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Sub-Terahertz Radiation Features from the Flare of Proxima Cen

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Abstract

A comparative analysis of stellar and solar flares at millimeter wavelength range has been carried out using the red dwarf Proxima Centauri as an example. The main attention is paid to the results of ALMA observations, which show that the flux of sub-THz radiation from stellar flares is an order of magnitude greater than that for solar flares, decreases with radiation frequency, and has a degree of linear polarization reaching tens of percent. We showed that the synchrotron mechanism is responsible for the sub-THz radiation, which assumes the acceleration of electrons to ultrarelativistic energies. The observed relationship between sub-THz, radio, and X-ray emission from stellar flares is discussed. The hypothesis about the important role of flare energy release in the dense layers of the stellar atmosphere is substantiated.

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Funding

The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Czech Science Foundation (project no. 20-52-26 006, Tsap Yu.T.), the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 22-12-00308, Stepanov A.V., Tsap Yu.T.) and the State Assignment (no. 0040-2019-0025).

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Correspondence to Yu. T. Tsap, A. V. Stepanov or Yu. G. Kopylova.

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Translated by E. Seifina

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Tsap, Y.T., Stepanov, A.V. & Kopylova, Y.G. Sub-Terahertz Radiation Features from the Flare of Proxima Cen. Geomagn. Aeron. 63, 937–941 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S001679322307023X

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