We recently published evidence for a steep decline in chromospheric ultravioletemission compared with coronal X-ray emission for mid-to-late M dwarfs. Verylate M dwarfs appear to be underluminous in the ultraviolet by two orders ofmagnitude. If confirmed, this chromospheric decline will have profoundimplications for the habitability of exoplanet systems similar to TRAPPIST-1.The chromospheric decline may also point to a change in stellar dynamo mechanismat the fully convective boundary. We propose XMM-Newton and HST observations ofthree very late M dwarfs in order to test that the chromospheric decline is acommon feature of the class.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2021-06-24T14:34:06Z/2022-02-22T18:30:21Z
Version
19.17_20220121_1250
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Prof Peter Wheatley, 2023, 'Testing the steep decline in chromospheric emission of very late M dwarfs', 19.17_20220121_1250, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-esnyv3o
