New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs
The Ly α emission line is the brightest UV emission line in M and K dwarf spectra and serves as an important tool for studies of stellar chromospheres, the interstellar medium, and exoplanet atmospheres. However, Ly α observations have proven difficult due to the strong absorption by the interstella...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf6c0 |
| _version_ | 1797641194583359488 |
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| author | Angeli Sandoval Allison Youngblood R. O. Parke Loyd Kevin France |
| author_facet | Angeli Sandoval Allison Youngblood R. O. Parke Loyd Kevin France |
| author_sort | Angeli Sandoval |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Ly α emission line is the brightest UV emission line in M and K dwarf spectra and serves as an important tool for studies of stellar chromospheres, the interstellar medium, and exoplanet atmospheres. However, Ly α observations have proven difficult due to the strong absorption by the interstellar medium, necessitating a reconstruction of the intrinsic stellar line from the observed spectrum. We have performed new Ly α reconstructions on the MUSCLES Treasury Survey stars, incorporating improved parameterizations for the intrinsic line wings and line core. We present an analysis of how the updated Ly α fluxes could impact photochemical and atmospheric escape studies and flux–flux scaling relations with other chromospheric emission lines such as Ca ii H and K. We find the overall intrinsic Ly α flux of our star sample decreases by as little as 10% to as much as ∼5× fainter compared to previous findings. The exception to this flux decrease is the M dwarf GJ 581, whose Ly α flux increased by 4%. These results will likely have a limited impact on the aforementioned studies that rely on Ly α fluxes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:42:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2933738c94ef497e8e9b9fdbf7ab6fc9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:42:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-2933738c94ef497e8e9b9fdbf7ab6fc92023-11-02T11:37:48ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-0195729010.3847/1538-4357/acf6c0New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K DwarfsAngeli Sandoval0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1133-1027Allison Youngblood1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1176-3391R. O. Parke Loyd2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5646-6668Kevin France3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1002-3674Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAExoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USALaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado , 600 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USAThe Ly α emission line is the brightest UV emission line in M and K dwarf spectra and serves as an important tool for studies of stellar chromospheres, the interstellar medium, and exoplanet atmospheres. However, Ly α observations have proven difficult due to the strong absorption by the interstellar medium, necessitating a reconstruction of the intrinsic stellar line from the observed spectrum. We have performed new Ly α reconstructions on the MUSCLES Treasury Survey stars, incorporating improved parameterizations for the intrinsic line wings and line core. We present an analysis of how the updated Ly α fluxes could impact photochemical and atmospheric escape studies and flux–flux scaling relations with other chromospheric emission lines such as Ca ii H and K. We find the overall intrinsic Ly α flux of our star sample decreases by as little as 10% to as much as ∼5× fainter compared to previous findings. The exception to this flux decrease is the M dwarf GJ 581, whose Ly α flux increased by 4%. These results will likely have a limited impact on the aforementioned studies that rely on Ly α fluxes.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf6c0Stellar activityInterstellar mediumExoplanetsUltraviolet astronomyLow mass stars |
| spellingShingle | Angeli Sandoval Allison Youngblood R. O. Parke Loyd Kevin France New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs The Astrophysical Journal Stellar activity Interstellar medium Exoplanets Ultraviolet astronomy Low mass stars |
| title | New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs |
| title_full | New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs |
| title_fullStr | New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs |
| title_full_unstemmed | New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs |
| title_short | New and Improved Lyα Reconstructions for M and K Dwarfs |
| title_sort | new and improved lyα reconstructions for m and k dwarfs |
| topic | Stellar activity Interstellar medium Exoplanets Ultraviolet astronomy Low mass stars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf6c0 |
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