Constraining the Age-Activity Relation for Cool Stars: The SDSS DR5 Low-Mass Star Spectroscopic Sample

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dc.creatorWest, Andrew A.
dc.creatorHawley, Suzanne L.
dc.creatorBochanski, John J.
dc.creatorCovey, Kevin R.
dc.creatorReid, I. Neill
dc.creatorDhital, Saurav
dc.creatorHilton, Eric J.
dc.creatorMasuda, Michael
dc.date2007-12-10
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T11:13:41Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T11:13:41Z
dc.descriptionWe present a spectroscopic analysis of over 38,000 low-mass stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 5 (DR5). Analysis of this unprecedentedly large sample confirms the previously detected decrease in the fraction of magnetically active stars (as traced by H-alpha emission) as a function of vertical distance from the Galactic Plane. The magnitude and slope of this effect varies as a function of spectral type. Using simple 1-D dynamical models, we demonstrate that the drop in activity fraction can be explained by thin disk dynamical heating and a rapid decrease in magnetic activity. The timescale for this rapid activity decrease changes according to the spectral type. By comparing our data to the simulations, we calibrate the age-activity relation at each M dwarf spectral type. We also present evidence for a possible decrease in the metallicity as a function of height above the Galactic Plane. In addition to our activity analysis, we provide line measurements, molecular band indices, colors, radial velocities, 3-D space motions and mean properties as a function of spectral type for the SDSS DR5 low-mass star sample.
dc.description10 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in AJ
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/0712.1590
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/0712.1590
dc.identifierAstron.J.135:785-795,2008
dc.identifierdoi:10.1088/0004-6256/135/3/785
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/191803
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleConstraining the Age-Activity Relation for Cool Stars: The SDSS DR5 Low-Mass Star Spectroscopic Sample
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