The surface rotation rates of young solar-type stars vary rapidly with age from the end of the pre-main sequence through the early main sequence. Important changes in the dynamos operating in these ...stars may result from this evolution, which should be observable in their surface magnetic fields. Here we present a study aimed at observing the evolution of these magnetic fields through this critical time period. We observed stars in open clusters and stellar associations of known ages, and used Zeeman Doppler imaging to characterize their complex magnetic large-scale fields. Presented here are results for 15 stars, from five associations, with ages from 20 to 250 Myr, masses from 0.7 to 1.2 M⊙, and rotation periods from 0.4 to 6 d. We find complex large-scale magnetic field geometries, with global average strengths from 14 to 140 G. There is a clear trend towards decreasing average large-scale magnetic field strength with age, and a tight correlation between magnetic field strength and Rossby number. Comparing the magnetic properties of our zero-age main-sequence sample to those of both younger and older stars, it appears that the magnetic evolution of solar-type stars during the pre-main sequence is primarily driven by structural changes, while it closely follows the stars’ rotational evolution on the main sequence.
Context.
The detection of Earth-mass exoplanets in the habitable zone around solar-mass stars using the radial velocity technique requires extremely high precision, on the order of 10 cm s
−1
. This ...puts the required noise floor below the intrinsic variability of even relatively inactive stars, such as the Sun. One such variable is convective blueshift varying temporally, spatially, and between spectral lines.
Aims.
We develop a new approach for measuring convective blueshift and determine the strength of convective blueshift for 810 stars observed by the HARPS spectrograph, spanning spectral types late-F, G, K, and early-M. We derive a model for infering blueshift velocity for lines of any depth in later-type stars of any effective temperature.
Methods.
Using a custom list of spectral lines, covering a wide range of absorption depths, we create a model for the line-core shift as a function of line depth, commonly known as the third signature of granulation. For this we utilize an extremely-high-resolution solar spectrum (
R
~ 1 000 000) to empirically account for the nonlinear nature of the third signature. The solar third signature is then scaled to all 810 stars. Through this we obtain a measure of the convective blueshift relative to the Sun as a function of stellar effective temperature.
Results.
We confirm the general correlation of increasing convective blueshift with effective temperature and establish a tight, cubic relation between the two that strongly increases for stars above ~5800 K. For stars between ~4100 and ~4700 K we show, for the first time, a plateau in convective shift and a possible onset of a plateau for stars above 6000 K. Stars below ~4000 K show neither blueshift nor redshift. We provide a table that lists expected blueshift velocities for each spectral subtype in the data set to quickly access the intrinsic noise floor through convective blueshift for the radial velocity technique.
ABSTRACT
Spectropolarimetric data allow for simultaneous monitoring of stellar chromospheric $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm {HK}}}$ activity and the surface-averaged longitudinal magnetic field, Bl, giving ...the opportunity to probe the relationship between large-scale stellar magnetic fields and chromospheric manifestations of magnetism. We present $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm {HK}}}$ and/or Bl measurements for 954 mid-F to mid-M stars derived from spectropolarimetric observations contained within the PolarBase database. Our magnetically active sample complements previous stellar activity surveys that focus on inactive planet-search targets. We find a positive correlation between mean $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm {HK}}}$ and mean log |Bl|, but for G stars the relationship may undergo a change between $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm {HK}}}\sim -4.4$ and −4.8. The mean $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm {HK}}}$ shows a similar change with respect to the $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm {HK}}}$ variability amplitude for intermediately active G stars. We also combine our results with archival chromospheric activity data and published observations of large-scale magnetic field geometries derived using Zeeman–Doppler Imaging. The chromospheric activity data indicate a slight under-density of late-F to early-K stars with $-4.75\le \log {R^{\prime }_{\rm HK}}\le -4.5$. This is not as prominent as the original Vaughan–Preston gap, and we do not detect similar under-populated regions in the distributions of the mean |Bl|, or the Bl and $\log {R^{\prime }_{\rm HK}}$ variability amplitudes. Chromospheric activity, activity variability, and toroidal field strength decrease on the main sequence as rotation slows. For G stars, the disappearance of dominant toroidal fields occurs at a similar chromospheric activity level as the change in the relationships between chromospheric activity, activity variability, and mean field strength.
ABSTRACT
Small low-mass stars are favourable targets for the detection of rocky habitable planets. In particular, planetary systems in the solar neighbourhood are interesting and suitable for precise ...characterization. The RedDots campaigns seek to discover rocky planets orbiting nearby low-mass stars. The 2018 campaign targeted GJ 1061, which is the 20th nearest star to the Sun. For three consecutive months we obtained nightly, high-precision radial velocity measurements with the HARPS spectrograph. We analysed these data together with archival HARPS data. We report the detection of three planet candidates with periods of 3.204 ± 0.001, 6.689 ± 0.005, and 13.03 ± 0.03 d, which are close to 1:2:4 period commensurability. After several considerations related to the properties of the noise and sampling, we conclude that a fourth signal is most likely explained by stellar rotation, although it may be due to a planet. The proposed three-planet system (and the potential four-planet solution) is long-term dynamically stable. Planet–planet gravitational interactions are below our current detection threshold. The minimum masses of the three planets range from 1.4 ± 0.2 to 1.8 ± 0.3 M⊕. Planet d, with msin i = 1.64 ± 0.24 M⊕, receives a similar amount of energy as Earth receives from the Sun. Consequently it lies within the liquid-water habitable zone of the star and has a similar equilibrium temperature to Earth. GJ 1061 has very similar properties to Proxima Centauri but activity indices point to lower levels of stellar activity.
We present three transit observations of HD 189733 b obtained with the high-resolution spectrograph CARMENES at Calar Alto. A strong absorption signal is detected in the near-infrared He I triplet at ...10830 Å in all three transits. During mid-transit, the mean absorption level is 0.88 ± 0.04% measured in a ±10 km s−1 range at a net blueshift of − 3.5 ± 0.4 km s−1 (10829.84–10830.57 Å). The absorption signal exhibits radial velocities of + 6.5 ± 3.1 km s−1 and − 12.6 ± 1.0 km s−1 during ingress and egress, respectively; all radial velocities are measured in the planetary rest frame. We show that stellar activity related pseudo-signals interfere with the planetary atmospheric absorption signal. They could contribute as much as 80% of the observed signal and might also affect the observed radial velocity signature, but pseudo-signals are very unlikely to explain the entire signal. The observed line ratio between the two unresolved and the third line of the He I triplet is 2.8 ± 0.2, which strongly deviates from the value expected for an optically thin atmospheres. When interpreted in terms of absorption in the planetary atmosphere, this favors a compact helium atmosphere with an extent of only 0.2 planetary radii and a substantial column density on the order of 4 × 1012 cm−2. The observed radial velocities can be understood either in terms of atmospheric circulation with equatorial superrotation or as a sign of an asymmetric atmospheric component of evaporating material. We detect no clear signature of ongoing evaporation, like pre- or post-transit absorption, which could indicate material beyond the planetary Roche lobe, or radial velocities in excess of the escape velocity. These findings do not contradict planetary evaporation, but only show that the detected helium absorption in HD 189733 b does not trace the atmospheric layers that show pronounced escape signatures.
Aims
. We determine the radii and masses of 293 nearby, bright M dwarfs of the CARMENES survey. This is the first time that such a large and homogeneous high-resolution (
R
> 80 000) spectroscopic ...survey has been used to derive these fundamental stellar parameters.
Methods
. We derived the radii using Stefan–Boltzmann’s law. We obtained the required effective temperatures
T
eff
from a spectral analysis and we obtained the required luminosities
L
from integrated broadband photometry together with the
Gaia
DR2 parallaxes. The mass was then determined using a mass-radius relation that we derived from eclipsing binaries known in the literature. We compared this method with three other methods: (1) We calculated the mass from the radius and the surface gravity log
g
, which was obtained from the same spectral analysis as
T
eff
. (2) We used a widely used infrared mass-magnitude relation. (3) We used a Bayesian approach to infer stellar parameters from the comparison of the absolute magnitudes and colors of our targets with evolutionary models.
Results
. Between spectral types M0 V and M7 V our radii cover the range 0.1
R
⊙
<
R
< 0.6
R
⊙
with an error of 2–3% and our masses cover 0.09 ℳ
⊙
< ℳ< 0.6ℳ
⊙
with an error of 3–5%. We find good agreement between the masses determined with these different methods for most of our targets. Only the masses of very young objects show discrepancies. This can be well explained with the assumptions that we used for our methods.
CARMENES input catalogue of M dwarfs Cortes-Contreras, M; Bejar, V J S; Caballero, J A ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
1/2017, Volume:
597
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Aims. We search for low-mass companions of M dwarfs and characterize their multiplicity fraction with the purpose of helping in the selection of the most appropriate targets for the CARMENES ...exoplanet survey. Methods. We obtained high-resolution images in the I band with the lucky imaging instrument FastCam at the 1.5m Telescopio Carlos Sanchez for 490 mid- to late-M dwarfs. For all the detected binaries, we measured angular separations, position angles, and magnitude differences in the I band. We also calculated the masses of each individual component and estimated orbital periods, using the available magnitude and colour relations for M dwarfs and our own MJ-spectra l type and mass-MI relations. To avoid biases in our sample selection, we built a volume-limited sample of M0.0-M5.0 dwarfs that is complete up to 86% within 14pc. Results. From the 490 observed stars, we detected 80 companions in 76 systems, of which 30 are new discoveries. Another six companion candidates require additional astrometry to confirm physical binding. The multiplicity fraction in our observed sample is 16.7+ or -2.0%. The bias-corrected multiplicity fraction in our volume-limited sample is 19.5+ or -2.3% for angular separations of 0.2 to 5.0arcsec (1.4-65.6au), with a peak in the distribution of the projected physical separations at 2.5-7.5au. For M0.0-M3.5V primaries, our search is sensitive to mass ratios higher than 0.3 and there is a higher density of pairs with mass ratios over 0.8 compared to those at lower mass ratios. Binaries with projected physical separations shorter than 50au also tend to be of equal mass. For 26 of our systems, we estimated orbital periods shorter than 50a, 10 of which are presented here for the first time. We measured variations in angular separation and position angle that are due to orbital motions in 17 of these systems. The contribution of binaries and multiples with angular separations shorter than 0.2arcsec, longer than 5.0arcsec, and of spectroscopic binaries identified from previous searches, although not complete, may increase the multiplicity fraction of M dwarfs in our volume-limited sample to at least 36%.
Context.
A detailed investigation of the magnetic properties of young Sun-like stars can provide valuable information on our Sun’s magnetic past and its impact on the early Earth.
Aims.
We determine ...the properties of the moderately rotating young Sun-like star
κ
Ceti’s magnetic and activity cycles using 50 yr of chromospheric activity data and six epochs of spectropolarimetric observations.
Methods.
The chromospheric activity was determined by measuring the flux in the Ca
II
H and K lines. A generalised Lomb–Scargle periodogram and a wavelet decomposition were used on the chromospheric activity data to establish the associated periodicities. The vector magnetic field of the star was reconstructed using the technique of Zeeman Doppler imaging on the spectropolarimetric observations.
Results.
Our period analysis algorithms detect a 3.1 yr chromospheric cycle in addition to the star’s well-known ~6 yr cycle period. Although the two cycle periods have an approximate 1:2 ratio, they exhibit an unusual temporal evolution. Additionally, the spectropolarimetric data analysis shows polarity reversals of the star’s large-scale magnetic field, suggesting a ~10 yr magnetic or Hale cycle.
Conclusions.
The unusual evolution of the star’s chromospheric cycles and their lack of a direct correlation with the magnetic cycle establishes
κ
Ceti as a curious young Sun. Such complex evolution of magnetic activity could be synonymous with moderately active young Suns, which is an evolutionary path that our own Sun could have taken.
Abstract
Magnetic activity is known to be correlated to the rotation period for moderately active main-sequence solar-like stars. In turn, the stellar rotation period evolves as a result of ...magnetized stellar winds that carry away angular momentum. Understanding the interplay between magnetic activity and stellar rotation is therefore a central task for stellar astrophysics. Angular momentum evolution models typically employ spin-down torques that are formulated in terms of the surface magnetic field strength. However, these formulations fail to account for the magnetic field geometry, unlike those that are expressed in terms of the open flux, i.e. the magnetic flux along which stellar winds flow. In this work, we model the angular momentum evolution of main-sequence solar-mass stars using a torque law formulated in terms of the open flux. This is done using a potential field source surface model in conjunction with the Zeeman–Doppler magnetograms of a sample of roughly solar-mass stars. We explore how the open flux of these stars varies with stellar rotation and choice of source surface radii. We also explore the effect of field geometry by using two methods of determining the open flux. The first method only accounts for the dipole component while the second accounts for the full set of spherical harmonics available in the Zeeman–Doppler magnetogram. We find only a small difference between the two methods, demonstrating that the open flux, and indeed the spin-down, of main-sequence solar-mass stars is likely dominated by the dipolar component of the magnetic field.
We present the results of a major high-resolution spectropolarimetric BCool project magnetic survey of 170 solar-type stars. Surface magnetic fields were detected on 67 stars, with 21 classified as ...mature solar-type stars, a result that increases by a factor of 4 the number of mature solar-type stars on which magnetic fields have been observed. In addition, a magnetic field was detected for 3 out of 18 of the subgiant stars surveyed. For the population of K-dwarfs, the mean value of |B
l| (|B
l|mean) was also found to be higher (5.7 G) than |B
l|mean measured for the G-dwarfs (3.2 G) and the F-dwarfs (3.3 G). For the sample as a whole, |B
l|mean increases with rotation rate and decreases with age, and the upper envelope for |B
l| correlates well with the observed chromospheric emission. Stars with a chromospheric S-index greater than about 0.2 show a high magnetic field detection rate and so offer optimal targets for future studies. This survey constitutes the most extensive spectropolarimetric survey of cool stars undertaken to date, and suggests that it is feasible to pursue magnetic mapping of a wide range of moderately active solar-type stars to improve our understanding of their surface fields and dynamos.
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