Investigating the Temperature Sensitivity of UV Line Ratios in the 280 nm Region of Solar-like Stars

Abstract

Stellar UV spectra are fundamental diagnostics of physical and magnetic properties of stars. For instance, lines like Mg ii at 280 nm serve as valuable indicators of stellar activity, providing insights into the activity levels of Sun-like stars and their potential influence on the atmospheres of orbiting planets. On the other hand, the effective temperature ( T _eff ) is a fundamental stellar parameter, critical for determining stellar properties such as mass, age, composition, and evolutionary status. In this study, we investigate the temperature sensitivity of three lines in the mid-UV range (i.e., Mg ii 280.00 nm, Mg i 285.20 nm, and Si i 286.15 nm). Using spectra from the International Ultraviolet Explorer, we analyze the behavior of the ratios of their corresponding indices (core/continuum) for a sample of calibrating solar-like stars and find that the ratio R = Mg ii /Mg i best traces T _eff through a log–log relation. The T _eff estimated using this relation on a test sample of solar-like stars agree with the T _eff from the literature at the 95% confidence level. The observed results are interpreted making use of response functions as diagnostics. This study extends the well-established use of line depth ratio–temperature relationships, traditionally applied in the visible and near-infrared ranges, to the mid-UV spectrum. With the growing interest in stellar UV spectroscopy, results presented in this paper are potentially relevant for future missions such as HWO, MANTIS, and UVEX.

Keywords

• Ultraviolet astronomy
• Stellar chromospheres
• Stellar effective temperatures
• Stellar physics