HAZMAT. III. Low-mass stars GALEX photometry

However, the ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by such stars can erode and modify planetary atmospheres over time, drastically affecting their habitability. Thus, knowledge of the UV evolution of low-mass stars is critical for interpreting the evolutionary history of any orbiting planets.

Shkolnik & Barman (2014, J/AJ/148/64) used photometry from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to show how UV emission evolves for early-type M stars (>0.35 M_{sun}_). In this paper, we extend their work to include both a larger sample of low-mass stars with known ages as well as M stars with lower masses. We find clear evidence that mid- and late-type M stars (0.08-0.35 M_{sun}_) do not follow the same UV evolutionary trend as early-Ms.