Deep Long Asymmetric Occultation in EPIC 204376071

Abstract

We have discovered a young M star of mass $0.16M_{\odot }$ and radius $0.63R_{\odot }$, likely in the Upper Sco Association, that exhibits only a single $80\%$ deep occultation of 1-day duration. The star has frequent flares and a low-amplitude rotational modulation, but is otherwise quiet over 160 days of cumulative observation during K2 Campaigns C2 and C15. We discuss how such a deep eclipse is not possible by one star crossing another in any binary or higher-order stellar system in which no mass transfer has occurred. The two possible explanations we are left with are (1) orbiting dust or small particles (e.g., a disk bound to a smaller orbiting body, or unbound dust that emanates from such a body); or (2) a transient accretion event of dusty material near the corotation radius of the star. In either case, the time between such occultation events must be longer than $\sim$80 days. We model a possible orbiting occulter both as a uniform elliptically shaped surface (e.g., an inclined circular disk) and as a `dust sheet' with a gradient of optical depth behind its leading edge. The required masses in such dust features are then $\gtrsim 3\times 10^{19}$ g and $\gtrsim 10^{19}$ g, for the two cases, respectively.

arXiv comment14 pages, 8 figures, and 5 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

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