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Abundances of Baade's Window Giants from Keck HIRES Spectra. I. Stellar Parameters and [Fe/H] Values
We present the first results of a new abundance survey of the Milky Waybulge based on Keck HIRES spectra of 27 K giants in the Baade's Window(l=1deg, b=-4deg) field. The spectral data used inthis study are of much higher resolution and signal-to-noise ratio thanprevious optical studies of Galactic bulge stars. The [Fe/H] values ofour stars, which range between -1.29 and +0.51, were used to recalibratelarge low-resolution surveys of bulge stars. Our best value for the mean[Fe/H] of the bulge is -0.10+/-0.04. This mean value is similar to themean metallicity of the local disk and indicates that there cannot be astrong metallicity gradient inside the solar circle. The metallicitydistribution of stars confirms that the bulge does not suffer from theso-called G dwarf problem. This paper also details the new abundancetechniques necessary to analyze very metal-rich K giants, including anew Fe line list and regions of low blanketing for continuumidentification.Based on data obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operatedas a scientific partnership among the California Institute ofTechnology, the University of California, and NASA and was made possibleby the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| Hyades Oxygen Abundances from the λ6300 [O I] Line: The Giant-Dwarf Oxygen Discrepancy Revisited1,
We present the results of our abundance analysis of Fe, Ni, and O inhigh signal-to-noise ratio, high-resolution Very Large Telescope UVESand McDonald 2dcoudé spectra of nine dwarfs and three giants inthe Hyades open cluster. The difference in Fe abundances derived from FeII and Fe I lines ([Fe II/H]-[Fe I/H]) and Ni I abundances derived frommoderately high-excitation (χ~4.20 eV) lines is found to increasewith decreasing Teff for the dwarfs. Both of these findingsare in concordance with previous results ofoverexcitation/overionization in cool young dwarfs. Oxygen abundancesare derived from the [O I] λ6300 line, with careful attentiongiven to the Ni I blend. The dwarf O abundances are in star-to-staragreement within uncertainties, but the abundances of the three coolestdwarfs (4573 K<=Teff<=4834 K) evince an increase withdecreasing Teff. Possible causes for the apparent trend areconsidered, including the effects of overdissociation of O-containingmolecules. O abundances are derived from the near-UV OH λ3167line in high-quality Keck HIRES spectra, and no such effects are found;indeed, the OH-based abundances show an increase with decreasingTeff, leaving the nature and reality of the cool dwarf [OI]-based O trend uncertain. The mean relative O abundance of the sixwarmest dwarfs (5075 K<=Teff<=5978 K) is[O/H]=+0.14+/-0.02, and we find a mean abundance of [O/H]=+0.08+/-0.02for the giants. Thus, our updated analysis of the [O I] λ6300line does not confirm the Hyades giant-dwarf oxygen discrepancyinitially reported by King & Hiltgen, suggesting that thediscrepancy was a consequence of analysis-related systematic errors. LTEoxygen abundances from the near-IR, high-excitation O I triplet are alsoderived for the giants, and the resulting abundances are approximately0.28 dex higher than those derived from the [O I] line, in agreementwith non-LTE predictions. Non-LTE corrections from the literature areapplied to the giant triplet abundances; the resulting mean abundance is[O/H]=+0.17+/-0.02, in decent concordance with the giant and dwarf [O I]abundances. Finally, Hyades giant and dwarf O abundances derived fromthe [O I] λ6300 line and high-excitation triplet, as well asdwarf O abundances derived from the near-UV OH λ3167 line, arecompared, and a mean cluster O abundance of [O/H]=+0.12+/-0.02 isachieved, which represents the best estimate of the Hyades O abundance.This paper includes data taken with the Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m and theOtto Struve 2.1 m telescopes at the McDonald Observatory of theUniversity of Texas at Austin.Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. KeckObservatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among theCalifornia Institute of Technology, the University of California and theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was madepossible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| Elemental abundances in the atmosphere of clump giants
Aims.The aim of this paper is to provide the fundamental parameters andabundances for a large sample of local clump giants with a highaccuracy. This study is a part of a big project, in which the verticaldistribution of the stars in the Galactic disc and the chemical anddynamical evolution of the Galaxy are being investigated. Methods:.The selection of clump stars for the sample group was made applying acolour-absolute magnitude window to nearby Hipparcos stars. Theeffective temperatures were estimated by the line depth ratio method.The surface gravities (log {g}) were determined by two methods (thefirst one was the method based on the ionization balance of iron and thesecond one was the method based on fitting of the wings of the Ca I6162.17 Å line). The abundances of carbon and nitrogen wereobtained from the molecular synthetic spectrum, and the Mg and Naabundances were derived using the non-LTE approximation. The "classical"models of stellar evolution without atomic diffusion androtation-induced mixing were employed. Results: .The atmosphericparameters ({T_eff}, log {g}, [Fe/H], {Vt}) and Li, C, N, O,Na, Mg, Si, Ca, and Ni abundances in 177 clump giants of the Galacticdisc were determined. The underabundance of carbon, overabundance ofnitrogen, and "normal" abundance of oxygen were detected. A small sodiumoverabundance was found. A possibility of a selection of the clumpgiants based on their chemical composition and the evolutionary trackswas explored. Conclusions: .The theoretical predictions based onthe classical stellar evolution models are in good agreement with theobserved surface variations of the carbon and nitrogen just after thefirst dredge-up episode. The giants show the same behaviour of thedependencies of O, Mg, Ca, and Si (α-elements) and Ni (iron-peakelement) abundances vs. [Fe/H] as dwarfs do. This allows us to use suchabundance ratios to study the chemical and dynamical evolution of theGalaxy.
| Predicting accurate stellar angular diameters by the near-infrared surface brightness technique
I report on the capabilities of the near-infrared (near-IR) surfacebrightness technique to predict reliable stellar angular diameters asaccurate as <~2 per cent using standard broad-band Johnson photometryin the colour range -0.1 <= (V-K)O<= 3.7 includingstars of A, F, G, K spectral type. This empirical approach is fast toapply and leads to estimated photometric diameters in very goodagreement with recent high-precision interferometric diametermeasurements available for non-variable dwarfs and giants, as well asfor Cepheid variables. Then I compare semi-empirical diameters predictedby model-dependent photometric and spectrophotometric (SP) methods withnear-IR surface brightness diameters adopted as empirical referencecalibrators. The overall agreement between all these methods is withinapproximately +/-5 per cent, confirming previous works. However, on thesame scale of accuracy, there is also evidence for systematic shiftspresumably as a result of an incorrect representation of the stellareffective temperature in the model-dependent results. I also comparemeasurements of spectroscopic radii with near-IR surface brightnessradii of Cepheids with known distances. Spectroscopic radii are found tobe affected by a scatter as significant as >~9 per cent, which is atleast three times greater than the formal error currently claimed by thespectroscopic technique. In contrast, pulsation radii predicted by theperiod-radius (PR) relation according to the Cepheid period result aresignificantly less dispersed, indicating a quite small scatter as aresult of the finite width of the Cepheid instability strip, as expectedfrom pulsation theory. The resulting low level of noise stronglyconfirms our previous claims that the pulsation parallaxes are the mostaccurate empirical distances presently available for Galactic andextragalactic Cepheids.
| Analysis of the Na, Mg, Al, and Si Abundances in the Atmospheres of Red Giants of Different Spectral Subgroups
We analyze the Na, Mg, Al, and Si abundances in the atmospheres of morethan 40 stars, includingred giants of different spectral subgroups(normal red giants, mild and classical barium stars) and severalsupergiants. All these elements exhibit abundance excesses, with theoverabundance increasing with the star’s luminosity. Thedependence of the overabundances for each of these elements on theluminosity (or log g) is the same for all the spectral subgroups,testifying to a common origin: they are all products of hydrogen burningin the NeNa and MgAl cycles that have been dredged up from the stellarinteriors to the outer atmospheric layers by convection that graduallydevelops during the star’s evolution from the main sequence to thered-giant stage. The sodium abundances derived for several stars arelower than for other stars with similar atmospheric parameters. The agesand kinematic characteristics of these two groups of stars suggest thatthey probably belong to different stellar generations.
| A Catalog of Temperatures and Red Cousins Photometry for the Hyades
Using Hyades photometry published by Mendoza and other authors,Pinsonneault et al. have recently concluded that Cousins V-I photometrypublished by Taylor & Joner is not on the Cousins system. Extensivetests of the Taylor-Joner photometry and other pertinent results aretherefore performed in this paper. It is found that in part, thePinsonneault et al. conclusion rests on (1) a systematic error inMendoza's (R-I)J photometry and (2) a small error in anapproximate Johnson-to-Cousins transformation published by Bessell. Forthe Taylor-Joner values of (V-R)C, it is found that there arepossible (though not definite) differences of several mmag with otherresults. However, the Taylor-Joner values of (R-I)C data aresupported at the 1 mmag level. Using the (R-I)C data andother published results, an (R-I)C catalog is assembled for146 Hyades stars with spectral types earlier than about K5. For singlestars with multiple contributing data, the rms errors of the catalogentries are less than 4.4 mmag. Temperatures on the Di Benedettoangular-diameter scale are also given in the catalog and are used tohelp update published analyses of high-dispersion values of [Fe/H] forthe Hyades. The best current mean Hyades value of [Fe/H] is found to be+0.103+/-0.008 dex and is essentially unchanged from its previous value.In addition to these numerical results, recommendations are made aboutimproving attitudes and practices that are pertinent to issues likethose raised by Pinsonneault et al.
| Broad-band photometric colors and effective temperature calibrations for late-type giants. I. Z = 0.02
We present new synthetic broad-band photometric colors for late-typegiants based on synthetic spectra calculated with the PHOENIX modelatmosphere code. The grid covers effective temperatures T_eff=3000dots5000 K, gravities log g=-0.5dots{+3.5}, and metallicities[M/H]=+0.5dots{-4.0}. We show that individual broad-band photometriccolors are strongly affected by model parameters such as molecularopacities, gravity, microturbulent velocity, and stellar mass. Ourexploratory 3D modeling of a prototypical late-type giant shows thatconvection has a noticeable effect on the photometric colors too, as italters significantly both the vertical and horizontal thermal structuresin the outer atmosphere. The differences between colors calculated withfull 3D hydrodynamical and 1D model atmospheres are significant (e.g.,Δ(V-K)0.2 mag), translating into offsets in effectivetemperature of up to 70 K. For a sample of 74 late-type giants in theSolar neighborhood, with interferometric effective temperatures andbroad-band photometry available in the literature, we compare observedcolors with a new PHOENIX grid of synthetic photometric colors, as wellas with photometric colors calculated with the MARCS and ATLAS modelatmosphere codes. We find good agreement of the new synthetic colorswith observations and published T_eff-color and color-color relations,especially in the T_eff-(V-K), T_eff-(J-K) and (J-K)-(V-K) planes.Deviations from the observed trends in the T_eff-color planes aregenerally within ±100 K for T_eff=3500 to 4800 K. Syntheticcolors calculated with different stellar atmosphere models agree to±100 K, within a large range of effective temperatures andgravities. The comparison of the observed and synthetic spectra oflate-type giants shows that discrepancies result from the differencesboth in the strengths of various spectral lines/bands (especially thoseof molecular bands, such as TiO, H2O, CO) and the continuum level.Finally, we derive several new T_eff-log g-color relations for late-typegiants at solar-metallicity (valid for T_eff=3500 to 4800 K), based bothon the observed effective temperatures and colors of the nearby giants,and synthetic colors produced with PHOENIX, MARCS and ATLAS modelatmospheres.
| CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
We present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773
| Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of superclusters
The availability of the Hipparcos Catalogue has triggered many kinematicand dynamical studies of the solar neighbourhood. Nevertheless, thosestudies generally lacked the third component of the space velocities,i.e., the radial velocities. This work presents the kinematic analysisof 5952 K and 739 M giants in the solar neighbourhood which includes forthe first time radial velocity data from a large survey performed withthe CORAVEL spectrovelocimeter. It also uses proper motions from theTycho-2 catalogue, which are expected to be more accurate than theHipparcos ones. An important by-product of this study is the observedfraction of only 5.7% of spectroscopic binaries among M giants ascompared to 13.7% for K giants. After excluding the binaries for whichno center-of-mass velocity could be estimated, 5311 K and 719 M giantsremain in the final sample. The UV-plane constructed from these datafor the stars with precise parallaxes (σπ/π≤20%) reveals a rich small-scale structure, with several clumpscorresponding to the Hercules stream, the Sirius moving group, and theHyades and Pleiades superclusters. A maximum-likelihood method, based ona Bayesian approach, has been applied to the data, in order to make fulluse of all the available stars (not only those with precise parallaxes)and to derive the kinematic properties of these subgroups. Isochrones inthe Hertzsprung-Russell diagram reveal a very wide range of ages forstars belonging to these groups. These groups are most probably relatedto the dynamical perturbation by transient spiral waves (as recentlymodelled by De Simone et al. \cite{Simone2004}) rather than to clusterremnants. A possible explanation for the presence of younggroup/clusters in the same area of the UV-plane is that they have beenput there by the spiral wave associated with their formation, while thekinematics of the older stars of our sample has also been disturbed bythe same wave. The emerging picture is thus one of dynamical streamspervading the solar neighbourhood and travelling in the Galaxy withsimilar space velocities. The term dynamical stream is more appropriatethan the traditional term supercluster since it involves stars ofdifferent ages, not born at the same place nor at the same time. Theposition of those streams in the UV-plane is responsible for the vertexdeviation of 16.2o ± 5.6o for the wholesample. Our study suggests that the vertex deviation for youngerpopulations could have the same dynamical origin. The underlyingvelocity ellipsoid, extracted by the maximum-likelihood method afterremoval of the streams, is not centered on the value commonly acceptedfor the radial antisolar motion: it is centered on < U > =-2.78±1.07 km s-1. However, the full data set(including the various streams) does yield the usual value for theradial solar motion, when properly accounting for the biases inherent tothis kind of analysis (namely, < U > = -10.25±0.15 kms-1). This discrepancy clearly raises the essential questionof how to derive the solar motion in the presence of dynamicalperturbations altering the kinematics of the solar neighbourhood: doesthere exist in the solar neighbourhood a subset of stars having no netradial motion which can be used as a reference against which to measurethe solar motion?Based on observations performed at the Swiss 1m-telescope at OHP,France, and on data from the ESA Hipparcos astrometry satellite.Full Table \ref{taba1} is only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/430/165}
| Improved Baade-Wesselink surface brightness relations
Recent, and older accurate, data on (limb-darkened) angular diameters iscompiled for 221 stars, as well as BVRIJK[12][25] magnitudes for thoseobjects, when available. Nine stars (all M-giants or supergiants)showing excess in the [12-25] colour are excluded from the analysis asthis may indicate the presence of dust influencing the optical andnear-infrared colours as well. Based on this large sample,Baade-Wesselink surface brightness (SB) relations are presented fordwarfs, giants, supergiants and dwarfs in the optical and near-infrared.M-giants are found to follow different SB relations from non-M-giants,in particular in V versus V-R. The preferred relation for non-M-giantsis compared to the earlier relation by Fouqué and Gieren (basedon 10 stars) and Nordgren et al. (based on 57 stars). Increasing thesample size does not lead to a lower rms value. It is shown that theresiduals do not correlate with metallicity at a significant level. Thefinally adopted observed angular diameters are compared to thosepredicted by Cohen et al. for 45 stars in common, and there isreasonable overall, and good agreement when θ < 6 mas.Finally, I comment on the common practice in the literature to average,and then fix, the zero-point of the V versus V-K, V versus V-R and Kversus J-K relations, and then rederive the slopes. Such a commonzero-point at zero colour is not expected from model atmospheres for theV-R colour and depends on gravity. Relations derived in this way may bebiased.
| Heavy element abundances in AGB stars . The Hyades giants
This research summarises our methodology for obtaining equivalent widthsand abundances in giant stars. As an initial study, two of the fourgiants from the Hyades cluster have been analysed for heavy elementabundances, specifically s-process elements. This paper displays theresults obtained for HD28305 and HD27371, with most heavy elementabundances proving to be the same in both stars and similar to thoseobtained in previous studies. The extension of these techniques to M, Sand C stars is also discussed.
| Determination of fundamental characteristics for stars of the F, G, and K spectral types. The surface gravities and metallicity parameters.
Not Available
| Possible Variability of the Magnetic Field of T Tau
Using the Main Stellar Spectrograph of the 6-m Special AstrophysicalObservatory telescope equipped with a polametric analyzer, we measuredthe longitudinal magnetic field component B|| for the T Tauristars T Tau and AS 507 on January 16 and 18 and February 15, 2003. Forboth stars, we determined only the upper limits on B|| fromphotospheric lines: +15 +/- 30 G for T Tau and -70 +/- 90 G for AS 507.The magnetic field of AS 507 was not measured previously, whileB|| for T Tau is lower than its values that we obtained in1996 and 2002 (B|| = 150 +/- 50 G), suggesting that thelongitudinal magnetic field component in the photosphere of T Tau isvariable. We also measured the longitudinal magnetic field component forT Tau in the formation region of the He I 5876 A emission line. We foundB|| in this region to be equal to +650, +350, and +1100 G onJanuary 16, 18, and February 15, 2003, respectively. Our observations onJanuary 18 and February 15 correspond to virtually the same phase of thestar's rotation period, but the profiles of the He I 5876 A line differmarkedly on these two nights. Therefore, we believe that the threefolddifference between the B|| values on these nights does notresult from observational errors. We discuss the possible causes of theB|| variability in the photosphere and the magnetosphere of TTau.
| The Indo-US Library of Coudé Feed Stellar Spectra
We have obtained spectra for 1273 stars using the 0.9 m coudéfeed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This telescope feedsthe coudé spectrograph of the 2.1 m telescope. The spectra havebeen obtained with the no. 5 camera of the coudé spectrograph anda Loral 3K×1K CCD. Two gratings have been used to provide spectralcoverage from 3460 to 9464 Å, at a resolution of ~1 Å FWHMand at an original dispersion of 0.44 Å pixel-1. For885 stars we have complete spectra over the entire 3460 to 9464 Åwavelength region (neglecting small gaps of less than 50 Å), andpartial spectral coverage for the remaining stars. The 1273 stars havebeen selected to provide broad coverage of the atmospheric parametersTeff, logg, and [Fe/H], as well as spectral type. The goal ofthe project is to provide a comprehensive library of stellar spectra foruse in the automated classification of stellar and galaxy spectra and ingalaxy population synthesis. In this paper we discuss thecharacteristics of the spectral library, viz., details of theobservations, data reduction procedures, and selection of stars. We alsopresent a few illustrations of the quality and information available inthe spectra. The first version of the complete spectral library is nowpublicly available from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory(NOAO) via ftp and http.
| Empirically Constrained Color-Temperature Relations. II. uvby
A new grid of theoretical color indices for the Strömgren uvbyphotometric system has been derived from MARCS model atmospheres and SSGsynthetic spectra for cool dwarf and giant stars having-3.0<=[Fe/H]<=+0.5 and 3000<=Teff<=8000 K. Atwarmer temperatures (i.e., 8000-2.0. To overcome thisproblem, the theoretical indices at intermediate and high metallicitieshave been corrected using a set of color calibrations based on fieldstars having well-determined distances from Hipparcos, accurateTeff estimates from the infrared flux method, andspectroscopic [Fe/H] values. In contrast with Paper I, star clustersplayed only a minor role in this analysis in that they provided asupplementary constraint on the color corrections for cool dwarf starswith Teff<=5500 K. They were mainly used to test thecolor-Teff relations and, encouragingly, isochrones thatemploy the transformations derived in this study are able to reproducethe observed CMDs (involving u-v, v-b, and b-y colors) for a number ofopen and globular clusters (including M67, the Hyades, and 47 Tuc)rather well. Moreover, our interpretations of such data are verysimilar, if not identical, with those given in Paper I from aconsideration of BV(RI)C observations for the sameclusters-which provides a compelling argument in support of thecolor-Teff relations that are reported in both studies. Inthe present investigation, we have also analyzed the observedStrömgren photometry for the classic Population II subdwarfs,compared our ``final'' (b-y)-Teff relationship with thosederived empirically in a number of recent studies and examined in somedetail the dependence of the m1 index on [Fe/H].Based, in part, on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope,operated jointly on the island of La Palma by Denmark, Finland, Iceland,Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.Based, in part, on observations obtained with the Danish 1.54 mtelescope at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.
| Angular Diameters of Stars from the Mark III Optical Interferometer
Observations of 85 stars were obtained at wavelengths between 451 and800 nm with the Mark III Stellar Interferometer on Mount Wilson, nearPasadena, California. Angular diameters were determined by fitting auniform-disk model to the visibility amplitude versus projected baselinelength. Half the angular diameters determined at 800 nm have formalerrors smaller than 1%. Limb-darkened angular diameters, effectivetemperatures, and surface brightnesses were determined for these stars,and relationships between these parameters are presented. Scatter inthese relationships is larger than would be expected from themeasurement uncertainties. We argue that this scatter is not due to anunderestimate of the angular diameter errors; whether it is due tophotometric errors or is intrinsic to the relationship is unresolved.The agreement with other observations of the same stars at the samewavelengths is good; the width of the difference distribution iscomparable to that estimated from the error bars, but the wings of thedistribution are larger than Gaussian. Comparison with infraredmeasurements is more problematic; in disagreement with models, coolerstars appear systematically smaller in the near-infrared than expected,warmer stars larger.
| Catalogue of averaged stellar effective magnetic fields. I. Chemically peculiar A and B type stars
This paper presents the catalogue and the method of determination ofaveraged quadratic effective magnetic fields < B_e > for 596 mainsequence and giant stars. The catalogue is based on measurements of thestellar effective (or mean longitudinal) magnetic field strengths B_e,which were compiled from the existing literature.We analysed the properties of 352 chemically peculiar A and B stars inthe catalogue, including Am, ApSi, He-weak, He-rich, HgMn, ApSrCrEu, andall ApSr type stars. We have found that the number distribution of allchemically peculiar (CP) stars vs. averaged magnetic field strength isdescribed by a decreasing exponential function. Relations of this typehold also for stars of all the analysed subclasses of chemicalpeculiarity. The exponential form of the above distribution function canbreak down below about 100 G, the latter value representingapproximately the resolution of our analysis for A type stars.Table A.1 and its references are only available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/407/631 and Tables 3 to 9are only available in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org
| Possible detection of a magnetic field in T Tauri
Medium-resolution (R =~ 15 000) circular spectropolarimetry of T Tauriis presented. The star was observed twice: on November 11, 1996 andJanuary 22, 2002. Weak circular polarization was found in photosphericabsorption lines, indicating a mean surface longitudinal magnetic fieldB| of 160+/- 40 G and 140+/- 50 G at the epoch of the firstand second observations respectively. While these values are near thedetection limit of our apparatus, we belive that they are real. One canconclude from our data that B| of T Tau does notsignificantly exceed 200 G, which is much less than surface magneticfield strength of the star (>2.3 kG) found by Guenther et al.(\cite{Guenther99}) and Johns-Krull et al. (\cite{Johns00}). We discusspossible reasons for this difference.
| Line Absorption as a Metallicity Index for Giant Stars
The fraction of light removed from a star's spectrum by the spectrallines, the line absorption, is shown to be a precise empirical indicatorof metallicity. We measured the line absorption in 89 class III giantstars in a 42.5 Å window between 6219.0 and 6261.5 Å andthen calibrated these values against published metallicities. We showthat the line absorption can be measured precisely enough to improve themetallicity precision about fivefold over the original calibrationmetallicities, reaching a precision of 0.01 dex in favorable cases.
| Orbits of Hyades multiple-lined spectroscopic binaries Paper 1: The double-lined triple system HDE 285947
Not Available
| A catalogue of calibrator stars for long baseline stellar interferometry
Long baseline stellar interferometry shares with other techniques theneed for calibrator stars in order to correct for instrumental andatmospheric effects. We present a catalogue of 374 stars carefullyselected to be used for that purpose in the near infrared. Owing toseveral convergent criteria with the work of Cohen et al.(\cite{cohen99}), this catalogue is in essence a subset of theirself-consistent all-sky network of spectro-photometric calibrator stars.For every star, we provide the angular limb-darkened diameter, uniformdisc angular diameters in the J, H and K bands, the Johnson photometryand other useful parameters. Most stars are type III giants withspectral types K or M0, magnitudes V=3-7 and K=0-3. Their angularlimb-darkened diameters range from 1 to 3 mas with a median uncertaintyas low as 1.2%. The median distance from a given point on the sky to theclosest reference is 5.2degr , whereas this distance never exceeds16.4degr for any celestial location. The catalogue is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/393/183
| Determination of accurate stellar radial-velocity measures
Wavelength measurements in stellar spectra cannot readily be interpretedas true stellar motion on the sub-km s-1 accuracy level dueto the presence of many other effects, such as gravitational redshiftand stellar convection, which also produce line shifts. Following arecommendation by the IAU, the result of an accurate spectroscopicradial-velocity observation should therefore be given as the``barycentric radial-velocity measure'', i.e. the absolute spectralshift as measured by an observer at zero gravitational potential locatedat the solar-system barycentre. Standard procedures for reducingaccurate radial-velocity observations should be reviewed to take intoaccount this recommendation. We describe a procedure to determineaccurate barycentric radial-velocity measures of bright stars, based ondigital cross-correlation of spectra obtained with the ELODIEspectrometer (Observatoire de Haute-Provence) with a synthetic templateof Fe I lines. The absolute zero point of the radial-velocity measuresis linked to the wavelength scale of the Kurucz (1984) Solar Flux Atlasvia ELODIE observations of the Moon. Results are given for the Sun and42 stars, most of them members of the Hyades and Ursa Major clusters.The median internal standard error is 27 m s-1. The externalerror is estimated at around 120 m s-1, mainly reflecting theuncertainty in the wavelength scale of the Solar Flux Atlas. For the Sunwe find a radial-velocity measure of +257+/- 11 m s-1referring to the full-disk spectrum of the selected Fe I lines. Based onobservations made at Observatoire de Haute-Provence
| CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
The Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.
| Astrometric radial velocities. III. Hipparcos measurements of nearby star clusters and associations
Radial motions of stars in nearby moving clusters are determined fromaccurate proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes, without any use ofspectroscopy. Assuming that cluster members share the same velocityvector (apart from a random dispersion), we apply a maximum-likelihoodmethod on astrometric data from Hipparcos to compute radial and spacevelocities (and their dispersions) in the Ursa Major, Hyades, ComaBerenices, Pleiades, and Praesepe clusters, and for theScorpius-Centaurus, alpha Persei, and ``HIP 98321'' associations. Theradial motion of the Hyades cluster is determined to within 0.4 kms-1 (standard error), and that of its individual stars towithin 0.6 km s-1. For other clusters, Hipparcos data yieldastrometric radial velocities with typical accuracies of a few kms-1. A comparison of these astrometric values withspectroscopic radial velocities in the literature shows a good generalagreement and, in the case of the best-determined Hyades cluster, alsopermits searches for subtle astrophysical differences, such as evidencefor enhanced convective blueshifts of F-dwarf spectra, and decreasedgravitational redshifts in giants. Similar comparisons for the ScorpiusOB2 complex indicate some expansion of its associations, albeit slowerthan expected from their ages. As a by-product from the radial-velocitysolutions, kinematically improved parallaxes for individual stars areobtained, enabling Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams with unprecedentedaccuracy in luminosity. For the Hyades (parallax accuracy 0.3 mas), itsmain sequence resembles a thin line, possibly with wiggles in it.Although this main sequence has underpopulated regions at certaincolours (previously suggested to be ``Böhm-Vitense gaps''), suchare not visible for other clusters, and are probably spurious. Futurespace astrometry missions carry a great potential for absoluteradial-velocity determinations, insensitive to the complexities ofstellar spectra. Based on observations by the ESA Hipparcos satellite.Extended versions of Tables \ref{tab1} and \ref{tab2} are available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.125.8) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/381/446
| Line-Depth Ratios: Temperature Indices for Giant Stars
Ratios of the depths of appropriately chosen spectral lines are shown tobe excellent indicators of stellar temperatures for giant stars in theG3 to K3 spectral type range. We calibrate five line-depth ratiosagainst B-V and R-I color indices and then translate these intotemperatures. Our goal is to set up line-depth ratios to (1) accuratelymonitor any temperature variations of a few degrees or less that mayoccur during magnetic cycles or oscillations and (2) rank giantsprecisely on a temperature coordinate. This is not an absolutecalibration of stellar temperatures. We show how giant spectra can bemisleading because of the complex dependences of spectral lines onmetallicity and absolute magnitude as well as temperature, and it isessential to make corrections to accommodate these complications. Thefive line-depth ratios we use yield precision for monitoring, i.e.,detecting temperature variations, of 4 K from a single exposure. Rankinggiants by temperature can be done with errors of ~25 K but could beimproved with better determinations of the metallicity andabsolute-magnitude corrections.
| Absolute spectrophotometry of late-type stars.
Not Available
| A Comparative Analysis of Chemical Abundances in the Atmospheres of Red Giants of Different Age Groups
We analyze previously published chemical abundances in the atmospheresof red giants. Excess abundances are observed not only for Na, but alsofor Al and Si, with the overabundances increasing with the stars’luminosity. The observed anomalies provide evidence that, in addition tothe CNO hydrogen-burning cycle, the Mg-Al and Ne-Na cycles operate inthe interiors of main-sequence stars; their products are brought to thestellar atmospheres by convection after the transition to the red-giantphase. The abundance anomalies for s-process elements, also observed inthe atmospheres of field stars, testify to the presence of a substantialnumber of neutrons. The s-process abundance anomalies are absent fromgiants of the young Hyades cluster.
| Far-Ultraviolet Spectra of B Stars near the Ecliptic
Spectra of B stars in the wavelength range of 911-1100 Å have beenobtained with the Espectrógrafo Ultravioleta de RadiaciónDifusa (EURD) spectrograph on board the Spanish satellite MINISAT-01with ~5 Å spectral resolution. International Ultraviolet Explorer(IUE) spectra of the same stars have been used to normalize Kuruczmodels to the distance, reddening, and spectral type of thecorresponding star. The comparison of eight main-sequence stars studiedin detail (α Vir, ɛ Tau, λ Tau, τ Tau, αLeo, ζ Lib, θ Oph, and σ Sgr) shows agreement withKurucz models, but observed fluxes are 10%-40% higher than the models inmost cases. The difference in flux between observations and models ishigher in the wavelength range between Lyα and Lyβ. Wesuggest that Kurucz models underestimate the far-ultraviolet (FUV) fluxof main-sequence B stars between these two Lyman lines. Computation offlux distributions of line-blanketed model atmospheres including non-LTEeffects suggests that this flux underestimate could be due to departuresfrom LTE, although other causes cannot be ruled out. We found that thecommon assumption of solar metallicity for young disk stars should bemade with care, since small deviations can have a significant impact onFUV model fluxes. Two peculiar stars (ρ Leo and ɛ Aqr) and twoemission-line stars (ɛ Cap and π Aqr) were also studied. Ofthese, only ɛ Aqr has a flux in agreement with the models. The resthave strong variability in the IUE range and/or uncertain reddening,which makes the comparison with models difficult. Based on thedevelopment and utilization of the Espectrógrafo Ultravioleta deRadiación Difusa, a collaboration of the Spanish InstitutoNacional de Técnica Aeroespacial and the Center for EUVAstrophysics, University of California, Berkeley.
| Comparison of Stellar Angular Diameters from the NPOI, the Mark III Optical Interferometer, and the Infrared Flux Method
The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) has been used tomeasure the angular diameters of 41 late-type giant and supergiant starspreviously observed with the Mark III optical interferometer. Sixteen ofthese stars have published angular diameters based on model atmospheres(infrared flux method, IRFM). Comparison of these angular diametersshows that there are no systematic offsets between any pair of datasets. Furthermore, the reported uncertainties in the angular diametersmeasured using both interferometers are consistent with the distributionof the differences in the diameters. The distribution of diameterdifferences between the interferometric and model atmosphere angulardiameters are consistent with uncertainties in the IRFM diameters of1.4%. Although large differences in angular diameter measurements areseen for three stars, the data are insufficient to determine whetherthese differences are due to problems with the observations or are dueto temporal changes in the stellar diameters themselves.
| Accurate Vsin i measurements in M 67: The angular momentum evolution of 1.2 Msun stars
By using FEROS spectrograph commissioning observations, we build acalibration of the FEROS cross-correlation function (CCF) to determineaccurate projected rotational velocities Vsin i for slow rotating F-Kdwarf and giant stars. We apply this calibration to a sample of 28 mainsequence, turnoff and giant stars belonging to the old open cluster M67. We find that the stars behave in a very regular manner, depending ontheir position in the Color-Magnitude (C-M) diagram. Early main sequenceG stars have a rotational velocity two times larger than the Sun, andthey show a possible trend with (B-V) color, in that redder colorscorrespond to lower Vsin i. The stars at the turnoff are the fastestrotators, with Vsin i between 6.3 and 7.6 km s-1, while starsjust above the turn-off are already significantly slower , with valuesbetween 4.6 and 4.9 km s-1. Along the Red Giant Branch (RGB),rotation decreases smoothly and for stars above (B-V)ga1 , only upperlimits can be found, including for 4 clump stars. Analyzing the angularmomentum history of 1.2 Msun stars with the help oftheoretical evolutionary tracks, we see that these stars probably obeydifferent angular momentum evolution laws on the main sequence and alongthe RGB: while on the main sequence some extra braking is required inaddition to angular momentum conservation, along the RGB the data arewell represented by the IOmega =C law. Finally, comparing the Vsin i ofthe M 67 turnoff stars with their main sequence progenitors in theyounger open clusters NGC 3680 and Hyades we find that the youngerclusters show substantially higher rotation rates. This indicates that1.2 Msun stars do experience main sequence braking. Thiscould be relevant also for the interpretation of the nature of the``Lithium gap''. Based on observations collected at ESO, La Silla.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Taureau |
| Right ascension: | 04h28m37.00s |
| Declination: | +19°10'49.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 3.53 |
| Distance: | 47.529 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 106.7 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -35.6 |
| B-T magnitude: | 4.813 |
| V-T magnitude: | 3.635 |
Catalogs and designations:
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NEWS@SKY (Science&Space News)
