Description
Pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars are known to produce powerful X-ray flares, which resemble magnetic reconnection solar flares scaled by factors up to 104. However, there are numerous puzzles, including the structure of X-ray-emitting coronae and magnetospheres, the effects of protoplanetary disks, and the effects of stellar rotation. To investigate these issues in detail, we examine 216 of the brightest flares from 161 PMS stars observed in the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP, Getman et al. Cat. J/ApJS/160/319). The current study (Paper I) examines the flare morphologies, and provides a general comparison of COUP flare characteristics with those of other active X-ray stars and the Sun.
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