A Census of NUV M-Dwarf Flares Using Archival GALEX Data and the gPhoton2 Pipeline

Abstract

M-dwarfs are common stellar hosts of habitable-zone exoplanets. NUV radiation can severely impact the atmospheric and surface conditions of such planets, making characterization of NUV flaring activity a key aspect in determining habitability. We use archival data from the GALEX and XMM-Newton telescopes to study the flaring activity of M-dwarfs in the NUV. The GALEX observations form the most extensive dataset of M-dwarfs in the NUV to date, with exploitation of this data possible due to the new gPhoton2 pipeline. We run a dedicated algorithm to detect flares in the pipeline produced lightcurves and find some of the most energetic flares observed to date within the NUV bandpass, with energies of $\sim10^{34}$ ergs. Using GALEX data, we constrain flare frequency distributions for stars from M0 to M6 in the NUV up to $10^5\,$s in equivalent duration and $10^{34}$ ergs in energy, orders of magnitude above any previous study in the UV. We speculate the combined effect of NUV luminosities and flare rates of M4 and later stars could potentially allow abiogenesis on their habitable zone exoplanets. As a counterpoint, we estimate that the high frequencies of energetic UV flares and associated coronal mass ejections would inhibit the formation of an ozone layer, possibly preventing genesis of complex Earth-like lifeforms due to sterilizing levels of surface UV radiation. We also provide a framework for future observations of M-dwarfs with ULTRASAT, a wide FoV NUV telescope to be launched in 2027.