Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: We use soft X-ray and magnetic field observations of the Sun (quiet Sun, X-ray bright points, active regions, and integrated solar disk) and active stars (dwarf and pre-main-sequence) to study the relationship between total unsigned magnetic flux, Φ, and X-ray spectral radiance, L X . We find that Φ and L X exhibit a very nearly linear relationship over 12 orders of magnitude, albeit with significant levels of scatter. This suggests a universal relationship between magnetic flux and the power dissipated through coronal heating. If the relationship can be assumed linear, it is consistent with an average volumetric heating rate ~ / L , where is the average field strength along a closed field line and L is its length between footpoints. The Φ- L X relationship also indicates that X-rays provide a useful proxy for the magnetic flux on stars when magnetic measurements are unavailable.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
DOI: 10.1086/378944
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, University of California, Santa Barbara, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Astrophysics Division
OpenAlex ID: W2144219585