Burst versus quiescent nature of AT Col’s VLASS radio emission

Ascertain whether the radio emission detected from the solar-type star AT Col in VLASS can unambiguously be classified as transient burst-related emission rather than quiescent coronal emission, based on its observed intensity.

Background

AT Col was detected in two VLASS epochs, with one showing significant circular polarization, suggesting non-thermal processes. While its flux density at 1 AU would exceed typical solar burst intensities, the emission is only modestly brighter than reported quiescent levels for active solar-type stars.

This ambiguity motivates determining whether AT Col’s observed radio intensity effectively rules out quiescent emission, thereby confirming a flare-associated burst origin.

References

When considering AT Col in the stellar context, it is unclear whether the intensity of its emission can unambiguously rule out quiescent emission.

— Detection of Radio Emission from Super-flaring Solar-Type Stars in the VLA Sky Survey  (2408.14612 - Davis et al., 2024) in Section 4.1 (The VLASS-detected Stars), Subsubsection “AT Col”