FAST Observations of Wave-like Structures in the Radio Dynamic Spectrum of AD Leo

TL;DR

This study presents high-resolution FAST radio observations of AD Leo revealing wave-like structures in its spectrum, interpreted as potential signatures of MHD waves in the stellar corona, advancing stellar coronal seismology.

Contribution

First detection of wave-like radio spectral structures in AD Leo attributed to MHD waves, providing new insights into stellar coronal plasma and magnetic field diagnostics.

Findings

Frequency modulation with a 1.53 s period observed in radio bursts.

Frequency modulation amplitude grows with an e-fold timescale of 2.4 s.

Frequency modulation is in-phase with drift rate and anti-phase with flux density.

Abstract

M-dwarf flare stars like AD Leo are laboratories for studying intense magnetic activities. The coherent radio bursts they produce are powerful probes of stellar coronal plasma and magnetic fields. In this study, we present high-resolution observations of AD Leo from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) that reveal wave-like structures in its radio dynamic spectrum. The observations show trains of short-duration, narrowband sub-bursts where the central frequency, frequency drift rate, and flux density are all simultaneously modulated with a period of 1.53 s. Notably, modulation of the central frequency is approximately in-phase with that of the drift rate but roughly in anti-phase with that of the flux density. Furthermore, the amplitude of the frequency modulation grows with an e-fold timescale of 2.4 s. We interpret the observed sinusoidal frequency modulations as a possible signature of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave in the stellar corona. Our work provides a window into stellar coronal seismology and offers an opportunity to infer the local plasma environment via the MHD wave model.