Plasma Properties and Kinematics of Magnetic Activity in Pre-Main-Sequence Stars

Measure the plasma temperatures, excitation properties, and velocity-resolved kinematic signatures of flares, coronal mass ejections, and magnetic reconnection events in pre-main-sequence stars using high-cadence spectroscopy.

Background

High-cadence MOS/IFS spectroscopy can resolve rapid, energetic processes—flares, CMEs, and reconnection—on minute-to-hour timescales. Velocity-resolved line profiles (e.g., He I 10830, H I, Ca II) encode the geometry and energetics of magnetospheric flows and flare-driven winds.

References

Here are the major open questions that the next big telescope developed by ESO will address through conducting a decadal spectroscopic survey of YSOs: What are the plasma temperatures, excitation properties, and velocity-resolved kinematic signatures of flares, CMEs, and magnetic reconnection events in pre-main-sequence stars?

— Toward the time-domain spectroscopic study of the dynamic life of stars: from accretion to magnetic activity  (2512.12453 - Majidi et al., 13 Dec 2025) in Key Questions