Characterization of starspots on a young M-dwarf K2-25: multi-band observations of stellar photometric variability and planetary transits

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Main Authors: Mori, Mayuko, Ikuta, Kai, Fukui, Akihiko, Narita, Norio, de Leon, Jerome P., Livingston, John H., Ikoma, Masahiro, Kawai, Yugo, Kawauchi, Kiyoe, Murgas, Felipe, Palle, Enric, Parviainen, Hannu, Rodríguez, Gareb Fernández, Terada, Yuka, Watanabe, Noriharu, Tamura, Motohide
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Mori, Mayuko
Ikuta, Kai
Fukui, Akihiko
Narita, Norio
de Leon, Jerome P.
Livingston, John H.
Ikoma, Masahiro
Kawai, Yugo
Kawauchi, Kiyoe
Murgas, Felipe
Palle, Enric
Parviainen, Hannu
Rodríguez, Gareb Fernández
Terada, Yuka
Watanabe, Noriharu
Tamura, Motohide
author_facet Mori, Mayuko
Ikuta, Kai
Fukui, Akihiko
Narita, Norio
de Leon, Jerome P.
Livingston, John H.
Ikoma, Masahiro
Kawai, Yugo
Kawauchi, Kiyoe
Murgas, Felipe
Palle, Enric
Parviainen, Hannu
Rodríguez, Gareb Fernández
Terada, Yuka
Watanabe, Noriharu
Tamura, Motohide
contents Detailed atmospheric characterization of exoplanets by transmission spectroscopy requires careful consideration of stellar surface inhomogeneities induced by starspots. This effect is particularly problematic for planetary systems around M-dwarfs, and their spot properties are not fully understood. We investigated the stellar activity of the young M-dwarf K2-25 and its effect on transit observations of the sub-Neptune K2-25b. From multi-band monitoring observations of stellar brightness variability using ground-based telescopes and TESS, we found that the temperature difference between the spots and photosphere is <190 K and the spot covering fraction is <61% (2$σ$). We also investigated the effect of starspot activity using multi-epoch, multi-band transit observations. We rule out cases with extremely low spot temperatures and large spot covering fractions. The results suggest that spots could distort the transmission spectrum of K2-25b by as much as $\sim$100 ppm amplitude, corresponding to the precision of JWST/NIRSPEC of the target. Our study demonstrates that simultaneous multi-band observations with current instruments can constrain the spot properties of M-dwarfs with good enough precision to support atmospheric studies of young M-dwarf planets via transmission spectroscopy.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_13946
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Characterization of starspots on a young M-dwarf K2-25: multi-band observations of stellar photometric variability and planetary transits
Mori, Mayuko
Ikuta, Kai
Fukui, Akihiko
Narita, Norio
de Leon, Jerome P.
Livingston, John H.
Ikoma, Masahiro
Kawai, Yugo
Kawauchi, Kiyoe
Murgas, Felipe
Palle, Enric
Parviainen, Hannu
Rodríguez, Gareb Fernández
Terada, Yuka
Watanabe, Noriharu
Tamura, Motohide
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Detailed atmospheric characterization of exoplanets by transmission spectroscopy requires careful consideration of stellar surface inhomogeneities induced by starspots. This effect is particularly problematic for planetary systems around M-dwarfs, and their spot properties are not fully understood. We investigated the stellar activity of the young M-dwarf K2-25 and its effect on transit observations of the sub-Neptune K2-25b. From multi-band monitoring observations of stellar brightness variability using ground-based telescopes and TESS, we found that the temperature difference between the spots and photosphere is <190 K and the spot covering fraction is <61% (2$σ$). We also investigated the effect of starspot activity using multi-epoch, multi-band transit observations. We rule out cases with extremely low spot temperatures and large spot covering fractions. The results suggest that spots could distort the transmission spectrum of K2-25b by as much as $\sim$100 ppm amplitude, corresponding to the precision of JWST/NIRSPEC of the target. Our study demonstrates that simultaneous multi-band observations with current instruments can constrain the spot properties of M-dwarfs with good enough precision to support atmospheric studies of young M-dwarf planets via transmission spectroscopy.
title Characterization of starspots on a young M-dwarf K2-25: multi-band observations of stellar photometric variability and planetary transits
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.13946