Probing Starspot Dynamics on the Active M Dwarf TIC 272272592: A Multiyear TESS Study

Abstract We present an analysis of temporal starspot evolution and its distribution on an active rapid rotator ( P rot = 1.22 days), TIC 272272592, using high-precision time-series photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite spanning over 3 yr. The primary objective of this work is to study the distribution pattern of starspots across the stellar surface and to investigate the spot evolution over time. This is a fascinating object, being a rapid rotator with a decline flare rate (∼0.5 dex) over 4 yr of Kepler observation. Therefore, we performed starspot modeling on this object using Best rAandom StarSpots Model calculAtioN software, and the analysis indicates the presence of two spots on the stellar surface, with a stable high-latitude spot and occasionally a small midlatitude spot. Over time, the midlatitude spot exhibits a gradual high-latitude migration, suggesting latitudinal evolution. Moreover, our analysis reveals a moderate negative correlation of starspot sizes with time (Spearman ρ = −0.43), suggesting a significant decay across the 3 yr baseline, though no clear cyclic pattern is detected. The spot groups persist for several years, with mean total spot size in sectors 14, 15, 41, 54, and 55 of 5.1%, 5.7%, 5.5%, 4.8%, and 4.4%, respectively. Additionally, we have estimated the peak flare temperature of 36 detected flares between 11,000 ± 1900 K and 24,700 ± 5000 K, and 70% of the flares exhibited peak emitting area of flares within the range from 170 ppm to 563 ppm. Furthermore, no statistically significant correlation was found between stellar flares with rotational phase for this object.