K-band spectroscopic metallicities and temperatures of M-dwarf stars

I present the metallicity and effective temperature techniques developed for M dwarf stars by Rojas-Ayala et al. (2010, 2012). These techniques are based on absorption features present in the modest resolution K-band spectra (R∼2700) of M dwarfs and have been calibrated using FGK+M dwarf pairs and synthetic atmosphere models. The H₂O-K2 index seems to overestimate the effective temperatures of M dwarfs when compared to interferometric measurements. The metallicity distribution of the M dwarf host candidates by the Kepler Mission hints that jovian-size planets form preferentially around solar and super-solar metallicity environments, while small rocky planet host exhibit a wide range of metallicities, just like in their solar-type counterparts.