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Teegarden's star is a late-type M-dwarf planet host, typically showing only rather low levels of activity. In this paper we present an extensive characterisation of this activity at photospheric, chromospheric, and coronal levels. We specifically investigated TESS observations of Teegarden's star, which showed two very large flares with an estimated flare fluence between 1029 and 1032 erg comparable to the largest solar flares. We furthermore analysed nearly 300 CARMENES spectra and 11 ESPRESSO spectra covering all the usually used chromospheric lines in the optical from the Ca II H & K lines at 3930 Å to the He I infrared triplet at 10 830 Å. These lines show different behaviour: The He I infrared triplet is the only one absent in all spectra, some lines show up only during flares, and others are always present and highly variable. Specifically, the Hα line is more or less filled in during quiescence; however, the higher Balmer lines are still observed in emission. Many chromospheric lines show a correlation with Hα variability, which, in addition to stochastic behaviour, shows systematic behaviour on different timescales including the rotation period. Moreover, we found several flares and also report hints of an erupting prominence, which may have led to a coronal mass ejection. Finally, we present X-ray observations of Teegarden's star (i.e. a discovery pointing obtained with the Chandra observatory) and an extensive study with the XMM-Newton observatory, which observed two large flares. One of these showed clear signatures of the Neupert effect, suggesting the production of hard X-rays in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the stars in the Universe are M spectral class dwarfs, which are known to be the source of bright and frequent stellar flares. In this paper, we propose new approaches to discover M-dwarf flares in ground-based photometric surveys. We employ two approaches: a modification of a traditional method of parametric fit search and a machine learning algorithm based on active anomaly detection. The algorithms are applied to Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) data release 8, which includes the data from the ZTF high-cadence survey, allowing us to reveal flares lasting from minutes to hours. We analyse over 35 million ZTF light curves and visually scrutinize 1168 candidates suggested by the algorithms to filter out artefacts, occultations of a star by an asteroid, and other types of known variable objects. The result of this analysis is the largest catalogue of ZTF flaring stars to date, representing 134 flares with amplitudes ranging from −0.2 to −4.6 mag, including repeated flares. Using Pan-STARRS DR2 colours, we assign a spectral subclass to each object in the sample. For 13 flares with well-sampled light curves and available geometric distances from Gaia DR3, we estimate the bolometric energy. This research shows that the proposed methods combined with the ZTF's cadence strategy are suitable for identifying M-dwarf flares and other fast transients, allowing for the extraction of significant astrophysical information from their light curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sun's history is still a subject of interest to modern astrophysics. Observationally constrained rates of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) of young solar analogues are still lacking, as those require dedicated monitoring. We present medium-resolution optical spectroscopic monitoring of a small sample of bright and prominent solar analogues over a period of 3 yr using the 0.5-m telescope at observatory Lustbühel Graz (OLG) of the University of Graz, Austria. The aim is the detection of flares and CMEs from those spectra. In more than 1700 h of spectroscopic monitoring, we found signatures of four flares and one filament eruption on EK Dra which has been reported in previous literature, but we complementarily extended the data to cover the latter phase. The other stars did not reveal detectable signatures of activity. For these non-detections, we derive upper limits of occurrence rates of very massive CMEs, which are detectable with our observational setup, ranging from 0.1 to 2.2 d−1, but these may be even smaller than the given rates considering observational biases. Furthermore, we investigate the detectability of flares/CMEs in OLG spectra by utilizing solar 2D Hα spectra from Mees Solar Observatory. We find that solar-sized events are not detectable within our observations. By scaling up the size of the solar event, we show that with a fractional active region area of 18 per cent in residual spectra and 24 per cent in equivalent width time series derived from the same residuals that solar events are detectable if they had hypothetically occurred on HN Peg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio bursts of magnetically active stars reveal the intensity and activity of the stellar magnetic field. They may also be related to the planets around the stars. We monitored a radio-active star, AD Leonis, 3000 s d−1 for 17 d in 2020 November, and 5000 s d−1 for 5 d in 2023 July with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Based on the simultaneous flux increases in Stokes I and Stokes V, one left-hand circular polarized radio burst is identified. The |$\sim 50~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| degree of circular polarization indicates the burst being originated from non-thermal radiation related to the stellar magnetic field. Combining the newly discovered burst with previous observations of radio and X-ray bursts from AD Leonis, we did a periodicity analysis for the 49 bursts in total. No periodicity with confidence level >3σ is found, while a candidate period of 3.04 d at ≈2σ confidence level is presented and discussed. Results of recent FAST observations and the periodicity analysis suggest a more compact campaign of observation towards this source, from which a more optimistic result of period search could be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the light curve of the star CD-36 3202, which was observed by TESS for the presence of stellar spots and to analyze the rotationally modulated flare that took place on TESS Barycentric Julian Date 1486.93. Our main aims are to model the light curve of this flare and to estimate its location regarding stellar spots. The flare lasted approximately 27 h. Using our new tool, findinc_mc, we managed to estimate the inclination angle of the star to 70° ± 8°. With BASSMAN, we modeled the light curve of the CD-36 3202 and estimated that three spots are present on its surface. The mean temperature of the spots was about 4000 ± 765 K, and their total area amounted to 11.61% ± 0.13% on average. We created a new tool, named MFUEA, to model rotationally modulated flares, and used it to estimate the latitude of the long-duration flare event, finding 69−1+2 deg. Our estimation of the flare location is the first recreation of the exact position of a flare in relation to starspots. The flare is placed 12° from the center of the coolest spot. This means that the flare is related to the magnetic processes above the active region represented by the spot. Removing the effects of rotational modulation from the flare light curve allowed us to correct the estimation of bolometric energy released during the event from (1.15 ± 0.35) × 1035 erg to (3.99 ± 1.22) × 1035 erg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the ULTRASPEC instrument mounted on the 2.4-m Thai National Telescope , we observed two large flares, each with a total energy close to 1034 erg with sub-second cadence. A combination of a wavelet analysis, a Fourier transform plus an empirical mode decomposition, reveals quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) that exhibit an apparent doubling of the oscillation period. Both events showed oscillations of a few minutes over a interval of several minutes, and despite the availability of sub-second cadence, there was no evidence of sub-minute oscillations. The doubling of the QPP periods and shorter lifetime of shorter-period QPP modes strongly favour resonant dynamics of magnetohydrodynamic waves in a coronal loop. We estimate loop lengths to be 0.2–0.7 R ⋆, in agreement with a typical length of solar coronal loops. These observations presents rare and compelling evidence for the presence of compact plasma loops in a stellar corona. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the Sun, we know that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are a transient phenomenon, often correlated with flares. They have an impact on solar mass- and angular momentum loss, and therefore solar evolution, and make a significant part of space weather. The same is true for stars, but stellar CMEs are still not well constrained, although new methodologies have been established, and new detections presented in the recent past. So far, probable detections of stellar CMEs have been presented, but their physical parameters which are not directly accessible from observations, such as electron density, optical thickness, temperature, etc. have been so far not determined for the majority of known events. We apply cloud modeling, as commonly used on the Sun, to a known event from the literature, detected on the young dMe star V374 Peg. This event manifests itself in extra emission on the blue side of the Balmer lines. By determining the line source function from 1D NLTE modeling together with the cloud model formulation, we present distributions of physical parameters of this event. We find that except for temperature and area all parameters are at the upper range of typical solar prominence parameters. The temperature and the area of the event were found to be higher than for typical solar prominences observed in Balmer lines. We find more solutions for the filament than for the prominence geometry. Moreover, we show that filaments can appear in emission on dMe stars contrary to the solar case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the detection of MKT J174641.0−321404, a new radio transient found in untargeted searches of wide-field MeerKAT radio images centred on the black hole X-ray binary H1743−322. MKT J174641.0−321404 is highly variable at 1.3 GHz and was detected three times during 11 observations of the field in late 2018, reaching a maximum flux density of 590 ± 60 µJy. We associate this radio transient with a high proper motion, M dwarf star SCR 1746−3214 12 pc away from the Sun. Multiwavelength observations of this M dwarf indicate flaring activity across the electromagnetic spectrum, consistent with emission expected from dMe stars, and providing upper limits on quiescent brightness in both the radio and X-ray regimes. TESS photometry reveals a rotational period for SCR 1746−3214 of 0.2292 ± 0.0025 d, which at its estimated radius makes the star a rapid rotator, comparable to other low-mass systems. Dedicated spectroscopic follow up confirms the star as a mid-late spectral M dwarf with clear magnetic activity indicated by strong H α emission. This transient's serendipitous discovery by MeerKAT, along with multiwavelength characterization, make it a prime demonstration of both the capabilities of the current generation of radio interferometers and the value of simultaneous observations by optical facilities such as MeerLICHT. Our results build upon the literature of M dwarfs' flaring behaviour, particularly relevant to the habitability of their planetary systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photometric space missions such as Kepler and TESS continuously discover new exoplanets and advance the search for a second habitable world. The light curves (LCs) recorded by these telescopes also reveal signs of magnetic activity, such as star spot modulation and flares, which can influence habitability. Searching for these characteristics, we analyzed TESS LCs of 112 M dwarfs selected according to the criterion that TESS can spot planet transits over their entire habitable zone (HZ). We detected 2,532 flare events occurring on 35 stars; thus the flaring fraction is ≈32%. For only ≈11% of our stars, we found rotation periods. We calculated bolometric flare energies and luminosities, flare energy frequency distributions (FFDs), and the bolometric flux reaching the HZ at the peak of the flare. We estimated the effects of flaring on the atmosphere of an Earth‐like planet in the HZ from the viewpoint of both ozone depletion and the enabling of chemical reactions necessary to build ribonucleic acid (RNA). None of our targets exhibits highly energetic flares at a frequency large enough to trigger ozone depletion or RNA formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, as a result of the photometric observations continued on nine UV Ceti type stars, examining the parameters obtained from the models of distributions of the flare equivalent durations in the logarithmic scale versus flare total durations, it is found that the highest flare equivalent durations occurring on the stars (Plateau values) are varying with the B − V colour indexes of those stars in agreement with the variations of both the magnetic field strength (B) of the magnetic loop and especially the electron density of its plasma (n e). The distributions of flare cumulative frequencies were derived by using the flare equivalent durations, instead of the flare energy. The main result of this study is a secondary variation, which can be just modelled with the damping sine waves, behind the main exponential variation of the flare cumulative frequency. The models indicate that this secondary variation in the flare cumulative frequency distributions is in the same shape with the periodic or quasi-periodic oscillations detected in the light curves of the stellar and solar flares. This caused to ask new questions about the flare mechanism working on stellar atmospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have discovered a young M star of mass 0.16 M⊙ and radius 0.63 R⊙, likely in the Upper Sco Association, that exhibits only a single 80 per cent deep occultation of 1-d duration. The star has frequent flares and a low-amplitude rotational modulation, but is otherwise quiet over 160 d of cumulative observation during K2 campaigns C2 and C15. We discuss how such a deep eclipse is not possible by one star crossing another in any binary or higher order stellar system in which no mass transfer has occurred. The two possible explanations we are left with are (1) orbiting dust or small particles (e.g. a disc bound to a smaller orbiting body, or unbound dust that emanates from such a body); or (2) a transient accretion event of dusty material near the corotation radius of the star. In either case, the time between such occultation events must be longer than ∼80 d. We model a possible orbiting occulter both as a uniform elliptically shaped surface (e.g. an inclined circular disc) and as a 'dust sheet' with a gradient of optical depth behind its leading edge. The required masses in such dust features are then ≳3 × 1019 g and ≳1019 g, for the two cases, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can have deleterious effects on their surroundings: they can erode or completely destroy atmospheres of orbiting planets over time and also have high importance in stellar evolution. Most of the CME detections in the literature are single events found serendipitously sparse for statistical investigation. Aims. We aimed to gather a large amount of spectral data of M-dwarfs to drastically increase the number of known events to make statistical analysis possible in order to study the properties of potential stellar CMEs. Methods. Using archival spectral data we investigated asymmetric features of Balmer-lines, which could indicate the Doppler-signature of ejected material. Results. Of more than 5500 spectra we find 478 that have line asymmetries – including nine larger events, in terms of velocity and mass – on 25 objects, with 1.2–19.6 events per day on objects with line asymmetries. Most events are connected with enhanced peaks of Balmer-lines, indicating that these are connected to flares similar to solar events. In most cases the detected speed does not reach surface escape velocity: the typical observed maximum velocities are on the order of 100–300 km s−1, while the typical masses of the ejecta were on the order of 1015−1018 g. Statistical analysis of the events suggests that these events are more frequent on cooler stars with stronger chromospheric activity. Conclusions. If the detected events correspond to CMEs, the detected maximum velocities are lower than those observed on the Sun, while event rates were somewhat lower than we could expect from the solar case. If the velocities are not distorted significantly due to a projection effect, these findings may support the idea that most of the coronal mass ejections could be suppressed by a strong magnetic field. Alternatively, it is possible that we can observe only an early low-coronal phase of the events before being accelerated at higher altitudes. Our findings could indicate that later-type, active dwarfs could be a safer environment for exoplanetary systems CME-wise than previously thought, and atmosphere loss due to radiation effects would play a stronger role in exoplanetary atmosphere evolution than CMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The interaction between the magnetic fields of late-type stars and their close-by planets may produce stellar flares as observed in active binary systems. However, in spite of several claims, conclusive evidence is still lacking. Aims. We estimate the magnetic energy available in the interaction using analytical models to provide an upper bound to the expected flare energy. Methods. We investigated three different mechanisms leading to magnetic energy release. The first two can release an energy up to (0.2–1.2) B20R3/µ, where B0 is the surface field of the star, R its radius, and µ the magnetic permeability of the plasma. These two mechanisms operate in young active stars whose coronae have closed magnetic field lines up to the distance of their close-by planets that can trigger the energy release. The third mechanism operates in weakly or moderately active stars with a coronal field with predominantly open field lines at the distance of their planets. The released energy is of the order of (0.002–0.1) B20R3/µ and depends on the ratio of the planetary to the stellar fields, thus allowing an indirect measurement of the former when the latter is known. Results. We compute the released energy for various separations of the planet and various stellar parameters finding the conditions for the operation of the proposed mechanisms. An application to eight selected systems is presented. Conclusions. The computed energies and dissipation timescales are in agreement with flare observations in the eccentric system HD 17156 and in the circular systems HD 189733 and HD 179949. This kind of star–planet interaction can be unambiguously identified by the higher flaring frequency expected close to periastron in eccentric systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the relation between stellar rotation and magnetic activity for a sample of 134 bright, nearby M dwarfs observed in the Kepler Two-Wheel (K2) mission during campaigns C0-C4. The K2 light curves yield photometrically derived rotation periods for 97 stars (79 of which without previous period measurement), as well as various measures for activity related to cool spots and flares. We find a clear difference between fast and slow rotators with a dividing line at a period of ~10 d at which the activity level changes abruptly. All photometric diagnostics of activity (spot cycle amplitude, flare peak amplitude and residual variability after subtraction of spot and flare variations) display the same dichotomy, pointing to a quick transition between a high-activity mode for fast rotators and a low-activity mode for slow rotators. This unexplained behaviour is reminiscent of a dynamo mode-change seen in numerical simulations that separates a dipolar from a multipolar regime. A substantial number of the fast rotators are visual binaries. A tentative explanation is accelerated disc evolution in binaries leading to higher initial rotation rates on the main sequence and associated longer spin-down and activity lifetimes. We combine the K2 rotation periods with archival X-ray and UV data. X-ray, FUV and NUV detections are found for 26, 41, and 11 stars from our sample, respectively. Separating the fast from the slow rotators, we determine for the first time the X-ray saturation level separately for early- and for mid-M stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-three giant flares from thirteen active stars (eight RS CVn systems, one Algol system, three dMe stars, and one young stellar object) were detected during the first two years of our all-sky X-ray monitoring with the gas propotional counters (GSC) of the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI). The observed parameters of all these MAXI/GSC flares are found to be at the upper ends for stellar flares with the luminosity of 1031-34 erg s-1 in the 2-20 keV band, the emission measure of 1054-57 cm-3, the e-folding time of 1 hr to 1.5 d, and the total radiative energy released during the flare of 1034-39 erg. Notably, the peak X-ray luminosity of 5+4-2 x 1033 erg s-1 in the 2-20 keV band was detected in one of the flares on II Peg, which is one of the, or potentially the, largest-ever-observed in stellar flares. X-ray flares were detected from GTMus, V841 Cen, SZ Psc, and TWA-7 for the first time in this survey. Where as most of our detected sources are multiple-star systems, two of them are single stars (YZ CMi and TWA-7). Among the stellar sources within 100 pc distance, the MAXI/GSC sources have larger rotation velocities than the other sources. This suggests that the rapid rotation velocity may play a key role in generating large flares. Combining the X-ray flare data of nearby stars and the sun, taken from literature and our own data, we discovered a universal correlation of τt ∝ LX0.2 for the flare duration τ and the intrinsic X-ray luminosity LX in the 0.1-100 keV band, which holds for 5 and 12 orders of magnitude in τ and LX, respectively. The MAXI/GSC sample is located at the highest ends of the correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the wealth of ~24 yr multiband data, we present an in-depth study of the star-spot cycles, surface differential rotations (SDR), optical flares, evolution of star-spot distributions, and coronal activities on the surface of young, single, main-sequence, ultrafast rotator LO Peg. From the long-term V-band photometry, we derive rotational period of LO Peg to be 0.4231 ± 0.0001 d. Using the seasonal variations on the rotational period, the SDR pattern is investigated, and shows a solar-like pattern of SDR. A cyclic pattern with period of ~2.7 yr appears to be present in rotational period variation. During the observations, 20 optical flares are detected with a flare frequency of ~1 flare per two days and with flare energy of ~1031-34 erg. The surface coverage of cool spots is found to be in the range of ~9-26 per cent. It appears that the high- and low-latitude spots are interchanging their positions. Quasi-simultaneous observations in X-ray, UV, and optical photometric bands show a signature of an excess of X-ray and UV activities in spotted regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrafast-rotating (Prot ≈ 0:44 d) fully convective single M4 dwarf V374 Peg is a well-known laboratory for studying intense stellar activity in a stable magnetic topology. As an observable proxy for the stellar magnetic field, we study the stability of the light curve, hence the spot configuration. We also measure the occurrence rate of flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We have analysed spectroscopic observations, BV(RI)C photometry covering 5 yrs, and additional RC photometry that expands the temporal base over 16 yr. The light curve suggests an almost rigid-body rotation and a spot configuration that is stable over about 16 yrs, confirming the previous indications of a very stable magnetic field. We observed small changes on a nightly timescale and frequent flaring, including a possible sympathetic flare. The strongest flares seem to be more concentrated around the phase where the light curve indicates a smaller active region. Spectral data suggest a complex CME with falling-back and re-ejected material with a maximal projected velocity of ~675 km s-1. We observed a CME rate that is much lower than expected from extrapolations of the solar flare-CME relation to active stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of two new X-ray transients in archival Chandra data. The first transient, XRT 110103, occurred in 2011 January and shows a sharp rise of at least three orders of magnitude in count rate in less than 10 s, a flat peak for about 20 s and decays by two orders of magnitude in the next 60 s. We find no optical or infrared counterpart to this event in pre-existing survey data or in an observation taken by the Simultaneous-3color InfraRed Imager for Unbiased Survey (SIRIUS) instrument at the Infrared Survey Facility ~2.1 yr after the transient, providing limiting magnitudes of J > 18.1, H > 17.6 and Ks > 16.3. This event shows similarities to the transient previously reported in Jonker et al. which was interpreted as the possible tidal disruption of a white dwarf by an intermediate-mass black hole. We discuss the possibility that these transients originate from the same type of event. If we assume these events are related a rough estimate of the rates gives 1.4 × 105 per year over the whole sky with a peak 0.3-7 keV X-ray flux greater than 2 × 10-10 erg cm-2 s-1. The second transient, XRT 120830, occurred in 2012 August and shows a rise of at least three orders of magnitude in count rate and a subsequent decay of around one order of magnitude all within 10 s, followed by a slower quasi-exponential decay over the remaining 30 ks of the observation. We detect a likely infrared counterpart with magnitudes J = 16.70 ± 0.06, H = 15.92 ± 0.04 and Ks = 15.37 ± 0.06 which shows an average proper motion of 74 ± 19 mas yr-1 compared to archival 2MASS observations. The JHKs magnitudes, proper motion and X-ray flux of XRT 120830 are consistent with a bright flare from a nearby late M or early L dwarf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a search for stellar activity (flares and mass ejections) in a sample of 28 stars in the young open cluster Blanco-1. We use optical spectra obtained with European Southern Observatory's Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph installed on the Very Large Telescope. From the total observing time of ∼5 h, we find four Hα flares but no distinct indication of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on the investigated dK–dM stars. Two flares show ‘dips’ in their light curves right before their impulsive phases which are similar to previous discoveries in photometric light curves of active dMe stars. We estimate an upper limit of <4 CMEs per day per star and discuss this result with respect to a empirical estimation of the CME rate of main-sequence stars. We find that we should have detected at least one CME per star with a mass of ≤ 3 × 1017 g depending on the star's X-ray luminosity, but the estimated Hα fluxes associated with these masses are below the detection limit of our observations. We conclude that the parameter which mainly influences the detection of stellar CMEs using the method of Doppler-shifted emission caused by moving plasma is not the spectral resolution/velocity but the flux/mass of the CME. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT In this paper, we report on the discovery of an optical flare observed in the R band from the red-dwarf eclipsing binary CU Cancri, whose component stars are at the upper boundary of full convection ( M1= 0.43 M⊙ and M2= 0.4 M⊙, where M⊙ is the solar mass). The amplitude of the flare is the largest among those detected in the R band (∼0.52 mag) and the duration time is about 73 min. Like flares observed on the Sun, quasi-periodic oscillations were seen during and after the flare. Three more R-band flares were found by follow-up monitoring. In total, this binary was monitored photometrically by using an R filter for 79.9 h, which has revealed an R-band flare rate of about 0.05 flares per hour. Together with other strong chromospheric and coronal activities (i.e. very strong Hα and Hβ emission features and an extreme ultraviolet and X-ray source), these detections indicate that it has very strong magnetic activity. Therefore, the apparent faintness (∼1.4 mag in the V band) of CU Cnc, compared with other single red dwarfs of the same mass, can be plausibly explained by the high coverage of dark spots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of a campaign to monitor active M dwarfs using infrared spectroscopy, supplemented with optical photometry and spectroscopy. We detected 16 flares during nearly 50 hr of observations on EV Lac, AD Leo YZ CMi, and VB 8. The three most energetic flares also showed infrared emission, including the first reported detections of Pβ, Pγ, He I λ10830, and Brγ during an M dwarf flare. The strongest flare (Δu = 4.02 on EV Lac) showed emission from Hγ, Hδ, He I λ4471, and Ca II K in the UV/blue and Pβ, Pβ, Pδ, Brγ, and He I λ10830 in the infrared. The weaker flares (Δu = 1.68 on EV Lac and ΔU = 1.38 on YZ CMi) were only observed with photometry and infrared spectroscopy; both showed emission from Pβ, Pγ, and He I λ10830. The strongest infrared emission line, Pβ, occurred in the active mid-M dwarfs with a duty cycle of ~3%-4%. To examine the most energetic flare, we used the static NLTE radiative transfer code RH to produce model spectra based on a suite of one-dimensional model atmospheres. Using a hotter chromosphere than previous one-dimensional atmospheric models, we obtain line ratios that match most of the observed emission lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the biological damage initiated in the environments of F, G, K, and M-type main-sequence stars due to photospheric, chromospheric and flare radiation. The amount of chromospheric radiation is, in a statistical sense, directly coupled to the stellar age as well as the presence of significant stellar magnetic fields and dynamo activity. With respect to photospheric radiation, we also consider detailed synthetic models, taking into account millions or hundred of millions of lines for atoms and molecules. Chromospheric UV radiation is increased in young stars in regard to all stellar spectral types. Flare activity is most pronounced in K and M-type stars, which also has the potential of stripping the planetary atmospheres of close-in planets, including planets located in the stellar habitable zone. For our studies, we take DNA as a proxy for carbon-based macromolecules, guided by the paradigm that carbon might constitute the biochemical centerpiece of extraterrestrial life forms. Planetary atmospheric attenuation is considered in an approximate manner. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-resolution echelle spectroscopic observations taken with the FEROS spectrograph at the ESO 2.2-m telescope confirm the binary nature of the dMe stars EUVE J0825−16.3 and EUVE J1501−43.6, previously reported by Christian & Mathioudakis (2002). In these binary systems, emission of similar intensity from both components is detected in the Na i D1 & D2, He i D3, Ca II H&K, Ca II IRT and Balmer lines. We have determined precise radial velocities by cross-correlation with radial velocity standard stars, which have allowed us to obtain for the first time the orbital solution of these systems. Both binaries consist of two nearly equal M0V components with an orbital period shorter than 3.5 days. We have analyzed the behaviour of the chromospheric activity indicators (variability and possible flares). In addition, we have determined its rotational velocity and kinematics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present temporal and spectral characteristics of X-ray flares observed from six late-type G–K active dwarfs (V368 Cep, XI Boo, IM Vir, V471 Tau, CC Eri and EP Eri) using data from observations with the XMM–Newton observatory. All the stars were found to be flaring frequently and altogether a total of 17 flares were detected above the ‘quiescent’ state X-ray emission which varied from 0.5 to . The largest flare was observed in a low-activity dwarf XI Boo with a decay time of 10 ks and ratio of peak flare luminosity to ‘quiescent’ state luminosity of 2. We have studied the spectral changes during the flares by using colour–colour diagram and by detailed spectral analysis during the temporal evolution of the flares. The exponential decay of the X-ray light curves, and time evolution of the plasma temperature and emission measure are similar to those observed in compact solar flares. We have derived the semiloop lengths of flares based on the hydrodynamic flare model. The size of the flaring loops is found to be less than the stellar radius. The hydrodynamic flare decay analysis indicates the presence of sustained heating during the decay of most flares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the X-ray spectrum of the active late-type star YZ CMi (M4.5V); for quiescent as well as active stages, we derive emission measure (EM) distributions, elemental abundances, and electron temperatures and densities, which are in turn used to estimate flare loop lengths as well as coronal magnetic field strengths. YZ CMi was observed in the wavelength range 1–40 Å by the X-ray detectors RGS, EPIC-MOS and EPIC-pn onboard XMM–Newton. Some flares occurred during the observation. We perform a multi-temperature fit and model the differential EM of both the flaring and the quiescent parts of the spectrum and derive the coronal temperature distribution, EMs, and elemental abundances of the flaring and quiescent states. The observed temperature covers a range from about 1.3 to 42 MK. The total volume EM in this temperature interval is for the quiescent state and for the active state. The abundance pattern in the quiescent state shows some depletion of low first ionization potential (FIP) elements relative to high-FIP elements, indicating the presence of an I(nverse)FIP effect in this active star. No abundance differences between the quiescent and the active states are established. Based on the X-ray light curves in combination with the temperature, density and EM, the coronal magnetic field strength at flare-site is found to be between 50 and 100 G and the flaring loop lengths are estimated to be in the range of cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present simultaneous UV, G, R and I monitoring of 19 M dwarfs that reveal a huge flare on the M9 dwarf with an amplitude in the UV of at least 6 mag. This is one of the strongest detections ever of an optical flare in an M star and one of the first in an ultracool dwarf (spectral types later than about M7). Four intermediate-strength flares were found in this and three other targets. For the whole sample we deduce a flare probability of 0.013 (rate of ), and for 2M1707+64 alone. Deviations of the flare emission from a blackbody is consistent with strong line emission. We also confirm our previously found rotation period for 2M1707+64 and determine it more precisely to be . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray emission from stars in the cool half of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is generally attributed to the presence of a magnetic corona that contains plasma at temperatures exceeding 1 million K. Coronae are ubiquitous among these stars, yet many fundamental mechanisms operating in their magnetic fields still elude an interpretation through a detailed physical description. Stellar X-ray astronomy is therefore contributing toward a deeper understanding of the generation of magnetic fields in magnetohydrodynamic dynamos, the release of energy in tenuous astrophysical plasmas through various plasma-physical processes, and the interactions of high-energy radiation with the stellar environment. Stellar X-ray emission also provides important diagnostics to study the structure and evolution of stellar magnetic fields from the first days of a protostellar life to the latest stages of stellar evolution among giants and supergiants. The discipline of stellar coronal X-ray astronomy has now reached a level of sophistication that makes tests of advanced theories in stellar physics possible. This development is based on the rapidly advancing instrumental possibilities that today allow us to obtain images with sub-arcsecond resolution and spectra with resolving powers exceeding 1000. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy has, in fact, opened new windows into astrophysical sources, and has played a fundamental role in coronal research.The present article reviews the development and current status of various topics in the X-ray astronomy of stellar coronae, focusing on observational results and on theoretical aspects relevant to our understanding of coronal magnetic structure and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We present high-resolution echelle spectroscopy that confirms, via the identification of numerous chromospheric emission lines, the extremely high levels of chromospheric activity displayed by the secondary stars in post-common-envelope binaries (PCEBs). Furthermore, the EG UMa data set includes the first ever high-resolution spectroscopic observations of flare activity in a PCEB system. The nature of the EG UMa spectra is investigated and a two-flare model that explains all of the observed emission-line features is identified. V-band photometry of EG UMa includes a further flare event, but contains no evidence of pulsations from the white dwarf primary star in this system. The extensive spectral-line emission observed in EG UMa is also observed in HZ 9. The criteria used to identify flare events in the EG UMa data is employed to classify the HZ 9 spectrum as an observation of extremely high level, quiescent, chromospheric activity, and not arising from a flare event. PG 1026+002 and RE J1629+780 both display H Balmer and Hei D[sub 3] line emission. The observed activity of the secondary star in PG 1026+002 appears, however, to be at a lower level than that exhibited by the secondary stars in EG UMa, HZ 9 and RE J1629+780. It is not clear why PG 1026+002 should be exhibiting a lower level of activity, nor is it possible to deduce whether this is a transient phenomenon. The only spectral features attributable to the secondary star in GD 123 are weak Hα line emission and Na i doublet line absorption at 8183, 8195 Å. The Hei D[sub 3] line is a magnetic activity indicator and its presence in all of the PCEB spectra, with exception of GD 123, is direct evidence for the maintenance of magnetic fields in all of these late-type, fully convective, dwarf secondary stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is observational evidence showing that stellar and solar flares occur with a similar circumstance, although the former are usually much more energetic. It is expected that the bombardment by high-energy electrons is one of the chief heating processes of the flaring atmosphere. In this paper we study how a precipitating electron beam can influence the line profiles of Lyα, Hα, Ca iiK and λ8542. We use a model atmosphere of a dMe star and make non-LTE computations taking into account the non-thermal collisional rates owing to the electron beam. The results show that the four lines can be enhanced to different extents. The relative enhancement increases with increasing formation height of the lines. Varying the energy flux of the electron beam has different effects on the four lines. The wings of Lyα and Hα become increasingly broad with the beam flux; change of the Ca iiK and λ8542 lines, however, is most significant in the line centre. Varying the electron energy (i.e. the low-energy cut-off for a power-law beam) has a great influence on the Lyα line, but little on the Hα and Ca iilines. An electron beam of higher energy precipitates deeper, thus producing less enhancement of the Lyα line. The Lyα/Hα flux ratio is thus sensitive to the electron energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present high-resolution optical echelle spectra and IUE observations during a strong flare on 1993 December 22 in the very active, young, rapidly rotating, single K2 dwarf LQ Hya. The initial impulsive phase of the flare, which started sometime between 2:42 ut and 4:07 ut, was characterized by strong optical continuum enhancement and blueshifted emission lines with broad wings. The optical chromospheric lines reached their maximum intensity at ≈ 5:31 ut, by which time the blueshift vanished and the optical continuum enhancement had sharply decreased. Thereafter, the line emission slowly decreased and the lines redshift in a gradual phase that lasted at least two more hours. The Mg II lines behaved similarly. Quiescent C IV flux levels were not recovered until 21 h later, though a data gap and a possible second flare make the interpretation uncertain. In addition to the typically flare-enhanced emission lines (e.g., H α and H β), we observe He I D[sub 3] going into emission, plus excess emission (after subtraction of the quiescent spectrum) in other He I and several strong neutral metal lines (e.g., Mg I b). Flare enhancement of the far-ultraviolet continuum generally agrees with an Si I recombination model. We estimate the total flare energy, and discuss the broad components, asymmetries and Doppler shifts seen in some of the emission lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTWe present radio interferometric observations of the EA2 Algol-type binary system V505 Sagittarii made with the ATNF Compact Array at 6 and 3.6 cm over one orbital cycle (1.18 d). We have obtained a strong detection of the source (1.5 mJy at 6 cm and 1.4 mJy at 3.6 cm) and derive a brightness temperature for the emitting region of Tb ∼ 2.7 × 109 K, a magnetic field strength of 17 < B < 170 G and an electron density of Ne ∼ 3.7 × 108 cm-3. The radio flux density levels show a clear modulation with evidence of eclipses of the emission region at both conjunctions of the binary. The form of the light curve implies that the radio source involves at least some enhanced emission in the intra-binary region. This has important consequences for the details of coronal formation and field interaction in active close binary stars. We discuss some scenarios for the formation of intra-binary active regions in Algol-type binary systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the light curve of the little studied flare star AF Psc (M4.5V) obtained using engineering data from the K2 mission. Data were obtained in long-cadence mode giving an effective exposure of 29 min and nearly 9 d of coverage. A clear modulation on a period of 1.08 d was seen which is the signature of the stellar rotation period. We identify 14 flares in the light curve, with the most luminous flares apparently coming from the same active region. We compare the flare characteristics of AF Psc to two M4V flare stars studied using Kepler data. The K2 mission will present a unique opportunity to study the rotation and flare properties of late-type dwarf stars with different ages and mass. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present the results of an extensive survey of superflares on late-type stars (G, K, and M-type main sequence stars) using the Kepler satellite data. Wefound about 6,800 superflares on late-type stars from the data of about 120,000 stars observed over 500 days. The total bolometric energy of superflares in oursample ranges from 1032 erg to 1036 erg. Our data suggest that the occurrencefrequency of superflares depends on the surface temperature and the rotationperiod of stars. Superflares on M-type stars occur about 10-100 times morefrequently than those on G-type stars. Our results suggest that the average frequency ofsuperflares releasing 1034–1035 erg of energy (100-1,000 times larger than the largestsolar flares) on M-type stars and Sun-like stars is once in 10 years and once in a few thousand years respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We introduced our preliminary results of chromospheric activity of late-type stars based on the stellar spectrum of the pilot survey of the Large Sky Area Multi-object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST, also called Guo Shou Jing telescope). We have found 1151 active M stars from 17471 M samples using the chromospheric active indicator of the Hα line. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We spectroscopically study the variability of Hα emission in mid- to late-M dwarfs on timescales of ∼ 0.1 − 1 hr as a proxy for magnetic variability. About 80% of our sample exhibits statistically significant variability on the full range of timescales probed by the observations, and with amplitude ratios in the range of ∼ 1.2 − 4. No events with an order of magnitude increase in Hα luminosity were detected, indicating that their rate is . 0.05 hr−1 (95% confidence level). We find a clear increase in variability with later spectral type, despite an overall decrease in Hα “activity” (i.e., LHα/Lbol). For the ensemble of Hα variability events, we find a nearly order of magnitude increase in the number of events from timescales of about 10 to 30 min, followed by a roughly uniform distribution at longer durations. The event amplitudes follow an exponential distribution with a characteristic scale of Max(EW)/Min(EW) − 1 ≈ 0.7. This distribution predicts a low rate of ∼ 10−6 hr−1 for events with Max(EW)/Min(EW) & 10, but serendipitous detections of such events in the past suggests that they represent a different distribution. Finally, we find a possible decline in the amplitude of events with durations of & 0.5 hr, which may point to a typical energy release in Hα events for each spectral type (EHα ∼ LHα × t ∼ const). Longer observations of individual active objects are required to further investigate this possibility. Similarly, a larger sample may shed light on whether Hα variability correlates with properties such as age or rotation velocity., Astronomy