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The lithium-rotation correlation for WTTS in Taurus–Auriga
Surface lithium abundance and rotation velocity can serve as powerfuland mutually complementary diagnostics of interior structure of stars.So far, the processes responsible for the lithium depletion duringpre-main sequence evolution are still poorly understood. We investigatewhether a correlation exists between equivalent widths of Li (EW(Li))and rotation period (Prot) for weak-line T Tauri stars(WTTSs). We find that rapidly rotating stars have lower EW(Li) and thefast burning of Li begins at the phase when star’s Protevolves towards 3 days among 0.9Mȯ to1.4Mȯ WTTSs in Taurus–Auriga. Our results supportthe conclusion by Piau and Turch-Chiéze about a model for lithiumdepletion with age of the star and by Bouvier et al. in relation torotation evolution. The turn over of the curve for the correlationbetween EW(Li) and Prot is at the phase of zero-age mainsequence (ZAMS). The EW(Li) decreases with decreasing Protbefore the star reaches the ZAMS, while it decreases with increasingProt (decreasing rotation velocity) for young low-mass mainsequence stars. This result could be explained as an age effect of Lidepletion and the rapid rotation does not inhibit Li destruction amonglow-mass PMS stars.
| Oxygen from the λ7774 High-Excitation Triplet in Open Cluster Dwarfs: Hyades
Oxygen abundances have been derived from the near-IR, high-excitation OI λ7774 triplet in high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratiospectra of 45 Hyades dwarfs using standard one-dimensional,plane-parallel LTE models. Effective temperatures of the stellar samplerange from 4319 to 6301 K, and the derived relative O abundances as afunction of Teff evince a trichotomous morphology. AtTeff>6100 K, there is evidence of an increase in the Oabundances with increasing Teff, consistent with non-LTE(NLTE) predictions. At intermediate Teff (5450K<=Teff<=6100 K), the O abundances are flat, andstar-to-star values are in good agreement, having a mean value of[O/H]=+0.25+/-0.02 however, systematic errors at the <~0.10 dex levelmight exist. The O abundances for stars with Teff<=5450 Kshow a striking increase with decreasing Teff, in starkcontrast to expectations and canonical NLTE calculations. The coolHyades triplet results are compared to those recently reported fordwarfs in the Pleiades cluster and the UMa moving group; qualitativedifferences between the trends observed in these stellar aggregatespoint to a possible age-related diminution of triplet abundance trendsin cool open cluster dwarfs. Correlations with age-related phenomena,i.e., chromospheric activity and photospheric spots, faculae, and/orplages, are investigated. No correlation with Ca II H+K chromosphericactivity indicators is observed. Multicomponent LTE ``toy'' models havebeen constructed in order to simulate photospheric temperatureinhomogeneities that could arise from the presence of starspots, and wedemonstrate that photospheric spots are a plausible source of thetriplet trends among the cool dwarfs.Based on observations obtained with the Mayall 4 m telescope at KittPeak National Observatory, a division of the National Optical AstronomyObservatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities forResearch in Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with theNational Science Foundation.This paper includes data taken with the Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m telescopeat the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.
| Chemical Homogeneity in the Hyades
We present an abundance analysis of the heavy elements Zr, Ba, La, Ce,and Nd for Hyades F-K dwarfs based on high-resolution, highsignal-to-noise ratio spectra from Keck HIRES. The derived abundancesshow the stellar members to be highly uniform, although some elementsshow a small residual trend with temperature. The rms scatter for eachelement for the cluster members is as follows: Zr=0.055, Ba=0.049,Ce=0.025, La=0.025, and Nd=0.032 dex. This is consistent with themeasurement errors and implies that there is little or no intrinsicscatter among the Hyades members. Several stars thought to be nonmembersof the cluster based on their kinematics are found to deviate from thecluster mean abundances by about 2 σ. Establishing chemicalhomogeneity in open clusters is the primary requirement for theviability of chemically tagging Galactic disk stars to common formationsites in order to unravel the dissipative history of early diskformation.
| Zero-Age Main Sequence in the HR Diagram of the Vilnius Photometric System
The zero-age main sequence for solar metallicity stars in the absolutemagnitude vs. color diagram of the Vilnius seven-color photometricsystem is determined. The calibration is based on the results ofphotoelectric photometry of stars in the Hyades, Pleiades and Praesepeopen clusters and the Ori OB1 association. A theoretical Victoria-Reginaisochrone, corresponding to an age of 10 million years, coincides wellwith the lower envelope of the unevolved main sequence.
| 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.
| Searching for Planets in the Hyades. V. Limits on Planet Detection in the Presence of Stellar Activity
We present the results of a radial velocity survey of a sample of Hyadesstars and discuss the effects of stellar activity on radial velocitymeasurements. The level of radial velocity scatter due to rotationalmodulation of stellar surface features for the Hyades is in agreementwith the 1997 predictions of Saar & Donahue-the maximum radialvelocity rms of up to ~50 m s-1, with an average rms of ~16 ms-1. In this sample of 94 stars we find one new binary, twostars with linear trends indicative of binary companions, and noclose-in giant planets. We discuss the limits on extrasolar planetdetection in the Hyades and the constraints imposed on radial velocitysurveys of young stars.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, andthe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). TheObservatory was made possible by the generous financial support of theW. M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge thevery significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of MaunaKea has always had within the indigenous Hawaiian community. We are mostfortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from thismountain. Additional data were obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope,which is operated by McDonald Observatory on behalf of the University ofTexas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University,Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, andGeorg-August-Universität Göttingen.
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of 14 000 F and G dwarfs
We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age,kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, andkinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sampleand, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcosparallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities,complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-qualityvelocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures andmetallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. Theremaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Amajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone agesfor all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has beengiven to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and errorestimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effectsand introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agreewell with those by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{edv93}), despite severalastrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate,however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause thedistribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of thetrue age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations ofthe Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presentedhere, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and theage-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of theSolar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor Gdwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarfproblem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk,the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since itsformation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, andthe continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiencyconsistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giantmolecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the Vcomponent of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity,corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather thanclassical moving groups, and may complicate the identification ofthick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of thisrich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteriafor the sample and the distribution of observational errors.Based on observations made with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at ESO, LaSilla, Chile, and with the Swiss 1-m telescope at Observatoire deHaute-Provence, France.Complete Tables 1 and 2 are 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/418/989
| Magnesium Isotope Ratios in Hyades Stars
Using classical model atmospheres and an LTE analysis, Mg isotope ratios24Mg:25Mg:26Mg are measured in 32Hyades dwarfs covering effective temperatures4000K<=Teff<=5000K. We find no significant trend in anyisotope ratio versus Teff, and the mean isotope ratio is inexcellent agreement with the solar value. We determine stellarparameters and Fe abundances for 56 Hyades dwarfs covering4000K<=Teff<=6200K. For stars warmer than 4700 K, wederive a cluster mean value of [Fe/H]=0.16+/-0.02 (σ=0.1), in goodagreement with previous studies. For stars cooler than 4700 K, we findthat the abundance of Fe from ionized lines exceeds the abundance of Fefrom neutral lines. At 4700 K,[Fe/H]II-[Fe/H]I~=0.3dex, while at 4000 K[Fe/H]II-[Fe/H]I~=1.2dex. This discrepancy betweenthe Fe abundance from neutral and ionized lines likely reflectsinadequacies in the model atmospheres and the presence of non-LTE orother effects. Despite the inability of the models to reproduce theionization equilibrium for Fe, the Mg isotope ratios appear immune tothese problems and remain a powerful tool for studying Galactic chemicalevolution.Data presented here were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, whichis operated as a scientific partnership among the California Instituteof Technology, the University of California, and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possibleby the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| The Distances to Open Clusters as Derived from Main-Sequence Fitting. II. Construction of Empirically Calibrated Isochrones
We continue our series of papers on open cluster distances by comparingmulticolor photometry of single stars in the Hyades with theoreticalisochrones constructed with various color-temperature relations. Afterverifying that the isochrone effective temperatures agree well withspectroscopically determined values, we argue that mismatches betweenthe photometry and the theoretical colors likely arise from systematicerrors in the color-temperature relations. We then describe a method forempirically correcting the isochrones to match the photometry anddiscuss the dependence of the isochrone luminosity on metallicity.This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All SkySurvey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts andthe Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute ofTechnology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administrationand the National Science Foundation.
| Dependence of coronal X-ray emission on spot-induced brightness variations in cool main sequence stars
The maximum amplitude (Amax) of spot-induced brightnessvariations from long-term V-band photometry and the ratioLX/Lbol between X-ray and bolometric luminositiesare suitable indicators of the level of magnetic activity in thephotosphere and in the corona of late-type stars, respectively. By usingthese activity indicators we investigate the dependence of coronal X-rayemission on the level of photospheric starspot activity in a homogeneoussample of low mass main sequence field and cluster stars of differentages (IC 2602, IC 4665,IC 2391, alpha Persei,Pleiades and Hyades). First, theactivity-rotation connection at the photospheric level is re-analysed,as well as its dependence on spectral type and age. The upper envelopeof Amax increases monotonically with decreasing rotationalperiod (P) and Rossby number (R0) showing a break around 1.1d that separates two rotation regimes where the starspot activity showsdifferent behaviours. The Amax-P andAmax-R0 relations are fitted with linear,exponential and power laws to look for the function which bestrepresents the trend of the data. The highest values of Amaxare found among K-type stars and at the ages of alphaPersei and Pleiades. We also analyse theactivity-rotation connection at the coronal level as well as itsdependence on spectral type. The level of X-ray emission increases withincreasing rotation rate up to a saturation level. The rotational periodat which saturation occurs is colour-dependent and increases withadvancing spectral type. Also the LX/Lbol-P andLX/Lbol-R0 relations are fitted withlinear, exponential and power laws to look for the best fittingfunction. Among the fastest rotating stars (P<=0.3 d) there isevidence of super-saturation. Also the highest values ofLXLbol are found among K-type stars. Finally, thephotospheric-coronal activity connection is investigated by using forthe first time the largest ever sample of light curve amplitudes asindicators of the magnetic filling factor. The activity parametersLX/Lbol and Amax are found to becorrelated with each other, thus confirming the dependence of coronalactivity on photospheric magnetic fields. More precisely, theLX/Lbol-Amax distribution shows thepresence of an upper envelope, which is constant at theLX/Lbol =~ -3.0 saturation level, and of a lowerenvelope. The best fit to the lower envelope is given by a power lawwith steepness decreasing from F-G to M spectral types. However, it isconsidered a tentative result, since the fit reduced chi-squares arelarge. Such spectral-type dependence may be related to a colourdependence of Amax on the total starspot filling factor, aswell as to the coronal emission being possibly more sensitive tostarspot activity variations in F- and G-type than in M-type stars. TheLX/Lbol-Amax mean values for eachcluster in our sample decrease monotonically with increasing age,showing that the levels of photospheric and coronal activity evolve intime according to a single power law till the Sun's age.Tables of the photometric and X-ray data sets are 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/410/671
| Searching for Planets in the Hyades. IV. Differential Abundance Analysis of Hyades Dwarfs
We present a differential abundance analysis of Hyades F-K dwarfs insearch for evidence of stellar enrichment from accretedhydrogen-deficient disk material. Metallicities and relative abundanceratios of several species have been determined. We derive a cluster mean[Fe/H]=0.13+/-0.01. Two stars show abundances ~0.2 dex larger than thecluster mean. In addition, one star, which was added by a recent studyas a cluster member, shows significantly lower abundances than thecluster mean. These three stars have questionable membershipcharacteristics. The remaining stars in the survey have an rms of 0.04dex in the differential [Fe/H] values. The Hyades cluster members haveapparently not been significantly chemically enriched. The abundanceratios of Si, Ti, Na, Mg, Ca, and Zn with respect to Fe are in theirsolar proportions.Some data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory,which is operated as a scientific partnership among the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, the University of California, and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possibleby the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| The stellar activity-rotation relationship revisited: Dependence of saturated and non-saturated X-ray emission regimes on stellar mass for late-type dwarfs
We present the results of a new study on the relationship betweencoronal X-ray emission and stellar rotation in late-type main-sequencestars. We have selected a sample of 259 dwarfs in the B-V range 0.5-2.0,including 110 field stars and 149 members of the Pleiades, Hyades, alphaPersei, IC 2602 and IC 2391 open clusters. All the stars have beenobserved with ROSAT, and most of them have photometrically-measuredrotation periods available. Our results confirm that two emissionregimes exist, one in which the rotation period is a good predictor ofthe total X-ray luminosity, and the other in which a constant saturatedX-ray to bolometric luminosity ratio is attained; we present aquantitative estimate of the critical rotation periods below which starsof different masses (or spectral types) enter the saturated regime. Inthis work we have also empirically derived a characteristic time scale,taue , which we have used to investigate the relationshipbetween the X-ray emission level and an X-ray-based Rossby numberRe = Prot/taue: we show that ourempirical time scale taue resembles the theoreticalconvective turnover time for 0.4 <~ M/Msun <~ 1.2, butit also has the same functional dependence on B-V asLbol-1/2 in the color range 0.5 <~ B-V <~1.5. Our results imply that - for non-saturated coronae - theLx - Prot relation is equivalent to theLx/Lbol vs. Re relation. Tables 1 and 2are only available in electronic form at \ http://www.edpsciences.org
| Searching for Planets in the Hyades. II. Some Implications of Stellar Magnetic Activity
The Hyades constitute a homogeneous sample of stars ideal forinvestigating the dependence of planet formation on the mass of thecentral star. Because of their youth, Hyades members are much morechromospherically active than stars traditionally surveyed for planetsusing high-precision radial velocity techniques. Therefore, we haveconducted a detailed investigation of whether magnetic activity of ourHyades target stars will interfere with our ability to make preciseradial velocity (vrad) searches for substellar companions. Wemeasure chromospheric activity (which we take as a proxy for magneticactivity) by computing the equivalent of the R'HKactivity index (which is corrected for photospheric contributions) fromthe Ca II K line. The value of is notconstant in the Hyades: we confirm that it decreases with increasingtemperature in the F stars and also find it decreases for stars coolerthan mid K. We examine correlations between simultaneously measuredR'HK and radial velocities using both a classicalstatistical test and a Bayesian odds ratio test. We find that there is asignificant correlation between R'HK and theradial velocity in only five of the 82 stars in this sample. Thus,simple R'HK-vrad correlations willgenerally not be effective in correcting the measured vradvalues for the effects of magnetic activity in the Hyades. We argue thatthis implies long-timescale activity variations (of order a few years;i.e., magnetic cycles or growth and decay of plage regions) will notsignificantly hinder our search for planets in the Hyades if the starsare closely monitored for chromospheric activity. The trends in theradial velocity scatter (σ'v) with, vsini, and Prot for ourstars is generally consistent with those found in field stars in theLick planet search data, with the notable exception of a shallowerdependence of σ'v on for F stars. Data presented hereinwere obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as ascientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, theUniversity of California, and the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration. The Observatory was made possible by the generousfinancial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.
| 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
| Rotation-induced lithium depletion of solar-type stars in open stellar clusters
We look for a correlation between Lithium abundance and rotation periodin solar-type stars (G0\dots K0). The result is not unambiguous. Starsin young open clusters (IC 2391, IC 2602, IC 4665, alpha Per) do notshow any correlation, in the Pleiades cluster a correlation is present:the faster the rotation the less the Lithium depletion. Moreover, thereis statistical evidence, that at least in the Pleiades and in the alphaPersei cluster the abundance spread at fixed color in cool stars couldbe due to rotation. The use of the inverse Rossby number instead of therotation rate does not improve on the Li-rotation correlation.
| Empirical calibration of the near-infrared Ca ii triplet - II. The stellar atmospheric parameters
We present a homogeneous set of stellar atmospheric parameters(Teff, logg, [Fe/H]) for a sample of about 700 field andcluster stars which constitute a new stellar library in the near-IRdeveloped for stellar population synthesis in this spectral region(λ8350-9020). Having compiled the available atmospheric data inthe literature for field stars, we have found systematic deviationsbetween the atmospheric parameters from different bibliographicreferences. The Soubiran, Katz & Cayrel sample of stars with verywell determined fundamental parameters has been taken as our standardreference system, and other papers have been calibrated and bootstrappedagainst it. The obtained transformations are provided in this paper.Once most of the data sets were on the same system, final parameterswere derived by performing error weighted means. Atmospheric parametersfor cluster stars have also been revised and updated according to recentmetallicity scales and colour-temperature relations.
| A Hipparcos study of the Hyades open cluster. Improved colour-absolute magnitude and Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams
Hipparcos parallaxes fix distances to individual stars in the Hyadescluster with an accuracy of ~ 6 percent. We use the Hipparcos propermotions, which have a larger relative precision than the trigonometricparallaxes, to derive ~ 3 times more precise distance estimates, byassuming that all members share the same space motion. An investigationof the available kinematic data confirms that the Hyades velocity fielddoes not contain significant structure in the form of rotation and/orshear, but is fully consistent with a common space motion plus a(one-dimensional) internal velocity dispersion of ~ 0.30 kms-1. The improved parallaxes as a set are statisticallyconsistent with the Hipparcos parallaxes. The maximum expectedsystematic error in the proper motion-based parallaxes for stars in theouter regions of the cluster (i.e., beyond ~ 2 tidal radii ~ 20 pc) isla 0.30 mas. The new parallaxes confirm that the Hipparcos measurementsare correlated on small angular scales, consistent with the limitsspecified in the Hipparcos Catalogue, though with significantly smaller``amplitudes'' than claimed by Narayanan & Gould. We use the Tycho-2long time-baseline astrometric catalogue to derive a set of independentproper motion-based parallaxes for the Hipparcos members. The newparallaxes provide a uniquely sharp view of the three-dimensionalstructure of the Hyades. The colour-absolute magnitude diagram of thecluster based on the new parallaxes shows a well-defined main sequencewith two ``gaps''/``turn-offs''. These features provide the first directobservational support of Böhm-Vitense's prediction that (the onsetof) surface convection in stars significantly affects their (B-V)colours. We present and discuss the theoretical Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram (log L versus log T_eff) for an objectively defined set of 88high-fidelity members of the cluster as well as the delta Scuti startheta 2 Tau, the giants delta 1, theta1, epsilon , and gamma Tau, and the white dwarfs V471 Tau andHD 27483 (all of which are also members). The precision with which thenew parallaxes place individual Hyades in the Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram is limited by (systematic) uncertainties related to thetransformations from observed colours and absolute magnitudes toeffective temperatures and luminosities. The new parallaxes providestringent constraints on the calibration of such transformations whencombined with detailed theoretical stellar evolutionary modelling,tailored to the chemical composition and age of the Hyades, over thelarge stellar mass range of the cluster probed by Hipparcos.
| The ``rotation-activity connection'': Its extension to photospheric activity diagnostics
In this paper we present the results of a different approach in thestudy of the so-called rotation-activity connection, which is a wellestablished correlation between rotation and magnetic activity atchromospheric and outer atmospheric levels. The present study concernsthe photospheric level and was carried out by using V-band photometriclight curve amplitudes as indicators of starspot coverage and ofmagnetic activity. A high degree of correlation between the envelope ofmaximum V-band light curve amplitudes and the rotation period is foundfor the active star members of young open clusters (IC 2602, IC 2391,Alpha Persei, Pleiades and Hyades), as well as for active field stars.This correlation shows a different behaviour in two different rotationperiod ranges. Moreover, some evidence of a possible activity``saturation'' is found among the most rapidly rotating stars of thesample. Additional correlations between photospheric and other magneticactivity indicators in the chromosphere, transition region and coronaare also investigated. The results presented here can be considered asan extension of the well established rotation-activity connection validfrom the corona, transition region and chromosphere, down to thephotosphere.
| Empirical calibration of the lambda 4000 Å break
Empirical fitting functions, describing the behaviour of the lambda 4000Ä break, D4000, in terms of effective temperature,metallicity and surface gravity, are presented. For this purpose, thebreak has been measured in 392 stars from the Lick/IDS Library. We havefollowed a very detailed error treatment in the reduction and fittingprocedures, allowing for a reliable estimation of the breakuncertainties. This calibration can be easily incorporated into stellarpopulation models to provide accurate predictions of the break amplitudefor, relatively old, composite systems. Table 1 is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| A Precision Test of HIPPARCOS Systematics toward the Hyades
We propose a test that can in principle detect any systematic errors inthe Hipparcos parallaxes toward the Hyades cluster at the level of 0.3mas. We show that the statistical parallax algorithm subsumes theclassical moving cluster methods and provides more precise estimates ofthe distance and the first two moments of the velocity distribution ofthe Hyades cluster, namely, its bulk space velocity and the velocitydispersion tensor. To test the Hipparcos parallaxes, we first rescalethe bulk velocity determined from statistical parallax to forceagreement with the distance scale determined from Hipparcos parallaxes.We then predict the parallaxes of Hyades cluster members using thiscommon cluster space velocity and their Hipparcos proper motions. Weshow that the parallaxes determined in this manner (pi_pm) areconsistent at the 1 sigma level with the parallaxes (pi_orb) of threeHyades spectroscopic binary systems with orbital solutions. We find that=0.52+/-0.47 mas, where the error is dominated bythe errors in the orbital parallaxes. A reduction in these errors wouldallow a test of the systematic errors in the Hipparcos parallaxes at the0.3 mas level. If the Hyades distance scale is fixed by Hipparcosparallaxes, then its bulk velocity in equatorial coordinates is(V_x,V_y,V_z)=(-5.70+/-0.20, 45.62+/-0.11, 5.65+/-0.08) kms^-1, itsvelocity dispersion is 320+/-39 m s^-1, and the distance modulus to thecentroid of our sample of 43 cluster members is 3.34+/-0.02 mag.
| Photometric Separation of Stellar Properties Using SDSS Filters
Using synthetic photometry of Kurucz model spectra, we explore thecolors of stars as a function of temperature, metallicity, and surfacegravity with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) filters, u'g'r'i'z'. Thesynthetic colors show qualitative agreement with the few publishedobservations in these filters. We find that the locus of synthetic starsis basically two-dimensional for 4500 < T < 8000 K, whichprecludes simultaneous color separation of the three basic stellarcharacteristics we consider. Colors including u' contain the mostinformation about normal stellar properties; measurements in this filterare also important for selecting white dwarfs. We identify two differentsubsets of the locus in which the loci separate by either metallicity orsurface gravity. For 0.5 < g' - r' < 0.8 (corresponding roughly toG stars), the locus separates by metallicity; for photometric error of afew percent, we estimate metallicity to within ~0.5 dex in this range.In the range -0.15 < g' - r' < 0.00 (corresponding roughly to Astars), the locus shows separation by surface gravity. In both cases, weshow that it is advantageous to use more than two colors whendetermining stellar properties by color. Strategic observations in SDSSfilters are required to resolve the source of a ~5% discrepancy betweensynthetic colors of Gunn-Stryker stars, Kurucz models, and externaldeterminations of the metallicities and surface gravities. The syntheticstar colors can be used to investigate the properties of any normal starand to construct analytic expressions for the photometric prediction ofstellar properties in special cases.
| Color indices of the Sun and Hyades stars in the WBVR system
Using an original setup at high altitudes, we measured the color indicesof the Sun in the WBVR photometric system relative to standard stars: (W- B)_solar = -0.05, (B - V)_solar = +0.67, and (V - R)_solar = +0.53. Wepresent the WBVR photometry for the Hyades members selected by vanBueren by their space velocities. The solar position is shown intwo-color diagrams relative to Hyades stars and bright G2 V stars. Acomparison of our results with Kurucz's models reveals a discrepancybetween the metallicities of the models and the Hyades members.
| Beryllium abundances in parent stars of extrasolar planets: 16 Cygni A & B and rho (1) CANCRI
The (9) Be ii lambda 3131 Angstroms doublet has been observed in thesolar-type stars 16 Cyg A & B and in the late G-type star rho (1)Cnc, to derive their beryllium abundances. 16 Cyg A & B show similar(solar) beryllium abundances while 16 Cyg B, which has been proposed tohave a planetary companion of ~ 2 M_Jup, is known to be depleted inlithium by a factor larger than 6 with respect to 16 Cyg A. Differencesin their rotational histories which could induce different rates ofinternal mixing of material, and the ingestion of a similar planet by 16Cyg A are discussed as potential explanations. The existence of twoother solar-type stars which are candidates to harbour planetary-masscompanions and which show lithium and beryllium abundances close tothose of 16 Cyg A, requires a more detailed inspection of thepeculiarities of the 16 Cyg system. For rho (1) Cnc, which is thecoolest known object candidate to harbour a planetary-mass companion (M> 0.85 M_Jup), we establish a precise upper limit for its berylliumabundance, showing a strong Be depletion which constrains the availablemixing mechanisms. Observations of similar stars without companions arerequired to assess the potential effects of the planetary companion onthe observed depletion. It has been recently claimed that rho (1) Cncappears to be a subgiant. If this were the case, the observed strong Liand Be depletions could be explained by a dilution process taking placeduring its post-main sequence evolution. Based on observations made withthe Nordic Optical and William Herschel Telescopes, which are operatedon the island of La Palma by the NOT Scientific Association and theIsaac Newton Group, respectively, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roquede los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrof\'\i sica de Canarias.
| The Multiplicity of the Hyades and Its Implications for Binary Star Formation and Evolution
A 2.2 μm speckle imaging survey of 167 bright (K < 8.5 mag) Hyadesmembers reveals a total of 33 binaries with separations spanning 0.044"to 1.34" and magnitude differences as large as 5.5 mag. Of thesebinaries, 9 are new detections and an additional 20 are now spatiallyresolved spectroscopic binaries, providing a sample from which dynamicalmasses and distances can be obtained. The closest three systems,marginally resolved at Palomar Observatory, were reobserved with the 10m Keck Telescope in order to determine accurate binary star parameters.Combining the results of this survey with previous radial velocity,optical speckle, and direct-imaging Hyades surveys, the detectedmultiplicity of the sample is 98 singles, 59 binaries, and 10 triples. Astatistical analysis of this sample investigates a variety of multiplestar formation and evolution theories. Over the binary separation range0.1"-1.07" (5-50 AU), the sensitivity to companion stars is relativelyuniform, with = 4 mag, equivalent to a mass ratio = 0.23. Accounting for the inability to detect high fluxratio binaries results in an implied companion star fraction (CSF) of0.30 +/- 0.06 in this separation range. The Hyades CSF is intermediatebetween the values derived from observations of T Tauri stars (CSF_TTS =0.40 +/- 0.08) and solar neighborhood G dwarfs (CSF_SN = 0.14 +/- 0.03).This result allows for an evolution of the CSF from an initially highvalue for the pre-main sequence to that found for main-sequence stars.Within the Hyades, the CSF and the mass ratio distribution provideobservational tests of binary formation mechanisms. The CSF isindependent of the radial distance from the cluster center and theprimary star mass. The distribution of mass ratios is best fitted by apower law q^-1.3+/-0.3 and shows no dependence on the primary mass,binary separation, or radial distance from the cluster center. Overall,the Hyades data are consistent with scale-free fragmentation, butinconsistent with capture and disk-assisted capture in small clusters.Without testable predictions, scale-dependent fragmentation and diskfragmentation cannot be assessed with the Hyades data.
| The Hyades: distance, structure, dynamics, and age
{We use absolute trigonometric parallaxes from the Hipparcos Catalogueto determine individual distances to members of the Hyades cluster, fromwhich the 3-dimensional structure of the cluster can be derived.Inertially-referenced proper motions are used to rediscuss distancedeterminations based on convergent-point analyses. A combination ofparallaxes and proper motions from Hipparcos, and radial velocities fromground-based observations, are used to determine the position andvelocity components of candidate members with respect to the clustercentre, providing new information on cluster membership: 13 newcandidate members within 20 pc of the cluster centre have beenidentified. Farther from the cluster centre there is a gradual mergingbetween certain cluster members and field stars, both spatially andkinematically. Within the cluster, the kinematical structure is fullyconsistent with parallel space motion of the component stars with aninternal velocity dispersion of about 0.3 km s(-1) . The spatialstructure and mass segregation are consistent with N-body simulationresults, without the need to invoke expansion, contraction, rotation, orother significant perturbations of the cluster. The quality of theindividual distance determinations permits the cluster zero-age mainsequence to be accurately modelled. The helium abundance for the clusteris determined to be Y =3D 0.26+/-0.02 which, combined with isochronemodelling including convective overshooting, yields a cluster age of625+/-50 Myr. The distance to the observed centre of mass (a conceptmeaningful only in the restricted context of the cluster memberscontained in the Hipparcos Catalogue) is 46.34+/-0.27 pc, correspondingto a distance modulus m-M=3D3.33+/-0.01 mag for the objects within 10 pcof the cluster centre (roughly corresponding to the tidal radius). Thisdistance modulus is close to, but significantly better determined than,that derived from recent high-precision radial velocity studies,somewhat larger than that indicated by recent ground-based trigonometricparallax determinations, and smaller than those found from recentstudies of the cluster convergent point. These discrepancies areinvestigated and explained. } Based on observations made with the ESAHipparcos astrometry satellite. Table~2 is also available in electronicform at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5)or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| H gamma and H delta Absorption Features in Stars and Stellar Populations
The H gamma and H delta absorption features are measured in a sample of455 (out of an original 460) Lick/IDS stars with pseudo--equivalentwidth indices. For each Balmer feature, two definitions, involving anarrow (~20 Angstroms) and a wide (~40 Angstroms) central bandpass, aremeasured. These four new Balmer indices augment 21 indices previouslydetermined by Worthey et al., and polynomial fitting functions that giveindex strengths as a function of stellar temperature, gravity, and[Fe/H] are provided. The new indices are folded into models for theintegrated light of stellar populations, and predictions are given forsingle-burst stellar populations of a variety of ages and metallicities.Contrary to our initial hopes, the indices cannot break a degeneracybetween burst age and burst strength in post-starburst objects, but theyare successful mean-age indicators when used with sensitive metallicityindicators. An appendix gives data, advice, and examples of how totransform new spectra to the 25-index Lick/IDS system.
| A New and Comprehensive Determination of the Distance to Member Stars of the Hyades
This paper critiques the methods used in the past for estimating thedistances to the stars that make up the Hyades moving cluster, anddevelops one which is new and comprehensive. We develop a formalism forthe application of stochastic restrictions to the adjustment parameters(velocity components and distances) and test it on constructed clustermodels. We perform model calculations with fictitious model starclusters in which the `true' values of the input parameters (ie.positions, distances and velocity components) are therefore known. Thecomparison of the distances recovered by different methods with the trueinput distances shows our approach to be very superior to thetraditional ones that estimate distances by the method of streamparallaxes without restricting the adjustment parameters. Applying ouralgorithm to the Hyades, we assume a dispersion of 0.25 kps in eachcoordinate about a common value for the velocity components of thecluster members and a dispersion of 5pc about the distance to thecluster's centre for the distances to the stars in the cluster. Underthese stochastic restrictions, we analyse the known estimates (ie.measurements) of trigonometric parallaxes, sets of high-precision propermotion pairs and high-precision radial velocities subject to theabove-stated stochastic constraints, and as a result estimate thecluster's centre to be at a distance of 45.8+/-1.25 (standard error) pc.
| New weak-line T Tauri stars in Taurus-Auriga.
On the basis of the ROSAT All-Sky-Survey, a study of the Taurus-Aurigastar forming region has been performed in order to search for hithertoundiscovered TTauri stars. Our study covers an area of about 280 squaredegrees, located between 4^h^ and 5^h^ in right ascension and between15deg and 34deg in declination. Identification of ROSAT All-Sky Surveysources in this area by means of optical spectroscopy revealed 2 newclassical T Tauri stars (CTTS) and 66 new weak-line-T Tauri stars (WTTS)with Wlambda_(Hα)<=10A. Additional pointed ROSATobservations led to the identification of 6 more WTTS and 2 CTTS, givinga total of 76 new T Tauri stars. The large area of our study, ascompared with previous works, allows us to study the spatialdistribution of WTTS in this star forming region. We find the WTTS ofour survey to be distributed over the whole region investigated. Thereis a noticeable decline of the surface density from south to northwithin our study area, but the spatial distribution extends mostprobably beyond our study region. No clustering towards the populationof TTauri stars known prior to ROSAT in Taurus-Auriga could be observed.We suggest that the WTTS found in our study might in part be somewhatolder than the previously known TTauri stars in Taurus-Auriga, and thattheir broad spatial distribution is due to the typical velocitydispersion of a few km/s measured for Taurus TTauri stars, in which casefor some of our WTTS an age on the order of 10^7^years would be requiredfor reaching the observed distances from the Taurus dark clouds. Weestimate a WTTS/CTTS ratio of about 6 within our study area, butconclude that because of the different spatial distribution of WTTS andCTTS this ratio will be most probably significantly larger for a moreextended area.
| Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
| Beryllium abundances in late-type Hyades dwarf stars.
We have observed, with high spectral resolution, the BeII resonancedoublet at λ 3131A in five G and K-type main-sequence starsbelonging to the Hyades open cluster, as well as in four K-type probablemembers of the Ursa Major Group. We carried out a detailed abundanceanalysis via spectral synthesis fitting and studied the utility of theBeII lines for deriving beryllium abundances in late-type dwarf stars.Reliable abundances were derived for three Hyades stars with effectivetemperatures in the range 5700-5200K. For stars cooler than ~5200K theobserved feature in the position of the weaker BeII line is stronglyaffected by a line of other element which we tentatively identify as Mniλ 3131.037A. Due to this fact, we could establish only upperlimits to the abundances in these very cool stars. Lithium and berylliumabundances in Hyades stars with effective temperatures in the range6000-5200K show a complete different behaviour. While lithium is rapidlydepleted towards decreasing temperatures, reaching a relative differenceof ~3 orders of magnitude, beryllium remains fairly constant for thesame stars, with an abundance similar to that exhibited by hotter starsof the cluster and close to the solar value. Standard evolutionarymodels cannot account for the present Li and Be observations in Hyadeslate-type stars. Rotational mixing associated with angular momentum losscan explain the observed abundances if the initial angular momenta ofthe stars were progressively larger for decreasing stellar mass. On theother hand, mixing induced by internal gravity waves satisfies theobservational constraints.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Taurus |
| Right ascension: | 04h18m57.97s |
| Declination: | +19°54'24.1" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 8.577 |
| Distance: | 42.499 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 111.7 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -37.7 |
| B-T magnitude: | 9.493 |
| V-T magnitude: | 8.653 |
Catalogs and designations:
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