The Solar Neighborhood XXXVI: The Long-Term Photometric Variability of Nearby Red Dwarfs in the VRI Optical Bands

We present an analysis of long-term photometric variability for nearby red dwarfs at optical wavelengths. The sample consists of 264 M dwarfs south of DEC = +30 with V-K = 3.96-9.16 and Mv~10-20 (spectral types M2V-M8V), most of which are within 25 pc. The stars have been observed in the VRI filters for ~4-14 years at the CTIO/SMARTS 0.9m telescope. Of the 238 red dwarfs within 25 pc, we find that only ~8% are photometrically variable by at least 20 mmag (~2%) in the VRI bands. We find that high variability at optical wavelengths over the long-term can be used to identify young stars. Overall, however, the fluxes of most red dwarfs at optical wavelengths are steady to a few percent over the long term. The low overall rate of photometric variability for red dwarfs is consistent with results found in previous work on similar stars on shorter timescales, with the body of work indicating that most red dwarfs are only mildly variable. We highlight 17 stars that show long-term changes in brightness, sometimes because of flaring activity or spots, and sometimes because of stellar cycles similar to our Suns solar cycle. Remarkably, two targets show brightnesses that monotonically increase (G 169-029) or decrease (WT 460AB) by several percent over a decade. We also provide long-term variability measurements for seven M dwarfs within 25 pc that host exoplanets, none of which vary by more than 20 mmag. Both as a population, and for the specific red dwarfs with exoplanets observed here, photometric variability is therefore often not a concern for planetary environments, at least at the optical wavelengths where they emit much of their light.

The Solar Neighborhood XXVII: Discovery of New Proper Motion Stars with mu > 0.18 /yr in the Southern Sky with 16.5 > R_59F > 18.0

Here we present 1584 new southern proper motion systems with mu > 0.18 /yr and 16.5 > R_59F > 18.0. This search complements the six previous SuperCOSMOS-RECONS (SCR) proper motion searches of the southern sky for stars within the same proper motion range, but with R_59F < 16.5. As in previous papers, we present distance estimates for these systems and find that three systems are estimated to be within 25 pc, including one, SCR 1546-5534, possibly within the RECONS 10 pc horizon at 6.7 pc, making it the second nearest discovery of the searches. We find 97 white dwarf candidates with distance estimates between 10 and 120 pc, as well as 557 cool subdwarf candidates. The subdwarfs found in this paper make up nearly half of the subdwarf systems reported from our SCR searches, and are significantly redder than those discovered thus far. The SCR searches have now found 155 red dwarfs estimated to be within 25 pc, including 10 within 10 pc. In addition, 143 white dwarf candidates and 1155 cool subdwarf candidates have been discovered. The 1584 systems reported here augment the sample of 4724 systems previously discovered in our SCR searches, and imply that additional systems fainter than R_59F = 18.0 are yet to be discovered.

The Solar Neighborhood. XXI. Parallax Results from the CTIOPI 0.9m Program: 20 New Members of the 25 Parsec White Dwarf Sample

We present accurate trigonometric parallaxes for 20 new members of the 25 pc white dwarf sample as part of the DENSE project (Discovery and Evalution of Nearby Stellar Embers, http://www.DenseProject.com). Previously, there were a total of 112 white dwarf systems with trigonometric parallaxes placing them within 25 pc and of these, 99 have trigonometric parallaxes known to better than 10%. Thus, the 20 new members presented in this work represent a 20% increase in the number of white dwarfs accurately known to be within 25 pc. In addition, we present updated parallaxes for seven known white dwarfs within 10 pc that have been observed as part of the ASPENS initiative (Astrometric Search for Planets Encircling Nearby Stars) to monitor nearby southern red and white dwarfs for astrometric perturbations from unseen companions. Including a few white dwarf companions and white dwarfs beyond 25 pc, we present a total of 33 trigonometric parallaxes. We perform atmospheric modeling for white dwarfs to determine physical parameters (i.e., effective temperature, log g, mass, and white dwarf age). Finally, a new ZZ Ceti pulsating white dwarf was identified and revised constraints are placed on two mixed H/He atmosphere cool white dwarfs that display continuum absorption in the near-infrared.