Preliminaries -- Oral Presentation

Chandra - The X-ray View of Star Formation

Scott Wolk, CfA


The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched in July 1999, is the premier instrument for high spatial resolution X-ray astrophysics. In this quick review I outline the basic function and capabilities of Chandra. I will then outline some of the most prominent mechanisms and forms of X-ray emission from young stars. These X-rays primarily arise from dynamo driven plasma in low mass stars and wind driven plasma in high mass stars. When a disk is present, the star-disk interaction is also a possible source of X-rays. I will end with a survey of a few results from the first 5 years of the Chandra mission.