Analysis of Solar-like X-Class Flare on Wolf 359 Observed Simultaneously with TESS and XMM-Newton

TL;DR

This study analyzes a solar-like X-class flare on Wolf 359 using simultaneous TESS and XMM-Newton observations, revealing that stellar flares share similar physical processes and parameters with solar flares.

Contribution

First detailed multi-wavelength analysis of a Wolf 359 flare demonstrating similarities with solar flare mechanisms and parameters.

Findings

Flare energy comparable to X-class solar flares.

DEM distributions with three temperature components.

Flare loop parameters match solar flare values.

Abstract

We present an analysis of a flare on the Wolf 359 star based on simultaneous observations of TESS and XMM-Newton. A stellar flare with energy comparable to an X-class solar flare is analyzed on this star for the first time. The main goal of the study was to determine whether the same physical processes drive and occur in stellar flares as in the solar flares. We tried to estimate the flare class by various direct and indirect methods. Light curves and spectra in different energy ranges were used to determine the parameters and profiles of the flare. From the XMM-Newton EPIC-pn X-ray data, we estimated the temperature and emission measure during the flare. The thermodynamical timescale and the loop semi-length were also determined with two different methods. The RGS spectra enabled us to calculate the differential emission measure (DEM) distributions. The obtained DEM distributions have three components at temperature values of 3 MK, 7 MK, and 16-17 MK. The analysis of the line ratio in helium-like triplets allowed us to determine the plasma electron density. Our results for the flare loop on Wolf 359 were compared to typical parameters for solar flares observed with GOES and RHESSI. This supports our conclusion that the processes taking place in stellar flares are like those in solar flares. The determined geometrical parameters of the phenomenon do not differ from the values of analogs occurring on the Sun.