Publication details
The X-ray emission from Z Canis Majoris during an FUor-like outburst and the detection of its X-ray jet
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Astronomy and astrophysics |
| Keywords | X-rays: stars; accretion; accretion disks; stars: pre-main sequence; stars: variables: general; stars: activity; stars: winds; outflows |
| Description | We observed the FUor object Z CMa during optical outburst and quiescence with Chandra. No significant changes in X-ray brightness and spectral shape were found, suggesting that the X-ray emission is coronal. The binary nature of Z CMa makes the origin of the X-ray source ambiguous. However, the moderate hydrogen column density derived from our data makes it unlikely that the embedded primary star is the X-ray source. The secondary star, which is the FUor object, is thus responsible for both the X-ray emission and the ongoing accretion outburst, which seem, however, to be unrelated phenomena. The secondary is also known to drive a large outflow and jet, which we detect here for the first time in X-rays. The distance of the X-ray emitting outflow source to the central star is greater than in jets of low-mass stars. |