Context. The Sco OB2 association is the nearest OB association, extending over approximately 2000 square degrees on the sky. Only its brightest and most massive members are already known (from ...HIPPARCOS) across its entire size, while studies of its lower mass population refer only to small portions of its extent. Aims. In this work we exploit the capabilities of Gaia DR2 measurements to search for Sco OB2 members across its entire size and down to the lowest stellar masses. Methods. We used both Gaia astrometric (proper motions and parallaxes) and photometric measurements (integrated photometry and colors) to select association members, using minimal assumptions derived mostly from the HIPPARCOS studies. Gaia resolves small details in both the kinematics of individual Sco OB2 subgroups and their distribution with distance from the Sun. We developed methods to explore the 3D kinematics of a stellar population covering large sky areas. Results. We find nearly 11 000 pre-main-sequence (PMS) members of Sco OB2 (with less than 3% field-star contamination), plus ∼3600 main-sequence (MS) candidate members with a larger (10–30%) field-star contamination. A higher confidence subsample of ∼9200 PMS (and ∼1340 MS) members is also selected (<1% contamination for the PMS), however this group is affected by larger (∼15%) incompleteness. We separately classify stars in compact and diffuse populations. Most members belong to one of several kinematically distinct diffuse populations, whose ensemble clearly outlines the shape of the entire association. Upper Sco is the densest region of Sco OB2. It is characterized by a complex spatial and kinematical structure and has no global pattern of motion. Other dense subclusters are found in Lower Centaurus-Crux and in Upper Centaurus-Lupus; the richest example of the latter, which has been recently identified, is coincident with the group near V1062 Sco. Most of the clustered stars appear to be younger than the diffuse PMS population, suggesting star formation in small groups that rapidly disperse and are diluted, reaching space densities lower than field stars while keeping memory of their original kinematics. We also find that the open cluster IC 2602 has a similar dynamics to Sco OB2, and its PMS members are currently evaporating and forming a diffuse (size ∼10°) halo around its double-peaked core.
Context.
Observations of young close-in exoplanets are providing initial indications for the characteristics of the population and clues to the early stages of their evolution. Transiting planets at ...young ages are also key benchmarks for our understanding of planetary evolution via the verification of atmospheric escape models.
Aims.
We performed radial velocity (RV) monitoring of the 40 Myr old star DS Tuc A with HARPS at the ESO-3.6 m to determine the planetary mass of its 8.14-day planet, which was first revealed by the NASA
TESS
satellite. We also observed two planetary transits with HARPS and ESPRESSO at ESO-VLT to measure the Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect and characterise the planetary atmosphere. We measured the high-energy emission of the host with
XMM-Newton
observations to investigate models for atmospheric evaporation.
Methods.
We employed a Gaussian Processes (GP) regression to model the high level of the stellar activity, which is more than 40 times larger than the expected RV planetary signal. GPs were also used to correct the stellar contribution to the RV signal of the RM effect. We extracted the transmission spectrum of DS Tuc A b from the ESPRESSO data and searched for atmospheric elements and molecules either by single-line retrieval and by performing cross-correlation with a set of theoretical templates. Through a set of simulations, we evaluated different scenarios for the atmospheric photo-evaporation of the planet induced by the strong XUV stellar irradiation.
Results.
While the stellar activity prevented us from obtaining a clear detection of the planetary signal from the RVs, we set a robust mass upper limit of 14.4
M
⊕
for DS Tuc A b. We also confirm that the planetary system is almost (but not perfectly) aligned. The strong level of stellar activity hampers the detection of any atmospheric compounds, which is in line with other studies presented in the literature. The expected evolution of DS Tuc A b from our grid of models indicates that the planetary radius after the photo-evaporation phase will be 1.8–2.0
R
⊕
, falling within the Fulton gap.
Conclusions.
The comparison of the available parameters of known young transiting planets with the distribution of their mature counterpart confirms that the former are characterised by a low density, with DS Tuc A b being one of the less dense. A clear determination of their distribution is still affected by the lack of a robust mass measurement, particularly for planets younger than ~100 Myr.
Context. Flares are powerful events ignited by a sudden release of magnetic energy which triggers a cascade of interconnected phenomena, each resulting in emission in different electromagnetic bands. ...In fact, in the Sun flares are observed across the whole electromagnetic spectrum. Multi-band observations of stellar flares are instead rare. This limits our ability to extend what we learn from solar flares to the case of flares occurring in stars with different properties. Aims. With the aim of studying flares in the 125-Myr-old stars in the Pleiades observed simultaneously in optical and X-ray light, we obtained new XMM-Newton observations of this cluster during the observations of Kepler K2 Campaign 4. The objective of this paper is to characterize the most powerful flares observed in both bands and to constrain the energy released in the optical and X-ray, the geometry of the loops, and their time evolution. We also aim to compare our results to existing studies of flares occurring in the Sun and stars at different ages. Methods. We selected bright X-ray/optical flares that occurred in 12 known members of the Pleiades from their K2 and XMM-Newton light curves. The sample includes ten K-M stars, one F9 star, and one G8 star. Flare average properties were obtained from integrated analysis of the light curves during the flares. The time evolution of the plasma in the magnetic loops is constrained with time-resolved X-ray spectral analysis. Results. Most of the flares studied in this work emitted more energy in optical than in X-rays, as in most solar flares, even if the Pleiades flares output a larger fraction of their total energy in X-rays than typical solar flares do. Additionally, the energy budget in the two bands is weakly correlated. We also found comparable flare duration in optical and X-rays and observed that rapidly rotating stars (e.g., with rotation period shorter than 0.5 days) preferentially host short flares. We estimated the slope of the cooling path of the flares in the log(EM)-vs.-log(T) plane. The values we obtained are affected by large uncertainties, but their nominal values suggest that the flares analyzed in this paper are mainly due to single loops with no sustained heating occurring during the cooling phase. We also observed and analyzed oscillations with a period of 500 s during one of the flares. Conclusions. The flares observed in the Pleiades can be classified as “superflares” based on their energy budget in the optical, and share some of the properties of the flares observed in the Sun, despite being more energetic. For instance, as in most solar flares, more energy is typically released in the optical than in X-rays and the duration of the flares in the two bands is correlated. We have attempted a comparison between the X-ray flares observed in the Pleiades and those observed in clusters with different ages, but to firmly address any evolutionary pattern of flare characteristics, similar and uniform multi-wavelength analyses on more complete samples are necessary.
Abstract
Atmospheric mass loss plays a major role in the evolution of exoplanets. This process is driven by the stellar high-energy irradiation, especially in the first hundreds of millions of years ...after dissipation of the proto-planetary disk. A major source of uncertainty in modeling atmospheric photoevaporation and photochemistry is due to the lack of direct measurements of the stellar flux at extreme-UV (EUV) wavelengths. Several empirical relationships have been proposed in the past to link EUV fluxes to emission levels in X-rays, but the stellar samples employed for this aim are heterogeneous, and the available scaling laws provide significantly different predictions, especially for very active stars. We present new far-UV and X-ray observations of V1298 Tau with Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and XMM-Newton, aimed to determine more accurately the high-energy emission of this solar-mass pre-main-sequence star, which hosts four exoplanets. Spectroscopic data were employed to derive the plasma emission measure distribution versus temperature, from the chromosphere to the corona, and the possible variability of this irradiation on short and year-long timescales, due to magnetic activity. As a side result, we have also measured the chemical abundances of several elements in the outer atmosphere of V1298 Tau. We employ our results as a new benchmark point for the calibration of the X-ray to EUV scaling laws, and hence to predict the time evolution of the irradiation in the EUV band, and its effect on the evaporation of exo-atmospheres.
ABSTRACT Hot Jupiters are subject to strong irradiation from their host stars and, as a consequence, they do evaporate. They can also interact with the parent stars by means of tides and magnetic ...fields. Both phenomena have strong implications for the evolution of these systems. Here we present time-resolved spectroscopy of HD 189733 observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The star has been observed during five consecutive HST orbits, starting at a secondary transit of the planet ( ). Two main episodes of variability of ion lines of Si, C, N, and O are detected, with an increase of line fluxes. The Si iv lines show the highest degree of variability. The far-ultraviolet variability is a signature of enhanced activity in phase with the planet motion, occurring after the planet egress, as already observed three times in X-rays. With the support of MHD simulations, we propose the following interpretation: a stream of gas evaporating from the planet is actively and almost steadily accreting onto the stellar surface, impacting at ahead of the subplanetary point.
Abstract
Transiting planets at young ages are key targets for improving our understanding of the evolution of exo-atmospheres. We present results of a new X-ray observation of V 1298 Tau with ...XMM-Newton, aimed to determine more accurately the high-energy irradiation of the four planets orbiting this pre-main-sequence star, and the possible variability due to magnetic activity on short and long timescales. Following the first measurements of planetary masses in the V 1298 Tau system, we revise early guesses of the current escape rates from the planetary atmospheres, employing our updated atmospheric evaporation models to predict the future evolution of the system. Contrary to previous expectations, we find that the two outer Jupiter-sized planets will not be affected by any evaporation on Gyr timescales, and the same occurs for the two smaller inner planets, unless their true masses are lower than ∼40
M
⊕
. These results confirm that relatively massive planets can reach their final position in the mass–radius diagram very early in their evolutionary history.
The role played by the large-scale environment in the nuclear activity of radio galaxies (RGs) is still not completely understood. Accretion mode, jet power, and galaxy evolution are connected with ...their large-scale environment on scales from tens to hundreds of kiloparsecs. Here we present a detailed statistical analysis of the large-scale environment for two samples of RGs up to redshifts zsrc = 0.15. The main advantages of our study over studies in the literature are the extremely homogeneous selection criteria of the catalogs adopted to perform our investigation. This is also coupled with the use of several clustering algorithms. We performed a direct search of galaxy-rich environments around RGs by using them as beacons. To perform this study we also developed a new method that does not appear to suffer from a strong zsrc dependence as other algorithms do. We conclude that, despite their radio morphological classification (FR I versus FR II) and/or their optical classification (high- or low-excitation radio galaxy (HERG or LERG)), RGs in the local universe tend to live in galaxy-rich large-scale environments that have similar characteristics and richness. We highlight that the fraction of FR I LERGs inhabiting galaxy-rich environments appears to be larger than that of FR II LERGs. We also found that five out of seven FR II HERGs, with zsrc ≤ 0.11, lie in groups/clusters of galaxies. However, we recognize that, despite the high level of completeness of our catalogs, when restricting to the local universe, the low number of HERGs (∼10% of the total FR IIs investigated) prevents us drawing a strong statistical conclusion about this source class.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we present the analysis of incoherent non-thermal radio emission from a sample of hot magnetic stars, ranging from early-B to early-A spectral type. Spanning a wide range of ...stellar parameters and wind properties, these stars display a commonality in their radio emission which presents new challenges to the wind scenario as originally conceived. It was thought that relativistic electrons, responsible for the radio emission, originate in current sheets formed, where the wind opens the magnetic field lines. However, the true mass-loss rates from the cooler stars are too small to explain the observed non-thermal broad-band radio spectra. Instead, we suggest the existence of a radiation belt located inside the inner magnetosphere, similar to that of Jupiter. Such a structure explains the overall indifference of the broad-band radio emissions on wind mass-loss rates. Further, correlating the radio luminosities from a larger sample of magnetic stars with their stellar parameters, the combined roles of rotation and magnetic properties have been empirically determined. Finally, our sample of early-type magnetic stars suggests a scaling relationship between the non-thermal radio luminosity and the electric voltage induced by the magnetosphere’s co-rotation, which appears to hold for a broader range of stellar types with dipole-dominated magnetospheres (like the cases of the planet Jupiter and the ultracool dwarf stars and brown dwarfs). We conclude that well-ordered and stable rotating magnetospheres share a common physical mechanism for supporting the generation of non-thermal electrons.
In our previous analysis we investigated the large-scale environment of two samples of radio galaxies (RGs) in the local universe (i.e., with redshifts zsrc ≤ 0.15), classified as FR I and FR II on ...the basis of their radio morphology. The analysis was carried out using (i) extremely homogeneous catalogs and (ii) a new method, known as cosmological overdensity, to investigate their large-scale environments. We concluded that, independently of the shape of their radio extended structure, RGs inhabit galaxy-rich large-scale environments with similar characteristics and richness. In the present work, we first highlight additional advantages of our procedure, which does not suffer cosmological biases and/or artifacts, and then we carry out an additional statistical test to strengthen our previous results. We also investigate properties of RG environments using those of the cosmological neighbors. We find that large-scale environments of both FR Is and FR IIs are remarkably similar and independent of the properties of central RG. Finally, we highlight the importance of comparing radio sources in the same redshift bins to obtain a complete overview of their large-scale environments.
Abstract
WASP-18 hosts a massive, very close-in Jupiter-like planet. Despite its young age (<1 Gyr), the star presents an anomalously low stellar activity level: the measured
activity parameter lies ...slightly below the basal level; there is no significant time-variability in the
value; there is no detection of the star in the X-rays. We present results of far-UV observations of WASP-18 obtained with COS on board of
Hubble Space Telescope
aimed at explaining this anomaly. From the star’s spectral energy distribution, we infer the extinction (
≈ 0.01 mag) and then the interstellar medium (ISM) column density for a number of ions, concluding that ISM absorption is not the origin of the anomaly. We measure the flux of the four stellar emission features detected in the COS spectrum (C
ii
, C
iii
, C
iv
, Si
iv
). Comparing the C
ii
/C
iv
flux ratio measured for WASP-18 with that derived from spectra of nearby stars with known age, we see that the far-UV spectrum of WASP-18 resembles that of old (>5 Gyr), inactive stars, in stark contrast with its young age. We conclude that WASP-18 has an intrinsically low activity level, possibly caused by star–planet tidal interaction, as suggested by previous studies. Re-scaling the solar irradiance reference spectrum to match the flux of the Si
iv
line, yields an XUV integrated flux at the planet orbit of 10.2 erg s
−1
cm
−2
. We employ the rescaled XUV solar fluxes to models of the planetary upper atmosphere, deriving an extremely low thermal mass-loss rate of 10
−20
M
J
Gyr
−1
. For such high-mass planets, thermal escape is not energy limited, but driven by Jeans escape.
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