A Panchromatic JWST Spectrum of a Giant Starspot on the Fully Convective M Dwarf TOI-3884
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
Abstract; ; TOI-3884 b is a rare super-Neptune transiting a fully convective M dwarf that hosts a persistent giant polar spot. Because the planet occults this active region during every transit, the system offers a unique laboratory to directly probe the stellar surface and spot properties. We present seven James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) transits of TOI-3884 b observed with NIRISS and NIRSpec (spanning 0.6–5.3; μ; m. While all visits show a recurring spot-crossing signature, each transit exhibits a distinct spot-crossing morphology, enabling us to infer a stellar rotation period of; P; = 11.102 ± 0.003 days and tightly constrain the pole-on stellar orientation (; i; *; = 139; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 2 ± 0; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 3,; λ; *; = 31; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 1 ± 0; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 4,; ψ; *; = 56; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 4 ± 0; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 3) and spot properties (; R; spot; = 0.576; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; −; 0.005; ; ; +; 0.006; ; ; ; ; R; *; ,; ϕ; spot; = −84; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 69 ± 0; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .; ; ; °; ; ; ; ; 12). We leverage this orbital configuration to measure the first empirical panchromatic spectrum of an M dwarf starspot with JWST, establishing a direct observational benchmark for stellar atmosphere models in the fully convective regime. Comparison with 1D NewEra and SPHINX atmosphere models indicates that the spot is 183 ± 1 K cooler than the photosphere, consistent with previous ground-based measurements and expectations for mid M dwarf spot contrasts. While the models reproduce the observed contrasts at wavelengths longer than 1; μ; m, they significantly underpredict the contrasts at shorter wavelengths. These results demonstrate that M dwarf stellar atmosphere models may not fully capture the wavelength dependence of stellar contamination in transmission spectra and highlight the importance of empirical spot spectra for robust interpretation of planetary atmospheres, particularly in the optical.;
