An Extreme Stellar Prominence Eruption Observed by LAMOST Time-domain Spectroscopy

Abstract

We report the detection of an extreme stellar prominence eruption on the M dwarf Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) J044431.62+235627.9, observed through time-domain Hα spectroscopy with the LAMOST. This prominence eruption was accompanied by a superflare lasting over 160.4 minutes. The Hα line profile exhibits significant blue-wing enhancement during the impulsive phase and near the flare peak, with a projected bulk blueshift velocity of −228 ± 11 km s−1 and a maximum blueshift velocity reaching −605 ± 15 km s−1. Velocity analysis of the eruptive prominence at various heights above the stellar surface indicates that some of the projected ejection velocities along the line of sight exceed the corresponding escape velocities, suggesting a potential coronal mass ejection (CME). The equivalent width (EW) of the Hα blue-wing enhancement in this eruption appears to be the largest observed to date and is comparable to the EW of the Hα line profile during the quiescent phase of the host star. We performed a two-cloud modeling for the prominence and the associated flare, which suggests that the eruptive prominence has a mass ranging from 1.6 × 1019 to 7.2 × 1019 g. More importantly, the mass ratio of the erupting prominence to its host star is the largest among all reported stellar prominence eruptions/CMEs.