Constraining the X-ray Luminosities of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars: TX   Cam and T Cas
  To probe the magnetic activity levels of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, we used XMM-Newton to search for X-ray emission from two well-studied objects, TX Cam and T Cas. The former star displays polarized maser emission indicating magnetic field strengths of B ~ 5 G; the latter is one of the nearest known AGB stars. Neither star was detected by XMM-Newton. We use the upper limits on EPIC (CCD detector) count rates to constrain the X-ray luminosities of these stars, and derive L_X < 10^{31} erg s^{-1} (<10^{30} erg s^{-1}) for an assumed X-ray emission temperature T_X = 3x10^6 K (10^7 K). These limits represent <~ 10% (<~ 1%) of the X-ray luminosity expected under models in which AGB magnetic fields are global and potentially play an important role in collimating and/or launching AGB winds. We suggest, instead, that the B field strengths inferred from maser observations are representative of localized, magnetic clouds. 
Joel H. Kastner (1), Noam Soker (2) (1. Chester F. Carlson Center for   Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology; ...