Simultaneous Optical and Radio Observations of a Large Stellar Flare on EV Lac
Abstract We present simultaneous optical and radio observations of a large stellar flare on the M dwarf EV Lac, captured between 12:00 and 15:00 UT on 2022 October 25. This event was jointly monitored with the 85 cm and 2.16 m optical telescopes at the Xinglong Observatory, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, enabling a comprehensive view of flare energy release and dynamic evolution. The flare persisted for 138 minutes with a bolometric energy exceeding 1.7 × 10 33 erg and exhibited a double-peaked light curve. Temporal H α line profiles show Stark broadening and red asymmetry with a redshift of ∼50 km s −1 near the first flare peak, suggesting downward plasma motion possibly due to chromospheric condensation. Enhanced blue wing emission near the second peak reaches a maximum blueshift of −240 km s −1 , indicating a stellar prominence eruption with an estimated mass of 7.3 × 10 18 –3.3 × 10 19 g. Flare blackbody temperature estimates indicate a peak of 12,500 K during the first peak, oscillating between 5500 K and 8100 K near the second peak, and cooling to 3700 K afterward. FAST radio observations reveal positive frequency-drifting, highly polarized bursts consistent with electron cyclotron maser emission modulated by stellar rotation, indicating magnetically trapped energetic electrons during the flare. This unique observation campaign provides a comprehensive view of plasma heating, plasma motions, and electron acceleration during a large stellar flare, offering new insights into the multiwavelength evolution of flare-related plasma processes in stellar atmospheres.
Authors
- Hui Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1369-1758)
- Hongpeng Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8037-5256)
- Jie Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6637-6973)
- Hiroyuki Maehara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0332-0811)
- Kosuke Namekata (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1297-9485)
- Junbo Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3395-6178)
- Shun Inoue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3085-304X)
- Jiale Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0713-405X)
- Jian-Guo Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4156-3793)
- Liyun Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2394-9521)
- Hechao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7866-4358)
Institutions
- Okayama Shoka University (JP)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- University of America (US)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Guizhou University (CN)
- Yunnan University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Peking University (CN)
- Kyoto University (JP)
- Yunnan Observatories (CN)
- Heliophysics (US)
- National Space Science Center (CN)
- Space Engineering University (CN)
- National Astronomical Observatories (CN)
- Catholic University of America (US)
- Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adfc5b
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.31
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Space Telescope Science Institute
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Guizhou University
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds UGent
- National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences