Investigating stellar surface rotation using observations of starspots

TL;DR

This paper reviews methods for studying stellar surface rotation and differential rotation using starspots, highlighting the advantages of space-based high-precision observations over ground-based photometry.

Contribution

It provides an overview of how starspots and spectral data can be used to measure stellar rotation and differential rotation, emphasizing recent advancements with space telescopes.

Findings

High-precision space observations improve rotation measurements.

Starspots reveal differential rotation patterns.

Spectroscopic methods enable detailed stellar surface studies.

Abstract

Rapid rotation enhances the dynamo operating in stars, and thus also introducessignificantly stronger magnetic activity than is seen in slower rotators. Many young cool stars still have the rapid, primordial rotation rates induced by the interstellar molecular cloud from which they were formed. Also older stars in close binary systems are often rapid rotators. These types of stars can show strong magnetic activity and large starspots. In the case of large starspots which cause observable changes in the brightness of the star, and even in the shapes of the spectral line profiles, one can get information on the rotation of the star. At times even information on the spot rotation at different stellar latitudes can be obtained, similarly to the solar surface differential rotation measurements using magnetic features as tracers. Here, I will review investigations of stellar rotation based on starspots. I will discuss what we can obtain from ground-based photometry and how that improves with the uninterrupted, high precision, observations from space. The emphasis will be onhow starspots, and even stellar surface differential rotation, can be studied using high resolution spectra.