TY - JOUR A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Schaerer, Daniel T1 - Ionization of He II in star-forming galaxies by X-rays from cluster winds and superbubbles JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - The nature of the sources powering nebular He II emission in star-forming galaxies remains debated, and various types of objects have been considered, including Wolf-Rayet stars, X-ray binaries, and Population III stars. Modern X-ray observations show the ubiquitous presence of hot gas filling star-forming galaxies. We use a collisional ionization plasma code to compute the specific He II ionizing flux produced by hot gas and show that if its temperature is not too high (less than or similar to 2.5 MK), then the observed levels of soft diffuse X-ray radiation could explain He II ionization in galaxies. To gain a physical understanding of this result, we propose a model that combines the hydrodynamics of cluster winds and hot superbubbles with observed populations of young massive clusters in galaxies. We find that in low-metallicity galaxies, the temperature of hot gas is lower and the production rate of He II ionizing photons is higher compared to high-metallicity galaxies. The reason is that the slower stellar winds of massive stars in lower-metallicity galaxies input less mechanical energy in the ambient medium. Furthermore, we show that ensembles of star clusters up to similar to 10-20 Myr old in galaxies can produce enough soft X-rays to induce nebular He II emission. We discuss observations of the template low-metallicity galaxy I Zw 18 and suggest that the He II nebula in this galaxy is powered by a hot superbubble. Finally, appreciating the complex nature of stellar feedback, we suggest that soft X-rays from hot superbubbles are among the dominant sources of He II ionizing flux in low-metallicity star-forming galaxies. KW - galaxies KW - ISM KW - high-redshift KW - bubbles KW - X-rays Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142520 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 661 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foster, Grace A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja T1 - Identifying interesting planetary systems for future X-ray observations JF - Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes N2 - X-ray observations of star-planet systems are important to grow our understanding of exoplanets; these observations allow for studies of photoevaporation of the exoplanetary atmosphere, and in some cases even estimations of the size of the outer planetary atmosphere. The German-Russian eROSITA instrument onboard the SRG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) mission is performing the first all-sky X-ray survey since the 1990s, and provides X-ray fluxes and spectra of exoplanet host stars over a much larger volume than was accessible before. Using new eROSITA data as well as archival data from XMM-Newton, Chandra, and ROSAT, we estimate mass-loss rates of exoplanets under an energy-limited escape scenario and identify several exoplanets with strong X-ray irradiation and expected mass loss that are amenable to follow-up observations at other wavelengths. We model sample spectra using a toy model of an exoplanetary atmosphere to predict what exoplanet transit observations with future X-ray missions such as Athena will look like and estimate the observable X-ray transmission spectrum for a typical hot Jupiter-type exoplanet. KW - planets and satellites KW - general KW - stars KW - activity KW - coronae KW - planetary systems KW - X-rays Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.20220007 SN - 1521-3994 VL - 343 IS - 4 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja T1 - How stars and planets interact BT - A look through the high-energy window JF - Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes N2 - The architecture of exoplanetary systems is often different from the solar system, with some exoplanets being in close orbits around their host stars and having orbital periods of only a few days. In analogy to interactions between stars in close binary systems, one may expect interactions between the star and the exoplanet as well. From theoretical considerations, effects on the host star through tidal and magnetic interaction with the exoplanet are possible; for the exoplanet, some interesting implications are the evaporation of the planetary atmosphere and potential effects on the planetary magnetism. In this review, several possible interaction pathways and their observational prospects and existing evidence are discussed. A particular emphasis is put on observational opportunities for these kinds of effects in the high-energy regime. KW - magnetic fields KW - planet-star interactions KW - stars KW - activity KW - X-rays Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.201913619 SN - 0004-6337 SN - 1521-3994 VL - 340 IS - 4 SP - 329 EP - 333 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER -