2015A&A...581A..69C

We study the spot distribution on the surface of LQ Hya during the observing seasons October 1998-November 2002. We look for persistent active longitudes, trends in the level of spot activity and compare to photometric data. We apply the Doppler imaging technique on photospheric spectral lines using an inversion code to retrieve images of the surface temperature. We present new temperature maps using multiple spectral lines for a total of 7 seasons. We find no evidence for active longitudes persisting over multiple observing seasons. The spot activity appears to be concentrated to two latitude regions. Using the currently accepted rotation period, we find spot structures to show a trend in the phase-time plot, indicative of a need for a longer period. We conclude that the long-term activity of LQ Hya is more chaotic than that of some magnetically active binary stars analyzed with similar methods, but still with clear indications of an activity cycle from the photometry.