KIC011764567: An evolved object showing substantial flare-activity

Abstract

We intensively studied the flare activity on the stellar object KIC011764567. The star was thought to be solar type, with a temperature of $T_{eff} = (5640 \pm 200)\,$K, $\log(g) = (4.3 \pm 0.3)\,$dex and a rotational period of Prot 22 d (Brown et al. 2011). High resolution spectra turn the target to an evolved object with Teff = (5300 \pm 150) K, a metalicity of $[m/H] = (-0.5 \pm 0.2)$, a surface gravity of $log(g) = (3.3 \pm 0.4)\,$dex, and a projected rotational velocity of $v sin i = (22 \pm 1)\,kms^{-1}$. Within an observing time span of 4 years we detected 150 flares in Kepler data in an energy range of $10^{36} - 10^{37}$ erg. From a dynamical Lomb-Scargle periodogram we have evidence for differential rotation as well as for stellar spot evolution and migration. Analysing the occurrence times of the flares we found hints for a periodic flare frequency cycle of $430 - 460 $d, the significance increases with an increasing threshold of the flares equivalent duration. One explanation is a very short activity cycle of the star with that period. Another possibility, also proposed by others in similar cases, is that the larger flares may be triggered by external phenomena, such as magnetically interaction with an unseen companion. Our high resolution spectra show that KIC011764567 is not a short period binary star.