Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study uses Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite photometry to investigate the relationship between flare characteristics and starspot features on M dwarfs. From the light curves, we identified 12,661 flare events on 2699 M dwarfs. For these flares, we extracted parameters such as flare energy, rise time, and decay time. Additionally, we applied a spot model to light curves exhibiting spot modulation to derive the photometric amplitude and spot distribution complexity. Our analysis revealed four correlations: (1) flare energy is positively correlated with spot size; (2) the flare rate initially increases steeply, then declines gradually as spot size increases, a trend whose robustness is confirmed through Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis and independent flare frequency distribution power-law fits; (3) there is no significant correlation between flare energy and spot complexity distribution; and (4) most importantly, the flare rate increases with spot distribution complexity before reaching a peak and subsequently showing a slow decline. These results suggest that spot size is associated with flare energetics, while the spatial distribution of spots, which may reflect the large-scale magnetic field configuration, could play a role in determining the flare rate. These correlations provide an observational clue to the influence of large-scale magnetic field structure on flare triggering.
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
OpenAlex ID: W7222006893