Soft X-ray observations of pre-main-sequence stars in the Chamaeleon dark cloud

X-ray observations of the Chamaeleon I cloud, a star-forming region, are reported. A total of 22 distinct X-ray sources, most associated with previously identified premain sequence stars, are found. The spatial distributions and HR diagrams of the stars are very similar, suggesting that they are coeval. Luminosity functions suggest that the stars have an average X-ray luminosity (Lx) several times that of the Pleiades dwarfs. The value of Lx is significantly correlated with optical magnitude, though no relation between X-ray emission and any photometric or emission line characteristic is present. It is suggested that a Skumanich-type power-law relation may be present over the entire range of stellar ages between 10 to the 6th and 10 to the 10th yr. 54 refs.