Flaring Behavior in the M Dwarf PM J11183+1347 from TESS Observations

Abstract

Abstract This study presents analysis of the flaring properties and magnetic activity of an M dwarf PM J11183+1347 based on photometry light curves from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. PM J11183+1347 is an active flaring star of dMe type, at a distance of 24.8 pc and having a spectral type of M2.5–M3, and has been found to exhibit strong activity. We analyzed high-cadence TESS mission light curves across four sectors to investigate rotational modulation and flare properties. The periodogram analysis of the light curves showed periods ranging from 4.59 to 6.34 days, which may be attributed to differential rotation and evolving starspots. The variability in spot-induced modulation across sectors indicates strong surface activity, which further supports the star’s magnetically active nature. A total of 21 flare events were detected, with bolometric energy estimate values ranging from 1.59 × 10 32 to 1.05 × 10 34 erg and durations of 15–455 minutes. The flares were found to show mixed morphologies, including classical single-peaked flares, complex multipeaked flares, and peak-bump structures, which are characteristic of sympathetic flaring or multiloop reconnection events. We detected several superflares having energies greater than 10 33 erg, which further adds to the star’s high magnetic activity. The flare frequency distribution was seen to follow a power law with index α = 1.57 ± 0.18, which is typical of convective M dwarfs, whose total energy is contributed by high-energy flares. We obtained a strong correlation (∼0.96) between the duration of the flare and the energy indicating magnetic reconnection as the dominant mechanism.