TY - JOUR
T1 - A blue depression in the optical spectra of M dwarfs
AU - Jones, Hugh R.A.
AU - Pavlenko, Yakiv
AU - Lyubchik, Yuri
AU - Bessell, Mike
AU - Allard, Nicole
AU - Pinfield, David J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
PY - 2023/7/1
Y1 - 2023/7/1
N2 - A blue depression is found in the spectra of M dwarfs from 4000 to 4500 Å. This depression shows an increase towards lower temperatures, though it is particularly sensitive to gravity and metallicity. It is the single strongest and most sensitive feature in the optical spectra of M dwarfs. The depression appears as centred on the neutral calcium resonance line at 4227 Å and leads to nearby features being weaker by about two orders of magnitude than predicted. We consider a variety of possible causes for the depression, including temperature, gravity, metallicity, dust, damping constants, and atmospheric stratification. We also consider relevant molecular opacities that might be the cause identifying AlH, SiH, and NaH in the spectral region. However, none of these solutions are satisfactory. In the absence of a more accurate determination of the broadening of the calcium line perturbed by molecular hydrogen, we find a promising empirical fit using a modified Lorentzian line profile for the calcium resonance line. Such fits provide a simplistic line-broadening description for this calcium resonance line and potentially other unmodelled resonance lines in cool high-pressure atmospheres. Thus, we claim that the most plausible cause of the blue depression in the optical spectra of M dwarfs is a lack of appropriate treatment of line broadening for atomic calcium. The broad wings of the calcium resonance line develop at temperatures below about 4000 K and are analogous to the neutral sodium and potassium features, which dominate the red optical spectra of L dwarfs.
AB - A blue depression is found in the spectra of M dwarfs from 4000 to 4500 Å. This depression shows an increase towards lower temperatures, though it is particularly sensitive to gravity and metallicity. It is the single strongest and most sensitive feature in the optical spectra of M dwarfs. The depression appears as centred on the neutral calcium resonance line at 4227 Å and leads to nearby features being weaker by about two orders of magnitude than predicted. We consider a variety of possible causes for the depression, including temperature, gravity, metallicity, dust, damping constants, and atmospheric stratification. We also consider relevant molecular opacities that might be the cause identifying AlH, SiH, and NaH in the spectral region. However, none of these solutions are satisfactory. In the absence of a more accurate determination of the broadening of the calcium line perturbed by molecular hydrogen, we find a promising empirical fit using a modified Lorentzian line profile for the calcium resonance line. Such fits provide a simplistic line-broadening description for this calcium resonance line and potentially other unmodelled resonance lines in cool high-pressure atmospheres. Thus, we claim that the most plausible cause of the blue depression in the optical spectra of M dwarfs is a lack of appropriate treatment of line broadening for atomic calcium. The broad wings of the calcium resonance line develop at temperatures below about 4000 K and are analogous to the neutral sodium and potassium features, which dominate the red optical spectra of L dwarfs.
KW - atomic data
KW - line: identification
KW - line: profiles
KW - stars: abundances
KW - stars: atmospheres
KW - stars: fundamental parameters
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161725244&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stad1391
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stad1391
M3 - Article
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 523
SP - 1297
EP - 1309
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 1
ER -