γ-ray detection from occasional flares in T Tauri stars of NGC 2071-I. Observational connection

NGC 2071 is a star-forming region that overlaps with three γ-ray sources detected by the Fermi Space Telescope. We propose that strong flare activity in T Tauri stars could produce γ-ray emission in a way that makes them a counterpart to some unidentified sources detected by the Large Area Telescope...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Filócomo, A., Albacete-Colombo, J. F., Mestre, Enrique, Pellizza, L. J., Combi, J. A.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/348547
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/348547
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Stars: flare
Stars: variables: T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be
Gamma-rays: stars
Descripción
Sumario:NGC 2071 is a star-forming region that overlaps with three γ-ray sources detected by the Fermi Space Telescope. We propose that strong flare activity in T Tauri stars could produce γ-ray emission in a way that makes them a counterpart to some unidentified sources detected by the Large Area Telescope aboard the Fermi satellite. We have performed a spectral and temporal analysis for two Fermi data sets: the first 2 yr and the entire 14 yr of observations. We have found that the γ-ray source is detectable at 3.2σ above the background at energies above 100 GeV during the first 2 yr of observation. The analysis of the expected frequency of the highest energy flares occurring in T Tauri stars is consistent with our estimate. In addition, we have determined the minimum energy of the flare that would produce γ-ray emission, which is ∼5 × 1037 erg. This agreement becomes a hard observational constraint supporting previous hypotheses about rare flares as the origin of unidentified γ-ray sources in star-forming regions.