First Results from MFOSC-P : Low Resolution Optical Spectroscopy of a
  Sample of M dwarfs within 100 parsecs
  Mt. Abu Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (MFOSC-P) is an in-house
developed instrument for Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) 1.2m telescope at
Mt. Abu India, commissioned in February 2019. Here we present the first science
results derived from the low resolution spectroscopy program of a sample of M
Dwarfs carried out during the commissioning run of MFOSC-P between
February-June 2019. M dwarfs carry great significance for exoplanets searches
in habitable zone and are among the promising candidates for the observatory's
several ongoing observational campaigns. Determination of their accurate
atmospheric properties and fundamental parameters is essential to constrain
both their atmospheric and evolutionary models. In this study, we provide a low
resolution (R$\sim$500) spectroscopic catalogue of 80 bright M dwarfs (J$<$10)
and classify them using their optical spectra. We have also performed the
spectral synthesis and $\chi^2$ minimisation techniques to determine their
fundamental parameters viz. effective temperature and surface gravity by
comparing the observed spectra with the most recent BT-Settl synthetic spectra.
Spectral type of M dwarfs in our sample ranges from M0 to M5. The derived
effective temperature and surface gravity are ranging from 4000 K to 3000 K and
4.5 to 5.5 dex, respectively. In most of the cases, the derived spectral types
are in good agreement with previously assigned photometric classification.
