Rotation period distribution of CoRoT andKeplerSun-like stars

Abstract

Aims. We study the distribution of the photometric rotation period (P rot ), which is a direct measurement of the surface rotation at active latitudes, for three subsamples of Sun-like stars: one from CoRoT data and two from Kepler data. For this purpose, we identify the main populations of these samples and interpret their main biases specifically for a comparison with the solar P rot . Methods. P rot and variability amplitude (A) measurements were obtained from public CoRoT and Kepler catalogs, which were combined with public data of physical parameters. Because these samples are subject to selection effects, we computed synthetic samples with simulated biases to compare with observations, particularly around the location of the Sun in the Hertzsprung-Russel (HR) diagram. Publicly available theoretical grids and empirical relations were used to combine physical parameters with P rot and A. Biases were simulated by performing cutoffs on the physical and rotational parameters in the same way as in each observed sample. A crucial cutoff is related with the detectability of the rotational modulation, which strongly depends on A. Results. The synthetic samples explain the observed P rot distributions of Sun-like stars as having two main populations: one of young objects (group I, with ages younger than ∼1 Gyr) and another of main-sequence and evolved stars (group II, with ages older than ∼1 Gyr). The proportions of groups I and II in relation to the total number of stars range within 64-84% and 16-36%, respectively. Hence, young objects abound in the distributions, producing the effect of observing a high number of short periods around the location of the Sun in the HR diagram. Differences in the P rot distributions between the CoRoT and Kepler Sun-like samples may be associated with different Galactic populations. Overall, the synthetic distribution around the solar period agrees with observations, which suggests that the solar rotation is normal with respect to Sun-like stars within the accuracy of current data.

Asteroseismology of solar-type stars

“…Thus, in the last decade, it has been possible to retrieve the rotation periods of thousands of stars (e.g. McQuillan et al 2013;Nielsen et al 2013;Walkowicz and Basri 2013;McQuillan et al 2014;Leão et al 2015).…”

A Search for Rotation Periods in 1000 TESS Objects of Interest

“…Thanks to the photometric observations carried out by the CoRoT (Baglin et al 2009) and Kepler (Borucki et al 2010) missions, different studies have revealed new insights on the rotation of main-sequence stars (e.g. ;De Medeiros et al 2013;Nielsen et al 2013;McQuillan, Mazeh & Aigrain 2014;Leão et al 2015;Paz-Chinchón et al 2015;Davenport 2017;Reinhold & Hekker 2020), as well as in advanced stages of stellar evolution (e.g. Mosser et al 2012;Van Saders & Pinsonneault 2013;De Medeiros et al 2013;Costa et al 2015).…”

Chronos - take the pulse of our galactic neighbourhood

“…Rotation and activity Several thousands of light-curves obtained with CoRoT and Kepler have revealed the signature of rotational modulation attributed to starspots [40][41][42][43][44]. In addition to providing a measurement of the rotational period free of the sin i projection factor, these light-curves revealed that the signature of activity is not only found in late F-G stars, for which magnetic fields and starspots were expected as in the Sun, but also in intermediate A and B type stars [45][46][47].…”