A scientific team led by Kiana Burton of the University of Colorado and Meredith MacGregor of Johns Hopkins University utilized archival data and new ALMA observations to study the millimeter-wavelength flare activity of Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri’s small size and strong magnetic field indicate that its entire internal structure is convective, making the star much more active. Its magnetic fields become twisted, develop tension, and eventually snap, sending streams of energy and particles outward in what is observed as flares.
This research represents the first multi-wavelength study using millimeter observations to uncover a new look at the physics of flares. Combining 50 hours of ALMA observations using both the full 12-meter array as well as the 7-meter Atacama Compact Array (ACA), a total of 463 flare events were reported at energies ranging from 1024 to 1027 erg, and with a brief duration ranging from 3 to 16 seconds. The results of the study are published in the following scientific paper: MacGregor et al. The Proxima Centauri Campaign. First constraints on millimeter flare rates from ALMA.
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Image: © NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/S. Dagnello; Artist’s concept of a stellar flare from Proxima Centauri.