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Register a new userThe effect of magnetic activity on low-mass stars in eclipsing binaries
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Added by
Juan Carlos Morales
Publication date
2010
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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In recent years, analyses of eclipsing binary systems have unveiled differences between the observed fundamental properties of low-mass stars and those predicted by stellar structure models. Particularly, radius and effective temperatures computed from models are ~ 5-10% lower and ~ 3-5% higher than observed, respectively. These discrepancies have been attributed to different factors, notably to the high levels of magnetic activity present on these stars. In this paper, we test the effect of magnetic activity both on models and on the observational analysis of eclipsing binaries using a sample of such systems with accurate fundamental properties. Regarding stellar models, we have found that unrealistically high spot coverages need to be assumed to reproduce the observations. Tests considering metallicity effects and missing opacities on models indicate that these are not able to explain the radius discrepancies observed. With respect to the observations, we have tested the effect of several spot distributions on the light curve analysis. Our results show that spots cause systematic deviations on the stellar radii derived from light curve analysis when distributed mainly over the stellar poles. Assuming the existence of polar spots, overall agreement between models and observations is reached when ~ 35% spot coverage is considered on stellar models. Such spot coverage induces a systematic deviation in the radius determination from the light curve analysis of ~ 3% and is also compatible with the modulations observed on the light curves of these systems. Finally, we have found that the effect of activity or rotation on convective transport in partially radiative stars may also contribute to explain the differences seen in some of the systems with shorter orbital periods.
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A long-standing issue in the theory of low mass stars is the discrepancy between predicted and observed radii and effective temperatures. In spite of the increasing availability of very precise radius determinations from eclipsing binaries and interferometric measurements of radii of single stars, there is no unanimous consensus on the extent (or even the existence) of the discrepancy and on its connection with other stellar properties (e.g. metallicity, magnetic activity). We investigate the radius discrepancy phenomenon using the best data currently available (accuracy about 5%). We have constructed a grid of stellar models covering the entire range of low mass stars (0.1-1.25 M_sun) and various choices of the metallicity and of the mixing length parameter alpha. We used an improved version of the Yale Rotational stellar Evolution Code (YREC), implementing surface boundary conditions based on the most up-to-date PHOENIX atmosphere models. Our models are in good agreement with others in the literature and improve and extend the low mass end of the Yale-Yonsei isochrones. Our calculations include rotation-related quantities, such as moments of inertia and convective turnover time scales, useful in studies of magnetic activity and rotational evolution of solar-like stars. Consistently with previous works, we find that both binaries and single stars have radii inflated by about 3% with respect to the theoretical models; among binaries, the components of short orbital period systems are found to be the most deviant. We conclude that both binaries and single stars are comparably affected by the radius discrepancy phenomenon.
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