On the 3He anomaly in hot subdwarf B stars

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, David; Irrgang, Andreas; Heber, Ulrich; Nieva, Maria F.; Przybilla, Norbert

2017-12-01

Decades ago, 3He isotope enrichment in helium-weak B-type main-sequence, in blue horizontal branch and in hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars, i.e., helium-core burning stars of the extreme horizontal branch, were discovered. Diffusion processes in the atmosphere of these stars lead to the observed abundance anomalies. Quantitative spectral analyses of high-resolution spectra to derive photospheric isotopic helium abundance ratios for known 3He sdBs have not been performed yet. We present preliminary results of high-resolution and high S/N spectra to determine the 3He and 4He abundances of nine known 3He sdBs. We used a hybrid local/non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE/NLTE) approach for B-type stars investigating multiple He i lines, including λ4922 Å and λ6678 Å, which show the strongest isotopic shifts in the optical spectral range.We also report the discovery of four new 3He sdBs from the ESO Supernova Progenitor survey. Most of the 3He sdBs cluster in a narrow temperature strip between ˜ 26000 K and ˜ 30000 K and have almost no atmospheric 4He at all. Interestingly, three 3He sdBs show evidence for vertical helium stratification.

On the 3He anomaly in hot subdwarf B stars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schneider David

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Decades ago, 3He isotope enrichment in helium-weak B-type main-sequence, in blue horizontal branch and in hot subdwarf B (sdB stars, i.e., helium-core burning stars of the extreme horizontal branch, were discovered. Diffusion processes in the atmosphere of these stars lead to the observed abundance anomalies. Quantitative spectral analyses of high-resolution spectra to derive photospheric isotopic helium abundance ratios for known 3He sdBs have not been performed yet. We present preliminary results of high-resolution and high S/N spectra to determine the 3He and 4He abundances of nine known 3He sdBs. We used a hybrid local/non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE/NLTE approach for B-type stars investigating multiple He i lines, including λ4922 Å and λ6678 Å, which show the strongest isotopic shifts in the optical spectral range.We also report the discovery of four new 3He sdBs from the ESO Supernova Progenitor survey. Most of the 3He sdBs cluster in a narrow temperature strip between ∼ 26000 K and ∼ 30000 K and have almost no atmospheric 4He at all. Interestingly, three 3He sdBs show evidence for vertical helium stratification.

EPIC 201585823, a rare triple-mode RR Lyrae star discovered in K2 mission data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kurtz, Donald W.; Bowman, Dominic M.; Ebo, Simon J.

2016-01-01

We have discovered a new, rare triple-mode RR Lyr star, EPIC 201585823, in the Kepler K2 mission Campaign 1 data. This star pulsates primarily in the fundamental and first-overtone radial modes, and, in addition, a third non-radial mode. The ratio of the period of the non-radial mode...... pixels with significant signal for the star, but without correction for pointing changes, is best for frequency analysis of this star, and, by implication, other RR Lyr stars observed by the K2 mission. We compare several pipeline reductions of the K2 mission data for this star....

Massive open star clusters using the VVV survey. II. Discovery of six clusters with Wolf-Rayet stars

Science.gov (United States)

Chené, A.-N.; Borissova, J.; Bonatto, C.; Majaess, D. J.; Baume, G.; Clarke, J. R. A.; Kurtev, R.; Schnurr, O.; Bouret, J.-C.; Catelan, M.; Emerson, J. P.; Feinstein, C.; Geisler, D.; de Grijs, R.; Hervé, A.; Ivanov, V. D.; Kumar, M. S. N.; Lucas, P.; Mahy, L.; Martins, F.; Mauro, F.; Minniti, D.; Moni Bidin, C.

2013-01-01

Context. The ESO Public Survey "VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea" (VVV) provides deep multi-epoch infrared observations for an unprecedented 562 sq. degrees of the Galactic bulge, and adjacent regions of the disk. Nearly 150 new open clusters and cluster candidates have been discovered in this survey. Aims: This is the second in a series of papers about young, massive open clusters observed using the VVV survey. We present the first study of six recently discovered clusters. These clusters contain at least one newly discovered Wolf-Rayet (WR) star. Methods: Following the methodology presented in the first paper of the series, wide-field, deep JHKs VVV observations, combined with new infrared spectroscopy, are employed to constrain fundamental parameters for a subset of clusters. Results: We find that the six studied stellar groups are real young (2-7 Myr) and massive (between 0.8 and 2.2 × 103 M⊙) clusters. They are highly obscured (AV ~ 5-24 mag) and compact (1-2 pc). In addition to WR stars, two of the six clusters also contain at least one red supergiant star, and one of these two clusters also contains a blue supergiant. We claim the discovery of 8 new WR stars, and 3 stars showing WR-like emission lines which could be classified WR or OIf. Preliminary analysis provides initial masses of ~30-50 M⊙ for the WR stars. Finally, we discuss the spiral structure of the Galaxy using the six new clusters as tracers, together with the previously studied VVV clusters. Based on observations with ISAAC, VLT, ESO (programme 087.D-0341A), New Technology Telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory (programme 087.D-0490A) and with the Clay telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory (programme CN2011A-086). Also based on data from the VVV survey (programme 172.B-2002).

Neutron Star Science with the NuSTAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogel, J. K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-10-16

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), launched in June 2012, helped scientists obtain for the first time a sensitive high-­energy X-­ray map of the sky with extraordinary resolution. This pioneering telescope has aided in the understanding of how stars explode and neutron stars are born. LLNL is a founding member of the NuSTAR project, with key personnel on its optics and science team. We used NuSTAR to observe and analyze the observations of different neutron star classes identified in the last decade that are still poorly understood. These studies not only help to comprehend newly discovered astrophysical phenomena and emission processes for members of the neutron star family, but also expand the utility of such observations for addressing broader questions in astrophysics and other physics disciplines. For example, neutron stars provide an excellent laboratory to study exotic and extreme phenomena, such as the equation of state of the densest matter known, the behavior of matter in extreme magnetic fields, and the effects of general relativity. At the same time, knowing their accurate populations has profound implications for understanding the life cycle of massive stars, star collapse, and overall galactic evolution.

High-Speed Ultracam Colorimetry of the Subdwarf B Star SDSS J171722.08+58055.8

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aerts, C.C.; Jeffery, C.S.; Dhillon, V.S.; Marsh, T.R.; Groot, P.J.

2006-01-01

We present high-speed multicolour photometry of the faint sub-dwarf B star SDSS J171722.08+58055.8 (m_B=16.7mag), which was recently discovered to be pulsating. The data were obtained during two consecutive nights in 2004 August using the three-channel photometer Ultracam attached to the

Lithium-rich very metal-poor stars discovered with LAMOST and Subaru

Science.gov (United States)

Aoki, Wako; Li, Haining; Matsuno, Tadafumi; Kumar, Yerra Bharat; Shi, Jianrong; Suda, Takuma; Zhao, Gang

2018-04-01

Lithium is a unique element that is produced in the Big Bang nucleosynthesis but is destroyed by nuclear reactions inside stars. As a result, almost constant lithium abundance is found in unevolved main-sequence metal-poor stars, although the value is systematically lower than that expected from the standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis models, whereas lithium abundances of red giants are more than one order of magnitudes lower than those of unevolved stars. There are, however, a small fraction of metal-poor stars that show extremely high lithium abundances, which is not explained by standard stellar evolution models. We have discovered 12 new very metal-poor stars that have enhancement of lithium by more than 10 times compared with typical metal-poor stars at similar evolutionary stages by the large-scale spectroscopic survey with LAMOST and the follow-up high-resolution spectroscopy with the Subaru Telescope. The sample shows a wide distribution of evolutionary stages from subgiants to red giants with the metallicity of -3.3 <[Fe/H]< -1.6. The chemical abundance ratios of other elements have been obtained by our spectroscopic study, and an estimate of the binary frequency by radial velocity monitoring is ongoing. The observational results provide new constraints on the scenarios to explain lithium-rich metal-poor stars, such as extra mixing during the evolution along the red giant branch, mass-transfer from a companion AGB star, and engulfment of planet-like objects. These explanations are very unlikely for at least some of lithium-rich objects in our sample, suggesting a new mechanism that enhances lithium during the low-mass star evolution.

Spectral Identification of New Galactic cLBV and WR Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Stringfellow, G. S.; Gvaramadze, V. V.; Beletsky, Y.; Kniazev, A. Y.

2012-12-01

We have undertaken a near-IR spectral survey of stars associated with compact nebulae recently revealed by the Spitzer and WISE imaging surveys. These circumstellar nebulae, produced by massive evolved stars, display a variety of symmetries and shapes and are often only evident at mid-IR wavelengths. Stars associated with ˜50 of these nebulae have been observed. We also obtained recent spectra of previously confirmed (known) luminous blue variables (LBVs) and candidate LBVs (cLBVs). The spectral similarity of the stars observed when compared directly to known LBVs and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars indicate many are newly identified cLBVs, with a few being newly discovered WR stars, mostly of WN8-9h spectral type. These results suggest that a large population of previously unidentified cLBVs and related transitional stars reside in the Galaxy and confirm that circumstellar nebulae are inherent to most (c)LBVs.

The new Be-type star HD 147196 in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud region

Science.gov (United States)

The, P. S.; Perez, M. R.; De Winter, D.; Van Den Ancker, M. E.

1993-01-01

The newly discovered hot-emission line star, HD 147196 in the Rho Oph dark cloud region was observed spectroscopically and photometrically and high and low resolution IUE spectra were obtained. The finding of Irvine (1990) that this relatively bright star show its H-alpha-line in emission is confirmed. Previous H-alpha-surveys of the Rho Oph star-forming region did not detect HD 147196 as an H-alpha-emission star, meaning that it must recently be very active and has perhaps transformed itself from a B-type star at shell phase to a Be-phase. The Mg II h + k resonance lines are in absorption and they appear to be interstellar in nature, which means that either the abundance of Mg in the extended atmosphere of the star is low or that the shell is not extended enough to produce emission lines of Mg II. Photometric observations of this B8 V type star do not show any variations during at least the years covered by our monitoring or any excess of NIR radiation in its spectral energy distribution up to the M-passband at 4.8 microns.

Understanding newly discovered oscillation modes in magnetically shielded Hall thrusters utilizing state of the art high speed diagnostics.

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — I propose to investigate the newly discovered oscillation modes specific to Magnetically Shied (MS) Hall Effect Thrusters (HET). Although HETs are classified as a...

A low-temperature companion to a white dwarf star

Science.gov (United States)

Becklin, E. E.; Zuckerman, B.

1988-01-01

An infrared object located about 120 AU from the white dwarf GD165 has been discovered. With the exception of the possible brown dwarf companion to Giclas 29-38 reported last year, the companion to GD165 is the coolest (2100 K) dwarf star ever reported and, according to some theoretical models, it should be a substellar brown dwarf with a mass between 0.06 and 0.08 solar mass. These results, together with newly discovered low-mass stellar companions to white dwarfs, change the investigation of very low-mass stars from the study of a few chance objects to that of a statistical distribution. In particular, it appears that very low-mass stars and perhaps even brown dwarfs could be quite common in the Galaxy.

Searching for Be stars in the open cluster NGC 663

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, P. C.; Lin, C. C.; Chen, W. P.; Lee, C. D.; Ip, W. H.; Ngeow, C. C. [Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, 300 Jhongda Road, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan (China); Laher, Russ; Surace, Jason [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, M/S 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Kulkarni, Shrinivas R. [Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2015-02-01

We present Be star candidates in the open cluster NGC 663, identified by Hα imaging photometry with the Palomar Transient Factory Survey, as a pilot program to investigate how the Be star phenomena, the emission spectra, extended circumstellar envelopes, and fast rotation, correlate with massive stellar evolution. Stellar membership of the candidates was verified by 2MASS magnitudes and colors and by proper motions (PMs). We discover four new Be stars and exclude one known Be star from being a member due to its inconsistent PMs. The fraction of Be stars to member stars [N(Be)/N(members)] in NGC 663 is 3.5%. The spectral type of the 34 Be stars in NGC 663 shows bimodal peaks at B0–B2 and B5–B7, which is consistent with the statistics in most star clusters. Additionally, we also discover 23 emission-line stars of different types, including non-member Be stars, dwarfs, and giants.

THE CLASSIFICATION OF KEPLER B-STAR VARIABLES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNamara, Bernard J.; Jackiewicz, Jason; McKeever, Jean

2012-01-01

The light curves of 252 B-star candidates in the Kepler database are analyzed in a similar fashion to that done by Balona et al. to further characterize B-star variability, increase the sample of variable B stars for future study, and to identify stars whose power spectra include particularly interesting features such as frequency groupings. Stars are classified as either constant light emitters, β Cep stars, slowly pulsating B stars (SPBs), hybrid pulsators, binaries or stars whose light curves are dominated by rotation (Bin/Rot), hot subdwarfs, or white dwarfs. One-hundred stars in our sample were found to be either light constants or to be variable at a level of less than 0.02 mmag. We increase the number of candidate B-star variables found in the Kepler database by Balona et al. in the following fashion: β Cep stars from 0 to 10, SPBs from eight to 54, hybrid pulsators from seven to 21, and Bin/Rot stars from 23 to 82. For comparison purposes, approximately 51 SPBs and six hybrids had been known prior to 2007. The number of β Cep stars known prior to 2004 was 93. A secondary result of this study is the identification of an additional 11 pulsating white dwarf candidates, four of which possess frequency groupings.

High resolution spectroscopy of six new extreme helium stars

Science.gov (United States)

Heber, U.; Jones, G.; Drilling, J. S.

1986-01-01

High resolution spectra of six newly discovered extreme helium stars are presented. LSS 5121 is shown to be a spectroscopical twin of the hot extreme helium star HD 160641. A preliminary LTE analysis of LSS 3184 yielded an effective temperature of 22,000 K and a surface gravity of log g = 3.2. Four stars form a new subgroup, classified by sharp-lined He I spectra and pronounced O II spectra, and it is conjectured that these lie close to the Eddington limit. The whole group of extreme helium stars apparently is inhomogeneous with respect to luminosity to mass ratio and chemical composition.

On the co-existence of chemically peculiar Bp stars, slowly pulsating B stars and constant B stars in the same part of the HR diagram

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Briquet, M.; Hubrig, S.; Cat, P. de; Aerts, C.C.; North, P.; Schöller, M.

2007-01-01

Aims. In order to better model massive B-type stars, we need to understand the physical processes taking place in slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars, chemically peculiar Bp stars, and non-pulsating normal B stars co-existing in the same part of the H-R diagram. Methods: We carry out a comparative study

VARIABLE STARS IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD GLOBULAR CLUSTER NGC 2257. I. RESULTS BASED ON 2007-2008 B, V PHOTOMETRY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemec, James M.; Walker, Alistair; Jeon, Young-Beom

2009-01-01

The variable stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud star cluster NGC 2257 are reinvestigated using photometry (to ∼20th mag) of over 400 new B, V CCD images taken with the CTIO 0.9 m telescope on 14 nights in 2007 December and 2008 January. New period searches have been made using two independent algorithms (CLEAN, Period04); the resultant periods of most of the stars are consistent with the pulsation periods derived previously, and where there are discrepancies these have been resolved. For the B and V light curves, accurate Fourier coefficients and parameters are given. Six new variable stars have been discovered (V45-50), including a bright candidate long-period variable star showing secondary oscillations (V45) and two anomalously bright RRc stars (V48 and V50), which are shown to be brightened and reddened by nearby red giant stars. Also discovered among the previously known variable stars are three double-mode RR Lyrae stars (V8, V16, and V34) and several Blazhko variables. Archival Hubble Space Telescope images and the photometry by Johnson et al. have been used to define better the properties of the most crowded variable stars. The total number of cluster variable stars now stands at forty-seven: 23 RRab stars, four of which show Blazhko amplitude variations; 20 RRc stars, one showing clear Blazhko variations and another showing possible Blazhko variations; the three RRd stars, all having the dominant period ∼0.36 day and period ratios P 1 /P 0 ∼0.7450; and an LPV star located near the tip of the red giant branch. A comparison of the RRd stars with those in other environments shows them to be most similar to those in IC4499.

Newly Discovered Silicate Features in the Spectra of Young Warm Debris Disks: Probing Terrestrial Regions of Planetary Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ballering, N.; Rieke, G.

2014-03-01

vary. The total mass of dust in each belt was expressed through the coefficients C2 and C3. The dust was assumed to consist of amorphous olivine (MgFeSiO4). Model Fν = C1•Bν(Tstar) + C2•Fν,belt(rin1,rout1,rexp1,amin1) + C3•Fν,belt(rin2,rout2,rexp2,amin2) We found previously undiscovered emission features in the spectra of several targets, listed below. Our model fits to these systems confirmed that these spectral signatures can arise from realistic disk models, and that this dust is located in the terrestrial regions of these systems. This is a subset of the full sample of warm disks with newly discovered spectral features to be published in Ballering et al. (2014). • HIP 26966 (HD 38206), a 30 Myr old A0 star. • HIP 41081 (HD 71043), a 30 Myr old A0 star. • HIP 2578 (HD 3003), a 30 Myr old A0 star. • HIP 66068 (HD 117665), a 20 Myr old A1/A2 star. • HIP 78641 (HD 143675), a 20 Myr old A5 star. • HIP 26395 (HD 37306), a 10 Myr old A2 star. • HIP 71271 (HD 127750), a 20 Myr old A0 star. • HIP 58220 (HD 103703), a 20 Myr old F3 star.

Spin period evolution of the newly identified ULX pulsar (NGC 300 ULX1) associated with the supernova impostor SN2010da

Science.gov (United States)

Vasilopoulos, G.; Haberl, F.; Carpano, S.; Maitra, C.

2018-01-01

Following the discovery of the newly discovered ULX pulsar in NGC 300 (ATel #11158) we searched the available X-ray data for the evolution of the spin period of the neutron star and the X-ray luminosity.

HIP 38939B: A NEW BENCHMARK T DWARF IN THE GALACTIC PLANE DISCOVERED WITH Pan-STARRS1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deacon, Niall R.; Liu, Michael C.; Magnier, Eugene A.; Bowler, Brendan P.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Flewelling, H.; Kaiser, N.; Morgan, J. S.; Sweeney, W. E.; Tonry, J. L.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Waters, C.; Redstone, Joshua; Goldman, Bertrand; Price, P. A.

2012-01-01

We report the discovery of a wide brown dwarf companion to the mildly metal-poor ([Fe/H] = –0.24), low Galactic latitude (b = 1. 0 88) K4V star HIP 38939. The companion was discovered by its common proper motion with the primary and its red optical (Pan-STARRS1) and blue infrared (Two Micron All Sky Survey) colors. It has a projected separation of 1630 AU and a near-infrared spectral type of T4.5. As such it is one of only three known companions to a main-sequence star which have early/mid T spectral types of (the others being HN Peg B and ε Indi B). Using chromospheric activity we estimate an age for the primary of 900± 1900 600 Myr. This value is also in agreement with the age derived from the star's weak ROSAT detection. Comparison with evolutionary models for this age range indicates that HIP 38939B falls in the mass range 38 ± 20 M Jup with an effective temperature range of 1090 ± 60 K. Fitting our spectrum with atmospheric models gives a best-fitting temperature of 1100 K. We include our object in an analysis of the population of benchmark T dwarfs and find that while older atmospheric models appeared to overpredict the temperature of the coolest objects compared to evolutionary models, more recent atmospheric models provide better agreement.

HIP 38939B: A NEW BENCHMARK T DWARF IN THE GALACTIC PLANE DISCOVERED WITH Pan-STARRS1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deacon, Niall R.; Liu, Michael C.; Magnier, Eugene A.; Bowler, Brendan P.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Flewelling, H.; Kaiser, N.; Morgan, J. S.; Sweeney, W. E.; Tonry, J. L.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Waters, C. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Redstone, Joshua [Facebook, 1601 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304 (United States); Goldman, Bertrand [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Price, P. A., E-mail: deacon@mpia.de [Princeton University Observatory, 4 Ivy Lane, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2012-08-20

We report the discovery of a wide brown dwarf companion to the mildly metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -0.24), low Galactic latitude (b = 1.{sup 0}88) K4V star HIP 38939. The companion was discovered by its common proper motion with the primary and its red optical (Pan-STARRS1) and blue infrared (Two Micron All Sky Survey) colors. It has a projected separation of 1630 AU and a near-infrared spectral type of T4.5. As such it is one of only three known companions to a main-sequence star which have early/mid T spectral types of (the others being HN Peg B and {epsilon} Indi B). Using chromospheric activity we estimate an age for the primary of 900{+-}{sup 1900}{sub 600} Myr. This value is also in agreement with the age derived from the star's weak ROSAT detection. Comparison with evolutionary models for this age range indicates that HIP 38939B falls in the mass range 38 {+-} 20 M{sub Jup} with an effective temperature range of 1090 {+-} 60 K. Fitting our spectrum with atmospheric models gives a best-fitting temperature of 1100 K. We include our object in an analysis of the population of benchmark T dwarfs and find that while older atmospheric models appeared to overpredict the temperature of the coolest objects compared to evolutionary models, more recent atmospheric models provide better agreement.

Spectral Confirmation of New Galactic LBV and WN Stars Associated With Mid-IR Nebulae

Science.gov (United States)

Stringfellow, Guy; Gvaramadze, Vasilii V.

2014-08-01

Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) stars represent an extremely rare class and short-lived phase in the lives of very luminous massive stars with high mass loss rates. Extragalactic LBVs are responsible for producing false supernovae (SN), the SN Impostors, and have been directly linked with the progenitors of actual SN, indicating the LBV phase can be a final endpoint for massive star evolution. Yet only a few confirmed LBVs have been identified in the Galaxy. Their stellar evolution is poorly constrained by observations, and the physical reason for their unstable nature, both in terms of moderate spectral and photometric variability of a few magnitudes and the giant eruptions a la η Car that rival SN explosions, remains a mystery. Newly discovered mid-IR shells act as signposts, pointing to the central massive stars (LBV and Wolf-Rayet [WR] stars) that produced them. We have undertaken a spectroscopic survey of possible progenitor stars within these shells and are discovering that many are LBVs and WN-type WR transitional stars. We propose to extend this IR spectral survey to the south to search for new progenitor stars associated with dozens of newly identified shells. This survey should result in a substantial increase of new WRs and candidate LBVs for continued future study. Spectral analysis will yield new insights into the winds and physical properties of these rare and important objects, and lead to a better understanding of the physics driving giant eruptions.

A modern search for Wolf-Rayet stars in the Magellanic Clouds: First results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Massey, Philip; Neugent, Kathryn F. [Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States); Morrell, Nidia [Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories, Casilla 601 La Serena (Chile); Hillier, D. John, E-mail: phil.massey@lowell.edu, E-mail: kneugent@lowell.edu, E-mail: nmorrell@lco.cl, E-mail: hillier@pitt.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Center (PITT PACC), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States)

2014-06-10

Over the years, directed surveys and incidental spectroscopy have identified 12 Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and 139 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), numbers which are often described as 'essentially complete'. Yet, new WRs are discovered in the LMC almost yearly. We have therefore initiated a new survey of both Magellanic Clouds using the same interference-filter imaging technique previously applied to M31 and M33. We report on our first observing season, in which we have successfully surveyed ∼15% of our intended area of the SMC and LMC. Spectroscopy has confirmed nine newly found WRs in the LMC (a 6% increase), including one of WO-type, only the third known in that galaxy and the second to be discovered recently. The other eight are WN3 stars that include an absorption component. In two, the absorption is likely from an O-type companion, but the other six are quite unusual. Five would be classified naively as 'WN3+O3 V', but such a pairing is unlikely given the rarity of O3 stars, the short duration of this phase (which is incommensurate with the evolution of a companion to a WN star), and because these stars are considerably fainter than O3 V stars. The sixth star may also fall into this category. CMFGEN modeling suggests these stars are hot, bolometrically luminous, and N-rich like other WN3 stars, but lack the strong winds that characterize WNs. Finally, we discuss two rare Of?p stars and four Of supergiants we found, and propose that the B[e] star HD 38489 may have a WN companion.

Strange-quark-matter stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glendenning, N.K.

1989-11-01

We investigate the implications of rapid rotation corresponding to the frequency of the new pulsar reported in the supernovae remnant SN1987A. It places very stringent conditions on the equation of state if the star is assumed to be bound by gravity alone. We find that the central energy density of the star must be greater than 13 times that of nuclear density to be stable against the most optimistic estimate of general relativistic instabilities. This is too high for the matter to consist of individual hadrons. We conclude that it is implausible that the newly discovered pulsar, if its half-millisecond signals are attributable to rotation, is a neutron star. We show that it can be a strange quark star, and that the entire family of strange stars can sustain high rotation if strange matter is stable at an energy density exceeding about 5.4 times that of nuclear matter. We discuss the conversion of a neutron star to strange star, the possible existence of a crust of heavy ions held in suspension by centrifugal and electric forces, the cooling and other features. 34 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab

Anatomy and histology of the newly discovered adipose sac structure within the labia majora: international original research.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostrzenski, Adam; Krajewski, Pawel; Davis, Kern

2016-09-01

To determine whether there is any new anatomical structure present within the labia majora. A case serial study was executed on eleven consecutive fresh human female cadavers. Stratum-by-stratum dissections of the labia majora were performed. Twenty-two anatomic dissections of labia majora were completed. Eosin and Hematoxylin agents were used to stain newly discovered adipose sac's tissues of the labia majora and the cylinder-like structures, which cover condensed adipose tissues. The histology of these two structures was compared. All dissected labia majora demonstrated the presence of the anatomic existence of the adipose sac structure. Just under the dermis of the labia majora, the adipose sac was located, which was filled with lobules containing condensed fatty tissues in the form of cylinders. The histological investigation established that the well-organized fibro-connective-adipose tissues represented the adipose sac. The absence of descriptions of the adipose sac within the labia majora in traditional anatomic and gynecologic textbooks was noted. In this study group, the newly discovered adipose sac is consistently present within the anatomical structure of the labia majora. The well-organized fibro-connective-adipose tissue represents microscopic characteristic features of the adipose sac.

Observations and light curve solutions of the eclipsing binaries USNO-B1.0 1395-0370184 and USNO-B1.0 1395-0370731

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kjurkchieva D.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We present follow-up photometric observations in Sloan filters g', i' of the newly discovered eclipsing stars USNO-B1.0 1395-0370184 and USNO-B1.0 1395-0370731. Our data revealed that their orbital periods are considerably bigger than the previous values. This result changed the classification of USNO-B1.0 1395-0370184 from ultrashort-period binary (P=0.197 d to short-period system (P=0.251 d. The light curve solutions of our observations revealed that USNOB1.0 1395-0370184 and USNO-B1.0 1395-0370731 are overcontact binaries in which components are K dwarfs, close in masses and radii. The light curve distortions were reproduced by cool spots with angular radius of around 20°.

Supernovae, compact stars and nuclear physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glendenning, N.K.

1989-01-01

We briefly review the current understanding of supernova. We investigate the implications of rapid rotation corresponding to the frequency of the new pulsar reported in the supernovae remnant SN1987A. It places very stringent conditions on the equation of state if the star is assumed to be bound by gravity alone. We find that the central energy density of the star must be greater than 12 times that of nuclear density to be stable against the most optimistic estimate of general relativistic instabilities. This is too high for the matter to plausibly consist of individual hadrons. We conclude that the newly discovered pulsar, if its half-millisecond signals are attributable to rotation, cannot be a neutron star. We show that it can be a strange quark star, and that the entire family of strange stars can sustain high rotation under appropriate conditions. We discuss the conversion of a neutron star to strange star, the possible existence of a crust of heavy ions held in suspension by centrifugal and electric forces, the cooling and other features. 39 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

Newly Discovered Ebola Virus Associated with Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreak in Uganda

Science.gov (United States)

Towner, Jonathan S.; Sealy, Tara K.; Khristova, Marina L.; Albariño, César G.; Conlan, Sean; Reeder, Serena A.; Quan, Phenix-Lan; Lipkin, W. Ian; Downing, Robert; Tappero, Jordan W.; Okware, Samuel; Lutwama, Julius; Bakamutumaho, Barnabas; Kayiwa, John; Comer, James A.; Rollin, Pierre E.; Ksiazek, Thomas G.; Nichol, Stuart T.

2008-01-01

Over the past 30 years, Zaire and Sudan ebolaviruses have been responsible for large hemorrhagic fever (HF) outbreaks with case fatalities ranging from 53% to 90%, while a third species, Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus, caused a single non-fatal HF case. In November 2007, HF cases were reported in Bundibugyo District, Western Uganda. Laboratory investigation of the initial 29 suspect-case blood specimens by classic methods (antigen capture, IgM and IgG ELISA) and a recently developed random-primed pyrosequencing approach quickly identified this to be an Ebola HF outbreak associated with a newly discovered ebolavirus species (Bundibugyo ebolavirus) distantly related to the Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus found in western Africa. Due to the sequence divergence of this new virus relative to all previously recognized ebolaviruses, these findings have important implications for design of future diagnostic assays to monitor Ebola HF disease in humans and animals, and ongoing efforts to develop effective antivirals and vaccines. PMID:19023410

The Revolution Continues: Newly Discovered Systems Expand the CRISPR-Cas Toolkit.

Science.gov (United States)

Murugan, Karthik; Babu, Kesavan; Sundaresan, Ramya; Rajan, Rakhi; Sashital, Dipali G

2017-10-05

CRISPR-Cas systems defend prokaryotes against bacteriophages and mobile genetic elements and serve as the basis for revolutionary tools for genetic engineering. Class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems use single Cas endonucleases paired with guide RNAs to cleave complementary nucleic acid targets, enabling programmable sequence-specific targeting with minimal machinery. Recent discoveries of previously unidentified CRISPR-Cas systems have uncovered a deep reservoir of potential biotechnological tools beyond the well-characterized Type II Cas9 systems. Here we review the current mechanistic understanding of newly discovered single-protein Cas endonucleases. Comparison of these Cas effectors reveals substantial mechanistic diversity, underscoring the phylogenetic divergence of related CRISPR-Cas systems. This diversity has enabled further expansion of CRISPR-Cas biotechnological toolkits, with wide-ranging applications from genome editing to diagnostic tools based on various Cas endonuclease activities. These advances highlight the exciting prospects for future tools based on the continually expanding set of CRISPR-Cas systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kepler observations of the variability in B-type stars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balona, Luis A.; Pigulski, A.; De Cat, P.

2011-01-01

The analysis of the light curves of 48 B-type stars observed by Kepler is presented. Among these are 15 pulsating stars, all of which show low frequencies, characteristic of slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars. Seven of these stars also show a few weak, isolated high frequencies and they could be cons...

Astrophysical parameters of ten poorly studied open star clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tadross, Ashraf Latif; El-Bendary, Reda; Osman, Anas; Ismail, Nader; Bakry, Abdel Aziz

2012-01-01

We present the fundamental parameters of ten open star clusters, nominated from Kronberger et al. who presented some newly discovered stellar groups on the basis of the Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry and Digitized Sky Survey visual images. Star counts and photometric parameters (radius, membership, distance, color excess, age, luminosity function, mass function, total mass, and dynamical relaxation time) have been determined for these ten clusters for the first time. In order to calibrate our procedures, the main parameters (distance, age, and color excess) have been re-estimated for another five clusters, which are also studied by Kronberger et al. (research papers)

New Galactic star clusters discovered in the VVV survey

Science.gov (United States)

Borissova, J.; Bonatto, C.; Kurtev, R.; Clarke, J. R. A.; Peñaloza, F.; Sale, S. E.; Minniti, D.; Alonso-García, J.; Artigau, E.; Barbá, R.; Bica, E.; Baume, G. L.; Catelan, M.; Chenè, A. N.; Dias, B.; Folkes, S. L.; Froebrich, D.; Geisler, D.; de Grijs, R.; Hanson, M. M.; Hempel, M.; Ivanov, V. D.; Kumar, M. S. N.; Lucas, P.; Mauro, F.; Moni Bidin, C.; Rejkuba, M.; Saito, R. K.; Tamura, M.; Toledo, I.

2011-08-01

Context. VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) is one of the six ESO Public Surveys operating on the new 4-m Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). VVV is scanning the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the disk, where star formation activity is high. One of the principal goals of the VVV Survey is to find new star clusters of differentages. Aims: In order to trace the early epochs of star cluster formation we concentrated our search in the directions to those of known star formation regions, masers, radio, and infrared sources. Methods: The disk area covered by VVV was visually inspected using the pipeline processed and calibrated KS-band tile images for stellar overdensities. Subsequently, we examined the composite JHKS and ZJKS color images of each candidate. PSF photometry of 15 × 15 arcmin fields centered on the candidates was then performed on the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit reduced images. After statistical field-star decontamination, color-magnitude and color-color diagrams were constructed and analyzed. Results: We report the discovery of 96 new infrared open clusters and stellar groups. Most of the new cluster candidates are faint and compact (with small angular sizes), highly reddened, and younger than 5 Myr. For relatively well populated cluster candidates we derived their fundamental parameters such as reddening, distance, and age by fitting the solar-metallicity Padova isochrones to the color-magnitude diagrams. Based on observations gathered with VIRCAM, VISTA of the ESO as part of observing programs 172.B-2002Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgTable 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/532/A131

Did the ancient egyptians discover Algol?

Science.gov (United States)

Jetsu, L.; Porceddu, S.; Porceddu, S.; Lyytinen, J.; Kajatkari, P.; Markkanen, T.; Toivari-Viitala, J.

2013-02-01

Fabritius discovered the first variable star, Mira, in 1596. Holwarda determined the 11 months period of Mira in 1638. Montanari discovered the next variable star, Algol, in 1669. Its period, 2.867 days, was determined by Goodricke (178). Algol was associated with demon-like creatures, "Gorgon" in ancient Greek and "ghoul" in ancient Arab mythology. This indicates that its variability was discovered much before 1669 (Wilk 1996), but this mythological evidence is ambiguous (Davis 1975). For thousands of years, the Ancient Egyptian Scribes (AES) observed stars for timekeeping in a region, where there are nearly 300 clear nights a year. We discovered a significant periodicity of 2.850 days in their calendar for lucky and unlucky days dated to 1224 BC, "the Cairo Calendar". Several astrophysical and astronomical tests supported our conclusion that this was the period of Algol three millennia ago. The "ghoulish habits" of Algol could explain this 0.017 days period increase (Battersby 2012).

Chapare virus, a newly discovered arenavirus isolated from a fatal hemorrhagic fever case in Bolivia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Delgado

2008-04-01

Full Text Available A small focus of hemorrhagic fever (HF cases occurred near Cochabamba, Bolivia, in December 2003 and January 2004. Specimens were available from only one fatal case, which had a clinical course that included fever, headache, arthralgia, myalgia, and vomiting with subsequent deterioration and multiple hemorrhagic signs. A non-cytopathic virus was isolated from two of the patient serum samples, and identified as an arenavirus by IFA staining with a rabbit polyvalent antiserum raised against South American arenaviruses known to be associated with HF (Guanarito, Machupo, and Sabiá. RT-PCR analysis and subsequent analysis of the complete virus S and L RNA segment sequences identified the virus as a member of the New World Clade B arenaviruses, which includes all the pathogenic South American arenaviruses. The virus was shown to be most closely related to Sabiá virus, but with 26% and 30% nucleotide difference in the S and L segments, and 26%, 28%, 15% and 22% amino acid differences for the L, Z, N, and GP proteins, respectively, indicating the virus represents a newly discovered arenavirus, for which we propose the name Chapare virus. In conclusion, two different arenaviruses, Machupo and Chapare, can be associated with severe HF cases in Bolivia.

Newly discovered Neanderthal remains from Shanidar Cave, Iraqi Kurdistan, and their attribution to Shanidar 5.

Science.gov (United States)

Pomeroy, Emma; Mirazón Lahr, Marta; Crivellaro, Federica; Farr, Lucy; Reynolds, Tim; Hunt, Chris O; Barker, Graeme

2017-10-01

The Neanderthal remains from Shanidar Cave, excavated between 1951 and 1960, have played a central role in debates concerning diverse aspects of Neanderthal morphology and behavior. In 2015 and 2016, renewed excavations at the site uncovered hominin remains from the immediate area where the partial skeleton of Shanidar 5 was found in 1960. Shanidar 5 was a robust adult male estimated to have been aged over 40 years at the time of death. Comparisons of photographs from the previous and recent excavations indicate that the old and new remains were directly adjacent to one another, while the disturbed arrangement and partial crushing of the new fossils is consistent with descriptions and photographs of the older discoveries. The newly discovered bones include fragments of several vertebrae, a left hamate, part of the proximal left femur, a heavily crushed partial pelvis, and the distal half of the right tibia and fibula and associated talus and navicular. All these elements were previously missing from Shanidar 5, and morphological and metric data are consistent with the new elements belonging to this individual. A newly discovered partial left pubic symphysis indicates an age at death of 40-50 years, also consistent with the age of Shanidar 5 estimated previously. Thus, the combined evidence strongly suggests that the new finds can be attributed to Shanidar 5. Ongoing analyses of associated samples, including for sediment morphology, palynology, and dating, will therefore offer new evidence as to how this individual was deposited in the cave and permit new analyses of the skeleton itself and broader discussion of Neanderthal morphology and variation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) Project. II. New Extremely Metal-poor Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Krugler, Julie A.; Frebel, A.; Roederer, I. U.; Sneden, C.; Shetrone, M.; Beers, T.; Christlieb, N.

2011-01-01

We present new abundance results from the Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) project. The 500 CASH spectra were observed using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in "snapshot" mode and are analyzed using an automated stellar parameter and abundance pipeline called CASHCODE. For the 20 most metal-poor stars of the CASH sample we have obtained high resolution spectra using the Magellan Telescope in order to test the uncertainties and systematic errors associated with the snapshot quality (i.e., R 15,000 and S/N 65) HET spectra and to calibrate the newly developed CASHCODE by making a detailed comparison between the stellar parameters and abundances determined from the high resolution and snapshot spectra. We find that the CASHCODE stellar parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and microturbulence) agree well with the results of the manual analysis of the high resolution spectra. We present the abundances of three newly discovered stars with [Fe/H] ratios with alpha-enhancement and Fe-peak depletion and a range of n-capture elements. The full CASH sample will be used to derive statistically robust abundance trends and frequencies (e.g. carbon and n-capture), as well as placing constraints on nucleosynthetic processes that occurred in the early universe.

MASCARA-1 b. A hot Jupiter transiting a bright mV = 8.3 A-star in a misaligned orbit

Science.gov (United States)

Talens, G. J. J.; Albrecht, S.; Spronck, J. F. P.; Lesage, A.-L.; Otten, G. P. P. L.; Stuik, R.; Van Eylen, V.; Van Winckel, H.; Pollacco, D.; McCormac, J.; Grundahl, F.; Fredslund Andersen, M.; Antoci, V.; Snellen, I. A. G.

2017-10-01

We report the discovery of MASCARA-1 b, which is the first exoplanet discovered with the Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA (MASCARA). This exoplanet is a hot Jupiter orbiting a bright mV = 8.3, rapidly rotating (vsini⋆ > 100 km s-1) A8 star with a period of 2.148780 ± 8 × 10-6 days. The planet has a mass and radius of 3.7 ± 0.9 MJup and 1.5 ± 0.3 RJup, respectively. As with most hot Jupiters transiting early-type stars, we find a misalignment between the planet orbital axis and the stellar spin axis, which may be a signature of the formation and migration histories of this family of planets. MASCARA-1 b has a mean density of 1.5 ± 0.9 g cm-3 and an equilibrium temperature of 2570+50-30K, that is one of the highest temperatures known for a hot Jupiter to date. The system is reminiscent of WASP-33, but the host star lacks apparent delta-scuti variations, making the planet an ideal target for atmospheric characterization. We expect this to be the first of a series of hot Jupiters transiting bright early-type stars that will be discovered by MASCARA. Tables of the photometry and the reduced spectra as FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/606/A73

ELEVEN NEW HEAVILY REDDENED FIELD WOLF–RAYET STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J. D. T.; Cushing, Michael; Barletta, Anthony; McCarthy, Don; Kulesa, Craig; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.

2012-01-01

We report the results of a medium-narrowband 2 μm line survey covering 5.8 deg 2 near the Galactic plane. We confirm 11 new field Wolf-Rayet stars along three lines of sight probing the inner Galaxy, demonstrating the capability to uncover distant and highly reddened populations of Galactic wind-borne emission-line stars suffering extinction as high as A V ∼ 40 and as distant as 9 kpc down to modest magnitude limits of K s ∼ 12.5. All stars are of subtype WC7-8, with median distance d = 6 kpc and median extinction A K s = 2.5. Over the fields surveyed, the density of Wolf-Rayet stars to limiting magnitude K s ∼ 12.5 was found to be 1.9 deg –2 . We compare this to models which predict their distribution within the Galaxy and find that, even neglecting survey and subtype incompleteness, they consistently underpredict the number of newly discovered stars along the surveyed lines of sight.

An artificial neural network to discover hypervelocity stars: candidates in Gaia DR1/TGAS

Science.gov (United States)

Marchetti, T.; Rossi, E. M.; Kordopatis, G.; Brown, A. G. A.; Rimoldi, A.; Starkenburg, E.; Youakim, K.; Ashley, R.

2017-09-01

The paucity of hypervelocity stars (HVSs) known to date has severely hampered their potential to investigate the stellar population of the Galactic Centre and the Galactic potential. The first Gaia data release (DR1, 2016 September 14) gives an opportunity to increase the current sample. The challenge is the disparity between the expected number of HVSs and that of bound background stars. We have applied a novel data mining algorithm based on machine learning techniques, an artificial neural network, to the Tycho-Gaia astrometric solution catalogue. With no pre-selection of data, we could exclude immediately ˜99 per cent of the stars in the catalogue and find 80 candidates with more than 90 per cent predicted probability to be HVSs, based only on their position, proper motions and parallax. We have cross-checked our findings with other spectroscopic surveys, determining radial velocities for 30 and spectroscopic distances for five candidates. In addition, follow-up observations have been carried out at the Isaac Newton Telescope for 22 stars, for which we obtained radial velocities and distance estimates. We discover 14 stars with a total velocity in the Galactic rest frame >400 km s-1, and five of these have a probability of >50 per cent of being unbound from the Milky Way. Tracing back their orbits in different Galactic potential models, we find one possible unbound HVS with v ˜ 520 km s-1, five bound HVSs and, notably, five runaway stars with median velocity between 400 and 780 km s-1. At the moment, uncertainties in the distance estimates and ages are too large to confirm the nature of our candidates by narrowing down their ejection location, and we wait for future Gaia releases to validate the quality of our sample. This test successfully demonstrates the feasibility of our new data-mining routine.

THE NEWLY BORN MAGNETARS POWERING GAMMA-RAY BURST INTERNAL-PLATEAU EMISSION: ARE THERE STRANGE STARS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Yunwei; Cao Xiaofeng; Zheng Xiaoping

2009-01-01

The internal-plateau X-ray emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) indicates that a newly born magnetar could be the central object of some GRBs. The observed luminosity and duration of the plateaus suggest that, for such a magnetar, a rapid spin with a sub- or millisecond period is sometimes able to last thousands of seconds. In this case, the conventional neutron star (NS) model for the magnetar may be challenged, since the rapid spin of nascent NSs would be remarkably decelerated within hundreds of seconds due to r-mode instability. In contrast, the r-modes can be effectively suppressed in nascent strange stars (SSs). In other words, to a certain extent, only SSs can keep nearly constant extremely rapid spin for a long period of time during the early ages of the stars. We thus propose that the sample of the GRB rapidly spinning magnetars can be used to test the SS hypothesis based on the distinct spin limits of NSs and SSs.

A newly discovered Bordetella species carries a transcriptionally active CRISPR-Cas with a small Cas9 endonuclease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanov, Yury V; Shariat, Nikki; Register, Karen B; Linz, Bodo; Rivera, Israel; Hu, Kai; Dudley, Edward G; Harvill, Eric T

2015-10-26

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated genes (cas) are widely distributed among bacteria. These systems provide adaptive immunity against mobile genetic elements specified by the spacer sequences stored within the CRISPR. The CRISPR-Cas system has been identified using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) against other sequenced and annotated genomes and confirmed via CRISPRfinder program. Using Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) and Sanger DNA sequencing, we discovered CRISPRs in additional bacterial isolates of the same species of Bordetella. Transcriptional activity and processing of the CRISPR have been assessed via RT-PCR. Here we describe a novel Type II-C CRISPR and its associated genes-cas1, cas2, and cas9-in several isolates of a newly discovered Bordetella species. The CRISPR-cas locus, which is absent in all other Bordetella species, has a significantly lower GC-content than the genome-wide average, suggesting acquisition of this locus via horizontal gene transfer from a currently unknown source. The CRISPR array is transcribed and processed into mature CRISPR RNAs (crRNA), some of which have homology to prophages found in closely related species B. hinzii. Expression of the CRISPR-Cas system and processing of crRNAs with perfect homology to prophages present in closely related species, but absent in that containing this CRISPR-Cas system, suggest it provides protection against phage predation. The 3,117-bp cas9 endonuclease gene from this novel CRISPR-Cas system is 990 bp smaller than that of Streptococcus pyogenes, the 4,017-bp allele currently used for genome editing, and which may make it a useful tool in various CRISPR-Cas technologies.

The magnetic field of the B1/B2V star σ Lup

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Henrichs, H.F.; Kolenberg, K.; Plaggenborg, B.; Marsden, S.C.; Waite, I.A.; Wade, G.A.

2011-01-01

The ultraviolet stellar wind lines of the photometrically periodic variable early B-type star σ Lupi were found to behave very similarly to what has been observed in known magnetic B stars, although no periodicity could be determined. AAT spectropolarimetric measurements with SEMPOL were obtained.

Sulfonamide inhibition studies of the β-carbonic anhydrase from the newly discovered bacterium Enterobacter sp. B13.

Science.gov (United States)

Eminoğlu, Ayşenur; Vullo, Daniela; Aşık, Aycan; Çolak, Dilşat Nigar; Çanakçı, Sabriye; Beldüz, Ali Osman; Supuran, Claudiu T

2016-04-01

The genome of the newly identified bacterium Enterobacter sp. B13 encodes for a β-class carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1), EspCA. This enzyme was recently cloned, and characterized kinetically by this group (J. Enzyme Inhib. Med. Chem. 2016, 31). Here we report an inhibition study with sulfonamides and sulfamates of this enzyme. The best EspCA inhibitors were some sulfanylated sulfonamides with elongated molecules, metanilamide, 4-aminoalkyl-benzenesulfonamides, acetazolamide, and deacetylated methazolamide (KIs in the range of 58.7-96.5nM). Clinically used agents such as methazolamide, ethoxzolamide, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, benzolamide, zonisamide, sulthiame, sulpiride, topiramate and valdecoxib were slightly less effective inhibitors (KIs in the range of 103-138nM). Saccharin, celecoxib, dichlorophenamide and many simple benzenesulfonamides were even less effective as EspCA inhibitors, with KIs in the range of 384-938nM. Identification of effective inhibitors of this bacterial enzyme may lead to pharmacological tools useful for understanding the physiological role(s) of the β-class CAs in bacterial pathogenicity/virulence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HAT-P-11b: A SUPER-NEPTUNE PLANET TRANSITING A BRIGHT K STAR IN THE KEPLER FIELD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakos, G. A.; Torres, G.; Pal, A.; Hartman, J.; Noyes, R. W.; Latham, D. W.; Sasselov, D. D.; Sipocz, B.; Esquerdo, G. A.; Kovacs, Gabor; Fernandez, J.; Kovacs, Geza; Moor, A.; Fischer, D. A.; Isaacson, H.; Johnson, J. A.; Marcy, G. W.; Howard, A.; Butler, R. P.; Vogt, S.

2010-01-01

We report on the discovery of HAT-P-11b, the smallest radius transiting extrasolar planet (TEP) discovered from the ground, and the first hot Neptune discovered to date by transit searches. HAT-P-11b orbits the bright (V = 9.587) and metal rich ([Fe/H] = +0.31 ± 0.05) K4 dwarf star GSC 03561-02092 with P = 4.8878162 ± 0.0000071 days and produces a transit signal with depth of 4.2 mmag, the shallowest found by transit searches that is due to a confirmed planet. We present a global analysis of the available photometric and radial velocity (RV) data that result in stellar and planetary parameters, with simultaneous treatment of systematic variations. The planet, like its near-twin GJ 436b, is somewhat larger than Neptune (17 M + , 3.8 R + ) both in mass M p = 0.081 ± 0.009 M J (25.8 ± 2.9 M + ) and radius R p = 0.422 ± 0.014 R J (4.73 ± 0.16 R + ). HAT-P-11b orbits in an eccentric orbit with e = 0.198 ± 0.046 and ω = 355. 0 2 ± 17. 0 3, causing a reflex motion of its parent star with amplitude 11.6 ± 1.2 m s -1 , a challenging detection due to the high level of chromospheric activity of the parent star. Our ephemeris for the transit events is T c = 2454605.89132 ± 0.00032 (BJD), with duration 0.0957 ± 0.0012 days, and secondary eclipse epoch of 2454608.96 ± 0.15 days (BJD). The basic stellar parameters of the host star are M * = 0.809 +0.020 -0.027 M sun , R * = 0.752 ± 0.021 R sun , and T eff* = 4780 ± 50 K. Importantly, HAT-P-11 will lie on one of the detectors of the forthcoming Kepler mission; this should make possible fruitful investigations of the detailed physical characteristic of both the planet and its parent star at unprecedented precision. We discuss an interesting constraint on the eccentricity of the system by the transit light curve and stellar parameters. This will be particularly useful for eccentric TEPs with low-amplitude RV variations in Kepler's field. We also present a blend analysis, that for the first time treats the case of a

Orbital Decay in Binaries with Evolved Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Meng; Arras, Phil; Weinberg, Nevin N.; Troup, Nicholas; Majewski, Steven R.

2018-01-01

Two mechanisms are often invoked to explain tidal friction in binary systems. The ``dynamical tide” is the resonant excitation of internal gravity waves by the tide, and their subsequent damping by nonlinear fluid processes or thermal diffusion. The ``equilibrium tide” refers to non-resonant excitation of fluid motion in the star’s convection zone, with damping by interaction with the turbulent eddies. There have been numerous studies of these processes in main sequence stars, but less so on the subgiant and red giant branches. Motivated by the newly discovered close binary systems in the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-1), we have performed calculations of both the dynamical and equilibrium tide processes for stars over a range of mass as the star’s cease core hydrogen burning and evolve to shell burning. Even for stars which had a radiative core on the main sequence, the dynamical tide may have very large amplitude in the newly radiative core in post-main sequence, giving rise to wave breaking. The resulting large dynamical tide dissipation rate is compared to the equilibrium tide, and the range of secondary masses and orbital periods over which rapid orbital decay may occur will be discussed, as well as applications to close APOGEE binaries.

Study on the flare stars in the Taurus region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khodzhaev, A.S.

1986-01-01

The results of the search of flare stars and their photometric, Hsub(α)-spectroscopic and statistical study in the Taurus are presented. By means of photographic observations carried out during 1980-1984, 92 new flare stars were discovered, 13 of which are known Orion Population variables, and 16 repeated flare-ups among 13 known flare stars. Spatial distribution of these stars was considered and the problem of their membership was discussed. Comparative analysis of the data of flare stars in the Taurus with that of other systems has been carried out. The Herzsprung-Russel and two-colour (U-B, B-V) diagrams for the Taurus flare stars are similar to the diagrams of stellar clusters and associations (Pleiades, Orion etc.). The estimated total number of flare stars in this region is larger than 500

An Einstein Observatory SAO-based catalog of B-type stars

Science.gov (United States)

Grillo, F.; Sciortino, S.; Micela, G.; Vaiana, G. S.; Harnden, F. R., Jr.

1992-01-01

About 4000 X-ray images obtained with the Einstein Observatory are used to measure the 0.16-4.0 keV emission from 1545 B-type SAO stars falling in the about 10 percent of the sky surveyed with the IPC. Seventy-four detected X-ray sources with B-type stars are identified, and it is estimated that no more than 15 can be misidentified. Upper limits to the X-ray emission of the remaining stars are presented. In addition to summarizing the X-ray measurements and giving other relevant optical data, the present extensive catalog discusses the reduction process and analyzes selection effects associated with both SAO catalog completeness and IPC target selection procedures. It is concluded that X-ray emission, at the level of Lx not less than 10 exp 30 ergs/s, is quite common in B stars of early spectral types (B0-B3), regardless of luminosity class, but that emission, at the same level, becomes less common, or nonexistent, in later B-type stars.

DISCOVERY OF TWO RARE RIGIDLY ROTATING MAGNETOSPHERE STARS IN THE APOGEE SURVEY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eikenberry, Stephen S.; Garner, Alan [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Science Center, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Chojnowski, S. Drew; Majewski, Steven R.; Whelan, David G.; Borish, H. Jacob; Hearty, Fred; Li, Zhi-Yun; Nidever, David L.; Skrutskie, Michael [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, 530 McCormick Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Wisniewski, John [Department of Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks St., Norman, OK 73019 (United States); Shetrone, Matthew [University of Texas, McDonald Observatory, 3640 Dark Sky Drive, Fort Davis, TX (United States); Bizyaev, Dmitry; Ebelke, Garrett [Apache Point Observatory, 2001 Apache Point Rd, Sunspot, NM 88349 (United States); Davenport, James R. A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, U.W., Seattle, WA 98195-1580 (United States); Feuillet, Diane; Holtzman, Jon [Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, 1780 E University Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States); Frinchaboy, Peter M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Christian University, Box 298840, Fort Worth, TX 76129 (United States); Mészáros, Sz. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Schneider, Donald P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); and others

2014-04-01

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)—one of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III programs—is using near-infrared (NIR) spectra of ∼100,000 red giant branch star candidates to study the structure of the Milky Way. In the course of the survey, APOGEE also acquires spectra of hot field stars to serve as telluric calibrators for the primary science targets. We report the serendipitous discovery of two rare, fast-rotating B-stars of the σ Ori E type among those blue field stars observed during the first year of APOGEE operations. Both of the discovered stars display the spectroscopic signatures of rigidly rotating magnetospheres (RRM) common to this class of highly magnetized (B ∼ 10 kGauss) stars, increasing the number of known RRM stars by ∼10%. One (HD 345439) is a main-sequence B-star with unusually strong He absorption (similar to σ Ori E), while the other (HD 23478) fits a ''He-normal'' B3IV classification. We combine the APOGEE discovery spectra with other optical and NIR spectra of these two stars, and of σ Ori E itself, to show how NIR spectroscopy can be a uniquely powerful tool for discovering more of these rare objects, which may show little/no RRM signatures in their optical spectra. We discuss the potential for further discovery of σ Ori E type stars, as well as the implications of our discoveries for the population of these objects and insights into their origin and evolution.

DISCOVERY OF TWO RARE RIGIDLY ROTATING MAGNETOSPHERE STARS IN THE APOGEE SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eikenberry, Stephen S.; Garner, Alan; Chojnowski, S. Drew; Majewski, Steven R.; Whelan, David G.; Borish, H. Jacob; Hearty, Fred; Li, Zhi-Yun; Nidever, David L.; Skrutskie, Michael; Wisniewski, John; Shetrone, Matthew; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Ebelke, Garrett; Davenport, James R. A.; Feuillet, Diane; Holtzman, Jon; Frinchaboy, Peter M.; Mészáros, Sz.; Schneider, Donald P.

2014-01-01

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)—one of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III programs—is using near-infrared (NIR) spectra of ∼100,000 red giant branch star candidates to study the structure of the Milky Way. In the course of the survey, APOGEE also acquires spectra of hot field stars to serve as telluric calibrators for the primary science targets. We report the serendipitous discovery of two rare, fast-rotating B-stars of the σ Ori E type among those blue field stars observed during the first year of APOGEE operations. Both of the discovered stars display the spectroscopic signatures of rigidly rotating magnetospheres (RRM) common to this class of highly magnetized (B ∼ 10 kGauss) stars, increasing the number of known RRM stars by ∼10%. One (HD 345439) is a main-sequence B-star with unusually strong He absorption (similar to σ Ori E), while the other (HD 23478) fits a ''He-normal'' B3IV classification. We combine the APOGEE discovery spectra with other optical and NIR spectra of these two stars, and of σ Ori E itself, to show how NIR spectroscopy can be a uniquely powerful tool for discovering more of these rare objects, which may show little/no RRM signatures in their optical spectra. We discuss the potential for further discovery of σ Ori E type stars, as well as the implications of our discoveries for the population of these objects and insights into their origin and evolution

Astronomers Discover Fastest-Spinning Pulsar

Science.gov (United States)

2006-01-01

Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope have discovered the fastest-spinning neutron star ever found, a 20-mile-diameter superdense pulsar whirling faster than the blades of a kitchen blender. Their work yields important new information about the nature of one of the most exotic forms of matter known in the Universe. Pulsar Graphic Pulsars Are Spinning Neutron Stars CREDIT: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF (Click on image for larger version) "We believe that the matter in neutron stars is denser than an atomic nucleus, but it is unclear by how much. Our observations of such a rapidly rotating star set a hard upper limit on its size, and hence on how dense the star can be.," said Jason Hessels, a graduate student at McGill University in Montreal. Hessels and his colleagues presented their findings to the American Astronomical Society's meeting in Washington, DC. Pulsars are spinning neutron stars that sling "lighthouse beams" of radio waves or light around as they spin. A neutron star is what is left after a massive star explodes at the end of its "normal" life. With no nuclear fuel left to produce energy to offset the stellar remnant's weight, its material is compressed to extreme densities. The pressure squeezes together most of its protons and electrons to form neutrons; hence, the name "neutron star." "Neutron stars are incredible laboratories for learning about the physics of the fundamental particles of nature, and this pulsar has given us an important new limit," explained Scott Ransom, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and one of Hessels' collaborators on this work. The scientists discovered the pulsar, named PSR J1748-2446ad, in a globular cluster of stars called Terzan 5, located some 28,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. The newly-discovered pulsar is spinning 716 times per second, or at 716 Hertz (Hz), readily beating the previous record of 642 Hz from a pulsar

Open clusters. III. Fundamental parameters of B stars in NGC 6087, NGC 6250, NGC 6383, and NGC 6530 B-type stars with circumstellar envelopes

Science.gov (United States)

Aidelman, Y.; Cidale, L. S.; Zorec, J.; Panei, J. A.

2018-02-01

Context. Stellar physical properties of star clusters are poorly known and the cluster parameters are often very uncertain. Methods: Our goals are to perform a spectrophotometric study of the B star population in open clusters to derive accurate stellar parameters, search for the presence of circumstellar envelopes, and discuss the characteristics of these stars. The BCD spectrophotometric system is a powerful method to obtain stellar fundamental parameters from direct measurements of the Balmer discontinuity. To this end, we wrote the interactive code MIDE3700. The BCD parameters can also be used to infer the main properties of open clusters: distance modulus, color excess, and age. Furthermore, we inspected the Balmer discontinuity to provide evidence for the presence of circumstellar disks and identify Be star candidates. We used an additional set of high-resolution spectra in the Hα region to confirm the Be nature of these stars. Results: We provide Teff, log g, Mv, Mbol, and spectral types for a sample of 68 stars in the field of the open clusters NGC 6087, NGC 6250, NGC 6383, and NGC 6530, as well as the cluster distances, ages, and reddening. Then, based on a sample of 230 B stars in the direction of the 11 open clusters studied along this series of three papers, we report 6 new Be stars, 4 blue straggler candidates, and 15 B-type stars (called Bdd) with a double Balmer discontinuity, which indicates the presence of circumstellar envelopes. We discuss the distribution of the fraction of B, Be, and Bdd star cluster members per spectral subtype. The majority of the Be stars are dwarfs and present a maximum at the spectral type B2-B4 in young and intermediate-age open clusters (operating under agreement of CONICET and the Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan, Argentina.Tables 1, 2, 9-16 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/610/A30

Newly discovered geological features and their potential impact on Darlington and Pickering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallach, J.L.

1990-01-01

Newly available information reveals the presence of a prominent north-northeast oriented aeromagnetic lineament and east-northeast trending, linear patterns in young sediments on the bottom of Lake Ontario. The magnetic lineament, named the Niagara-Pickering Magnetic Lineament, passes practically beneath the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (8x1600 MW reactors), and about 30 km west of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (4x2800 MW reactors). Magnetic data suggest that the Niagara-Pickering Magnetic Lineament may be the signature of a fault and may connect with the Akron Magnetic Boundary in Ohio, with which several earthquakes appear to be associated. Geological data lend support to the fault hypothesis. A north-northwest trending belt of earthquake epicenters, which includes the Lockport, NY earthquake (est M=5.0) and the Attica, NY earthquake (M=5.8), lies just east of, and parallels, the entire length of Georgian Bay en route to Attica, New York. The proximity and parallelism of the Georgian Bay Linear Zone to this belt of earthquake epicenters implies that the Georgian Bay Linear Zone may be tectonically active. The Georgian Bay Linear Zone and the Niagara-Pickering Magnetic Lineament appear to intersect very near Pickering and within about 30 km from Darlington. This, combined with evidence of high horizontal stresses in the area and the implication that both lineaments may be seismically active, suggests that many of the ingredients necessary for an earthquake of at least M=5.0 to M=6.25 exist near both Darlington and Pickering. Therefore, it is necessary that the Niagara-Pickering Magnetic Lineament, the Georgian Bay Linear Zone and the other newly discovered structural features be properly evaluated in order to determine whether or not the current Design Basis Seismic Ground Motions for Darlington and Pickering are adequate

Newly Discovered Items of the Zoomorphic Style from the Left Bank of the Lower Dniester

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinika Vitalij S.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article presents an overview of items corresponding to the Scythian zoomorphic style discovered at barbaric and ancient sites of the Northwestern Black Sea Region, and a publication of two new findings. They were discovered on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. The first item discovered at Parkany-II settlement is a fragment of a bronze horse plaque (its lower part crafted in the shape of a "rooster"-hippocampus. The other artifact discovered near Tokmazeya village also represents a horse plaque with an image of a cat predator's head. Presently, there are no counterparts of the images on these findings in the Northwestern Black Sea Region, which is the westmost periphery of the Scythian steppe culture. These fragments of horse apparel broaden our knowledge of the Scythian "bestiary" in the region. Besides, apart from the other items of material culture, the published findings confirm the presence of Scythian population at settlement sites, which contradicts the generally accepted opinion on the exclusively nomadic cattle breeding lifestyle of the Scythians in 5th –4th centuries B.C.

An Analysis of Pulsating Subdwarf B Star EPIC 203948264 Observed During Campaign 2 of K2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ketzer Laura

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present a preliminary analysis of the newly–discovered pulsating subdwarf B (sdB star EPIC 203948264. The target was observed for 83 days in short cadence mode during Campaign 2 of K2, the two–gyro mission of the Kepler space telescope. A time–series analysis of the data revealed 22 independent pulsation frequencies in the g–mode region ranging from 100 to 600 μHz (0:5 to 2:8 hours. The main method we use to identify pulsation modes is asymptotic period spacing, and we were able to assign all but one of the pulsations to either l = 1 or l = 2. The average period spacings of both sequences are 261:34 ± 0.78 s and 151:18 ± 0.34 s, respectively. The pulsation amplitudes range from 0.77 ppt down to the detection limit at 0.212 ppt, and are not stable over the duration of the campaign. We detected one possible low–amplitude, l = 2, rotationally split multiplet, which allowed us to constrain the rotation period to 46 days or longer. This makes EPIC 203948264 another slowly rotating sdB star.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Mira stars discovered in LAMOST DR4 (Yao+, 2017)

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Y.; Liu, C.; Deng, L.; de Grijs, R.; Matsunaga, N.

2017-10-01

By the end of 2016 March, the wide-field Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) DR4 catalog had accumulated 7681185 spectra (R=1800), of which 6898298 were of stars. We compiled a photometrically confirmed sample of Mira variables from the Kiso Wide-Field Camera (KWFC) Intensive Survey of the Galactic Plane (KISOGP; Matsunaga 2017, arXiv:1705.08567), the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) International Database Variable Star Index (VSX; Watson 2006, B/vsx, version 2017-05-02; we selected stars of variability type "M"), and the SIMBAD Astronomical Database. We first cross-matched the KISOGP and VSX Miras with the LAMOST DR4 catalog. Finally, we cross-matched the DR4 catalog with the SIMBAD database. See section 2. (1 data file).

The magnetic early B-type stars I: magnetometry and rotation

Science.gov (United States)

Shultz, M. E.; Wade, G. A.; Rivinius, Th; Neiner, C.; Alecian, E.; Bohlender, D.; Monin, D.; Sikora, J.; MiMeS Collaboration; BinaMIcS Collaboration

2018-04-01

The rotational and magnetic properties of many magnetic hot stars are poorly characterized, therefore the Magnetism in Massive Stars and Binarity and Magnetic Interactions in various classes of Stars collaborations have collected extensive high-dispersion spectropolarimetric data sets of these targets. We present longitudinal magnetic field measurements for 52 early B-type stars (B5-B0), with which we attempt to determine their rotational periods Prot. Supplemented with high-resolution spectroscopy, low-resolution Dominion Astrophysical Observatory circular spectropolarimetry, and archival Hipparcos photometry, we determined Prot for 10 stars, leaving only five stars for which Prot could not be determined. Rotational ephemerides for 14 stars were refined via comparison of new to historical magnetic measurements. The distribution of Prot is very similar to that observed for the cooler Ap/Bp stars. We also measured v sin i and vmac for all stars. Comparison to non-magnetic stars shows that v sin i is much lower for magnetic stars, an expected consequence of magnetic braking. We also find evidence that vmac is lower for magnetic stars. Least-squares deconvolution profiles extracted using single-element masks revealed widespread, systematic discrepancies in between different elements: this effect is apparent only for chemically peculiar stars, suggesting it is a consequence of chemical spots. Sinusoidal fits to H line measurements (which should be minimally affected by chemical spots), yielded evidence of surface magnetic fields more complex than simple dipoles in six stars for which this has not previously been reported; however, in all six cases, the second- and third-order amplitudes are small relative to the first-order (dipolar) amplitudes.

Kepler observations of variability in B-type stars

OpenAIRE

Balona, L. A.; Pigulski, A.; De Cat, P.; Handler, G.; Gutierrez-Soto, J; Engelbrecht, C. A.; Frescura, F.; Briquet, M.; Cuypers, J.; Daszynska-Daszkiewicz, J.; Degroote, P.; Dukes, R. J.; Garcia, R. A.; Green, E. M.; Heber, U.

2011-01-01

The analysis of the light curves of 48 B-type stars observed by Kepler is presented. Among these are 15 pulsating stars, all of which show low frequencies characteristic of SPB stars. Seven of these stars also show a few weak, isolated high frequencies and they could be considered as SPB/beta Cep hybrids. In all cases the frequency spectra are quite different from what is seen from ground-based observations. We suggest that this is because most of the low frequencies are modes of high degree ...

A disk asymmetry in motion around the B[e] star MWC158

Science.gov (United States)

Kluska, J.; Benisty, M.; Soulez, F.; Berger, J.-P.; Le Bouquin, J.-B.; Malbet, F.; Lazareff, B.; Thiébaut, E.

2016-06-01

Context. MWC158 is a star with the B[e] phenomenon that shows strong spectrophotometric variability (in lines and in UV and visible continuum) attributed to phases of shell ejection. The evolutionary stage of this star was never clearly determined. Previous interferometric, spectropolarimetric and spectro-interferometric studies suggest a disk morphology for its environment. Aims: We investigate the origin of the variability within the inner astronomical unit of the central star using near-infrared interferometric observations with PIONIER at the VLTI over a two-year period. Methods: We performed an image reconstruction of the circumstellar environment using the SPARCO method. We discovered that the morphology of the circumstellar environment could vary on timescales of weeks or days. We carried out a parametric fit of the data with a model consisting of a star, a disk and a bright spot that represents a brighter emission in the disk. Results: We detect strong morphological changes in the first astronomical unit around the star, that happen on a timescale of few months. We cannot account for such variability well with a binary model. Our parametric model fits the data well and allows us to extract the location of the asymmetry for different epochs. Conclusions: For the first time, we detect a morphological variability in the environment of MWC158. This variability is reproduced by a model of a disk and a bright spot. The locations of the bright spot suggest that it is located in the disk, but its precise motion is not determined. The origin of the asymmetry in the disk is complex and may be related to asymmetric shell ejections. Based on observations performed with PIONIER mounted on the ESO Very Large Telescope interferometer (programmes: 089.C-0211, 190.C-0963).

Unraveling the nature of B[e] star candidates

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Arias, M.L.; Torres, A.F.; Cidale, L.S.; Kraus, Michaela

2013-01-01

Roč. 56, č. 1 (2013), s. 171-174 E-ISSN 1669-9521 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : Be star * massive star * spectroscopic observations Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics http://www. astronomia argentina.org.ar/b56/2013baaa...56...171A.pdf

MASSIVE INFANT STARS ROCK THEIR CRADLE

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

Extremely intense radiation from newly born, ultra-bright stars has blown a glowing spherical bubble in the nebula N83B, also known as NGC 1748. A new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image has helped to decipher the complex interplay of gas and radiation of a star-forming region in a nearby galaxy. The image graphically illustrates just how these massive stars sculpt their environment by generating powerful winds that alter the shape of the parent gaseous nebula. These processes are also seen in our Milky Way in regions like the Orion Nebula. The Hubble telescope is famous for its contribution to our knowledge about star formation in very distant galaxies. Although most of the stars in the Universe were born several billions of years ago, when the Universe was young, star formation still continues today. This new Hubble image shows a very compact star-forming region in a small part of one of our neighboring galaxies - the Large Magellanic Cloud. This galaxy lies only 165,000 light-years from our Milky Way and can easily be seen with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. Young, massive, ultra-bright stars are seen here just as they are born and emerge from the shelter of their pre-natal molecular cloud. Catching these hefty stars at their birthplace is not as easy as it may seem. Their high mass means that the young stars evolve very rapidly and are hard to find at this critical stage. Furthermore, they spend a good fraction of their youth hidden from view, shrouded by large quantities of dust in a molecular cloud. The only chance is to observe them just as they start to emerge from their cocoon - and then only with very high-resolution telescopes. Astronomers from France, the U.S., and Germany have used Hubble to study the fascinating interplay between gas, dust, and radiation from the newly born stars in this nebula. Its peculiar and turbulent structure has been revealed for the first time. This high-resolution study has also uncovered several individual stars

Large-scale Organized Magnetic Fields in O, B and A Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Mathys, G.

2009-06-01

The status of our current knowledge of magnetic fields in stars of spectral types ranging from early F to O is reviewed. Fields with large-scale organised structure have now been detected and measured throughout this range. These fields are consistent with the oblique rotator model. In early F to late B stars, their occurrence is restricted to the subgroup of the Ap stars, which have the best studied fields among the early-type stars. Presence of fields with more complex topologies in other A and late B stars has been suggested, but is not firmly established. Magnetic fields have not been studied in a sufficient number of OB stars yet so as to establish whether they occur in all or only in some subset of these stars.

New Variable Stars Discovered by Data Mining Images Taken during Recent Asteroid Photometric Observations. II. Results from July 2015 through December 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Papini, R.; Marchini, A.; Salvaggio, F.; Agnetti, D.; Bacci, P.; Banfi, M.; Bianciardi, G.; Collina, M.; Franco, L.; Galli, G.; Milani, M. G. A.; Lopresti, C.; Marino, G.; Rizzuti, L.; Ruocco, N.; Quadri, U.

2017-12-01

This paper follows the previous publication of new variables discovered at Astronomical Observatory, DSFTA, University of Siena, while observing asteroids in order to determine their rotational periods. Usually, this task requires time series images acquisition on a single field for as long as possible on a few nights not necessarily consecutive. Checking continually this "goldmine" allowed us to discover 57 variable stars not yet listed in catalogues or databases. While most of the new variables are eclipsing binaries, a few belong to the RR Lyrae or delta Scuti class. Since asteroid work is definitely a time-consuming activity, coordinated campaigns of follow-up with other observatories have been fundamental in order to determine the elements of the ephemeris and sometimes the right subclass of variability. Further observations of these new variables are therefore strongly encouraged in order to better characterize these stars, especially pulsating ones whose data combined with those taken during professional surveys seem to suggest the presence of light curve amplitude and period variations.

Genomic Analyses Reveal Demographic History and Temperate Adaptation of the Newly Discovered Honey Bee Subspecies Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan n. ssp.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chao; Liu, Zhiguang; Pan, Qi; Chen, Xiao; Wang, Huihua; Guo, Haikun; Liu, Shidong; Lu, Hongfeng; Tian, Shilin; Li, Ruiqiang; Shi, Wei

2016-05-01

Studying the genetic signatures of climate-driven selection can produce insights into local adaptation and the potential impacts of climate change on populations. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an interesting species to study local adaptation because it originated in tropical/subtropical climatic regions and subsequently spread into temperate regions. However, little is known about the genetic basis of its adaptation to temperate climates. Here, we resequenced the whole genomes of ten individual bees from a newly discovered population in temperate China and downloaded resequenced data from 35 individuals from other populations. We found that the new population is an undescribed subspecies in the M-lineage of A. mellifera (Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan). Analyses of population history show that long-term global temperature has strongly influenced the demographic history of A. m. sinisxinyuan and its divergence from other subspecies. Further analyses comparing temperate and tropical populations identified several candidate genes related to fat body and the Hippo signaling pathway that are potentially involved in adaptation to temperate climates. Our results provide insights into the demographic history of the newly discovered A. m. sinisxinyuan, as well as the genetic basis of adaptation of A. mellifera to temperate climates at the genomic level. These findings will facilitate the selective breeding of A. mellifera to improve the survival of overwintering colonies. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Oscillation Mode Variability in Evolved Compact Pulsators from Kepler Photometry. I. The Hot B Subdwarf Star KIC 3527751

Science.gov (United States)

Zong, Weikai; Charpinet, Stéphane; Fu, Jian-Ning; Vauclair, Gérard; Niu, Jia-Shu; Su, Jie

2018-02-01

We present the first results of an ensemble and systematic survey of oscillation mode variability in pulsating hot B subdwarf (sdB) and white dwarf stars observed with the original Kepler mission. The satellite provides uninterrupted high-quality photometric data with a time baseline that can reach up to 4 yr collected on pulsating stars. This is a unique opportunity to characterize long-term behaviors of oscillation modes. A mode modulation in amplitude and frequency can be independently inferred by its fine structure in the Fourier spectrum, from the sLSP, or with prewhitening methods applied to various parts of the light curve. We apply all these techniques to the sdB star KIC 3527751, a long-period-dominated hybrid pulsator. We find that all the detected modes with sufficiently large amplitudes to be thoroughly studied show amplitude and/or frequency variations. Components of three identified quintuplets around 92, 114, and 253 μHz show signatures that can be linked to nonlinear interactions according to the resonant mode coupling theory. This interpretation is further supported by the fact that many oscillation modes are found to have amplitudes and frequencies showing correlated or anticorrelated variations, a behavior that can be linked to the amplitude equation formalism, where nonlinear frequency corrections are determined by their amplitude variations. Our results suggest that oscillation modes varying with diverse patterns are a very common phenomenon in pulsating sdB stars. Close structures around main frequencies therefore need to be carefully interpreted in light of this finding to secure a robust identification of real eigenfrequencies, which is crucial for seismic modeling. The various modulation patterns uncovered should encourage further developments in the field of nonlinear stellar oscillation theory. It also raises a warning to any long-term project aiming at measuring the rate of period change of pulsations caused by stellar evolution, or at

OUTCOMES AND DURATION OF TIDAL EVOLUTION IN A STAR-PLANET-MOON SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Takashi; Barnes, Jason W.; O'Brien, David P.

2012-01-01

We formulated tidal decay lifetimes for hypothetical moons orbiting extrasolar planets with both lunar and stellar tides. Previous works neglected the effect of lunar tides on planet rotation, and are therefore applicable only to systems in which the moon's mass is much less than that of the planet. This work, in contrast, can be applied to the relatively large moons that might be detected around newly discovered Neptune-mass and super-Earth planets. We conclude that moons are more stable when the planet/moon systems are further from the parent star, the planets are heavier, or the parent stars are lighter. Inclusion of lunar tides allows for significantly longer lifetimes for a massive moon relative to prior formulations. We expect that the semimajor axis of the planet hosting the first detected exomoon around a G-type star is 0.4-0.6 AU and is 0.2-0.4 AU for an M-type star.

DYNAMICAL CONSTRAINTS ON THE ORIGIN OF THE YOUNG B-STARS IN THE GALACTIC CENTER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perets, Hagai B.; Gualandris, Alessia

2010-01-01

Regular star formation is thought to be inhibited close to the massive black hole (MBH) in the Galactic center. Nevertheless, tens of young main-sequence B-stars have been observed in an isotropic distribution close to it. These stars are observed to have an apparently continuous distribution from very close to the MBH (<0.01 pc) and up to at least ∼0.5 pc, suggesting a common origin. Various models have been suggested for the formation of the B-stars closest to the MBH (<0.05 pc; the S-stars), typically involving the migration of these stars from their original birthplace to their currently observed position. Here, we explore the orbital phase space distribution of the B-stars throughout the central parsec expected from the various suggested models for the origin of the B-stars. We find that most of these models have difficulties in explaining, by themselves, both the population of the S-stars (<0.05 pc) and the population of the young B-stars further away (up to 0.5 pc). Most models grossly overpredict the number of B-stars up to 0.5 pc, given the observed number of S-stars. Such models include the intermediate-mass black hole assisted cluster inspiral scenario, Kozai-like perturbations by two disks, spiral density waves migration in a gaseous disk, and some of the eccentric disk instability models. We focus on one of the other models, the massive perturbers induced binary disruption, which is consistent with both the S-stars and the extended population of B-stars further away. For this model, we use analytical arguments and N-body simulations to provide further observational predictions. These could be compared with future observations to further support this model, constrain it, or refute it. These predictions include the radial distribution of the young B-stars, their eccentricity distribution, and its dependence on distance from the MBH (higher eccentricities at larger distances from the MBH), as well as less specific expectations regarding their mass

Effective temperatures, angular diameters, distances and linear radii for 160 O and B stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underhill, A.B.; Divan, L.; Prevot-Burnichon, M.L.; Doazan, V.

1979-01-01

The significance is explained of the effective temperatures, angular diameters, distances and linear diameters which have been found from published ultraviolet spectrophotometry, visible and near infrared intermediate-band photometry and model-atmosphere fluxes for 160 O and B stars using a method which is fully explained and evaluated in the full paper which is reproduced on Microfiche MN 189/1. An appendix to the full paper presents BCD spectrophotometry for 77 of the program stars. The angular diameters are systematically the same as those measured previously, and the flux effective temperatures of the main-sequence and giant stars reproduce well the relationship established by other authors, for main-sequence and giant O and B stars. The O8 - B9 supergiants have systematically lower temperatures than do main-sequence stars of the same subtype. The Beta Cephei stars and most Be stars have the same effective temperature as normal stars of the same spectral type. The radii of O and B stars increase from main-sequence to supergiant. The late B supergiants are about twice as large as the O9 supergiants. (author)

IC 751: A New Changing Look AGN Discovered by NuSTAR

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, C.; Bauer, F. E.; Arevalo, P.; Boggs, S.; Brandt, W. N.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Ghandi, P.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.;

Investigating the Magnetospheres of Rapidly Rotating B-type Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, C. L.; Petit, V.; Nazé, Y.; Wade, G. A.; Townsend, R. H.; Owocki, S. P.; Cohen, D. H.; David-Uraz, A.; Shultz, M.

2017-11-01

Recent spectropolarimetric surveys of bright, hot stars have found that ~10% of OB-type stars contain strong (mostly dipolar) surface magnetic fields (~kG). The prominent paradigm describing the interaction between the stellar winds and the surface magnetic field is the magnetically confined wind shock (MCWS) model. In this model, the stellar wind plasma is forced to move along the closed field loops of the magnetic field, colliding at the magnetic equator, and creating a shock. As the shocked material cools radiatively it will emit X-rays. Therefore, X-ray spectroscopy is a key tool in detecting and characterizing the hot wind material confined by the magnetic fields of these stars. Some B-type stars are found to have very short rotational periods. The effects of the rapid rotation on the X-ray production within the magnetosphere have yet to be explored in detail. The added centrifugal force due to rapid rotation is predicted to cause faster wind outflows along the field lines, leading to higher shock temperatures and harder X-rays. However, this is not observed in all rapidly rotating magnetic B-type stars. In order to address this from a theoretical point of view, we use the X-ray Analytical Dynamical Magnetosphere (XADM) model, originally developed for slow rotators, with an implementation of new rapid rotational physics. Using X-ray spectroscopy from ESA's XMM-Newton space telescope, we observed 5 rapidly rotating B-types stars to add to the previous list of observations. Comparing the observed X-ray luminosity and hardness ratio to that predicted by the XADM allows us to determine the role the added centrifugal force plays in the magnetospheric X-ray emission of these stars.

Optical region elemental abundance analyses of B and A stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelman, S.J.; Young, J.M.; Baldwin, H.E.

1984-01-01

Abundance analyses using optical region data and fully line blanketed model atmospheres have been performed for two sharp-lined hot Am stars o Pegasi and σ Aquarii and for the sharp-lined marginally peculiar A star v Cancri. The derived abundances exhibit definite anomalies compared with those of normal B-type stars and the Sun. (author)

WO-Type Wolf-Rayet Stars: the Last Hurrah of the Most Massive Stars?

Science.gov (United States)

Massey, Philip

2014-10-01

WO-type Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are considered the final evolutionary stage of the highest mass stars, immediate precursors to Type Ic (He-poor) core-collapse supernovae. These WO stars are rare, and until recently only 6 were known. Our knowledge about their physical properties is mostly based on a single object, Sand 2 in the LMC. It was the only non-binary WO star both bright and unreddened enough that its FUV and NUV spectra could be obtained by FUSE and HST/FOS. A non-LTE analysis showed that Sand 2 is very hot and its (C+O)/He abundance ratio is higher than that found in WC-type WRs, suggesting it is indeed highly evolved. However, the O VI resonance doublet in the FUV required a considerably cooler temperature (120,000 K) model than did the optical O VI lines (170,000 K). Further, the enhanced chemical abundances did not match the predictions of stellar evolutionary models. Another non-LTE study found a 3x higher (C+O)/He abundance ratio and a cooler temperature. We have recently discovered two other bright, single, and lightly reddened WOs in the LMC, allowing us to take a fresh look at these important objects. Our newly found WOs span a range in excitation type, from WO1 (the highest) to WO4 (the lowest). Sand 2 is intermediate (WO3). We propose to use COS to obtain FUV and NUV data of all three stars for as comprehensive a study as is currently possible. These UV data will be combined with our optical Magellan spectra for a detailed analysis with CMFGEN with the latest atomic data. Knowing the degree of chemical evolution of these WO stars is crucial to determining their evolutionary status, and thus in understanding the final stages of the most massive stars.

GRB 130603B: No Compelling Evidence for Neutron Star Merger

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shlomo Dado

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The near infrared (NIR flare/rebrightening in the afterglow of the short hard gamma ray burst (SHB 130603B measured with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST and an alleged late-time X-ray excess were interpreted as possible evidence of a neutron star merger origin of SHBs. However, the X-ray afterglow that was measured with the Swift XRT and Newton XMM has the canonical behaviour of a synchrotron afterglow produced by a highly relativistic jet. The H-band flux observed with HST 9.41 days after burst is that expected from the measured late-time X-ray afterglow. The late-time flare/rebrightening of the NIR-optical afterglow of SHB 130603B could have been produced also by jet collision with an interstellar density bump. Moreover, SHB plus a kilonova can be produced also by the collapse of a compact star (neutron star, strange star, or quark star to a more compact object due to cooling, loss of angular momentum, or mass accretion.

Understanding the spectral and timing behaviour of a newly discovered transient X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jaisawal, Gaurava K.; Naik, Sachindra; Chenevez, Jérôme

2018-01-01

We present the results obtained from timing and spectral studies of the newly discovered accreting X-ray binary pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 using Nuclear Spectroscopy Telescope Array observation in 2017 October at a flux level of ~280 mCrab. Pulsations at 9.854 23(5) s were detected in the X......-ray light curves of the pulsar. Pulse profiles of the pulsar were found to be strongly energy dependent. A broad profile at lower energies was found to evolve into a double-peaked profile in ≥ 30 keV. The 3-79 keV continuum spectrum of the pulsar was well described with a negative and positive exponential...

Terminal velocities for a large sample of O stars, B supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prinja, R.K.; Barlow, M.J.; Howarth, I.D.

1990-01-01

It is argued that easily measured, reliable estimates of terminal velocities for early-type stars are provided by the central velocity asymptotically approached by narrow absorption features and by the violet limit of zero residual intensity in saturated P Cygni profiles. These estimators are used to determine terminal velocities, v(infinity), for 181 O stars, 70 early B supergiants, and 35 Wolf-Rayet stars. For OB stars, the values are typically 15-20 percent smaller than the extreme violet edge velocities, v(edge), while for WR stars v(infinity) = 0.76 v(edge) on average. New mass-loss rates for WR stars which are thermal radio emitters are given, taking into account the new terminal velocities and recent revisions to estimates of distances and to the mean nuclear mass per electron. The relationships between v(infinity), the surface escape velocities, and effective temperatures are examined. 67 refs

A TIDALLY DESTRUCTED MASSIVE PLANET AS THE PROGENITOR OF THE TWO LIGHT PLANETS AROUND THE sdB STAR KIC 05807616

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bear, Ealeal; Soker, Noam

2012-01-01

We propose that the two newly detected Earth-size planets around the hot B subdwarf star KIC 05807616 are remnant of the tidally destructed metallic core of a massive planet. A single massive gas-giant planet was spiralling-in inside the envelope of the red giant branch star progenitor of the extreme horizontal branch (EHB) star KIC 05807616. The released gravitational energy unbound most of the stellar envelope, turning it into an EHB star. The massive planet reached the tidal-destruction radius of ∼1 R ☉ from the core, where the planet's gaseous envelope was tidally removed. In our scenario, the metallic core of the massive planet was tidally destructed into several Earth-like bodies immediately after the gaseous envelope of the planet was removed. Two, and possibly more, Earth-size fragments survived at orbital separations of ∼> 1 R ☉ within the gaseous disk. The bodies interact with the disk and among themselves, and migrated to reach orbits close to a 3:2 resonance. These observed planets can have a planetary magnetic field about 10 times as strong as that of Earth. This strong magnetic field can substantially reduce the evaporation rate from the planets and explain their survivability against the strong UV radiation of the EHB star.

ISOPHOT observations of R CrB: A star caught smoking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walker, H.J.; Heinrichsen, I.; Richards, P.J.

1996-01-01

with an unusual shape to the observed spectrum. The long wavelength photometry, when compared to IRAS data, shows the temperature of the warm dust shell is unaffected by the ejection of a new cloud of carbon from the central star. The dust cloud is probably composed of pure carbon, but other materials cannot......R CrB is a very unusual star, being extremely hydrogen deficient and undergoing irregular deep minima in its visible light. R CrB started to undergo a fading episode in October 1995. The infrared Space Observatory (ISO) observed the star after it had faded by 7 magnitudes. The inner, warm dust...

The Spy VI child : A newly discovered Neandertal infant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crevecoeur, Isabelle; Bayle, Priscilla; Rougier, Helene; Maureille, Bruno; Higham, Thomas; van der Plicht, Johannes; De Clerck, Nora; Semal, Patrick

2010-01-01

Spy cave (Jemeppe-sur-Sambre Belgium) is reputed for the two adult Neandertal individuals discovered in situ in 1886 Recent reassessment of the Spy collections has allowed direct radiocarbon dating of these individuals The sorting of all of the faunal collections has also led to the discovery of the

Three Temperate Neptunes Orbiting Nearby Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Fulton, Benjamin J.; Howard, Andrew W.; Weiss, Lauren M.; Sinukoff, Evan; Petigura, Erik A.; Isaacson, Howard; Hirsch, Lea; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Henry, Gregory W.; Grunblatt, Samuel K.; Huber, Daniel; von Braun, Kaspar; Boyajian, Tabetha S.; Kane, Stephen R.; Wittrock, Justin; Horch, Elliott P.; Ciardi, David R.; Howell, Steve B.; Wright, Jason T.; Ford, Eric B.

2016-10-01

We present the discovery of three modestly irradiated, roughly Neptune-mass planets orbiting three nearby Solar-type stars. HD 42618 b has a minimum mass of 15.4 ± 2.4 {M}\\oplus , a semimajor axis of 0.55 au, an equilibrium temperature of 337 K, and is the first planet discovered to orbit the solar analogue host star, HD 42618. We also discover new planets orbiting the known exoplanet host stars HD 164922 and HD 143761 (ρ CrB). The new planet orbiting HD 164922 has a minimum mass of 12.9 ± 1.6 {M}\\oplus and orbits interior to the previously known Jovian mass planet orbiting at 2.1 au. HD 164922 c has a semimajor axis of 0.34 au and an equilibrium temperature of 418 K. HD 143761 c orbits with a semimajor axis of 0.44 au, has a minimum mass of 25 ± 2 {M}\\oplus , and is the warmest of the three new planets with an equilibrium temperature of 445 K. It orbits exterior to the previously known warm Jupiter in the system. A transit search using space-based CoRoT data and ground-based photometry from the Automated Photometric Telescopes (APTs) at Fairborn Observatory failed to detect any transits, but the precise, high-cadence APT photometry helped to disentangle planetary-reflex motion from stellar activity. These planets were discovered as part of an ongoing radial velocity survey of bright, nearby, chromospherically inactive stars using the Automated Planet Finder (APF) telescope at Lick Observatory. The high-cadence APF data combined with nearly two decades of radial velocity data from Keck Observatory and gives unprecedented sensitivity to both short-period low-mass, and long-period intermediate-mass planets. Based on observations obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated jointly by the University of California and the California Institute of Technology. Keck time was granted for this project by the University of Hawai‘I, the University of California, and NASA.

Discussing the low fraction of disk-bearing T Tauri stars discovered near to the Sh2-296 nebula

Science.gov (United States)

Gregorio-Hetem, Jane

2015-08-01

A multiband study has been developed by our team in the direction of young star clusters associated to the Sh2-296 nebula aiming to unveil the star formation history of this galactic molecular cloud that shows a mixing of different age stellar groups. A sample of 58 pre-main sequence stars has been recently discovered by us in this region (Fernandes et al. 2015, MNRAS in press), based on optical spectral features. Only 41% of the sample shows evidence of IR excess revealing the presence of circumstellar disks. It is interesting to note that the targets were revealed by their strong X-ray emission, typically found in T Tauri stars (TTs) (Santos-Silva et al. 2015, in preparation) . In this case, it would be expected a larger number of disk-bearing stars and also the fraction of circumstellar emission (fc = Ldisk/Ltotal ) should be more significant in these objects. However, we verified that only 12% of the sample has fc > 30%. This low fraction is quite rare compared to most young star-forming regions, suggesting that some external factor has accelerated the disc dissipation. In the present work we explore the circumstellar structure of a subsample of 8 TTs associated to Sh2-296. The TTs were selected on the basis of their high circumstellar emission, which is estimated by SED fitting that uses near- to mid-IR data extracted from available catalogues (WISE, AKARI, MSX). The circumstellar characteristics are confronted to interstellar environment by comparing the stellar spatial distribution with 12CO maps (Nanten Survey, Fukui et al. ). Most of the TTs are projected against moderate molecular emission (33 Jy), but some of them are found in regions of lower levels of gas distribution (3.8 Jy). The similarities and differences found among the studied objects are discussed in order to better understand the formation and evolution of protostellar disks of the selected sample and their role in the star formation scenario nearby Sh2-296

B fields in OB stars (BOB): Low-resolution FORS2 spectropolarimetry of the first sample of 50 massive stars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fossati, L.; Castro, N.; Schöller, M.; Hubrig, S.; Langer, N.; Morel, T.; Briquet, M.; Herrero, A.; Przybilla, N.; Sana, H.; Schneider, F.R.N.; de Koter, A.

2015-01-01

Within the context of the collaboration "B fields in OB stars" (BOB), we used the FORS2 low-resolution spectropolarimeter to search for a magnetic field in 50 massive stars, including two reference magnetic massive stars. Because of the many controversies of magnetic field detections obtained with

An IRAS-Based Search for New Dusty Late-Type WC Wolf-Rayet Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Martin

1995-01-01

I have examined all Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) data relevant to the 173 Galactic Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars in an updated catalog, including the 13 stars newly discovered by Shara and coworkers. Using the W-R coordinates in these lists, I have examined the IRAS Point Source Catalog (PSC), the Faint Source Catalog, and the Faint Source Reject Catalog, and have generated one-dimensional spatial profiles, 'ADDSCANs', and two-dimensional full-resolution images, 'FRESCOS'. The goal was to assemble the best set of observed IRAS color indices for different W-R types, in particular for known dusty late-type WC Wolf-Rayet (WCL) objects. I have also unsuccessfully sought differences in IRAS colors and absolute magnitudes between single and binary W-R stars. The color indices for the entire ensemble of W-R stars define zones in the IRAS color-color ([12] - [25], [25] - [60])-plane. By searching the PSC for otherwise unassociated sources that satisfy these colors, I have identified potential new W-R candidates, perhaps too faint to have been recognized in previous optical searches. I have extracted these candidates' IRAS low-resolution spectrometer (LRS) data and compared the spectra with the highly characteristic LRS shape for known dusty WCL stars. The 13 surviving candidates must now be ex amined by optical spectroscopy. This work represents a much more rigorous and exhaustive version of the LRS study that identified IRAS 17380 - 3031 (WR98a) as the first new W-R (WC9) star discovered by IPAS. This search should have detected dusty WCL stars to a distance of 7.0 kpc from the Sun, for l is greater than 30 degrees, and to 2.9 kpc even in the innermost galaxy. For free-free-dominated W-R stars the corresponding distances are 2.5 and 1.0 kpc, respectively.

Supernova SN 2011fe from an exploding carbon-oxygen white dwarf star.

Science.gov (United States)

Nugent, Peter E; Sullivan, Mark; Cenko, S Bradley; Thomas, Rollin C; Kasen, Daniel; Howell, D Andrew; Bersier, David; Bloom, Joshua S; Kulkarni, S R; Kandrashoff, Michael T; Filippenko, Alexei V; Silverman, Jeffrey M; Marcy, Geoffrey W; Howard, Andrew W; Isaacson, Howard T; Maguire, Kate; Suzuki, Nao; Tarlton, James E; Pan, Yen-Chen; Bildsten, Lars; Fulton, Benjamin J; Parrent, Jerod T; Sand, David; Podsiadlowski, Philipp; Bianco, Federica B; Dilday, Benjamin; Graham, Melissa L; Lyman, Joe; James, Phil; Kasliwal, Mansi M; Law, Nicholas M; Quimby, Robert M; Hook, Isobel M; Walker, Emma S; Mazzali, Paolo; Pian, Elena; Ofek, Eran O; Gal-Yam, Avishay; Poznanski, Dovi

2011-12-14

Type Ia supernovae have been used empirically as 'standard candles' to demonstrate the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe even though fundamental details, such as the nature of their progenitor systems and how the stars explode, remain a mystery. There is consensus that a white dwarf star explodes after accreting matter in a binary system, but the secondary body could be anything from a main-sequence star to a red giant, or even another white dwarf. This uncertainty stems from the fact that no recent type Ia supernova has been discovered close enough to Earth to detect the stars before explosion. Here we report early observations of supernova SN 2011fe in the galaxy M101 at a distance from Earth of 6.4 megaparsecs. We find that the exploding star was probably a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, and from the lack of an early shock we conclude that the companion was probably a main-sequence star. Early spectroscopy shows high-velocity oxygen that slows rapidly, on a timescale of hours, and extensive mixing of newly synthesized intermediate-mass elements in the outermost layers of the supernova. A companion paper uses pre-explosion images to rule out luminous red giants and most helium stars as companions to the progenitor.

A WIDE-FIELD NARROWBAND OPTICAL SURVEY OF THE BRAID NEBULA STAR FORMATION REGION IN CYGNUS OB7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magakian, Tigran Yu.; Nikogossian, Elena H.; Movsessian, Tigran; Aspin, Colin; Pyo, Tae-Soo; Khanzadyan, Tigran; Smith, Michael D.; Mitchison, Sharon; Davis, Chris J.; Beck, Tracy L.; Moriarty-Schieven, Gerald H.

2010-01-01

We study the population of Herbig-Haro (HH) flows and jets in an area of Cygnus OB7 designated the Braid Nebula star formation region. This complex forms part of the L 1003 dark cloud, and hosts two FU Orionis (FUor)-like objects as well as several other active young stars. To trace outflow activity and to relate both known and newly discovered flows to young star hosts we intercompare new, deep, narrowband Hα and [S II] optical images taken on the Subaru 8 m Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Our images show that there is considerable outflow and jet activity in this region suggesting the presence of an extensive young star population. We confirm that both of the FUor-like objects drive extensive HH flows and document further members of the flows in both objects. The L 1003 star formation complex is a highly kinematically active region with young stars in several different stages of evolution. We trace collimated outflows from numerous young stars although the origin of some HH objects remains elusive.

Photometric and spectroscopic variability of the B5IIIe star HD 171219

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, L.; Janot-Pacheco, E.; Emilio, M.; Frémat, Y.; Neiner, C.; Poretti, E.; Mathias, P.; Rainer, M.; Suárez, J. C.; Uytterhoeven, K.; Briquet, M.; Diago, P. D.; Fabregat, J.; Gutiérrez-Soto, J.

2017-07-01

We analyzed the star HD 171219, one of the relatively bright Be stars observed in the seismo field of the CoRoT satellite, in order to determine its physical and pulsation characteristics. Classical Be stars are main-sequence objects of mainly B-type, whose spectra show, or have shown at some epoch, Balmer lines in emission and an infrared excess. Both characteristics are attributed to an equatorially concentrated circumstellar disk fed by non-periodic mass-loss episodes (outbursts). Be stars often show nonradial pulsation gravity modes and, as more recently discovered, stochastically excited oscillations. Applying the CLEANEST algorithm to the high-cadence and highly photometrically precise measurements of the HD 171219 light curve led us to perform an unprecedented detailed analysis of its nonradial pulsations. Tens of frequencies have been detected in the object compatible with nonradial g-modes. Additional high-resolution ground-based spectroscopic observations were obtained at La Silla (HARPS) and Haute Provence (SOPHIE) observatories during the month preceding CoRoT observations. Additional information was obtained from low-resolution spectra from the BeSS database. From spectral line fitting we determined physical parameters of the star, which is seen equator-on (I = 90°). We also found in the ground data the same frequencies as in CoRoT data. Additionally, we analyzed the circumstellar activity through the traditional method of violet to red emission Hα line variation. A quintuplet was identified at approximately 1.113 c d-1 (12.88 μHz) with a separation of 0.017 c d-1 that can be attributed to a pulsation degree ℓ 2. The light curve shows six small- to medium-scale outbursts during the CoRoT observations. The intensity of the main frequencies varies after each outburst, suggesting a possible correlation between the nonradial pulsations regime and the feeding of the envelope. The CoRoT space mission was developed and operated by the French space agency

Chandra Discovers Cosmic Cannonball

Science.gov (United States)

2007-11-01

One of the fastest moving stars ever seen has been discovered with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This cosmic cannonball is challenging theories to explain its blistering speed. Astronomers used Chandra to observe a neutron star, known as RX J0822-4300, over a period of about five years. During that span, three Chandra observations clearly show the neutron star moving away from the center of the Puppis A supernova remnant. This remnant is the stellar debris field created during the same explosion in which the neutron star was created about 3700 years ago. Chandra X-ray Image of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A Chandra X-ray Image of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A By combining how far it has moved across the sky with its distance from Earth, astronomers determined the neutron star is moving at over 3 million miles per hour. At this rate, RX J0822-4300 is destined to escape from the Milky Way after millions of years, even though it has only traveled about 20 light years so far. "This star is moving at 3 million miles an hour, but it's so far away that the apparent motion we see in five years is less than the height of the numerals in the date on a penny, seen from the length of a football field," said Frank Winkler of Middlebury College in Vermont. "It's remarkable, and a real testament to the power of Chandra, that such a tiny motion can be measured." Labeled Image of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A Labeled Image of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A "Just after it was born, this neutron star got a one-way ticket out of the Galaxy," said co-author Robert Petre of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Astronomers have seen other stars being flung out of the Milky Way, but few as fast as this." So-called hypervelocity stars have been previously discovered shooting out of the Milky Way with speeds around one million miles per hour. One key difference between RX J0822-4300 and these other reported galactic escapees is the source of their speed. The hypervelocity stars are

NEWLY DISCOVERED GLOBAL TEMPERATURE STRUCTURES IN THE QUIET SUN AT SOLAR MINIMUM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang Zhenguang; Frazin, Richard A.; Landi, Enrico; Manchester, Ward B.; Gombosi, Tamas I. [Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Vasquez, Alberto M. [Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio, CONICET-University of Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, CC 67-Suc 28 (Argentina)

2012-08-20

Magnetic loops are building blocks of the closed-field corona. While active region loops are readily seen in images taken at EUV and X-ray wavelengths, quiet-Sun (QS) loops are seldom identifiable and are therefore difficult to study on an individual basis. The first analysis of solar minimum (Carrington Rotation 2077) QS coronal loops utilizing a novel technique called the Michigan Loop Diagnostic Technique (MLDT) is presented. This technique combines Differential Emission Measure Tomography and a potential field source surface (PFSS) model, and consists of tracing PFSS field lines through the tomographic grid on which the local differential emission measure is determined. As a result, the electron temperature T{sub e} and density N{sub e} at each point along each individual field line can be obtained. Using data from STEREO/EUVI and SOHO/MDI, the MLDT identifies two types of QS loops in the corona: so-called up loops in which the temperature increases with height and so-called down loops in which the temperature decreases with height. Up loops are expected, however, down loops are a surprise, and furthermore, they are ubiquitous in the low-latitude corona. Up loops dominate the QS at higher latitudes. The MLDT allows independent determination of the empirical pressure and density scale heights, and the differences between the two remain to be explained. The down loops appear to be a newly discovered property of the solar minimum corona that may shed light on the physics of coronal heating. The results are shown to be robust to the calibration uncertainties of the EUVI instrument.

Modeling pulsations in hot stars with winds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noels, Arlette; Godart, Melanie [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Geophysique, Liege (Belgium); Dupret, Marc-Antoine [Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, LESIA (France)], E-mail: Arlette.Noels@ulg.ac.be, E-mail: ma.dupret@obspm.fr, E-mail: Melanie.Godart@ulg.ac.be

2008-10-15

The interaction pulsation/mass loss takes different aspects. Pulsations can trigger mass loss as in LBVs and Miras; on the other hand, mass loss can modify the driving conditions within the stars. But the most spectacular aspect is the effect on stellar models which, in turn, opens a royal way to asteroseismology to test physical conditions inside massive stars, such as the extent of convective cores or the appearance of new driving mechanisms. We start with a discussion on MS stars and their strange mode instabilities. We then move on to the excitation of the LBV phenomenon. WR stars and the newly observed MOST period in WR123 are discussed in view of the power of asteroseismology. We then turn to B supergiants, in particular HD163899, and show how asteroseismology can really probe convection, semiconvection and mass loss.

Modeling pulsations in hot stars with winds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noels, Arlette; Godart, Melanie; Dupret, Marc-Antoine

2008-01-01

The interaction pulsation/mass loss takes different aspects. Pulsations can trigger mass loss as in LBVs and Miras; on the other hand, mass loss can modify the driving conditions within the stars. But the most spectacular aspect is the effect on stellar models which, in turn, opens a royal way to asteroseismology to test physical conditions inside massive stars, such as the extent of convective cores or the appearance of new driving mechanisms. We start with a discussion on MS stars and their strange mode instabilities. We then move on to the excitation of the LBV phenomenon. WR stars and the newly observed MOST period in WR123 are discussed in view of the power of asteroseismology. We then turn to B supergiants, in particular HD163899, and show how asteroseismology can really probe convection, semiconvection and mass loss.

Glowing Hot Transiting Exoplanet Discovered

Science.gov (United States)

2003-04-01

VLT Spectra Indicate Shortest-Known-Period Planet Orbiting OGLE-TR-3 Summary More than 100 exoplanets in orbit around stars other than the Sun have been found so far. But while their orbital periods and distances from their central stars are well known, their true masses cannot be determined with certainty, only lower limits. This fundamental limitation is inherent in the common observational method to discover exoplanets - the measurements of small and regular changes in the central star's velocity, caused by the planet's gravitational pull as it orbits the star. However, in two cases so far, it has been found that the exoplanet's orbit happens to be positioned in such a way that the planet moves in front of the stellar disk, as seen from the Earth. This "transit" event causes a small and temporary dip in the star's brightness, as the planet covers a small part of its surface, which can be observed. The additional knowledge of the spatial orientation of the planetary orbit then permits a direct determination of the planet's true mass. Now, a group of German astronomers [1] have found a third star in which a planet, somewhat larger than Jupiter, but only half as massive, moves in front of the central star every 28.5 hours . The crucial observation of this solar-type star, designated OGLE-TR-3 [2] was made with the high-dispersion UVES spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the ESO Paranal Observatory (Chile). It is the exoplanet with the shortest period found so far and it is very close to the star, only 3.5 million km away. The hemisphere that faces the star must be extremely hot, about 2000 °C and the planet is obviously losing its atmosphere at high rate . PR Photo 10a/03 : The star OGLE-TR-3 . PR Photo 10b/03 : VLT UVES spectrum of OGLE-TR-3. PR Photo 10c/03 : Relation between stellar brightness and velocity (diagram). PR Photo 10d/03 : Observed velocity variation of OGLE-TR-3. PR Photo 10e/03 : Observed brightness variation of OGLE-TR-3. The search

Hot subluminous stars: Highlights from the MUCHFUSS and Kepler missions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geier S.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Research into hot subdwarf stars is progressing rapidly. We present recent important discoveries. First we review the knowledge about magnetic fields in hot subdwarfs and highlight the first detection of a highly-magnetic, helium-rich sdO star. We briefly summarize recent discoveries based on Kepler light curves and finally introduce the closest known sdB+WD binary discovered by the MUCHFUSS project and discuss its relevance as a progenitor of a double-detonation type Ia supernova.

A survey for southern delta Scuti variable stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McInally, C.J.; Austin, R.R.D.

1978-01-01

Twenty-nine field stars have been tested photoelectrically for short-period variability. Eighteen of these stars have spectral types between A2 and F5 and are not Am stars; of these, six have been discovered to be variable and one is a suspected variable. HD 185969, with a period of 0.361 day, has the longest known period for a star of the delta Scuti type. The predominance of discovered variables with amplitudes close to the detection limit is suggestive of most stars in the instability strip being pulsators. (author)

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF INTERMEDIATE-MASS STAR MEMBERS OF THE M6 (NGC 6405) OPEN CLUSTER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kılıçoğlu, T.; Albayrak, B. [Ankara University, Faculty of Science, Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, 06100, Tandoğan, Ankara (Turkey); Monier, R. [LESIA, UMR 8109, Observatoire de Paris Meudon, Place J. Janssen, Meudon (France); Richer, J. [Département de physique, Université de Montréal, 2900, Boulevard Edouard-Montpetit, Montréal QC, H3C 3J7 (Canada); Fossati, L., E-mail: tkilicoglu@ankara.edu.tr, E-mail: balbayrak@ankara.edu.tr, E-mail: Richard.Monier@obspm.fr, E-mail: Jacques.Richer@umontreal.ca, E-mail: lfossati@astro.uni-bonn.de [Argelander-Institut für Astronomie der Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, D-53121, Bonn (Germany)

2016-03-15

We present here the first abundance analysis of 44 late B-, A-, and F-type members of the young open cluster M6 (NGC 6405, age about 75 Myr). Low- and medium-resolution spectra, covering the 4500–5840 Å wavelength range, were obtained using the FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectrograph attached to the ESO Very Large Telescopes. We determined the atmospheric parameters using calibrations of the Geneva photometry and by adjusting the H{sub β} profiles to synthetic ones. The abundances of up to 20 chemical elements, from helium to mercury, were derived for 19 late B, 16 A, and 9 F stars by iteratively adjusting synthetic spectra to the observations. We also derived a mean cluster metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.07 ± 0.03 dex from the iron abundances of the F-type stars. We find that for most chemical elements, the normal late B- and A-type stars exhibit larger star-to-star abundance variations than the F-type stars probably because of the faster rotation of the B and A stars. The abundances of C, O, Mg, Si, and Sc appear to be anticorrelated with that of Fe, while the opposite holds for the abundances of Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Y, and Ba as expected if radiative diffusion is efficient in the envelopes of these stars. In the course of this analysis, we discovered five new peculiar stars: one mild Am, one Am, and one Fm star (HD 318091, CD-32 13109, GSC 07380-01211, CP1), one HgMn star (HD 318126, CP3), and one He-weak P-rich (HD 318101, CP4) star. We also discovered a new spectroscopic binary, most likely a SB2. We performed a detailed modeling of HD 318101, the new He-weak P-rich CP star, using the Montréal stellar evolution code XEVOL which self-consistently treats all particle transport processes. Although the overall abundance pattern of this star is properly reproduced, we find that detailed abundances (in particular the high P excess) resisted modeling attempts even when a range of turbulence profiles and mass-loss rates were considered. Solutions are proposed which are

Star-Formation in Free-Floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules

Science.gov (United States)

Sahai, Raghvendra

2017-08-01

We propose to study the stellar embryos in select members of a newly recognized class of Free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules (frEGGS) embedded in HII regions and having head-tail shapes. We discovered two of these in the Cygnus massive star-forming region (MSFR) with HST, including one of the most prominent members of this class (IRAS20324). Subsequent archival searches of Spitzer imaging of MSFRs has allowed us to build a statistical sample of frEGGs. Our molecular-line observations show the presence of dense molecular cores with total gas masses of (0.5-few) Msun in these objects, and our radio continuum images and Halpha images (from the IPHAS survey) reveal bright photo-ionized peripheries around these objects. We hypothesize that frEGGs are density concentrations originating in giant molecular clouds, that, when subject to the sculpting and compression by strong winds and UV radiation from massive stars, become active star-forming cores. For the 4 frEGGs with HST or near-IR AO images showing young stars and bipolar cavities produced by their jets or collimated outflows, the symmetry axis points roughly toward the external ionizing star or star cluster - exciting new evidence for our overpressure-induced star formation hypothesis. We propose to test this hypothesis by imaging 24 frEGGs in two nearby MSFRs that represent different radiation-dominated environments. Using ACS imaging with filters F606W, F814W, & F658N (Ha+[NII]), we will search for jets and outflow-excavated cavities, investigate the stellar nurseries inside frEGGs, and determine whether the globules are generally forming multiple star systems or small clusters, as in IRAS20324.

MODELING CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS OF B-TYPE STARS WITH OBSERVATIONS FROM THE PALOMAR TESTBED INTERFEROMETER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grzenia, B. J.; Tycner, C.; Jones, C. E.; Sigut, T. A. A.; Rinehart, S. A.; Van Belle, G. T.

2013-01-01

Geometrical (uniform disk) and numerical models were calculated for a set of B-emission (Be) stars observed with the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI). Physical extents have been estimated for the disks of a total of 15 stars via uniform disk models. Our numerical non-LTE models used parameters for the B0, B2, B5, and B8 spectral classes and following the framework laid by previous studies, we have compared them to infrared K-band interferometric observations taken at PTI. This is the first time such an extensive set of Be stars observed with long-baseline interferometry has been analyzed with self-consistent non-LTE numerical disk models.

IRAS 03063+5735: A BOWSHOCK NEBULA POWERED BY AN EARLY B STAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobulnicky, Henry A.; Lundquist, Michael J.; Bhattacharjee, Anirban [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1000 E. University Avenue, University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Kerton, C. R., E-mail: chipk@uwyo.edu, E-mail: mlundqui@uwyo.edu, E-mail: abhattac@uwyo.edu, E-mail: kerton@iastate.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011 (United States)

2012-03-15

Mid-infrared images from the Spitzer Space Telescope Galactic Legacy Infrared MidPlane Survey Extraordinaire program reveal that the infrared source IRAS 03063+5735 is a bowshock nebula produced by an early B star, 2MASS 03101044+5747035. We present new optical spectra of this star, classify it as a B1.5 V, and determine a probable association with a molecular cloud complex at V{sub LSR} = -38 to -42 km s{sup -1} in the outer Galaxy near l = 140.{sup 0}59, b = -0.{sup 0}250. On the basis of spectroscopic parallax, we estimate a distance of 4.0 {+-} 1 kpc to both the bowshock nebula and the molecular complex. One plausible scenario is that this is a high-velocity runaway star impinging upon a molecular cloud. We identify the H II region and stellar cluster associated with IRAS 03064+5638 at a projected distance of 64 pc as one plausible birth site. The spectrophotometric distance and linkage to a molecular feature provides another piece of data helping to secure the ill-determined rotation curve in the outer Galaxy. As a by-product of spectral typing this star, we present empirical spectral diagnostic diagrams suitable for approximate spectral classification of O and B stars using He lines in the little-used yellow-red portion of the optical spectrum.

Star counts in M15 on U, B and V plates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calvani, M [Padua Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Astronomia; Nobili, L [Padua Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica; Turolla, R [Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste (Italy)

1980-11-01

We present new counts of stars in M15, using plates in B, V and U. We are able to explore relatively close to the central parts of the cluster (0.1 pc) and we derive the best fitting parameters for the star distribution.

Neutron stars, magnetic fields, and gravitational waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamb, F.K.

2001-01-01

The r-modes of rapidly spinning young neutron stars have recently attracted attention as a promising source of detectable gravitational radiation. These neutron stars are expected to have magnetic fields ∼ 10 12 G. The r-mode velocity perturbation causes differential motion of the fluid in the star; this is a kinematic effect. In addition, the radiation-reaction associated with emission of gravitational radiation by r-waves drives additional differential fluid motions; this is a dynamic effect. These differential fluid motions distort the magnetic fields of neutron stars and may therefore play an important role in determining the structure of neutron star magnetic fields. If the stellar field is ∼ 10 16 (Ω/Ω B ) G or stronger, the usual r-modes are no longer normal modes of the star; here Ω and Ω B are the angular velocities of the star and at which mass shedding occurs. Much weaker magnetic fields can prevent gravitational radiation from amplifying the r-modes or damp existing r-mode oscillations on a relatively short timescale by extracting energy from the modes faster than gravitational wave emission can pump energy into them. The onset of proton superconductivity in the cores of newly formed magnetic neutron stars typically increases the effect on the r-modes of the magnetic field in the core by many orders of magnitude. Once the core has become superconducting, magnetic fields of the order of 10 12 G or greater are usually sufficient to damp r-modes that have been excited by emission of gravitational radiation and to suppress any further emission. A rapid drop in the strength of r-mode gravitational radiation from young neutron stars may therefore signal the onset of superconductivity in the core and provide a lower bound on the strength of the magnetic field there. Hence, measurements of r-mode gravitational waves from newly formed neutron stars may provide valuable diagnostic information about magnetic field strengths, cooling processes, and the

Chemical Abundances of New Member Stars in the Tucana II Dwarf Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Chiti, Anirudh; Frebel, Anna; Ji, Alexander P.; Jerjen, Helmut; Kim, Dongwon; Norris, John E.

2018-04-01

We present chemical abundance measurements for seven stars with metallicities ranging from Fe/H] = ‑3.3 to [Fe/H] = ‑2.4 in the Tucana II ultra-faint dwarf galaxy (UFD), based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the 6.5 m Magellan-Clay Telescope. For three stars, we present detailed chemical abundances for the first time. Of those, two stars are newly discovered members of Tucana II and were selected as probable members from deep narrowband photometry of the Tucana II UFD taken with the SkyMapper telescope. This result demonstrates the potential for photometrically identifying members of dwarf galaxy systems based on chemical composition. One new star was selected from the membership catalog of Walker et al. The other four stars in our sample have been reanalyzed, following additional observations. Overall, six stars have chemical abundances that are characteristic of the UFD stellar population. The seventh star shows chemical abundances that are discrepant from the other Tucana II members and an atypical, higher strontium abundance than what is expected for typical UFD stars. While unlikely, its strontium abundance raises the possibility that it may be a foreground metal-poor halo star with the same systemic velocity as Tucana II. If we were to exclude this star, Tucana II would satisfy the criteria to be a surviving first galaxy. Otherwise, this star implies that Tucana II has likely experienced somewhat extended chemical evolution. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Search for OB stars running away from young star clusters. II. The NGC 6357 star-forming region

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Kroupa, P.; Oh, S.

2011-11-01

Dynamical few-body encounters in the dense cores of young massive star clusters are responsible for the loss of a significant fraction of their massive stellar content. Some of the escaping (runaway) stars move through the ambient medium supersonically and can be revealed via detection of their bow shocks (visible in the infrared, optical or radio). In this paper, which is the second of a series of papers devoted to the search for OB stars running away from young ( ≲ several Myr) Galactic clusters and OB associations, we present the results of the search for bow shocks around the star-forming region NGC 6357. Using the archival data of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite and the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the preliminary data release of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we discovered seven bow shocks, whose geometry is consistent with the possibility that they are generated by stars expelled from the young (~1-2 Myr) star clusters, Pismis 24 and AH03 J1725-34.4, associated with NGC 6357. Two of the seven bow shocks are driven by the already known OB stars, HD 319881 and [N78] 34. Follow-up spectroscopy of three other bow-shock-producing stars showed that they are massive (O-type) stars as well, while the 2MASS photometry of the remaining two stars suggests that they could be B0 V stars, provided that both are located at the same distance as NGC 6357. Detection of numerous massive stars ejected from the very young clusters is consistent with the theoretical expectation that star clusters can effectively lose massive stars at the very beginning of their dynamical evolution (long before the second mechanism for production of runaway stars, based on a supernova explosion in a massive tight binary system, begins to operate) and lends strong support to the idea that probably all field OB stars have been dynamically ejected from their birth clusters. A by-product of our search for bow shocks around NGC 6357 is the detection of three circular

Young Debris Disks With Newly Discovered Emission Features

Science.gov (United States)

Ballering, N.

2014-04-01

We analyzed the Spitzer/IRS spectra of young A and F stars that host debris disks with previously unidentified silicate emission features. Such features probe small, warm dust grains in the inner regions of these young systems where terrestrial planet formation may be proceeding (Lisse et al. 2009). For most systems, these regions are too near their host star to be directly seen with high-contrast imaging and too warm to be imaged with submillimeter interferometers. Mid-infrared excess spectra - originating from the thermal emission of the debris disk dust - remain the best data to constrain the properties of the debris in these regions. For each target, we fit physically-motivated model spectra to the data. Typical spectra of unresolved debris disks are featureless and suffer severe degeneracies between the dust location and the grain properties; however, spectra with solid-state emission features provide significantly more information, allowing for a more accurate determination of the dust size, composition, and location (e.g. Chen et al. 2006; Olofsson et al. 2012). Our results shed light on the dynamic properties occurring in the terrestrial regions of these systems. For instance, the sizes of the smallest grains and the nature of the grain size distribution reveal whether the dust originates from steady-state collisional cascades or from stochastic collisions. The properties of the dust grains - such as their crystalline or amorphous structure - can inform us of grain processing mechanisms in the disk. The location of this debris illuminates where terrestrial planet forming activity is occurring. We used results from the Beta Pictoris - which has a well-resolved debris disk with emission features (Li et al. 2012) - to place our results in context. References: Chen et al. 2006, ApJS, 166, 351 Li et al. 2012, ApJ, 759, 81 Lisse et al. 2009, ApJ, 701, 2019 Olofsson et al. 2012, A&A, 542, A90

WASP-12b AND HAT-P-8b are members of triple star systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bechter, Eric B.; Crepp, Justin R.; Matthews, Christopher T. [Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, 225 Nieuwland Science Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Ngo, Henry; Knutson, Heather A.; Batygin, Konstantin; Johnson, John Asher [Department of Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Hinkley, Sasha; Muirhead, Philip S.; Montet, Benjamin T.; Morton, Timothy D. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Howard, Andrew W., E-mail: ebechter@nd.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

2014-06-10

We present high spatial resolution images that demonstrate that WASP-12b and HAT-P-8b orbit the primary stars of hierarchical triple star systems. In each case, two distant companions with colors and brightnesses consistent with M dwarfs co-orbit the hot Jupiter planet host as well as one another. Our adaptive optics images spatially resolve the secondary around WASP-12, previously identified by Bergfors et al. and Crossfield et al. into two distinct sources separated by 84.3 ± 0.6 mas (21 ± 3 AU). We find that the secondary to HAT-P-8, also identified by Bergfors et al., is in fact composed of two stars separated by 65.3 ± 0.5 mas (15 ± 1 AU). Our follow-up observations demonstrate physical association through common proper motion. HAT-P-8 C has a particularly low mass, which we estimate to be 0.18 ± 0.02 M {sub ☉} using photometry. Due to their hierarchy, WASP-12 BC and HAT-P-8 BC will enable the first dynamical mass determination for hot Jupiter stellar companions. These previously well studied planet hosts now represent higher-order multi-star systems with potentially complex dynamics, underscoring the importance of diffraction-limited imaging and providing additional context for understanding the migrant population of transiting hot Jupiters.

WASP-12b and HAT-P-8b are Members of Triple Star Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bechter, Eric B.; Crepp, Justin R.; Ngo, Henry; Knutson, Heather A.; Batygin, Konstantin; Hinkley, Sasha; Muirhead, Philip S.; Johnson, John Asher; Howard, Andrew W.; Montet, Benjamin T.; Matthews, Christopher T.; Morton, Timothy D.

2014-06-01

We present high spatial resolution images that demonstrate that WASP-12b and HAT-P-8b orbit the primary stars of hierarchical triple star systems. In each case, two distant companions with colors and brightnesses consistent with M dwarfs co-orbit the hot Jupiter planet host as well as one another. Our adaptive optics images spatially resolve the secondary around WASP-12, previously identified by Bergfors et al. and Crossfield et al. into two distinct sources separated by 84.3 ± 0.6 mas (21 ± 3 AU). We find that the secondary to HAT-P-8, also identified by Bergfors et al., is in fact composed of two stars separated by 65.3 ± 0.5 mas (15 ± 1 AU). Our follow-up observations demonstrate physical association through common proper motion. HAT-P-8 C has a particularly low mass, which we estimate to be 0.18 ± 0.02 M ⊙ using photometry. Due to their hierarchy, WASP-12 BC and HAT-P-8 BC will enable the first dynamical mass determination for hot Jupiter stellar companions. These previously well studied planet hosts now represent higher-order multi-star systems with potentially complex dynamics, underscoring the importance of diffraction-limited imaging and providing additional context for understanding the migrant population of transiting hot Jupiters.

WASP-12b AND HAT-P-8b are members of triple star systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bechter, Eric B.; Crepp, Justin R.; Matthews, Christopher T.; Ngo, Henry; Knutson, Heather A.; Batygin, Konstantin; Johnson, John Asher; Hinkley, Sasha; Muirhead, Philip S.; Montet, Benjamin T.; Morton, Timothy D.; Howard, Andrew W.

2014-01-01

We present high spatial resolution images that demonstrate that WASP-12b and HAT-P-8b orbit the primary stars of hierarchical triple star systems. In each case, two distant companions with colors and brightnesses consistent with M dwarfs co-orbit the hot Jupiter planet host as well as one another. Our adaptive optics images spatially resolve the secondary around WASP-12, previously identified by Bergfors et al. and Crossfield et al. into two distinct sources separated by 84.3 ± 0.6 mas (21 ± 3 AU). We find that the secondary to HAT-P-8, also identified by Bergfors et al., is in fact composed of two stars separated by 65.3 ± 0.5 mas (15 ± 1 AU). Our follow-up observations demonstrate physical association through common proper motion. HAT-P-8 C has a particularly low mass, which we estimate to be 0.18 ± 0.02 M ☉ using photometry. Due to their hierarchy, WASP-12 BC and HAT-P-8 BC will enable the first dynamical mass determination for hot Jupiter stellar companions. These previously well studied planet hosts now represent higher-order multi-star systems with potentially complex dynamics, underscoring the importance of diffraction-limited imaging and providing additional context for understanding the migrant population of transiting hot Jupiters.

Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate induces a newly discovered hematopoietic structure in the omentum of an anemic mouse model by stimulating G-CSF production.

Science.gov (United States)

Otsuka, Hirotada; Yagi, Hideki; Endo, Yasuo; Soeta, Satoshi; Nonaka, Naoko; Nakamura, Masanori

2017-02-01

We previously reported that the injection of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate (NBP) induced the site of erythropoiesis to shift from the bone marrow (BM) to the spleen. Our previous study established a severely anemic mouse model that was treated with a combination of NBP with phenylhydrazine (PHZ), which induced newly discovered hematopoietic organs in the omentum. No reports have shown that new hematopoietic organs form under any condition. We characterized the structures and factors related to the formation of these new organs. Splenectomized mice were treated with NBP to inhibit erythropoiesis in the BM and then injected with PHZ to induce hemolytic anemia. The mice showed severe anemia and wine-colored structures appeared in the omentum. Some hematopoietic cells, including megakaryocytes, and well-developed sinuses were observed in these structures. Numerous TER119-positive erythroblasts were located with cells positive for PCNA, a cell proliferation marker. C-kit-positive cells were detected and mRNAs related to hematopoiesis were expressed in these structures. Moreover, TER119-positive erythroblasts emerged and formed clusters and hematopoiesis-related factors were detected in the omentum of mice treated with NBP and PHZ. The levels of G-CSF in the serum and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in the peripheral blood were increased upon treatment with both NBP and PHZ. These results suggest that the induced hematopoietic structures act as the sites of erythropoiesis and that NBP-induced G-CSF production causes HPC mobilization, homing and colonization in the omentum because they constitutively express some factors, including SDF-1; thus, the newly discovered hematopoietic structure in this study might be formed.

Yes, Aboriginal Australians can and did discover the variability of Betelgeuse

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Bradley E.

2018-04-01

Recently, a widely publicized claim has been made that the Aboriginal Australians discovered the variability of the red star Betelgeuse in the modern Orion, plus the variability of two other prominent red stars: Aldebaran and Antares. This result has excited the usual healthy skepticism, with questions about whether any untrained peoples can discover the variability and whether such a discovery is likely to be placed into lore and transmitted for long periods of time. Here, I am offering an independent evaluation, based on broad experience with naked-eye sky viewing and astro-history. I find that it is easy for inexperienced observers to detect the variability of Betelgeuse over its range in brightness from V = 0.0 to V = 1.3, for example in noticing from season-to-season that the star varies from significantly brighter than Procyon to being greatly fainter than Procyon. Further, indigenous peoples in the Southern Hemisphere inevitably kept watch on the prominent red star, so it is inevitable that the variability of Betelgeuse was discovered many times over during the last 65 millennia. The processes of placing this discovery into a cultural context (in this case, put into morality stories) and the faithful transmission for many millennia is confidently known for the Aboriginal Australians in particular. So this shows that the whole claim for a changing Betelgeuse in the Aboriginal Australian lore is both plausible and likely. Given that the discovery and transmission is easily possible, the real proof is that the Aboriginal lore gives an unambiguous statement that these stars do indeed vary in brightness, as collected by many ethnographers over a century ago from many Aboriginal groups. So I strongly conclude that the Aboriginal Australians could and did discover the variability of Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, and Antares.

Central Stars of Mid-Infrared Nebulae Discovered with Spitzer and WISE

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.

2017-02-01

Searches for compact mid-IR nebulae with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), accompanied by spectroscopic observations of central stars of these nebulae led to the discovery of many dozens of massive stars at different evolutionary stages, of which the most numerous are candidate luminous blue variables (LBVs). In this paper, we give a census of candidate and confirmed Galactic LBVs revealed with Spitzer and WISE, and present some new results of spectroscopic observations of central stars of mid-IR nebulae.

First Kepler results on compact pulsators - V. Slowly pulsating subdwarf B stars in short-period binaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kawaler, Stephen D.; Reed, Michael D.; Østensen, Roy H.

2010-01-01

of sdB stars with a close M-dwarf companion with orbital periods of less than half a day. Because the orbital period is so short, the stars should be in synchronous rotation, and if so, the rotation period should imprint itself on the multiplet structure of the pulsations. However, we do not find clear......The survey phase of the Kepler Mission includes a number of hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars to search for non-radial pulsations. We present our analysis of two sdB stars that are found to be g-mode pulsators of the V1093 Her class. These two stars also display the distinct irradiation effect typical...... evidence for such rotational splitting. Though the stars do show some frequency spacings that are consistent with synchronous rotation, they also display multiplets with splittings that are much smaller. Longer-duration time series photometry will be needed to determine if those small splittings...

Mineralogy and Physico-Chemical Data of Two Newly Discovered Halloysite in China and Their Contrasts with Some Typical Minerals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Ouyang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We report in this article the systematical acquisition of physico-chemical parameters for two newly discovered halloysite (Hal minerals from Shiyan and Tongling in China. As the comparative reference, the data from Hal in Linfen, Chenxi, and the salt lake in Australia (samples were abbreviated as Hal-AU, Hal-SY, Hal-LF, Hal-CX and Hal-TL, respectively were also investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetry (DSC-TG, X-ray fluorescence, surface zeta potential measurements and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. The newly found minerals were probably formed in hydrothermal leaching and sedimentary circumstances. The Hal-SY contains 7 Å-halloysite and dickite, while Hal-TL contains 10 Å-halloysite with some alunite (similar with Hal-CX. Other impurities found in the samples include quartz, gibbsite, iron oxide and anatase. All of them showed tubular morphology with diameter in the range of 30–90 nm and a length of 300–2500 nm, while the Hal-SY has the largest inner diameter to about 150 nm. Specific surface areas varied from 26.0~59.0 m2·g−1. In addition, maximum CEC (cation exchange capacity of the newly found Hal was about 40 cmol/kg, while that of Hal-AU was relatively low (8 cmol/kg due to the sedimentary nature of Salt Lake circumstances. The surface charge was predominantly negative over most of the relevant pH range (>2.0. It can be concluded that the different morphology and impurity content of halloysite will greatly affect the surface area, pore volume, and cationic exchange capacity (CEC of the minerals.

A new Wolf-Rayet star and its circumstellar nebula in Aquila

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Hamann, W.-R.; Berdnikov, L. N.; Fabrika, S.; Valeev, A. F.

2010-04-01

We report the discovery of a new Wolf-Rayet star in Aquila via detection of its circumstellar nebula (reminiscent of ring nebulae associated with late WN stars) using the Spitzer Space Telescope archival data. Our spectroscopic follow-up of the central point source associated with the nebula showed that it is a WN7h star (we named it WR121b). We analysed the spectrum of WR121b by using the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet model atmospheres, obtaining a stellar temperature of ~=50kK. The stellar wind composition is dominated by helium with ~20 per cent of hydrogen. The stellar spectrum is highly reddened [E(B - V) = 2.85mag]. Adopting an absolute magnitude of Mv = -5.7, the star has a luminosity of logL/Lsolar = 5.75 and a mass-loss rate of 10-4.7Msolaryr-1, and resides at a distance of 6.3kpc. We searched for a possible parent cluster of WR121b and found that this star is located at ~=1° from the young star cluster embedded in the giant HII region W43 (containing a WN7+a/OB? star - WR121a). We also discovered a bow shock around the O9.5III star ALS9956, located at from the cluster. We discuss the possibility that WR121b and ALS9956 are runaway stars ejected from the cluster in W43. Based on observations collected at the German-Spanish Astronomical Center, Calar Alto, jointly operated by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie Heidelberg and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC). E-mail: vgvaram@mx.iki.rssi.ru (VVG); akniazev@saao.ac.za (AYK); wrh@astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de (WRH); berdnik@sai.msu.ru (LNB); fabrika@sao.ru (SF); azamat@sao.ru (AFV)

BINARIES DISCOVERED BY THE MUCHFUSS PROJECT: SDSS J08205+0008-AN ECLIPSING SUBDWARF B BINARY WITH A BROWN DWARF COMPANION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geier, S.; Schaffenroth, V.; Drechsel, H.; Heber, U.; Kupfer, T.; Tillich, A.; Oestensen, R. H.; Smolders, K.; Degroote, P.; Maxted, P. F. L.; Barlow, B. N.; Gaensicke, B. T.; Marsh, T. R.; Napiwotzki, R.

2011-01-01

Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are extreme horizontal branch stars believed to originate from close binary evolution. Indeed about half of the known sdB stars are found in close binaries with periods ranging from a few hours to a few days. The enormous mass loss required to remove the hydrogen envelope of the red-giant progenitor almost entirely can be explained by common envelope ejection. A rare subclass of these binaries are the eclipsing HW Vir binaries where the sdB is orbited by a dwarf M star. Here, we report the discovery of an HW Vir system in the course of the MUCHFUSS project. A most likely substellar object (≅0.068 M sun ) was found to orbit the hot subdwarf J08205+0008 with a period of 0.096 days. Since the eclipses are total, the system parameters are very well constrained. J08205+0008 has the lowest unambiguously measured companion mass yet found in a subdwarf B binary. This implies that the most likely substellar companion has not only survived the engulfment by the red-giant envelope, but also triggered its ejection and enabled the sdB star to form. The system provides evidence that brown dwarfs may indeed be able to significantly affect late stellar evolution.

Spectral and photometric observation of sg B[e] MWC 314 star

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurchakov, A.V.; Rspaev, F.K.

2005-01-01

In the paper spectrophotometric and photometric data, received for sg B[e] MWC 314 star during 2001-2004 years at high mounting Assy-Turgen observatory are given. In spectra the Hα, Hβ, HeI, numerous FeII intensity lines and forbidden [NII], [OI] lines are presented. The variety of Hα lines intensity relatively to continuum (from 24 to 33) is observed. For this time the Hα line equivalent width EW is changed in the limits 138-179 Angstrom, the brightness in range V=9, m 82-9. m 96; (B-V)=1. m 77-1. m 82; (V-R)=1. m 53-1. m 64. There are the distinct correlation's of Hα line equivalent width EW with star colour index (B-V): at the increasing of EW the (B-V) colour index is increased. (author)

I-Love relations for incompressible stars and realistic stars

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, T. K.; Chan, AtMa P. O.; Leung, P. T.

2015-02-01

In spite of the diversity in the equations of state of nuclear matter, the recently discovered I-Love-Q relations [Yagi and Yunes, Science 341, 365 (2013), 10.1126/science.1236462], which relate the moment of inertia, tidal Love number (deformability), and the spin-induced quadrupole moment of compact stars, hold for various kinds of realistic neutron stars and quark stars. While the physical origin of such universality is still a current issue, the observation that the I-Love-Q relations of incompressible stars can well approximate those of realistic compact stars hints at a new direction to approach the problem. In this paper, by establishing recursive post-Minkowskian expansion for the moment of inertia and the tidal deformability of incompressible stars, we analytically derive the I-Love relation for incompressible stars and show that the so-obtained formula can be used to accurately predict the behavior of realistic compact stars from the Newtonian limit to the maximum mass limit.

Carbon stars near the open clusters at the galactic lattitudes 4deg,5b/<9deg,5 and between the longitudes 68deg and 184deg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alksnis, A.; Alksne, Z.; Platajs, I.

1977-01-01

By visual inspection of spectral photographs of two bands along the Milky Way of a general area more than 1000 sq. degrees 302 carbon stars have been identified, including 142 stars discovered at the Radioastrophysical observatory of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR and about 50 scattered clusters. Nine of the carbon stars occur less than three radii from seven scattered stars clusters

Nuclear physics of stars

CERN Document Server

Iliadis, Christian

2015-01-01

Most elements are synthesized, or ""cooked"", by thermonuclear reactions in stars. The newly formed elements are released into the interstellar medium during a star's lifetime, and are subsequently incorporated into a new generation of stars, into the planets that form around the stars, and into the life forms that originate on the planets. Moreover, the energy we depend on for life originates from nuclear reactions that occur at the center of the Sun. Synthesis of the elements and nuclear energy production in stars are the topics of nuclear astrophysics, which is the subject of this book

Detection of X-ray emission from the young low-mass star Rossiter 137B

Science.gov (United States)

Vilhu, O.; Linsky, J. L.

1987-01-01

Rst 137B, a close M-dwarf companion to the active K-star HD 36705, has been detected in a High Resolution Image in the Einstein Observatory Archive. The X-ray surface fluxes (0.2-4 keV) from both stars are close to the empirical saturation level, F(x)/F(bol) of about 0.001, defined by rapid rotators and very young stars. This supports the earlier results of the youthfulness of the system. This young couple is an excellent subject for studies of dependence of early evolution on stellar mass. Rst 137B is one of the latest spectral types and thus lowest-mass premain-sequence stars yet detected as an X-ray source.

Chemical homogeneity in the Orion Association: Oxygen abundances of B stars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lanz T.

2012-02-01

Full Text Available We present non-LTE oxygen abundances for a sample of B stars in the Orion association. The abundance calculations included non-LTE line formation and used fully blanketed non-LTE model atmospheres. The stellar parameters were the same as adopted in the previous study by Cunha & Lambert (1994. We find that the young Orion stars in this sample of 10 stars are described by a single oxygen abundance with an average value of A(O = 8.78 and a small dispersion of ±0.05, dex which is of the order of the uncertainties in the analysis. This average oxygen abundance compares well with the average oxygen abundance obtained previously in Cunha & Lambert (1994: A(O = 8.72 ± 0.13 although this earlier study, based upon non-blanketed model atmospheres in LTE, displayed larger scatter. Small scatter of chemical abundances in Orion B stars had also been found in our previous studies for neon and argon; all based on the same effective temperature scale. The derived oxygen abundance distribution for the Orion association compares well with other results for the oxygen abundance in the solar neighborhood.

Evidence for dwarf stars at D of about 100 kiloparsecs near the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, Andrew; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Richstone, Douglas; Flynn, Chris

1992-01-01

A method is presented for detecting individual, metal-poor, dwarf stars at distances less than about 150 kpc - a method specifically designed to filter out stars from among the much more numerous faint background field galaxies on the basis of broad-band colors. This technique is applied to two fields at high Galactic latitude, for which there are deep CCD data in four bands ranging from 3600 to 9000 A. The field in Sextans probably contains more than about five dwarf stars with BJ not greater than 25.5. These are consistent with being at a common distance about 100 kpc and lie about 1.7 deg from the newly discovered dwarf galaxy in Sextans whose distance is about 85 +/- 10 kpc. The stars lie near the major axis of the galaxy and are near or beyond the tidal radius. The second field, toward the south Galactic pole, may contain up to about five extra-Galactic stars, but these show no evidence for being at a common distance. Possible applications of this type technique are discussed, and it is shown that even very low surface brightness star clusters or dwarf galaxies may be detected at distances less than about 1 Mpc.

SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF METAL-POOR STARS FROM LAMOST: EARLY RESULTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Hai-Ning; Zhao, Gang; Wang, Liang; Wang, Wei; Yuan, Hailong; Christlieb, Norbert; Zhang, Yong; Hou, Yonghui

2015-01-01

We report on early results from a pilot program searching for metal-poor stars with LAMOST and follow-up high-resolution observation acquired with the MIKE spectrograph attached to the Magellan II telescope. We performed detailed abundance analysis for eight objects with iron abundances [Fe/H] < -2.0, including five extremely metal-poor (EMP; [Fe/H] < -3.0) stars with two having [Fe/H] < -3.5. Among these objects, three are newly discovered EMP stars, one of which is confirmed for the first time with high-resolution spectral observations. Three program stars are regarded as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, including two stars with no enhancement in their neutron-capture elements, which thus possibly belong to the class of CEMP-no stars; one of these objects also exhibits significant enhancement in nitrogen, and is thus a potential carbon and nitrogen-enhanced metal-poor star. The [X/Fe] ratios of the sample stars generally agree with those reported in the literature for other metal-poor stars in the same [Fe/H] range. We also compared the abundance patterns of individual program stars with the average abundance pattern of metal-poor stars and find only one chemically peculiar object with abundances of at least two elements (other than C and N) showing deviations larger than 0.5 dex. The distribution of [Sr/Ba] versus [Ba/H] agrees that an additional nucleosynthesis mechanism is needed aside from a single r-process. Two program stars with extremely low abundances of Sr and Ba support the prospect that both main and weak r-processes may have operated during the early phase of Galactic chemical evolution. The distribution of [C/N] shows that there are two groups of carbon-normal giants with different degrees of mixing. However, it is difficult to explain the observed behavior of the [C/N] of the nitrogen-enhanced unevolved stars based on current data

17 CFR 240.15b2-2 - Inspection of newly registered brokers and dealers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... brokers and dealers. 240.15b2-2 Section 240.15b2-2 Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND... Regulations Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Registration of Brokers and Dealers § 240.15b2-2 Inspection of newly registered brokers and dealers. (a) Definition. For the purpose of this section the term...

A statistical spectropolarimetric study of Herbig Ae/Be stars

Science.gov (United States)

Ababakr, K. M.; Oudmaijer, R. D.; Vink, J. S.

2017-11-01

We present H α linear spectropolarimetry of a large sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars. Together with newly obtained data for 17 objects, the sample contains 56 objects, the largest such sample to date. A change in linear polarization across the H α line is detected in 42 (75 per cent) objects, which confirms the previous finding that the circumstellar environment around these stars on small spatial scales has an asymmetric structure, which is typically identified with a disc. A second outcome of this research is that we confirm that Herbig Ae stars are similar to T Tauri stars in displaying a line polarization effect, while depolarization is more common among Herbig Be stars. This finding had been suggested previously to indicate that Herbig Ae stars form in the same manner than T Tauri stars through magnetospheric accretion. It appears that the transition between these two differing polarization line effects occurs around the B7-B8 spectral type. This would in turn not only suggest that Herbig Ae stars accrete in a similar fashion as lower mass stars, but also that this accretion mechanism switches to a different type of accretion for Herbig Be stars. We report that the magnitude of the line effect caused by electron scattering close to the stars does not exceed 2 per cent. Only a very weak correlation is found between the magnitude of the line effect and the spectral type or the strength of the H α line. This indicates that the detection of a line effect only relies on the geometry of the line-forming region and the geometry of the scattering electrons.

METAL-POOR STARS OBSERVED WITH THE MAGELLAN TELESCOPE. I. CONSTRAINTS ON PROGENITOR MASS AND METALLICITY OF AGB STARS UNDERGOING s-PROCESS NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Placco, Vinicius M.; Rossi, Silvia [Departamento de Astronomia-Instituto de Astronomia, Geofisica e Ciencias Atmosfericas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-900 (Brazil); Frebel, Anna [Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Beers, Timothy C. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Karakas, Amanda I.; Kennedy, Catherine R. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston, ACT 2611 (Australia); Christlieb, Norbert [Zentrum fuer Astronomie der Universitaet Heidelberg, Landessternwarte, Koenigstuhl 12, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Stancliffe, Richard J. [Argelander-Institut fuer Astronomie der Universitaet Bonn, Auf dem Huegel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)

2013-06-20

We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of two newly discovered carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. HE 2138-3336 is a s-process-rich star with [Fe/H] = -2.79, and has the highest [Pb/Fe] abundance ratio measured thus far, if non-local thermodynamic equilibrium corrections are included ([Pb/Fe] = +3.84). HE 2258-6358, with [Fe/H] = -2.67, exhibits enrichments in both s- and r-process elements. These stars were selected from a sample of candidate metal-poor stars from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey, and followed up with medium-resolution (R {approx} 2000) spectroscopy with GEMINI/GMOS. We report here on derived abundances (or limits) for a total of 34 elements in each star, based on high-resolution (R {approx} 30, 000) spectroscopy obtained with Magellan-Clay/MIKE. Our results are compared to predictions from new theoretical asymptotic giant branch (AGB) nucleosynthesis models of 1.3 M{sub Sun} with [Fe/H] = -2.5 and -2.8, as well as to a set of AGB models of 1.0 to 6.0 M{sub Sun} at [Fe/H] = -2.3. The agreement with the model predictions suggests that the neutron-capture material in HE 2138-3336 originated from mass transfer from a binary companion star that previously went through the AGB phase, whereas for HE 2258-6358, an additional process has to be taken into account to explain its abundance pattern. We find that a narrow range of progenitor masses (1.0 {<=} M(M{sub Sun }) {<=} 1.3) and metallicities (-2.8 {<=} [Fe/H] {<=}-2.5) yield the best agreement with our observed elemental abundance patterns.

A CATALOG OF NEW SPECTROSCOPICALLY CONFIRMED MASSIVE OB STARS IN CARINA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexander, Michael J.; Hanes, Richard J.; McSwain, M. Virginia [Department of Physics, Lehigh University, 16 Memorial Drive East, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States); Povich, Matthew S., E-mail: alexamic@lafayette.edu, E-mail: rjh314@lehigh.edu, E-mail: mcswain@lehigh.edu, E-mail: mspovich@cpp.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA 91768 (United States)

2016-12-01

The Carina star-forming region is one of the largest in the Galaxy, and its massive star population is still being unveiled. The large number of stars combined with high, and highly variable, interstellar extinction makes it inherently difficult to find OB stars in this type of young region. We present the results of a spectroscopic campaign to study the massive star population of the Carina Nebula, with the primary goal to confirm or reject previously identified Carina OB star candidates. A total of 141 known O- and B-type stars and 94 candidates were observed, of which 73 candidates had high enough signal-to-noise ratio to classify. We find 23 new OB stars within the Carina Nebula, a 32% confirmation rate. One of the new OB stars has blended spectra and is suspected to be a double-lined spectroscopic binary (SB2). We also reclassify the spectral types of the known OB stars and discover nine new SB2s among this population. Finally, we discuss the spatial distribution of these new OB stars relative to known structures in the Carina Nebula.

Hypervelocity star candidates in Gaia DR1/TGAS

Science.gov (United States)

Marchetti, T.; Rossi, E. M.; Kordopatis, G.; Brown, A. G. A.; Rimoldi, A.; Starkenburg, E.; Youakim, K.; Ashley, R.

2018-04-01

Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) are characterized by a total velocity in excess of the Galactic escape speed, and with trajectories consistent with coming from the Galactic Centre. We apply a novel data mining routine, an artificial neural network, to discover HVSs in the TGAS subset of the first data release of the Gaia satellite, using only the astrometry of the stars. We find 80 stars with a predicted probability >90% of being HVSs, and we retrieved radial velocities for 47 of those. We discover 14 objects with a total velocity in the Galactic rest frame >400 km s-1, and 5 of these have a probability >50% of being unbound from the Milky Way. Tracing back orbits in different Galactic potentials, we discover 1 HVS candidate, 5 bound HVS candidates, and 5 runaway star candidates with remarkably high velocities, between 400 and 780 km s-1. We wait for future Gaia releases to confirm the goodness of our sample and to increase the number of HVS candidates.

Instabilities in Interacting Binary Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Andronov, I. L.; Andrych, K. D.; Antoniuk, K. A.; Baklanov, A. V.; Beringer, P.; Breus, V. V.; Burwitz, V.; Chinarova, L. L.; Chochol, D.; Cook, L. M.; Cook, M.; Dubovský, P.; Godlowski, W.; Hegedüs, T.; Hoňková, K.; Hric, L.; Jeon, Y.-B.; Juryšek, J.; Kim, C.-H.; Kim, Y.; Kim, Y.-H.; Kolesnikov, S. V.; Kudashkina, L. S.; Kusakin, A. V.; Marsakova, V. I.; Mason, P. A.; Mašek, M.; Mishevskiy, N.; Nelson, R. H.; Oksanen, A.; Parimucha, S.; Park, J.-W.; Petrík, K.; Quiñones, C.; Reinsch, K.; Robertson, J. W.; Sergey, I. M.; Szpanko, M.; Tkachenko, M. G.; Tkachuk, L. G.; Traulsen, I.; Tremko, J.; Tsehmeystrenko, V. S.; Yoon, J.-N.; Zola, S.; Shakhovskoy, N. M.

2017-07-01

The types of instability in the interacting binary stars are briefly reviewed. The project “Inter-Longitude Astronomy” is a series of smaller projects on concrete stars or groups of stars. It has no special funds, and is supported from resources and grants of participating organizations, when informal working groups are created. This “ILA” project is in some kind similar and complementary to other projects like WET, CBA, UkrVO, VSOLJ, BRNO, MEDUZA, AstroStatistics, where many of us collaborate. Totally we studied 1900+ variable stars of different types, including newly discovered variables. The characteristic timescale is from seconds to decades and (extrapolating) even more. The monitoring of the first star of our sample AM Her was initiated by Prof. V.P. Tsesevich (1907-1983). Since more than 358 ADS papers were published. In this short review, we present some highlights of our photometric and photo-polarimetric monitoring and mathematical modeling of interacting binary stars of different types: classical (AM Her, QQ Vul, V808 Aur = CSS 081231:071126+440405, FL Cet), asynchronous (BY Cam, V1432 Aql), intermediate (V405 Aql, BG CMi, MU Cam, V1343 Her, FO Aqr, AO Psc, RXJ 2123, 2133, 0636, 0704) polars and magnetic dwarf novae (DO Dra) with 25 timescales corresponding to different physical mechanisms and their combinations (part “Polar”); negative and positive superhumpers in nova-like (TT Ari, MV Lyr, V603 Aql, V795 Her) and many dwarf novae stars (“Superhumper”); eclipsing “non-magnetic” cataclysmic variables(BH Lyn, DW UMa, EM Cyg; PX And); symbiotic systems (“Symbiosis”); super-soft sources (SSS, QR And); spotted (and not spotted) eclipsing variables with (and without) evidence for a current mass transfer (“Eclipser”) with a special emphasis on systems with a direct impact of the stream into the gainer star's atmosphere, which we propose to call “Impactor” (short from “Extreme Direct Impactor”), or V361 Lyr-type stars. Other

The Volatile Composition of newly-discovered C/2017 E4 (Lovejoy) before its dissolutionas revealed by iSHELL at NASA/IRTF

Science.gov (United States)

Faggi, Sara; Villanueva, Geronimo Luis; Mumma, Michael J.; Paganini, Lucas

2017-10-01

In April 2017, we acquired comprehensive high-resolution spectra of newly-discovered comet C/2017 E4 (Lovejoy) as it approached perihelion, and before its disintegration. We detected many cometary emission lines across 4 customized instrument settings (L1-b, L3, Lp1-b and M1) in the (1 - 5) μm range, using iSHELL - the new near-IR high resolution immersion echelle spectrograph on NASA/IRTF (Mauna Kea, Hawaii).In M1, near 5μm, we detected multiple ro-vibrational lines of H2O, CO and the (X-X) system of CN; the latter data constitute a complete survey of CN at these wavelengths. We derived quantitative abundances for CN and addressed its origin by comparing with quantitative production rates for HCN. The ability to quantify both primary and product species eliminates systematic error that may be introduced when measurements are acquired with different astronomical techniques and instruments.In L1, around 3 μm, we detected fluorescence emission from HCN, C2H2, and water, prompt emission from OH, and many other features. Methane, ethane and methanol were detected both in L3 and Lp1 settings. These species are relevant to astrobiology, owing to questions regarding the origin of pre-biotic organics and water on terrestrial planets.The many water emission lines detected in L1-b (and M1) provided an opportunity to retrieve independent measures of rotational temperature for ortho- and para-H2O, thereby reducing systematic uncertainty in the derived ortho-para ratio and nuclear spin temperature. Deuterated species were also sought and results will be presented.The bright Oort cloud comet E4 Lovejoy combined with the new capabilities of iSHELL provided unique results. The individual iSHELL settings cover very wide spectral range with very high accuracy, eliminating many sources of systematic errors when retrieving molecular abundances; future comparisons amongst comets will clarify the nature and meaning of cosmogonic indicators based on composition.Acknowledgments NASA�

THE SYNTHETIC-OVERSAMPLING METHOD: USING PHOTOMETRIC COLORS TO DISCOVER EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, A. A., E-mail: amiller@astro.caltech.edu [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 169-506, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

2015-09-20

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars ([Fe/H] ≤ −3.0 dex) provide a unique window into understanding the first generation of stars and early chemical enrichment of the universe. EMP stars are exceptionally rare, however, and the relatively small number of confirmed discoveries limits our ability to exploit these near-field probes of the first ∼500 Myr after the Big Bang. Here, a new method to photometrically estimate [Fe/H] from only broadband photometric colors is presented. I show that the method, which utilizes machine-learning algorithms and a training set of ∼170,000 stars with spectroscopically measured [Fe/H], produces a typical scatter of ∼0.29 dex. This performance is similar to what is achievable via low-resolution spectroscopy, and outperforms other photometric techniques, while also being more general. I further show that a slight alteration to the model, wherein synthetic EMP stars are added to the training set, yields the robust identification of EMP candidates. In particular, this synthetic-oversampling method recovers ∼20% of the EMP stars in the training set, at a precision of ∼0.05. Furthermore, ∼65% of the false positives from the model are very metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] ≤ −2.0 dex). The synthetic-oversampling method is biased toward the discovery of warm (∼F-type) stars, a consequence of the targeting bias from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding survey. This EMP selection method represents a significant improvement over alternative broadband optical selection techniques. The models are applied to >12 million stars, with an expected yield of ∼600 new EMP stars, which promises to open new avenues for exploring the early universe.

O-C analysis of the pulsating subdwarf B star PG 1219 + 534

Science.gov (United States)

Otani, Tomomi; Stone-Martinez, Alexander; Oswalt, Terry D.; Morello, Claudia; Moss, Adam; Singh, Dana; Sampson, Kenneth; DeAbreu, Caila; Khan, Aliyah; Seepersad, Austin; Shaikh, Mehvesh; Wilson, Linda

2017-01-01

PG 1219 + 534 (KY Uma) is a subdwarf B pulsating star with multiple periodicities between 120 - 175 s. So far, the most promising theory for the origin of subdwarf B (sdB) stars is that they result from binary mass transfer near the Helium Flash stage of evolution. The observations of PG 1219 +534 reported here are part of our program to constrain this evolutional theory by searching for companions and determining orbital separations around sdB pulsators using the Observed-minus-Calculated (O-C) method. A star’s position in space will wobble due to the gravitational forces of any companion or planet. If the star emits a periodic signal like pulsations, its orbital motion around the system’s center of mass causes periodic changes in the light pulse arrival times. PG 1219 + 534 was monitored for 90 hours during 2010-1 and 2016 using the 0.9m SARA-KP telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Arizona, and the 0.8 m Ortega telescope at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. In this poster we present our time-series photometry and O-C analysis of this data.

A Runaway Yellow Supergiant Star in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Neugent, Kathryn F.; Massey, Philip; Morrell, Nidia I.; Skiff, Brian; Georgy, Cyril

2018-05-01

We recently discovered a yellow supergiant (YSG) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with a heliocentric radial velocity of ∼300 km s‑1, which is much larger than expected for a star at its location in the SMC. This is the first runaway YSG ever discovered and only the second evolved runaway star discovered in a galaxy other than the Milky Way. We classify the star as G5-8 I and use de-reddened broad-band colors with model atmospheres to determine an effective temperature of 4700 ± 250 K, consistent with what is expected from its spectral type. The star’s luminosity is then log L/L ⊙ ∼ 4.2 ± 0.1, consistent with it being a ∼30 Myr 9 M ⊙ star according to the Geneva evolution models. The star is currently located in the outer portion of the SMC’s body, but if the star’s transverse peculiar velocity is similar to its peculiar radial velocity, in 10 Myr the star would have moved 1.°6 across the disk of the SMC and could easily have been born in one of the SMC’s star-forming regions. Based on its large radial velocity, we suggest it originated in a binary system where the primary exploded as a supernovae, thus flinging the runaway star out into space. Such stars may provide an important mechanism for the dispersal of heavier elements in galaxies given the large percentage of massive stars that are runaways. In the future, we hope to look into additional evolved runaway stars that were discovered as part of our other past surveys. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Formation of massive stars in OB associations and giant molecular clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lada, C.J.

1980-01-01

Certain interesting patterns are being perceived in the morphology of the regions which have recently produced massive OB stars. In particular, current evidence seems to favour the notion that the formation of massive stars takes place at the edges and not the centres of large molecular cloud complexes. It is this aspect of the observations that is discussed in the present paper. The phenomena described here will pertain to massive stars only. Specifically, stars with spectral types earlier than B3 will be considered since it is usually only these stars that produce sufficient havoc (e.g., maser sources, CO bright spots, H II regions) to noticeably affect their early environments. The corresponding phenomena for lower mass stars could be entirely different. A review is first presented of what has been learned about the OB star formation process from studies of the visible OB stars themselves. Then, newly derived information pertaining to the most recent episodes of OB star birth in galactic molecular clouds is discussed. Finally, a short discussion of the significance of the results and their implications for possible star formation mechanisms will be made. (U.K.)

A Novel Method for Age Estimation in Solar-Type Stars Through GALEX FUV Magnitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Kelly; Subramonian, Arjun; Smith, Graeme; Shouru Shieh

2018-01-01

Utilizing an inverse association known to exist between Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) far ultraviolet (FUV) magnitudes and the chromospheric activity of F, G, and K dwarfs, we explored a method of age estimation in solar-type stars through GALEX FUV magnitudes. Sample solar-type star data were collected from refereed publications and filtered by B-V and absolute visual magnitude to ensure similarities in temperature and luminosity to the Sun. We determined FUV-B and calculated a residual index Q for all the stars, using the temperature-induced upper bound on FUV-B as the fiducial. Plotting current age estimates for the stars against Q, we discovered a strong and significant association between the variables. By applying a log-linear transformation to the data to produce a strong correlation between Q and loge Age, we confirmed the association between Q and age to be exponential. Thus, least-squares regression was used to generate an exponential model relating Q to age in solar-type stars, which can be used by astronomers. The Q-method of stellar age estimation is simple and more efficient than existing spectroscopic methods and has applications to galactic archaeology and stellar chemical composition analysis.

Scientists discover planetary system similar to our own

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

'An international team of scientists has discovered a planet and star that may share the same relationship as Jupiter and our Sun, the closest comparison that researchers have found since they began their search for extra-solar planets nearly a decade ago' (1 page).

Well-defined 4-arm stars with hydroxy-terminated polyethylene, polyethylene-b-polycaprolactone and polyethylene-b-(polymethyl methacrylate) 2 arms

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Zhen

2016-07-20

Bis-boron-thexyl-silaboracycle was prepared by hydroboration of 1,4-bis(methyldivinylsilyl)butane with thexylborane and used to initiate the polyhomologation of dimethylsulfoxonium methylide to afford well-defined hydroxy-terminated 4-arm polyethylene (PE) stars. The synthesized PE stars were transformed to (PE-b-PCL)4 starblock copolymers via the ring-opening polymerization of ϵ-caprolactone (CL) initiated by the hydroxyl end groups of (PE-OH)4 in the presence of P2-tBu phosphazene base. Esterification of the hydroxyl groups of the OH-terminated PE star with 2,2-dichloroacetyl chloride led to (PE-Cl2)4 which was used as initiator (eight initiating atom transfer radical polymerization, ATRP, sites) for the synthesis of (PE-b-PMMA2)4 dendrimer-like stars by the ATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA). All intermediates and final products were characterized by high temperature gel permeation chromatography and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Discovering transits of HD 209458-b type planets with Hipparcos and FAME photometry

Science.gov (United States)

Castellano, Timothy Paul

The motivation and prospects for success of a search for transits of short-period extrasolar planets of late-type main sequence stars in the Hipparcos satellite photometry archive is outlined. Recent extrasolar planet discoveries by the radial velocity (RV) method reveal that 1 in 20 spectral type F, G and K dwarfs possess short-period planets. Careful consideration of the transit detection probability as a function of stellar spectral type and planet orbit size results in the expectation that 6 to 24 transiting planets may be found among the 118,204 Hipparcos catalog stars. A search algorithm based on the known properties of the single known transiting extrasolar planet HD 209458-b was applied to carefully- selected samples of stars. The results of these searches and simulations of the detection efficiency for idealized transits are presented. Statistical and catalog-based methods for discriminating transits from intrinsic stellar variability and eclipses due to stellar companions are developed and described. Candidate lists that are the results of these searches are presented. Each candidate is placed in a color magnitude diagram based on Hipparcos derived distances and absolute magnitudes in order to clearly identify evolved stars. The effect of Lutz-Kelker bias on this main sequence membership determination is discussed in an Appendix. A Hipparcos-photometry-based intrinsic stellar variability determination is performed and compared to ground-based measurements. It is shown that intrinsic stellar variability of late-type main sequence stars is not a major concern for extrasolar jovian planet transit searches. The prospects for transit detection by the higher precision measurements of several hundred thousand main sequence stars to be made by the upcoming Full Sky Astrometric Explorer (FAME) satellite are similarly explored. A novel method for directly determining the mass of a transiting planet's parent star from timing measurements is introduced briefly in an

PROJECTED ROTATIONAL VELOCITIES OF 136 EARLY B-TYPE STARS IN THE OUTER GALACTIC DISK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garmany, C. D.; Glaspey, J. W. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Bragança, G. A.; Daflon, S.; Fernandes, M. Borges; Cunha, K. [Observatório Nacional-MCTI, Rua José Cristino, 77. CEP: 20921-400, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Oey, M. S. [University of Michigan, Department of Astronomy, 311 West Hall, 1085 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI: 48109-1107 (United States); Bensby, T., E-mail: garmany@noao.edu [Lund Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics, Box 43, SE-22100, Lund (Sweden)

2015-08-15

We have determined projected rotational velocities, v sin i, from Magellan/MIKE echelle spectra for a sample of 136 early B-type stars having large Galactocentric distances. The target selection was done independently of their possible membership in clusters, associations or field stars. We subsequently examined the literature and assigned each star as Field, Association, or Cluster. Our v sin i results are consistent with a difference in aggregate v sin i with stellar density. We fit bimodal Maxwellian distributions to the Field, Association, and Cluster subsamples representing sharp-lined and broad-lined components. The first two distributions, in particular, for the Field and Association are consistent with strong bimodality in v sin i. Radial velocities are also presented, which are useful for further studies of binarity in B-type stars, and we also identify a sample of possible new double-lined spectroscopic binaries. In addition, we find 18 candidate Be stars showing emission at Hα.

Circumstellar grain extinction properties of recently discovered post AGB stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buss, R.H. Jr.; Lamers, H.J.G.L.M.; Snow, T.P. Jr.

1989-01-01

The circumstellar grains of two hot evolved post asymptotic giant branch (post AGB) stars, HD 89353 and HD 213985 were examined. From ultraviolet spectra, energy balance of the flux, and Kurucz models, the extinction around 2175 A was derived. With visual spectra, an attempt was made to detect 6614 A diffuse band absorption arising from the circumstellar grains so that we could examine the relationship of these features to the infrared features. For both stars, we did not detect any diffuse band absorption at 6614 A, implying the carrier of this diffuse band is not the carrier of the unidentified infrared features not of the 2175 A bump. The linear ultraviolet extinction of the carbon-rich star HD 89353 was determined to continue across the 2175 A region with no sign of the bump; for HD 213985 it was found to be the reverse: a strong, wide bump in the mid-ultraviolet. The 213985 bump was found to be positioned at 2340 A, longward of its usual position in the interstellar medium. Since HD 213985 was determined to have excess carbon, the bump probably arises from a carbonaceous grain. Thus, in view of the ultraviolet and infrared properties of the two post AGB stars, ubiquitous interstellar infrared emission features do not seem to be associated with the 2175 A bump. Instead, the infrared features seem related to the linear ultraviolet extinction component: hydrocarbon grains of radius less than 300 A are present with the linear HD 89353 extinction; amorphous anhydrous carbonaceous grains of radius less than 50 A might cause the shifted ultraviolet extinction bump of HD 213985

Low vitamin B12 levels among newly-arrived refugees from Bhutan, Iran and Afghanistan: a multicentre Australian study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jill Benson

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Vitamin B12 deficiency is prevalent in many countries of origin of refugees. Using a threshold of 5% above which a prevalence of low Vitamin B12 is indicative of a population health problem, we hypothesised that Vitamin B12 deficiency exceeds this threshold among newly-arrived refugees resettling in Australia, and is higher among women due to their increased risk of food insecurity. This paper reports Vitamin B12 levels in a large cohort of newly arrived refugees in five Australian states and territories. METHODS: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, we collected Vitamin B12, folate and haematological indices on all refugees (n = 916; response rate 94% of eligible population who had been in Australia for less than one year, and attended one of the collaborating health services between July 2010 and July 2011. RESULTS: 16.5% of participants had Vitamin B12 deficiency (<150 pmol/L. One-third of participants from Iran and Bhutan, and one-quarter of participants from Afghanistan had Vitamin B12 deficiency. Contrary to our hypothesis, low Vitamin B12 levels were more prevalent in males than females. A higher prevalence of low Vitamin B12 was also reported in older age groups in some countries. The sensitivity of macrocytosis in detecting Vitamin B12 deficiency was only 4.6%. CONCLUSION: Vitamin B12 deficiency is an important population health issue in newly-arrived refugees from many countries. All newly-arrived refugees should be tested for Vitamin B12 deficiency. Ongoing research should investigate causes, treatment, and ways to mitigate food insecurity, and the contribution of such measures to enhancing the health of the refugee communities.

NLRC5: a newly discovered MHC class I transactivator (CITA)

OpenAIRE

Meissner, Torsten B.; Li, Amy; Kobayashi, Koichi S.

2011-01-01

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II are crucial for the function of the human adaptive immune system. An NLR protein, CIITA (MHC class II transactivator), is a master regulator of MHC class II gene expression as well as of some of the genes involved in MHC class II antigen presentation. It has recently been discovered that another member of the NLR protein family, NLRC5, transcriptionally activates MHC class I genes, and thus acts as “CITA” (MHC class I transactivator)...

Tuppiap Qeqertaa (Tobias Island): a newly discovered island off northeast Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bennike, O.; Mikkelsen, N.; Forsberg, René

2006-01-01

The small island of Tuppiap Qeqertaa, formerly known as Tobias circle divide or Tobias Island, is situated 80 km off the northeast Greenland coast. The island was discovered in 1993 and is approximately 2 km long and 1.5 km wide. Most of the island is covered by an ice cap that rises to 35 in abo...

Optical region elemental abundance analyses of B and A stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelman, S.J.

1984-01-01

Abundance analyses using optical region data and fully line blanketed model atmospheres have been performed for six moderately sharplined middle to late B-type stars. The derived abundances have values similar to those of the Sun. (author)

The onset of chromospheric activity among the A- and F- type stars

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Theodore; Landsman, Wayne

1987-01-01

IUE observations of C II lambda1335 and C IV lambda1549 and ground-based observations of He I lambda5876 have previously discovered intense levels of chromospheric activity among early F type stars. Virtually all F dwarfs show stronger chromospheric and transition region emission than do the cooler and more deeply convective dwarf stars like the Sun. The IUE spectra and those of He lambda5876 place the onset of stellar activity along the main sequence near a color B - V = 0.28, which corresponds approximately to spectral type FO and an effective temperature of 7300 K. However, existing X-ray observations of A and F stars suggest that coronal activity may reach a peak blueward of this high temperature boundary at B - V = 0.28 before vanishing among the early and mid A-type stars. Discussed are preliminary results of a new effort to refine the location of the high temperature boundary to chromospheric activity among A- and F- type stars, making use of low dispersion short-wavelength spectra from the IUE archives from which the strengths of C IV, C II, and Lyman alpha emission have been measured.

Chemical Abundance Measurements of Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies Discovered by the Dark Energy Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Nagasawa, Daniel; Marshall, Jennifer L.; Simon, Joshua D.; Hansen, Terese; Li, Ting; Bernstein, Rebecca; Balbinot, Eduardo; Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Pace, Andrew; Strigari, Louis; Pellegrino, Craig; DePoy, Darren L.; Suntzeff, Nicholas; Bechtol, Keith; Dark Energy Suvey

2018-01-01

We present chemical abundance analysis results derived from high-resolution spectroscopy of ultra-faint dwarfs discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies preserve a fossil record of the chemical abundance patterns imprinted by the first stars in the Universe. High-resolution spectroscopic observations of member stars in several recently discovered Milky Way satellites reveal a range of abundance patterns among ultra-faint dwarfs suggesting that star formation processes in the early Universe were quite diverse. The chemical content provides a glimpse not only of the varied nucleosynthetic processes and chemical history of the dwarfs themselves, but also the environment in which they were formed. We present the chemical abundance analysis of these objects and discuss possible explanations for the observed abundance patterns.

The Dushak–Erekdag Survey of roAp Stars

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-01-27

Jan 27, 2016 ... The search of roAp stars at Mt. Dushak–Erekdag Observatory was started in 1992 using the 0.8m Odessa telescope equipped with a two-star high-speed photometer. We have observed more than a dozen stars so far and discovered HD 99563 as roAp star while BD+8087 is suspected to have rapid ...

Evidence of the evolved nature of the B[e] star MWC 137

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muratore, M. F.; Arias, M. L.; Cidale, L. [Departamento de Espectroscopía Estelar, Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, and Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP, Paseo del Bosque S/N, B1900FWA, La Plata (Argentina); Kraus, M.; Oksala, M. E. [Astronomický ústav, Akademie věd České Republiky, Fričova 298, 251 65 Ondřejov (Czech Republic); Fernandes, M. Borges [Observatório Nacional, Rua General José Cristino 77, 20921-400 São Cristovão, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Liermann, A., E-mail: fmuratore@carina.fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar [Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam (Germany)

2015-01-01

The evolutionary phase of B[e] stars is difficult to establish due to the uncertainties in their fundamental parameters. For instance, possible classifications for the Galactic B[e] star MWC 137 include pre-main-sequence and post-main-sequence phases, with a large range in luminosity. Our goal is to clarify the evolutionary stage of this peculiar object, and to study the CO molecular component of its circumstellar medium. To this purpose, we modeled the CO molecular bands using high-resolution K-band spectra. We find that MWC 137 is surrounded by a detached cool (T=1900±100 K) and dense (N=(3±1)×10{sup 21} cm{sup −2}) ring of CO gas orbiting the star with a rotational velocity, projected to the line of sight, of 84 ± 2 km s{sup −1}. We also find that the molecular gas is enriched in the isotope {sup 13}C, excluding the classification of the star as a Herbig Be. The observed isotopic abundance ratio ({sup 12}C/{sup 13}C = 25 ± 2) derived from our modeling is compatible with a proto-planetary nebula, main-sequence, or supergiant evolutionary phase. However, based on some observable characteristics of MWC 137, we propose that the supergiant scenario seems to be the most plausible. Hence, we suggest that MWC 137 could be in an extremely short-lived phase, evolving from a B[e] supergiant to a blue supergiant with a bipolar ring nebula.

Very low mass stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liebert, J.; Probst, R.G.

1987-01-01

This paper discusses several theoretical and observational topics involved in discovering and analyzing very low mass stellar objects below about 0.3 M circle, as well as their likely extension into the substellar range. The authors hereafter refer to these two classes of objects as VLM stars and brown dwarfs, respectively; collectively, they are called VLM objects. The authors outline recent theoretical work on low-mass stellar interiors and atmospheres, the determination of the hydrogen-burning mass limit, important dynamical evidence bearing on the expected numbers of such objects, and the expectations for such objects from star-formation theory. They focus on the properties of substellar objects near the stellar mass limit. Observational techniques used to discover and analyze VLM objects are summarized

NGTS-1b: a hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarf

Science.gov (United States)

Bayliss, Daniel; Gillen, Edward; Eigmüller, Philipp; McCormac, James; Alexander, Richard D.; Armstrong, David J.; Booth, Rachel S.; Bouchy, François; Burleigh, Matthew R.; Cabrera, Juan; Casewell, Sarah L.; Chaushev, Alexander; Chazelas, Bruno; Csizmadia, Szilard; Erikson, Anders; Faedi, Francesca; Foxell, Emma; Gänsicke, Boris T.; Goad, Michael R.; Grange, Andrew; Günther, Maximilian N.; Hodgkin, Simon T.; Jackman, James; Jenkins, James S.; Lambert, Gregory; Louden, Tom; Metrailler, Lionel; Moyano, Maximiliano; Pollacco, Don; Poppenhaeger, Katja; Queloz, Didier; Raddi, Roberto; Rauer, Heike; Raynard, Liam; Smith, Alexis M. S.; Soto, Maritza; Thompson, Andrew P. G.; Titz-Weider, Ruth; Udry, Stéphane; Walker, Simon R.; Watson, Christopher A.; West, Richard G.; Wheatley, Peter J.

2018-04-01

We present the discovery of NGTS-1b, a hot Jupiter transiting an early M-dwarf host (Teff,* = 3916 ^{+71}_{-63} K) in a P = 2.647 d orbit discovered as part of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). The planet has a mass of 0.812 ^{+0.066}_{-0.075} MJ, making it the most massive planet ever discovered transiting an M-dwarf. The radius of the planet is 1.33 ^{+0.61}_{-0.33} RJ. Since the transit is grazing, we determine this radius by modelling the data and placing a prior on the density from the population of known gas giant planets. NGTS-1b is the third transiting giant planet found around an M-dwarf, reinforcing the notion that close-in gas giants can form and migrate similar to the known population of hot Jupiters around solar-type stars. The host star shows no signs of activity, and the kinematics hint at the star being from the thick disc population. With a deep (2.5 per cent) transit around a K = 11.9 host, NGTS-1b will be a strong candidate to probe giant planet composition around M-dwarfs via James Webb Space Telescope transmission spectroscopy.

THE LEO IV DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXY: COLOR-MAGNITUDE DIAGRAM AND PULSATING STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretti, Maria Ida; Dall'Ora, Massimo; Ripepi, Vincenzo

2009-01-01

We present the first V, B - V color-magnitude diagram of the Leo IV dwarf spheroidal galaxy, a faint Milky Way satellite recently discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We have obtained B, V time-series photometry reaching about half a magnitude below the Leo IV turnoff, which we detect at V = 24.7 mag, and have performed the first study of the variable star population. We have identified three RR Lyrae stars (all fundamental-mode pulsators, RRab) and one SX Phoenicis variable in the galaxy. In the period-amplitude diagram the Leo IV RR Lyrae stars are located close to the loci of Oosterhoff type I systems and the evolved fundamental-mode RR Lyrae stars in the Galactic globular cluster M3. However, their mean pulsation period, (Pab) = 0.655 days, would suggest an Oosterhoff type II classification for this galaxy. The RR Lyrae stars trace very well the galaxy's horizontal branch, setting its average magnitude at (V RR ) = 21.48 ± 0.03 mag (standard deviation of the mean). This leads to a distance modulus of μ 0 = 20.94 ± 0.07 mag, corresponding to a distance of 154 ± 5 kpc, by adopting for the Leo IV dSph a reddening E(B - V) = 0.04 ± 0.01 mag and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -2.31 ± 0.10.

Rapidly rotating single late-type giants: New FK Comae stars?

Science.gov (United States)

Fekel, Francis C.

1986-01-01

A group of rapidly rotating single late-type giants was found from surveys of chromospherically active stars. These stars have V sin I's ranging from 6 to 46 km/sec, modest ultraviolet emission line fluxes, and strong H alpha absorption lines. Although certainly chromospherically active, their characteristics are much less extreme than those of FK Com and one or two other similar systems. One possible explanation for the newly identified systems is that they have evolved from stars similar to FK Com. The chromospheric activity and rotation of single giant stars like FK Com would be expected to decrease with time as they do in single dwarfs. Alternatively, this newly identified group may have evolved from single rapidly rotating A, or early F stars.

An Explanation of the Missing Flux from Boyajian's Mysterious Star

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foukal, Peter [192 Willow Road, Nahant, MA 01908 (United States)

2017-06-10

A previously unremarkable star in the constellation Cygnus has, in the past year, become known as the most mysterious object in our Galaxy. Boyajian’s star exhibits puzzling episodes of sporadic, deep dimming discovered in photometry with the Kepler Mission. Proposed explanations have focused on its obscuration by colliding exoplanets, exocomets, and even intervention of alien intelligence. These hypotheses have considered only phenomena external to the star because the radiative flux missing in the dimmings was believed to exceed the star’s storage capacity. We point out that modeling of variations in solar luminosity indicates that convective stars can store the required fluxes. It also suggests explanations for (a) a reported time-profile asymmetry of the short, deep dimmings and (b) a slower, decadal scale dimming reported from archival and Kepler photometry. Our findings suggest a broader range of explanations of Boyajian’s star that may produce new insights into stellar magneto-convection.

A SUBSTELLAR COMPANION TO THE DUSTY PLEIADES STAR HD 23514

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez, David R.; Zuckerman, B.; Marois, Christian; Macintosh, Bruce; Melis, Carl

2012-01-01

With adaptive optics imaging at Keck observatory, we have discovered a substellar companion to the F6 Pleiades star HD 23514, one of the dustiest main-sequence stars known to date (L IR /L * ∼ 2%). This is one of the first brown dwarfs discovered as a companion to a star in the Pleiades. The 0.06 M ☉ late-M secondary has a projected separation of ∼360 AU. The scarcity of substellar companions to stellar primaries in the Pleiades combined with the extremely dusty environment make this a unique system to study.

Spectrophotometry of peculiar B and A stars. II. Eleven mercury-manganese stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelman, S.J.; Pyper, D.M.

1979-01-01

Spectrophotometry of eleven HgMn stars is presented for the optical region. As found in Paper I, the HgMn stars have systematically larger Δiota* and Δa values than the normal main sequence stars due to differences with respect to the mean continuum particularly of the lambda4464 values and the lambda5200 region, respectively. The HgMn stars exhibit a continuous range in the behavior of both the lambda4200 and lambda5200 regions between those stars that have index values larger than the appropriate criterion of presence and present definite evidence for the features to those stars with only a slight possibility of such features. The strengths of the lambda4200 and lambda5200 features appear not to be correlated. In the HgMn stars, both features may be due to differential line blocking. In the energy distribution of all eleven stars, the Balmer jump regions best fit the predictions of slightly hotter solar composition, log g=4.0, fully line blanketed model atmospheres than do the corresponding Paschen continua

Understanding the spectral and timing behaviour of a newly discovered transient X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124

Science.gov (United States)

Jaisawal, Gaurava K.; Naik, Sachindra; Chenevez, Jérôme

2018-03-01

We present the results obtained from timing and spectral studies of the newly discovered accreting X-ray binary pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 using Nuclear Spectroscopy Telescope Array observation in 2017 October at a flux level of ˜280 mCrab. Pulsations at 9.854 23(5) s were detected in the X-ray light curves of the pulsar. Pulse profiles of the pulsar were found to be strongly energy dependent. A broad profile at lower energies was found to evolve into a double-peaked profile in ≥ 30 keV. The 3-79 keV continuum spectrum of the pulsar was well described with a negative and positive exponential cutoff or high-energy cutoff power-law models modified with a hot blackbody at ˜3 keV. An iron emission line was also detected at 6.4 keV in the source spectrum. We did not find any signature of cyclotron absorption line in our study. Results obtained from phase-resolved and time-resolved spectroscopy are discussed in the paper.

Prospects for Ground-Based Detection and Follow-up of TESS-Discovered Exoplanets

Science.gov (United States)

Varakian, Matthew; Deming, Drake

2018-01-01

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will monitor over 200,000 main sequence dwarf stars for exoplanetary transits, with the goal of discovering small planets orbiting stars that are bright enough for follow-up observations. We here evaluate the prospects for ground-based transit detection and follow-up of the TESS-discovered planets. We focus particularly on the TESS planets that only transit once during each 27.4 day TESS observing window per region, and we calculate to what extent ground-based recovery of additional transits will be possible. Using simulated exoplanet systems from Sullivan et al. and assuming the use of a 60-cm telescope at a high quality observing site, we project the S/N ratios for transits of such planets. We use Phoenix stellar models for stars with surface temperatures from 2500K to 12000K, and we account for limb darkening, red atmospheric noise, and missed transits due to the day-night cycle and poor weather.

The Origin of B-type Runaway Stars: Non-LTE Abundances as a Diagnostic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McEvoy, Catherine M.; Dufton, Philip L.; Smoker, Jonathan V.; Keenan, Francis P. [Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Lambert, David L. [The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Astronomy, RLM 16.316, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Schneider, Fabian R. N. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); De Wit, Willem-Jan [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Casilla 19001, Vitacura, Santiago 19 (Chile)

2017-06-10

There are two accepted mechanisms to explain the origin of runaway OB-type stars: the binary supernova (SN) scenario and the cluster ejection scenario. In the former, an SN explosion within a close binary ejects the secondary star, while in the latter close multibody interactions in a dense cluster cause one or more of the stars to be ejected from the region at high velocity. Both mechanisms have the potential to affect the surface composition of the runaway star. tlusty non-LTE model atmosphere calculations have been used to determine the atmospheric parameters and the C, N, Mg, and Si abundances for a sample of B-type runaways. These same analytical tools were used by Hunter et al. for their analysis of 50 B-type open-cluster Galactic stars (i.e., nonrunaways). Effective temperatures were deduced using the Si-ionization balance technique, surface gravities from Balmer line profiles, and microturbulent velocities derived using the Si spectrum. The runaways show no obvious abundance anomalies when compared with stars in the open clusters. The runaways do show a spread in composition that almost certainly reflects the Galactic abundance gradient and a range in the birthplaces of the runaways in the Galactic disk. Since the observed Galactic abundance gradients of C, N, Mg, and Si are of a similar magnitude, the abundance ratios (e.g., N/Mg) are as obtained essentially uniform across the sample.

CORNELL: CLEO discovers B meson penguins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1993-06-15

The CLEO collaboration at Cornell's CESR electron-positron storage ring has discovered a rare type of B meson decay in which only a high energy photon and a K* meson are produced. These decays provide the first unambiguous evidence for an alternative route for heavy quark decay that has been given the whimsical name ''penguin diagram''. In the mid-1970s penguin diagrams were proposed to explain the puzzling strangeness quantum number selection rules in the decay of K mesons. At the same time it was realized that penguin diagrams could also be important in the CP violation seen in neutral K meson decay. CP violation, an asymmetry between matter and antimatter, is an essential ingredient in understanding why there is much more matter than antimatter in the universe. CP violation introduces a definite direction to the arrow of time, which could otherwise point equally forwards or backwards. In addition, penguin decays are very sensitive to some extensions of the Standard Model of weak decay. Although penguin diagrams were first proposed to explain an effect in K meson decay, the K system gives no unique signature for them, and verification of penguin processes meant looking elsewhere. In the Standard Model, quarks decay under the influence of the weak force, emitting a W boson. Since the W is charged, the charge of the initial quark differs from that of the final quark, so the charge of the quark changes as well as its flavour.

Discovering Mira Ceti: Celestial Change and Cosmic Continuity

Science.gov (United States)

Hatch, Robert Alan

In the short narrative that follows I introduce two new heroes. Although we begin with Fabricius's first sighting in 1596, the new pivot point in the drama is the collaboration between Hevelius and Boulliau that began around 1660. As it happens, Learned Europe paid little attention to Mira in the generation after the first scattered sightings of 1596, indeed, nearly 70 years passed before the New Star was given a working identity. Like Columbus discovering America, Fabricius and Holwarda saw different things - for convenience, I call them Fabricius's Star and Holwarda's Star. Hevelius's Historiola (Danzig, 1662) and Boulliau's Ad astronomos (Paris, 1667) presented a different vision. It made Mira famous. As I shall argue, if Hevelius gave Mira a history, Boulliau gave Mira a future.5 In the end, the New Star not only challenged the ancient cosmos, it became an enduring icon for the New Science, a returning reminder of celestial continuity and cosmic order.

Star-forming galaxy models: Blending star formation into TREESPH

Science.gov (United States)

Mihos, J. Christopher; Hernquist, Lars

1994-01-01

We have incorporated star-formation algorithms into a hybrid N-body/smoothed particle hydrodynamics code (TREESPH) in order to describe the star forming properties of disk galaxies over timescales of a few billion years. The models employ a Schmidt law of index n approximately 1.5 to calculate star-formation rates, and explicitly include the energy and metallicity feedback into the Interstellar Medium (ISM). Modeling the newly formed stellar population is achieved through the use of hybrid SPH/young star particles which gradually convert from gaseous to collisionless particles, avoiding the computational difficulties involved in creating new particles. The models are shown to reproduce well the star-forming properties of disk galaxies, such as the morphology, rate of star formation, and evolution of the global star-formation rate and disk gas content. As an example of the technique, we model an encounter between a disk galaxy and a small companion which gives rise to a ring galaxy reminiscent of the Cartwheel (AM 0035-35). The primary galaxy in this encounter experiences two phases of star forming activity: an initial period during the expansion of the ring, and a delayed phase as shocked material in the ring falls back into the central regions.

THE ORIGIN OF HVS17, AN UNBOUND MAIN SEQUENCE B STAR AT 50 kpc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Warren R.; Geller, Margaret J.; Kenyon, Scott J. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Cohen, Judith G., E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jlc@astro.caltech.edu [Palomar Observatory, Mail Stop 249-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2013-09-20

We analyze Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager spectroscopy of HVS17, a B-type star traveling with a Galactic rest frame radial velocity of +445 km s{sup –1} in the outer halo of the Milky Way. HVS17 has the projected rotation of a main sequence B star and is chemically peculiar, with solar iron abundance and sub-solar alpha abundance. Comparing measured T{sub eff} and log g with stellar evolution tracks implies that HVS17 is a 3.91 ± 0.09 M{sub ☉}, 153 ± 9 Myr old star at a Galactocentric distance of r = 48.5 ± 4.6 kpc. The time between its formation and ejection significantly exceeds 10 Myr and thus is difficult to reconcile with any Galactic disk runaway scenario involving massive stars. The observations are consistent, on the other hand, with a hypervelocity star ejection from the Galactic center. We show that Gaia proper motion measurements will easily discriminate between a disk and Galactic center origin, thus allowing us to use HVS17 as a test particle to probe the shape of the Milky Way's dark matter halo.

THE ORIGIN OF HVS17, AN UNBOUND MAIN SEQUENCE B STAR AT 50 kpc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Warren R.; Geller, Margaret J.; Kenyon, Scott J.; Cohen, Judith G.

2013-01-01

We analyze Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager spectroscopy of HVS17, a B-type star traveling with a Galactic rest frame radial velocity of +445 km s –1 in the outer halo of the Milky Way. HVS17 has the projected rotation of a main sequence B star and is chemically peculiar, with solar iron abundance and sub-solar alpha abundance. Comparing measured T eff and log g with stellar evolution tracks implies that HVS17 is a 3.91 ± 0.09 M ☉ , 153 ± 9 Myr old star at a Galactocentric distance of r = 48.5 ± 4.6 kpc. The time between its formation and ejection significantly exceeds 10 Myr and thus is difficult to reconcile with any Galactic disk runaway scenario involving massive stars. The observations are consistent, on the other hand, with a hypervelocity star ejection from the Galactic center. We show that Gaia proper motion measurements will easily discriminate between a disk and Galactic center origin, thus allowing us to use HVS17 as a test particle to probe the shape of the Milky Way's dark matter halo

WTS-2 b: Too close for comfort?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kovács G.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available We report the discovery of WTS-2 b, a typical hot Jupiter in an unusually close 1.02-day orbit to a K-dwarf star. This is the second planet to be discovered in the infrared light curves of the WFCAM Transit Survey (WTS and is only one-and-a-half times the separation from its host star at which is would be destroyed by Roche lobe overflow. The predicted remaining lifetime of the planet is just 38 Myrs, assuming a tidal dissipation quality factor of Q'* = 106. The magnitude of Q'* is largely unconstrained by observations, thus WTS-2 b provides a useful calibration point for theories describing how frictional processes within a host star affect the tidal orbital evolution of its companion giant planets. It is expected that stars with large convective envelopes are more efficient at dissipating the orbital energy of the planet, and WTS-2 b provides an observational constraint in the sparsely populated K-dwarf regime. In addition, despite its relatively faint magnitude, the favourable size ratio of the WTS-2 star-planet system and the predicted hot equilibrium temperature of the planet will make it possible to characterise the planet's atmosphere via secondary eclipse measurements using existing ground-based instrumentation.

Evolution of massive stars in very young clusters and associations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stothers, R.B.

1985-01-01

The stellar content of very young galactic clusters and associations with well-determined ages has been analyzed statistically to derive information about stellar evolution at high masses. The adopted approach is semiempirical and uses natural spectroscopic groups of stars on the H-R diagram, together with the stars' apparent magnitudes. Cluster distance moduli are not used. Only the most basic elements of stellar evolution theory are required as input. For stellar aggregates with main-sequence turnups at spectral types between O9 and B2, the following conclusions have emerged: (1) O-type main-sequence stars evolve to a spectral type of B1 during core hydrogen burning; (2) most of the O-type blue stragglers are newly formed massive stars, burning core hydrogen; (3) supergiants lying redward of the turnup, as well as most, or all, of the Wolf-Rayet stars, are burning core helium; (4) Wolf-Rayet stars originally had masses greater than 30--40 M/sub sun/, while known M-type supergiants evolved from star less massive than approx.30 M/sub sun/; (5) phases of evolution following core helium burning are unobservably rapid, presumably on account of copious neutrino emission; and (6) formation of stars of high mass continues vigorously in most young clusters and association for approx.8 x 10 6 yr. The important result concerning the evolutionary status of the supergiants depends only on the total number of these stars and not on how they are distributed between blue and red types; the result, however, may be sensitive to the assumed amount of convective core overshooting. Conclusions in the present work refer chiefly to luminous stars in the mass range 10--40 M/sub sun/, belonging to aggregates in the age range (6--25) x 10 6 yr

A new quadruple gravitational lens system : CLASS B0128+437

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Phillips, PM; Norbury, MA; Koopmans, LVE; Browne, IWA; Jackson, NJ; Wilkinson, PN; Biggs, AD; Blandford, RD; de Bruyn, AG; Fassnacht, CD; Helbig, P; Mao, S; Marlow, DR; Myers, ST; Pearson, TJ; Readhead, ACS; Rusin, D; Xanthopoulos, E

2000-01-01

High-resolution MERLIN observations of a newly discovered four-image gravitational lens system, B0128+437, are presented. The system was found after a careful re-analysis of the entire CLASS data set. The MERLIN observations resolve four components in a characteristic quadruple-image configuration;

Observations spotted solar type stars in Pleiades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnitskij, A.K.

1987-01-01

The september - october 1986 observations discovered periodic light variations in three solar type stars in the Pleiades cluster: Hz 296 (0.8 M Sun ), Hz152(0.91 M Sun ) and Hz739(1.15 M Sun ). Periods and amplitudes are accordingly 2 d and 0 m .11, 4 d .12 and 0 m .07, 2 d .70 and 0 m .05. Considerable light variations of these stars in Pleiades are due to the rotation of spotted stars. Contrast spots of solar type stars likely exist when stars are young and rapidly rotate

New illustrated stars and planets

CERN Document Server

Cooper, Chris; Nicolson, Iain; Stott, Carole

2002-01-01

Stars & Plantes, written by experts and popular science writers, is a comprehensive overview of our Universe - what is it, where it came from and how we discovered it. This intriguing, information-rich new reference book contains over 300 stunning images from the Hubble Telescope and leading observatories from around the world as well as diagrams to explain the finer points of theory. With extensive sections on everything from the Solar System to how stars form Stars & Planets will appeal to beginners and the serious stargazer alike.

Angular momentum transport by heat-driven g-modes in slowly pulsating B stars

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, R. H. D.; Goldstein, J.; Zweibel, E. G.

2018-03-01

Motivated by recent interest in the phenomenon of waves transport in massive stars, we examine whether the heat-driven gravity (g) modes excited in slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars can significantly modify the stars' internal rotation. We develop a formalism for the differential torque exerted by g modes, and implement this formalism using the GYRE oscillation code and the MESASTAR stellar evolution code. Focusing first on a 4.21M⊙ model, we simulate 1 000 yr of stellar evolution under the combined effects of the torque due to a single unstable prograde g mode (with an amplitude chosen on the basis of observational constraints), and diffusive angular momentum transport due to convection, overshooting, and rotational instabilities. We find that the g mode rapidly extracts angular momentum from the surface layers, depositing it deeper in the stellar interior. The angular momentum transport is so efficient that by the end of the simulation, the initially non-rotating surface layers are spun in the retrograde direction to ≈ 30 per cent of the critical rate. However, the additional inclusion of magnetic stresses in our simulations almost completely inhibits this spin-up. Expanding our simulations to cover the whole instability strip, we show that the same general behaviour is seen in all SPB stars. After providing some caveats to contextualize our results, we hypothesize that the observed slower surface rotation of SPB stars (as compared to other B-type stars) may be the direct consequence of the angular momentum transport that our simulations demonstrate.

Value of a newly sequenced bacterial genome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barbosa, Eudes; Aburjaile, Flavia F; Ramos, Rommel Tj

2014-01-01

and annotation will not be undertaken. It is important to know what is lost when we settle for a draft genome and to determine the "scientific value" of a newly sequenced genome. This review addresses the expected impact of newly sequenced genomes on antibacterial discovery and vaccinology. Also, it discusses...... heightened expectations that NGS would boost antibacterial discovery and vaccine development. Although many possible drug and vaccine targets have been discovered, the success rate of genome-based analysis has remained below expectations. Furthermore, NGS has had consequences for genome quality, resulting...

A Be-type star with a black-hole companion.

Science.gov (United States)

Casares, J; Negueruela, I; Ribó, M; Ribas, I; Paredes, J M; Herrero, A; Simón-Díaz, S

2014-01-16

Stellar-mass black holes have all been discovered through X-ray emission, which arises from the accretion of gas from their binary companions (this gas is either stripped from low-mass stars or supplied as winds from massive ones). Binary evolution models also predict the existence of black holes accreting from the equatorial envelope of rapidly spinning Be-type stars (stars of the Be type are hot blue irregular variables showing characteristic spectral emission lines of hydrogen). Of the approximately 80 Be X-ray binaries known in the Galaxy, however, only pulsating neutron stars have been found as companions. A black hole was formally allowed as a solution for the companion to the Be star MWC 656 (ref. 5; also known as HD 215227), although that conclusion was based on a single radial velocity curve of the Be star, a mistaken spectral classification and rough estimates of the inclination angle. Here we report observations of an accretion disk line mirroring the orbit of MWC 656. This, together with an improved radial velocity curve of the Be star through fitting sharp Fe II profiles from the equatorial disk, and a refined Be classification (to that of a B1.5-B2 III star), indicates that a black hole of 3.8 to 6.9 solar masses orbits MWC 656, the candidate counterpart of the γ-ray source AGL J2241+4454 (refs 5, 6). The black hole is X-ray quiescent and fed by a radiatively inefficient accretion flow giving a luminosity less than 1.6 × 10(-7) times the Eddington luminosity. This implies that Be binaries with black-hole companions are difficult to detect in conventional X-ray surveys.

CORNELL: CLEO discovers B meson penguins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

The CLEO collaboration at Cornell's CESR electron-positron storage ring has discovered a rare type of B meson decay in which only a high energy photon and a K* meson are produced. These decays provide the first unambiguous evidence for an alternative route for heavy quark decay that has been given the whimsical name ''penguin diagram''. In the mid-1970s penguin diagrams were proposed to explain the puzzling strangeness quantum number selection rules in the decay of K mesons. At the same time it was realized that penguin diagrams could also be important in the CP violation seen in neutral K meson decay. CP violation, an asymmetry between matter and antimatter, is an essential ingredient in understanding why there is much more matter than antimatter in the universe. CP violation introduces a definite direction to the arrow of time, which could otherwise point equally forwards or backwards. In addition, penguin decays are very sensitive to some extensions of the Standard Model of weak decay. Although penguin diagrams were first proposed to explain an effect in K meson decay, the K system gives no unique signature for them, and verification of penguin processes meant looking elsewhere. In the Standard Model, quarks decay under the influence of the weak force, emitting a W boson. Since the W is charged, the charge of the initial quark differs from that of the final quark, so the charge of the quark changes as well as its flavour

SULFUR ABUNDANCES IN THE ORION ASSOCIATION B STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daflon, Simone; Cunha, Katia; De la Reza, Ramiro; Holtzman, Jon; Chiappini, Cristina

2009-01-01

Sulfur abundances are derived for a sample of 10 B main-sequence star members of the Orion association. The analysis is based on LTE plane-parallel model atmospheres and non-LTE line formation theory by means of a self-consistent spectrum synthesis analysis of lines from two ionization states of sulfur, S II and S III. The observations are high-resolution spectra obtained with the ARCES spectrograph at the Apache Point Observatory. The abundance distribution obtained for the Orion targets is homogeneous within the expected errors in the analysis: A(S) = 7.15 ± 0.05. This average abundance result is in agreement with the recommended solar value (both from modeling of the photospheres in one-dimensional and three-dimensional, and meteorites) and indicates that little, if any, chemical evolution of sulfur has taken place in the last ∼4.5 billion years. The sulfur abundances of the young stars in Orion are found to agree well with results for the Orion Nebulae, and place strong constraints on the amount of sulfur depletion onto grains as being very modest or nonexistent. The sulfur abundances for Orion are consistent with other measurements at a similar galactocentric radius: combined with previous results for other OB-type stars produce a relatively shallow sulfur abundance gradient with a slope of -0.037 ± 0.012 dex kpc -1 .

NuSTAR hard x-ray optics design and performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koglin, J. E.; An, H.; Blaedel, K. L.

2009-01-01

surpassing the largest observatories in this band by orders of magnitude. This advance will allow NuSTAR to test theories of how heavy elements are born, discover collapsed stars and black holes on all scales and explore the most extreme physical environments. We will present an overview of the NuSTAR optics...

US NSF: scientists discover planetary system similar to our own

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

An international team of scientists has discovered a planet and star that may share the same relationship as Jupiter and our Sun, the closest comparison that researchers have found since they began their search for extra-solar planets nearly a decade ago (1 page).

A new ejecta shell surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star in the LMC

Science.gov (United States)

Garnett, Donald R.; Chu, You-Hua

1994-01-01

We have obtained CCD spectra of newly discovered shell-like nebulae around the WN4 star Breysacher 13 and the WN1 star Breysacher 2 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The shell around Br 13 shows definite signs of enrichment in both nitrogen and helium, having much stronger (N II) and He I emission lines than are seen in typical LMC H II regions. From the measured electron temperature of about 17,000 K in the shell, we derive He/H and N/O abundance ratios which are factors of 2 and more than 10 higher, respectively, than the average LMC interstellar values. The derived oxygen abundance in the Br 13 shell is down by a factor of 8 compared to the local LMC interstellar medium (ISM); however, the derived electron temperature is affected by the presence of an incomplete shock arising from the interaction of the stellar wind with photoionized material. This uncertainty does not affect the basic conclusion that the Br 13 shell is enriched by processed material from the Wolf-Rayet star. In contrast, the shell around Br 2 shows no clear evidence of enrichment. The nebular spectrum is characterized by extremely strong (O III) and He II emission and very weak (N II). We derive normal He, O, and N abundances from our spectrum. This object therefore appears to be simply a wind-blown structure associated with a relatively dense cloud near the Wolf-Rayet star, although the very high-ionization state of the gas is unusual for a nebula associated with a Wolf-Rayet star.

A PILOT DEEP SURVEY FOR X-RAY EMISSION FROM fuvAGB STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahai, R. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MS 183-900, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Sanz-Forcada, J.; Sánchez Contreras, C. [Astrobiology Center (CSIC-INTA), ESAC campus, E-28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid (Spain); Stute, M. [Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, D-72076, Tübingen (Germany)

2015-09-01

We report the results of a pilot survey for X-ray emission from a newly discovered class of AGB stars with far-ultraviolet excesses (fuvAGB stars) using XMM-Newton and Chandra. We detected X-ray emission in three of six fuvAGB stars observed—the X-ray fluxes are found to vary in a stochastic or quasi-periodic manner on roughly hour-long timescales, and simultaneous UV observations using the Optical Monitor on XMM for these sources show similar variations in the UV flux. These data, together with previous studies, show that X-ray emission is found only in fuvAGB stars. From modeling the spectra, we find that the observed X-ray luminosities are ∼(0.002–0.2) L{sub ⊙} and the X-ray-emitting plasma temperatures are ∼(35–160) × 10{sup 6} K. The high X-ray temperatures argue against the emission arising in stellar coronae, or directly in an accretion shock, unless it occurs on a WD companion. However, none of the detected objects is a known WD-symbiotic star, suggesting that if WD companions are present, they are relatively cool (<20,000 K). In addition, the high X-ray luminosities specifically argue against emission originating in the coronae of main-sequence companions. We discuss several models for the X-ray emission and its variability and find that the most likely scenario for the origin of the X-ray (and FUV) emission involves accretion activity around a companion star, with confinement by strong magnetic fields associated with the companion and/or an accretion disk around it.

Optical region elemental abundance analyses of B and A stars. V. The normal stars theta Leonis, tau Herculis, 14 Cygni, and 5 Aquarii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelman, S.J.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

1986-01-01

Abundance analyses using optical region data and fully line-blanketed model atmospheres have been performed for four sharp-lined normal B and A type stars. This work extends the results presented in the first and fourth papers of this series. The microturbulent velocities of all the stars studied in this series are found to follow the same relation with temperature. Some of the stars studied in this paper are found to have one or two anomalous abundances, such as the zirconium abundance of theta Leo

A UKIDSS-based search for low-mass stars and small stellar clumps in off-cloud parts of young star-forming regions* **

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barrado y Navascués D.

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The form and universality of the mass function of young and nearby star-forming regions is still under debate. Its relation to the stellar density, its mass peak and the dependency on most recent models shows significant differencies for the various regions and remains unclear up to date. We aim to get a more complete census of two of such regions. We investigate yet unexplored areas of Orion and Taurus-Auriga, observed by the UKIDSS survey. In the latter, we search for low-mass stars via photometric and proper motion criteria and signs for variability. In Orion, we search for small stellar clumps via nearest-neighbor methods. Highlights in Taurus would be the finding of the missing low-mass stars and the detection of a young cluster T dwarf. In Orion, we discovered small stellar associations of its OB1b and OB1c populations. Combined with what is known in literature, we will provide by this investigations a general picture of the results of the star-forming processes in large areas of Taurus and Orion and probe the most recent models.

Effect of mass loss on the driving of g-modes in B supergiant stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godart, Melanie; Noels, Arlette [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Geophysique, Liege (Belgium); Dupret, Marc-Antoine [Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, LESIA (France)], E-mail: Helanie.Godart@ulg.ac.be, E-mail: Arlette.Noels@ulg.ac.be, E-mail: ma.dupret@obspm.fr

2008-10-15

MOST has detected p and g-modes in the B supergiant star HD163899. Saio et al. (2006) have explained the driving of g-modes in a post main sequence star by the presence of a convective shell which prevents some modes from entering the damping radiative core. We show that this scenario depends on the evolution of the star, with or without mass loss. If the mass loss rate is high enough, the convective shell disappears and all the g-modes are stable.

Effect of mass loss on the driving of g-modes in B supergiant stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godart, Melanie; Noels, Arlette; Dupret, Marc-Antoine

2008-01-01

MOST has detected p and g-modes in the B supergiant star HD163899. Saio et al. (2006) have explained the driving of g-modes in a post main sequence star by the presence of a convective shell which prevents some modes from entering the damping radiative core. We show that this scenario depends on the evolution of the star, with or without mass loss. If the mass loss rate is high enough, the convective shell disappears and all the g-modes are stable.

Discover Earth: an earth system science program for libraries and their communities

Science.gov (United States)

Dusenbery, P.

2011-12-01

The view from space has deepened our understanding of Earth as a global, dynamic system. Instruments on satellites and spacecraft, coupled with advances in ground-based research, have provided us with astonishing new perspectives of our planet. Now more than ever, enhancing the public's understanding of Earth's physical and biological systems is vital to helping citizens make informed policy decisions especially when they are faced with the consequences of global climate change. While the focus for education reform is on school improvement, there is considerable research that supports the role that out-of-school experiences can play in student achievement. Libraries provide an untapped resource for engaging underserved youth and their families in fostering an appreciation and deeper understanding of science and technology topics. The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), and the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) have received funding from NSF to develop a national project called the STAR Library Education Network: a hands-on learning program for libraries and their communities (or STAR-Net for short). STAR stands for Science-Technology, Activities and Resources. STAR-Net includes two exhibitions: Discover Earth and Discover Tech. The Discover Earth exhibition will focus on local earth science topics-such as weather, water cycle, and ecosystem changes-as well as a global view of our changing planet. The main take-away message (or Big Idea) for this exhibition is that the global environment changes - and is changed by - the host community's local environment. The project team is testing whether this approach will be a good strategy for engaging the public, especially in rural America. This presentation will provide an overview of the Discover Earth project and how it is integrating climate change ideas into the exhibit

A deep near-infrared spectroscopic survey of the Scutum-Crux arm for Wolf-Rayet stars

Science.gov (United States)

Rosslowe, C. K.; Crowther, Paul A.

2018-01-01

We present a New Technology Telescope/Son-of-Isaac spectroscopic survey of infrared selected Wolf-Rayet (WR) candidates in the Scutum-Crux spiral arm (298° ≤ l ≤ 340°, |b| ≤ 0.5°. We obtained near-IR spectra of 127 candidates, revealing 17 WR stars - a ∼13 per cent success rate - of which 16 are newly identified here. The majority of the new WR stars are classified as narrow-lined WN5-7 stars, with two broad-lined WN4-6 stars and three WC6-8 stars. The new stars, with distances estimated from previous absolute magnitude calibrations, have no obvious association with the Scutum-Crux arm. Refined near-infrared (YHJK) classification criteria based on over a hundred Galactic and Magellanic Cloud WR stars, providing diagnostics for hydrogen in WN stars, plus the identification of WO stars and intermediate WN/C stars. Finally, we find that only a quarter of WR stars in the survey region are associated with star clusters and/or H II regions, with similar statistics found for luminous blue variables (LBVs) in the Milky Way. The relative isolation of evolved massive stars is discussed, together with the significance of the co-location of LBVs and WR stars in young star clusters.

Frequency analysis of the 5.65-min oscillations in the rapidly oscillating Ap star HD 134214

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kreidl, T.J.; Kurtz, D.W.

1986-01-01

High-speed photometric observations of HD 134214 obtained during 35 hr of observation in 1985 from Lowell Observatory and the South African Astronomical Observatory are presented. A frequency analysis of these data indicate the presence of only one frequency of oscillation in this star at f 1 = 2.94960 + - 0.00004 mHz. This is the highest frequency which is demonstrably not a harmonic of a lower frequency yet discovered in a rapidly oscillating Ap star. This frequency is above the critical frequency calculated for A star models by previous authors. The phase shift has been calculated for HD 134214 for simultaneous B and V observations obtained on three nights from Lowell Observatory. (author)

Integrated photometry of globular star clusters in the Vilnius system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zdanavichyus, K.V.

1983-01-01

Integrated colour indices in the Vilnius photometric system and newly determined colour excesses Esub(B-V) for 39 globular clusters are presented. It is shown that the coincidence of integrated spectral types are not a sufficient criterion for the identity of intrinsic colour indices of globular clusters. Relation of integrated colour indices with the slope of the giant branch S and with the horizontal branch morphological type D is investigated. Integrated colour indices of clusters with a blue horizontal branch show no correlation with either D or S. The increase of colour indices of the clusters of types D >= 4 correlates with the distribution of stars along the horizontal branch. Integrated photometry of globular star clusters in the Vilnius multicoloured photometric system permits to determine their colour excesses from some Q diagrams and normal colour index. Integral normal colour indexes and Q parameters for I globular star clusters of the Mironov group display small changes as compared to clusters of group 2. Colour indexes among star clusters having only red horizontal branches (D=7) change most considerably

On the kinematics of O and B stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byl, J.; Ovenden, M.W.

1978-01-01

The radial velocities of about 1000 O and B stars, Cepheids, and open clusters are incompatible with the hypothesis that the observed local compression of the galactic velocity field is the result of a ''global'' expansion with R decreasing with increasing projected galactocentric distance R, when the parameters of the global velocity field are evaluated by least-squares fitting to the observed radial velocities.The coefficients of local compression are entirely removed if to each star is attributed a radial (R) velocity component -a cos psi and a transverse (not =lambda) velocity component a/sub lambda/sinpsi, where psi is the phase, at the position of the star, in a global logarithmic spiral density-wave pattern of multiplicity m and pitch angel i. These velocity components are in addition to the velocity determined from the angular velocity of galactic rotation omega-bar (R). The method of solution enables R 0 , i, and psi 0 (the phase at the position of the Sun) to be determined. The best fit occurs with the following values of the parameters, with m=2: R 0 =10.4 +- 0.5 kpc, i=4 0 .2 +- 0 0 .2, psi 0 =165 0 +- 2 0 , omega-bar 0 '=-2.99 +- 0.08 km s -1 kpc -2 , omega-bar 0 ''=+0.78 +- 0.08 km s -1 kpc -3 , a/sub R/=+3.6 +- 0.4 km s -1 , alambda=+4.7 +- 0.6 km s -1 .The calculated phases of the stars and the values of a/sub R/ and a/sub lambda/ are consistent with the physical constraints on the density-wave theory.The addition of the density-wave velocity components explains the discrepancies found in the determination of R 0 by the method of Feast and Shuttleworth, and Trumpler and Weaver

Pillars of Creation among Destruction: Star Formation in Molecular Clouds near R136 in 30 Doradus

Science.gov (United States)

Kalari, Venu M.; Rubio, Mónica; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Guzmán, Viviana V.; Zinnecker, Hans; Herrera, Cinthya N.

2018-01-01

We present new sensitive CO(2–1) observations of the 30 Doradus region in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We identify a chain of three newly discovered molecular clouds that we name KN1, KN2, and KN3 lying within 2–14 pc in projection from the young massive cluster R136 in 30 Doradus. Excited H2 2.12 μm emission is spatially coincident with the molecular clouds, but ionized Brγ emission is not. We interpret these observations as the tails of pillar-like structures whose ionized heads are pointing toward R136. Based on infrared photometry, we identify a new generation of stars forming within this structure.

Asteroseismic measurement of surface-to-core rotation in a main-sequence star*

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kurtz Donald W.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We have discovered rotationally split core g-mode triplets and surface p-mode triplets and quintuplets in a terminal age main-sequence A star, KIC 11145123, that shows both δ Sct p-mode pulsations and γ Dor g-mode pulsations. This gives the first robust determination of the rotation of the deep core and surface of a main-sequence star, essentially model-independently. We find its rotation to be nearly uniform with a period near 100 d, but we show with high confidence that the surface rotates slightly faster than the core. A strong angular momentum transfer mechanism must be operating to produce the nearly rigid rotation, and a mechanism other than viscosity must be operating to produce a more rapidly rotating surface than core. Our asteroseismic result, along with previous asteroseismic constraints on internal rotation in some B stars, and measurements of internal rotation in some subgiant, giant and white dwarf stars, has made angular momentum transport in stars throughout their lifetimes an observational science.

Wave Star

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Morten; Brorsen, Michael; Frigaard, Peter

Denne rapport beskriver numeriske beregninger af forskellige flydergeometrier for bølgeenergianlæget Wave Star.......Denne rapport beskriver numeriske beregninger af forskellige flydergeometrier for bølgeenergianlæget Wave Star....

Molecular detection of HIV-1 subtype B, CRF01_AE, CRF33_01B, and newly emerging recombinant lineages in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chook, Jack Bee; Ong, Lai Yee; Takebe, Yutaka; Chan, Kok Gan; Choo, Martin; Kamarulzaman, Adeeba; Tee, Kok Keng

2015-03-01

A molecular genotyping assay for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) circulating in Southeast Asia is difficult to design because of the high level of genetic diversity. We developed a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect subtype B, CRF01_AE, CRF33_01B, and three newly described circulating recombinant forms, (CRFs) (CRF53_01B, CRF54_01B, and CRF58_01B). A total of 785 reference genomes were used for subtype-specific primers and TaqMan probes design targeting the gag, pol, and env genes. The performance of this assay was compared and evaluated with direct sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. A total of 180 HIV-infected subjects from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were screened and 171 samples were successfully genotyped, in agreement with the phylogenetic data. The HIV-1 genotype distribution was as follows: subtype B (16.7%); CRF01_AE (52.8%); CRF33_01B (24.4%); CRF53_01B (1.1%); CRF54_01B (0.6%); and CRF01_AE/B unique recombinant forms (4.4%). The overall accuracy of the genotyping assay was over 95.0%, in which the sensitivities for subtype B, CRF01_AE, and CRF33_01B detection were 100%, 100%, and 97.7%, respectively. The specificity of genotyping was 100%, inter-subtype specificities were > 95% and the limit of detection of 10(3) copies/mL for plasma. The newly developed real-time PCR assay offers a rapid and cost-effective alternative for large-scale molecular epidemiological surveillance for HIV-1. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Atmospheric Retrievals of HAT-P-16b and WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b

Science.gov (United States)

McIntyre, Kathleen; Harrington, Joseph; Challener, Ryan; Lenius, Maria; Hartman, Joel D.; Bakos, Gaspar A.; Blecic, Jasmina; Cubillos, Patricio E.; Cameron, Andrew

2018-01-01

We report Bayesian atmospheric retrievals performed on the exoplanets HAT-P-16b and WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b. HAT-P-16b is a hot (equilibrium temperature 1626 ± 40 K, assuming zero Bond albedo and efficient energy redistribution), 4.19 ± 0.09 Jupiter-mass exoplanet orbiting an F8 star every 2.775960 ± 0.000003 days (Buchhave et al 2010). WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b is a cooler (1020 ± 17 K), 0.487 ± 0.018 Jupiter-mass exoplanet orbiting a K3 star every 3.7224747 ± 0.0000065 days (Bakos et al. 2009, co-discovered by West et al. 2008). We observed secondary eclipses of both planets using the 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm channels of the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Array Camera (program ID 60003). We applied our Photometry for Orbits, Eclipses, and Transits (POET) code to produce normalized eclipse light curves, and our Bayesian Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (BART) code to constrain the temperature-pressure profiles and atmospheric molecular abundances of the two planets. Spitzer is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. This work was supported by NASA Planetary Atmospheres grant NNX12AI69G and NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program grant NNX13AF38G.

The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. XVIII. Classifications and radial velocities of the B-type stars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evans, C.J.; Kennedy, M.B.; Dufton, P.L.; Howarth, I.D.; Walborn, N.R.; Markova, N.; Clark, J.S.; de Mink, S.E.; de Koter, A.; Dunstall, P.R.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; McEvoy, C.M.; Sana, H.; Simón-Díaz, S.; Taylor, W.D.; Vink, J.S.

2015-01-01

We present spectral classifications for 438 B-type stars observed as part of the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS) in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Radial velocities are provided for 307 apparently single stars, and for 99 targets with radial-velocity variations which are

Pulsational stability of the SX Phe star AE UMa

Science.gov (United States)

Pena, J. H.; Renteria, A.; Villarreal, C.; Pina, D. S.; Soni, A. A.; Guillen, J.; Vargas, K.; Trejo, O.

2016-11-01

From newly determined times of maxima of the SX Phe star AE UMa and a compilation of previous times of maxima, we were able to determine the nature of this star. With uv photometry we determined its physical parameters.

NEAR-INFRARED VARIABILITY IN YOUNG STARS IN CYGNUS OB7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rice, Thomas S. [Department of Astronomy, Harvard University, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Wolk, Scott J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Aspin, Colin [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 640 N Aohoku Pl, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States)

2012-08-10

We present the first results from a 124 night J, H, K near-infrared monitoring campaign of the dark cloud L 1003 in Cygnus OB7, an active star-forming region. Using three seasons of UKIRT observations spanning 1.5 years, we obtained high-quality photometry on 9200 stars down to J = 17 mag, with photometric uncertainty better than 0.04 mag. On the basis of near-infrared excesses from disks, we identify 30 pre-main-sequence stars, including 24 which are newly discovered. We analyze those stars and find that the NIR excesses are significantly variable. All 9200 stars were monitored for photometric variability; among the field star population, {approx}160 exhibited near-infrared variability (1.7% of the sample). Of the 30 young stellar objects (YSOs), 28 of them (93%) are variable at a significant level. Of the 30 YSOs, twenty-five have near-infrared excess consistent with simple disk-plus-star classical T Tauri models. Nine of these (36%) drift in color space over the course of these observations and/or since Two Micron All Sky Survey observations such that they cross the boundary defining the NIR excess criteria; effectively, they have a transient near-infrared excess. Thus, time-series JHK observations can be used to obtain a more complete sample of disk-bearing stars than single-epoch JHK observations. About half of the YSOs have color-space variations parallel to either the classical T Tauri star locus or a hybrid track which includes the dust reddening trajectory. This indicates that the NIR variability in YSOs that possess accretion disks arises from a combination of variable extinction and changes in the inner accretion disk: either in accretion rate, central hole size, and/or the inclination of the inner disk. While some variability may be due to stellar rotation, the level of variability on the individual stars can exceed a magnitude. This is a strong empirical suggestion that protoplanetary disks are quite dynamic and exhibit more complex activity on short

Molecules in stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, T.

1986-01-01

Recently, research related to molecules in stars has rapidly expanded because of progress in related fields. For this reason, it is almost impossible to cover all the topics related to molecules in stars. Thus, here the authors focus their attention on molecules in the atmospheres of cool stars and do not cover in any detail topics related to circumstellar molecules originating from expanding envelopes located far from the stellar surface. However, the authors do discuss molecules in quasi-static circumstellar envelopes (a recently discovered new component of circumstellar envelopes) located near the stellar surface, since molecular lines originating from such envelopes show little velocity shift relative to photospheric lines, and hence they directly affect the interpretation and analysis of stellar spectra

Planetary nebulae and Wolf-Rayet stars in the galactic-centre field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, D A [Anglo-Australian Observatory, Epping (Australia)

1979-06-01

A UK Schmidt objective-prism plate of the Galactic-centre field has been examined. Of the 74 objects in the field which have been catalogued as planetary nebulae, only half appear correctly classified; the others include Be stars, symbiotic stars, and stars without emission lines. A further 19 planetary nebulae and two Wolf-Rayet stars have been discovered.

Orbital misalignment of the Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b with the spin of its cool star

Science.gov (United States)

Bourrier, Vincent; Lovis, Christophe; Beust, Hervé; Ehrenreich, David; Henry, Gregory W.; Astudillo-Defru, Nicola; Allart, Romain; Bonfils, Xavier; Ségransan, Damien; Delfosse, Xavier; Cegla, Heather M.; Wyttenbach, Aurélien; Heng, Kevin; Lavie, Baptiste; Pepe, Francesco

2018-01-01

The angle between the spin of a star and the orbital planes of its planets traces the history of the planetary system. Exoplanets orbiting close to cool stars are expected to be on circular, aligned orbits because of strong tidal interactions with the stellar convective envelope. Spin–orbit alignment can be measured when the planet transits its star, but such ground-based spectroscopic measurements are challenging for cool, slowly rotating stars. Here we report the three-dimensional characterization of the trajectory of an exoplanet around an M dwarf star, derived by mapping the spectrum of the stellar photosphere along the chord transited by the planet. We find that the eccentric orbit of the Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b is nearly perpendicular to the stellar equator. Both eccentricity and misalignment, surprising around a cool star, can result from dynamical interactions (via Kozai migration) with a yet-undetected outer companion. This inward migration of GJ 436b could have triggered the atmospheric escape that now sustains its giant exosphere.

Quantification of newly produced B and T lymphocytes in untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caimi Luigi

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The immune defects occurring in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are responsible for the frequent occurrence of infections and autoimmune phenomena, and may be involved in the initiation and maintenance of the malignant clone. Here, we evaluated the quantitative defects of newly produced B and T lymphocytes. Methods The output of B and T lymphocytes from the production and maturation sites was analyzed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients and healthy controls by quantifying kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs and T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs by a Real-Time PCR assay that simultaneously detects both targets. T-lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by six-color flow cytometric analysis. Data comparison was performed by two-sided Mann-Whitney test. Results KRECs level was reduced in untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients studied at the very early stage of the disease, whereas the release of TRECs+ cells was preserved. Furthermore, the observed increase of CD4+ lymphocytes could be ascribed to the accumulation of CD4+ cells with effector memory phenotype. Conclusions The decreased number of newly produced B lymphocytes in these patients is likely related to a homeostatic mechanism by which the immune system balances the abnormal B-cell expansion. This feature may precede the profound defect of humoral immunity characterizing the later stages of the disease.

IRAS 18153-1651: an H II region with a possible wind bubble blown by a young main-sequence B star

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Mackey, J.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Langer, N.; Chené, A.-N.; Castro, N.; Haworth, T. J.; Grebel, E. K.

2017-04-01

We report the results of spectroscopic observations and numerical modelling of the H II region IRAS 18153-1651. Our study was motivated by the discovery of an optical arc and two main-sequence stars of spectral type B1 and B3 near the centre of IRAS 18153-1651. We interpret the arc as the edge of the wind bubble (blown by the B1 star), whose brightness is enhanced by the interaction with a photoevaporation flow from a nearby molecular cloud. This interpretation implies that we deal with a unique case of a young massive star (the most massive member of a recently formed low-mass star cluster) caught just tens of thousands of years after its stellar wind has begun to blow a bubble into the surrounding dense medium. Our 2D, radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of the wind bubble and the H II region around the B1 star provide a reasonable match to observations, both in terms of morphology and absolute brightness of the optical and mid-infrared emission, and verify the young age of IRAS 18153-1651. Taken together our results strongly suggest that we have revealed the first example of a wind bubble blown by a main-sequence B star.

Discover Earth: An earth system science program for libraries and their communities

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, L.; Dusenbery, P.

2010-12-01

The view from space has deepened our understanding of Earth as a global, dynamic system. Instruments on satellites and spacecraft, coupled with advances in ground-based research, have provided us with astonishing new perspectives of our planet. Now more than ever, enhancing the public’s understanding of Earth’s physical and biological systems is vital to helping citizens make informed policy decisions especially when they are faced with the consequences of global climate change. In spite of this relevance, there are many obstacles to achieving broad public understanding of key earth system science (ESS) concepts. Strategies for addressing climate change can only succeed with the full engagement of the general public. As reported by U.S. News and World Report in 2010, small towns in rural America are emerging as the front line in the climate change debate in the country. The Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), and the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) have received funding from NSF to develop a national project called the STAR Library Education Network: a hands-on learning program for libraries and their communities (or STAR-Net for short). STAR stands for Science-Technology, Activities and Resources. There are two distinct components of STAR-Net: Discover Earth and Discover Tech. While the focus for education reform is on school improvement, there is considerable research that supports the role that out-of-school experiences can play in student achievement. Libraries provide an untapped resource for engaging underserved youth and their families in fostering an appreciation and deeper understanding of science and technology topics. The overarching goal of the project is to reach underserved youth and their families with informal STEM learning experiences. The Discover Earth part of STAR_Net will produce ESS

Revealing evolved massive stars with Spitzer

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Fabrika, S.

2010-06-01

Massive evolved stars lose a large fraction of their mass via copious stellar wind or instant outbursts. During certain evolutionary phases, they can be identified by the presence of their circumstellar nebulae. In this paper, we present the results of a search for compact nebulae (reminiscent of circumstellar nebulae around evolved massive stars) using archival 24-μm data obtained with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer. We have discovered 115 nebulae, most of which bear a striking resemblance to the circumstellar nebulae associated with luminous blue variables (LBVs) and late WN-type (WNL) Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We interpret this similarity as an indication that the central stars of detected nebulae are either LBVs or related evolved massive stars. Our interpretation is supported by follow-up spectroscopy of two dozen of these central stars, most of which turn out to be either candidate LBVs (cLBVs), blue supergiants or WNL stars. We expect that the forthcoming spectroscopy of the remaining objects from our list, accompanied by the spectrophotometric monitoring of the already discovered cLBVs, will further increase the known population of Galactic LBVs. This, in turn, will have profound consequences for better understanding the LBV phenomenon and its role in the transition between hydrogen-burning O stars and helium-burning WR stars. We also report on the detection of an arc-like structure attached to the cLBV HD 326823 and an arc associated with the LBV R99 (HD 269445) in the LMC. Partially based on observations collected at the German-Spanish Astronomical Centre, Calar Alto, jointly operated by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie Heidelberg and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC). E-mail: vgvaram@mx.iki.rssi.ru (VVG); akniazev@saao.ac.za (AYK); fabrika@sao.ru (SF)

Phylogeography and genetic identification of the newly-discovered populations of torrent salamanders (Rhyacotriton cascade and R. variegatus) in the central Cascades (USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, R.S.; Miller, Mark P.; Haig, Susan M.

2006-01-01

Newly discovered populations of Rhyacotritonidae were investigated for taxonomic identity, hybridization, and sympatry. Species in the genus Rhyacotriton have been historically difficult to identify using morphological characters. Mitochondrial (mtDNA) 16S ribosomal RNA sequences (491 bp) and allozymes (6 loci) were used to identify the distribution of populations occurring intermediate between the previously described ranges of R. variegatus and R. cascadae in the central Cascade Mountain region of Oregon. Allozyme and mitochondrial sequence data both indicated the presence of two distinct evolutionary lineages, with each lineage corresponding to the allopatric distribution of R. cascadae and R. variegatus. Results suggest the Willamette River acts as a phylogeographic barrier limiting the distribution of both species, although we cannot exclude the possibility that reproductive isolation also exists that reinforces species' distributions. This study extends the previously described geographical ranges of both R. cascadae and R. variegatus and defines an eastern range limit for R. variegatus conservation efforts.

NuSTAR DETECTION OF THE BLAZAR B2 1023+25 AT REDSHIFT 5.3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sbarrato, T. [Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, Università dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, I-22100 Como (Italy); Tagliaferri, G.; Ghisellini, G. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy); Perri, M.; Puccetti, S.; Giommi, P. [ASI-Science Data Center, via Galileo Galilei, I-00044 Frascati (Italy); Baloković, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Hovatta, T. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Nardini, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica G. Occhialini, Università di Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 3, I-20126 Milano (Italy); Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Boggs, S. E. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Brandt, W. N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [DTU Space-National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Greiner, J.; Rau, A.; Schady, P.; Sudilovsky, V. [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Madejski, G. M., E-mail: tullia.sbarrato@brera.inaf.it [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); and others

2013-11-10

B2 1023+25 is an extremely radio-loud quasar at z = 5.3 that was first identified as a likely high-redshift blazar candidate in the SDSS+FIRST quasar catalog. Here, we use the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) to investigate its non-thermal jet emission, whose high-energy component we detected in the hard X-ray energy band. The X-ray flux is ∼ 5.5 x 10{sup -14} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} (5-10 keV) and the photon spectral index is Γ{sub X} ≅ 1.3-1.6. Modeling the full spectral energy distribution, we find that the jet is oriented close to the line of sight, with a viewing angle of ∼3°, and has significant Doppler boosting, with a large bulk Lorentz factor ∼13, which confirms the identification of B2 1023+25 as a blazar. B2 1023+25 is the first object at redshift larger than 5 detected by NuSTAR, demonstrating the ability of NuSTAR to investigate the early X-ray universe and to study extremely active supermassive black holes located at very high redshift.

THE FAST-ROTATING, LOW-GRAVITY SUBDWARF B STAR EC 22081-1916: REMNANT OF A COMMON ENVELOPE MERGER EVENT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geier, S.; Classen, L.; Heber, U.

2011-01-01

Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are evolved core helium-burning stars with very thin hydrogen envelopes. In order to form an sdB, the progenitor has to lose almost all of its hydrogen envelope right at the tip of the red-giant branch. In binary systems, mass transfer to the companion provides the extraordinary mass loss required for their formation. However, apparently single sdBs exist as well and their formation has been unclear for decades. The merger of helium white dwarfs (He-WDs) leading to an ignition of core helium burning or the merger of a helium core and a low-mass star during the common envelope phase have been proposed as processes leading to sdB formation. Here we report the discovery of EC 22081-1916 as a fast-rotating, single sdB star of low gravity. Its atmospheric parameters indicate that the hydrogen envelope must be unusually thick, which is at variance with the He-WD merger scenario, but consistent with a common envelope merger of a low-mass, possibly substellar object with a red-giant core.

The Maui International Double Star Conference

Science.gov (United States)

Genet, Russell

2013-04-01

A three-day double star conference in February, 2013, covered double star observations from simple eyepiece astrometry of wide binaries, with orbital periods of centuries, to amplitude interferometry of binaries with periods measured in days or even hours. A wide range of participants, from students and amateurs to professionals shared their perspectives in panel discussions. This was the first conference of the newly-formed International Association of Double Star Observers (IADSO). PDFs of 22 of the talks and YouTube links to 23 of the talks and panels are available at www.IADSO.org.

BINARY CENTRAL STARS OF PLANETARY NEBULAE DISCOVERED THROUGH PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY. IV. THE CENTRAL STARS OF HaTr 4 AND Hf 2-2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hillwig, Todd C.; Schaub, S. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383 (United States); Bond, Howard E. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Frew, David J. [Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road (Hong Kong); Bodman, Eva H. L., E-mail: todd.hillwig@valpo.edu [Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) (United States)

2016-08-01

We explore the photometrically variable central stars of the planetary nebulae HaTr 4 and Hf 2-2. Both have been classified as close binary star systems previously based on their light curves alone. Here, we present additional arguments and data confirming the identification of both as close binaries with an irradiated cool companion to the hot central star. We include updated light curves, orbital periods, and preliminary binary modeling for both systems. We also identify for the first time the central star of HaTr 4 as an eclipsing binary. Neither system has been well studied in the past, but we utilize the small amount of existing data to limit possible binary parameters, including system inclination. These parameters are then compared to nebular parameters to further our knowledge of the relationship between binary central stars of planetary nebulae and nebular shaping and ejection.

Degenerate stars. XII - Recognition of hot nondegenerates

Science.gov (United States)

Greenstein, J. L.

1980-12-01

Fifty-one newly observed degenerate stars and 14 nondegenerates include 13 faint red stars, most of which do not show any lines except DF, Gr 554. Hot subdwarfs and an X-ray source are discussed along with the problem of low-resolution spectroscopic classification of dense hot stars. The multichannel spectrum of the carbon-rich magnetic star LP 790-29 is examined by fitting the undisturbed parts of the spectrum to a black body of 7625 K by the least squares method; the Swan bands absorb 600 A of the spectrum assuming that the blocked radiation is redistributed in the observed region.

Hard X-Ray Emission from Sh 2-104: A NuSTAR Search for Gamma-Ray Counterparts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gotthelf, E. V.; Mori, K.; Aliu, E.

2016-01-01

galactic nucleus rather than a Galactic pulsar. The spectrum of the NuSTAR nebula shows evidence of an emission line at E = 5.6 keV, suggesting an optically obscured galaxy cluster at z = 0.19 ± 0.02 (d = 800 Mpc) and LX = 1.2 × 1044 erg s−1. Follow-up Chandra observations of Sh 2–104 will help identify...... the nature of the X-ray sources and their relation to MGRO J2019+37. We also show that the putative VERITAS excess south of Sh 2–104, is most likely associated with the newly discovered Fermi pulsar PSR J2017+3625 and not the H ii region....

IMPROVED VARIABLE STAR SEARCH IN LARGE PHOTOMETRIC DATA SETS: NEW VARIABLES IN CoRoT FIELD LRa02 DETECTED BY BEST II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fruth, T.; Cabrera, J.; Csizmadia, Sz.; Eigmüller, P.; Erikson, A.; Kirste, S.; Pasternacki, T.; Rauer, H.; Titz-Weider, R.; Kabath, P.; Chini, R.; Lemke, R.; Murphy, M.

2012-01-01

The CoRoT field LRa02 has been observed with the Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope II (BEST II) during the southern summer 2007/2008. A first analysis of stellar variability led to the publication of 345 newly discovered variable stars. Now, a deeper analysis of this data set was used to optimize the variability search procedure. Several methods and parameters have been tested in order to improve the selection process compared to the widely used J index for variability ranking. This paper describes an empirical approach to treat systematic trends in photometric data based upon the analysis of variance statistics that can significantly decrease the rate of false detections. Finally, the process of reanalysis and method improvement has virtually doubled the number of variable stars compared to the first analysis by Kabath et al. A supplementary catalog of 272 previously unknown periodic variables plus 52 stars with suspected variability is presented. Improved ephemerides are given for 19 known variables in the field. In addition, the BEST II results are compared with CoRoT data and its automatic variability classification.

On planetary nebulae and Wolf-Rayet stars in the galactic-centre field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, D.A.

1979-01-01

A UK Schmidt objective-prism plate of the Galactic-centre field has been examined. Of the 74 objects in the field which have been catalogued as planetary nebulae, only half appear correctly classified; the others include Be stars, symbiotic stars, and stars without emission lines. A further 19 planetary nebulae and two Wolf-Rayet stars have been discovered. (author)

High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy of an Intriguing High-Latitude B-Type Star HD119608

Science.gov (United States)

Şahin, T.

2018-01-01

We present an LTE analysis of high resolution echelle optical spectra obtained with the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and the UCLES spectrograph for a B1Ib high galactic latitude supergiant HD119608. A fresh determination of the atmospheric parameters using line-blanketed LTE model atmospheres and spectral synthesis provided T eff = 23 300 ± 1000 K, log g = 3.0 ± 0.3, and the microturbulent velocity ξ = 6.0 ± 1.0 kms-1 and [Fe/H] = 0.16. The rotational velocity of the star was derived fromC, O, N, Al, and Fe lines as v sin i = 55.8 ± 1.3 kms-1. Elemental abundances were obtained for 10 different species. He, Al, and P abundances of the star were determined for the first time. In the spectra, hot post-AGB status as well as the Pop I characteristics of the star were examined. The approximately solar carbon and oxygen abundances, along with mild excess in helium and nitrogen abundances do not stipulate a CNO processed surface composition, hence a hot post-AGB status. The LTE abundances analysis also indicates solar sulphur and moderately enriched magnesium abundances. The average abundances of B dwarfs of well studied OB associations and Population I stars show a striking resemblance to abundances obtained for HD119608 in this study. This may imply a runaway status for the star.

Einstein@Home discovers a radio-quiet gamma-ray millisecond pulsar.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Colin J; Pletsch, Holger J; Wu, Jason; Guillemot, Lucas; Kerr, Matthew; Johnson, Tyrel J; Camilo, Fernando; Salvetti, David; Allen, Bruce; Anderson, David; Aulbert, Carsten; Beer, Christian; Bock, Oliver; Cuéllar, Andres; Eggenstein, Heinz-Bernd; Fehrmann, Henning; Kramer, Michael; Kwang, Shawn A; Machenschalk, Bernd; Nieder, Lars; Ackermann, Markus; Ajello, Marco; Baldini, Luca; Ballet, Jean; Barbiellini, Guido; Bastieri, Denis; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Bissaldi, Elisabetta; Blandford, Roger D; Bloom, Elliott D; Bonino, Raffaella; Bottacini, Eugenio; Brandt, Terri J; Bregeon, Johan; Bruel, Philippe; Buehler, Rolf; Burnett, Toby H; Buson, Sara; Cameron, Rob A; Caputo, Regina; Caraveo, Patrizia A; Cavazzuti, Elisabetta; Cecchi, Claudia; Charles, Eric; Chekhtman, Alexandre; Ciprini, Stefano; Cominsky, Lynn R; Costantin, Denise; Cutini, Sara; D'Ammando, Filippo; De Luca, Andrea; Desiante, Rachele; Di Venere, Leonardo; Di Mauro, Mattia; Di Lalla, Niccolò; Digel, Seth W; Favuzzi, Cecilia; Ferrara, Elizabeth C; Franckowiak, Anna; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Funk, Stefan; Fusco, Piergiorgio; Gargano, Fabio; Gasparrini, Dario; Giglietto, Nico; Giordano, Francesco; Giroletti, Marcello; Gomez-Vargas, Germán A; Green, David; Grenier, Isabelle A; Guiriec, Sylvain; Harding, Alice K; Hewitt, John W; Horan, Deirdre; Jóhannesson, Guðlaugur; Kensei, Shiki; Kuss, Michael; La Mura, Giovanni; Larsson, Stefan; Latronico, Luca; Li, Jian; Longo, Francesco; Loparco, Francesco; Lovellette, Michael N; Lubrano, Pasquale; Magill, Jeffrey D; Maldera, Simone; Manfreda, Alberto; Mazziotta, Mario N; McEnery, Julie E; Michelson, Peter F; Mirabal, Nestor; Mitthumsiri, Warit; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Monzani, Maria Elena; Morselli, Aldo; Moskalenko, Igor V; Nuss, Eric; Ohsugi, Takashi; Omodei, Nicola; Orienti, Monica; Orlando, Elena; Palatiello, Michele; Paliya, Vaidehi S; de Palma, Francesco; Paneque, David; Perkins, Jeremy S; Persic, Massimo; Pesce-Rollins, Melissa; Porter, Troy A; Principe, Giacomo; Rainò, Silvia; Rando, Riccardo; Ray, Paul S; Razzano, Massimiliano; Reimer, Anita; Reimer, Olaf; Romani, Roger W; Saz Parkinson, Pablo M; Sgrò, Carmelo; Siskind, Eric J; Smith, David A; Spada, Francesca; Spandre, Gloria; Spinelli, Paolo; Thayer, Jana B; Thompson, David J; Torres, Diego F; Troja, Eleonora; Vianello, Giacomo; Wood, Kent; Wood, Matthew

2018-02-01

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are old neutron stars that spin hundreds of times per second and appear to pulsate as their emission beams cross our line of sight. To date, radio pulsations have been detected from all rotation-powered MSPs. In an attempt to discover radio-quiet gamma-ray MSPs, we used the aggregated power from the computers of tens of thousands of volunteers participating in the Einstein@Home distributed computing project to search for pulsations from unidentified gamma-ray sources in Fermi Large Area Telescope data. This survey discovered two isolated MSPs, one of which is the only known rotation-powered MSP to remain undetected in radio observations. These gamma-ray MSPs were discovered in completely blind searches without prior constraints from other observations, raising hopes for detecting MSPs from a predicted Galactic bulge population.

A COMPREHENSIVE, WIDE-FIELD STUDY OF PULSATING STARS IN THE CARINA DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vivas, A. Katherina [Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomía (CIDA), Apartado Postal 264, Mérida 5101-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Mateo, Mario, E-mail: akvivas@cida.ve, E-mail: mmateo@umich.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

2013-12-01

We report the detection of 388 pulsating variable stars (and some additional miscellaneous variables) in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy over an area covering the full visible extent of the galaxy and extending a few times beyond its photometric (King) tidal radius along the direction of its major axis. Included in this total are 340 newly discovered dwarf Cepheids (DCs), which are mostly located ∼2.5 mag below the horizontal branch and have very short periods (<0.1 days), typical of their class and consistent with their location on the upper part of the extended main sequence of the younger populations of the galaxy. Several extra-tidal DCs were found in our survey up to a distance of ∼1° from the center of Carina. Our sample also includes RR Lyrae stars and anomalous Cepheids, some of which were found outside the galaxy's tidal radius as well. This supports past works that suggest that Carina is undergoing tidal disruption. We use the period-luminosity relationship for DCs to estimate a distance modulus of μ{sub 0} = 20.17 ± 0.10 mag, in very good agreement with the estimate from RR Lyrae stars. We find some important differences in the properties of the DCs of Carina and those in Fornax and the LMC, the only extragalactic samples of DCs currently known. These differences may reflect a metallicity spread, depth along the line of sight, and/or different evolutionary paths of the DC stars.

Activin A, B and AB decrease progesterone production by down-regulating StAR in human granulosa cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hsun-Ming; Cheng, Jung-Chien; Huang, He-Feng; Shi, Feng-Tao; Leung, Peter C K

2015-09-05

Activins are homo- or heterodimers of inhibin β subunits that play important roles in the reproductive system. Our previous work has shown that activins A (βAβA), B (βBβB) and AB (βAβB) induce aromatase/estradiol, but suppress StAR/progesterone production in human granulosa-lutein cells. However, the underlying molecular determinants of these effects have not been examined. In this continuing study, we used immortalized human granulosa cells (SVOG) to investigate the effects of activins in regulating StAR/progesterone and the potential mechanisms of action. In SVOG cells, activins A, B and AB produced comparable down-regulation of StAR expression and progesterone production. In addition, all three activin isoforms induced equivalent phosphorylation of both SMAD2 and SMAD3. Importantly, the activin-induced down-regulation of StAR, increase in SMAD2/3 phosphorylation, and decrease in progesterone were abolished by the TGF-β type I receptor inhibitor SB431542. Interestingly, the small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of ALK4 but not ALK5 reversed the activin-induced suppression of StAR. Furthermore, the knockdown of SMAD4 or SMAD2 but not SMAD3 abolished the inhibitory effects of all three activin isoforms on StAR expression. These results provide evidence that activins A, B and AB down-regulate StAR expression and decrease progesterone production in human granulosa cells, likely via an ALK4-mediated SMAD2/SMAD4-dependent pathway. Our findings provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulatory effects of activins on human granulosa cell steroidogenesis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

What do we know about mass ejection in B Supergiant Stars?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Haucke, M.; Tomić, S.; Cidale, L.S.; Kraus, Michaela; Aret, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 58, č. 1 (2016), s. 171-173 E-ISSN 1669-9521 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-21373S Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : stars * early-type * supergian Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics http://www. astronomia argentina.org.ar/b58/2016baaa...58...171H.pdf

Probing the structure and dynamics of B[e] supergiant stars' disks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kraus, Michaela

2016-01-01

Roč. 58, č. 1 (2016), s. 70-76 E-ISSN 1669-9521 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-21373S Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : circumstellar matter * infrared * stars Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics http://www. astronomia argentina.org.ar/b58/2016baaa...58...70K.pdf

HOW TO MAKE A SINGLETON sdB STAR VIA ACCELERATED STELLAR EVOLUTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clausen, Drew; Wade, Richard A.

2011-01-01

Many hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are in close binaries, and the favored formation channels for subdwarfs rely on mass transfer in a binary system to strip a core He-burning star of its envelope. However, these channels cannot account for sdBs that have been observed in long-period binaries nor the narrow mass distribution of isolated (or 'singleton') sdBs. We propose a new formation channel involving the merger of a helium white dwarf and a low-mass, hydrogen-burning star, which addresses these issues. Hierarchical triples whose inner binaries merge and form sdBs by this process could explain the observed long-period subdwarf+main-sequence binaries. This process would also naturally explain the observed slow rotational speeds of singleton sdBs. We also briefly discuss the implications of this formation channel for extreme horizontal branch morphology in globular clusters and the UV upturn in elliptical galaxies.

Three Transits for the Price of One: Super-Earth Transits of the Nearest Planetary System Discovered By Kepler/K2

Science.gov (United States)

Redfield, Seth; Niraula, Prajwal; Hedges, Christina; Crossfield, Ian; Kreidberg, Laura; Greene, Tom; Rodriguez, Joey; Vanderburg, Andrew; Laughlin, Gregory; Millholland, Sarah; Wang, Songhu; Cochran, William; Livingston, John; Gandolfi, Davide; Guenther, Eike; Fridlund, Malcolm; Korth, Judith

2018-05-01

We propose primary transit observations of three Super-Earth planets in the newly discovered planetary system around a bright, nearby star, GJ 9827. We recently announced the detection of three super-Earth planets in 1:3:5 commensurability, the inner planet, GJ 9827 b having a period of 1.2 days. This is the nearest planetary system that Kepler or K2 has found, at 30 pc, and given its brightness is one of the top systems for follow-up characterization. This system presents a unique opportunity to acquire three planetary transits for the price of one. There are several opportunities in the Spitzer visibility windows to obtain all three transits in a short period of time. We propose 3.6 micron observations of all three Super-Earth transits in a single 18-hour observation window. The proximity to a 1:3:5 resonance is intriguing from a dynamical standpoint as well. Indeed, anomalous transit timing offsets have been measured for planet d in Hubble observations that suffer from partial phase coverage. The short cadence and extended coverage of Spitzer is essential to provide a firm determination of the ephemerides and characterize any transit timing variations. Constraining these orbital parameters is critical for follow-up observations from space and ground-based telescopes. Due to the brightness of the host star, this planetary system is likely to be extensively observed in the years to come. Indeed, our team has acquired observations of the planets orbiting GJ9827 with Hubble in the ultraviolet and infrared. The proposed observations will provide infrared atmospheric measurements and firm orbital characterization which is critical for planning and designing future observations, in particular atmospheric characterization with JWST.

Wave Star

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Morten; Brorsen, Michael; Frigaard, Peter

Nærværende rapport beskriver numeriske beregninger af den hydrodynamiske interaktion mellem 5 flydere i bølgeenergianlægget Wave Star.......Nærværende rapport beskriver numeriske beregninger af den hydrodynamiske interaktion mellem 5 flydere i bølgeenergianlægget Wave Star....

Solar neighbourhood flare stars - a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunkel, W.E.

1975-01-01

The review concentrates on 'astronomical' aspects of flare activity, such as where, and under what circumstances flare activity is found in the solar vicinity. Non-classical activity is briefly described (without regard for completeness) and the influence of detection effects on flare observations is treated. Flare stars discovered during the last four years are described and flare activity of local dMe stars is compared. The BY Draconis syndrome is discussed followed by some remarks about rotation. Pleiades flare activity is compared to that of the solar neighbourhood and evidence for the evolution of flare activity in stars is examined. (Auth.)

SALT Spectroscopy of Evolved Massive Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Kniazev, A. Y.; Gvaramadze, V. V.; Berdnikov, L. N.

2017-06-01

Long-slit spectroscopy with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) of central stars of mid-infrared nebulae detected with the Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) led to the discovery of numerous candidate luminous blue variables (cLBVs) and other rare evolved massive stars. With the recent advent of the SALT fiber-fed high-resolution echelle spectrograph (HRS), a new perspective for the study of these interesting objects is appeared. Using the HRS we obtained spectra of a dozen newly identified massive stars. Some results on the recently identified cLBV Hen 3-729 are presented.

The Core Mass Growth and Stellar Lifetime of Thermally Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Kalirai, Jason S.; Marigo, Paola; Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel

2014-02-01

We establish new constraints on the intermediate-mass range of the initial-final mass relation, and apply the results to study the evolution of stars on the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB). These constraints derive from newly discovered (bright) white dwarfs in the nearby Hyades and Praesepe star clusters, including a total of 18 high signal-to-noise ratio measurements with progenitor masses of M initial = 2.8-3.8 M ⊙. We also include a new analysis of existing white dwarfs in the older NGC 6819 and NGC 7789 star clusters, M initial = 1.6 and 2.0 M ⊙. Over this range of initial masses, stellar evolutionary models for metallicity Z initial = 0.02 predict the maximum growth of the core of TP-AGB stars. By comparing the newly measured remnant masses to the robust prediction of the core mass at the first thermal pulse on the AGB (i.e., from stellar interior models), we establish several findings. First, we show that the stellar core mass on the AGB grows rapidly from 10% to 30% for stars with M initial = 1.6 to 2.0 M ⊙. At larger masses, the core-mass growth decreases steadily to ~10% at M initial = 3.4 M ⊙, after which there is a small hint of a upturn out to M initial = 3.8 M ⊙. These observations are in excellent agreement with predictions from the latest TP-AGB evolutionary models in Marigo et al. We also compare to models with varying efficiencies of the third dredge-up and mass loss, and demonstrate that the process governing the growth of the core is largely the stellar wind, while the third dredge-up plays a secondary, but non-negligible role. Based on the new white dwarf measurements, we perform an exploratory calibration of the most popular mass-loss prescriptions in the literature, as well as of the third dredge-up efficiency as a function of the stellar mass. Finally, we estimate the lifetime and the integrated luminosity of stars on the TP-AGB to peak at t ~ 3 Myr and E = 1.2 × 1010 L ⊙ yr for M initial ~ 2 M ⊙ (t ~ 2 Myr

The Discovery of λ Bootis Stars: The Southern Survey I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gray, R. O.; Riggs, Q. S.; Newsome, I. M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 26808 (United States); Koen, C. [Department of Statistics, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535 Cape Town (South Africa); Murphy, S. J. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Corbally, C. J. [Vatican Observatory Research Group, Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0065 (United States); Cheng, K.-P. [California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA (United States); Neff, J. E. [National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA (United States)

2017-07-01

The λ Boo stars are a class of chemically peculiar Population I A-type stars characterized by under-abundances of the refractory elements, but near-solar abundances of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. There is some evidence that λ Boo stars have higher frequencies of “bright” debris disks than normal A-type stars. The discovery of four exoplanets orbiting HR 8799, a λ Boo star with a resolved debris disk, suggests that the λ Boo phenomenon may be related to the presence of a dynamic debris disk, perhaps perturbed by migrating planets. However, only 64 λ Boo stars are known, and those stars were discovered with different techniques, making it problematic to use that sample for statistical purposes, including determining the frequency of debris disks. The purpose of this paper is to derive a new sample of λ Boo stars using a technique that does not lead to biases with respect to the presence of infrared excesses. Through spectroscopic observations in the southern hemisphere, we have discovered 33 λ Boo stars and have confirmed 12 others. As a step toward determining the proportion of λ Boo stars with infrared excesses, we have used WISE data to examine the infrared properties of this sample out to 22 μ m. On this basis, we cannot conclude that λ Boo stars have a greater tendency than normal A-type stars to show infrared excesses. However, observing this sample at longer wavelengths may change that conclusion, as many λ Boo debris disks are cool and do not radiate strongly at 22 μ m.

The Discovery of λ Bootis Stars: The Southern Survey I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, R. O.; Riggs, Q. S.; Newsome, I. M.; Koen, C.; Murphy, S. J.; Corbally, C. J.; Cheng, K.-P.; Neff, J. E.

2017-01-01

The λ Boo stars are a class of chemically peculiar Population I A-type stars characterized by under-abundances of the refractory elements, but near-solar abundances of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. There is some evidence that λ Boo stars have higher frequencies of “bright” debris disks than normal A-type stars. The discovery of four exoplanets orbiting HR 8799, a λ Boo star with a resolved debris disk, suggests that the λ Boo phenomenon may be related to the presence of a dynamic debris disk, perhaps perturbed by migrating planets. However, only 64 λ Boo stars are known, and those stars were discovered with different techniques, making it problematic to use that sample for statistical purposes, including determining the frequency of debris disks. The purpose of this paper is to derive a new sample of λ Boo stars using a technique that does not lead to biases with respect to the presence of infrared excesses. Through spectroscopic observations in the southern hemisphere, we have discovered 33 λ Boo stars and have confirmed 12 others. As a step toward determining the proportion of λ Boo stars with infrared excesses, we have used WISE data to examine the infrared properties of this sample out to 22 μ m. On this basis, we cannot conclude that λ Boo stars have a greater tendency than normal A-type stars to show infrared excesses. However, observing this sample at longer wavelengths may change that conclusion, as many λ Boo debris disks are cool and do not radiate strongly at 22 μ m.

The Discovery of λ Bootis Stars: The Southern Survey I

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, R. O.; Riggs, Q. S.; Koen, C.; Murphy, S. J.; Newsome, I. M.; Corbally, C. J.; Cheng, K.-P.; Neff, J. E.

2017-07-01

The λ Boo stars are a class of chemically peculiar Population I A-type stars characterized by under-abundances of the refractory elements, but near-solar abundances of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. There is some evidence that λ Boo stars have higher frequencies of “bright” debris disks than normal A-type stars. The discovery of four exoplanets orbiting HR 8799, a λ Boo star with a resolved debris disk, suggests that the λ Boo phenomenon may be related to the presence of a dynamic debris disk, perhaps perturbed by migrating planets. However, only 64 λ Boo stars are known, and those stars were discovered with different techniques, making it problematic to use that sample for statistical purposes, including determining the frequency of debris disks. The purpose of this paper is to derive a new sample of λ Boo stars using a technique that does not lead to biases with respect to the presence of infrared excesses. Through spectroscopic observations in the southern hemisphere, we have discovered 33 λ Boo stars and have confirmed 12 others. As a step toward determining the proportion of λ Boo stars with infrared excesses, we have used WISE data to examine the infrared properties of this sample out to 22 μm. On this basis, we cannot conclude that λ Boo stars have a greater tendency than normal A-type stars to show infrared excesses. However, observing this sample at longer wavelengths may change that conclusion, as many λ Boo debris disks are cool and do not radiate strongly at 22 μm.

Search for OB stars running away from young star clusters. I. NGC 6611

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Bomans, D. J.

2008-11-01

N-body simulations have shown that the dynamical decay of the young (~1 Myr) Orion Nebula cluster could be responsible for the loss of at least half of its initial content of OB stars. This result suggests that other young stellar systems could also lose a significant fraction of their massive stars at the very beginning of their evolution. To confirm this expectation, we used the Mid-Infrared Galactic Plane Survey (completed by the Midcourse Space Experiment satellite) to search for bow shocks around a number of young (⪉several Myr) clusters and OB associations. We discovered dozens of bow shocks generated by OB stars running away from these stellar systems, supporting the idea of significant dynamical loss of OB stars. In this paper, we report the discovery of three bow shocks produced by O-type stars ejected from the open cluster NGC 6611 (M16). One of the bow shocks is associated with the O9.5Iab star HD165319, which was suggested to be one of “the best examples for isolated Galactic high-mass star formation” (de Wit et al. 2005, A&A, 437, 247). Possible implications of our results for the origin of field OB stars are discussed.

Non-detection of Previously Reported Transits of HD 97658b with MOST Photometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dragomir, Diana; Matthews, Jaymie M.; Howard, Andrew W.

2012-01-01

The radial velocity-discovered exoplanet HD 97658b was recently announced to transit, with a derived planetary radius of 2.93 ± 0.28 R ⊕. As a transiting super-Earth orbiting a bright star, this planet would make an attractive candidate for additional observations, including studies of its atmosp...

Discovery of a new Wolf-Rayet star and a candidate star cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud with Spitzer

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Chené, A.-N.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Schnurr, O.; Shenar, T.; Sander, A.; Hainich, R.; Langer, N.; Hamann, W.-R.; Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A.

2014-08-01

We report the first-ever discovery of a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star in the Large Magellanic Cloud via detection of a circular shell with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Follow-up observations with Gemini-South resolved the central star of the shell into two components separated from each other by ≈2 arcsec (or ≈0.5 pc in projection). One of these components turns out to be a WN3 star with H and He lines both in emission and absorption (we named it BAT99 3a using the numbering system based on extending the Breysacher et al. catalogue). Spectroscopy of the second component showed that it is a B0 V star. Subsequent spectroscopic observations of BAT99 3a with the du Pont 2.5-m telescope and the Southern African Large Telescope revealed that it is a close, eccentric binary system, and that the absorption lines are associated with an O companion star. We analysed the spectrum of the binary system using the non-LTE Potsdam WR (POWR) code, confirming that the WR component is a very hot (≈90 kK) WN star. For this star, we derived a luminosity of log L/ L⊙ = 5.45 and a mass-loss rate of 10- 5.8 M⊙ yr- 1, and found that the stellar wind composition is dominated by helium with 20 per cent of hydrogen. Spectroscopy of the shell revealed an He III region centred on BAT99 3a and having the same angular radius (≈15 arcsec) as the shell. We thereby add a new example to a rare class of high-excitation nebulae photoionized by WR stars. Analysis of the nebular spectrum showed that the shell is composed of unprocessed material, implying that the shell was swept-up from the local interstellar medium. We discuss the physical relationship between the newly identified massive stars and their possible membership of a previously unrecognized star cluster.

Kepler-91b: a planet at the end of its life. Planet and giant host star properties via light-curve variations

Science.gov (United States)

Lillo-Box, J.; Barrado, D.; Moya, A.; Montesinos, B.; Montalbán, J.; Bayo, A.; Barbieri, M.; Régulo, C.; Mancini, L.; Bouy, H.; Henning, T.

2014-02-01

Context. The evolution of planetary systems is intimately linked to the evolution of their host stars. Our understanding of the whole planetary evolution process is based on the wide planet diversity observed so far. Only a few tens of planets have been discovered orbiting stars ascending the red giant branch. Although several theories have been proposed, the question of how planets die remains open owing to the small number statistics, making it clear that the sample of planets around post-main sequence stars needs to be enlarged. Aims: In this work we study the giant star Kepler-91 (KOI-2133) in order to determine the nature of a transiting companion. This system was detected by the Kepler Space Telescope, which identified small dims in its light curve with a period of 6.246580 ± 0.000082 days. However, its planetary confirmation is needed due to the large pixel size of the Kepler camera, which can hide other stellar configurations able to mimic planet-like transit events. Methods: We analysed Kepler photometry to 1) re-calculate transit parameters; 2) study the light-curve modulations; and 3) to perform an asteroseismic analysis (accurate stellar parameter determination) by identifying solar-like oscillations on the periodogram. We also used a high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectrum obtained with the Calar Alto Fiber-fed Échelle spectrograph (CAFE) to measure stellar properties. Additionally, false-positive scenarios were rejected by obtaining high-resolution images with the AstraLux lucky imaging camera on the 2.2 m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory. Results: We confirm the planetary nature of the object transiting the star Kepler-91 by deriving a mass of Mp=0.88+0.17-0.33 MJup and a planetary radius of Rp=1.384+0.011-0.054 RJup. Asteroseismic analysis produces a stellar radius of R⋆ = 6.30 ± 0.16 R⊙ and a mass of M⋆ = 1.31 ± 0.10 M⊙. We find that its eccentric orbit (e=0.066+0.013-0.017) is just 1.32+0.07-0.22 R⋆ away from

Cross-Linking Mast Cell Specific Gangliosides Stimulates the Release of Newly Formed Lipid Mediators and Newly Synthesized Cytokines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edismauro Garcia Freitas Filho

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Mast cells are immunoregulatory cells that participate in inflammatory processes. Cross-linking mast cell specific GD1b derived gangliosides by mAbAA4 results in partial activation of mast cells without the release of preformed mediators. The present study examines the release of newly formed and newly synthesized mediators following ganglioside cross-linking. Cross-linking the gangliosides with mAbAA4 released the newly formed lipid mediators, prostaglandins D2 and E2, without release of leukotrienes B4 and C4. The effect of cross-linking these gangliosides on the activation of enzymes in the arachidonate cascade was then investigated. Ganglioside cross-linking resulted in phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 and increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2. Translocation of 5-lipoxygenase from the cytosol to the nucleus was not induced by ganglioside cross-linking. Cross-linking of GD1b derived gangliosides also resulted in the release of the newly synthesized mediators, interleukin-4, interleukin-6, and TNF-α. The effect of cross-linking the gangliosides on the MAP kinase pathway was then investigated. Cross-linking the gangliosides induced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 as well as activating both NFκB and NFAT in a Syk-dependent manner. Therefore, cross-linking the mast cell specific GD1b derived gangliosides results in the activation of signaling pathways that culminate with the release of newly formed and newly synthesized mediators.

Correlation between the helium abundances in the atmospheres of early B stars and their ages and masses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyubimkov, L.S.

1989-01-01

The masses M and ages t are found for early main sequence B stars for which fairly accurate estimates of the helium abundance var-epsilon He are available. It is shown that if the stars are grouped according to M and then var-epsilon He is compared with t a correlation between var-epsilon He and t is found in each such group. Moreover, the rate of enrichment of the atmospheres of B stars with helium, var-epsilon He , is higher the larger the mass M. In the interval M/M circle-dot = 6-14 the value of var-epsilon He depends linearly on M. For stars with such masses the helium abundance in the atmosphere is increased during the time of hydrogen burning in the core by 0.03-0.05, whereas for stars with M ≤ 5M circle-dot the addition to var-epsilon He does not exceed 0.01. The dependence of var-epsilon He on M and t, together with the analogous dependence found for nitrogen [10], may have an evolutionary nature and indicate that already in the main sequence stage there exists a mechanism which carries products of the CNO cycle from the interior of the stars to the surface

IC 751: A New Changing Look AGN Discovered By NuSTAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ricci, C.; Bauer, F. E.; Arevalo, P.

2016-01-01

We present results of five Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of the type 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) in IC 751, three of which were performed simultaneously with XMM-Newton or Swift/X-Ray Telescope. We find that the nuclear X-ray source underwent a clear transition f...

Einstein@Home discovers a radio-quiet gamma-ray millisecond pulsar

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Colin J.; Pletsch, Holger J.; Wu, Jason; Guillemot, Lucas; Kerr, Matthew; Johnson, Tyrel J.; Camilo, Fernando; Salvetti, David; Allen, Bruce; Anderson, David; Aulbert, Carsten; Beer, Christian; Bock, Oliver; Cuéllar, Andres; Eggenstein, Heinz-Bernd; Fehrmann, Henning; Kramer, Michael; Kwang, Shawn A.; Machenschalk, Bernd; Nieder, Lars; Ackermann, Markus; Ajello, Marco; Baldini, Luca; Ballet, Jean; Barbiellini, Guido; Bastieri, Denis; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Bissaldi, Elisabetta; Blandford, Roger D.; Bloom, Elliott D.; Bonino, Raffaella; Bottacini, Eugenio; Brandt, Terri J.; Bregeon, Johan; Bruel, Philippe; Buehler, Rolf; Burnett, Toby H.; Buson, Sara; Cameron, Rob A.; Caputo, Regina; Caraveo, Patrizia A.; Cavazzuti, Elisabetta; Cecchi, Claudia; Charles, Eric; Chekhtman, Alexandre; Ciprini, Stefano; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Costantin, Denise; Cutini, Sara; D’Ammando, Filippo; De Luca, Andrea; Desiante, Rachele; Di Venere, Leonardo; Di Mauro, Mattia; Di Lalla, Niccolò; Digel, Seth W.; Favuzzi, Cecilia; Ferrara, Elizabeth C.; Franckowiak, Anna; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Funk, Stefan; Fusco, Piergiorgio; Gargano, Fabio; Gasparrini, Dario; Giglietto, Nico; Giordano, Francesco; Giroletti, Marcello; Gomez-Vargas, Germán A.; Green, David; Grenier, Isabelle A.; Guiriec, Sylvain; Harding, Alice K.; Hewitt, John W.; Horan, Deirdre; Jóhannesson, Guðlaugur; Kensei, Shiki; Kuss, Michael; La Mura, Giovanni; Larsson, Stefan; Latronico, Luca; Li, Jian; Longo, Francesco; Loparco, Francesco; Lovellette, Michael N.; Lubrano, Pasquale; Magill, Jeffrey D.; Maldera, Simone; Manfreda, Alberto; Mazziotta, Mario N.; McEnery, Julie E.; Michelson, Peter F.; Mirabal, Nestor; Mitthumsiri, Warit; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Monzani, Maria Elena; Morselli, Aldo; Moskalenko, Igor V.; Nuss, Eric; Ohsugi, Takashi; Omodei, Nicola; Orienti, Monica; Orlando, Elena; Palatiello, Michele; Paliya, Vaidehi S.; de Palma, Francesco; Paneque, David; Perkins, Jeremy S.; Persic, Massimo; Pesce-Rollins, Melissa; Porter, Troy A.; Principe, Giacomo; Rainò, Silvia; Rando, Riccardo; Ray, Paul S.; Razzano, Massimiliano; Reimer, Anita; Reimer, Olaf; Romani, Roger W.; Saz Parkinson, Pablo M.; Sgrò, Carmelo; Siskind, Eric J.; Smith, David A.; Spada, Francesca; Spandre, Gloria; Spinelli, Paolo; Thayer, Jana B.; Thompson, David J.; Torres, Diego F.; Troja, Eleonora; Vianello, Giacomo; Wood, Kent; Wood, Matthew

2018-01-01

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are old neutron stars that spin hundreds of times per second and appear to pulsate as their emission beams cross our line of sight. To date, radio pulsations have been detected from all rotation-powered MSPs. In an attempt to discover radio-quiet gamma-ray MSPs, we used the aggregated power from the computers of tens of thousands of volunteers participating in the Einstein@Home distributed computing project to search for pulsations from unidentified gamma-ray sources in Fermi Large Area Telescope data. This survey discovered two isolated MSPs, one of which is the only known rotation-powered MSP to remain undetected in radio observations. These gamma-ray MSPs were discovered in completely blind searches without prior constraints from other observations, raising hopes for detecting MSPs from a predicted Galactic bulge population. PMID:29503868

The central star candidate of the planetary nebula Sh2-71: photometric and spectroscopic variability

Science.gov (United States)

Močnik, T.; Lloyd, M.; Pollacco, D.; Street, R. A.

2015-07-01

We present the analysis of several newly obtained and archived photometric and spectroscopic data sets of the intriguing and yet poorly understood 13.5 mag central star candidate of the bipolar planetary nebula Sh2-71. Photometric observations confirmed the previously determined quasi-sinusoidal light curve with a period of 68 d and also indicated periodic sharp brightness dips, possibly eclipses, with a period of 17.2 d. In addition, the comparison between U and V light curves revealed that the 68 d brightness variations are accompanied by a variable reddening effect of ΔE(U - V) = 0.38. Spectroscopic data sets demonstrated pronounced variations in spectral profiles of Balmer, helium and singly ionized metal lines and indicated that these variations occur on a time-scale of a few days. The most accurate verification to date revealed that spectral variability is not correlated with the 68 d brightness variations. The mean radial velocity of the observed star was measured to be ˜26 km s-1 with an amplitude of ±40 km s-1. The spectral type was determined to be B8V through spectral comparison with synthetic and standard spectra. The newly proposed model for the central star candidate is a Be binary with a misaligned precessing disc.

A Hard X-Ray Study of the Normal Star-Forming Galaxy M83 with NuSTAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yukita, M.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Lehmer, B. D.

2016-01-01

We present the results from sensitive, multi-epoch NuSTAR observations of the late-type star-forming galaxy M83 (d = 4.6 Mpc). This is the first investigation to spatially resolve the hard (E > 10 keV) X-ray emission of this galaxy. The nuclear region and similar to 20 off-nuclear point sources......, including a previously discovered ultraluminous X-ray source, are detected in our NuSTAR observations. The X-ray hardnesses and luminosities of the majority of the point sources are consistent with hard X-ray sources resolved in the starburst galaxy NGC 253. We infer that the hard X-ray emission is most...

One or more bound planets per Milky Way star from microlensing observations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cassan, A; Kubas, D; Beaulieu, J-P; Dominik, M; Horne, K; Greenhill, J; Wambsganss, J; Menzies, J; Williams, A; Jørgensen, U G; Udalski, A; Bennett, D P; Albrow, M D; Batista, V; Brillant, S; Caldwell, J A R; Cole, A; Coutures, Ch; Cook, K H; Dieters, S; Prester, D Dominis; Donatowicz, J; Fouqué, P; Hill, K; Kains, N; Kane, S; Marquette, J-B; Martin, R; Pollard, K R; Sahu, K C; Vinter, C; Warren, D; Watson, B; Zub, M; Sumi, T; Szymański, M K; Kubiak, M; Poleski, R; Soszynski, I; Ulaczyk, K; Pietrzyński, G; Wyrzykowski, L

2012-01-11

Most known extrasolar planets (exoplanets) have been discovered using the radial velocity or transit methods. Both are biased towards planets that are relatively close to their parent stars, and studies find that around 17-30% (refs 4, 5) of solar-like stars host a planet. Gravitational microlensing, on the other hand, probes planets that are further away from their stars. Recently, a population of planets that are unbound or very far from their stars was discovered by microlensing. These planets are at least as numerous as the stars in the Milky Way. Here we report a statistical analysis of microlensing data (gathered in 2002-07) that reveals the fraction of bound planets 0.5-10 AU (Sun-Earth distance) from their stars. We find that 17(+6)(-9)% of stars host Jupiter-mass planets (0.3-10 M(J), where M(J) = 318 M(⊕) and M(⊕) is Earth's mass). Cool Neptunes (10-30 M(⊕)) and super-Earths (5-10 M(⊕)) are even more common: their respective abundances per star are 52(+22)(-29)% and 62(+35)(-37)%. We conclude that stars are orbited by planets as a rule, rather than the exception.

KEPLER-21b: A 1.6 R{sub Earth} PLANET TRANSITING THE BRIGHT OSCILLATING F SUBGIANT STAR HD 179070

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howell, Steve B. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Rowe, Jason F.; Bryson, Stephen T. [NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Quinn, Samuel N. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Isaacson, Howard [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Ciardi, David R. [NASA Exoplanet Science Institute/Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Chaplin, William J.; Elsworth, Yvonne [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Metcalfe, Travis S. [High Altitude Observatory and Scientific Computing Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80307 (United States); Monteiro, Mario J. P. F. G. [Centro de Astrofisica, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Appourchaux, Thierry [Institut d' Astrophysique Spatiale, Universite Paris XI-CNRS (UMR8617), Batiment 121, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Basu, Sarbani [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 (United States); Creevey, Orlagh L. [Departamento de Astrofisica, Universidad de La Laguna, E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Gilliland, Ronald L. [Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Quirion, Pierre-Olivier [Canadian Space Agency, 6767 Boulevard de l' Aeroport, Saint-Hubert, QC, J3Y 8Y9 (Canada); Stello, Denis [Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Kjeldsen, Hans; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Joergen [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); Garcia, Rafael A. [Laboratoire AIM, CEA/DSM-CNRS-Universite Paris Diderot-IRFU/SAp, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); and others

2012-02-20

We present Kepler observations of the bright (V = 8.3), oscillating star HD 179070. The observations show transit-like events which reveal that the star is orbited every 2.8 days by a small, 1.6 R{sub Earth} object. Seismic studies of HD 179070 using short cadence Kepler observations show that HD 179070 has a frequency-power spectrum consistent with solar-like oscillations that are acoustic p-modes. Asteroseismic analysis provides robust values for the mass and radius of HD 179070, 1.34 {+-} 0.06 M{sub Sun} and 1.86 {+-} 0.04 R{sub Sun }, respectively, as well as yielding an age of 2.84 {+-} 0.34 Gyr for this F5 subgiant. Together with ground-based follow-up observations, analysis of the Kepler light curves and image data, and blend scenario models, we conservatively show at the >99.7% confidence level (3{sigma}) that the transit event is caused by a 1.64 {+-} 0.04 R{sub Earth} exoplanet in a 2.785755 {+-} 0.000032 day orbit. The exoplanet is only 0.04 AU away from the star and our spectroscopic observations provide an upper limit to its mass of {approx}10 M{sub Earth} (2{sigma}). HD 179070 is the brightest exoplanet host star yet discovered by Kepler.

An ultraviolet study of B[e] stars: evidence for pulsations, luminous blue variable type variations and processes in envelopes

Science.gov (United States)

Krtičková, I.; Krtička, J.

2018-06-01

Stars that exhibit a B[e] phenomenon comprise a very diverse group of objects in a different evolutionary status. These objects show common spectral characteristics, including the presence of Balmer lines in emission, forbidden lines and strong infrared excess due to dust. Observations of emission lines indicate illumination by an ultraviolet ionizing source, which is key to understanding the elusive nature of these objects. We study the ultraviolet variability of many B[e] stars to specify the geometry of the circumstellar environment and its variability. We analyse massive hot B[e] stars from our Galaxy and from the Magellanic Clouds. We study the ultraviolet broad-band variability derived from the flux-calibrated data. We determine variations of individual lines and the correlation with the total flux variability. We detected variability of the spectral energy distribution and of the line profiles. The variability has several sources of origin, including light absorption by the disc, pulsations, luminous blue variable type variations, and eclipses in the case of binaries. The stellar radiation of most of B[e] stars is heavily obscured by circumstellar material. This suggests that the circumstellar material is present not only in the disc but also above its plane. The flux and line variability is consistent with a two-component model of a circumstellar environment composed of a dense disc and an ionized envelope. Observations of B[e] supergiants show that many of these stars have nearly the same luminosity, about 1.9 × 105 L⊙, and similar effective temperatures.

Flaring red dwarf stars: news from Crimea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gershberg, Roald E

1998-01-01

Important phenomena are briefly described which have recently been discovered in the Crimean studies of flaring red dwarf stars believed to be the most common type of variable stars in the Galaxy. These phenomena include (i) long-lived radiation from a blueshifted component in the ionized-helium λ 4686 A emission line in the active state of one such star, (ii) a long-lived absorption component in the stellar flare light curves with a lifetime exceeding that of the conventional flare emission, and (iii) solarcycle-like activity periodicity of the star EV Lac, whose mass is only 0.3 solar masses. In theoretical terms, a red dwarf star spot model is constructed which, in contrast to the commonly accepted model, agrees well with the solar spot picture. (physics of our days)

Flaring red dwarf stars: news from Crimea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gershberg, Roald E [Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Nauchnyi, Crimea (Ukraine)

1998-08-31

Important phenomena are briefly described which have recently been discovered in the Crimean studies of flaring red dwarf stars believed to be the most common type of variable stars in the Galaxy. These phenomena include (i) long-lived radiation from a blueshifted component in the ionized-helium {lambda} 4686 A emission line in the active state of one such star, (ii) a long-lived absorption component in the stellar flare light curves with a lifetime exceeding that of the conventional flare emission, and (iii) solarcycle-like activity periodicity of the star EV Lac, whose mass is only 0.3 solar masses. In theoretical terms, a red dwarf star spot model is constructed which, in contrast to the commonly accepted model, agrees well with the solar spot picture. (physics of our days)

R. B. Woodward: A Larger-than-Life Chemistry Rock Star.

Science.gov (United States)

Seeman, Jeffrey I

2017-08-14

To mark the 100th birthday of R. B. Woodward (April 10, 1917-July 8, 1979), a discussion and analysis of Woodward's persona is given. The fundamental theme is that "Woodward experienced his own exceptionality," as described by Albert Eschenmoser, Woodward's partner in the vitamin B 12 project. Woodward's rock star personality is explored and discussed as one of his legacies in addition to his scientific achievements. Woodward presented himself to his students, colleagues, and fellow chemists with an aura of nobility and romanticism. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

K2-232 b: a transiting warm Saturn on an eccentric P = 11.2 d orbit around a V = 9.9 star

Science.gov (United States)

Brahm, R.; Espinoza, N.; Jordán, A.; Rojas, F.; Sarkis, P.; Díaz, M. R.; Rabus, M.; Drass, H.; Lachaume, R.; Soto, M. G.; Jenkins, J. S.; Jones, M. I.; Henning, Th; Pantoja, B.; Vučković, M.

2018-06-01

We report the discovery of K2-232 b using photometric data of the Kepler K2 satellite coupled with ground-based spectroscopic observations. K2-232 b has a mass of MP = 0.397 ± 0.037 MJ, a radius of RP = 1.00 ± 0.020 RJ, and a moderately low equilibrium temperature of Teq = 1030 ± 15 K due to its relatively large star-planet separation of a = 0.1036 au. K2-232 b orbits its bright (V = 9.9) late F-type host star in an eccentric orbit (e = 0.258 ± 0.025) every 11.2 d, and is one of only four well-characterized warm Jupiters having host stars brighter than V = 10. We estimate a heavy element content of 20 ± 7 M⊕ for K2-232 b, which is consistent with standard models of giant planet formation. The bright host star of K2-232 b makes this system a well-suited target for detailed follow-up observations that will aid in the study of the atmospheres and orbital evolution of giant planets at moderate separations from their host stars.

RADIAL VELOCITY OBSERVATIONS AND LIGHT CURVE NOISE MODELING CONFIRM THAT KEPLER-91b IS A GIANT PLANET ORBITING A GIANT STAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barclay, Thomas; Huber, Daniel; Rowe, Jason F.; Quintana, Elisa V.; Endl, Michael; Cochran, William D.; MacQueen, Phillip J.; Foreman-Mackey, Daniel

2015-01-01

Kepler-91b is a rare example of a transiting hot Jupiter around a red giant star, providing the possibility to study the formation and composition of hot Jupiters under different conditions compared to main-sequence stars. However, the planetary nature of Kepler-91b, which was confirmed using phase-curve variations by Lillo-Box et al., was recently called into question based on a re-analysis of Kepler data. We have obtained ground-based radial velocity observations from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and unambiguously confirm the planetary nature of Kepler-91b by simultaneously modeling the Kepler and radial velocity data. The star exhibits temporally correlated noise due to stellar granulation which we model as a Gaussian Process. We hypothesize that it is this noise component that led previous studies to suspect Kepler-91b to be a false positive. Our work confirms the conclusions presented by Lillo-Box et al. that Kepler-91b is a 0.73 ± 0.13 M Jup planet orbiting a red giant star

The Search for New Luminous Blue Variable Stars: Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Stars With 24 micron Shells

Science.gov (United States)

Stringfellow, Guy; Gvaramadze, Vasilii

2010-02-01

Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) stars represent an extremely rare class of very luminous and massive stars. Only about a dozen confirmed Galactic LBV stars are known to date, which precludes us from determining a solid evolutionary connection between LBV and other intermediate (e.g. Ofpe/WN9, WNL) phases in the life of very massive stars. The known LBV stars each have their own unique properties, so new discoveries add insight into the properties and evolutionary status of LBVs and massive stars; even one new discovery of objects of this type could provide break-through results in the understanding of the intermediate stages of massive star evolution. We have culled a prime sample of possible LBV candidates from the Spitzer 24 (micron) archival data. All have circumstellar nebulae, rings, and shells (typical of LBVs and related stars) surrounding reddened central stars. Spectroscopic followup of about two dozen optically visible central stars associated with the shells from this sample showed that they are either candidate LBVs, late WN-type Wolf-Rayet stars or blue supergiants. We propose infrared spectroscopic observations of the central stars for a large fraction (23 stars) of our northern sample to determine their nature and discover additional LBV candidates. These stars have no plausible optical counterparts, so infrared spectra are needed. This program requires two nights of Hale time using TripleSpec.

Examining the infrared variable star population discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud using the SAGE-SMC survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polsdofer, Elizabeth; Marengo, M.; Seale, J.; Sewiło, M.; Vijh, U. P.; Terrazas, M.; Meixner, M.

2015-01-01

We present our study on the infrared variability of point sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We use the data from the Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy Program “Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud” (SAGE-SMC) and the “Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud” (S 3 MC) survey, over three different epochs, separated by several months to 3 years. Variability in the thermal infrared is identified using a combination of Spitzer’s InfraRed Array Camera 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm bands, and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer 24 μm band. An error-weighted flux difference between each pair of three epochs (“variability index”) is used to assess the variability of each source. A visual source inspection is used to validate the photometry and image quality. Out of ∼2 million sources in the SAGE-SMC catalog, 814 meet our variability criteria. We matched the list of variable star candidates to the catalogs of SMC sources classified with other methods, available in the literature. Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars make up the majority (61%) of our variable sources, with about a third of all of our sources being classified as extreme AGB stars. We find a small, but significant population of oxygen-rich (O-rich) AGB (8.6%), Red Supergiant (2.8%), and Red Giant Branch (<1%) stars. Other matches to the literature include Cepheid variable stars (8.6%), early type stars (2.8%), Young-stellar objects (5.8%), and background galaxies (1.2%). We found a candidate OH maser star, SSTISAGE1C J005212.88-730852.8, which is a variable O-rich AGB star, and would be the first OH/IR star in the SMC, if confirmed. We measured the infrared variability of a rare RV Tau variable (a post-AGB star) that has recently left the AGB phase. 59 variable stars from our list remain unclassified.

Examining the infrared variable star population discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud using the SAGE-SMC survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polsdofer, Elizabeth; Marengo, M. [Iowa State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 12 Physics Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States); Seale, J.; Sewiło, M. [The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 366 Bloomberg Center, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Vijh, U. P.; Terrazas, M. [Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States); Meixner, M., E-mail: empolsdofer@gmail.com [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2015-02-01

We present our study on the infrared variability of point sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We use the data from the Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy Program “Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud” (SAGE-SMC) and the “Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud” (S{sup 3}MC) survey, over three different epochs, separated by several months to 3 years. Variability in the thermal infrared is identified using a combination of Spitzer’s InfraRed Array Camera 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm bands, and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer 24 μm band. An error-weighted flux difference between each pair of three epochs (“variability index”) is used to assess the variability of each source. A visual source inspection is used to validate the photometry and image quality. Out of ∼2 million sources in the SAGE-SMC catalog, 814 meet our variability criteria. We matched the list of variable star candidates to the catalogs of SMC sources classified with other methods, available in the literature. Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars make up the majority (61%) of our variable sources, with about a third of all of our sources being classified as extreme AGB stars. We find a small, but significant population of oxygen-rich (O-rich) AGB (8.6%), Red Supergiant (2.8%), and Red Giant Branch (<1%) stars. Other matches to the literature include Cepheid variable stars (8.6%), early type stars (2.8%), Young-stellar objects (5.8%), and background galaxies (1.2%). We found a candidate OH maser star, SSTISAGE1C J005212.88-730852.8, which is a variable O-rich AGB star, and would be the first OH/IR star in the SMC, if confirmed. We measured the infrared variability of a rare RV Tau variable (a post-AGB star) that has recently left the AGB phase. 59 variable stars from our list remain unclassified.

Wave Star

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Morten; Frigaard, Peter

Nærværende rapport beskriver modelforsøg udført på Aalborg Universitet, Institut for Byggeri og Anlæg med bølgeenergianlæget Wave Star.......Nærværende rapport beskriver modelforsøg udført på Aalborg Universitet, Institut for Byggeri og Anlæg med bølgeenergianlæget Wave Star....

Discovery of two new Galactic candidate luminous blue variables with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Miroshnichenko, A. S.; Berdnikov, L. N.; Langer, N.; Stringfellow, G. S.; Todt, H.; Hamann, W.-R.; Grebel, E. K.; Buckley, D.; Crause, L.; Crawford, S.; Gulbis, A.; Hettlage, C.; Hooper, E.; Husser, T.-O.; Kotze, P.; Loaring, N.; Nordsieck, K. H.; O'Donoghue, D.; Pickering, T.; Potter, S.; Romero Colmenero, E.; Vaisanen, P.; Williams, T.; Wolf, M.; Reichart, D. E.; Ivarsen, K. M.; Haislip, J. B.; Nysewander, M. C.; LaCluyze, A. P.

2012-04-01

We report the discovery of two new Galactic candidate luminous blue variable (LBV) stars via detection of circular shells (typical of confirmed and candidate LBVs) and follow-up spectroscopy of their central stars. The shells were detected at 22 μm in the archival data of the Mid-Infrared All Sky Survey carried out with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Follow-up optical spectroscopy of the central stars of the shells conducted with the renewed Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) showed that their spectra are very similar to those of the well-known LBVs P Cygni and AG Car, and the recently discovered candidate LBV MN112, which implies the LBV classification for these stars as well. The LBV classification of both stars is supported by detection of their significant photometric variability: one of them brightened in the R and I bands by 0.68 ± 0.10 and 0.61 ± 0.04 mag, respectively, during the last 13-18 years, while the second one (known as Hen 3-1383) varies its B, V, R, I and Ks brightnesses by ≃0.5-0.9 mag on time-scales from 10 d to decades. We also found significant changes in the spectrum of Hen 3-1383 on a time-scale of ≃3 months, which provides additional support for the LBV classification of this star. Further spectrophotometric monitoring of both stars is required to firmly prove their LBV status. We discuss a connection between the location of massive stars in the field and their fast rotation, and suggest that the LBV activity of the newly discovered candidate LBVs might be directly related to their possible runaway status. a USNO B-1 (Monet et al. 2003); bDENIS; c2MASS; dSALT; ePROMPT.

Star Formation at the Galactic Center

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-08-01

Could stars be forming in the inhospitable environment near Sagittarius A* in the heart of the Milky Way? A possible signature of low-mass star formation has recently been found just two light-years from the black hole at the center of our galaxy — a region that was previously thought to be too hostile for such activity. Searching for Signatures: Previous observations of the central few light-years of the Milky Way had focused on a population of about 200 massive, young and very bright stars in tight orbits around Sgr A*. These stars are only a few million years old and prompted scientists to wonder: have they somehow managed to form in situ, in spite of their close proximity to the black hole, or did they form further out and then migrate in? Motivated by this mystery, Farhad Yusef-Zadeh of Northwestern University and collaborators looked for evidence of even younger stars close to Sagittarius A*, which would demonstrate that star formation in the area is an ongoing process. Using the Very Large Array (VLA), the collaboration discovered several small sources in one arm of activity near Sgr A*. This 34-GHz image provides a close-up view of two protoplanetary disk candidates (labeled P26 and P8) located near Sgr A*. These objects are outlined on the right side by a bow shock caused by impacting stellar wind that streams from the young, hot stars closer to the Galactic center. The disks are thought to contain recently-formed, low-mass stars. (Credit: Yusef-Zadeh et al., 2015) Heated Disks: The team identified these sources as candidate photoevaporative protoplanetary disks, or “proplyds” — areas of dense, ionized gas and dust surrounding young, newly formed stars. The proplyd candidates are between 10,000 and 100,000 years old, and they lie along the edge of a large molecular cloud. It is likely that this cloud produced the disks by providing a reservoir of gas to feed the star-formation activity. The region surrounding these proplyds is blasted with harsh

The Dushak–Erekdag Survey of roAp Stars Tatyana Dorokhova ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

South-African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). Details of the discovery and further studies are given in Kurtz (1990) and Kurtz & Martinez (2000). Some roAp stars have multiple modes of pulsations and they are valuable for asteroseismological studies. Out of the 32 known roAp stars so far, about 84% were discovered in ...

Pulsar-irradiated stars in dense globular clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Tavani, Marco

1992-01-01

We discuss the properties of stars irradiated by millisecond pulsars in 'hard' binaries of dense globular clusters. Irradiation by a relativistic pulsar wind as in the case of the eclipsing millisecond pulsar PSR 1957+20 alter both the magnitude and color of the companion star. Some of the blue stragglers (BSs) recently discovered in dense globular clusters can be irradiated stars in binaries containing powerful millisecond pulsars. The discovery of pulsar-driven orbital modulations of BS brightness and color with periods of a few hours together with evidence for radio and/or gamma-ray emission from BS binaries would valuably contribute to the understanding of the evolution of collapsed stars in globular clusters. Pulsar-driven optical modulation of cluster stars might be the only observable effect of a new class of binary pulsars, i.e., hidden millisecond pulsars enshrouded in the evaporated material lifted off from the irradiated companion star.

VARIABLE STARS IN THE ULTRA-FAINT DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXY URSA MAJOR I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garofalo, Alessia; Moretti, Maria Ida [Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universita di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Cusano, Felice; Clementini, Gisella [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Ripepi, Vincenzo; Dall' Ora, Massimo; Coppola, Giuseppina; Musella, Ilaria; Marconi, Marcella, E-mail: alessia.garofalo@studio.unibo.it, E-mail: fcusano@na.astro.it, E-mail: gisella.clementini@oabo.inaf.it, E-mail: ripepi@na.astro.it, E-mail: dallora@na.astro.it, E-mail: imoretti@na.astro.it, E-mail: coppola@na.astro.it, E-mail: ilaria@na.astro.it, E-mail: marcella@na.astro.it [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli (Italy)

2013-04-10

We have performed the first study of the variable star population of Ursa Major I (UMa I), an ultra-faint dwarf satellite recently discovered around the Milky Way (MW) by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Combining time series observations in the B and V bands from four different telescopes, we have identified seven RR Lyrae stars in UMa I, of which five are fundamental-mode (RRab) and two are first-overtone pulsators (RRc). Our V, B - V color-magnitude diagram of UMa I reaches V {approx} 23 mag (at a signal-to-noise ratio of {approx}6) and shows features typical of a single old stellar population. The mean pulsation period of the RRab stars (P{sub ab}) = 0.628, {sigma} = 0.071 days (or (P{sub ab}) = 0.599, {sigma} = 0.032 days, if V4, the longest period and brightest variable, is discarded) and the position on the period-amplitude diagram suggest an Oosterhoff-intermediate classification for the galaxy. The RR Lyrae stars trace the galaxy horizontal branch (HB) at an average apparent magnitude of (V(RR)) = 20.43 {+-} 0.02 mag (average on six stars and discarding V4), giving in turn a distance modulus for UMa I of (m - M){sub 0} = 19.94 {+-} 0.13 mag, distance d = 97.3{sup +6.0}{sub -5.7} kpc, in the scale where the distance modulus of the Large Magellanic Cloud is 18.5 {+-} 0.1 mag. Isodensity contours of UMa I red giants and HB stars (including the RR Lyrae stars identified in this study) show that the galaxy has an S-shaped structure, which is likely caused by the tidal interaction with the MW. Photometric metallicities were derived for six of the UMa I RR Lyrae stars from the parameters of the Fourier decomposition of the V-band light curves, leading to an average metal abundance of [Fe/H] = -2.29 dex ({sigma} = 0.06 dex, average on six stars) on the Carretta et al. metallicity scale.

Stellar outflow: relative motions of nebulae and Of stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynds, B.T.

1979-01-01

On the basis of arguments presented by Roberts (1972) and of Shu et al. (1972), Minn and Greenberg (1973) argued that the velocity differences between newly formed hot stars and the surrounding interstellar medium are sufficiently different so that typical H II regions should consist of material which is continually being replaced by the ambient medium and which should therefore possess the velocity of the medium rather than that of the star. The critical test of this hypothesis will be a comparison of nebular velocities with the velocities of the exciting stars. This is performed for Of stars and nebulae. (Auth.)

SOUTHERN MASSIVE STARS AT HIGH ANGULAR RESOLUTION: OBSERVATIONAL CAMPAIGN AND COMPANION DETECTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sana, H. [European Space Agency/Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Le Bouquin, J.-B.; Duvert, G.; Zins, G. [Université Grenoble Alpes, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Lacour, S.; Gauchet, L.; Pickel, D. [LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC, Université Paris-Diderot, Paris Sciences et Lettres, 5 Place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon (France); Berger, J.-P. [European Southern Observatory, Schwarzschild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany); Norris, B. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Olofsson, J. [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Absil, O. [Département d' Astrophysique, Géophysique et Océanographie, Université de Liège, 17 Allée du Six Août, B-4000 Liège (Belgium); De Koter, A. [Astrophysical Institute Anton Pannekoek, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kratter, K. [JILA, 440 UCB, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0440 (United States); Schnurr, O. [Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam (Germany); Zinnecker, H., E-mail: hsana@stsci.edu [Deutsches SOFIA Instituut, SOFIA Science Center, NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop N232-12, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States)

2014-11-01

emitters observed by SMaSH+ are all resolved, including the newly discovered pairs HD 168112 and CPD–47°2963. This lends strong support to the universality of the wind-wind collision scenario to explain the non-thermal emission from O-type stars.

Spectrophotometry of peculiar B and A stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelman, S.J.

1980-01-01

Spectrophotometry of the optical region lambda lambda 3300-7100 is presented for seven magnetic Ap stars: HD 32650, 84 Ursa Majoris, HD 149822, 19 Lyrae, 4 Cygni, HD 196178, and 108 Aquarii. The energy distributions of all seven stars show definite lambda 4200 and lambda 5200 broad, continuum features as well as other more subtle deviations from the predictions of normal stellar atmospheres. The observations of HD 32650 violate the general rule for the Ap stars that the temperature found by comparing the Balmer jump regions with the predictions of normal stalle atmospheres with log g = 4.0 are systematically greater than those found from fitting the slopes of the Paschen continua. (orig.)

Distant World in Peril Discovered from La Silla

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

Giant Exoplanet Orbits Giant Star Summary When, in a distant future, the Sun begins to expand and evolves into a "giant" star, the surface temperature on the Earth will rise dramatically and our home planet will eventually be incinerated by that central body. Fortunately for us, this dramatic event is several billion years away. However, that sad fate will befall another planet, just discovered in orbit about the giant star HD 47536, already within a few tens of millions of years. At a distance of nearly 400 light-years from us, it is the second-remotest planetary system discovered to date [1]. This is an interesting side-result of a major research project, now carried out by a European-Brazilian team of astronomers [2]. In the course of a three-year spectroscopic survey, they have observed about 80 giant stars in the southern sky with the advanced FEROS spectrograph on the 1.52-m telescope installed at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile). It is one of these stars that has just been found to host a giant planet. This is only the fourth such case known and with a diameter of about 33 million km (or 23.5 times that of our Sun), HD 47536 is by far the largest of those giant stars [1]. The distance of the planet from the star is still of the order of 300 million km (or twice the distance of the Earth from the Sun), a safe margin now, but this will not always be so. The orbital period is 712 days, i.e., somewhat less than two Earth years, and the planet's mass is 5 - 10 times that of Jupiter. The presence of exoplanets in orbit around giant stars, some of which will eventually perish into their central star (be "cannibalized"), provides a possible explanation of the anomalous abundance of certain chemical elements that is observed in the atmospheres of some stars, cf. ESO PR 10/01. This interesting discovery bodes well for coming observations of exoplanetary systems with new, more powerful instruments, like HARPS to be installed next year at the ESO 3.6-m telescope on

Wave Star

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Morten; Andersen, Thomas Lykke

Nærværende rapport beskriver modelforsøg udført på Aalborg Universitet, Institut for Vand, Jord og Miljøteknik med bølgeenergianlægget Wave Star.......Nærværende rapport beskriver modelforsøg udført på Aalborg Universitet, Institut for Vand, Jord og Miljøteknik med bølgeenergianlægget Wave Star....

THE DISCOVERY OF DIFFERENTIAL RADIAL ROTATION IN THE PULSATING SUBDWARF B STAR KIC 3527751

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foster, H. M.; Reed, M. D. [Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897 (United States); Telting, J. H. [Nordic Optical Telescope, Rambla José Ana Fernández Pérez 7, E-38711 Breña Baja (Spain); Østensen, R. H. [Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Baran, A. S. [Uniwersytet Pedagogiczny, Obserwatorium na Suhorze, ul. Podchorażych 2, 30-084 Kraków (Poland)

2015-06-01

We analyze 3 yr of nearly continuous Kepler spacecraft short cadence observations of the pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) star KIC 3527751. We detect a total of 251 periodicities, most in the g-mode domain, but some where p-modes occur, confirming that KIC 3527751 is a hybrid pulsator. We apply seismic tools to the periodicities to characterize the properties of KIC 3527751. Techniques to identify modes include asymptotic period spacing relationships, frequency multiplets, and the separation of multiplet splittings. These techniques allow for 189 (75%) of the 251 periods to be associated with pulsation modes. Included in these are three sets of ℓ = 4 multiplets and possibly an ℓ = 9 multiplet. Period spacing sequences indicate ℓ = 1 and 2 overtone spacings of 266.4 ± 0.2 and 153.2 ± 0.2 s, respectively. We also calculate reduced periods, from which we find evidence of trapped pulsations. Such mode trappings can be used to constrain the core/atmosphere transition layers. Interestingly, frequency multiplets in the g-mode region, which sample deep into the star, indicate a rotation period of 42.6 ± 3.4 days while p-mode multiplets, which sample the outer envelope, indicate a rotation period of 15.3 ± 0.7 days. We interpret this as differential rotation in the radial direction with the core rotating more slowly. This is the first example of differential rotation for a sdB star.

New open cluster candidates discovered in the XSTPS-GAC survey

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jin-Cheng; Zhang, Hua-Wei; Zhang, Hui-Hua; Liu, Xiao-Wei; Yuan, Hai-Bo; Huang, Yang; Wang, Song; Chen, Li; Zhao, Hai-Bin; Liu, Ji-Feng; Chen, Bing-Qiu; Xiang, Mao-Sheng; Tian, Zhi-Jia; Huo, Zhi-Ying; Wang, Chun

2018-03-01

The Xuyi Schmidt Telescope Photometric Survey of the Galactic Anti-center (XSTPS-GAC) is a photometric sky survey that covers nearly 6000 deg2 towards the Galactic Anti-center (GAC) in the g, r, i bands. Half of its survey field is located on the Galactic Anti-center disk, which makes XSTPS-GAC highly suitable to search for new open clusters in the GAC region. In this paper, we report new open cluster candidates discovered in this survey, as well as properties of these open cluster candidates, such as age, distance and reddening, derived by isochrone fitting in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD). These open cluster candidates are stellar density peaks detected in the star density maps by applying the method from Koposov et al. Each candidate is inspected in terms of its true color image composed from three XSTPS-GAC band images. Then its CMD is checked, in order to identify whether the central region stars have a clear isochrone-like trend differing from background stars. The parameters derived from isochrone fitting for these candidates are mainly based on three band photometry of XSTPS-GAC. Moreover, when these new candidates are able to be seen clearly in 2MASS data, their parameters are also derived based on the 2MASS (J – H, J) CMD. There are a total of 320 known open clusters rediscovered and 24 new open cluster candidates discovered in this work. Furthermore, the parameters of these new candidates, as well as another 11 previously known open clusters, are properly determined for the first time.

Intensive photometry of southern Wolf-Rayet stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balona, L.A.; Egan, J.; Marang, F.

1989-01-01

Results are presented of an intensive photometric campaign on 17 of the brightest southern Wolf-Rayet stars. We report the detection of multi-periodicity in two stars: HD 50896 and HD 96548. It is likely that these periodicities are not coherent but are manifestations of the quasi-periodic variations seen in a few WR stars. A good example of these variations is given by HD 86161. A new eclipsing binary, HD 92740 has been discovered; other stars show periodic variations which can be explained by phase-dependent scattering of the secondary light as it traverses the Wolf-Rayet wind. An important conclusion of this study is that not a single example was found of short-period variations which can be attributed to pulsation. (author)

The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. XXII. Multiplicity properties of the B-type stars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dunstall, P.R.; Dufton, P.L.; Sana, H.; Evans, C.J.; Howarth, I.D.; Simón-Díaz, S.; de Mink, S.E.; Langer, N.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Taylor, W.D.

2015-01-01

We investigate the multiplicity properties of 408 B-type stars observed in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud with multi-epoch spectroscopy from the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS). We use a cross-correlation method to estimate relative radial velocities from the helium and metal

Non-LTE, line-blanketed model atmospheres for late O- and early B-type stars

Science.gov (United States)

Grigsby, James A.; Morrison, Nancy D.; Anderson, Lawrence S.

1992-01-01

The use of non-LTE line-blanketed model atmospheres to analyze the spectra of hot stars is reported. The stars analyzed are members of clusters and associations, have spectral types in the range O9-B2 and luminosity classes in the range III-IV, have slow to moderate rotation, and are photometrically constant. Sampled line opacities of iron-group elements were incorporated in the radiative transfer solution; solar abundances were assumed. Good to excellent agreement is obtained between the computed profiles and essentially all the line profiles used to fix the model, and reliable stellar parameters are derived. The synthetic M II 5581 equivalent widths agree well with the observed ones at the low end of the temperature range studied, but, above 25,000 K, the synthetic line is generally stronger than the observed line. The behavior of the observed equivalent widths of N II, N III, C II and C III lines as a function of Teff is studied. Most of the lines show much scatter, with no consistent trend that could indicate abundance differences from star to star.

The core mass growth and stellar lifetime of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalirai, Jason S.; Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel; Marigo, Paola

2014-01-01

We establish new constraints on the intermediate-mass range of the initial-final mass relation, and apply the results to study the evolution of stars on the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB). These constraints derive from newly discovered (bright) white dwarfs in the nearby Hyades and Praesepe star clusters, including a total of 18 high signal-to-noise ratio measurements with progenitor masses of M initial = 2.8-3.8 M ☉ . We also include a new analysis of existing white dwarfs in the older NGC 6819 and NGC 7789 star clusters, M initial = 1.6 and 2.0 M ☉ . Over this range of initial masses, stellar evolutionary models for metallicity Z initial = 0.02 predict the maximum growth of the core of TP-AGB stars. By comparing the newly measured remnant masses to the robust prediction of the core mass at the first thermal pulse on the AGB (i.e., from stellar interior models), we establish several findings. First, we show that the stellar core mass on the AGB grows rapidly from 10% to 30% for stars with M initial = 1.6 to 2.0 M ☉ . At larger masses, the core-mass growth decreases steadily to ∼10% at M initial = 3.4 M ☉ , after which there is a small hint of a upturn out to M initial = 3.8 M ☉ . These observations are in excellent agreement with predictions from the latest TP-AGB evolutionary models in Marigo et al. We also compare to models with varying efficiencies of the third dredge-up and mass loss, and demonstrate that the process governing the growth of the core is largely the stellar wind, while the third dredge-up plays a secondary, but non-negligible role. Based on the new white dwarf measurements, we perform an exploratory calibration of the most popular mass-loss prescriptions in the literature, as well as of the third dredge-up efficiency as a function of the stellar mass. Finally, we estimate the lifetime and the integrated luminosity of stars on the TP-AGB to peak at t ∼ 3 Myr and E = 1.2 × 10 10 L ☉ yr for M initial ∼ 2 M �

The core mass growth and stellar lifetime of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalirai, Jason S.; Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Marigo, Paola, E-mail: jkalirai@stsci.edu, E-mail: paola.marigo@unipd.it, E-mail: ptremblay@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Vicolo dell' Osservatorio 3, I-35122 Padova (Italy)

2014-02-10

We establish new constraints on the intermediate-mass range of the initial-final mass relation, and apply the results to study the evolution of stars on the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB). These constraints derive from newly discovered (bright) white dwarfs in the nearby Hyades and Praesepe star clusters, including a total of 18 high signal-to-noise ratio measurements with progenitor masses of M {sub initial} = 2.8-3.8 M {sub ☉}. We also include a new analysis of existing white dwarfs in the older NGC 6819 and NGC 7789 star clusters, M {sub initial} = 1.6 and 2.0 M {sub ☉}. Over this range of initial masses, stellar evolutionary models for metallicity Z {sub initial} = 0.02 predict the maximum growth of the core of TP-AGB stars. By comparing the newly measured remnant masses to the robust prediction of the core mass at the first thermal pulse on the AGB (i.e., from stellar interior models), we establish several findings. First, we show that the stellar core mass on the AGB grows rapidly from 10% to 30% for stars with M {sub initial} = 1.6 to 2.0 M {sub ☉}. At larger masses, the core-mass growth decreases steadily to ∼10% at M {sub initial} = 3.4 M {sub ☉}, after which there is a small hint of a upturn out to M {sub initial} = 3.8 M {sub ☉}. These observations are in excellent agreement with predictions from the latest TP-AGB evolutionary models in Marigo et al. We also compare to models with varying efficiencies of the third dredge-up and mass loss, and demonstrate that the process governing the growth of the core is largely the stellar wind, while the third dredge-up plays a secondary, but non-negligible role. Based on the new white dwarf measurements, we perform an exploratory calibration of the most popular mass-loss prescriptions in the literature, as well as of the third dredge-up efficiency as a function of the stellar mass. Finally, we estimate the lifetime and the integrated luminosity of stars on the TP-AGB to peak at t �

Mapping RNA-seq Reads with STAR.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobin, Alexander; Gingeras, Thomas R

2015-09-03

Mapping of large sets of high-throughput sequencing reads to a reference genome is one of the foundational steps in RNA-seq data analysis. The STAR software package performs this task with high levels of accuracy and speed. In addition to detecting annotated and novel splice junctions, STAR is capable of discovering more complex RNA sequence arrangements, such as chimeric and circular RNA. STAR can align spliced sequences of any length with moderate error rates, providing scalability for emerging sequencing technologies. STAR generates output files that can be used for many downstream analyses such as transcript/gene expression quantification, differential gene expression, novel isoform reconstruction, and signal visualization. In this unit, we describe computational protocols that produce various output files, use different RNA-seq datatypes, and utilize different mapping strategies. STAR is open source software that can be run on Unix, Linux, or Mac OS X systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Newly Discovered Documents Help to Reconstruct the Purchase of a Lost Princely Wardrobe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thepaut-Cabasset, Corinne

2015-01-01

Passports issued for shipments made to Bavaria between 1680 and 1687 represent an exceptional case study, in which we can envisage the reconstruction of a lost 17th centurywardrobe, sent from Paris to Munich. It helps also to learn about the process and the actors who were creating and activating...... fashion business at that time. This short essay aims to demonstrate how important the research in archives enables dress historians to discover new patterns of knowledge to build the history of Ancien Regime clothing culture....

Jets from Young Stars in Cygnus-X

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2018-03-01

How do you spot very young, newly formed stars? One giveaway is the presence of jets and outflows that interact with the stars environments. In a new study, scientists have now discovered an unprecedented number of these outflows in a nearby star-forming region of our galaxy.Young Stars Hard at WorkCO map of the Cygnus-X region of the galactic plane, with the grid showing the UWISH2 coverage and the black triangles showing the positions of the detected outflows. [Makin Froebrich 2018]The birth and evolution of young stars is a dynamic, energetic process. As new stars form, material falls inward from the accretion disks surrounding young stellar objects, or YSOs. This material can power collimated streams of gas and dust that flow out along the stars rotation axes, plowing through the surrounding material. Where the outflows collide with the outside environment, shocks form that can be spotted in near-infrared hydrogen emission.Though weve learned a lot about these outflows, there remain a number of open questions. What factors govern their properties, such as their lengths, luminosities, and orientations? What is the origin of the emission features we see within the jets, known as knots? What roles do the driving sources and the environments play in the behavior and appearance of the jets?A selection of previously unknown outflows discovered as a result of this survey. Click for a closer look. [Makin Froebrich 2018]To answer these questions, we need to build a large, unbiased statistical sample of YSOs from across the galactic plane. Now, a large infrared survey known as the UKIRT Widefield Infrared Survey for H2 (UWISH2) is working toward that goal.Jackpot in Cygnus-XIn a recent publication, Sally Makin and Dirk Froebrich (University of Kent, UK), present results from UWISH2s latest release: a survey segment targeting a 42-square-degree region in the galactic plane known as the Cygnus-X star-forming region.The teams search for shock-excited emission in Cygnus

A HOT URANUS ORBITING THE SUPER METAL-RICH STAR HD 77338 AND THE METALLICITY-MASS CONNECTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenkins, J. S.; Hoyer, S.; Jones, M. I.; Rojo, P.; Day-Jones, A. C.; Ruiz, M. T.; Jones, H. R. A.; Tuomi, M.; Barnes, J. R.; Pavlenko, Y. V.; Pinfield, D. J.; Murgas, F.; Ivanyuk, O.; Jordán, A.

2013-01-01

We announce the discovery of a low-mass planet orbiting the super metal-rich K0V star HD 77338 as part of our ongoing Calan-Hertfordshire Extrasolar Planet Search. The best-fit planet solution has an orbital period of 5.7361 ± 0.0015 days and with a radial velocity semi-amplitude of only 5.96 ± 1.74 ms –1 , we find a minimum mass of 15.9 +4.7 -5.3 M ⊕ . The best-fit eccentricity from this solution is 0.09 +0.25 -0.09 , and we find agreement for this data set using a Bayesian analysis and a periodogram analysis. We measure a metallicity for the star of +0.35 ± 0.06 dex, whereas another recent work finds +0.47 ± 0.05 dex. Thus HD 77338b is one of the most metal-rich planet-host stars known and the most metal-rich star hosting a sub-Neptune-mass planet. We searched for a transit signature of HD 77338b but none was detected. We also highlight an emerging trend where metallicity and mass seem to correlate at very low masses, a discovery that would be in agreement with the core accretion model of planet formation. The trend appears to show that for Neptune-mass planets and below, higher masses are preferred when the host star is more metal-rich. Also a lower boundary is apparent in the super metal-rich regime where there are no very low mass planets yet discovered in comparison to the sub-solar metallicity regime. A Monte Carlo analysis shows that this low-mass planet desert is statistically significant with the current sample of 36 planets at the ∼4.5σ level. In addition, results from Kepler strengthen the claim for this paucity of the lowest-mass planets in super metal-rich systems. Finally, this discovery adds to the growing population of low-mass planets around low-mass and metal-rich stars and shows that very low mass planets can now be discovered with a relatively small number of data points using stable instrumentation.

Transit confirmation and improved stellar and planet parameters for the super-Earth HD 97658 b and its host star

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Grootel, V.; Gillon, M.; Scuflaire, R. [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, 17 Allée du 6 Août, B-4000 Liège (Belgium); Valencia, D. [Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4 (Canada); Madhusudhan, N.; Demory, B.-O.; Queloz, D. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Dragomir, D. [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740 Cortona Dr. Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117 (United States); Howe, A. R.; Burrows, A. S. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Deming, D. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Ehrenreich, D.; Lovis, C.; Mayor, M.; Pepe, F.; Segransan, D.; Udry, S. [Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 Chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny (Switzerland); Seager, S., E-mail: valerie.vangrootel@ulg.ac.be [Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2014-05-01

Super-Earths transiting nearby bright stars are key objects that simultaneously allow for accurate measurements of both their mass and radius, providing essential constraints on their internal composition. We present here the confirmation, based on Spitzer transit observations, that the super-Earth HD 97658 b transits its host star. HD 97658 is a low-mass (M {sub *} = 0.77 ± 0.05 M {sub ☉}) K1 dwarf, as determined from the Hipparcos parallax and stellar evolution modeling. To constrain the planet parameters, we carry out Bayesian global analyses of Keck-High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (Keck-HIRES) radial velocities and Microvariability and Oscillations of STars (MOST) and Spitzer photometry. HD 97658 b is a massive (M{sub P}=7.55{sub −0.79}{sup +0.83} M{sub ⊕}) and large (R{sub P}=2.247{sub −0.095}{sup +0.098}R{sub ⊕} at 4.5 μm) super-Earth. We investigate the possible internal compositions for HD 97658 b. Our results indicate a large rocky component, of at least 60% by mass, and very little H-He components, at most 2% by mass. We also discuss how future asteroseismic observations can improve the knowledge of the HD 97658 system, in particular by constraining its age. Orbiting a bright host star, HD 97658 b will be a key target for upcoming space missions such as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS), the Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO), and the James Webb Space Telescope to characterize thoroughly its structure and atmosphere.

Magnetic fields in beta Cep, SPB, and Be stars

OpenAIRE

Schoeller, M.; Hubrig, S.; Briquet, M.; Ilyin, I.

2013-01-01

Recent observational and theoretical results emphasize the potential significance of magnetic fields for structure, evolution, and environment of massive stars. Depending on their spectral and photometric behavior, the upper main-sequence B-type stars are assigned to different groups, such as beta Cep stars and slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars, He-rich and He-deficient Bp stars, Be stars, BpSi stars, HgMn stars, or normal B-type stars. All these groups are characterized by different magnetic fi...

New Herbig-Haro objects in star-forming regions

Science.gov (United States)

Reipurth, BO; Graham, J. A.

1988-01-01

A list of 25 new Herbig-Haro objects, HH 58 to HH 82, in the Orion molecular clouds and in southern molecular cloud complexes has been compiled. CCD images in the S II 6717, 6731 forbidden lines are presented for the objects, together with a few spectra and some IR observations. The individual objects and, when identified, their energy sources are discussed. HH 65 is located in the red lobe of the bipolar outflow associated with the highly variable reflection nebula Re 50. HH 67 is a 22-arcsec long sinusoidal jet. HH 68/69 consists of a long, linear chain of four HH knots. HH 72 emerges from a 120-solar luminosity IRAS source embedded in a Bok globule. HH 79 is the first HH object discovered in the Ophiuchus clouds. HH 80/81 in Sagittarius are among the brightest HH objects known, have complex velocities, high excitation conditions and emerge from a 6000-solar luminosity young B-star. HH 82 is associated with the bright variable star S Coronae Australis.

Stars get dizzy after lunch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Michael; Penev, Kaloyan

2014-01-01

Exoplanet searches have discovered a large number of h ot Jupiters — high-mass planets orbiting very close to their parent stars in nearly circular orbits. A number of these planets are sufficiently massive and close-in to be significantly affected by tidal dissipation in the parent star, to a degree parameterized by the tidal quality factor Q * . This process speeds up their star's rotation rate while reducing the planet's semimajor axis. In this paper, we investigate the tidal destruction of hot Jupiters. Because the orbital angular momenta of these planets are a significant fraction of their star's rotational angular momenta, they spin up their stars significantly while spiraling to their deaths. Using the Monte Carlo simulation, we predict that for Q * = 10 6 , 3.9 × 10 –6 of stars with the Kepler Target Catalog's mass distribution should have a rotation period shorter than 1/3 day (8 hr) due to accreting a planet. Exoplanet surveys such as SuperWASP, HATnet, HATsouth, and KELT have already produced light curves of millions of stars. These two facts suggest that it may be possible to search for tidally destroyed planets by looking for stars with extremely short rotational periods, then looking for remnant planet cores around those candidates, anomalies in the metal distribution, or other signatures of the recent accretion of the planet.

Flares on a Bp Star

Science.gov (United States)

Mullan, D. J.

2009-09-01

Two large X-ray flares have been reported from the direction of a magnetic B2p star (σ Ori E). Sanz-Forcada et al. have suggested that the flares did not occur on the B2p star but on a companion of late spectral type. A star which is a candidate for a late-type flare star near σ Ori E has recently been identified by Bouy et al. However, based on the properties of the flares, and based on a recent model of rotating magnetospheres, we argue that, rather than attributing the two flares to a late-type dwarf, it is a viable hypothesis that the flares were magnetic phenomena associated with the rotating magnetosphere of the B2p star itself.

FLARES ON A Bp STAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullan, D. J.

2009-01-01

Two large X-ray flares have been reported from the direction of a magnetic B2p star (σ Ori E). Sanz-Forcada et al. have suggested that the flares did not occur on the B2p star but on a companion of late spectral type. A star which is a candidate for a late-type flare star near σ Ori E has recently been identified by Bouy et al. However, based on the properties of the flares, and based on a recent model of rotating magnetospheres, we argue that, rather than attributing the two flares to a late-type dwarf, it is a viable hypothesis that the flares were magnetic phenomena associated with the rotating magnetosphere of the B2p star itself.

A NLTE line formation for neutral and singly-ionised calcium in model atmospheres of B-F stars

Science.gov (United States)

Sitnova, T. M.; Mashonkina, L. I.; Ryabchikova, T. A.

2018-03-01

We present non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation calculations for Ca I and Ca II in B-F stars. The sign and the magnitude of NLTE abundance corrections depend on line and stellar parameters. We determine calcium abundances for nine stars with reliable stellar parameters. For all stars, where the lines of both species could be measured, the NLTE abundances are found to be consistent within the error bars. We obtain consistent NLTE abundances from Ca II lines in the visible and near infra-red (IR, 8912-27, 9890 Å) spectrum range, in contrast with LTE, where the discrepancy between the two groups of lines ranges from -0.5 dex to 0.6 dex for different stars. Our NLTE method reproduces the Ca II 8912-27, 9890 Å lines observed in emission in the late B-type star HD 160762 with the classical plane-parallel and LTE model atmosphere. NLTE abundance corrections for lines of Ca I and Ca II were calculated in a grid of model atmospheres with 7000 K ≤ Teff ≤ 13000 K, 3.2 ≤ log g ≤ 5.0, -0.5 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤0.5, ξt= 2.0 km s-1. Our NLTE results can be applied for calcium NLTE abundance determination from Gaia spectra, given that accurate continuum normalisation and proper treatment of the hydrogen Paschen lines are provided. The NLTE method can be useful to refine calcium underabundances in Am stars and to provide accurate observational constraints on the models of diffusion.

A NLTE line formation for neutral and singly ionized calcium in model atmospheres of B-F stars

Science.gov (United States)

Sitnova, T. M.; Mashonkina, L. I.; Ryabchikova, T. A.

2018-07-01

We present non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation calculations for Ca I and Ca II in B-F stars. The sign and the magnitude of NLTE abundance corrections depend on line and stellar parameters. We determine calcium abundances for nine stars with reliable stellar parameters. For all stars, where the lines of both species could be measured, the NLTE abundances are found to be consistent within the error bars. We obtain consistent NLTE abundances from Ca II lines in the visible and near infra-red (IR, 8912-27, 9890 Å) spectrum range, in contrast with LTE, where the discrepancy between the two groups of lines ranges from -0.5 to 0.6 dex for different stars. Our NLTE method reproduces the Ca II 8912-27, 9890 Å lines observed in emission in the late B-type star HD 160762 with the classical plane-parallel and LTE model atmosphere. NLTE abundance corrections for lines of Ca I and Ca II were calculated in a grid of model atmospheres with 7000 ≤ Teff ≤ 13 000 K, 3.2 ≤ log g ≤ 5.0, -0.5 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤0.5, ξt = 2.0 km s-1. Our NLTE results can be applied for calcium NLTE abundance determination from Gaia spectra, given that accurate continuum normalization and proper treatment of the hydrogen Paschen lines are provided. The NLTE method can be useful to refine calcium underabundances in Am stars and to provide accurate observational constraints on the models of diffusion.

New Galactic Candidate Luminous Blue Variables and Wolf-Rayet Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Stringfellow, Guy S.; Gvaramadze, Vasilii V.; Beletsky, Yuri; Kniazev, Alexei Y.

2012-04-01

We have undertaken a near-infrared spectral survey of stars associated with compact mid-IR shells recently revealed by the MIPSGAL (24 μm) and GLIMPSE (8 μm) Spitzer surveys, whose morphologies are typical of circumstellar shells produced by massive evolved stars. Through spectral similarity with known Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, a large population of candidate LBVs (cLBVs) and a smaller number of new WR stars are being discovered. This significantly increases the Galactic cLBV population and confirms that nebulae are inherent to most (if not all) objects of this class.

A Search for Pulsar Companions to OB Runaway Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Kaspi, V. M.

1995-01-01

We have searched for radio pulsar companions to 40 nearby OB runaway stars. Observations were made at 474 and 770 MHz with the NRAO 140 ft telescope. The survey was sensitive to long- period pulsars with flux densities of 1 mJy or more. One previously unknown pulsar was discovered, PSRJ2044+4614, while observing towards target O star BD+45,3260. Follow-up timing observations of the pulsar measured its position to high precision, revealing a 9' separation between the pulsar and the target star, unequivocally indicating they are not associated.

THE LICK-CARNEGIE EXOPLANET SURVEY: A SATURN-MASS PLANET IN THE HABITABLE ZONE OF THE NEARBY M4V STAR HIP 57050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haghighipour, Nader; Vogt, Steven S.; Rivera, Eugenio J.; Laughlin, Greg; Meschiari, Stefano; Paul Butler, R.; Henry, Gregory W.

2010-01-01

Precision radial velocities (RV) from Keck/HIRES reveal a Saturn-mass planet orbiting the nearby M4V star HIP 57050. The planet has a minimum mass of Msin i ∼ 0.3 M J , an orbital period of 41.4 days, and an orbital eccentricity of 0.31. V-band photometry reveals a clear stellar rotation signature of the host star with a period of 98 days, well separated from the period of the RV variations and reinforcing a Keplerian origin for the observed velocity variations. The orbital period of this planet corresponds to an orbit in the habitable zone of HIP 57050, with an expected planetary temperature of ∼230 K. The star has a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.32 ± 0.06 dex, of order twice solar and among the highest metallicity stars in the immediate solar neighborhood. This newly discovered planet provides further support that the well-known planet-metallicity correlation for F, G, and K stars also extends down into the M-dwarf regime. The a priori geometric probability for transits of this planet is only about 1%. However, the expected eclipse depth is ∼7%, considerably larger than that yet observed for any transiting planet. Though long on the odds, such a transit is worth pursuing as it would allow for high quality studies of the atmosphere via transmission spectroscopy with Hubble Space Telescope. At the expected planetary effective temperature, the atmosphere may contain water clouds.

The Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey: A Saturn-Mass Planet in the Habitable Zone of the Nearby M4V Star HIP 57050

Science.gov (United States)

Haghighipour, Nader; Vogt, Steven S.; Butler, R. Paul; Rivera, Eugenio J.; Laughlin, Greg; Meschiari, Stefano; Henry, Gregory W.

2010-05-01

Precision radial velocities (RV) from Keck/HIRES reveal a Saturn-mass planet orbiting the nearby M4V star HIP 57050. The planet has a minimum mass of Msin i ~ 0.3 M J, an orbital period of 41.4 days, and an orbital eccentricity of 0.31. V-band photometry reveals a clear stellar rotation signature of the host star with a period of 98 days, well separated from the period of the RV variations and reinforcing a Keplerian origin for the observed velocity variations. The orbital period of this planet corresponds to an orbit in the habitable zone of HIP 57050, with an expected planetary temperature of ~230 K. The star has a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.32 ± 0.06 dex, of order twice solar and among the highest metallicity stars in the immediate solar neighborhood. This newly discovered planet provides further support that the well-known planet-metallicity correlation for F, G, and K stars also extends down into the M-dwarf regime. The a priori geometric probability for transits of this planet is only about 1%. However, the expected eclipse depth is ~7%, considerably larger than that yet observed for any transiting planet. Though long on the odds, such a transit is worth pursuing as it would allow for high quality studies of the atmosphere via transmission spectroscopy with Hubble Space Telescope. At the expected planetary effective temperature, the atmosphere may contain water clouds.

A Long-Period Totally Eclipsing Binary Star at the Turnoff of the Open Cluster NGC 6819 Discovered with Kepler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandquist, Eric L.; Mathieu, Robert D.; Brogaard, Karsten

2012-01-01

We present the discovery of the totally eclipsing long-period (P = 771.8 d) binary system WOCS 23009 in the old open cluster NGC 6819 that contains both an evolved star near central hydrogen exhaustion and a low-mass (0.45 Msun) star. This system was previously known to be a single-lined spectros......We present the discovery of the totally eclipsing long-period (P = 771.8 d) binary system WOCS 23009 in the old open cluster NGC 6819 that contains both an evolved star near central hydrogen exhaustion and a low-mass (0.45 Msun) star. This system was previously known to be a single......-lined spectroscopic binary, but the discovery of an eclipse near apastron using data from the Kepler space telescope makes it clear that the system has an inclination that is very close to 90 degrees. Although the secondary star has not been identified in spectra, the mass of the primary star can be constrained using...... other eclipsing binaries in the cluster. The combination of total eclipses and a mass constraint for the primary star allows us to determine a reliable mass for the secondary star and radii for both stars, and to constrain the cluster age. Unlike well-measured stars of similar mass in field binaries...

NEW DEBRIS DISKS AROUND YOUNG, LOW-MASS STARS DISCOVERED WITH THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plavchan, Peter; Werner, M. W.; Stapelfeldt, K. R.; Chen, C. H.; Su, K. Y. L.; Stauffer, J. R.; Song, I.

2009-01-01

We present 24 μm and 70 μm Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) observations of 70 A through M-type dwarfs with estimated ages from 8 Myr to 1.1 Gyr, as part of a Spitzer guaranteed time program, including a re-analysis of some previously published source photometry. Our sample is selected from stars with common youth indicators such as lithium abundance, X-ray activity, chromospheric activity, and rapid rotation. We compare our MIPS observations to empirically derived K s -[24] colors as a function of the stellar effective temperature to identify 24 μm and 70 μm excesses. We place constraints or upper limits on dust temperatures and fractional infrared luminosities with a simple blackbody dust model. We confirm the previously published 70 μm excesses for HD 92945, HD 112429, and AU Mic, and provide updated flux density measurements for these sources. We present the discovery of 70 μm excesses for five stars: HD 7590, HD 10008, HD 59967, HD 73350, and HD 135599. HD 135599 is also a known Spitzer IRS (InfraRed Spectrograph) excess source, and we confirm the excess at 24 μm. We also present the detection of 24 μm excesses for 10 stars: HD 10008, GJ 3400A, HD 73350, HD 112429, HD 123998, HD 175742, AT Mic, BO Mic, HD 358623 and Gl 907.1. We find that large 70 μm excesses are less common around stars with effective temperatures of less than 5000 K (3.7 +7.6 -1.1 %) than around stars with effective temperatures between 5000 K and 6000 K (21.4 +9.5 -5.7 %), despite the cooler stars having a younger median age in our sample (12 Myr vs. 340 Myr). We find that the previously reported excess for TWA 13A at 70 μm is due to a nearby background galaxy, and the previously reported excess for HD 177724 is due to saturation of the near-infrared photometry used to predict the mid-infrared stellar flux contribution. In the Appendix, we present an updated analysis of dust grain removal timescales due to grain-grain collisions and radiation pressure, Poynting

Description of a newly discovered Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae Foci in Ibipeba, State of Bahia, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Freitas Araújo

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction Chagas disease transmitted by the Triatoma infestans was eradicated from Brazil in 2006. However, reports of triatomine foci threaten the control of Chagas disease. The goal of this study was to determine T. infestans foci in the City of Ibipeba, State of Bahia. Methods Triatominae specimens were collected in Ibipeba and entomologic indicators were calculated using indices of domiciliary infestation, density, and colonization. Results T. infestans foci was discovery in Ibipeba, State of Bahia. Approximately 95% of the specimens were discovered inside dwellings, of which 34% were T. infestans. This species was also discovered forming a colony in tree bark in the peridomicile. Conclusions Triatoma infestans foci in peridomestic ecotopes in Ibipeba, BA, indicate increased the risk of transmission Chagas disease.

The newly-discovered epigraphic monuments from Sočanica - Kosovo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milin Milena L.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available In the autumn of 2000 the Roman site of Municipium Dardanorum yielded several funerary stelae bearing epitaphs. Most had been deliberately broken along the longer or shorter axis and built into the bases of the columns forming a colonnade on the forum. In addition, the basilica holds an ara (No 10 and a fragment of an inscription (No 9 discovered by E. Čerškov (Cat. nos 26 and 38. I wish to express my gratitude to a colleague of mine, the archaeologist G. Kovaljov, for notifying me about this find and kindly conceding the publication of the inscriptions to me. The stelae were poorly carved and all alike in appearance, showing a large rosette in the pediment (upper field and an epitaph (unusually tall letters, 5 to 7 cm within the simple-bordered lower field. All the persons mentioned in the epitaphs come from lower social layers – slaves, vernae, liberti (with the exception of one Roman citizen, a M. Ulpius Apollinaris, No 3. Their names are often Greek, such as Eutychus (Nos 1 and 7, T(heofas, or Alexander (No 8, while Trite (No 2 is likely to be native. Ravius (gentile ? here occurs for the first time in Upper Moesia (No 5. To judge by the gentile names and formulas (h.s.e., f.c most inscriptions date from the second century AD.

FAST RADIO BURSTS: COLLISIONS BETWEEN NEUTRON STARS AND ASTEROIDS/COMETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geng, J. J.; Huang, Y. F., E-mail: hyf@nju.edu.cn [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046 (China)

2015-08-10

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are newly discovered radio transient sources. Their high dispersion measures indicate an extragalactic origin. However, due to the lack of observational data in other wavelengths, their progenitors still remain unclear. Here we suggest that the collisions between neutron stars (NSs) and asteroids/comets are promising mechanisms for FRBs. During the impact process, a hot plasma fireball forms after the material of the small body penetrates into the NS surface. The ionized matter inside the fireball then expands along the magnetic field lines. Coherent radiation from the thin shell at the top of the fireball will account for the observed FRBs. Our scenario can reasonably explain the main features of FRBs, such as their durations, luminosities, and the event rate. We argue that for a single NS, FRBs are not likely to happen repeatedly in a forseeable timespan since such impacts are of low probability. We predict that faint remnant X-ray emissions should be associated with FRBs, but it may be too faint to be detected by detectors at work.

FAST RADIO BURSTS: COLLISIONS BETWEEN NEUTRON STARS AND ASTEROIDS/COMETS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng, J. J.; Huang, Y. F.

2015-01-01

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are newly discovered radio transient sources. Their high dispersion measures indicate an extragalactic origin. However, due to the lack of observational data in other wavelengths, their progenitors still remain unclear. Here we suggest that the collisions between neutron stars (NSs) and asteroids/comets are promising mechanisms for FRBs. During the impact process, a hot plasma fireball forms after the material of the small body penetrates into the NS surface. The ionized matter inside the fireball then expands along the magnetic field lines. Coherent radiation from the thin shell at the top of the fireball will account for the observed FRBs. Our scenario can reasonably explain the main features of FRBs, such as their durations, luminosities, and the event rate. We argue that for a single NS, FRBs are not likely to happen repeatedly in a forseeable timespan since such impacts are of low probability. We predict that faint remnant X-ray emissions should be associated with FRBs, but it may be too faint to be detected by detectors at work

Multi-dimensional SAR tomography for monitoring the deformation of newly built concrete buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Peifeng; Lin, Hui; Lan, Hengxing; Chen, Fulong

2015-08-01

Deformation often occurs in buildings at early ages, and the constant inspection of deformation is of significant importance to discover possible cracking and avoid wall failure. This paper exploits the multi-dimensional SAR tomography technique to monitor the deformation performances of two newly built buildings (B1 and B2) with a special focus on the effects of concrete creep and shrinkage. To separate the nonlinear thermal expansion from total deformations, the extended 4-D SAR technique is exploited. The thermal map estimated from 44 TerraSAR-X images demonstrates that the derived thermal amplitude is highly related to the building height due to the upward accumulative effect of thermal expansion. The linear deformation velocity map reveals that B1 is subject to settlement during the construction period, in addition, the creep and shrinkage of B1 lead to wall shortening that is a height-dependent movement in the downward direction, and the asymmetrical creep of B2 triggers wall deflection that is a height-dependent movement in the deflection direction. It is also validated that the extended 4-D SAR can rectify the bias of estimated wall shortening and wall deflection by 4-D SAR.

Open clusters. II. Fundamental parameters of B stars in Collinder 223, Hogg 16, NGC 2645, NGC 3114, and NGC 6025

Science.gov (United States)

Aidelman, Y.; Cidale, L. S.; Zorec, J.; Panei, J. A.

2015-05-01

Context. The knowledge of accurate values of effective temperature, surface gravity, and luminosity of stars in open clusters is very important not only to derive cluster distances and ages but also to discuss the stellar structure and evolution. Unfortunately, stellar parameters are still very scarce. Aims: Our goal is to study five open clusters to derive stellar parameters of the B and Be star population and discuss the cluster properties. In a near future, we intend to gather a statistically relevant samples of Be stars to discuss their origin and evolution. Methods: We use the Barbier-Chalonge-Divan spectrophotometric system, based on the study of low-resolution spectra around the Balmer discontinuity, since it is independent of the interstellar and circumstellar extinction and provides accurate Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams and stellar parameters. Results: We determine stellar fundamental parameters, such as effective temperatures, surface gravities, spectral types, luminosity classes, absolute and bolometric magnitudes and colour gradient excesses of the stars in the field of Collinder 223, Hogg 16, NGC 2645, NGC 3114, and NGC 6025. Additional information, mainly masses and ages of cluster stellar populations, is obtained using stellar evolution models. In most cases, stellar fundamental parameters have been derived for the first time. We also discuss the derived cluster properties of reddening, age and distance. Conclusions: Collinder 223 cluster parameters are overline{E(B-V) = 0.25 ± 0.03} mag and overline{(mv - M_v)0 = 11.21 ± 0.25} mag. In Hogg 16, we clearly distinguish two groups of stars (Hogg 16a and Hogg 16b) with very different mean true distance moduli (8.91 ± 0.26 mag and 12.51 ± 0.38 mag), mean colour excesses (0.26 ± 0.03 mag and 0.63 ± 0.08 mag), and spectral types (B early-type and B late-/A-type stars, respectively). The farthest group could be merged with Collinder 272. NGC 2645 is a young cluster (age between 40 Myr and 69 Myr. In

Massive stars and X-ray pulsars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henrichs, H.

1982-01-01

This thesis is a collection of 7 separate articles entitled: long term changes in ultraviolet lines in γ CAS, UV observations of γ CAS: intermittent mass-loss enhancement, episodic mass loss in γ CAS and in other early-type stars, spin-up and spin-down of accreting neutron stars, an excentric close binary model for the X Persei system, has a 97 minute periodicity in 4U 1700-37/HD 153919 really been discovered, and, mass loss and stellar wind in massive X-ray binaries. (Articles 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 have been previously published). The first three articles are concerned with the irregular mass loss in massive stars. The fourth critically reviews thoughts since 1972 on the origin of the changes in periodicity shown by X-ray pulsars. The last articles indicate the relation between massive stars and X-ray pulsars. (C.F.)

A Search for Circumstellar Gas-Disk Variability in F-type Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Adkins, Ally; Montgomery, Sharon Lynn; Welsh, Barry

2018-01-01

Over the past six years, short-term (night-to-night) variability in the CaII K-line (3933Å) absorption has been detected towards 22 rapidly-rotating A-type stars, all but four of them discovered by us. Most of these stars are young (age McDonald Observatory) during June 2017. The appearance or absence of similar short-lived, Doppler-shifted absorption in F-type stars serves as a test of our understanding of the underlying phenomena.

Another Possibility for Boyajian's Star

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-07-01

The unusual light curve of the star KIC 8462852, also known as Tabbys star or Boyajians star, has puzzled us since its discovery last year. A new study now explores whether the stars missing flux is due to internal blockage rather than something outside of the star.Mysterious DipsMost explanations for the flux dips of Boyajians star rely on external factors, like this illustrated swarm of comets. [NASA/JPL-Caltech]Boyajians star shows unusual episodes of dimming in its light curve by as much as 20%, each lasting a few to tens of days and separated by periods of typically hundreds of days. In addition, archival observations show that it has gradually faded by roughly 15% over the span of the last hundred years. What could be causing both the sporadic flux dips and the long-term fading of this odd star?Explanations thus far have varied from mundane to extreme. Alien megastructures, pieces of smashed planets or comets orbiting the star, and intervening interstellar medium have all been proposed as possible explanations but these require some object external to the star. A new study by researcher Peter Foukal proposes an alternative: what if the source of the flux obstruction is the star itself?Analogy to the SunDecades ago, researchers discovered that our own stars total flux isnt as constant as we thought. When magnetic dark spots on the Suns surface block the heat transport, the Suns luminosity dips slightly. The diverted heat is redistributed in the Suns interior, becoming stored as a very small global heating and expansion of the convective envelope. When the blocking starspot is removed, the Sun appears slightly brighter than it did originally. Its luminosity then gradually relaxes, decaying back to its original value.Model of a stars flux after a 1,000-km starspot is inserted at time t = 0 and removed at time t = ts at a depth of 10,000 km in the convective zone. The stars luminosity dips, then becomes brighter than originally, and then gradually decays. [Foukal

A survey of northern Bok globules for H-alpha emission stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogura, Katsuo; Hasegawa, Tatsuhiko.

1983-01-01

Northern globules in the catalog of Bok and Cordwell (1973) have been surveyed for Hα-emission stars of T Tau type by using the Kiso Schmidt telescope with an objective prism. The results for 15 globules are presented here. A total of 60 emission-line stars, of which 80 % are new, and 17 suspected ones have been discovered. Some of them are known T Tau stars; one star shows Ca 2 H and K lines in emission on objective-prism plates in the blue-violet and presumably is a new T Tau star. The celestial coordinates and rough estimates of magnitude and color are given for all of the objects. (author)

A new carbon-symbiotic star in the Large Magellanic Cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cowley, A.P.; Hartwick, F.D.A.

1989-01-01

A new carbon-symbiotic star, designated as CH-95, was discovered during a study of the kinematics of CH stars in the LMC. The spectrum of CH-95 is presented. Some of the strong emission lines found include H, He I, He II, forbidden O III, and the broad C III/N III blend at 4640 A, often seen in compact systems such as X-ray binaries. A comparison was made with other C-star symbiotics in the LMC, SMC, and Draco. 12 refs

Inter-Division IV/V WG on Active OB Stars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Owocki, S.; Aerts, C.; Fabregat, J.; Gies, D.; Henrichs, H.F.; McDavid, D.; Porter, J.; Rivinius, T.; Peters, G.; Stefl, S.

2007-01-01

Our group studies active early-type (OB) stars, with historical focus on classical Be stars, but extending in recent years to include Slowly Pulsating B-stars (SPB), Beta-Cephei stars, the strongly magnetic Bp stars, Luminous Blue Vairiable (LBV) stars, and B[e] stars. An overall goal is to

Highlights from the heavy-ion program in STAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaloupka Petr

2017-01-01

STAR collaboration has successfully completed the Beam Energy Scan, program focused on searching for the onset of the QGP signatures and studying the nature of the phase transition, indicating that the region of interests for critical point and the first-order phase transition is within the reach of RHIC experiments. Moreover, with its two newly installed detector upgrades, STAR has launched a comprehensive heavy-flavor program which allows high precision measurements of the properties of the partonic matter.

SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF THE O Vz STARS IN THE GALACTIC O-STAR SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY (GOSSS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arias, Julia I.; Barbá, Rodolfo H.; Sabín-Sanjulián, Carolina; Walborn, Nolan R.; Díaz, Sergio Simón; Apellániz, Jesús Maíz; Gamen, Roberto C.; Morrell, Nidia I.; Sota, Alfredo; Marco, Amparo; Negueruela, Ignacio

2016-01-01

On the basis of the Galactic O Star Spectroscopic Survey (GOSSS), we present a detailed systematic investigation of the O Vz stars. The currently used spectral classification criteria are rediscussed, and the Vz phenomenon is recalibrated through the addition of a quantitative criterion based on the equivalent widths of the He i λ 4471, He ii λ 4542, and He ii λ 4686 spectral lines. The GOSSS O Vz and O V populations resulting from the newly adopted spectral classification criteria are comparatively analyzed. The locations of the O Vz stars are probed, showing a concentration of the most extreme cases toward the youngest star-forming regions. The occurrence of the Vz spectral peculiarity in a solar-metallicity environment, as predicted by the fastwind code, is also investigated, confirming the importance of taking into account several processes for the correct interpretation of the phenomenon.

SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF THE O Vz STARS IN THE GALACTIC O-STAR SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY (GOSSS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arias, Julia I.; Barbá, Rodolfo H.; Sabín-Sanjulián, Carolina [Departamento de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Cisternas 1200 Norte, La Serena (Chile); Walborn, Nolan R. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, MD 21218, Baltimore (United States); Díaz, Sergio Simón [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38200, Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, E-38205, La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Apellániz, Jesús Maíz [Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, campus ESAC, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, E-28 692 Madrid (Spain); Gamen, Roberto C. [Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata (CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); Morrell, Nidia I. [Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories, Casilla 601, La Serena (Chile); Sota, Alfredo [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, E-18 008 Granada (Spain); Marco, Amparo; Negueruela, Ignacio, E-mail: jarias@userena.cl [Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, E03690, San Vicente del Raspeig (Spain); and others

2016-08-01

On the basis of the Galactic O Star Spectroscopic Survey (GOSSS), we present a detailed systematic investigation of the O Vz stars. The currently used spectral classification criteria are rediscussed, and the Vz phenomenon is recalibrated through the addition of a quantitative criterion based on the equivalent widths of the He i λ 4471, He ii λ 4542, and He ii λ 4686 spectral lines. The GOSSS O Vz and O V populations resulting from the newly adopted spectral classification criteria are comparatively analyzed. The locations of the O Vz stars are probed, showing a concentration of the most extreme cases toward the youngest star-forming regions. The occurrence of the Vz spectral peculiarity in a solar-metallicity environment, as predicted by the fastwind code, is also investigated, confirming the importance of taking into account several processes for the correct interpretation of the phenomenon.

Multi-wavelength investigations on feedback of massive star formation

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jinghua

2014-05-01

In the course of massive star formation, outflows, ionizing radiation and intense stellar winds could heavily affect their adjacent environs and natal clouds. There are several outstanding open questions related to these processes: i) whether they can drive turbulence in molecular clouds; ii) whether they are able to trigger star formation; iii) whether they can destroy natal clouds to terminate star formation at low efficiencies. This thesis investigates feedback in different stages of massive star formation. Influence of such feedback to the ambient medium has been revealed. A new type of millimeter methanol maser is detected for the first time. An uncommon bipolar outflow prominent in the mid-infrared is discovered. And features of triggered star formation are found on the border of an infrared bubble and in the surroundings of a Herbig Be star. Extended green objects (EGOs) are massive outflow candidates showing prominent shocked features in the mid-infrared. We have carried out a high resolution study of the EGO G22.04+0.22 (hereafter, G22) based on archived SMA data. Continuum and molecular lines at 1.3 mm reveal that G22 is still at a hot molecular core stage. A very young multi-polar outflow system is detected, which is interacting with the adjacent dense gas. Anomalous emission features from CH3OH (8,-1,8 - 7,0,7) and CH3OH (4,2,2 - 3,1,2) are proven to be millimeter masers. It is the first time that maser emission of CH3OH (8,-1,8 - 7,0,7) at 218.440 GHz is detected in a massive star-forming region. Bipolar outflows have been revealed and investigated almost always in the microwave or radio domain. It's sort of rare that hourglass-shaped morphology be discovered in the mid-infrared. Based on GLIMPSE data, we have discovered a bipolar object resembling an hourglass at 8.0 um. It is found to be associated with IRAS 18114-1825. Analysis based on fitted SED, optical spectroscopy, and infrared color indices suggests IRAS 18114-1825 is an uncommon bipolar

Accretion Processes in Star Formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Küffmeier, Michael

for short-lived radionuclides that enrich the cloud as a result of supernova explosions of the massive stars allows us to analyze the distribution of the short-lived radionuclides around young forming stars. In contradiction to results from highly-idealized models, we find that the discrepancy in 26 Al...... that the accretion process of stars is heterogeneous in space, time and among different protostars. In some cases, disks form a few thousand years after stellar birth, whereas in other cases disk formation is suppressed due to efficient removal of angular momentum. Angular momentum is mainly transported outward...... with potentially observable fluctuations in the luminosity profile that are induced by variations in the accretion rate. Considering that gas inside protoplanetary disks is not fully ionized, I implemented a solver that accounts for nonideal MHD effects into a newly developed code framework called dispatch...

Hyperfast pulsars as the remnants of massive stars ejected from young star clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, Vasilii V.; Gualandris, Alessia; Portegies Zwart, Simon

2008-04-01

Recent proper motion and parallax measurements for the pulsar PSR B1508+55 indicate a transverse velocity of ~1100kms-1, which exceeds earlier measurements for any neutron star. The spin-down characteristics of PSR B1508+55 are typical for a non-recycled pulsar, which implies that the velocity of the pulsar cannot have originated from the second supernova disruption of a massive binary system. The high velocity of PSR B1508+55 can be accounted for by assuming that it received a kick at birth or that the neutron star was accelerated after its formation in the supernova explosion. We propose an explanation for the origin of hyperfast neutron stars based on the hypothesis that they could be the remnants of a symmetric supernova explosion of a high-velocity massive star which attained its peculiar velocity (similar to that of the pulsar) in the course of a strong dynamical three- or four-body encounter in the core of dense young star cluster. To check this hypothesis, we investigated three dynamical processes involving close encounters between: (i) two hard massive binaries, (ii) a hard binary and an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) and (iii) a single stars and a hard binary IMBH. We find that main-sequence O-type stars cannot be ejected from young massive star clusters with peculiar velocities high enough to explain the origin of hyperfast neutron stars, but lower mass main-sequence stars or the stripped helium cores of massive stars could be accelerated to hypervelocities. Our explanation for the origin of hyperfast pulsars requires a very dense stellar environment of the order of 106- 107starspc-3. Although such high densities may exist during the core collapse of young massive star clusters, we caution that they have never been observed.

THE SPACE WEATHER OF PROXIMA CENTAURI b

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garraffo, C.; Drake, J. J.; Cohen, O.

2016-01-01

A planet orbiting in the “habitable zone” of our closest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, has recently been discovered, and the next natural question is whether or not Proxima b is “habitable.” Stellar winds are likely a source of atmospheric erosion that could be particularly severe in the case of M dwarf habitable zone planets that reside close to their parent star. Here, we study the stellar wind conditions that Proxima b experiences over its orbit. We construct 3D MHD models of the wind and magnetic field around Proxima Centauri using a surface magnetic field map for a star of the same spectral type and scaled to match the observed ∼600 G surface magnetic field strength of Proxima. We examine the wind conditions and dynamic pressure over different plausible orbits that sample the constrained parameters of the orbit of Proxima b. For all the parameter space explored, the planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind. During an orbit, Proxima b is also subject to pressure changes of 1–3 orders of magnitude on timescales of a day. Its magnetopause standoff distance consequently undergoes sudden and periodic changes by a factor of 2–5. Proxima b will traverse the interplanetary current sheet twice each orbit, and likely crosses into regions of subsonic wind quite frequently. These effects should be taken into account in any physically realistic assessment or prediction of its atmospheric reservoir, characteristics, and loss.

THE SPACE WEATHER OF PROXIMA CENTAURI b

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garraffo, C.; Drake, J. J.; Cohen, O., E-mail: cgaraffo@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138 (United States)

2016-12-10

A planet orbiting in the “habitable zone” of our closest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, has recently been discovered, and the next natural question is whether or not Proxima b is “habitable.” Stellar winds are likely a source of atmospheric erosion that could be particularly severe in the case of M dwarf habitable zone planets that reside close to their parent star. Here, we study the stellar wind conditions that Proxima b experiences over its orbit. We construct 3D MHD models of the wind and magnetic field around Proxima Centauri using a surface magnetic field map for a star of the same spectral type and scaled to match the observed ∼600 G surface magnetic field strength of Proxima. We examine the wind conditions and dynamic pressure over different plausible orbits that sample the constrained parameters of the orbit of Proxima b. For all the parameter space explored, the planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind. During an orbit, Proxima b is also subject to pressure changes of 1–3 orders of magnitude on timescales of a day. Its magnetopause standoff distance consequently undergoes sudden and periodic changes by a factor of 2–5. Proxima b will traverse the interplanetary current sheet twice each orbit, and likely crosses into regions of subsonic wind quite frequently. These effects should be taken into account in any physically realistic assessment or prediction of its atmospheric reservoir, characteristics, and loss.

Hyperon-mixed neutron star matter and neutron stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishizaki, Shigeru; Takatsuka, Tatsuyuki; Yamamoto, Yasuo

2002-01-01

Effective Σ - n and Σ - Σ - interactions are derived from the G-matrix calculations for {n+Σ - } matter and employed in the investigation of hyperon mixing in neutron star matter. The threshold densities ρ t (Y) at which hyperons start to appear are between 2ρ 0 and 3ρ 0 (where ρ 0 is the normal nuclear density) for both Λ and Σ - , and their fractions increase rapidly with baryon density, reaching 10% already for ρ≅ρ t + ρ 0 . The mechanism of hyperon mixing and single-particle properties, such as the effective mass and the potential depth, are analyzed taking into account the roles of YN and NN interactions. The resulting equation of state is found to be too soft to sustain the observed neutron star mass M obs =1.44(solar mass). We discuss the reason for this and stress the necessity of the ''extra repulsion'' for YN and YY interactions to resolve this crucial problem. It is remarked that ρ t (Y) would be as large as 4ρ 0 for neutron stars compatible with M obs . A comment is given regarding the effects on the Y-mixing problem from a less attractive ΛΛ interaction, newly suggested by the NAGARA event. (author)

Spectroscopic survey of emission-line stars - I. B[e] stars

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Aret, A.; Kraus, Michaela; Šlechta, Miroslav

2016-01-01

Roč. 456, č. 2 (2016), s. 1424-1437 ISSN 0035-8711 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-21373S Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : circumstellar matter * stars * emission line Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy , Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 4.961, year: 2016

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Magnetic early B-type stars. I. (Shultz+, 2018)

Science.gov (United States)

Shultz, M.; Wade, G. A.; Rivinius, Th.; Neiner, C.; Alecian, E.; Bohlender, D.; Monin, D.; Sikora, J.; Mimes Collaboration; Binamics Collaboration

2018-03-01

Longitudinal magnetic field measurements of early B-type stars derived from 1) least-squares deconvolution profiles extracted from high-resolution spectropolarimetric data (ESPaDOnS, Narval, HARPSpol), using masks consisting of metallic lines, metallic + He lines, individual chemical elements, as well as single-line H measurements; and 2) from single-line low-resolution spectropolarimetric observations with dimaPol. (3 data files).

Prospects for asteroseismology of rapidly rotating B-type stars

OpenAIRE

Saio, Hideyuki

2013-01-01

In rapidly rotating stars Coriolis forces and centrifugal deformations modify the properties of oscillations; the Coriolis force is important for low-frequency modes, while the centrifugal deformation affects mainly p-modes. Here, we discuss properties of g- and r-mode oscillations in rotating stars. Predicted frequency spectra of high-order g-modes (and r-modes) excited in rapidly rotating stars show frequency groupings associated with azimuthal order $m$. We compare such properties with obs...

RADIATION-DRIVEN IMPLOSION AND TRIGGERED STAR FORMATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisbas, Thomas G.; Wuensch, Richard; Whitworth, Anthony P.; Walch, Stefanie; Hubber, David A.

2011-01-01

We present simulations of initially stable isothermal clouds exposed to ionizing radiation from a discrete external source, and identify the conditions that lead to radiatively driven implosion and star formation. We use the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code SEREN and a HEALPix-based photoionization algorithm to simulate the propagation of the ionizing radiation and the resulting dynamical evolution of the cloud. We find that the incident ionizing flux, Φ LyC , is the critical parameter determining the cloud evolution. At moderate fluxes, a large fraction of the cloud mass is converted into stars. As the flux is increased, the fraction of the cloud mass that is converted into stars and the mean masses of the individual stars both decrease. Very high fluxes simply disperse the cloud. Newly formed stars tend to be concentrated along the central axis of the cloud (i.e., the axis pointing in the direction of the incident flux). For given cloud parameters, the time, t * , at which star formation starts is proportional to Φ -1/3 LyC . The pattern of star formation found in the simulations is similar to that observed in bright-rimmed clouds.

14 CFR 26.39 - Newly produced airplanes: Fuel tank flammability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Newly produced airplanes: Fuel tank... Tank Flammability § 26.39 Newly produced airplanes: Fuel tank flammability. (a) Applicability: This... Series 767 Series (b) Any fuel tank meeting all of the criteria stated in paragraphs (b)(1), (b)(2) and...

Hot subdwarf stars in close-up view. I. Rotational properties of subdwarf B stars in close binary systems and nature of their unseen companions

Science.gov (United States)

Geier, S.; Heber, U.; Podsiadlowski, Ph.; Edelmann, H.; Napiwotzki, R.; Kupfer, T.; Müller, S.

2010-09-01

The origin of hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) is still unclear. About half of the known sdBs are in close binary systems for which common envelope ejection is the most likely formation channel. Little is known about this dynamic phase of binary evolution. Since most of the known sdB systems are single-lined spectroscopic binaries, it is difficult to derive masses and unravel the companions' nature, which is the aim of this paper. Due to the tidal influence of the companion in close binary systems, the rotation of the primary becomes synchronised to its orbital motion. In this case it is possible to constrain the mass of the companion, if the primary mass, its projected rotational velocity as well as its surface gravity are known. For the first time we measured the projected rotational velocities of a large sdB binary sample from high resolution spectra. We analysed a sample of 51 sdB stars in close binaries, 40 of which have known orbital parameters comprising half of all such systems known today. Synchronisation in sdB binaries is discussed both from the theoretical and the observational point of view. The masses and the nature of the unseen companions could be constrained in 31 cases. We found orbital synchronisation most likely to be established in binaries with orbital periods shorter than 1.2 d. Only in five cases it was impossible to decide whether the sdB's companion is a white dwarf or an M dwarf. The companions to seven sdBs could be clearly identified as late M stars. One binary may have a brown dwarf companion. The unseen companions of nine sdBs are white dwarfs with typical masses. The mass of one white dwarf companion is very low. In eight cases (including the well known system KPD1930+2752) the companion mass exceeds 0.9~M_⊙, four of which even exceed the Chandrasekhar limit indicating that they may be neutron stars. Even stellar mass black holes are possible for the most massive companions. The distribution of the inclinations of the systems with low

An abundance of small exoplanets around stars with a wide range of metallicities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buchhave, Lars A.; Latham, David W.; Johansen, Anders

2012-01-01

of the host stars of 226 small exoplanet candidates discovered by NASAs Kepler mission, including objects that are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets in the Solar System. We find that planets with radii less than four Earth radii form around host stars with a wide range of metallicities (but...

Stellar oscillations in planet-hosting giant stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatzes, Artie P; Zechmeister, Mathias [Thueringer Landessternwarte, Sternwarte 5, D-07778 (Germany)], E-mail: artie@tls-tautenburg.de

2008-10-15

Recently a number of giant extrasolar planets have been discovered around giant stars. These discoveries are important because many of these giant stars have intermediate masses in the range 1.2-3 Msun. Early-type main sequence stars of this mass range have been avoided by radial velocity planet search surveys due the difficulty of getting the requisite radial velocity precision needed for planet discoveries. Thus, giant stars can tell us about planet formation for stars more massive than the sun. However, the determination of stellar masses for giant stars is difficult due to the fact that evolutionary tracks for stars covering a wide range of masses converge to the same region of the H-R diagram. We report here on stellar oscillations in three planet-hosting giant stars: HD 13189, {beta} Gem, and {iota} Dra. Precise stellar radial velocity measurements for these stars show variations whose periods and amplitudes are consistent with solar-like p-mode oscillations. The implied stellar masses for these objects based on the characteristics of the stellar oscillations are consistent with the predictions of stellar isochrones. An investigation of stellar oscillations in planet hosting giant stars offers us the possibility of getting an independent determination of the stellar mass for these objects which is of crucial importance for extrasolar planet studies.

The Diversity of Neutron Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, David L.

2004-12-01

Neutron stars are invaluable tools for exploring stellar death, the physics of ultra-dense matter, and the effects of extremely strong magnetic fields. The observed population of neutron stars is dominated by the >1000 radio pulsars, but there are distinct sub-populations that, while fewer in number, can have significant impact on our understanding of the issues mentioned above. These populations are the nearby, isolated neutron stars discovered by ROSAT, and the central compact objects in supernova remnants. The studies of both of these populations have been greatly accelerated in recent years through observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton telescope. First, we discuss radio, optical, and X-ray observations of the nearby neutron stars aimed at determining their relation to the Galactic neutron star population and at unraveling their complex physical processes by determining the basic astronomical parameters that define the population---distances, ages, and magnetic fields---the uncertainties in which limit any attempt to derive basic physical parameters for these objects. We conclude that these sources are 1e6 year-old cooling neutron stars with magnetic fields above 1e13 Gauss. Second, we describe the hollow supernova remnant problem: why many of the supernova remnants in the Galaxy have no indication of central neutron stars. We have undertaken an X-ray census of neutron stars in a volume-limited sample of Galactic supernova remnants, and from it conclude that either many supernovae do not produce neutron stars contrary to expectation, or that neutron stars can have a wide range in cooling behavior that makes many sources disappear from the X-ray sky.

OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS ON FIRST-STAR NUCLEOSYNTHESIS. I. EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE PROGENITORS OF CEMP-NO STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Jinmi; Beers, Timothy C.; Placco, Vinicius M.; Rasmussen, Kaitlin C.; Carollo, Daniela [Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); He, Siyu [Department of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi, 710049 (China); Hansen, Terese T. [Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Roederer, Ian U. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics-Center for the Evolution of the Elements (JINA-CEE) (United States); Zeanah, Jeff, E-mail: jinmi.yoon@nd.edu [Z Solutions, Inc., 9430 Huntcliff Trace, Atlanta, GA 30350 (United States)

2016-12-10

We investigate anew the distribution of absolute carbon abundance, A (C) = log ϵ (C), for carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in the halo of the Milky Way, based on high-resolution spectroscopic data for a total sample of 305 CEMP stars. The sample includes 147 CEMP- s (and CEMP- r / s ) stars, 127 CEMP-no stars, and 31 CEMP stars that are unclassified, based on the currently employed [Ba/Fe] criterion. We confirm previous claims that the distribution of A (C) for CEMP stars is (at least) bimodal, with newly determined peaks centered on A (C) = 7.96 (the high-C region) and A (C) = 6.28 (the low-C region). A very high fraction of CEMP- s (and CEMP- r / s ) stars belongs to the high-C region, while the great majority of CEMP-no stars resides in the low-C region. However, there exists complexity in the morphology of the A (C)-[Fe/H] space for the CEMP-no stars, a first indication that more than one class of first-generation stellar progenitors may be required to account for their observed abundances. The two groups of CEMP-no stars we identify exhibit clearly different locations in the A (Na)- A (C) and A (Mg)- A (C) spaces, also suggesting multiple progenitors. The clear distinction in A (C) between the CEMP- s (and CEMP- r / s ) stars and the CEMP-no stars appears to be as successful, and likely more astrophysically fundamental, for the separation of these sub-classes as the previously recommended criterion based on [Ba/Fe] (and [Ba/Eu]) abundance ratios. This result opens the window for its application to present and future large-scale low- and medium-resolution spectroscopic surveys.

Precision Measurements of $H \\rightarrow b\\bar{b}$ Coupling from $e^{+}e^{-}$ Collisions

CERN Document Server

Lai, Laura

2015-01-01

The proposed 80 to 100 km Future Circular Collider will be an ideal setup for studying properties of the newly-discovered Higgs boson with much more precision. Physics of $e^{+}e^{-}$ collisions are accessible at a center-of-mass energy of 90 to 350 GeV and high luminosity. The lepton collider, FCC-ee, may be used as an intermediate stage before pp collision to study decay channels of the Higgs at a center-of-mass energy of 240 GeV. The objective of this project is to search for the uncertainty of $H \\rightarrow b\\bar{b}$ coupling via event generation and simulation. Pythia8 was utilized in event generation, Delphes for CMS detector simulation, and ROOT for data analysis. After improving the b-tagging efficiency formula in CMS detector simulation, a C++/ROOT analysis was performed on the simulated data. Through this method, the $H \\rightarrow b\\bar{b}$ coupling was measured to be 6\\% with an integrated luminosity of $500 fb^{-1}$ with $Z \\rightarrow \\mu^{+}\\mu^{-}$, $H \\rightarrow b\\bar{b}$ decay.

Long-Term Spectroscopic Monitoring and Surveys of Early-Type Stars with and without Circumstellar Envelopes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroshnichenko Anatoly S.

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Ongoing studies of different groups of stars result in improving our knowledge of their fundamental parameters and evolutionary status. Also, they result in finding new phases of stellar evolution, which require theoretical explanation. At the same time, availability of large telescopes and sensitivity improvement of detectors shift the focus of many observational programs toward fainter and more distant objects. However, there are still many problems in our understanding of details of stellar evolution which can now be solved with small telescopes and observations of bright stars. Approaching these problems implies conducting surveys of large groups of stars and long-term monitoring of individual objects. In this talk, we present the results of recent international programs of photometric and spectral monitoring of several groups of early-type stars. In particular, we discuss the role of binarity in creation of the Be phenomenon and show examples of recently discovered binary systems as well as the problem of refining fundamental parameters of B and A type supergiants. Special attention will be paid to collaboration with the amateur community and use of échelle spectrographs mounted on small telescopes.

Photoionization-regulated star formation and the structure of molecular clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Mckee, Christopher F.

1989-01-01

A model for the rate of low-mass star formation in Galactic molecular clouds and for the influence of this star formation on the structure and evolution of the clouds is presented. The rate of energy injection by newly formed stars is estimated, and the effect of this energy injection on the size of the cloud is determined. It is shown that the observed rate of star formation appears adequate to support the observed clouds against gravitational collapse. The rate of photoionization-regulated star formation is estimated and it is shown to be in agreement with estimates of the observed rate of star formation if the observed molecular cloud parameters are used. The mean cloud extinction and the Galactic star formation rate per unit mass of molecular gas are predicted theoretically from the condition that photionization-regulated star formation be in equilibrium. A simple model for the evolution of isolated molecular clouds is developed.

Flare stars in Pleiades. 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirzoyan, L.V.; Chavushyan, O.S.; Oganyan, G.B.; Ambaryan, V.V.; Garibdzhanyan, A.T.; Melikyan, N.D.; Natsvlishvili, R.Sh.; AN Gruzinskoj SSR, Abastumani. Abastumanskaya Astrofizicheskaya Observatoriya)

1981-01-01

The results of photographic observations of stellar flares in the Pleiades region carried out at the Byurakan and Abastumani astrophysical observatories during 1976-1979 are given. On the basis of these observations 17 new flare stars have been found. Total number of all known flare stars in the Pleiades region on 1 June 1980 reached 524, and the number of all flares-1244. The observational data on distribution of flare stars according to the observed flares is satisfactorily represented by the average frequency function introduced by V.A.Ambartsumian. The total number of the flare stars in the Pleiades is of the order of 1100. Using three telescopes, synchronous photographic observations of stellar flares in Pleiades in U, B, V, system are carried out. The colour indices U-B and B-V of stellar flares in periods including the maximum of the flare slightly differ from that of photoelectrically defined for flares of UV Ceti type stars, which testifies the physical relationship of flare stars in Pleiades and in the vicinity of the Sun [ru

First Kepler results on compact pulsators - III. Subdwarf B stars with V1093 Her and hybrid (DW Lyn) type pulsations

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, M. D.; Kawaler, S. D.; Østensen, R. H.; Bloemen, S.; Baran, A.; Telting, J. H.; Silvotti, R.; Charpinet, S.; Quint, A. C.; Handler, G.; Gilliland, R. L.; Borucki, W. J.; Koch, D. G.; Kjeldsen, H.; Christensen-Dalsgaard, J.

2010-12-01

We present the discovery of non-radial pulsations in five hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars based on 27 d of nearly continuous time series photometry using the Kepler spacecraft. We find that every sdB star cooler than ≈27 500 K that Kepler has observed (seven so far) is a long-period pulsator of the V1093 Her (PG 1716) class or a hybrid star with both short and long periods. The apparently non-binary long-period and hybrid pulsators are described here. The V1093 Her periods range from 1 to 4.5 h and are associated with g-mode pulsations. Three stars also exhibit short periods indicative of p-modes with periods of 2-5 min and in addition, these stars exhibit periodicities between both classes from 15 to 45 min. We detect the coolest and longest-period V1093 Her-type pulsator to date, KIC010670103 (Teff≈ 20 900 K, Pmax≈ 4.5 h) as well as a suspected hybrid pulsator, KIC002697388, which is extremely cool (Teff≈ 23 900 K) and for the first time hybrid pulsators which have larger g-mode amplitudes than p-mode ones. All of these pulsators are quite rich with many frequencies and we are able to apply asymptotic relationships to associate periodicities with modes for KIC010670103. Kepler data are particularly well suited for these studies as they are long duration, extremely high duty cycle observations with well-behaved noise properties.

Neutron Stars and NuSTAR

Science.gov (United States)

Bhalerao, Varun

2012-05-01

among all classes of neutron star binaries. Intrigued by this diversity - which points to diverse birth masses - we undertook a systematic survey to measure the masses of neutron stars in nine high-mass X-ray binaries. In this thesis, I present results from this ongoing project. While neutron stars formed the primary focus of my work, I also explored other topics in compact objects. Appendix A describes the discovery and complete characterization of a 1RXS J173006.4+033813, a polar cataclysmic variable. Appendix B describes the discovery of a diamond planet orbiting a millisecond pulsar, and our search for its optical counterpart.

SEARCHES FOR METAL-POOR STARS FROM THE HAMBURG/ESO SURVEY USING THE CH G BAND

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Placco, Vinicius M.; Rossi, Silvia [Departamento de Astronomia-Instituto de Astronomia, Geofisica e Ciencias Atmosfericas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-090 (Brazil); Kennedy, Catherine R.; Beers, Timothy C.; Lee, Young Sun [Department of Physics and Astronomy and JINA (Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Christlieb, Norbert [Zentrum fuer Astronomie der Universitaet Heidelberg, Landessternwarte, Koenigstuhl 12, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Sivarani, Thirupathi [Indian Institute of Astrophysics, 2nd Block, Koramangala, Bangalore 560034 (India); Reimers, Dieter [Hamburger Sternwarte, Universitaet Hamburg, Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg (Germany); Wisotzki, Lutz, E-mail: vmplacco@astro.iag.usp.br [Astrophysical Institute Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam (Germany)

2011-12-15

.0 < [Fe/H] <-1.0, which previous survey efforts undersampled. There are eight newly discovered stars with [Fe/H] <-3.0 in our sample, including two with [Fe/H] <-3.5.

Wave Star

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Morten; Frigaard, Peter; Brorsen, Michael

Nærværende rapport beskriver foreløbige hovedkonklusioner på modelforsøg udført på Aalborg Universitet, Institut for Vand, Jord og Miljøteknik med bølgeenergianlægget Wave Star i perioden 13/9 2004 til 12/11 2004.......Nærværende rapport beskriver foreløbige hovedkonklusioner på modelforsøg udført på Aalborg Universitet, Institut for Vand, Jord og Miljøteknik med bølgeenergianlægget Wave Star i perioden 13/9 2004 til 12/11 2004....

DRIVING TURBULENCE AND TRIGGERING STAR FORMATION BY IONIZING RADIATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gritschneder, Matthias; Naab, Thorsten; Walch, Stefanie; Burkert, Andreas; Heitsch, Fabian

2009-01-01

We present high-resolution simulations on the impact of ionizing radiation of massive O stars on the surrounding turbulent interstellar medium (ISM). The simulations are performed with the newly developed software iVINE which combines ionization with smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and gravitational forces. We show that radiation from hot stars penetrates the ISM, efficiently heats cold low-density gas and amplifies overdensities seeded by the initial turbulence. The formation of observed pillar-like structures in star-forming regions (e.g. in M16) can be explained by this scenario. At the tip of the pillars gravitational collapse can be induced, eventually leading to the formation of low-mass stars. Detailed analysis of the evolution of the turbulence spectra shows that UV radiation of O stars indeed provides an excellent mechanism to sustain and even drive turbulence in the parental molecular cloud.

The Dual-channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment: Sounding Rocket EUV Observations of Local B Stars to Determine Their Potential for Supplying Intergalactic Ionizing Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Nicholas; Green, James C.; France, Kevin; Stocke, John T.; Nell, Nicholas

2018-06-01

We describe the scientific motivation and technical development of the Dual-channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment (DEUCE). DEUCE is a sounding rocket payload designed to obtain the first flux-calibrated spectra of two nearby B stars in the EUV 650-1150Å bandpass. This measurement will help in understanding the ionizing flux output of hot B stars, calibrating stellar models and commenting on the potential contribution of such stars to reionization. DEUCE consists of a grazing incidence Wolter II telescope, a normal incidence holographic grating, and the largest (8” x 8”) microchannel plate detector ever flown in space, covering the 650-1150Å band in medium and low resolution channels. DEUCE will launch on December 1, 2018 as NASA/CU sounding rocket mission 36.331 UG, observing Epsilon Canis Majoris, a B2 II star.

IN-SYNC. II. VIRIAL STARS FROM SUBVIRIAL CORES—THE VELOCITY DISPERSION OF EMBEDDED PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS IN NGC 1333

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, Jonathan B.; Cottaar, Michiel; Meyer, Michael R.; Covey, Kevin R.; Arce, Héctor G.; Nidever, David L.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Tan, Jonathan C.; Da Rio, Nicola; Chojnowski, S. Drew; Majewski, Steven R.; Skrutskie, Michael; Wilson, John C.; Flaherty, Kevin M.; Rebull, Luisa; Frinchaboy, Peter M.; Zasowski, Gail

2015-01-01

The initial velocity dispersion of newborn stars is a major unconstrained aspect of star formation theory. Using near-infrared spectra obtained with the APOGEE spectrograph, we show that the velocity dispersion of young (1-2 Myr) stars in NGC 1333 is 0.92 ± 0.12 km s –1 after correcting for measurement uncertainties and the effect of binaries. This velocity dispersion is consistent with the virial velocity of the region and the diffuse gas velocity dispersion, but significantly larger than the velocity dispersion of the dense, star-forming cores, which have a subvirial velocity dispersion of 0.5 km s –1 . Since the NGC 1333 cluster is dynamically young and deeply embedded, this measurement provides a strong constraint on the initial velocity dispersion of newly formed stars. We propose that the difference in velocity dispersion between stars and dense cores may be due to the influence of a 70 μG magnetic field acting on the dense cores or be the signature of a cluster with initial substructure undergoing global collapse

A Multi-Fiber Spectroscopic Search for Low-mass Young Stars in Orion OB1

Science.gov (United States)

Loerincs, Jacqueline; Briceno, Cesar; Calvet, Nuria; Mateo, Mario L.; Hernandez, Jesus

2017-01-01

We present here results of a low resolution spectroscopic followup of candidate low-mass pre-main sequence stars in the Orion OB1 association. Our targets were selected from the CIDA Variability Survey of Orion (CVSO), and we used the Michigan/Magellan Fiber Spectrograph (M2FS) on the Magellan Clay 6.5m telescope to obtain spectra of 500 candidate T Tauri stars distributed in seven 0.5 deg diameter fields, adding to a total area of ~5.5 deg2. We identify young stars by looking at the distinctive Hα 6563 Å emission and Lithium Li I 6707 Å absorption features characteristic of young low mass pre-main sequence stars. Furthermore, by measuring the strength of their Hα emission lines, confirmed T Tauri stars can be classified as either Classical T Tauris (CTTS) or Weak-line T Tauris (WTTS), which give indication of whether the star is actively accreting material from a gas and dust disk surrounding the star, which may be the precursor of a planetary system. We confirm a total of 90 T Tauri stars, of which 50% are newly identified young members of Orion; out of the 49 new detections,15 are accreting CTTS, and of these all but one are found in the OB1b sub-region. This result is in line with our previous findings that this region is much younger than the more extended Orion OB1a sub-association. The M2FS results add to our growing census of young stars in Orion, that is allowing us to characterize in a systematic and consistent way the distribution of stellar ages across the entire complex, in order to building a complete picture of star formation in this, one of nearest most active sites of star birth.

IRAS far-infrared colours of normal stars

Science.gov (United States)

Waters, L. B. F. M.; Cote, J.; Aumann, H. H.

1987-01-01

The analysis of IRAS observations at 12, 25, 60 and 100 microns of bright stars of spectral type O to M is presented. The objective is to identify the 'normal' stellar population and to characterize it in terms of the relationships between (B-V) and (V-/12/), between (R-I) and (V-/12/), and as a function of spectral type and luminosity class. A well-defined relation is found between the color of normal stars in the visual (B-V), (R-I) and in the IR, which does not depend on luminosity class. Using the (B-V), (V-/12/) relation for normal stars, it is found that B and M type stars show a large fraction of deviating stars, mostly with IR excess that is probably caused by circumstellar material. A comparison of IRAS colors with the Johnson colors as a function of spectral type shows good agreement except for the K0 to M5 type stars. The results will be useful in identifying the deviating stars detected with IRAS.

Astronomy: A small star with an Earth-like planet

Science.gov (United States)

Deming, Drake

2015-11-01

A rocky planet close in size to Earth has been discovered in the cosmic vicinity of our Sun. The small size and proximity of the associated star bode well for studies of the planet's atmosphere. See Letter p.204

A MODERN SEARCH FOR WOLF–RAYET STARS IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS. II. A SECOND YEAR OF DISCOVERIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Massey, Philip; Neugent, Kathryn F. [Lowell Observatory, 1400 W Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States); Morrell, Nidia, E-mail: phil.massey@lowell.edu, E-mail: kneugent@lowell.edu, E-mail: nmorrell@lco.cl [Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories, Casilla 601, La Serena (Chile)

2015-07-01

The numbers and types of evolved massive stars found in nearby galaxies provide an exacting test of stellar evolution models. Because of their proximity and rich massive star populations, the Magellanic Clouds have long served as the linchpins for such studies. Yet the continued accidental discoveries of Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars in these systems demonstrate that our knowledge is not as complete as usually assumed. Therefore, we undertook a multi-year survey for WRs in the Magellanic Clouds. Our results from our first year (reported previously) confirmed nine new LMC WRs. Of these, six were of a type never before recognized, with WN3-type emission combined with O3-type absorption features. Yet these stars are 2–3 mag too faint to be WN3+O3 V binaries. Here we report on the second year of our survey, including the discovery of four more WRs, two of which are also WN3/O3s, plus two “slash” WRs. This brings the total of known LMC WRs to 152, 13 (8.2%) of which were found by our survey, which is now ∼60% complete. We find that the spatial distribution of the WN3/O3s is similar to that of other WRs in the LMC, suggesting that they are descended from the same progenitors. We call attention to the fact that 5 of the 12 known SMC WRs may in fact be similar WN3/O3s rather than the binaries they have often assumed to be. We also discuss our other discoveries: a newly discovered Onfp-type star, and a peculiar emission-line object. Finally, we consider the completeness limits of our survey.

THE CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF STARS IN THE HALO (CASH) PROJECT. II. A SAMPLE OF 14 EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS ,

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollek, Julie K.; Sneden, Christopher; Shetrone, Matthew; Frebel, Anna; Roederer, Ian U.; Beers, Timothy C.; Kang, Sung-ju; Thom, Christopher

2011-01-01

We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of 20 elements for 16 new low-metallicity stars from the Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) project. The abundances have been derived from both Hobby-Eberly Telescope High Resolution Spectrograph snapshot spectra (R ∼15, 000) and corresponding high-resolution (R ∼35, 000) Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectra. The stars span a metallicity range from [Fe/H] from –2.9 to –3.9, including four new stars with [Fe/H] < –3.7. We find four stars to be carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, confirming the trend of increasing [C/Fe] abundance ratios with decreasing metallicity. Two of these objects can be classified as CEMP-no stars, adding to the growing number of these objects at [Fe/H]< – 3. We also find four neutron-capture-enhanced stars in the sample, one of which has [Eu/Fe] of 0.8 with clear r-process signatures. These pilot sample stars are the most metal-poor ([Fe/H] ∼< –3.0) of the brightest stars included in CASH and are used to calibrate a newly developed, automated stellar parameter and abundance determination pipeline. This code will be used for the entire ∼500 star CASH snapshot sample. We find that the pipeline results are statistically identical for snapshot spectra when compared to a traditional, manual analysis from a high-resolution spectrum.

Evolving R Coronae Borealis Stars with MESA

Science.gov (United States)

Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Lauer, Amber; Chatzopoulos, Emmanouil; Frank, Juhan

2018-01-01

R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars form a small class of cool, carbon-rich supergiants that have almost no hydrogen. They undergo extreme, irregular declines in brightness of up to 8 magnitudes due to the formation of thick clouds of carbon dust. Two scenarios have been proposed for the origin of an RCB star: the merger of a CO/He white dwarf (WD) binary and a final helium-shell flash. We are using a combination of 3D hydrodynamics codes and the 1D MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics) stellar evolution code including nucleosynthesis to construct post-merger spherical models based on realistic merger progenitor models and on our hydrodynamical simulations, and then following the evolution into the region of the HR diagram where RCB stars are located. We are investigating nucleosynthesis in the dynamically accreting material of CO/He WD mergers which may provide a suitable environment for significant production of 18O and the very low 16O/18O values observed.Our MESA modeling consists of two steps: first mimicking the WD merger event using two different techniques, (a) by choosing a very high mass accretion rate with appropriate abundances and (b) by applying "stellar engineering" to an initial CO WD model to account for the newly merged material by applying an entropy adjusting procedure. Second, we follow the post-merger evolution using a large nuclear reaction network including the effects of convective and rotational instabilities to the mixing of material in order to match the observed RCB abundances. MESA follows the evolution of the merger product as it expands and cools to become an RCB star. We then examine the surface abundances and compare them to the observed RCB abundances. We also investigate how long fusion continues in the He shell near the core and how this processed material is mixed up to the surface of the star. We then model the later evolution of RCB stars to determine their likely lifetimes and endpoints when they have returned to

Multiband Lightcurve of Tabby’s Star: Observations and Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Yao; Wilcox, Alejandro; Boyajian, Tabetha S.

2018-06-01

Since March 2017, The Thacher Observatory in California has been monitoring changes in brightness of KIC 8462852 (Tabby's Star), an F-type main sequence star whose irregular dimming behavior was first discovered by Tabetha Boyajian by examining Kepler data. We obtained over 20k observations over 135 nights in 2017 in 4 photometric bands, and detected 4 dip events greater than 1%. The relative magnitude of each dip compared across our 4 different photometric bands provides critical information regarding the nature of the obscuring material, and we present a preliminary analysis of these events. The Thacher Observatory is continuing its monitoring of Tabby’s Star in 2018.

Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Surface to the Interior

CERN Document Server

Zane, Silvia; Page, Dany

2007-01-01

This book collects the contributions presented at the conference Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Surface to the Interior, held in London in April 2006. Forty years after the discovery of radio pulsars it presents an up-to-date description of the new vision of isolated neutron stars that has emerged in recent years with the advance of multi-wavelength observations. The great variety of isolated neutron stars, from pulsars to magnetars, some of them discovered very recently and many of them not detectable in radio wavelengths, is amply covered by descriptions of recent observational results and presentations of the latest theoretical interpretation of these data.

Pulsating stars harbouring planets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moya A.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Why bother with asteroseismology while studying exoplanets? There are several answers to this question. Asteroseismology and exoplanetary sciences have much in common and the synergy between the two opens up new aspects in both fields. These fields and stellar activity, when taken together, allow maximum extraction of information from exoplanet space missions. Asteroseismology of the host star has already proved its value in a number of exoplanet systems by its unprecedented precision in determining stellar parameters. In addition, asteroseismology allows the possibility of discovering new exoplanets through time delay studies. The study of the interaction between exoplanets and their host stars opens new windows on various physical processes. In this review I will summarize past and current research in exoplanet asteroseismology and explore some guidelines for the future.

Systematic Serendipity: A Method to Discover the Anomalous

Science.gov (United States)

Giles, Daniel; Walkowicz, Lucianne

2018-01-01

One of the challenges in the era of big data astronomical surveys is identifying anomalous data, data that exhibits as-of-yet unobserved behavior. These data may result from systematic errors, extreme (or rare) forms of known phenomena, or, most interestingly, truly novel phenomena that has historically required a trained eye and often fortuitous circumstance to identify. We describe a method that uses machine clustering techniques to discover anomalous data in Kepler lightcurves, as a step towards systematizing the detection of novel phenomena in the era of LSST. As a proof of concept, we apply our anomaly detection method to Kepler data including Boyajian's Star (KIC 8462852). We examine quarters 4, 8, 11, and 16 of the Kepler data which contain Boyajian’s Star acting normally (quarters 4 and 11) and anomalously (quarters 8 and 16). We demonstrate that our method is capable of identifying Boyajian’s Star’s anomalous behavior in quarters of interest, and we further identify other anomalous light curves that exhibit a range of interesting variability.

HAT-P-49b: a 1.7 M {sub J} planet transiting a bright 1.5 M {sub ☉} F-star

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bieryla, A.; Latham, D. W.; Buchhave, L. A.; Béky, B.; Falco, E.; Torres, G.; Noyes, R. W.; Berlind, P.; Calkins, M. C.; Esquerdo, G. A. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Hartman, J. D.; Bakos, G. Á.; Bhatti, W.; Csubry, Z.; Penev, K.; De Val-Borro, M. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Kovács, G. [Konkoly Observatory, Budapest 1121 (Hungary); Boisse, I. [Centro de Astrofísica, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Lázár, J.; Papp, I., E-mail: abieryla@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: gbakos@astro.princeton.edu [Hungarian Astronomical Association (HAA), Budapest 1461 (Hungary); and others

2014-04-01

We report the discovery of the transiting extrasolar planet HAT-P-49b. The planet transits the bright (V = 10.3) slightly evolved F-star HD 340099 with a mass of 1.54 M {sub ☉} and a radius of 1.83 R {sub ☉}. HAT-P-49b is orbiting one of the 25 brightest stars to host a transiting planet which makes this a favorable candidate for detailed follow-up. This system is an especially strong target for Rossiter-McLaughlin follow-up due to the host star's fast rotation, 16 km s{sup –1}. The planetary companion has a period of 2.6915 days, mass of 1.73 M {sub J}, and radius of 1.41 R {sub J}. The planetary characteristics are consistent with that of a classical hot Jupiter but we note that this is the fourth most massive star to host a transiting planet with both M{sub p} and R{sub p} well determined.

A Potential Cyclotron Resonant Scattering Feature in the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Pulsar NGC 300 ULX1 Seen by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton

Science.gov (United States)

Walton, D. J.; Bachetti, M.; Fürst, F.; Barret, D.; Brightman, M.; Fabian, A. C.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Harrison, F. A.; Heida, M.; Kennea, J.; Kosec, P.; Lau, R. M.; Madsen, K. K.; Middleton, M. J.; Pinto, C.; Steiner, J. F.; Webb, N.

2018-04-01

Based on phase-resolved broadband spectroscopy using XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, we report on a potential cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) at E ∼ 13 keV in the pulsed spectrum of the recently discovered ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) pulsar NGC 300 ULX1. If this interpretation is correct, the implied magnetic field of the central neutron star is B ∼ 1012 G (assuming scattering by electrons), similar to that estimated from the observed spin-up of the star, and also similar to known Galactic X-ray pulsars. We discuss the implications of this result for the connection between NGC 300 ULX1 and the other known ULX pulsars, particularly in light of the recent discovery of a likely proton cyclotron line in another ULX, M51 ULX-8.

Can doubly strange dibaryon resonances be discovered at RHIC?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paganis, S. D.; Hoffmann, G. W.; Ray, R. L.; Tang, J.-L.; Udagawa, T.; Longacre, R. S.

2000-01-01

The baryon-baryon continuum invariant mass spectrum generated from relativistic nucleus + nucleus collision data may reveal the existence of doubly strange dibaryons not stable against strong decay if they lie within a few MeV of threshold. Furthermore, since the dominant component of these states is a superposition of two color-octet clusters which can be produced intermediately in a color-deconfined quark-gluon plasma (QGP), an enhanced production of dibaryon resonances could be a signal of QGP formation. A total of eight, doubly strange dibaryon states are considered for experimental search using the STAR detector (solenoidal tracker at RHIC) at the new Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). These states may decay to ΛΛ and/or pΞ - , depending on the resonance energy. STAR's large acceptance, precision tracking and vertex reconstruction capabilities, and large data volume capacity, make it an ideal instrument to use for such a search. Detector performance and analysis sensitivity are studied as a function of resonance production rate and width for one particular dibaryon which can directly strong decay to pΞ - , but not ΛΛ. Results indicate that such resonances may be discovered using STAR if the resonance production rates are comparable to coalescence model predictions for dibaryon bound states. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society

Organic, Gas, and Element Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Fluids of the Newly Discovered Extensive Hydrothermal Area in the Wallis and Futuna Region (SW Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Konn

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Two newly discovered hydrothermal vent fields of the Wallis and Futuna region, Kulo Lasi and Fatu Kapa, were sampled for fluid geochemistry. A great geochemical diversity was observed and assigned to the diversity of lithologies as well as the occurrence of various processes. Kulo Lasi fluids likely formed by interaction with fresh volcanic rocks, phase separation, and mixing with magmatic fluid. Conversely, the geochemistry of the Fatu Kapa fluids would be mostly due to water/felsic lavas reactions. In terms of organic geochemistry, fluids from both fields were found to be enriched in formate, acetate, and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs: n-alkanes, n-fatty acids, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs. Concentrations of SVOCs reached a few ppb at most. The distribution patterns of SVOCs indicated that several processes and sources, at once of biogenic, thermogenic, and abiogenic types, likely controlled organic geochemistry. Although the contribution of each process remains unknown, the mere presence of organics at the μM level has strong implications for metal dispersion (cycles, deposition (ore-forming, and bioavailability (ecosystems, especially as our fluxes estimations suggest that back-arc hosted vent fields could contribute as much as MOR to the global ocean heat and mass budget.

Separated before birth: pulsars B2020+28 and B2021+51 as the remnants of runaway stars

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.

2007-08-01

Astrometric data on the pulsars B2020+28 and B2021+51 suggest that they originated within several parsecs of each other in the direction of the Cyg OB2 association. It was proposed that the pulsars share their origin in a common massive binary and were separated at the birth of the second pulsar following the asymmetric supernova explosion. We consider a different scenario for the origin of the pulsar pair based on a possibility that the pulsars were separated before their birth and that they are the remnants of runaway stars ejected (with velocities similar to those of the pulsars) from the core of Cyg OB2 due to strong three- or four-body dynamical encounters. Our scenario does not require any asymmetry in supernova explosions.

Ejection of rocky and icy material from binary star systems: implications for the origin and composition of 1I/`Oumuamua

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Alan P.; Tamayo, Daniel; Hammond, Noah; Ali-Dib, Mohamad; Rein, Hanno

2018-06-01

In single-star systems like our own Solar system, comets dominate the mass budget of bodies ejected into interstellar space, since they form further away and are less tightly bound. However, 1I/`Oumuamua, the first interstellar object detected, appears asteroidal in its spectra and lack of detectable activity. We argue that the galactic budget of interstellar objects like 1I/`Oumuamua should be dominated by planetesimal material ejected during planet formation in circumbinary systems, rather than in single-star systems or widely separated binaries. We further show that in circumbinary systems, rocky bodies should be ejected in comparable numbers to icy ones. This suggests that a substantial fraction of interstellar objects discovered in future should display an active coma. We find that the rocky population, of which 1I/`Oumuamua seems to be a member, should be predominantly sourced from A-type and late B-star binaries.

Unlocking the secrets of white dwarf stars

CERN Document Server

Van Horn, Hugh M

2015-01-01

White dwarfs, each containing about as much mass as our Sun but packed into a volume about the size of Earth, are the endpoints of evolution for most stars. Thousands of these faint objects have now been discovered, though only a century ago only three were known. They are among the most common stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and they have become important tools in understanding the universe. Yet a century ago only three white dwarfs were known.   The existence of these stars completely baffled the scientists of the day, and solving the mysteries of these strange objects required revolutionary advances in science and technology, including the development of quantum physics, the construction and utilization of large telescopes, the invention of the digital computer, and the ability to make astronomical observations from space.   This book tells the story of the growth in our understanding of white dwarf stars, set within the context of the relevant scientific and technological advances. Part popular science, ...

PLANETARY CONSTRUCTION ZONES IN OCCULTATION: DISCOVERY OF AN EXTRASOLAR RING SYSTEM TRANSITING A YOUNG SUN-LIKE STAR AND FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR DETECTING ECLIPSES BY CIRCUMSECONDARY AND CIRCUMPLANETARY DISKS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mamajek, Eric E.; Quillen, Alice C.; Pecaut, Mark J.; Moolekamp, Fred; Scott, Erin L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0171 (United States); Kenworthy, Matthew A. [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Cameron, Andrew Collier; Parley, Neil R. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS (United Kingdom)

2012-03-15

The large relative sizes of circumstellar and circumplanetary disks imply that they might be seen in eclipse in stellar light curves. We estimate that a survey of {approx}10{sup 4} young ({approx}10 million year old) post-accretion pre-main-sequence stars monitored for {approx}10 years should yield at least a few deep eclipses from circumplanetary disks and disks surrounding low-mass companion stars. We present photometric and spectroscopic data for a pre-main-sequence K5 star (1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 = ASAS J140748-3945.7), a newly discovered {approx}0.9 M{sub Sun} member of the {approx}16 Myr old Upper Centaurus-Lupus subgroup of Sco-Cen at a kinematic distance of 128 {+-} 13 pc. This star exhibited a remarkably long, deep, and complex eclipse event centered on 2007 April 29 (as discovered in Super Wide Angle Search for Planets (SuperWASP) photometry, and with portions of the dimming confirmed by All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) data). At least five multi-day dimming events of >0.5 mag are identified, with a >3.3 mag deep eclipse bracketed by two pairs of {approx}1 mag eclipses symmetrically occurring {+-}12 days and {+-}26 days before and after. Hence, significant dimming of the star was taking place on and off over at least a {approx}54 day period in 2007, and a strong >1 mag dimming event occurring over a {approx}12 day span. We place a firm lower limit on the period of 850 days (i.e., the orbital radius of the eclipser must be >1.7 AU and orbital velocity must be <22 km s{sup -1}). The shape of the light curve is similar to the lopsided eclipses of the Be star EE Cep. We suspect that this new star is being eclipsed by a low-mass object orbited by a dense inner disk, further girded by at least three dusty rings of optical depths near unity. Between these rings are at least two annuli of near-zero optical depth (i.e., gaps), possibly cleared out by planets or moons, depending on the nature of the secondary. For possible periods in the range 2.33-200 yr, the

The role of infections and coinfections with newly identified and emerging respiratory viruses in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debiaggi Maurizia

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Acute respiratory infections are a major cause of morbidity in children both in developed and developing countries. A wide range of respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, influenza A and B viruses, parainfluenza viruses (PIVs, adenovirus, rhinovirus (HRV, have repeatedly been detected in acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI in children in the past decades. However, in the last ten years thanks to progress in molecular technologies, newly discovered viruses have been identified including human Metapneumovirus (hMPV, coronaviruses NL63 (HcoV-NL63 and HKU1 (HcoV-HKU1, human Bocavirus (HBoV, new enterovirus (HEV, parechovirus (HpeV and rhinovirus (HRV strains, polyomaviruses WU (WUPyV and KI (KIPyV and the pandemic H1N1v influenza A virus. These discoveries have heavily modified previous knowledge on respiratory infections mainly highlighting that pediatric population is exposed to a variety of viruses with similar seasonal patterns. In this context establishing a causal link between a newly identified virus and the disease as well as an association between mixed infections and an increase in disease severity can be challenging. This review will present an overview of newly recognized as well as the main emerging respiratory viruses and seek to focus on the their contribution to infection and co-infection in LRTIs in childhood.

A hot Saturn on an eccentric orbit around the giant star K2-132

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, M. I.; Brahm, R.; Espinoza, N.; Jordán, A.; Rojas, F.; Rabus, M.; Drass, H.; Zapata, A.; Soto, M. G.; Jenkins, J. S.; Vučković, M.; Ciceri, S.; Sarkis, P.

2018-06-01

Although the majority of radial velocity detected planets have been found orbiting solar-type stars, a fraction of them have been discovered around giant stars. These planetary systems have revealed different orbital properties when compared to solar-type star companions. In particular, radial velocity surveys have shown that there is a lack of giant planets in close-in orbits around giant stars, in contrast to the known population of hot Jupiters orbiting solar-type stars. It has been theorized that the reason for this distinctive feature in the semimajor axis distribution is the result of the stellar evolution and/or that it is due to the effect of a different formation/evolution scenario for planets around intermediate-mass stars. However, in the past few years a handful of transiting short-period planets (P ≲ 10 days) have been found around giant stars, thanks to the high-precision photometric data obtained initially by the Kepler mission, and later by its two-wheel extension K2. These new discoveries have allowed us for the first time to study the orbital properties and physical parameters of these intriguing and elusive substellar companions. In this paper we report on an independent discovery of a transiting planet in field 10 of the K2 mission, also reported recently by Grunblatt et al. (2017, AJ, 154, 254). The host star has recently evolved to the giant phase, and has the following atmospheric parameters: Teff = 4878 ± 70 K, log g = 3.289 ± 0.004, and [Fe/H] = -0.11 ± 0.05 dex. The main orbital parameters of K2-132 b, obtained with all the available data for the system are: P = 9.1708 ± 0.0025 d, e = 0.290 ± 0.049, Mp = 0.495 ± 0.007 MJ and Rp = 1.089 ± 0.006 RJ. This is the fifth known planet orbiting any giant star with a K2-132 b a very interesting object. Tables of the photometry and of the radial velocities are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http

ISLSCP II IGBP DISCover and SiB Land Cover, 1992-1993

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This data set describes the geographic distributions of 17 classes of land cover based on the International Geosphere-Biosphere DISCover land cover legend (Loveland...

Chemical Abundance Analysis of Three α-poor, Metal-poor Stars in the Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy Horologium I

Science.gov (United States)

Nagasawa, D. Q.; Marshall, J. L.; Li, T. S.; Hansen, T. T.; Simon, J. D.; Bernstein, R. A.; Balbinot, E.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Pace, A. B.; Strigari, L. E.; Pellegrino, C. M.; DePoy, D. L.; Suntzeff, N. B.; Bechtol, K.; Walker, A. R.; Abbott, T. M. C.; Abdalla, F. B.; Allam, S.; Annis, J.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Carretero, J.; Cunha, C. E.; D’Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; Davis, C.; Desai, S.; Doel, P.; Eifler, T. F.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gaztanaga, E.; Gerdes, D. W.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; Hartley, W. G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Jeltema, T.; Krause, E.; Kuehn, K.; Kuhlmann, S.; Kuropatkin, N.; March, M.; Miquel, R.; Nord, B.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Santiago, B.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, M.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Tarle, G.; Thomas, D.; Tucker, D. L.; Wechsler, R. H.; Wolf, R. C.; Yanny, B.

2018-01-01

We present chemical abundance measurements of three stars in the ultrafaint dwarf galaxy Horologium I, a Milky Way satellite discovered by the Dark Energy Survey. Using high-resolution spectroscopic observations, we measure the metallicity of the three stars, as well as abundance ratios of several α-elements, iron-peak elements, and neutron-capture elements. The abundance pattern is relatively consistent among all three stars, which have a low average metallicity of [Fe/H] ∼ ‑2.6 and are not α-enhanced ([α/Fe] ∼ 0.0). This result is unexpected when compared to other low-metallicity stars in the Galactic halo and other ultrafaint dwarfs and suggests the possibility of a different mechanism for the enrichment of Hor I compared to other satellites. We discuss possible scenarios that could lead to this observed nucleosynthetic signature, including extended star formation, enrichment by a Population III supernova, and or an association with the Large Magellanic Cloud. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. This paper also includes data based on observations made with the ESO Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory, Chile (ID 096.D-0967(B); PI: E. Balbinot).

Sounds of a Star

Science.gov (United States)

2001-06-01

Acoustic Oscillations in Solar-Twin "Alpha Cen A" Observed from La Silla by Swiss Team Summary Sound waves running through a star can help astronomers reveal its inner properties. This particular branch of modern astrophysics is known as "asteroseismology" . In the case of our Sun, the brightest star in the sky, such waves have been observed since some time, and have greatly improved our knowledge about what is going on inside. However, because they are much fainter, it has turned out to be very difficult to detect similar waves in other stars. Nevertheless, tiny oscillations in a solar-twin star have now been unambiguously detected by Swiss astronomers François Bouchy and Fabien Carrier from the Geneva Observatory, using the CORALIE spectrometer on the Swiss 1.2-m Leonard Euler telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory. This telescope is mostly used for discovering exoplanets (see ESO PR 07/01 ). The star Alpha Centauri A is the nearest star visible to the naked eye, at a distance of a little more than 4 light-years. The new measurements show that it pulsates with a 7-minute cycle, very similar to what is observed in the Sun . Asteroseismology for Sun-like stars is likely to become an important probe of stellar theory in the near future. The state-of-the-art HARPS spectrograph , to be mounted on the ESO 3.6-m telescope at La Silla, will be able to search for oscillations in stars that are 100 times fainter than those for which such demanding observations are possible with CORALIE. PR Photo 23a/01 : Oscillations in a solar-like star (schematic picture). PR Photo 23b/01 : Acoustic spectrum of Alpha Centauri A , as observed with CORALIE. Asteroseismology: listening to the stars ESO PR Photo 23a/01 ESO PR Photo 23a/01 [Preview - JPEG: 357 x 400 pix - 96k] [Normal - JPEG: 713 x 800 pix - 256k] [HiRes - JPEG: 2673 x 3000 pix - 2.1Mb Caption : PR Photo 23a/01 is a graphical representation of resonating acoustic waves in the interior of a solar-like star. Red and blue

Accreting Millisecond Pulsars: Neutron Star Masses and Radii

Science.gov (United States)

Strohmayer, Tod

2004-01-01

High amplitude X-ray brightness oscillations during thermonuclear X-ray bursts were discovered with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in early 1996. Spectral and timing evidence strongly supports the conclusion that these oscillations are caused by rotational modulation of the burst emission and that they reveal the spin frequency of neutron stars in low mass X-ray binaries. The recent discovery of X-ray burst oscillations from two accreting millisecond pulsars has confirmed this basic picture and provided a new route to measuring neutron star properties and constraining the dense matter equation of state. I will briefly summarize the current observational understanding of accreting millisecond pulsars, and describe recent attempts to determine the mass and radius of the neutron star in XTE J1814-338.

A NEAR-INFRARED SURVEY OF THE INNER GALACTIC PLANE FOR WOLF-RAYET STARS. II. GOING FAINTER: 71 MORE NEW W-R STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shara, Michael M.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Zurek, David [American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5192 (United States); Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Doyon, Rene [Departement de Physique, Universite de Montreal, CP 6128, Succ. C-V, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7 (Canada); Gerke, Jill [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1173 (United States); Artigau, Etienne; Drissen, Laurent, E-mail: mshara@amnh.org, E-mail: jfaherty@amnh.org, E-mail: dzurek@amnh.org, E-mail: moffat@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: doyon@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: gerke@astronomy.ohio-state.edu, E-mail: artigau@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: ldrissen@phy.ulaval.ca [Departement de Physique, Universite Laval, Pavillon Vachon, Quebec City, QC, G1K 7P4 (Canada)

2012-06-15

We are continuing a J, K and narrowband imaging survey of 300 deg{sup 2} of the plane of the Galaxy, searching for new Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars. Our survey spans 150 Degree-Sign in Galactic longitude and reaches 1 Degree-Sign above and below the Galactic plane. The survey has a useful limiting magnitude of K = 15 over most of the observed Galactic plane, and K = 14 (due to severe crowding) within a few degrees of the Galactic center. Thousands of emission-line candidates have been detected. In spectrographic follow-ups of 146 relatively bright W-R star candidates, we have re-examined 11 previously known WC and WN stars and discovered 71 new W-R stars, 17 of type WN and 54 of type WC. Our latest image analysis pipeline now picks out W-R stars with a 57% success rate. Star subtype assignments have been confirmed with the K-band spectra and distances approximated using the method of spectroscopic parallax. Some of the new W-R stars are among the most distant known in our Galaxy. The distribution of these new W-R stars is beginning to trace the locations of massive stars along the distant spiral arms of the Milky Way.

A NEAR-INFRARED SURVEY OF THE INNER GALACTIC PLANE FOR WOLF-RAYET STARS. II. GOING FAINTER: 71 MORE NEW W-R STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shara, Michael M.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Zurek, David; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Doyon, René; Gerke, Jill; Artigau, Etienne; Drissen, Laurent

2012-01-01

We are continuing a J, K and narrowband imaging survey of 300 deg 2 of the plane of the Galaxy, searching for new Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars. Our survey spans 150° in Galactic longitude and reaches 1° above and below the Galactic plane. The survey has a useful limiting magnitude of K = 15 over most of the observed Galactic plane, and K = 14 (due to severe crowding) within a few degrees of the Galactic center. Thousands of emission-line candidates have been detected. In spectrographic follow-ups of 146 relatively bright W-R star candidates, we have re-examined 11 previously known WC and WN stars and discovered 71 new W-R stars, 17 of type WN and 54 of type WC. Our latest image analysis pipeline now picks out W-R stars with a 57% success rate. Star subtype assignments have been confirmed with the K-band spectra and distances approximated using the method of spectroscopic parallax. Some of the new W-R stars are among the most distant known in our Galaxy. The distribution of these new W-R stars is beginning to trace the locations of massive stars along the distant spiral arms of the Milky Way.

DOUBLE STARS IN THE USNO CCD ASTROGRAPHIC CATALOG

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartkopf, William I.; Mason, Brian D.; Finch, Charlie T.; Zacharias, Norbert; Wycoff, Gary L.; Hsu, Danley, E-mail: wih@usno.navy.mil, E-mail: bdm@usno.navy.mil, E-mail: finch@usno.navy.mil, E-mail: nz@usno.navy.mil [US Naval Observatory, Washington, DC 20392 (United States)

2013-10-01

The newly completed Fourth USNO CCD Astrographic Catalog (UCAC4) has proven to be a rich source of double star astrometry and photometry. Following initial comparisons of UCAC4 results against those obtained by speckle interferometry, the UCAC4 catalog was matched against known double stars in the Washington Double Star Catalog in order to provide additional differential astrometry and photometry for these pairs. Matches to 58,131 pairs yielded 61,895 astrometric and 68,935 photometric measurements. Finally, a search for possible new common proper motion (CPM) pairs was made using new UCAC4 proper motion data; this resulted in 4755 new potential CPM doubles (and an additional 27,718 astrometric and photometric measures from UCAC and other sources)

Faint (and bright variable stars in the satellites of the Milky Way

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivas A. Katherina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available I describe two ongoing projects related with variable stars in the satellites of the MilkyWay. In the first project, we are searching for dwarf Cepheid stars (a.k.a δ Scuti and/or SX Phe in some of the classical dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Our goal is to characterize the population of these variable stars under different environments (age, metallicity in order to study their use as standard candles in systems for which the metallicity is not necessarily known. In the second project we search for RR Lyrae stars in the new ultra-faint satellite galaxies that have been discovered around the Milky Way in recent years.

On the Origin of Hyperfast Neutron Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Gualandris, A.; Portegies Zwart, S.

2008-05-01

We propose an explanation for the origin of hyperfast neutron stars (e.g. PSR B1508+55, PSR B2224+65, RX J0822 4300) based on the hypothesis that they could be the remnants of a symmetric supernova explosion of a high-velocity massive star (or its helium core) which attained its peculiar velocity (similar to that of the neutron star) in the course of a strong three- or four-body dynamical encounter in the core of a young massive star cluster. This hypothesis implies that the dense cores of star clusters (located either in the Galactic disk or near the Galactic centre) could also produce the so-called hypervelocity stars ordinary stars moving with a speed of ~ 1 000 km s-1.

Southern high-velocity stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Augensen, H.J.; Buscombe, W.

1978-01-01

Using the model of the Galaxy presented by Eggen, Lynden-Bell and Sandage (1962), plane galactic orbits have been calculated for 800 southern high-velocity stars which possess parallax, proper motion, and radial velocity data. The stars with trigonometric parallaxes were selected from Buscombe and Morris (1958), supplemented by more recent spectroscopic data. Photometric parallaxes from infrared color indices were used for bright red giants studied by Eggen (1970), and for red dwarfs for which Rodgers and Eggen (1974) determined radial velocities. A color-color diagram based on published values of (U-B) and (B-V) for most of these stars is shown. (Auth.)

VERY LARGE ARRAY OH ZEEMAN OBSERVATIONS OF THE STAR-FORMING REGION S88B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarma, A. P.; Eftimova, M. [Physics Department, DePaul University, 2219 N. Kenmore Ave., Byrne Hall 211, Chicago, IL 60614 (United States); Brogan, C. L. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Bourke, T. L. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Troland, T. H., E-mail: asarma@depaul.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 (United States)

2013-04-10

We present observations of the Zeeman effect in OH thermal absorption main lines at 1665 and 1667 MHz taken with the Very Large Array toward the star-forming region S88B. The OH absorption profiles toward this source are complicated, and contain several blended components toward a number of positions. Almost all of the OH absorbing gas is located in the eastern parts of S88B, toward the compact continuum source S88B-2 and the eastern parts of the extended continuum source S88B-1. The ratio of 1665/1667 MHz OH line intensities indicates the gas is likely highly clumped, in agreement with other molecular emission line observations in the literature. S88-B appears to present a similar geometry to the well-known star-forming region M17, in that there is an edge-on eastward progression from ionized to molecular gas. The detected magnetic fields appear to mirror this eastward transition; we detected line-of-sight magnetic fields ranging from 90 to 400 {mu}G, with the lowest values of the field to the southwest of the S88B-1 continuum peak, and the highest values to its northeast. We used the detected fields to assess the importance of the magnetic field in S88B by a number of methods; we calculated the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressures, we calculated the critical field necessary to completely support the cloud against self-gravity and compared it to the observed field, and we calculated the ratio of mass to magnetic flux in terms of the critical value of this parameter. All these methods indicated that the magnetic field in S88B is dynamically significant, and should provide an important source of support against gravity. Moreover, the magnetic energy density is in approximate equipartition with the turbulent energy density, again pointing to the importance of the magnetic field in this region.

VERY LARGE ARRAY OH ZEEMAN OBSERVATIONS OF THE STAR-FORMING REGION S88B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarma, A. P.; Eftimova, M.; Brogan, C. L.; Bourke, T. L.; Troland, T. H.

2013-01-01

We present observations of the Zeeman effect in OH thermal absorption main lines at 1665 and 1667 MHz taken with the Very Large Array toward the star-forming region S88B. The OH absorption profiles toward this source are complicated, and contain several blended components toward a number of positions. Almost all of the OH absorbing gas is located in the eastern parts of S88B, toward the compact continuum source S88B-2 and the eastern parts of the extended continuum source S88B-1. The ratio of 1665/1667 MHz OH line intensities indicates the gas is likely highly clumped, in agreement with other molecular emission line observations in the literature. S88-B appears to present a similar geometry to the well-known star-forming region M17, in that there is an edge-on eastward progression from ionized to molecular gas. The detected magnetic fields appear to mirror this eastward transition; we detected line-of-sight magnetic fields ranging from 90 to 400 μG, with the lowest values of the field to the southwest of the S88B-1 continuum peak, and the highest values to its northeast. We used the detected fields to assess the importance of the magnetic field in S88B by a number of methods; we calculated the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressures, we calculated the critical field necessary to completely support the cloud against self-gravity and compared it to the observed field, and we calculated the ratio of mass to magnetic flux in terms of the critical value of this parameter. All these methods indicated that the magnetic field in S88B is dynamically significant, and should provide an important source of support against gravity. Moreover, the magnetic energy density is in approximate equipartition with the turbulent energy density, again pointing to the importance of the magnetic field in this region.

XO-2b: A HOT JUPITER WITH A VARIABLE HOST STAR THAT POTENTIALLY AFFECTS ITS MEASURED TRANSIT DEPTH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zellem, Robert T.; Griffith, Caitlin A.; Pearson, Kyle A.; Fitzpatrick, M. Ryleigh; Teske, Johanna K.; Biddle, Lauren I.; Turner, Jake D.; Henry, Gregory W.; Williamson, Michael H.

2015-01-01

The transiting hot Jupiter XO-2b is an ideal target for multi-object photometry and spectroscopy as it has a relatively bright (V-mag = 11.25) K0V host star (XO-2N) and a large planet-to-star contrast ratio (R p /R s ≈ 0.015). It also has a nearby (31.″21) binary stellar companion (XO-2S) of nearly the same brightness (V-mag = 11.20) and spectral type (G9V), allowing for the characterization and removal of shared systematic errors (e.g., airmass brightness variations). We have therefore conducted a multiyear (2012–2015) study of XO-2b with the University of Arizona’s 61″ (1.55 m) Kuiper Telescope and Mont4k CCD in the Bessel U and Harris B photometric passbands to measure its Rayleigh scattering slope to place upper limits on the pressure-dependent radius at, e.g., 10 bar. Such measurements are needed to constrain its derived molecular abundances from primary transit observations. We have also been monitoring XO-2N since the 2013–2014 winter season with Tennessee State University’s Celestron-14 (0.36 m) automated imaging telescope to investigate stellar variability, which could affect XO-2b’s transit depth. Our observations indicate that XO-2N is variable, potentially due to cool star spots, with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.0049 ± 0.0007 R-mag and a period of 29.89 ± 0.16 days for the 2013–2014 observing season and a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.0035 ± 0.0007 R-mag and 27.34 ± 0.21 day period for the 2014–2015 observing season. Because of the likely influence of XO-2N’s variability on the derivation of XO-2b’s transit depth, we cannot bin multiple nights of data to decrease our uncertainties, preventing us from constraining its gas abundances. This study demonstrates that long-term monitoring programs of exoplanet host stars are crucial for understanding host star variability

HD 66051: the first eclipsing binary hosting an early-type magnetic star

Science.gov (United States)

Kochukhov, O.; Johnston, C.; Alecian, E.; Wade, G. A.

2018-05-01

Early-type magnetic stars are rarely found in close binary systems. No such objects were known in eclipsing binaries prior to this study. Here we investigated the eclipsing, spectroscopic double-lined binary HD 66051, which exhibits out-of-eclipse photometric variations suggestive of surface brightness inhomogeneities typical of early-type magnetic stars. Using a new set of high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations, we discovered a weak magnetic field on the primary and found intrinsic, element-dependent variability in its spectral lines. The magnetic field structure of the primary is dominated by a nearly axisymmetric dipolar component with a polar field strength Bd ≈ 600 G and an inclination with respect to the rotation axis of βd = 13°. A weaker quadrupolar component is also likely to be present. We combined the radial velocity measurements derived from our spectra with archival optical photometry to determine fundamental masses (3.16 and 1.75 M⊙) and radii (2.78 and 1.39 R⊙) with a 1-3% precision. We also obtained a refined estimate of the effective temperatures (13000 and 9000 K) and studied chemical abundances for both components with the help of disentangled spectra. We demonstrate that the primary component of HD 66051 is a typical late-B magnetic chemically peculiar star with a non-uniform surface chemical abundance distribution. It is not an HgMn-type star as suggested by recent studies. The secondary is a metallic-line star showing neither a strong, global magnetic field nor intrinsic spectral variability. Fundamental parameters provided by our work for this interesting system open unique possibilities for probing interior structure, studying atomic diffusion, and constraining binary star evolution.

MMT HYPERVELOCITY STAR SURVEY. II. FIVE NEW UNBOUND STARS

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Brown, Warren R.; Geller, Margaret J.; Kenyon, Scott J., E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2012-05-20

We present the discovery of five new unbound hypervelocity stars (HVSs) in the outer Milky Way halo. Using a conservative estimate of Galactic escape velocity, our targeted spectroscopic survey has now identified 16 unbound HVSs as well as a comparable number of HVSs ejected on bound trajectories. A Galactic center origin for the HVSs is supported by their unbound velocities, the observed number of unbound stars, their stellar nature, their ejection time distribution, and their Galactic latitude and longitude distribution. Other proposed origins for the unbound HVSs, such as runaway ejections from the disk or dwarf galaxy tidal debris, cannot be reconciled with the observations. An intriguing result is the spatial anisotropy of HVSs on the sky, which possibly reflects an anisotropic potential in the central 10-100 pc region of the Galaxy. Further progress requires measurement of the spatial distribution of HVSs over the southern sky. Our survey also identifies seven B supergiants associated with known star-forming galaxies; the absence of B supergiants elsewhere in the survey implies there are no new star-forming galaxies in our survey footprint to a depth of 1-2 Mpc.

Post-giant evolution of helium stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoenberner, D.

1977-01-01

Extremely hydrogen deficient stars (helium stars and R Coronae Borealis variables) are considered to be remnants of double shell source stars (of the asymptotic giant branch). The evolution of stars with a condensed C/O-core and a helium envelope is followed numerically from the red giant stage to the white dwarf domain, crossing the regions of R CrB- and helium stars (so far analyzed). They have typically masses M/M(sun) = 0.7 and luminosities log L/L(sun) = 4.1. The time for crossing the helium star domain is some 10 3 years. The corresponding times in the R CrB-region amounts up to several 10 4 years. The lower limit of the death rate of helium stars is estimated to be 4 x 10 -14 pc -3 yr -1 . This value is only a factor of ten lower than the birth rate of all non-DA white dwarfs. It is therefore possible that the helium stars are the precursors of helium rich white dwarfs. As a consequence, a significant fraction of all stars which end their lives as white dwarfs should pass through the helium star phase. (orig.) [de

The Nainital Cape Survey Project : A Search for Pulsation in Chemically Peculiar Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Chakradhari, Nand Kumar; Joshi, Santosh

2018-04-01

The Nainital-Cape Survey is a dedicated search programme initiated in 1999 in the coordination of astronomers from SAAO South Africa, ARIES Nainital and ISRO Bangalore. Over the last 17 years a total of 345 chemically peculiar stars were monitored for photometric variability, making it one of the longest ground-based survey to search for pulsation in chemically peculiar stars in terms of both time span and sample size. Under this survey, we discovered rapid pulsation in the Ap star HD12098 while δ Scuti-type pulsations were detected in seven Am stars. Those stars in which pulsations were not detected have also been tabulated along with their detailed astrophysical parameters for further investigation.

Newly discovered IRAS QSO close to the Galactic plane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, M.A.; Kirhakos, S.D.; Yahil, A.

1988-01-01

CCD observations of the IRAS QSO candidate I09149-6206 performed at CTIO during December 1987 are reported, including 564-806-nm spectroscopy obtained with the 1.5-m telescope and direct UVBRI imaging obtained with the 0.91-m telescope. The data are presented in tables and graphs and characterized in detail. It is found that the source is surrounded by a faint fuzz with low surface brightness and strong forbidden O III lines. Parameters determined include redshift z = 0.0571, Galactic latitude -9.2 deg, V magnitude 13.55, Galactic reddening E(B-V) = about 0.23, and absolute V magnitude about -24.87. 33 references

Transiting circumbinary planets Kepler-34 b and Kepler-35 b.

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh, William F; Orosz, Jerome A; Carter, Joshua A; Fabrycky, Daniel C; Ford, Eric B; Lissauer, Jack J; Prša, Andrej; Quinn, Samuel N; Ragozzine, Darin; Short, Donald R; Torres, Guillermo; Winn, Joshua N; Doyle, Laurance R; Barclay, Thomas; Batalha, Natalie; Bloemen, Steven; Brugamyer, Erik; Buchhave, Lars A; Caldwell, Caroline; Caldwell, Douglas A; Christiansen, Jessie L; Ciardi, David R; Cochran, William D; Endl, Michael; Fortney, Jonathan J; Gautier, Thomas N; Gilliland, Ronald L; Haas, Michael R; Hall, Jennifer R; Holman, Matthew J; Howard, Andrew W; Howell, Steve B; Isaacson, Howard; Jenkins, Jon M; Klaus, Todd C; Latham, David W; Li, Jie; Marcy, Geoffrey W; Mazeh, Tsevi; Quintana, Elisa V; Robertson, Paul; Shporer, Avi; Steffen, Jason H; Windmiller, Gur; Koch, David G; Borucki, William J

2012-01-11

Most Sun-like stars in the Galaxy reside in gravitationally bound pairs of stars (binaries). Although long anticipated, the existence of a 'circumbinary planet' orbiting such a pair of normal stars was not definitively established until the discovery of the planet transiting (that is, passing in front of) Kepler-16. Questions remained, however, about the prevalence of circumbinary planets and their range of orbital and physical properties. Here we report two additional transiting circumbinary planets: Kepler-34 (AB)b and Kepler-35 (AB)b, referred to here as Kepler-34 b and Kepler-35 b, respectively. Each is a low-density gas-giant planet on an orbit closely aligned with that of its parent stars. Kepler-34 b orbits two Sun-like stars every 289 days, whereas Kepler-35 b orbits a pair of smaller stars (89% and 81% of the Sun's mass) every 131 days. The planets experience large multi-periodic variations in incident stellar radiation arising from the orbital motion of the stars. The observed rate of circumbinary planets in our sample implies that more than ∼1% of close binary stars have giant planets in nearly coplanar orbits, yielding a Galactic population of at least several million.

MASCARA-2 b. A hot Jupiter transiting the mV = 7.6 A-star HD 185603

Science.gov (United States)

Talens, G. J. J.; Justesen, A. B.; Albrecht, S.; McCormac, J.; Van Eylen, V.; Otten, G. P. P. L.; Murgas, F.; Palle, E.; Pollacco, D.; Stuik, R.; Spronck, J. F. P.; Lesage, A.-L.; Grundahl, F.; Fredslund Andersen, M.; Antoci, V.; Snellen, I. A. G.

2018-04-01

In this paper we present MASCARA-2 b, a hot Jupiter transiting the mV = 7.6 A2 star HD 185603. Since early 2015, MASCARA has taken more than 1.6 million flux measurements of the star, corresponding to a total of almost 3000 h of observations, revealing a periodic dimming in the flux with a depth of 1.3%. Photometric follow-up observations were performed with the NITES and IAC80 telescopes and spectroscopic measurements were obtained with the Hertzsprung SONG telescope. We find MASCARA-2 b orbits HD 185603 with a period of 3.4741119-0.000006+0.000005 at a distance of 0.057 ± 0.006 au, has a radius of 1.83 ± 0.07 RJ and place a 99% upper limit on the mass of http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A57

Ages of M Dwarf Stars from their Alpha Enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Muirhead, Philip Steven; Veyette, Mark

2018-01-01

M dwarf stars dominate stellar populations, and recent results from NASA's Kepler Mission suggest rocky planets are abundant around M dwarf stars. With so many planets orbiting M dwarfs, exoplanet scientists can now turn to questions about their history and evolution. Unfortunately, measuring fundamental properties of M dwarfs is challenging for a variety of reasons. I will discuss the importance of near-infrared spectroscopy in this effort. With high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy covering Y to K band, we can measure detailed fundamental properties of low-mass stars. With new techniques to measure stellar alpha and iron abundances, we can begin to measure the most challenging fundamental property of M dwarfs: their age. These efforts are even more exciting in the coming years, when the TESS spacecraft is expected to discover five times as many planets orbiting low-mass stars as Kepler.

High pH microbial ecosystems in a newly discovered, ephemeral, serpentinizing fluid seep at Yanartaş (Chimera), Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Woycheese, Kristin M; Yargıçoğlu, Erin N; Cardace, Dawn; Shock, Everett L; Güleçal-Pektas, Yasemin; Temel, Mustafa

2014-01-01

Gas seeps emanating from Yanartaş (Chimera), Turkey, have been documented for thousands of years. Active serpentinization produces hydrogen and a range of carbon gases that may provide fuel for life. Here we report a newly discovered, ephemeral fluid seep emanating from a small gas vent at Yanartaş. Fluids and biofilms were sampled at the source and points downstream. We describe site conditions, and provide microbiological data in the form of enrichment cultures, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of solids, and PCR screens of nitrogen cycle genes. Source fluids are pH 11.95, with a Ca:Mg of ~200, and sediments under the ignited gas seep measure 60°C. Collectively, these data suggest the fluid is the product of active serpentinization at depth. Source sediments are primarily calcite and alteration products (chlorite and montmorillonite). Downstream, biofilms are mixed with montmorillonite. SEM shows biofilms distributed homogeneously with carbonates. Organic carbon accounts for 60% of the total carbon at the source, decreasing downstream to <15% as inorganic carbon precipitates. δ(13)C ratios of the organic carbon fraction of solids are depleted (-25 to -28‰) relative to the carbonates (-11 to -20‰). We conclude that heterotrophic processes are dominant throughout the surface ecosystem, and carbon fixation may be key down channel. δ(15)N ratios ~3‰, and absence of nifH in extracted DNA suggest that nitrogen fixation is not occurring in sediments. However, the presence of narG and nirS at most locations and in enrichments indicates genomic potential for nitrate and nitrite reduction. This small seep with shallow run-off is likely ephemeral, but abundant preserved microterracettes in the outflow and the surrounding area suggest it has been present for some time. This site and others like it present an opportunity for investigations of preserved deep biosphere signatures, and subsurface-surface interactions.

High pH microbial ecosystems in a newly discovered, ephemeral, serpentinizing fluid seep at Yanartaş (Chimaera, Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D'Arcy Renee Meyer-Dombard

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Gas seeps emanating from ophiolites at Yanartaş (Chimaera, Turkey, have been documented for thousands of years. Active serpentinization produces hydrogen and a range of carbon gases that may provide fuel for life. Here we report a newly discovered, ephemeral fluid seep emanating from a small gas vent at Yanartaş. Fluids and biofilms were sampled at the source and points downstream. We describe site conditions, and provide microbiological data in the form of enrichment cultures, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of solids, and PCR screens of nitrogen cycle genes. Source fluids are pH 11.95, with a Ca:Mg of ~200, and sediments under the ignited gas seep measure 60°C. Collectively, these data suggest the fluid is the product of active serpentinization at depth. Source sediments are primarily calcite and alteration products (chlorite and montmorillonite. Downstream, biofilms are mixed with montmorillonite. SEM shows biofilms distributed homogeneously with carbonates. Organic carbon accounts for 60% of the total carbon at the source, decreasing downstream to <15% as inorganic carbon precipitates. δ13C ratios of the organic carbon fraction of solids are depleted (−25 to −28 ‰ relative to the carbonates (−11 to −20‰. We conclude that heterotrophic processes are dominant throughout the surface ecosystem, and carbon fixation may be key down channel. δ15N ratios ~ 3‰, and absence of nifH in extracted DNA suggest that nitrogen fixation is not occurring in sediments. However, the presence of narG and nirS at most locations and in enrichments indicates genomic potential for nitrate and nitrite reduction. This small seep with shallow run-off is likely ephemeral, but abundant preserved microterracettes in the outflow and the surrounding area suggest it has been present for some time. This site and others like it present an opportunity for investigations of preserved deep biosphere signatures, and

Youth plus experience: the discovery of 51 Pegasi b

Science.gov (United States)

Cenadelli, Davide; Bernagozzi, Andrea

2015-12-01

In 1995, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced they discovered 51 Pegasi b, the first planet ever found around a star other than the Sun. This discovery turned out to be a milestone of recent astronomy, as it opened up a new field of research that is growing impressively these days. However, 51 Pegasi b has surprising properties as compared to the planets of the Solar System, as it is a giant planet on a very close-in orbit around its parent star. Hence, its discovery was unexpected and its actual existence did not go unchallenged. In the following years, a passionate debate sprang up, and finally astronomers accepted it, but at the price of a deep revision of our understanding of how planetary systems are formed and evolve. In the present paper, we reconstruct the dynamics of the discovery of 51 Pegasi b and the first exoplanets, the quarrel that arose among astronomers and the final acceptance of the existence of planets with unexpected characteristics. This remarkable story is recounted by means of published literature as well as interviews with several of its main protagonists.

Wolf-Rayet stars associated to giant regions of star formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Odorico, S.; Rosa, M.

1982-01-01

Data on Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in extragalactic H II regions and emission line galaxies are presented and discussed. The sample is still limited and inhomogeneous but two important points appear to be already established: a) The WR stars are more numerous than the blue supergiants at least in same phase of the evolution of the stellar clusters which ionize the giant H II regions, b) When the WR stars are detected, two cases are apparently observed, one in which only WN, the other in which both WN and WC, are present. (Auth.)

Direct Imaging Discovery of a "Super-Jupiter" around the Late B-type Star κ And

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carson, J.; et al., [Unknown; Thalmann, C.

2013-01-01

We present the direct imaging discovery of an extrasolar planet, or possible low-mass brown dwarf, at a projected separation of 55 ± 2 AU (1.''058 ± 0.''007) from the B9-type star κ And. The planet was detected with Subaru/HiCIAO during the SEEDS survey and confirmed as a bound companion via common

Binary Star Fractions from the LAMOST DR4

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Zhi-Jia; Liu, Xiao-Wei; Yuan, Hai-Bo; Chen, Bing-Qiu; Xiang, Mao-Sheng; Huang, Yang; Wang, Chun; Zhang, Hua-Wei; Guo, Jin-Cheng; Ren, Juan-Juan; Huo, Zhi-Ying; Yang, Yong; Zhang, Meng; Bi, Shao-Lan; Yang, Wu-Ming; Liu, Kang; Zhang, Xian-Fei; Li, Tan-Da; Wu, Ya-Qian; Zhang, Jing-Hua

2018-05-01

Stellar systems composed of single, double, triple or higher-order systems are rightfully regarded as the fundamental building blocks of the Milky Way. Binary stars play an important role in formation and evolution of the Galaxy. Through comparing the radial velocity variations from multi-epoch observations, we analyze the binary fraction of dwarf stars observed with LAMOST. Effects of different model assumptions, such as orbital period distributions on the estimate of binary fractions, are investigated. The results based on log-normal distribution of orbital periods reproduce the previous complete analyses better than the power-law distribution. We find that the binary fraction increases with T eff and decreases with [Fe/H]. We first investigate the relation between α-elements and binary fraction in such a large sample as provided by LAMOST. The old stars with high [α/Fe] dominate with a higher binary fraction than young stars with low [α/Fe]. At the same mass, earlier forming stars possess a higher binary fraction than newly forming ones, which may be related with evolution of the Galaxy.

A NEAR-INFRARED SURVEY OF THE INNER GALACTIC PLANE FOR WOLF-RAYET STARS. I. METHODS AND FIRST RESULTS: 41 NEW WR STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shara, Michael M.; Gerke, Jill; Zurek, David; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Doyon, Rene; Villar-Sbaffi, Alfredo; Stanonik, Kathryn; Artigau, Etienne; Drissen, Laurent

2009-01-01

The discovery of new Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in our Galaxy via large-scale narrowband optical surveys has been severely limited by dust extinction. Recent improvements in infrared technology have made narrowband-broadband imaging surveys viable again. We report a new J, K, and narrowband imaging survey of 300 deg 2 of the plane of the Galaxy, spanning 150 degrees in Galactic longitude and reaching 1 degree above and below the Galactic plane. The survey has a useful limiting magnitude of K = 15 over most of the observed Galactic plane, and K = 14 within a few degrees of the Galactic center. Thousands of emission line candidates have been detected. In spectrographic follow-ups of 173 WR star candidates we have discovered 41 new WR stars, 15 of type WN and 26 of type WC. Star subtype assignments have been confirmed with K-band spectra, and distances approximated using the method of spectroscopic parallax. A few of the new WR stars are among the most distant known in our Galaxy. The distribution of these new WR stars is seen to follow that of previously known WR stars along the spiral arms of the Galaxy. Tentative radial velocities were also measured for most of the new WR stars.

LINEAR RELATION FOR WIND-BLOWN BUBBLE SIZES OF MAIN-SEQUENCE OB STARS IN A MOLECULAR ENVIRONMENT AND IMPLICATION FOR SUPERNOVA PROGENITORS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen Yang; Zhou Ping [Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Chu Youhua [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2013-05-20

We find a linear relationship between the size of a massive star's main-sequence bubble in a molecular environment and the star's initial mass: R{sub b} Almost-Equal-To 1.22 M/M{sub Sun} - 9.16 pc, assuming a constant interclump pressure. Since stars in the mass range of 8 to 25-30 M{sub Sun} will end their evolution in the red supergiant phase without launching a Wolf-Rayet wind, the main-sequence wind-blown bubbles are mainly responsible for the extent of molecular gas cavities, while the effect of the photoionization is comparatively small. This linear relation can thus be used to infer the masses of the massive star progenitors of supernova remnants (SNRs) that are discovered to evolve in molecular cavities, while few other means are available for inferring the properties of SNR progenitors. We have used this method to estimate the initial masses of the progenitors of eight SNRs: Kes 69, Kes 75, Kes 78, 3C 396, 3C 397, HC 40, Vela, and RX J1713-3946.

Discovery of a magnetic field in the δ Scuti F2m star ρ Pup

Science.gov (United States)

Neiner, C.; Wade, G. A.; Sikora, J.

2017-06-01

ρ Pup is a δ Scuti F2 pulsator, known to host a main radial mode as well as non-radial pulsations, with chemical peculiarities typical of evolved Am stars. We present a high-precision spectropolarimetric observations of this star, obtained with ESPaDOnS at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in the frame of the BRITE spectropolarimetric survey. A magnetic field is clearly detected in ρ Pup, with a longitudinal field strength below 1 G. This makes ρ Pup the second known magnetic δ Scuti discovered, after HD 188774, and a possible cool evolved counterpart of the recently discovered ultraweakly magnetic Am family.

The diversity of neutron stars: Nearby thermally emitting neutron stars and the compact central objects in supernova remnants

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, David L.

Neutron stars are invaluable tools for exploring stellar death, the physics of ultra-dense matter, and the effects of extremely strong magnetic fields. The observed population of neutron stars is dominated by the > 1000 radio pulsars, but there are distinct sub-populations that, while fewer in number, can have significant impact on our understanding of the issues mentioned above. These populations are the nearby isolated neutron stars discovered by ROSAT, and the central compact objects in supernova remnants. The studies of both of these populations have been greatly accelerated in recent years through observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton telescope. First, we discuss radio, optical, and X-ray observations of the nearby neutron stars aimed at determining their relation to the Galactic neutron star population and at unraveling their complex physical processes by determining the basic astronomical parameters that define the population -- instances, ages, and magnetic fields -- the uncertainties in which limit any attempt to derive basic physical parameters for these objects. We conclude that these sources are 10^6 year-old cooling neutron stars with magnetic fields above 10^13 G. Second, we describe the hollow supernova remnant problem: why many of the supernova remnants in the Galaxy have no indication central neutron stars. We have undertaken an X-ray census of neutron stars in a volume-limited sample of Galactic supernova remnants, and from it conclude that either many supernovae do not produce neutron stars contrary to expectation, or that neutron stars can have a wide range in cooling behavior that makes many sources disappear from the X-ray sky.

A reconnaissance of the possible donor stars to the Kepler supernova

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerzendorf, Wolfgang E.; Childress, Michael; Schmidt, Brian P.; Scharwächter, Julia; Do, Tuan

2014-01-01

The identity of Type Ia supernova progenitors remains a mystery, with various lines of evidence pointing toward either accretion from a nondegenerate companion or the rapid merger of two degenerate stars leading to the thermonuclear destruction of a white dwarf. In this paper, we spectroscopically scrutinize 24 of the brightest stars residing in the central 38'' × 38'' of the SN 1604 (Kepler) supernova remnant to search for a possible surviving companion star. We can rule out, with high certainty, a red giant companion star—a progenitor indicated by some models of the supernova remnant. Furthermore, we find no star that exhibits properties uniquely consistent with those expected of a donor star down to L > 10 L ☉ . While the distribution of star properties toward the remnant are consistent with unrelated stars, we identify the most promising candidates for further astrometric and spectroscopic follow up. Such a program would either discover the donor star or place strong limits on progenitor systems to luminosities with L << L ☉ .

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE X-RAY LIGHT CURVE OF THE {gamma} Cas-LIKE B1e STAR HD 110432

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Myron A. [Catholic University of America, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Lopes de Oliveira, Raimundo [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Av. Marechal Rondon s/n, 49100-000 Sao Cristovao, SE (Brazil); Motch, Christian, E-mail: msmith@stsci.edu [Observatoire Astronomique, Universite de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7550, 11 rue de l' Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg (France)

2012-08-10

HD 110432 (BZ Cru; B1Ve) is the brightest member of a small group of '{gamma} Cas analogs' that emit copious hard X-ray flux, punctuated by ubiquitous 'flares'. To characterize the X-ray time history of this star, we made a series of six RXTE multi-visit observations in 2010 and an extended observation with the XMM-Newton in 2007. We analyzed these new light curves along with three older XMM-Newton observations from 2002 to 2003. Distributed over five months, the RXTE observations were designed to search for long X-ray modulations over a few months. These observations indeed suggest the presence of a long cycle with P Almost-Equal-To 226 days and an amplitude of a factor of two. We also used X-ray light curves constructed from XMM-Newton observations to characterize the lifetimes, strengths, and interflare intervals of 1615 flare-like events in the light curves. After accounting for false positive events, we infer the presence of 955 (2002-2003) and 386 (2007) events we identified as flares. Similarly, as a control we measured the same attributes for an additional group of 541 events in XMM-Newton light curves of {gamma} Cas, which, after a similar correction, yielded 517 flares. We found that the flare properties of HD 110432 are mostly similar to our control group. In both cases the distribution of flare strengths are best fit with log-linear relations. Both the slopes of these distributions and the flaring frequencies themselves exhibit modest fluctuations. We discovered that some flares in the hard X-ray band of HD 110432 were weak or unobserved in the soft band and vice versa. The light curves also occasionally show rapid curve drop-offs that are sustained for hours. We discuss the existence of the long cycle and these flare properties in the backdrop of two rival scenarios to produce hard X-rays, a magnetic star-disk interaction, and the accretion of blobs onto a secondary white dwarf.

Very Low-mass Stellar and Substellar Companions to Solar-like Stars from MARVELS. VI. A Giant Planet and a Brown Dwarf Candidate in a Close Binary System HD 87646

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Bo; Ge, Jian; Wolszczan, Alex; Muterspaugh, Matthew W.; Lee, Brian; Henry, Gregory W.; Schneider, Donald P.; Martín, Eduardo L.; Niedzielski, Andrzej; Xie, Jiwei; Fleming, Scott W.; Thomas, Neil; Williamson, Michael; Zhu, Zhaohuan; Agol, Eric; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Nicolaci da Costa, Luiz; Jiang, Peng; Martinez Fiorenzano, A. F.; González Hernández, Jonay I.; Guo, Pengcheng; Grieves, Nolan; Li, Rui; Liu, Jane; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Mazeh, Tsevi; Nguyen, Duy Cuong; Paegert, Martin; Sithajan, Sirinrat; Stassun, Keivan; Thirupathi, Sivarani; van Eyken, Julian C.; Wan, Xiaoke; Wang, Ji; Wisniewski, John P.; Zhao, Bo; Zucker, Shay

2016-11-01

We report the detections of a giant planet (MARVELS-7b) and a brown dwarf (BD) candidate (MARVELS-7c) around the primary star in the close binary system, HD 87646. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first close binary system with more than one substellar circumprimary companion that has been discovered. The detection of this giant planet was accomplished using the first multi-object Doppler instrument (KeckET) at the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) telescope. Subsequent radial velocity observations using the Exoplanet Tracker at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, the High Resolution Spectrograph at the Hobby Eberley telescope, the “Classic” spectrograph at the Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope at the Fairborn Observatory, and MARVELS from SDSS-III confirmed this giant planet discovery and revealed the existence of a long-period BD in this binary. HD 87646 is a close binary with a separation of ˜22 au between the two stars, estimated using the Hipparcos catalog and our newly acquired AO image from PALAO on the 200 inch Hale Telescope at Palomar. The primary star in the binary, HD 87646A, has {T}{eff} = 5770 ± 80 K, log g = 4.1 ± 0.1, and [Fe/H] = -0.17 ± 0.08. The derived minimum masses of the two substellar companions of HD 87646A are 12.4 ± 0.7 {M}{Jup} and 57.0 ± 3.7 {M}{Jup}. The periods are 13.481 ± 0.001 days and 674 ± 4 days and the measured eccentricities are 0.05 ± 0.02 and 0.50 ± 0.02 respectively. Our dynamical simulations show that the system is stable if the binary orbit has a large semimajor axis and a low eccentricity, which can be verified with future astrometry observations.

DARK STARS: A NEW LOOK AT THE FIRST STARS IN THE UNIVERSE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spolyar, Douglas; Bodenheimer, Peter; Freese, Katherine; Gondolo, Paolo

2009-01-01

We have proposed that the first phase of stellar evolution in the history of the universe may be dark (matter powered) stars (DSs), luminous objects powered by dark matter (DM) heating rather than by nuclear fusion, and in this paper we examine the history of these DSs. The power source is annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) which are their own antiparticles. These WIMPs are the best motivated DM candidates and may be discovered by ongoing direct or indirect detection searches (e.g., Fermi/GLAST) or at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. A new stellar phase results, powered by DM annihilation as long as there is a DM fuel, from millions to billions of years. We build up the DSs from the time DM heating becomes the dominant power source, accreting more and more matter onto them. We have included many new effects in the current study, including a variety of particle masses and accretion rates, nuclear burning, feedback mechanisms, and possible repopulation of DM density due to capture. Remarkably, we find that in all these cases, we obtain the same result: the first stars are very large, 500-1000 times as massive as the Sun; as well as puffy (radii 1-10 AU), bright (10 6 -10 7 L sun ), and cool (T surf sun and the temperatures are much hotter (T surf > 50,000 K). Hence DSs should be observationally distinct from standard Pop III stars. In addition, DSs avoid the (unobserved) element enrichment produced by the standard first stars. Once the DM fuel is exhausted, the DS becomes a heavy main-sequence star; these stars eventually collapse to form massive black holes that may provide seeds for the supermassive black holes observed at early times as well as explanations for recent ARCADE data and for intermediate-mass black holes.

Be STARS IN THE OPEN CLUSTER NGC 6830

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Po-Chieh; Lin, Chien-Cheng; Lin, Hsing-Wen; Lee, Chien-De; Ngeow, Chow-Choong; Ip, Wing-Huen; Chen, Wen-Ping; Chang, Chan-Kao; Huang, Li-Ching; Cheng, Yu-Chi; Ritter, Andreas; Konidaris, Nick; Chen, Hui-Chen; Malkan, Matthew A.; Laher, Russ; Surace, Jason; Edelson, Rick; Quimby, Robert; Ben-Ami, Sagi; Ofek, Eran O.

2016-01-01

We report the discovery of two new Be stars, and re-identify one known Be star in the open cluster NGC 6830. Eleven H α emitters were discovered using the H α imaging photometry of the Palomar Transient Factory Survey. Stellar membership of the candidates was verified with photometric and kinematic information using 2MASS data and proper motions. The spectroscopic confirmation was carried out by using the Shane 3 m telescope at the Lick observatory. Based on their spectral types, three H α emitters were confirmed as Be stars with H α equivalent widths greater than −10 Å. Two objects were also observed by the new spectrograph spectral energy distribution-machine (SED-machine) on the Palomar 60-inch Telescope. The SED-machine results show strong H α emission lines, which are consistent with the results of the Lick observations. The high efficiency of the SED-machine can provide rapid observations for Be stars in a comprehensive survey in the future.

Be STARS IN THE OPEN CLUSTER NGC 6830

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Po-Chieh; Lin, Chien-Cheng; Lin, Hsing-Wen; Lee, Chien-De; Ngeow, Chow-Choong; Ip, Wing-Huen; Chen, Wen-Ping; Chang, Chan-Kao; Huang, Li-Ching; Cheng, Yu-Chi; Ritter, Andreas [Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, 300 Jhongda Road, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan (China); Konidaris, Nick [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Chen, Hui-Chen [Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Science and Technology, 106, Sec. 2, Heping E. Road, Taipei 10622, Taiwan (China); Malkan, Matthew A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (United States); Laher, Russ; Surace, Jason [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, M/S 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Edelson, Rick [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Quimby, Robert [Kavli-Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba (Japan); Ben-Ami, Sagi; Ofek, Eran O. [Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100 (Israel); and others

2016-05-01

We report the discovery of two new Be stars, and re-identify one known Be star in the open cluster NGC 6830. Eleven H α emitters were discovered using the H α imaging photometry of the Palomar Transient Factory Survey. Stellar membership of the candidates was verified with photometric and kinematic information using 2MASS data and proper motions. The spectroscopic confirmation was carried out by using the Shane 3 m telescope at the Lick observatory. Based on their spectral types, three H α emitters were confirmed as Be stars with H α equivalent widths greater than −10 Å. Two objects were also observed by the new spectrograph spectral energy distribution-machine (SED-machine) on the Palomar 60-inch Telescope. The SED-machine results show strong H α emission lines, which are consistent with the results of the Lick observations. The high efficiency of the SED-machine can provide rapid observations for Be stars in a comprehensive survey in the future.

On the origin of high-velocity runaway stars

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, Vasilii V.; Gualandris, Alessia; Portegies Zwart, Simon

2009-06-01

We explore the hypothesis that some high-velocity runaway stars attain their peculiar velocities in the course of exchange encounters between hard massive binaries and a very massive star (either an ordinary 50-100Msolar star or a more massive one, formed through runaway mergers of ordinary stars in the core of a young massive star cluster). In this process, one of the binary components becomes gravitationally bound to the very massive star, while the second one is ejected, sometimes with a high speed. We performed three-body scattering experiments and found that early B-type stars (the progenitors of the majority of neutron stars) can be ejected with velocities of >~200-400kms-1 (typical of pulsars), while 3-4Msolar stars can attain velocities of >~300-400kms-1 (typical of the bound population of halo late B-type stars). We also found that the ejected stars can occasionally attain velocities exceeding the Milky Ways's escape velocity.

Regulation of StAR by the N-terminal Domain and Coinduction of SIK1 and TIS11b/Znf36l1 in Single Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jinwoo; Tong, Tiegang; Duan, Haichuan; Foong, Yee Hoon; Musaitif, Ibrahim; Yamazaki, Takeshi; Jefcoate, Colin

2016-01-01

The cholesterol transfer function of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is uniquely integrated into adrenal cells, with mRNA translation and protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation occurring at the mitochondrial outer membrane (OMM). The StAR C-terminal cholesterol-binding domain (CBD) initiates mitochondrial intermembrane contacts to rapidly direct cholesterol to Cyp11a1 in the inner membrane (IMM). The conserved StAR N-terminal regulatory domain (NTD) includes a leader sequence targeting the CBD to OMM complexes that initiate cholesterol transfer. Here, we show how the NTD functions to enhance CBD activity delivers more efficiently from StAR mRNA in adrenal cells, and then how two factors hormonally restrain this process. NTD processing at two conserved sequence sites is selectively affected by StAR PKA phosphorylation. The CBD functions as a receptor to stimulate the OMM/IMM contacts that mediate transfer. The NTD controls the transit time that integrates extramitochondrial StAR effects on cholesterol homeostasis with other mitochondrial functions, including ATP generation, inter-organelle fusion, and the major permeability transition pore in partnership with other OMM proteins. PKA also rapidly induces two additional StAR modulators: salt-inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) and Znf36l1/Tis11b. Induced SIK1 attenuates the activity of CRTC2, a key mediator of StAR transcription and splicing, but only as cAMP levels decline. TIS11b inhibits translation and directs the endonuclease-mediated removal of the 3.5-kb StAR mRNA. Removal of either of these functions individually enhances cAMP-mediated induction of StAR. High-resolution fluorescence in situ hybridization (HR-FISH) of StAR RNA reveals asymmetric transcription at the gene locus and slow RNA splicing that delays mRNA formation, potentially to synchronize with cholesterol import. Adrenal cells may retain slow transcription to integrate with intermembrane NTD activation. HR-FISH resolves individual 3.5-kb StAR

Photometric Observations of 6000 Stars in the Cygnus Field

Science.gov (United States)

Borucki, W.; Caldwell, D.; Koch, D.; Jenkins, J.; Ninkov, Z.

1999-01-01

A small photometer to detect transits by extrasolar planets has been assembled and is being tested at Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, California. The Vulcan photometer is constructed from a 30 cm focal length, F/2.5 AeroEktar reconnaissance lens and Photometrics PXL16800 CCD camera. A spectral filter is used to confine the pass band from 480 to 763 mn. It simultaneously monitors 6000 stars brighter than 12th magnitude within a single star field in the galactic plane. When the data are folded and phased to discover low amplitude transits, the relative precision of one-hour samples is about 1 part per thousand (10 x l0(exp -3)) for many of the brighter stars. This precision is sufficient to find jovian-size planets orbiting solar-like stars, which have signal amplitudes from 5 to 30 x l0(exp -3) depending on the inflation of the planet and the size of the star. Based on the frequency of giant inner-planets discovered by Doppler-velocity method, one or two planets should be detectable in a rich star field. The goal of the observations is to obtain the sizes of giant extrasolar planets in short-period orbits and to combine these with masses determined from Doppler velocity measurements to determine the densities of these planets. A further goal is to compare the measured planetary diameters with those predicted from theoretical models. From August 10 through September 30 of 1998, a forty nine square degree field in the Cygnus constellation centered at RA and DEC of 19 hr 47 min, +36 deg 55 min was observed. Useful data were obtained on twenty-nine nights. Nearly fifty stars showed some evidence of transits with periods between 0.3 and 8 days. Most had amplitudes too large to be associated with planetary transits. However, several stars showed low amplitude transits. The data for several transits of each of these two stars have been folded and been folded into 30 minute periods. Only Cygl433 shows any evidence of a flattened bottom that is expected when a small object

The Physical Nature of Subdwarf A Stars: White Dwarf Impostors

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Warren R.; Kilic, Mukremin; Gianninas, A.

2017-04-01

We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions indicate that sdA stars are cooler and more luminous, and thus larger in radius, than published ELM WDs. We demonstrate that surface gravities derived from pure hydrogen models suffer a systematic ˜1 dex error for sdA stars, likely explained by metal line blanketing below 9000 K. A detailed study of five eclipsing binaries with radial velocity orbital solutions and infrared excess establishes that these sdA stars are metal-poor ≃1.2 M ⊙ main sequence stars with ≃0.8 M ⊙ companions. While WDs must exist at sdA temperatures, only ˜1% of a magnitude-limited sdA sample should be ELM WDs. We conclude that the majority of sdA stars are metal-poor A-F type stars in the halo, and that recently discovered pulsating ELM WD-like stars with no obvious radial velocity variations may be SX Phe variables, not pulsating WDs.

The Physical Nature of Subdwarf A Stars: White Dwarf Impostors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Warren R.; Kilic, Mukremin; Gianninas, A.

2017-01-01

We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions indicate that sdA stars are cooler and more luminous, and thus larger in radius, than published ELM WDs. We demonstrate that surface gravities derived from pure hydrogen models suffer a systematic ∼1 dex error for sdA stars, likely explained by metal line blanketing below 9000 K. A detailed study of five eclipsing binaries with radial velocity orbital solutions and infrared excess establishes that these sdA stars are metal-poor ≃1.2 M ⊙ main sequence stars with ≃0.8 M ⊙ companions. While WDs must exist at sdA temperatures, only ∼1% of a magnitude-limited sdA sample should be ELM WDs. We conclude that the majority of sdA stars are metal-poor A–F type stars in the halo, and that recently discovered pulsating ELM WD-like stars with no obvious radial velocity variations may be SX Phe variables, not pulsating WDs.

The Physical Nature of Subdwarf A Stars: White Dwarf Impostors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Warren R. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Kilic, Mukremin; Gianninas, A., E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: kilic@ou.edu, E-mail: alexg@nhn.ou.edu [Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks Street, Norman, OK, 73019 (United States)

2017-04-10

We address the physical nature of subdwarf A-type (sdA) stars and their possible link to extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs). The two classes of objects are confused in low-resolution spectroscopy. However, colors and proper motions indicate that sdA stars are cooler and more luminous, and thus larger in radius, than published ELM WDs. We demonstrate that surface gravities derived from pure hydrogen models suffer a systematic ∼1 dex error for sdA stars, likely explained by metal line blanketing below 9000 K. A detailed study of five eclipsing binaries with radial velocity orbital solutions and infrared excess establishes that these sdA stars are metal-poor ≃1.2 M {sub ⊙} main sequence stars with ≃0.8 M {sub ⊙} companions. While WDs must exist at sdA temperatures, only ∼1% of a magnitude-limited sdA sample should be ELM WDs. We conclude that the majority of sdA stars are metal-poor A–F type stars in the halo, and that recently discovered pulsating ELM WD-like stars with no obvious radial velocity variations may be SX Phe variables, not pulsating WDs.

DISCOVER-AQ: an innovative approach to study the vertical distribution of air quality constituents in the Earth's atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Wisthaler, Armin; Crawford, James H.; Müller, Markus; Mikoviny, Tomas; Cady-Pereira, Karen E.

2014-05-01

DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) is a multi-year NASA research project to improve remote sensing of air quality from space. Satellite-based measurements of air pollutants typically provide information integrated over the total atmospheric column while it is the lowermost part of the atmosphere that is of interest from a public health perspective. DISCOVER-AQ has implemented a new field observation strategy to collect a comprehensive dataset on the vertical distribution of air pollutants in the atmosphere. In situ measurements from the NASA P-3B Airborne Science Laboratory generate profile information of air quality constituents over a set of selected ground monitoring sites. Ground and profile information is tied to column information collected by active and passive remote sensors looking downward from a second King Air aircraft flying higher in the atmosphere above the P-3B. Vertical profiles of air pollutants are measured repetitively during different times of the day and under different meteorological conditions occurring in the timeframe of 1-month field campaigns. Targeted regions in the U.S. affected by poor air quality include the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area (June/July 2011), the San Joaquin Valley in California (January/February 2013), the Houston metropolitan area (September 2013) and the Northern Front Range area in Colorado (June/July 2014). Herein, we will present the DISCOVER-AQ project to the European community and show preliminary analyses of the obtained data. The latter will focus on non-methane hydrocarbons and ammonia, being the species measured by our newly developed airborne PTR-ToF-MS instrument (see session AS4.17). In situ ammonia data collected over the San Joaquin Valley are in promising agreement with satellite data obtained from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). Web site: http://discover-aq.larc.nasa.gov/ Funding

HR 8844: A New Transition Object between the Am Stars and the HgMn Stars?

Science.gov (United States)

Monier, R.; Gebran, M.; Royer, F.; Kilicoglu, T.; Frémat, Y.

2018-02-01

While monitoring a sample of apparently slowly rotating superficially normal early-A stars, we have discovered that HR 8844 (A0 V) is actually a new chemically peculiar star. We first compared the high-resolution spectrum of HR 8844 with that of four slow rotators near A0V (ν Cap, ν Cnc, Sirius A, and HD 72660) to highlight similarities and differences. The lines of Ti II, Cr II, Sr II, and Ba II are conspicuous features in the high-resolution high signal-to-noise SOPHIE spectra of HR 8844 and much stronger than in the spectra of the normal star ν Cap. The Hg II line at 3983.93 Å is also present in a 3.5% blend. Selected unblended lines of 31 chemical elements from He up to Hg have been synthesized using model atmospheres computed with ATLAS9 and the spectrum synthesis code SYNSPEC48 including hyperfine structure of various isotopes when relevant. These synthetic spectra have been adjusted to the mean SOPHIE spectrum of HR 8844, and high-resolution spectra of the comparison stars. Chi-squares were minimized to derive abundances or upper limits to the abundances of these elements for HR 8844 and the comparison stars. HR 8844 is found to have underabundances of He, C, O, Mg, Ca, and Sc, mild enhancements of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, and distinct enhancements of the heavy elements Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, La, Pr, Sm, Eu, and Hg, the overabundances increasing steadily with atomic number. This chemical pattern suggests that HR 8844 may actually be a new transition object between the coolest HgMn stars and the Am stars.

The Search for Symbiotic Stars in the IPHAS Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corradi R. L. M.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available We have started a project to search for symbiotic stars using the data from IPHAS, the Hα survey of the Northern Galactic plane. Candidates are selected from the IPHAS photometric catalogue based on their colors, combined with the information in the near-infrared from 2MASS. So far, follow-up spectroscopy allowed us to discover 14 new symbiotic stars, compared to the 10 systems previously known in the IPHAS survey area. Their general characteristics and the most notable cases are briefly presented. the spectroscopic campaign also allowed us to refine the selection criteria for symbiotic stars in IPHAS. Perspectives, which include the extension of the survey in the Southern Galactic plane and a portion of the bulge (VPHAS+, are discussed.

Studies of dust shells around stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedijn, P.J.

1977-01-01

This thesis deals with some aspects of circumstellar dust shells. This dust shell, emitting infrared radiation, is described by way of its absorptive and emissive properties as well as by the transfer of radiation through the dust shell itself. Model calculations are compared to experimental results and agree reasonably well. The author also discusses the dynamics of the extended shells of gas and dust around newly formed stars

A RAPIDLY EVOLVING REGION IN THE GALACTIC CENTER: WHY S-STARS THERMALIZE AND MORE MASSIVE STARS ARE MISSING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xian; Amaro-Seoane, Pau, E-mail: Xian.Chen@aei.mpg.de, E-mail: Pau.Amaro-Seoane@aei.mpg.de [Max Planck Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), D-14476 Potsdam (Germany)

2014-05-10

The existence of ''S-stars'' within a distance of 1'' from Sgr A* contradicts our understanding of star formation, due to Sgr A* 's forbiddingly violent environment. A suggested possibility is that they form far away and were brought in by some fast dynamical process, since they are young. Nonetheless, all conjectured mechanisms either fail to reproduce their eccentricities—without violating their young age—or cannot explain the problem of {sup i}nverse mass segregation{sup :} the fact that lighter stars (the S-stars) are closer to Sgr A* and more massive ones, Wolf-Rayet (WR) and O-stars, are farther out. In this Letter we propose that the mechanism responsible for both the distribution of the eccentricities and the paucity of massive stars is the Kozai-Lidov-like resonance induced by a sub-parsec disk recently discovered in the Galactic center. Considering that the disk probably extended to a smaller radius in the past, we show that in as short as (a few) 10{sup 6} yr, the stars populating the innermost 1'' region would redistribute in angular-momentum space and recover the observed ''super-thermal'' distribution. Meanwhile, WR and O-stars in the same region intermittently attain ample eccentricities that will lead to their tidal disruptions by the central massive black hole. Our results provide new evidences that Sgr A* was powered several millions years ago by an accretion disk as well as by tidal stellar disruptions.

A study of flare stars in the taurus region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khodzhaev, A.S.

1986-01-01

The results are given of a search for flare stars in the region of the dark clouds in Taurus together with the results of photometric, H /sub alpha/ -spectroscopic, and statistical investigations of them. Photographic observations during 1980-1984 revealed 92 new flare stars, 13 of which were found to be known Orion variables with 16 repeated flares of 13 previously known flare stars. Their apparent distribution is considered. The question of whether the flare stars belong to a dark cloud is discussed. A comparative analysis of the flare stars in the Taurus region and other aggregates is made. The Hertzsprung-Russell (V, B - V) and two-color (U - B, B - V) diagrams for the flare stars are similar to the corresponding diagrams constructed for star clusters and associations (Pleiades, Orion, etc.). The total number of flare stars in the region of the dark clouds in Taurus is estimated at ≥ 500