Predicting Lyman-alpha and Mg II Fluxes from K and M Dwarfs Using GALEX Ultraviolet Photometry

TL;DR

This study develops empirical correlations between GALEX ultraviolet fluxes and intrinsic Lyman-alpha and Mg II emissions in K and M dwarf stars, enabling estimates of stellar UV radiation crucial for exoplanet atmospheric studies.

Contribution

It introduces new correlations linking GALEX UV photometry to intrinsic Lyman-alpha and Mg II fluxes, facilitating UV flux estimation for many stars without direct measurements.

Findings

Negative correlation between Lyman-alpha and GALEX flux ratios.

GALEX fluxes can estimate intrinsic Lyman-alpha and Mg II emissions.

Correlations aid in modeling stellar UV influence on exoplanet atmospheres.

Abstract

A star's UV emission can greatly affect the atmospheric chemistry and physical properties of closely orbiting planets with the potential for severe mass loss. In particular, the Lyman-alpha emission line at 1216 Angstroms, which dominates the far-ultraviolet spectrum, is a major source of photodissociation of important atmospheric molecules such as water and methane. The intrinsic flux of Lyman-alpha, however, cannot be directly measured due to the absorption of neutral hydrogen in the interstellar medium and contamination by geocoronal emission. To date, reconstruction of the intrinsic Lyman-alpha line based on Hubble Space Telescope spectra has been accomplished for 46 FGKM nearby stars, 28 of which have also been observed by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). Our investigation provides a correlation between published intrinsic Lyman-alpha and GALEX far- and near-ultraviolet chromospheric fluxes for K and M stars. The negative correlations between the ratio of the Lyman-alpha to the GALEX fluxes reveal how the relative strength of Lyman-alpha compared to the broadband fluxes weakens as the FUV and NUV excess flux increase. We also correlate GALEX fluxes with the strong near-ultraviolet Mg II h+k spectral emission lines formed at lower chromospheric temperatures than Lyman-alpha. The reported correlations provide estimates of intrinsic Lyman-alpha and Mg II fluxes for the thousands of K and M stars in the archived GALEX all-sky surveys. These will constrain new stellar upper-atmosphere models for cool stars and provide realistic inputs to models describing exoplanetary photochemistry and atmospheric evolution in the absence of ultraviolet spectroscopy.