The Connection between Starspots and Flares on Main-Sequence Kepler Stars

TL;DR

This study investigates the relationship between starspots and stellar flares on Kepler stars, revealing that weaker flares tend to occur near starspot groups, while stronger flares show no clear correlation.

Contribution

It introduces a new analysis method combining flare detection with starspot location algorithms to study magnetic activity correlations.

Findings

Weaker flares are more likely near starspot groups.

Stronger flares do not correlate strongly with starspot size.

Flares are not uniformly distributed in phase relative to starspots.

Abstract

Starspots and flares are indicators of stellar magnetic activity that can both be studied in greater detail by utilizing the long-term, space-based archive of the Kepler satellite. Here, we aim to investigate a subset of the Kepler archive to reveal a connection between the starspots and the stellar flares, in order to provide insight into the overall stellar magnetic field. We use the flare-finding algorithm FLATW'RM in conjunction with a new suite of algorithms that aim to locate the local minima caused by starspot groups. We compare the phase difference between the time of maximum flux of a flare and the time of minimum stellar flux due to a starspot group. The strongest flares do not appear to be correlated to the largest starspot group present, but are also not uniformly distributed in phase with respect to the starspot group. The weaker flares, however, do show an increased occurrence close to the starspot groups.