Detection of a high-velocity prominence eruption leading to a CME associated with a superflare on the RS CVn-type star V1355 Orionis

TL;DR

This study reports the first direct detection of a high-velocity stellar prominence eruption on V1355 Orionis, which exceeded escape velocity and likely developed into a coronal mass ejection during a superflare, advancing understanding of stellar CMEs.

Contribution

It provides observational evidence that stellar prominence eruptions can reach velocities surpassing escape velocity and develop into CMEs, especially during superflares on RS CVn stars.

Findings

Detected a superflare with energy 7.0 x 10^{35} erg.

Observed prominence eruption velocities up to 1690 km/s.

Eruption mass estimated between 9.5 x 10^{18} g and 1.4 x 10^{21} g.

Abstract

Stellar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have recently received much attention for their impacts on exoplanets and stellar evolution. Detecting prominence eruptions, the initial phase of CMEs, as the blue-shifted excess component of Balmer lines is a technique to capture stellar CMEs. However, most of prominence eruptions identified thus far have been slow and less than the surface escape velocity. Therefore, whether these eruptions were developing into CMEs remained unknown. In this study, we conducted simultaneous optical photometric observations with Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and optical spectroscopic observations with the 3.8m Seimei Telescope for the RS CVn-type star V1355 Orionis that frequently produces large-scale superflares. We detected a superflare releasing $7.0 \times 10^{35} \: \mathrm{erg}$. In the early stage of this flare, a blue-shifted excess component of $\mathrm{H \alpha}$ extending its velocity up to $760-1690 \: \mathrm{km \: s^{-1}}$ was observed and thought to originate from prominence eruptions. The velocity greatly exceeds the escape velocity (i.e., $\sim 350 \: \mathrm{km \: s^{-1}}$), which provides important evidence that stellar prominence eruptions can develop into CMEs. Furthermore, we found that the prominence is very massive ($9.5 \times 10^{18} \: \mathrm{g} < M < 1.4 \times 10^{21} \: \mathrm{g}$). These data will clarify whether such events follow existing theories and scaling laws on solar flares and CMEs even when the energy scale far exceeds solar cases.