2016ApJ...821..131J

We have identified the Hα absorption feature as a new spectroscopic diagnostic of luminosity class in K- and M-type stars. From high-resolution spectra of 19 stars with well-determined physical properties (including effective temperatures and stellar radii), we measured equivalent widths for Hα and the Ca ii triplet and examined their dependence on both luminosity class and stellar radius. Hα shows a strong relation with both luminosity class and radius that extends down to late M spectral types. This behavior in Hα has been predicted as a result of the density-dependent overpopulation of the metastable 2s level in hydrogen, an effect that should become dominant for Balmer line formation in non-LTE conditions. We conclude that this new metallicity-insensitive diagnostic of luminosity class in cool stars could serve as an effective means of discerning between populations such as Milky Way giants and supergiant members of background galaxies.