Analysis of the chromosphere and corona of low-activity early-M dwarfs

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S354) ◽  
pp. 355-362
Author(s):  
Gaetano Scandariato ◽  
E. González Álvarez ◽  
J. Maldonado ◽  
A. Suárez Mascareño ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Active Regions ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Balmer Series ◽  
Emission Fluxes ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Low Activity

AbstractWhile most of the exoplanets have been found orbiting around solar-type stars, low-mass stars have recently been recognized as ideal exo-life laboratory. Currently, stellar activity is one of the limiting factors for the characterization of Earth-twins and for assessing their habitability: understanding the activity of M dwarfs is thus crucial. In this contribution I present the spectroscopic analysis of the quiet early-M dwarfs monitored within the HADES (HArps-n red Dwarf Exoplanet Survey) radial velocity survey. The spectra allow us to analyze simultaneously the Ca ii H&K doublet and the Hydrogen Balmer series, while the intensive follow up gives us a large number of spectra ( 100) for each target. We complement this dataset with ground-based follow-up photometry and archival X-ray data. I present our results on the activity-rotation-stellar parameters and flux-flux relationships, and discuss the correlation of emission fluxes at low activity levels and the evolution timescales of active regions.

scholarly journals Hα ACTIVITY OF OLD M DWARFS: STELLAR CYCLES AND MEAN ACTIVITY LEVELS FOR 93 LOW-MASS STARS IN THE SOLAR NEIGHBORHOOD

2013 ◽  
Vol 764 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Robertson ◽  
Michael Endl ◽  
William D. Cochran ◽  
Sarah E. Dodson-Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Solar Neighborhood ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Low Mass

scholarly journals Giant planets around AF and M stars

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (S299) ◽  
pp. 64-65
Author(s):  
Julien Rameau ◽  
Gaël Chauvin ◽  
Anne-Marie Lagrange ◽  
Philippe Delorme ◽  
Justine Lannier
Keyword(s):  
Giant Planets ◽  
Early Type ◽  
Late Type ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Planetary Mass ◽  
Nearby Stars ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
M Stars ◽  
The One

AbstractWe present the results of two three-year surveys of young and nearby stars to search for wide orbit giant planets. On the one hand, we focus on early-type and massive, namely β Pictoris analogs. On the other hand, we observe late type and very low mass stars, i.e., M dwarfs. We report individual detections of new planetary mass objects. According to our deep detection performances, we derive the observed frequency of giant planets between these two classes of parent stars. We find frequency between 6 to 12% but we are not able to assess a/no correlation with the host-mass.

scholarly journals Spectrum radial velocity analyser (SERVAL)

2017 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. A12 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Zechmeister ◽  
A. Reiners ◽  
P. J. Amado ◽  
M. Azzaro ◽  
F. F. Bauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Line Width ◽  
Active Regions ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Chromatic Index ◽  
Visual Channel ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Differential Line ◽  
Spectral Diagnostics ◽  
Low Mass

Context. The CARMENES survey is a high-precision radial velocity (RV) programme that aims to detect Earth-like planets orbiting low-mass stars. Aims. We develop least-squares fitting algorithms to derive the RVs and additional spectral diagnostics implemented in the SpEctrum Radial Velocity AnaLyser (SERVAL), a publicly available python code. Methods. We measured the RVs using high signal-to-noise templates created by coadding all available spectra of each star. We define the chromatic index as the RV gradient as a function of wavelength with the RVs measured in the echelle orders. Additionally, we computed the differential line width by correlating the fit residuals with the second derivative of the template to track variations in the stellar line width. Results. Using HARPS data, our SERVAL code achieves a RV precision at the level of 1 m/s. Applying the chromatic index to CARMENES data of the active star YZ CMi, we identify apparent RV variations induced by stellar activity. The differential line width is found to be an alternative indicator to the commonly used full width half maximum. Conclusions. We find that at the red optical wavelengths (700–900 nm) obtained by the visual channel of CARMENES, the chromatic index is an excellent tool to investigate stellar active regions and to identify and perhaps even correct for activity-induced RV variations.

scholarly journals Multi-Wavelength High-Resolution Spectroscopy for Exoplanet Detection: Motivation, Instrumentation and First Results

Geosciences ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena Benatti
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Giant Planet ◽  
High Resolution Spectroscopy ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
First Results ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Rocky Planets

Exoplanet research has shown an incessant growth since the first claim of a hot giant planet around a solar-like star in the mid-1990s. Today, the new facilities are working to spot the first habitable rocky planets around low-mass stars as a forerunner for the detection of the long-awaited Sun-Earth analog system. All the achievements in this field would not have been possible without the constant development of the technology and of new methods to detect more and more challenging planets. After the consolidation of a top-level instrumentation for high-resolution spectroscopy in the visible wavelength range, a huge effort is now dedicated to reaching the same precision and accuracy in the near-infrared. Actually, observations in this range present several advantages in the search for exoplanets around M dwarfs, known to be the most favorable targets to detect possible habitable planets. They are also characterized by intense stellar activity, which hampers planet detection, but its impact on the radial velocity modulation is mitigated in the infrared. Simultaneous observations in the visible and near-infrared ranges appear to be an even more powerful technique since they provide combined and complementary information, also useful for many other exoplanetary science cases.

scholarly journals The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A171 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Luque ◽  
G. Nowak ◽  
E. Pallé ◽  
D. Kossakowski ◽  
T. Trifonov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Photometric Data ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Visual Channel ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Periodic Signals ◽  
M Stars ◽  
Host Stars

We announce the discovery of two planetary companions orbiting around the low-mass stars Ross 1020 (GJ 3779, M4.0V) and LP 819-052 (GJ 1265, M4.5V). The discovery is based on the analysis of CARMENES radial velocity (RV) observations in the visual channel as part of its survey for exoplanets around M dwarfs. In the case of GJ 1265, CARMENES observations were complemented with publicly available Doppler measurements from HARPS. The datasets reveal two planetary companions, one for each star, that share very similar properties: minimum masses of 8.0 ± 0.5 M⊕ and 7.4 ± 0.5 M⊕ in low-eccentricity orbits with periods of 3.023 ± 0.001 d and 3.651 ± 0.001 d for GJ 3779 b and GJ 1265 b, respectively. The periodic signals around 3 d found in the RV data have no counterpart in any spectral activity indicator. Furthermore, we collected available photometric data for the two host stars, which confirm that the additional Doppler variations found at periods of approximately 95 d can be attributed to the rotation of the stars. The addition of these planets to a mass-period diagram of known planets around M dwarfs suggests a bimodal distribution with a lack of short-period low-mass planets in the range of 2–5 M⊕. It also indicates that super-Earths (>5 M⊕) currently detected by RV and transit techniques around M stars are usually found in systems dominated by a single planet.

scholarly journals Magnetic activity in the HARPS M dwarf sample

2017 ◽  
Vol 600 ◽  
pp. A13 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Astudillo-Defru ◽  
X. Delfosse ◽  
X. Bonfils ◽  
T. Forveille ◽  
C. Lovis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Rotation Period ◽  
Magnetic Activity ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
M Dwarf ◽  
The Relationship

Context. Atmospheric magnetic fields in stars with convective envelopes heat stellar chromospheres, and thus increase the observed flux in the Ca ii H and K doublet. Starting with the historical Mount Wilson monitoring program, these two spectral lines have been widely used to trace stellar magnetic activity, and as a proxy for rotation period (Prot) and consequently for stellar age. Monitoring stellar activity has also become essential in filtering out false-positives due to magnetic activity in extra-solar planet surveys. The Ca ii emission is traditionally quantified through the R'HK-index, which compares the chromospheric flux in the doublet to the overall bolometric flux of the star. Much work has been done to characterize this index for FGK-dwarfs, but M dwarfs – the most numerous stars of the Galaxy – were left out of these analyses and no calibration of their Ca ii H and K emission to an R'HK exists to date. Aims. We set out to characterize the magnetic activity of the low- and very-low-mass stars by providing a calibration of the R'HK-index that extends to the realm of M dwarfs, and by evaluating the relationship between R'HK and the rotation period. Methods. We calibrated the bolometric and photospheric factors for M dwarfs to properly transform the S-index (which compares the flux in the Ca ii H and K lines to a close spectral continuum) into the R'HK. We monitored magnetic activity through the Ca ii H and K emission lines in the HARPS M dwarf sample. Results. The R'HK index, like the fractional X-ray luminosity LX/Lbol, shows a saturated correlation with rotation, with saturation setting in around a ten days rotation period. Above that period, slower rotators show weaker Ca ii activity, as expected. Under that period, the R'HK index saturates to approximately 10-4. Stellar mass modulates the Ca ii activity, with R'HK showing a constant basal activity above 0.6 M⊙ and then decreasing with mass between 0.6 M⊙ and the fully-convective limit of 0.35 M⊙. Short-term variability of the activity correlates with its mean level and stars with higher R'HK indexes show larger R'HK variability, as previously observed for earlier spectral types.

scholarly journals Mon-735: a new low-mass pre-main-sequence eclipsing binary in NGC 2264

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (2) ◽  
pp. 1531-1548
Author(s):  
Edward Gillen ◽  
Lynne A Hillenbrand ◽  
John Stauffer ◽  
Suzanne Aigrain ◽  
Luisa Rebull ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Spectral Energy Distribution ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Centre Of Mass ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Eclipsing Binary ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Effective Temperatures

ABSTRACT We present Mon-735, a detached double-lined eclipsing binary (EB) member of the ∼3 Myr old NGC 2264 star-forming region, detected by Spitzer. We simultaneously model the Spitzer light curves, follow-up Keck/HIRES radial velocities, and the system’s spectral energy distribution to determine self-consistent masses, radii, and effective temperatures for both stars. We find that Mon-735 comprises two pre-main-sequence M dwarfs with component masses of M = 0.2918 ± 0.0099 and 0.2661 ± 0.0095 M⊙, radii of R = 0.762 ± 0.022 and 0.748 ± 0.023 R⊙, and effective temperatures of Teff = 3260 ± 73 and 3213 ± 73 K. The two stars travel on circular orbits around their common centre of mass in P = 1.9751388 ± 0.0000050 d. We compare our results for Mon-735, along with another EB in NGC 2264 (CoRoT 223992193), to the predictions of five stellar evolution models. These suggest that the lower mass EB system Mon-735 is older than CoRoT 223992193 in the mass–radius diagram (MRD) and, to a lesser extent, in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (HRD). The MRD ages of Mon-735 and CoRoT 223992193 are ∼7–9 and 4–6 Myr, respectively, with the two components in each EB system possessing consistent ages.

scholarly journals Do Low Luminosity Stars Matter?

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 47-60
Author(s):  
María Teresa Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
White Dwarf ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Missing Mass ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Astronomical Research ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Large Telescopes ◽  
The Universe

AbstractHistorically, low luminosity stars have attracted very little attention, in part because they are difficult to see except with large telescopes, however, by neglecting to study them we are leaving out the vast majority of stars in the Universe. Low mass stars evolve very slowly, it takes them trillions of years to burn their hydrogen, after which, they just turn into a He white dwarf, without ever going through the red giant phase. This lack of observable evolution partly explains the lack of interest in them. The search for the “missing mass” in the galactic plane turned things around and during the 60s and 70s the search for large M/L objects placed M-dwarfs and cool WDs among objects of astrophysical interest. New fields of astronomical research, like BDs and exoplanets appeared as spin-offs from efforts to find the “missing mass”. The search for halo white dwarfs, believed to be responsible for the observed microlensing events, is pursued by several groups. The progress in these last few years has been tremendous, here I present highlights some of the great successes in the field and point to some of the still unsolved issues.

Implications of stellar activity for exoplanetary atmospheres

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Odert ◽  
M. Leitzinger ◽  
A. Hanslmeier ◽  
H. Lammer ◽  
M.L. Khodachenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Ultraviolet ◽  
Planetary Atmospheres ◽  
Young Star ◽  
Young Stars ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
X Ray ◽  
History Of ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Exoplanetary Atmospheres

AbstractStellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation is an important driver of the escape of planetary atmospheres. Young stars emit high XUV fluxes that decrease as they age. Since the XUV emission of a young star can be orders of magnitude higher compared to an older one, this evolution has to be taken into account when studying the mass-loss history of a planet. The temporal decrease of activity is closely related to the operating magnetic dynamo, which depends on rotation and convection in Sun-like stars. Using a sample of nearby M dwarfs, we study the relations between age, rotation and activity and discuss the influence on planets orbiting these low-mass stars.

scholarly journals Ejection of close-in super-Earths around low-mass stars in the giant impact stage

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A23
Author(s):  
Yuji Matsumoto ◽  
Pin-Gao Gu ◽  
Eiichiro Kokubo ◽  
Shoichi Oshino ◽  
Masashi Omiya
Keyword(s):  
Surface Density ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Central Star ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Mass Relation ◽  
M Dwarfs ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Giant Impact ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Strong Scattering

Context. Earth-sized planets were observed in close-in orbits around M dwarfs. While more and more planets are expected to be uncovered around M dwarfs, theories of their formation and dynamical evolution are still in their infancy. Aims. We investigate the giant impact stage for the growth of protoplanets, which includes strong scattering around low-mass stars. The aim is to clarify whether strong scattering around low-mass stars affects the orbital and mass distributions of the planets. Methods. We performed an N-body simulation of protoplanets by systematically surveying the parameter space of the stellar mass and surface density of protoplanets. Results. We find that protoplanets are often ejected after twice or three times the close-scattering around late M dwarfs. The ejection sets the upper limit of the largest planet mass. By adopting the surface density that linearly scales with the stellar mass, we find that as the stellar mass decreases, less massive planets are formed in orbits with higher eccentricities and inclinations. Under this scaling, we also find that a few close-in protoplanets are generally ejected. Conclusions. The ejection of protoplanets plays an important role in the mass distribution of super-Earths around late M dwarfs. The mass relation of observed close-in super-Earths and their central star mass is reproduced well by ejection.

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