Near UV Stellar Activity and Brightness Fluctuations of the Alpha Centauri AB Star System from Weeks to Decades -- Inputs for Reflected Light Spectroscopy with HWO
We present the most comprehensive near-ultraviolet (NUV: 2550-3255 Angstrom) activity record to date for the Alpha Centauri AB system, combining archival IUE and HST observations spanning nearly five decades with new high-cadence CUTE measurements. We show that Alpha Centauri A exhibits predominantly quiescent NUV behavior, with the majority of observations remaining within 1 sigma of the median flux and only rare chromospheric flaring events (1 flare every 12 years), consistent with its weak chromospheric activity and 19-year stellar cycle inferred from X-ray and FUV observations. In contrast, Alpha Centauri B displays a broader variability envelope, characterized by more frequent and higher-amplitude chromospheric excursions that track its well-established 8-year magnetic activity cycle. Using Lomb-Scargle analysis on the Mg II index derived from CUTE observations, we estimate the rotational period of Alpha Centauri A to be on timescales of 15-20 days. We also confirm the coherence of the stellar activity cycle of Alpha Centauri B in the NUV with its X-ray activity cycle. These data establish a critical reference framework for interpreting reflected-light observations of terrestrial exoplanets and for assessing the detectability of ozone and other biosignature-related features at NUV wavelengths with future facilities such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory. These results indicate that HWO observations of terrestrial exoplanets in reflected light photometry and spectroscopy around magnetically inactive early G-type stars and early K-type stars may be expected to show 10-20 percent and 30-40 percent temporal flux variability, respectively, over the course of months to years from the changing stellar inputs alone.