Implications of Recent Stellar Wind Measurements

Abstract

Very recent measurements of stellar winds are used to update relations between winds and coronal activity. New wind constraints include an upper limit of Mdot<0.1 Mdot_sun for Tau Ceti (G8 V), derived from a nondetection of astrospheric H I Lyman-alpha absorption. This upper limit is reported here for the first time, and represents the weakest wind constrained using the astrospheric absorption technique. A high mass loss rate measurement of Mdot=10 Mdot_sun for Delta Pav (G8 IV) from astrospheric Lyman-alpha absorption suggests stronger winds for subgiants than for main sequence stars of equivalent activity. A very low mass-loss rate of Mdot~0.06 Mdot_sun recently estimated for GJ 436 (M3 V) from Lyman-alpha absorption from an evaporating exoplanetary atmosphere implies inactive M dwarfs may have weak winds compared with GK dwarfs of similar activity.