Short-term Balmer Line Emission Variability in M Dwarfs

Abstract M dwarfs make up the majority of stars, offering an avenue for discovering exoplanets due to their smaller sizes. However, their magnetic activity poses challenges for exoplanet detection, characterization, and planetary habitability. Understanding their magnetic activity, including surface starspots and internal dynamos, is crucial for exoplanet research. In this study, we present short-term variability in four Balmer emission lines, H α , H β , H γ , and H δ , for a sample of 77 M dwarfs of varying spectral types and binarity. Stars were observed using the MDM Observatory’s Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph on the 2.4 m telescope and the Modular Spectrograph on the 1.3 m telescope. These data are combined with TESS photometry to explore the connection between spectroscopic and photometric variability. We observe sporadic short-term variability in Balmer lines for some stars, on a timescale ≳15 min, but much shorter than the stellar rotation period. We calculate periods for stars lacking those measurements, reevaluate the amplitude ( R var )–activity relation for the H α line from A. Garcìa Soto et al., and extend our analysis to the H β , H γ , and H δ lines, which indicates that the relation becomes increasingly dispersed for higher-order Balmer lines. This is consistent with increased intrinsic variability from lower- to higher-order lines. Additionally, we compute the Balmer decrement, using H β as the fiducial, for stars where we could measure H γ and/or H δ . The Balmer decrement can show distinct patterns during white-light flares, with significant differences even for the same star. We also find evidence for dark spots on TIC 283866910.