Resolving X-Ray Sources from B Stars Spectroscopically: The Example of µ Leporis
Güdel, Manuel; Kahn, Steven M.; Behar, Ehud; Audard, Marc; Feldman, Uri; Leutenegger, Maurice; Doron, Rami
Israel, United States, Switzerland
Abstract
We present high-resolution X-ray observations of the chemically peculiar late-type B star μ Lep. However, we find spectroscopic and astrometric evidence, which shows that the X-rays are not traced back to the B star itself but rather to a previously unresolved companion, μ Lep-B, whose X-ray spectrum resembles that of a coronally active source. We discuss the possibility that μ Lep-B is a pre-main-sequence companion, most likely of the nonaccreting magnetically active type.