A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline
M-dwarfs are common stellar hosts of habitable-zone exoplanets. Near-UV (NUV) radiation can severely impact the atmospheric and surface conditions of such planets, making the characterization of NUV flaring activity a key aspect in determining habitability. We use archival data from the Galaxy Evolu...
| 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/ace5ac |
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| author | Param Rekhi Sagi Ben-Ami Volker Perdelwitz Yossi Shvartzvald |
| author_facet | Param Rekhi Sagi Ben-Ami Volker Perdelwitz Yossi Shvartzvald |
| author_sort | Param Rekhi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | M-dwarfs are common stellar hosts of habitable-zone exoplanets. Near-UV (NUV) radiation can severely impact the atmospheric and surface conditions of such planets, making the characterization of NUV flaring activity a key aspect in determining habitability. We use archival data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and XMM-Newton telescopes to study the flaring activity of M-dwarfs in the NUV. The GALEX observations form the most extensive data set of M-dwarfs in the NUV to date, with the exploitation of this data possible due to the new g photon 2 pipeline. We run a dedicated algorithm to detect flares in the pipeline-produced lightcurves and find some of the most energetic flares observed to date within the NUV bandpass, with energies of ∼10 ^34 erg. Using GALEX data, we constrain flare frequency distributions for stars from M0-M6 in the NUV up to 10 ^5 s in equivalent duration and 10 ^34 erg in energy, orders of magnitude above any previous study in the UV. We estimate the combined effect of NUV luminosities and flare rates of stars later than M2 to be sufficient for abiogenesis on habitable-zone exoplanets orbiting them. As a counterpoint, we speculate the high frequencies of energetic UV flares and associated coronal mass ejections would inhibit the formation of an ozone layer, possibly preventing the genesis of complex Earth-like life-forms due to sterilizing levels of surface UV radiation. We also provide a framework for future observations of M-dwarfs with ULTRASAT, a wide field-of-view NUV telescope to be launched in 2026. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:26:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d86ea353467641f0971f72cef59638f9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:26:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-d86ea353467641f0971f72cef59638f92023-09-12T17:06:29ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-0195512410.3847/1538-4357/ace5acA Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 PipelineParam Rekhi0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3501-7852Sagi Ben-Ami1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6760-3074Volker Perdelwitz2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6859-0882Yossi Shvartzvald3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1525-5041Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel ; param.rekhi@weizmann.ac.ilDepartment of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel ; param.rekhi@weizmann.ac.ilDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, IsraelDepartment of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel ; param.rekhi@weizmann.ac.ilM-dwarfs are common stellar hosts of habitable-zone exoplanets. Near-UV (NUV) radiation can severely impact the atmospheric and surface conditions of such planets, making the characterization of NUV flaring activity a key aspect in determining habitability. We use archival data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and XMM-Newton telescopes to study the flaring activity of M-dwarfs in the NUV. The GALEX observations form the most extensive data set of M-dwarfs in the NUV to date, with the exploitation of this data possible due to the new g photon 2 pipeline. We run a dedicated algorithm to detect flares in the pipeline-produced lightcurves and find some of the most energetic flares observed to date within the NUV bandpass, with energies of ∼10 ^34 erg. Using GALEX data, we constrain flare frequency distributions for stars from M0-M6 in the NUV up to 10 ^5 s in equivalent duration and 10 ^34 erg in energy, orders of magnitude above any previous study in the UV. We estimate the combined effect of NUV luminosities and flare rates of stars later than M2 to be sufficient for abiogenesis on habitable-zone exoplanets orbiting them. As a counterpoint, we speculate the high frequencies of energetic UV flares and associated coronal mass ejections would inhibit the formation of an ozone layer, possibly preventing the genesis of complex Earth-like life-forms due to sterilizing levels of surface UV radiation. We also provide a framework for future observations of M-dwarfs with ULTRASAT, a wide field-of-view NUV telescope to be launched in 2026.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace5acRed dwarf flare starsStellar flaresM dwarf starsUltraviolet astronomyNear ultraviolet astronomyHabitable planets |
| spellingShingle | Param Rekhi Sagi Ben-Ami Volker Perdelwitz Yossi Shvartzvald A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline The Astrophysical Journal Red dwarf flare stars Stellar flares M dwarf stars Ultraviolet astronomy Near ultraviolet astronomy Habitable planets |
| title | A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline |
| title_full | A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline |
| title_fullStr | A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline |
| title_short | A Census of Near-UV M-dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPHOTON2 Pipeline |
| title_sort | census of near uv m dwarf flares using archival galex data and the gphoton2 pipeline |
| topic | Red dwarf flare stars Stellar flares M dwarf stars Ultraviolet astronomy Near ultraviolet astronomy Habitable planets |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace5ac |
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