Published June 13, 2026 | Version v1

Detection of fine-structured radio bursts during a superflare on EQ Peg

  • 1. ROR icon Nanjing University
  • 2. Shandong Univerisy
  • 3. ROR icon National Astronomical Observatories

Description

Superflares are frequently observed on magnetically active stars, particularly on active M-dwarfs, thereby influencing the habitability of nearby exoplanets. 
However, the causes of superflares remain unclear. 
Here, combining FAST and TESS, we detected a finely structured decimetric radio burst appearing as groups of spikes during a white-light superflare (total bolometric energy $\sim 10^{33} \ \mathrm{erg}$) on the M-dwarf binary EQ Peg on September 8th, 2022. 
The most significant ones appeared near the peak time of the optical flare and lasted for about $100 \ \mathrm{s}$. 
The radio spikes present extremely high brightness temperatures ($\gtrsim 10^{13} \ \mathrm{K}$) and high degrees of circular polarization ($\sim 0.84 \pm 0.16$), indicating the origin of a coherent emission process, most likely the electron cyclotron maser. 
Assuming that the emission originates from the large-scale dipolar magnetic field, based on Zeeman-Doppler Imaging measurements of EQ Peg, we further locate the sources of the radio spikes, including their heights and latitudes. 
The results provide strong evidence for finely structured decimetric radio bursts generated by stellar flares and shed light on the origin of superflares. 

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Dates

Submitted
2026-06-13