X-Ray Flares of Sun-Like Young Stellar Objects and Their Effects on Protoplanetary Disks

Astronomical observations of flares from analogs of the early Sun have the potential to give critical insights into the high energy irradiation environment of protoplanetary disks. Solar-mass young stellar objects are significantly more X-ray luminous than the typical low-mass T Tauri star. They undergo frequent strong flaring on a several day time scale. Very powerful flares also occur, but on a longer time frame. The hard X-ray spectrum of these stars become even harder during flaring. The X-rays from these sun-like young stellar objects have the potential to ionize circumstellar material out to large distances. Three specific illustrations are given of the effects of the X-rays: The physics and chemistry of the atmospheres of the inner accretion disks; the ionization level at the disk midplane, important for the viability of the magnetorotational instability; and the nuclear fluence in the irradiation zone just interior to the inner edge of the disk, important in local irradiation scenarios for producing the short-lived radionuclides found in meteorites.