The discontinuous nature of chromospheric-activity evolution

G. Pace

Abstract
Chromospheric activity has been thought to decay smoothly with time and, hence, to be a viable age indicator. Measurements in solar-type stars in open clusters seem to point to a different conclusion: chromospheric activity undergoes a fast transition from Hyades level to that of the Sun after about 1 Gyr of main-sequence lifetime and any decaying trend before or after this transition must be much less significant than the short-term variations.

Keywords
Chromospheric activity - Stars in open clusters - Stellar ages

Astrophysics and Space Science
Volume 328, Page 307
July 2010

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