Related papers: The Impact of Starspots on Mass and Age Estimates …
We assess the impact of starspots on the evolution of late-type stars during the pre-main sequence (pre-MS) using a modified stellar evolution code. We find that heavily spotted models of mass 0.1-1.2\msun\ are inflated by up to $10$%…
A polytropic model is used to investigate the effects of dark photospheric spots on the evolution and radii of magnetically active, low-mass (M<0.5Msun), pre-main sequence (PMS) stars. Spots slow the contraction along Hayashi tracks and…
In a coeval group of low-mass stars, the luminosity of the sharp transition between stars that retain their initial lithium and those at slightly higher masses in which Li has been depleted by nuclear reactions, the lithium depletion…
Accurate age and mass determinations for young pre-main sequence stars are made challenging by the presence of large-scale starspots. We present results from a near-infrared spectroscopic survey of ten T-Tauri Stars in Taurus-Auriga that…
Pre-main sequence models with inflated radii are needed to simultaneously reproduce the colour-magnitude diagram and the lithium depletion pattern in young open clusters. We tested a new set of PMS models including radius inflation due to…
Lithium is predicted, and observed, to be depleted in contracting, low-mass pre main sequence (PMS) stars. Yet these stars reach the zero age main sequence (ZAMS) with a spread in lithium abundance at a given effective temperature that is…
To accurately measure a star's atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances, it is crucial to have high-quality spectra. Analysing the detailed chemical abundances of groups of stars can help us better understand nucleosynthesis, galactic…
We revisit the problem of low-mass pre-main-sequence (PMS) stellar evolution and its observational consequences for where stars fall on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD). In contrast to most previous work, our models follow stars as…
We investigate starspot distributions consistent with space-based photometry of F, G, and K stars in six stellar associations ranging in age from 10 Myr to 4 Gyr. We show that a simple light curve statistic called the "smoothed amplitude"…
Magnetic fields and mass accretion processes create dark and bright spots on the surface of young stars. These spots manifest as surface thermal inhomogeneities, which alter the global temperature measured on the stars. To understand the…
The association of starspots with magnetic fields leads to an expectation that quantities which correlate with magnetic field strength may also correlate with {starspot} coverage. Since younger stars spin faster and are more magnetically…
This overview summarizes the age dating methods available for young sub-solar mass stars. Pre-main sequence age diagnostics include the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram, spectroscopic surface gravity indicators, and lithium depletion;…
Young stars form in associations, meaning that young stellar associations provide an ideal environment to measure the age of a nominally coeval population. Isochrone fitting, which is the typical method for measuring the age of a coeval…
The total area coverage by starspots is of interest for a variety of reasons, but direct techniques only provide estimates of this important quantity. Sunspot areas exhibit a lognormal size distribution irrespective of the phase of the…
One-dimensional stellar evolution models have been successful at representing the structure and evolution of stars in diverse astrophysical contexts, but complications have been noted in the context of young, magnetically active stars, as…
The position of pre-main-sequence or protostars in the Hertzsprung--Russell diagram is often used to determine their mass and age by comparison with pre-main-sequence evolution tracks. On the assumption that the stellar models are accurate,…
A luminosity spread at a given effective temperature is ubiquitously seen in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagrams of young star forming regions and often interpreted in terms of a prolonged period (>=10 Myr) of star formation. I review the…
We compute and analyze the evolution of primordial stars of masses at the ZAMS between 5 M_sun and 10 M_sun, with and without overshooting. Our main goals are to determine the nature of the remnants of massive intermediate-mass primordial…
We investigate lithium depletion in standard stellar models (SSMs) and main sequence (MS) open clusters, and explore the origin of the Li dispersion in young, cool stars of equal mass, age and composition. We first demonstrate that SSMs…
Starspots are ubiquitous in young, low-mass stars, yet their impact on the spectral classification and fundamental parameter inference of pre-main sequence stars (PMS) has been largely overlooked. In this study, we demonstrate that cool…