Flare diagnostics from loop modeling of a stellar flare observed with XMM-Newton

Abstract

XMM-Newton data of an X-ray flare observed on Proxima Centauri provide detailed and challenging constraints for flare modeling. The comparison of the data with the results of time-dependent hydrodynamic loop modeling of this flare allows us to constrain not only the loop morphology, but also the details of the heating function. The results show that even a complex flare event like this can be described with a relatively few – though constrained – components: two loop systems, i.e., a single loop and an arcade, and two heat components, an intense pulse probably located at the loop footpoints followed by a low gradual decay distributed in the coronal part of the loop. The similarity to at least one solar event (the Bastille Day flare in 2000) indicates that this pattern may be common to solar and stellar flares