A Long-duration Superflare on the K Giant HD 251108

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Many giant stars are magnetically active, which causes rotational variability, chromospheric emission lines, and X-ray emission. Large outbursts in these emission features can set limits on the magnetic field strength and thus constrain the mechanism of the underlying dynamo. HD 251108 is a Li-rich active K-type giant. We find a rotational period of 21.3 days with color changes and additional long-term photometric variability. Both can be explained with very stable stellar spots. We followed the decay phase of a superflare for 28 days with NICER and from the ground. We track the flare decay in unprecedented detail in several coronal temperature components. With a peak flux around 1034 erg s−1 (0.5–4.0 keV) and an exponential decay time of 2.2 days in the early decay phase, this is one of the strongest flares ever observed, yet it follows trends established from samples of smaller flares, for example, for the relations between Hα and X-ray flux, indicating that the physical process that powers the flare emission is consistent over a large range of flare energies. We estimate a flare loop length about 2–4 times the stellar radius. No evidence is seen for abundance changes during the flare.
Funding Information
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC21K1903)
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (50QR2105)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC21K0632)
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science London (21J00106)
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science London (20K04032)
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (50OR2205)

This publication has 69 references indexed in Scilit: