The stellar population of the Rosat North Ecliptic Pole survey - II. Spectral analysis

Context. X-ray surveys allow to identify young, main-sequence stars in the solar neighborhood. Young, stellar samples, selected according to their activity, can be used to determine the stellar birthrate in the last billion years. The ROSAT North Ecliptic Pole survey (NEP), with its moderately deep sensitivity (fluxes approximate to 10(-14) erg cm(-2) s(-1)), is the best survey, to date, able to sample the intermediate-age (10(8)-10(9) years) nearby population. The identification process of NEP X-ray sources resulted in 144 X-ray sources having a normal stellar counterpart, with an excess of yellow stars with respect to model predictions. Aims. We want to determine if these X-ray active stars are young or intermediate-age stars, or active binaries. Methods. We acquired high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio optical spectra, to determine the age and physical properties of the NEP X-ray-detected stellar sources. We measure the (i) lithium abundance using the Li I 6707.8 angstrom line, which is an excellent, youth indicator for our age range of interest; (ii) rotational and radial velocities (through cross-correlation methods); and (iii) chromospheric emission (from Ha and Na I D(1) and D(2) lines). Results. The radial velocities distribution is consistent with that of a young field star population of age 4 x 10(9) yrs, or younger. Rotational velocity measurements imply that our sample is dominated by relatively young or intermediate-age stars, as confirmed by our lithium measurements. Conclusions. Most of the detected stars probably belong to a young or intermediate-age population. Our measurements suggest that a burst in the stellar birthrate of a factor of four occurred in the last 108 years. We cannot, however, exclude the possibility that a small fraction of sources, amongst the fastest of the K-rotators, are old binary systems with tidally-locked rotation.