Photometric/spectroscopic analyses and magnetic activity in young late-type stars

TL;DR

This study investigates magnetic activity and surface inhomogeneities in young late-type stars using photometric and spectroscopic data, aiming to understand the topology of active regions and their evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a combined photometric and spectroscopic approach to analyze magnetic active regions in young stars, including developing a spot/plage model for detailed surface characterization.

Findings

Detected rotational modulation in light and temperature curves due to spots.

Observed correlated variations in chromospheric emission lines with stellar rotation.

Developed a model to estimate spot and chromospheric parameters from observational data.

Abstract

We present the work in progress of a study based on photometric and spectroscopic observations of young Weak-line T Tauri and Post T Tauri stars just attiving on the Zero Age Main Sequence. This study is part of a project based on high-resolution spectra obtained with FOCES@CAHA (Spain) and SARG@TNG (Spain) and contemporaneous photometry performed at Catania (Italy) and Ege (Turkey) observatories. The main aim is to investigate the topology of magnetic active regions at photospheric and chromospheric levels in young single stars. Since our targets are slow rotators (vsini < 25 km/s), corresponding to rotation periods larger than about 2 days, we are able to apply the spectroscopic technique based on line-depth ratio for the measure of the photospheric temperature modulation. These stars, possible members of Stellar Kinematic Groups, display emission cores in the CaII H&K and IRT lines, as well as a conspicuous filling-in of the Halpha core. Moreover, we detect absorption of the HeI-D3 line, coming from the upper chromospheric layers, derive the lithium abundance (age indicator), and measure the rotational and radial velocities. We find a clear rotational modulation, due to photospheric spots, both in the light and the temperature curves. The Halpha and the CaII-IRT emissions display a fair variation correlated with the rotation. Finally, we are developing a spot/plage model to reproduce the data and derive the spot parameters (namely, filling factor and temperature) and to recover information about the chromospheric inhomogeneities (flux contrast and filling factor). This study is very important to explore the correlations between global stellar parameters (e.g., surface gravity, effective temperature) and spot/plage characteristics in stars with different activity level and evolutionary stage.