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A. R. G. Santos

Publications and source records attributed to A. R. G. Santos.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Luminaries in the Sky: The TESS LEGACY sample of bright stars. II. In-depth seismic characterisation of 32 naked-eye stars in the PLATO LOP fields

The NASA TESS mission is conducting a nearly full-sky survey, enabling the photometric characterisation of millions of stars. The forthcoming ESA PLATO mission will provide long-duration, high-precision photometry of tens of thousands of bright stars to be characterised through asteroseismology. The TESS Luminaries sample is a catalogue of 196 bright naked-eye (V < 6) main-sequence (MS) and sub-giant (SG) stars exhibiting solar-like oscillations. Among them, the subset located within the PLATO long-duration observation phase (LOP) fields constitutes an exceptional set of targets that will be observable by PLATO from the earliest phases of the mission, making them ideal calibrators during commissioning and the first months of science operations. This paper aims to provide an in-depth asteroseismic characterisation of 32 Luminaries stars that fall within the PLATO LOP fields of view. Individual mode parameters were extracted for the first time for 26 of them. We used three independent seismic pipelines, one of which is similar to the algorithms used in the official PLATO pipeline. Statistical criterion were applied to identify the optimal combination of data calibration, observing cadence, and fitting pipeline for each star. For all stars, we derived large and small separations, the asymptotic phase term, radial mode amplitudes, and mean linewidths per order. Comparisons reveal consistent trends in the seismic parameters, confirming the robustness of our analysis. In SGs, mixed-mode identification differs in the three pipelines, revealing extraction inconsistencies requiring longer datasets to improve our mode identifications. The Luminaries stars located in the PLATO LOP fields constitute a unique sample that will play a crucial role in validating, calibrating, and optimising PLATO's seismic performance.

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Characterizing six seismic solar analogs observed by Kepler, K2, and HERMES

Solar analogs, stars that closely match the fundamental properties of the Sun, provide key benchmarks for testing stellar structure and evolution across different ages and activity levels. Their detailed characterization helps place the Sun in context within the broader population of solar-like stars. This study presents the characterization of six seismic solar analogs observed by the NASA Kepler and K2 missions. Combining asteroseismic constraints from space-based photometry with high-resolution spectroscopy and \textit{Gaia} astrometry, we derived their fundamental parameters and assessed their resemblance to the Sun. Global seismic properties and individual oscillation modes were extracted from the photometric light curves, while atmospheric parameters were obtained from data collected by the HERMES spectrograph at the Mercator telescope. Stellar modeling using seven independent stellar evolution codes yielded consistent masses, radii, and ages. These stars have masses between 0.91 and 1.04~$\mathrm{M}_\odot$, radii between 0.95 and 1.08~$\mathrm{R}_\odot$, and ages from about 1.8 to 9.1~Gyr, with typical systematic uncertainties of $\pm$ 0.02~$\mathrm{M}_\odot$, $\pm$ 0.01~$\mathrm{R}_\odot$, and $\pm$ 0.7~Gyr, respectively. One star, EPIC~206064678, exhibits properties very similar to those of the Sun, with $M = 1.016 \pm 0.033\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$, $R = 0.990 \pm 0.011\,\mathrm{R}_\odot$, and an age of $5.40 \pm 0.12$\,Gyr. It can therefore be considered a close solar twin, although it is slightly older and more metal-rich ($0.25 \pm 0.07$\,dex). Four targets display binarity signatures and all exhibit very low chromospheric activity. This work broadens the sample of well-characterized seismic solar analogs towards a larger sample of metallicities and ages, providing new references for comparative stellar studies and future asteroseismic investigations.

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Magnetic braking and dynamo evolution of $β$ Hydri

The evolution of magnetic braking and dynamo processes in subgiant stars is essential for understanding how these stars lose angular momentum. We investigate the magnetic braking and dynamo evolution of $β$ Hydri, a G-type subgiant, to test the hypothesis of weakened magnetic braking and the potential rejuvenation of large-scale magnetic fields. We analyze spectropolarimetric observations from HARPS (HARPSpol; polarimetric mode of High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher), and combine them with archival X-ray data and asteroseismic properties from TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) to estimate the current wind braking torque of $β$ Hydri. Despite experiencing weakened magnetic braking during the second half of its main-sequence lifetime, our results indicate that $β$ Hydri has regained significant magnetic activity and a large-scale magnetic field. This observation aligns with the "born-again" dynamo hypothesis. Furthermore, our estimated wind braking torque is considerably stronger than what would be expected for a star in the weakened magnetic braking regime. This suggests that subgiants with extended convective zones can temporarily re-establish large-scale dynamo action. These results provide critical constraints on stellar rotation models and improve our understanding of the interplay between magnetic field structure, stellar activity cycles, and angular momentum evolution in old solar-type stars.

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Kepler main-sequence solar-like stars: surface rotation and magnetic-activity evolution

While the mission's primary goal was focused on exoplanet detection and characterization, Kepler made and continues to make extraordinary advances in stellar physics. Stellar rotation and magnetic activity are no exceptions. Kepler allowed for these properties to be determined for tens of thousands of stars from the main sequence up to the red giant branch. From photometry, this can be achieved by investigating the brightness fluctuations due to active regions, which cause surface inhomogeneities, or through asteroseismology as oscillation modes are sensitive to rotation and magnetic fields. This review summarizes the rotation and magnetic activity properties of the single main-sequence solar-like stars within the Kepler field. We contextualize the Kepler sample by comparing it to known transitions in the stellar rotation and magnetic-activity evolution, such as the convergence to the rotation sequence (from the saturated to the unsaturated regime of magnetic activity) and the Vaughan-Preston gap. While reviewing the publicly available data, we also uncover one interesting finding related to the intermediate-rotation gap seen in Kepler and other surveys. We find evidence for this rotation gap in previous ground-based data for the X-ray luminosity. Understanding the complex evolution and interplay between rotation and magnetic activity in solar-like stars is crucial, as it sheds light on fundamental processes governing stellar evolution, including the evolution of our own Sun.

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Stellar spectral-type (mass) dependence of the dearth of close-in planets around fast-rotating stars. Architecture of Kepler confirmed single-exoplanet systems compared to star-planet evolution models

In 2013 a dearth of close-in planets around fast-rotating host stars was found using statistical tests on Kepler data. The addition of more Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) systems in 2022 filled this region of the diagram of stellar rotation period (Prot) versus the planet orbital period (Porb). We revisited the Prot extraction of Kepler planet-host stars, we classify the stars by their spectral type, and we studied their Prot-Porb relations. We only used confirmed exoplanet systems to minimize biases. In order to learn about the physical processes at work, we used the star-planet evolution code ESPEM (French acronym for Evolution of Planetary Systems and Magnetism) to compute a realistic population synthesis of exoplanet systems and compared them with observations. Because ESPEM works with a single planet orbiting around a single main-sequence star, we limit our study to this population of Kepler observed systems filtering out binaries, evolved stars, and multi-planets. We find in both, observations and simulations, the existence of a dearth in close-in planets orbiting around fast-rotating stars, with a dependence on the stellar spectral type (F, G, and K), which is a proxy of the mass in our sample of stars. There is a change in the edge of the dearth as a function of the spectral type (and mass). It moves towards shorter Prot as temperature (and mass) increases, making the dearth look smaller. Realistic formation hypotheses included in the model and the proper treatment of tidal and magnetic migration are enough to qualitatively explain the dearth of hot planets around fast-rotating stars and the uncovered trend with spectral type.

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Temporal variation of the photometric magnetic activity for the Sun and Kepler solar-like stars

The photometric time series of solar-like stars can exhibit rotational modulation due to active regions co-rotating with the stellar surface, allowing us to constrain stellar rotation and magnetic activity. In this work we investigate the behavior, particularly the variability, of the photometric magnetic activity of Kepler solar-like stars and compare it with that of the Sun. We adopted the photometric magnetic activity proxy Sph, which was computed with a cadence of 5 x the rotation period, Prot. The average Sph was taken as the mean activity level, and the standard deviation was taken as a measure of the temporal variation of the magnetic activity over the observations. We also analyzed Sun-as-a-star photometric data from VIRGO. Sun-like stars were selected from a very narrow parameter space around the solar properties. We also looked into KIC 8006161 (HD 173701), an active metal-rich G dwarf, and we compared its magnetic activity to that of stars with similar stellar parameters. We find that the amplitude of Sph variability is strongly correlated with its mean value, independent of spectral type. An equivalent relationship has been found for ground-based observations of chromospheric activity emission and magnetic field strength, but in this work we show that photometric Kepler data also present the same behavior. While, depending on the cycle phase, the Sun is among the less active stars, we find that the solar Sph properties are consistent with those observed in Kepler Sun-like stars. KIC 8006161 is, however, among the most active of its peers, which tend to be metal-rich. This results from an underlying relationship between Prot and metallicity and supports the following interpretation of the magnetic activity of KIC 8006161: its strong activity is a consequence of its high metallicity, which affects the depth of the convection zone and, consequently, the efficiency of the dynamo.

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Study of Chemically Peculiar Stars-I : High-resolution Spectroscopy and K2 Photometry of Am Stars in the Region of M44

We present a study based on the high-resolution spectroscopy and K2 space photometry of five chemically peculiar stars in the region of the open cluster M44. The analysis of the high-precision photometric K2 data reveals that the light variations in HD 73045 and HD 76310 are rotational in nature and caused by spots or cloud-like co-rotating structures, which are non-stationary and short-lived. The time-resolved radial velocity measurements, in combination with the K2 photometry, confirm that HD 73045 does not show any periodic variability on timescales shorter than 1.3 d, contrary to previous reports in the literature. In addition to these new rotational variables, we discovered a new heartbeat system, HD 73619, where no pulsational signatures are seen. The spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric analyses indicate that HD 73619 belongs to the peculiar Am class, with either a weak or no magnetic field considering the 200 G detection limit of our study. The Least-Squares Deconvolution (LSD) profiles for HD 76310 indicate a complex structure in its spectra suggesting that this star is either part of a binary system or surrounded by a cloud shell. When placed in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, all studied stars are evolved from main-sequence and situated in the $δ$ Scuti instability strip. The present work is relevant for further detailed studies of CP stars, such as inhomogeneities (including spots) in the absence of magnetic fields and the origin of the pulsational variability in heartbeat systems.

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Detections of solar-like oscillations in dwarfs and subgiants with Kepler DR25 short-cadence data

During the survey phase of the Kepler mission, several thousands of stars were observed in short cadence, allowing the detection of solar-like oscillations in more than 500 main-sequence and sub-giant stars. Later, the Kepler Science Office discovered an issue in the calibration that affected half of the short-cadence data, leading to a new data release (DR25) with improved corrections. We re-analyze the one-month time series of the Kepler survey phase to search for new solar-like oscillations. We study the seismic parameters of 99 stars (46 targets with new reported solar-like oscillations) increasing by around 8% the known sample of solar-like stars with asteroseismic analysis of the short-cadence data from Kepler. We compute the masses and radii using seismic scaling relations and find that this new sample populates the massive stars (above 1.2Ms and up to 2Ms) and subgiant phase. We determine the granulation parameters and amplitude of the modes, which agree with previously derived scaling relations. The stars studied here are slightly fainter than the previously known sample of main-sequence and subgiants with asteroseismic detections. We also study the surface rotation and magnetic activity levels of those stars. Our sample of has similar levels of activity compared to the previously known sample and in the same range as the Sun between the minimum and maximum of its activity cycle. We find that for 7 stars, a possible blend could be the reason for the previous non detection. We compare the radii obtained from the scaling relations with the Gaia ones and find that the Gaia radii are overestimated by 4.4% on average compared to the seismic radii and a decreasing trend with evolutionary stage. We re-analyze the DR25 of the main-sequence and sub-giant stars with solar-like oscillations previously detected and provide their global seismic parameters for a total of 526 stars.

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Surface rotation and photometric activity for Kepler targets. II. G and F main-sequence stars, and cool subgiant stars

Dark magnetic spots crossing the stellar disc lead to quasi-periodic brightness variations, which allow us to constrain stellar surface rotation and photometric activity. The current work is the second of this series (Santos et al. 2019; Paper I), where we analyze the Kepler long-cadence data of 132,921 main-sequence F and G stars and late subgiant stars. Rotation-period candidates are obtained by combining wavelet analysis with autocorrelation function. Reliable rotation periods are then selected via a machine learning (ML) algorithm (Breton et al. 2021), automatic selection, and complementary visual inspection. The ML training data set comprises 26,521 main-sequence K and M stars from Paper I. To supplement the training, we analyze in the same way as Paper I, i.e. automatic selection and visual inspection, 34,100 additional stars. We finally provide rotation periods Prot and associated photometric activity proxy Sph for 39,592 targets. Hotter stars are generally faster rotators than cooler stars. For main-sequence G stars, Sph spans a wider range of values with increasing effective temperature, while F stars tend to have smaller Sph values in comparison with cooler stars. Overall for G stars, fast rotators are photometrically more active than slow rotators, with Sph saturating at short periods. The combined outcome of the two papers accounts for average Prot and Sph values for 55,232 main-sequence and subgiant FGKM stars (out of 159,442 targets), with 24,182 new Prot detections in comparison with McQuillan et al. (2014). The upper edge of the Prot distribution is located at longer Prot than found previously.

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On the relation between active-region lifetimes and the autocorrelation function of light curves

Rotational modulation of stellar light curves due to dark spots encloses information on spot properties and, thus, on magnetic activity. In particular, the decay of the autocorrelation function (ACF) of light curves is presumed to be linked to spot/active-region lifetimes, given that some coherence of the signal is expected throughout their lifetime. In the literature, an exponential decay has been adopted to describe the ACF. Here, we investigate the relation between the ACF and the active-region lifetimes. For this purpose, we produce artificial light curves of rotating spotted stars with different observation, stellar, and spot properties. We find that a linear decay and respective timescale better represent the ACF than the exponential decay. We therefore adopt a linear decay. The spot/active-region timescale inferred from the ACF is strongly restricted by the observation length of the light curves. For 1-year light curves our results are consistent with no correlation between the inferred and the input timescales. The ACF decay is also significantly affected by differential rotation and spot evolution: strong differential rotation and fast spot evolution contribute to a more severe underestimation of the active-region lifetimes. Nevertheless, in both circumstances the observed timescale is still correlated with the input lifetimes. Therefore, our analysis suggests that the ACF decay can be used to obtain a lower limit of the active-region lifetimes for relatively long-term observations. However, strategies to avoid or flag targets with fast active-region evolution or displaying stable beating patterns associated with differential rotation should be employed.

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A calibration of the Rossby number from asteroseismology

Stellar activity and rotation are tightly related in a dynamo process. Our understanding of this mechanism is mainly limited by our capability of inferring the properties of stellar turbulent convection. In particular, the convective turnover time is a key ingredient through the estimation of the stellar Rossby number, which is the ratio of the rotation period and the convective turnover time. In this work we propose a new calibration of the $(B-V)$ color index dependence of the convective turnover time, hence of the stellar Rossby number. Our new calibration is based on the stellar structure properties inferred through the detailed modeling of solar-like pulsators using asteroseismic observables. We show the impact of this calibration in a stellar activity -- Rossby number diagram by applying it to a sample of about 40,000 stars observed with Kepler and for which photometric activity proxy $S_\mathrm{\!ph}$ and surface rotation periods are available. Additionally, we provide a new calibration of the convective turnover time as function of the $(G_\mathrm{BP}-G_\mathrm{RP})$ color index for allowing applicability in the ESA Gaia photometric passbands.

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Precise mass and radius of a transiting super-Earth planet orbiting the M dwarf TOI-1235: a planet in the radius gap?

We report the confirmation of a transiting planet around the bright, inactive M0.5 V star TOI-1235 (TYC 4384-1735-1, V = 11.5 mag), whose transit signal was detected in the photometric time series of Sectors 14, 20, and 21 of the TESS space mission. We confirm the planetary nature of the transit signal, which has a period of 3.44 d, by using precise radial velocity measurements with CARMENES and HARPS-N spectrographs. A comparison of the properties derived for TOI-1235 b's with theoretical models reveals that the planet has a rocky composition, with a bulk density slightly higher than Earth's. In particular, we measure a mass of M_p = 5.9+/-0.6 M_Earth and a radius of R_p = 1.69+/-0.08 R_Earth, which together result in a density of rho_p = 6.7+1.3-1.1 g/cm3. When compared with other well-characterized exoplanetary systems, the particular combination of planetary radius and mass puts our discovery in the radius gap, a transition region between rocky planets and planets with significant atmospheric envelopes, with few known members. While the exact location of the radius gap for M dwarfs is still a matter of debate, our results constrain it to be located at around 1.7 R_Earth or larger at the insolation levels received by TOI-1235 b (~60 S_Earth), which makes it an extremely interesting object for further studies of planet formation and atmospheric evolution.

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Surface rotation and photometric activity for Kepler targets I. M and K main-sequence stars

Brightness variations due to dark spots on the stellar surface encode information about stellar surface rotation and magnetic activity. In this work, we analyze the Kepler long-cadence data of 26,521 main-sequence stars of spectral types M and K in order to measure their surface rotation and photometric activity level. Rotation-period estimates are obtained by the combination of a wavelet analysis and autocorrelation function of the light curves. Reliable rotation estimates are determined by comparing the results from the different rotation diagnostics and four data sets. We also measure the photometric activity proxy Sph using the amplitude of the flux variations on an appropriate timescale. We report rotation periods and photometric activity proxies for about 60 per cent of the sample, including 4,431 targets for which McQuillan et al. (2013a,2014) did not report a rotation period. For the common targets with rotation estimates in this study and in McQuillan et al. (2013a,2014), our rotation periods agree within 99 per cent. In this work, we also identify potential polluters, such as misclassified red giants and classical pulsator candidates. Within the parameter range we study, there is a mild tendency for hotter stars to have shorter rotation periods. The photometric activity proxy spans a wider range of values with increasing effective temperature. The rotation period and photometric activity proxy are also related, with Sph being larger for fast rotators. Similar to McQuillan et al. (2013a,2014), we find a bimodal distribution of rotation periods.

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Signatures of magnetic activity: On the relation between stellar properties and p-mode frequency variations

In the Sun, the properties of acoustic modes are sensitive to changes in the magnetic activity. In particular, mode frequencies are observed to increase with increasing activity level. Thanks to CoRoT and Kepler, such variations have been found in other solar-type stars and encode information on the activity-related changes in their interiors. Thus, the unprecedented long-term Kepler photometric observations provide a unique opportunity to study stellar activity through asteroseismology. The goal of this work is to investigate the dependencies of the observed mode frequency variations on the stellar parameters and whether those are consistent with an activity-related origin. We select the solar-type oscillators with highest signal-to-noise ratio, in total 75 targets. Using the temporal frequency variations determined in Santos et al. (2018), we study the relation between those variations and the fundamental stellar properties. We also compare the observed frequency shifts with chromospheric and photometric activity indexes, which are only available for a subset of the sample. We find that frequency shifts increase with increasing chromospheric activity, which is consistent with an activity-related origin of the observed frequency shifts. Frequency shifts are also found to increase with effective temperature, which is in agreement with the theoretical predictions for the activity-related frequency shifts by Metcalfe et al. (2007). Frequency shifts are largest for fast rotating and young stars, which is consistent with those being more active than slower rotators and older stars. Finally, we find evidence for frequency shifts increasing with stellar metallicity.

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Revisiting the impact of stellar magnetic activity on the detectability of solar-like oscillations by Kepler

Over 2,000 stars were observed for one month with a high enough cadence in order to look for acoustic modes during the survey phase of the Kepler mission. Solar-like oscillations have been detected in about 540 stars. The question of why no oscillations were detected in the remaining stars is still open. Previous works explained the non-detection of modes with the high level of magnetic activity. However, the studied stars contained some classical pulsators and red giants that could have biased the results. In this work, we revisit this analysis on a cleaner sample of 1,014 main-sequence solar-like stars. First we compute the predicted amplitude of the modes. We find that the stars with detected modes have an amplitude to noise ratio larger than 0.94. We measure reliable rotation periods and the associated photometric magnetic index for 684 stars and in particular for 323 stars where the mode amplitude is predicted to be high enough to be detected. We find that among these 323 stars 32% have a magnetic activity level larger than the Sun at maximum activity, explaining the non-detection of p modes. Interestingly, magnetic activity cannot be the primary reason responsible for the absence of detectable modes in the remaining 68% of the stars without p modes detected and with reliable rotation periods. Thus, we investigate metallicity, inclination angle, and binarity as possible causes of low mode amplitudes. Using spectroscopic observations for a subsample, we find that a low metallicity could be the reason for suppressed modes. No clear correlation with binarity nor inclination is found. We also derive the lower limit for our photometric activity index (of 20-30 ppm) below which rotation and magnetic activity are not detected. Finally with our analysis we conclude that stars with a photometric activity index larger than 2,000 ppm have 98.3% probability of not having oscillations detected.

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Influence of magnetic activity on the determination of stellar parameters through asteroseismology

Magnetic activity changes the gravito-acoustic modes of solar-like stars and in particular their frequencies. There is an angular-degree dependence that is believed to be caused by the non-spherical nature of the magnetic activity in the stellar convective envelope. These changes in the mode frequencies could modify the small separation of low-degree modes (i.e. frequency difference between consecutive quadrupole and radial modes), which is sensitive to the core structure and hence to the evolutionary stage of the star. Determining global stellar parameters such as the age using mode frequencies at a given moment of the magnetic activity cycle could lead to biased results. Our estimations show that in general these errors are lower than other systematic uncertainties, but in some circumstances they can be as high as 10% in age and of a few percent in mass and radius. In addition, the frequency shifts caused by the magnetic activity are also frequency dependent. In the solar case this is a smooth function that will mostly be masked by the filtering of the so-called surface effects. However the observations of other stars suggest that there is an oscillatory component with a period close to the one corresponding to the acoustic depth of the He II zone. This could give rise to a misdetermination of some global stellar parameters, such as the helium abundance. Our computations show that the uncertainties introduced by this effect are lower than the 3% level.

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Determining surface rotation periods of solar-like stars observed by the Kepler mission using machine learning techniques

For a solar-like star, the surface rotation evolves with time, allowing in principle to estimate the age of a star from its surface rotation period. Here we are interested in measuring surface rotation periods of solar-like stars observed by the NASA Kepler mission. Different methods have been developed to track rotation signals in Kepler photometric light curves: time-frequency analysis based on wavelet techniques, autocorrelation and composite spectrum. We use the learning abilities of random forest classifiers to take decisions during two crucial steps of the analysis. First, given some input parameters, we discriminate the considered Kepler targets between rotating MS stars, non-rotating MS stars, red giants, binaries and pulsators. We then use a second classifier only on the MS rotating targets to decide the best data-analysis treatment.

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Sounding stellar cycles with Kepler - III. Comparative analysis of chromospheric, photometric and asteroseismic variability

By combining ground-based spectrographic observations of variability in the chromospheric emission from Sun-like stars with the variability seen in their eigenmode frequencies, it is possible to relate the changes observed at the surfaces of these stars to the changes taking place in the interior. By further comparing this variability to changes in the relative flux from the stars, one can obtain an expression for how these activity indicators relate to the energy output from the stars. Such studies become very pertinent when the variability can be related to stellar cycles as they can then be used to improve our understanding of the solar cycle and its effect on the energy output from the Sun. Here we present observations of chromospheric emission in 20 Sun-like stars obtained over the course of the nominal 4-year Kepler mission. Even though 4 years is too short to detect stellar equivalents of the 11-year solar cycle, observations from the Kepler mission can still be used to analyse the variability of the different activity indicators thereby obtaining information of the physical mechanism generating the variability. The analysis reveals no strong correlation between the different activity indicators, except in very few cases. We suggest that this is due to the sparse sampling of our ground-based observations on the one hand and that we are likely not tracing cyclic variability on the other hand. We also discuss how to improve the situation.

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