X-ray spectral and timing characteristics of the stars in the young open cluster IC 2391

Abstract

We present X-ray spectral and timing analysis of members of the young open cluster IC 2391 observed with the XMM-Newton observatory. We detected 99 X-ray sources by analysing the summed data obtained from MOS1, MOS2 and pn detectors of the EPIC camera; 24 of them are members, or probable members, of the cluster. Stars of all spectral types have been detected, from the early-types to the late-M dwarfs. Despite the capability of the instrument to recognize up to 3 thermal components, the X-ray spectra of the G, K and M members of the cluster are well described with two thermal components (at kT${}_1\sim$ 0.3-0.5 keV and kT${}_2\sim$ 1.0-1.2 keV respectively) while the X-ray spectra of F members require only a softer 1-T model. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test applied to the X-ray photon time series shows that approximately 46% of the members of IC 2391 are variable with a confidence level $>$99%. The comparison of our data with those obtained with ROSAT/PSPC, nine years earlier, and ROSAT/HRI, seven years earlier, shows that there is no evidence of significant variability on these time scales, suggesting that long-term variations due to activity cycles similar to that on the Sun are not common, if present at all, among these young stars.

arXiv commentAstronomy & Astrophysics, in press

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Cited by in corpus (12)

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• An XMM-Newton observation of the young open cluster NGC 2547: coronal activity at 30 Myr
• The debris disk host star HD 61005: a member of the Argus Association?
• The chromospheric emission of solar-type stars in the young open clusters IC 2391 and IC 2602
• WIYN Open Cluster Study. XXVI. Improved kinematic membership and spectroscopy of IC 2391
• A Constraint on brown dwarf formation via ejection: radial variation of the stellar and substellar mass function of the young open cluster IC2391
• The kinematical and space structures of IC 2391 open cluster and moving group with Gaia-DR2
• X-ray variability of sigma Orionis young stars with ROSAT
• A deep multi-band investigation of IC2391
• Coronal Temperature as an Age Indicator
• X-ray variability of NGC 2516 stars in the XMM-Newton observations