arXiv subjects

A. Görgei

Publications and source records attributed to A. Görgei.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

TESS flares and chromospheric variability in the Pleiades, the Hyades, and Praesepe

Magnetic activity is a result of the interaction between rotation and dynamo processes in cool stars with outer convection zones. Since open cluster members share a common age, distance, and chemical composition, they provide an opportunity to study the magnetic activity of cool stars in a controlled astrophysical context. We used 120s cadence observations from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to study the flare activity of stars in three open clusters with different ages: the Pleiades (100 Myr), the Hyades (700 Myr) and Praesepe (700 Myr). We used the Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (OSMOS) at MDM Observatory with the goal of identifying coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the Pleiades and Praesepe. We investigated the flaring characteristics of the cluster members using the TESS light curves: we identified the flares, then divided the dataset into different categories based on the effective temperature and light curve amplitude. We calculated the flare energies and investigated the flare frequency distributions. We studied the dynamic spectra of the H$α$ line and its environment to search for indication of CMEs. The power-law indices of the flare frequency distributions obtained in our analysis span the 1.8-2.8 range. We found the highest flare rates in the Pleiades for all investigated spectral types. Our results show that the flare rate of M dwarfs is similar in the Pleiades and the Hyades while for K-type stars the flare rate in the Pleiades is an order of magnitude higher. Our analysis reveals that the flare rate in M stars changes with their effective temperature: the rate is highest for T$_{eff}$ $\sim$3200-3300 K -coinciding with the transition between partially and fully convective stars - with smooth decrease in flare rate towards cooler and hotter M dwarfs. We used the MDM/OSMOS spectra to place an upper limit on the CME rate.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

What powers the most energetic flares in the Kepler field? Revisiting the superflaring star KIC 2852961

Flare activity in red giants is quite common when continuously monitored with high-precision space photometry. In fact, the most powerful flares, also known as "superflares" have been observed on red giant stars. KIC 2852961 is a red giant star producing the highest-energy flares in the Kepler field, and is also known for its large-amplitude starspot-induced light variations. Our goal is to find out what causes the extreme flare activity and flare energies in this star. For our investigations, we use ground-based spectroscopic measurements and space photometric data, which we process using standard tools. We also collect relevant data from databases of large surveys such as Gaia. Our new radial velocity data confirm that the red giant star is part of a close binary system, in which tidal forces play a crucial role in controlling the evolution of the binary system. Our results show that tidal evolution has driven the system close to orbital circularization and rotational synchronization, but it did not completely constrain the differential rotation of the red giant, in which the magnetic dynamo can operate extremely efficiently. We find that high-energy (super)flares are primarily controlled by the internal magnetic activity of the active giant component, rather than phase-dependent interactions with the secondary star. The large spot-induced rotational light modulations indicate extensive starspots that can store enormous amounts of magnetic energy. This provides the conditions for the formation of extremely large flares, confirming the close relationship between large spot coverage and high flare energies and/or frequency. Behind all this, differential rotation may play a dual role in the flare activity of KIC 2852961: it contributes both to the formation of large starspots and to the shearing and twisting of coronal magnetic fields that can power energetic superflares.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Sub-second cadence structure of optical flares on AD Leo

Stellar flares are sudden brightenings caused by magnetic reconnection and are frequently observed on late-type stars. High-cadence photometry of flares provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of these events, yet such observations remain scarce. We seek to explore the sub-second fine structure of stellar flares and assess the information content in high-speed photometry. New 0.3 s-cadence photometry from a six-year-long observing campaign of the active M-dwarf AD Leo is presented. We use time--frequency analysis to detect quasi-periodic pulsations in the decay phase of flares. We explore statistical measures of time series complexity of the detected flares to quantify the information gain achievable with high-cadence photometry. We detect 42 flares in 211 hours of observations. The flare frequency distribution is consistent with the previous literature. We find no quasi-periodic pulsations with periods below a few seconds, and identify two candidate signals with periods around 1 and 3 min. Using different measures of complexity on the binned flare light curves we confirm the advantages of high observing cadence. However, we also find a plateau up to a binning of ~4--5 s for a few complex flares, suggesting that an exposure time of a few seconds is usually enough to retain most of the information carried by a single-filter observation. New photometric observations of AD Leo revealed sub-structures of flare light curves on the timescale of a few seconds, but we found no features on timescales below that.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic activity on the young Sun: a case study of EK Draconis

Context. Young, solar analogue stars provide key insights into the early stages of stellar evolution, particularly in terms of magnetic activity and rotation. Their rapid rotation, high flaring rate, and enhanced surface activity make them ideal laboratories for testing stellar models or even the solar dynamo. Aims. Using long-term photometric data, we investigated the cyclic behaviour of EK Dra over the last century. We analyze its short-term activity based on 13 Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) sectors. Applying Doppler imaging on high-resolution spectral data we investigate short and long-term spot evolution and surface differential rotation. Methods. We use Short-term Fourier-transform on a 120 years long archival photometric data in order to search for activity cycles. The short-term space photometry data is fitted with an analytic three-spot model, and we hand-select flares from it to analyze their phase and frequency distribution. Spectral synthesis is used to determine the astrophysical parameters of EK Dra. Using the iMap multi-line Doppler imaging code, we reconstruct 13 Doppler images. Differential rotation is derived by cross-correlating consecutive Doppler maps. Results. Long-term photometric data reveal a 10.7-12.1 year cycle that was persistently present for 120 years. In the more recent half of the light curve a 7.3-8.2 years-long signal is also visible. The distribution of the 142 flares in the TESS data shows no correlation with the rotational phase or with the spotted longitudes. The reconstructed Doppler images show a surface that varies from rotation to rotation, putting the lower limit of the spot lifetime between 10-15 days. Based on the cross-correlation of the Doppler maps, EK Dra has a solar-type differential rotation with a surface shear parameter of $α_{DR} = 0.030 \pm 0.008$.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Searching for stellar CMEs in the Praesepe and Pleiades clusters

On the Sun, the energetic, erupting phenomena of flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) often occur together. While space-based photometry has revealed frequent white-light flares for vast numbers of stars, only a handful of coronal mass ejections have been detected. Space-based photometry reveals the timing and detailed structure of flares. To detect CME signatures, however, optical spectroscopy is essential, as the ejected plasma can be detected by Doppler-shifted emission bumps in the Balmer-regions. We present a dedicated ground-based multi-object spectroscopic observations of the young, nearby Praesepe (600 Myr) and Pleiades (135 Myr) clusters to detect CMEs and flares parallel with the observations of Praesepe by the TESS satellite. During the 10 days of overlapping observations, we did not find any obvious signs of CMEs or flares in the H$α$ region.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Detecting coronal mass ejections with machine learning methods

Flares on the Sun are often associated with ejected plasma: these events are known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These events, although are studied in detail on the Sun, have only a few dozen known examples on other stars, mainly detected using the Doppler-shifted absorption/emission features in Balmer lines and tedious manual analysis. We present a possibility to find stellar CMEs with the help of high-resolution solar spectra.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

EI Eridani: a star under the influence -- The effect of magnetic activity in the short and long term

We use our photometric time series of more than forty years to analyze the long-term behaviour of EI Eri. Flare activity is investigated using space-borne photometric data obtained with TESS. The MUSICOS campaign aimed to achieve high-resolution spectroscopic observations from many sites around the globe, so that uninterrupted phase coverage of EI Eri became available. We use these data to reconstruct successive surface temperature maps of the star in order to study the changes of starspots on a very short timescale. We use long-term, seasonal period analysis of our photometric time series to study changes in the rotational period. Short-term Fourier-transform is also applied to look for activity cycle-like changes. We also study the phase and frequency distribution of hand-selected flares. We apply our multi-line Doppler imaging code to reconstruct four consecutive Doppler images. These images are also used to measure surface differential rotation by our cross-correlation technique. In addition, we carry out tests to demonstrate how Doppler imaging is affected by the fact that the data came from several different instruments with different spectral resolutions. Seasonal period analysis of the light curve reveals a smooth, significant change in period, possibly indicating the evolution of active latitudes. Temperature curves from $B-V$ and $V-I$ show slight differences, indicating the activity of EI Eri is spot dominated. Short-term Fourier transform reveals smoothly changing cycles between 4.5--5.5 and 8.9--11.6 years. The time-resolved spotted surface of EI Eri from Doppler imaging enabled us to follow the evolution of the different surface features. Cross-correlating the consecutive Doppler maps reveal surface shear of $α=0.036\pm0.007$. Our tests validate our approach and show that the surface temperature distribution is adequately reconstructed by our method.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

The cycle of metals in the infalling elliptical galaxy NGC 1404

Hot atmospheres pervading galaxy clusters, groups, and early-type galaxies are rich in metals, produced during epochs and diffused via processes that are still to be determined. While this enrichment has been routinely investigated in clusters, metals in lower mass systems are more challenging to probe with standard X-ray exposures and spectroscopy. In this paper, we focus on very deep XMM-Newton ($\sim$350 ks) observations of NGC 1404, a massive elliptical galaxy experiencing ram-pressure stripping of its hot atmosphere while infalling toward the centre of the Fornax cluster, with the aim to derive abundances through its hot gas extent. Importantly, we report the existence of a new fitting bias - the "double Fe bias" - leading to an underestimate of the Fe abundance when two thermal components cannot realistically model the complex temperature structure present in the outer atmosphere of the galaxy. Contrasting with the ''metal conundrum'' seen in clusters, the Fe and Mg masses of NGC 1404 are measured 1-2 orders of magnitude below what stars and supernovae could have reasonably produced and released. In addition, we note the remarkable Solar abundance ratios of the galaxy's halo, different from its stellar counterpart but similar to the chemical composition of the ICM of rich clusters. Completing the clusters regime, all these findings provide additional support toward a scenario of early enrichment, at play over two orders of magnitude in mass. A few peculiar and intriguing features, such as a possible double metal peak as well as an apparent ring of enhanced Si near the galaxy core, are also discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗