Chandra,Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, and Very Large Array Observations of the Active Binary System σ2Coronae Borealis

Abstract

We present the results of a coordinated observing campaign on the short-period RS CVn binary σ2 Coronae Borealis (F6V + G0V; Porb = 1.14 days) with the Very Large Array, the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. The radio emission is consistent with previously determined quiescent gyrosynchrotron properties. Multiple flares were seen with Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, five occurring within two consecutive orbital periods. The first of these flares was observed with Chandra. The Chandra observations of σ2 CrB showed no systematic variations of line fluxes, widths, or Doppler shifts with orbital phase, nor any response in line width or offset due to the flare. This is consistent with both stars being equally active coronal emitters. We have developed a self-consistent method of spectral analysis to derive information from the line and continuum emissions concerning the distribution of plasma with temperature and elemental abundances. A bimodal temperature distribution is appropriate for both quiescent and flare intervals, with a stable peak at 6-8 MK and another variable enhancement at higher temperatures, with evidence for significant contribution from temperatures up to 50 MK during the flare, compared to 30 MK during quiescence. The iron abundance is subsolar during quiescence but is enriched by about a factor of 2 during a large flare seen with Chandra. The noble gas elements neon and argon show elevated abundances with respect to iron, but there is no clear evidence for any first ionization potential-based abundance pattern during quiescence or the flare. We have determined coronal electron densities from the helium-like ions O VII, Ne IX, Mg XI, and Si XIII, which imply densities ≥1010 cm-3. There is a small enhancement in the electron densities derived for the flare, but it is not statistically significant. We call attention to electron temperature constraints provided by the ratios of 1s2 1S0-1snp 1P1 transitions of the helium-like ions O VII, Ne IX, Mg XI, and Si XIII. The derived coronal electron pressures change by 1-2 orders of magnitude over a 25% change in temperature, implying nonisobaric coronal conditions. We find no evidence for significant departures from the effectively thin coronal assumption. The electron densities inferred from the soft X-ray spectra are inconsistent with cospatial gyrosynchrotron emission; further observations are necessary to discriminate the relative locations of the radio and soft X-ray-emitting plasma.