Calibration of the Hα Age–Activity Relation for M Dwarfs

Abstract

In this work, we calibrate the relationship between H α emission and M dwarf ages. We compile a sample of 892 M dwarfs with H α equivalent width (H α EW) measurements from the literature that are either comoving with a white dwarf of known age (21 stars) or in a known young association (871 stars). In this sample we identify 7 M dwarfs that are new candidate members of known associations. By dividing the stars into active and inactive categories according to their H α EW and spectral type (SpT), we find that the fraction of active dwarfs decreases with increasing age, and the form of the decline depends on SpT. Using the compiled sample of age calibrators, we find that H α EW and fractional H α luminosity ( L H α / L bol ) decrease with increasing age. H α EW for SpT ≤ M7 decreases gradually up until ∼1 Gyr. For older ages, we found only two early M dwarfs that are both inactive and seem to continue the gradual decrease. We also found 14 mid-type M dwarfs, out of which 11 are inactive and present a significant decrease in H α EW, suggesting that the magnetic activity decreases rapidly after ∼1 Gyr. We fit L H α / L bol versus age with a broken power law and find an index of for ages ≲776 Myr. The index becomes much steeper at older ages, but a lack of field age-calibrators (≫1 Gyr) leaves this part of the relation far less constrained. Finally, from repeated independent measurements for the same stars, we find that 94% of them have a level of H α EW variability ≤5 Å at young ages (<1 Gyr).