Far‐Ultraviolet Observations of Flares on the dM0e Star AU Microscopii

Abstract

We report on far-ultraviolet (FUV) observations of flares on the dM0e star AU Microscopii obtained on 1998 September 6 with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. The data consist of medium-resolution echelle spectra covering the wavelength region from 1170 to 1730 A with a spectral resolution of λ/Δλ = 45,800. The observations were obtained using the TIME-TAG observing mode in which the time and position of each detected photon is recorded. This allows a study of variability that is constrained only by counting statistics. During a total on-source time of 10,105 s, we observed numerous microflare bursts as well as four well-defined flare events. These flares lasted between 10 s and 3 minutes and were most easily detected in the FUV continuum and the Si IV and C IV resonance lines. Variations in both the cooler (e.g., Lyα, C II, O I) and hotter (O V, N V, Fe XXI) emission lines were much less pronounced. We examined the physical characteristics of the flare events, including the time history of the wavelength-integrated fluxes in the continuum and the various emission lines. In particular, we searched for, but did not find, evidence for increased emission in the red wing of the Lyα line, which would indicate the presence of moderately energetic proton beams. We integrated the emission over the entire time of major flare activity to investigate the average line and continuum properties of the time-averaged spectrum, including flows and turbulence as a function of temperature. We also considered the shape of the FUV continuum, which may actually be caused by the enhancement of numerous weak emission lines. Unfortunately, none of the events were strong enough to allow a detailed examination of line profiles as a function of time.