 2007), and transiting through an approximately 1000 times denser part of the interstellar medium (ISM) such as a Giant Molecular Cloud (Stern 2003, Opher and Loeb 2024).

Authors 25

  1. Johns Hopkins University · Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Exploration Sector , Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd , Laurel , MD 20723

  2. Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , 60 Garden Street , Cambridge , MA , 02138

  3. Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , 60 Garden Street , Cambridge , MA , 02138

  4. Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , 60 Garden Street , Cambridge , MA , 02138

  5. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr. Baltimore , MD 21218

  6. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr. Baltimore , MD 21218

  7. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr. Baltimore , MD 21218

  8. Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales

    Affiliation as printed

    Laboratoire Atmosphères , Observations Spatiales , 78280 Guyancourt , France

  9. Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , 60 Garden Street , Cambridge , MA , 02138

  10. University of Colorado Boulder

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Colorado , Boulder , CO

  11. Johns Hopkins University · Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Exploration Sector , Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd , Laurel , MD 20723

  12. University of Colorado Boulder

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Colorado , Boulder , CO

  13. Villanova University

    Affiliation as printed

    Villanova University , Dept. of Astrophysics and Planetary Sci , 800 Lancaster Avenue , Villanova , PA 19085

  14. Wesleyan University

    Affiliation as printed

    Wesleyan University , Astronomy Department , 96 Foss Hill Drive , Van Vleck Observatory 101 , Middletown , CT 06459

  15. University of Chicago

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Chicago , Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics , 5640 S. Ellis Ave , Chicago , IL 60637

  16. Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Postfach 1312 , Giessenbachstraße , D-85741 Garching , Germany

  17. Affiliation as printed

    Department of Astrophysics , University of Vienna , Tuerkenschanzstrasse 17 , Wien , Austria A-1180

  18. University of Central Florida

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics , University of Central Florida , Orlando , FL 32816

  19. Johns Hopkins University · Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Exploration Sector , Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd , Laurel , MD 20723

  20. Johns Hopkins University · Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Planetary Exploration Group , Space Exploration Sector Johns Hopkins University , Applied Physics Laboratory SES/SRE , Bldg. 200 , E206 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd Laurel , MD 20723 240-228-0535

    Space Exploration Sector , Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd , Laurel , MD 20723

  21. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr. Baltimore , MD 21218

  22. Johns Hopkins University · Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Exploration Sector , Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd , Laurel , MD 20723

  23. Academy of Athens

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Space Research and Technology , Academy of Athens , Athens , 4 , Soranou Efesiou str. , 11527 , Papagos , Athens , Greece

  24. Space Research Organisation Netherlands

    Affiliation as printed

    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research , Niels Bohrweg 4 , 2333 CA Leiden , the Netherlands ,

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