# Follow-up observations of X-ray emitting hot subdwarf stars: the compact He-poor sdO star Feige 34

## TL;DR

This study presents the first X-ray spectroscopic observation of the hot subdwarf star Feige 34, revealing properties similar to early-type stars and suggesting possible emission from a companion star, with implications for understanding stellar wind phenomena.

## Contribution

First X-ray spectroscopic analysis of a helium-poor hot subdwarf star, exploring its emission mechanisms and potential companion influence.

## Key findings

- X-ray emission similar to early-type main-sequence stars
- Spectrum consistent with a young late-type star or companion
- X-ray flux aligns with turbulence and shocks in stellar winds

## Abstract

We report on results obtained with the XMM-Newton observation of Feige 34 carried out in April 2018. This is the first spectroscopic X-ray observation of a compact and helium-poor hot subdwarf star. The source was detected at a flux level $f_{\rm X}$ = 3.4$\times10^{-14}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ in the energy range 0.2-3 keV, which implies an X-ray-to-bolometric flux ratio $f_{\rm X}/f_{\rm bol} \simeq 10^{-6.5}$. The source spectrum can be described with the sum of two thermal-plasma components with subsolar abundances at temperatures of $\simeq$ 0.3 and 1.1 keV. These properties are similar to what is observed in early-type main-sequence stars, where the X-ray emission is attributed to turbulence and shocks in the stellar wind. Therefore, the same phenomenon could explain the X-ray properties of Feige 34. However, it is not possible to reproduce the observed spectrum with a thermal-plasma model if the elemental abundances are fixed at the values obtained from the optical and UV spectroscopy. Moreover, we show that the X-ray luminosity and spectrum are consistent with those expected from a young main-sequence star of late spectral type. Therefore, we discuss the possibility that the observed X-ray emission is due to the companion star of M0 spectral type, whose presence is suggested by the IR excess in the spectral energy distribution of Feige 34.