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M. Delamer

Publications and source records attributed to M. Delamer.

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A Panchromatic JWST Spectrum of a Giant Starspot on the Fully Convective M-dwarf TOI-3884

TOI-3884 b is a rare super-Neptune transiting a fully convective M dwarf that hosts a persistent giant polar spot. Because the planet occults this active region during every transit, the system offers a unique laboratory to directly probe the stellar surface and spot properties. We present seven James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) transits of TOI-3884 b observed with NIRISS and NIRSpec (spanning 0.6--5.3$\mu$m). While all visits show a recurring spot-crossing signature, each transit exhibits a distinct spot-crossing morphology, enabling us to infer a stellar rotation period of $P$=11.102$\pm$0.003d and tightly constrain the pole-on stellar orientation ($i_{*}$=139.2$\pm$0.3$^{\circ}$, $\lambda_{*}$=31.1$\pm$0.4$^{\circ}$) and spot properties ($R_{\rm{spot}}=0.576^{+0.006}_{-0.005}$R$_{*}$, $\phi_{\rm{spot}}$=-84.69$\pm$0.12$^{\circ}$).We leverage this orbital configuration to measure the first empirical panchromatic spectrum of an M dwarf starspot with JWST, establishing a direct observational benchmark for stellar atmosphere models in the fully convective regime. Comparison with 1D NewEra and SPHINX atmosphere models indicates that the spot is 183$\pm$1K cooler than the photosphere, consistent with previous ground-based measurements and expectations for mid M dwarf spot contrasts. While the models reproduce the observed contrasts at wavelengths longer than 1$\mu$m, they significantly underpredict the contrasts at shorter wavelengths. These results demonstrate that M dwarf stellar atmosphere models may not fully capture the wavelength dependence of stellar contamination in transmission spectra and highlight the importance of empirical spot spectra for robust interpretation of planetary atmospheres, particularly in the optical.

astro-ph.EP

Spectroscopic Characterization of LOFAR Radio-emitting M dwarfs

Recent observations with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) have revealed 19 nearby M dwarfs showing bright circularly polarised radio emission. One of the possible sources of such emission is through magnetic star-planet interactions (MSPI) with unseen close-in planets. We present initial results from a spectroscopic survey with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) and NEID spectrographs designed to characterize this sample and further investigate the origin of the radio emission. We provide four new insights into the sample. I) We uniformly characterize the stellar properties, constraining their effective temperatures, surface gravities, metallicities, projected rotational velocities, rotation periods, stellar radii, and stellar inclinations where possible. Further, from a homogenous analysis of the HPF spectra, we infer their chromospheric activity and spectroscopic multiplicity states. From this, we identify GJ 625, GJ 1151, and LHS 2395 as single, quiescent stars amenable to precise RV follow-up, making them strong MSPI candidates. II) We show that the distribution of stellar inclinations are compatible with an isotropic distribution, providing no evidence for a preference to pole-on configurations. III) We refine the radial velocity solution for GJ 625 b, the only currently known close-in planet in the sample, reducing the uncertainty in its orbital period by a factor of three, to facilitate future phase-dependent radio analysis. IV) Finally, we identify GJ 3861 as a spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of $P=14.841181_{-0.00010}^{+0.00011}$ d, making it the only confirmed binary with a relatively short orbit in the sample, where we surmise the radio emission is likely related to magnetospheric interactions between the two stars. These results advance our understanding of radio-emitting M dwarfs and establish an observational foundation for identifying MSPI.

astro-ph.EP