Spots and activity cycles of the star FKCom—2013–2015 data analysis

Abstract

We present an analysis of new photometric and spectropolarimetric observations of a chromospherically active star FKCom. Based on this observational data and the data from the literature sources, applying a common technique, we performed an analysis of a complete set of the available photometric data, which were divided into 218 individual light curves. For each of them a reverse problem of restoring largescale temperature irregularities on the surface of the star from its light curve was solved. We analyzed the time series for the brightness of the star in the U-, B-, and V-bands, the brightness variability amplitudes, the total area of the spots on the surface of the star, and the average brightness of each set considered. The analysis of determination results of the positions of active longitudes leads to the conclusion about the existence of two systems of active regions on the FKCom surface. It was determined that the positions of each of these systems undergo cyclic changes. This confirms the conclusion on the likely absence of a strongly pronounced regularity of the flip-flops in FKCom, earlier suggested by other researchers. The results of the new polarimetric observations FKCom in 2014–2015 are presented. These measurements evidence the legitimacy of the proposed interpretation the behavior of the longitudinal magnetic field strength 〈B_z〉, indicating the settling-in of a more symmetric distribution of magnetic region on the FKCom surface. An increasing activity of the star over the recent years, registered from the photometric observations is also consistent with the probable onset of growth in the 〈B_z〉 parameter starting from 2014.