Contemporaneous XMM-Newton investigation of a giant X-ray flare and quiescent state from a cool M-class dwarf in the local cavity

Abstract

We report the serendipitous detection of a giant X-ray flare from the source 2XMM J043527.2-144301 during an XMM-Newton observation of the high latitude molecular cloud MBM20. The source has not been previously studied at any wavelength. The X-ray flux increases by a factor of more than 52 from quiescent state to peak of flare. A 2MASS counterpart has been identified (2MASS J04352724-1443017), and near-infrared colors reveal a spectral type of M8-M8.5 and a distance of (67 ± 13)pc, placing the source in front of MBM20. Spectral analysis and source luminosity are also consistent with this conclusion. The measured distance makes this object the most distant source (by about a factor of four) at this spectral type detected in X-rays. The X-ray flare was characterized by a peak X-ray luminosity of ∼8.2 × 10 28ergs-1 and integrated X-ray energy of ∼2.3 × 1032erg. The flare emission has been characterized with a two-temperature model with temperatures of ∼10 and 46MK (0.82 and 4.0keV) and is dominated by the higher temperature component. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.