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Constraints on Long-period Planets from an L'- and M-band Survey of Nearby Sun-like Stars: Modeling Results
We have carried out an L'- and M-band adaptive optics (AO) extrasolarplanet imaging survey of 54 nearby, Sun-like stars using the Clio cameraat the MMT. Our survey concentrates more strongly than all others todate on very nearby F, G, and K stars, in that we have prioritizedproximity higher than youth. Our survey is also the first to includeextensive observations in the M band, which supplemented the primary L'observations. These longer-wavelength bands are most useful for verynearby systems in which low-temperature planets with red IR colors(i.e., H - L', H - M) could be detected. The survey detectedno planets, but set interesting limits on planets and brown dwarfs inthe star systems we investigated. We have interpreted our null result bymeans of extensive Monte Carlo simulations and constrained thedistributions of extrasolar planets in mass M and semimajor axis a. Ifplanets are distributed according to a power law with dN vprop M? a ? dMda, normalized to be consistentwith radial velocity (RV) statistics, we find that a distribution with? = -1.1 and ? = -0.46, truncated at 110 AU, isruled out at the 90% confidence level. These particular values of? and ? are significant because they represent the mostplanet-rich case consistent with current statistics from RVobservations. With 90% confidence no more than 8.1% of stars like thosein our survey have systems with three widely spaced, massive planetslike the A star HR 8799. Our observations show that giant planets inlong-period orbits around Sun-like stars are rare, confirming theresults of shorter-wavelength surveys and increasing the robustness ofthe conclusion.Observations reported here were obtained at the MMT Observatory, a jointfacility of the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution.
| Constraints on Long-period Planets from an L'- and M-band Survey of Nearby Sun-like Stars: Observations
We present the observational results of an L'- and M-band adaptiveoptics imaging survey of 54 nearby, Sun-like stars for extrasolarplanets, carried out using the Clio camera on the MMT. We haveconcentrated more strongly than all other planet-imaging surveys to dateon very nearby F, G, and K stars, prioritizing stellar proximity higherthan youth. Ours is also the first survey to include extensiveobservations in the M band, which supplement the primary L'observations. Models predict much better planet/star flux ratios at theL' and M bands than at more commonly used shorter wavelengths (i.e., theH band). We have carried out extensive blind simulations with fakeplanets inserted into the raw data to verify our sensitivity, and toestablish a definitive relationship between source significance in? and survey completeness. We find 97% confident-detectioncompleteness for 10? sources, but only 46% for 7?sources—raising concerns about the standard procedure of assuminghigh completeness at 5?, and demonstrating that blind sensitivitytests to establish the significance-completeness relation are animportant analysis step for all planet-imaging surveys. We discovered apreviously unknown ~0.15 M sun stellar companion to the F9star GJ 3876, at a projected separation of about 80 AU. Twelveadditional candidate faint companions are detected around other stars.Of these, 11 are confirmed to be background stars and one is apreviously known brown dwarf. We obtained sensitivity to planetary-massobjects around almost all of our target stars, with sensitivity toobjects below 3 M Jup in the best cases. Constraints onplanet populations based on this null result are presented in ourModeling Results paper.Observations reported here were obtained at the MMT Observatory, a jointfacility of the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution.
| A high-resolution spectroscopic survey of late-type stars: chromospheric activity, rotation, kinematics, and age
Aims: We present a compilation of spectroscopic data from asurvey of 144 chromospherically active young stars in the solarneighborhood, which may be used to investigate different aspects of itsformation and evolution in terms of kinematics and stellar formationhistory. The data have already been used by us in several studies. Withthis paper, we make all these data accessible to the scientificcommunity for future studies on different topics. Methods: Weperformed spectroscopic observations with echelle spectrographs to coverthe entirety of the optical spectral range simultaneously. Standard datareduction was performed with the IRAF echelle package. We applied thespectral subtraction technique to reveal chromospheric emission in thestars of the sample. The equivalent width of chromospheric emissionlines was measured in the subtracted spectra and then converted tofluxes using equivalent width-flux relationships. Radial and rotationalvelocities were determined by the cross-correlation technique.Kinematics, equivalent widths of the lithium line ?6707.8 Åand spectral types were also determined. Results: A catalog ofspectroscopic data is compiled: radial and rotational velocities, spacemotion, equivalent widths of optical chromospheric activity indicatorsfrom Ca II H & K to the calcium infrared triplet and the lithiumline in ?6708 Å. Fluxes in the chromospheric emission linesand R'_HK are also determined for each observation of a star in thesample. We used these data to investigate the emission levels of ourstars. The study of the H? emission line revealed two differentpopulations of chromospheric emitters in the sample, clearly separatedin the logFH?/Fbol - (V-J) diagram. Thedichotomy may be associated with the age of the stars.Based on observations made with the 2.2 m telescope of theGerman-Spanish Astronomical Centre, Calar Alto (Almería, Spain),operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg,and the Spanish National Commission for Astronomy; the Nordic OpticalTelescope (NOT), operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark,Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio delRoque de Los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica deCanarias; the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) operated on the island of LaPalma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque deLos Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; withthe Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) operated on the island ofLa Palma by the Centro Galileo Galilei of the INAF (Istituto Nazionaledi Astrofisica) at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachosof the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; and with theHobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) operated by McDonald Observatory on behalfof The University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University,Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. This research has madeuse of the SIMBAD database and VizieR catalog access tool, operated atCDS, Strasbourg, France.Tables A.1-A.4 and reduced spectra are alsoavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/514/A97
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the solar neighbourhood. III. Improved distances, ages, and kinematics
Context: Ages, chemical compositions, velocity vectors, and Galacticorbits for stars in the solar neighbourhood are fundamental test datafor models of Galactic evolution. The Geneva-Copenhagen Survey of theSolar Neighbourhood (Nordström et al. 2004; GCS), amagnitude-complete, kinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F andG dwarfs, is the largest available sample with complete data for starswith ages spanning that of the disk. Aims: We aim to improve theaccuracy of the GCS data by implementing the recent revision of theHipparcos parallaxes. Methods: The new parallaxes yield improvedastrometric distances for 12 506 stars in the GCS. We also use theparallaxes to verify the distance calibration for uvby? photometryby Holmberg et al. (2007, A&A, 475, 519; GCS II). We add newselection criteria to exclude evolved cool stars giving unreliableresults and derive distances for 3580 stars with large parallax errorsor not observed by Hipparcos. We also check the GCS II scales of T_effand [Fe/H] and find no need for change. Results: Introducing thenew distances, we recompute MV for 16 086 stars, and U, V, W,and Galactic orbital parameters for the 13 520 stars that also haveradial-velocity measurements. We also recompute stellar ages from thePadova stellar evolution models used in GCS I-II, using the new valuesof M_V, and compare them with ages from the Yale-Yonsei andVictoria-Regina models. Finally, we compare the observed age-velocityrelation in W with three simulated disk heating scenarios to show thepotential of the data. Conclusions: With these revisions, thebasic data for the GCS stars should now be as reliable as is possiblewith existing techniques. Further improvement must await consolidationof the T_eff scale from angular diameters and fluxes, and the Gaiatrigonometric parallaxes. We discuss the conditions for improvingcomputed stellar ages from new input data, and for distinguishingdifferent disk heating scenarios from data sets of the size andprecision of the GCS.Full Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/501/941
| Common Proper Motion Companions to Nearby Stars: Ages and Evolution
A set of 41 nearby stars (closer than 25 pc) is investigated which havevery wide binary and common proper motion (CPM) companions at projectedseparations between 1000 and 200,000 AU. These companions are identifiedby astrometric positions and proper motions from the NOMAD catalog.Based mainly on measures of chromospheric and X-ray activity, ageestimation is obtained for most of 85 identified companions.Color-absolute magnitude diagrams are constructed to test whether CPMcompanions are physically related to the primary nearby stars and havethe same age. Our carefully selected sample includes three remote whitedwarf companions to main-sequence stars and two systems (55 Cnc and GJ777A) of multiple planets and distant stellar companions. Ten new CPMcompanions, including three of extreme separations, are found. Multiplehierarchical systems are abundant; more than 25% of CPM components arespectroscopic or astrometric binaries or multiples themselves. Two newastrometric binaries are discovered among nearby CPM companions, GJ 264and HIP 59000, and preliminary orbital solutions are presented. TheHyades kinematic group (or stream) is presented broadly in the sample,but we find few possible thick-disk objects and no halo stars. Itfollows from our investigation that moderately young (age<~1 Gyr)thin-disk dwarfs are the dominating species in the near CPM systems, ingeneral agreement with the premises of the dynamical survival paradigm.
| Spectroscopic investigation of stars on the lower main sequence
Aims. The aim of this paper is to provide fundamental parameters andabundances with a high accuracy for a large sample of cool main sequencestars. This study is part of wider project, in which the metallicitydistribution of the local thin disc is investigated from a completesample of G and K dwarfs within 25 pc. Methods: The stars were observedat high resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio with the ELODIEechelle spectrograph. The V sin i were obtained with a calibration ofthe cross-correlation function. Effective temperatures were estimated bythe line depth ratio method. Surface gravities (log g) were determinedby two methods: parallaxes and ionization balance of iron. The Mg and Naabundances were derived using a non-LTE approximation. Abundances ofother elements were obtained by measuring equivalent widths. Results:Rotational velocities, atmospheric parameters (T_eff, log g, [Fe/H],V_t), and Li, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Co, Ni, and Znabundances are provided for 131 stars. Among them, more than 30 starsare active stars with a fraction of BY Dra and RS CVn type stars forwhich spectral peculiarities were investigated. We find the meanabundances of the majority of elements in active and nonactive stars tobe similar, except for Li, and possibly for Zn and Co. The lithium isreliably detected in 54% of active stars but only in 20% of nonactivestars. No correlation is found between Li abundances and rotationalvelocities. A possible anticorrelation of log A(Li) with the index ofchromospheric activity GrandS is observed. Conclusions: Active andnonactive cool dwarfs show similar dependencies of most elemental ratiosvs. [Fe/H]. This allows us to use such abundance ratios to study thechemical and dynamical evolution of the Galaxy. Among active stars, noclear correlation has been found between different indicators ofactivity for our sample stars.Based on spectra collected with the ELODIE spectrograph at the 1.93-mtelescope of the Observatoire de Haute Provence (France). Tables A.1-A3are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/489/923
| A study of X-ray flares - I. Active late-type dwarfs
We present temporal and spectral characteristics of X-ray flaresobserved from six late-type G-K active dwarfs (V368Cep, XIBoo, IMVir,V471Tau, CCEri and EPEri) using data from observations with theXMM-Newton observatory. All the stars were found to be flaringfrequently and altogether a total of 17 flares were detected above the`quiescent' state X-ray emission which varied from 0.5 to 8.3 ×1029ergs-1. The largest flare was observed in alow-activity dwarf XIBoo with a decay time of 10ks and ratio of peakflare luminosity to `quiescent' state luminosity of 2. We have studiedthe spectral changes during the flares by using colour-colour diagramand by detailed spectral analysis during the temporal evolution of theflares. The exponential decay of the X-ray light curves, and timeevolution of the plasma temperature and emission measure are similar tothose observed in compact solar flares. We have derived the semilooplengths of flares based on the hydrodynamic flare model. The size of theflaring loops is found to be less than the stellar radius. Thehydrodynamic flare decay analysis indicates the presence of sustainedheating during the decay of most flares.
| Mg II h+k emission lines as stellar activity indicators of main sequence F-K stars
Context: The largest dataset of stellar activity measurements availableat present is the one obtained at the Mount Wilson Observatory, wherehigh-precision Ca II H+K fluxes have been measured from 1966 for about2200 stars. Since the Mg II h and k lines at λ2800 Å areformed in a similar way to the Ca II H+K emission lines, they are alsogood indicators of chromospheric structure. The InternationalUltraviolet Explorer (IUE) provides a large database of UV spectra inthe band 1150-3350 Å from 1978 to 1995, which can also be used tostudy stellar activity. Aims: The main purpose of this study is to usethe IUE spectra in the analysis of magnetic activity of main sequenceF-K stars. Combining IUE observations of Mg II and optical spectroscopyof Ca II, the registry of activity of stars can be extended in time. Methods: We retrieved all the high-resolution spectra of F, G, and Kmain sequence stars observed by IUE (i.e. 1623 spectra of 259 F to Kdwarf stars). We obtained the continuum surface flux near the Mg II h+klines near λ2800 Å and the Mg II line-core surface fluxfrom the IUE spectra. Results: We obtained a relation between the meancontinuum flux near the Mg II lines with the colour B-V of the star. Fora set of 117 nearly simultaneous observations of Mg II and Ca II fluxesof 21 F5 to K3 main sequence stars, we obtained a colour dependentrelation between the Mount Wilson Ca II S-index and the Mg II emissionline-core flux. As an application of this calibration, we computed theMount Wilson index for all the dF to dK stars which have high resolutionIUE spectra. For some of the most frequently observed main sequencestars, we analysed the Mount Wilson index S from the IUE spectra,together with the ones derived from visible spectra. We confirm thecyclic chromospheric activity of ɛ Eri (HD 22049) and βHydri (HD 2151), and we find a magnetic cycle in α Cen B (HD128621)Table 3 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/483/903
| The Structure of the Local Interstellar Medium. IV. Dynamics, Morphology, Physical Properties, and Implications of Cloud-Cloud Interactions
We present an empirical dynamical model of the LISM based on 270 radialvelocity measurements for 157 sight lines toward nearby stars. Physicalparameter measurements (i.e., temperature, turbulent velocity,depletions) are available for 90 components, or one-third of the sample,enabling initial characterizations of the physical properties of LISMclouds. The model includes 15 warm clouds located within 15 pc of theSun, each with a different velocity vector. We derive projectedmorphologies of all clouds and estimate the volume filling factor ofwarm partially ionized material in the LISM to be between ~5.5% and 19%.Relative velocities of potentially interacting clouds are oftensupersonic, consistent with heating, turbulent, and metal depletionproperties. Cloud-cloud collisions may be responsible for thefilamentary morphologies found in ~1/3 of LISM clouds, the distributionof clouds along the boundaries of the two nearest clouds (LIC and G),the detailed shape and heating of the Mic Cloud, the location of nearbyradio scintillation screens, and the location of an LISM cold cloud.Contrary to previous claims, the Sun appears to be located in thetransition zone between the LIC and G Cloud.Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope,obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute,which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research inAstronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations areassociated with programs 9525 and 10236.
| The main sequence from F to K stars of the solar neighbourhood in SDSS colours
For an understanding of Galactic stellar populations in the SDSS filtersystem well defined stellar samples are needed. The nearby stars providea complete stellar sample representative for the thin disc population.We compare the filter transformations of different authors applied tothe main sequence stars from F to K dwarfs to SDSS filter system anddiscuss the properties of the main sequence. The location of the meanmain sequence in colour-magnitude diagrams is very sensitive tosystematic differences in the filter transformation. A comparison withfiducial sequences of star clusters observed in g', r', and i' show goodagreement. Theoretical isochrones from Padua and from Dartmouth havestill some problems, especially in the (r-i) colours.
| The Gemini Deep Planet Survey
We present the results of the Gemini Deep Planet Survey, a near-infraredadaptive optics search for giant planets and brown dwarfs around 85nearby young stars. The observations were obtained with the Altairadaptive optics system at the Gemini North telescope, and angulardifferential imaging was used to suppress the speckle noise of thecentral star. Typically, the observations are sensitive to angularseparations beyond 0.5" with 5 σ contrast sensitivities inmagnitude difference at 1.6 μm of 9.5 at 0.5", 12.9 at 1", 15.0 at2", and 16.5 at 5". These sensitivities are sufficient to detect planetsmore massive than 2 MJ with a projected separation in therange 40-200 AU around a typical target. Second-epoch observations of 48stars with candidates (out of 54) have confirmed that all candidates areunrelated background stars. A detailed statistical analysis of thesurvey results is presented. Assuming a planet mass distributiondn/dm~m-1.2 and a semimajor-axis distributiondn/da~a-1, the 95% credible upper limits on the fraction ofstars with at least one planet of mass 0.5-13 MJ are 0.28 forthe range 10-25 AU, 0.13 for 25-50 AU, and 0.093 for 50-250 AU; thisresult is weakly dependent on the semimajor-axis distribution power-lawindex. The 95% credible interval for the fraction of stars with at leastone brown dwarf companion having a semimajor axis in the range 25-250 AUis 0.019+0.083-0.015, irrespective of anyassumption on the mass and semimajor-axis distributions. Theobservations made as part of this survey have resolved the stars HD14802, HD 166181, and HD 213845 into binaries for the first time.Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which isoperated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Geminipartnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), theParticle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (United Kingdom), theNational Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the AustralianResearch Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil), and CONICET (Argentina).
| The Nearby Young Visual Binary HIP 115147 and Its Common Proper Motion Companion LSPM J2322+7847
We report a late M-type, common proper motion companion to a nearbyyoung visual binary HIP 115147 (V368 Cep), separated by 963" from theprimary K0 dwarf. This optically dim star was identified as a candidatehigh proper motion, nearby dwarf LSPM J2322+7847 by Lépine in2005. The wide companion is one of the latest post-T Tauri low-massstars found within 20 pc. We obtain a trigonometric parallax of51.6+/-0.8 mas, in good agreement with the Hipparcos parallax of theprimary star (50.7+/-0.6 mas). Our BVRI photometric data andnear-infrared data from 2MASS are consistent with LSPM J2322+7847 beingbrighter by 1 mag in Ks than field M dwarfs atV-Ks=6.66, which indicates its pre-main-sequence status. Weconclude that the most likely age of the primary HIP 115147 and its 11"companion HIP 115147B is 20-50 Myr. The primary appears to be older thanits close analog PZ Tel (age 12-20 Myr) and members of the TWAassociation (7 Myr).
| Kinematics of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association
A fine structure related to the kinematic peculiarities of threecomponents of the Scorpius-Centaurus association (LCC, UCL, and US) hasbeen revealed in the UV-velocity distribution of Gould Belt stars. Wehave been able to identify the most likely members of these groups byapplying the method of analyzing the two-dimensional probability densityfunction of stellar UV velocities that we developed. A kinematicanalysis of the identified structural components has shown that, ingeneral, the center-of-mass motion of the LCC, UCL, and US groupsfollows the motion characteristic of the Gould Belt, notably itsexpansion. The entire Scorpius-Centaurus complex is shown to possess aproper expansion with an angular velocity parameter of 46 ± 8 kms‑1 kpc‑1 for the kinematic centerwith l 0 = ‑40° and R 0 = 110 pc found.Based on this velocity, we have estimated the characteristic expansiontime of the complex to be 21 ± 4 Myr. The proper rotationvelocity of the Scorpius-Centaurus complex is lower in magnitude, isdetermined less reliably, and depends markedly on the data quality.
| Unraveling the Origins of Nearby Young Stars
A systematic search for close conjunctions and clusterings in the pastof nearby stars younger than the Pleiades is undertaken, which mayreveal the time, location, and mechanism of formation of these oftenisolated, disconnected from clusters and star-forming regions, objects.The sample under investigation includes 101 T Tauri, post-TT, andmain-sequence stars and stellar systems with signs of youth, culled fromthe literature. Their Galactic orbits are traced back in time and nearapproaches are evaluated in time, distance, and relative velocity.Numerous clustering events are detected, providing clues to the originof very young, isolated stars. Each star's orbit is also matched withthose of nearby young open clusters, OB and TT associations andstar-forming molecular clouds, including the Ophiuchus, Lupus, CoronaAustralis, and Chamaeleon regions. Ejection of young stars from openclusters is ruled out for nearly all investigated objects, but thenearest OB associations in Scorpius-Centaurus, and especially, the denseclouds in Ophiuchus and Corona Australis have likely played a major rolein the generation of the local streams (TWA, Beta Pic, andTucana-Horologium) that happen to be close to the Sun today. The core ofthe Tucana-Horologium association probably originated from the vicinityof the Upper Scorpius association 28 Myr ago. A few proposed members ofthe AB Dor moving group were in conjunction with the coeval Cepheus OB6association 38 Myr ago.
| New Distant Companions to Known Nearby Stars. II. Faint Companions of Hipparcos Stars and the Frequency of Wide Binary Systems
We perform a search for faint, common proper motion companions ofHipparcos stars using the recently published Lépine-Shara ProperMotion-North catalog of stars with proper motionμ>0.15'' yr-1. Our survey uncovers a totalof 521 systems with angular separations3''<Δθ<1500'', with 15 triplesand 1 quadruple. Our new list of wide systems with Hipparcos primariesincludes 130 systems identified here for the first time, including 44 inwhich the secondary star has V>15.0. Our census is statisticallycomplete for secondaries with angular separations20''<Δθ<300'' and apparentmagnitudes V<19.0. Overall, we find that at least 9.5% of nearby(d<100 pc) Hipparcos stars have distant stellar companions withprojected orbital separations s>1000 AU. We observe that thedistribution in orbital separations is consistent with Öpik's law,f(s)ds~s-1ds, only up to a separation s~4000 AU, beyond whichit follows a more steeply decreasing power law f(s)ds~s-ldswith l=1.6+/-0.1. We also find that the luminosity function of thesecondaries is significantly different from that of the single stars'field population, showing a relative deficiency in low-luminosity(8
| Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
| How Dry is the Brown Dwarf Desert? Quantifying the Relative Number of Planets, Brown Dwarfs, and Stellar Companions around Nearby Sun-like Stars
Sun-like stars have stellar, brown dwarf, and planetary companions. Tohelp constrain their formation and migration scenarios, we analyze theclose companions (orbital period <5 yr) of nearby Sun-like stars. Byusing the same sample to extract the relative numbers of stellar, browndwarf, and planetary companions, we verify the existence of a very drybrown dwarf desert and describe it quantitatively. With decreasing mass,the companion mass function drops by almost 2 orders of magnitude from 1Msolar stellar companions to the brown dwarf desert and thenrises by more than an order of magnitude from brown dwarfs toJupiter-mass planets. The slopes of the planetary and stellar companionmass functions are of opposite sign and are incompatible at the 3σ level, thus yielding a brown dwarf desert. The minimum number ofcompanions per unit interval in log mass (the driest part of the desert)is at M=31+25-18MJ. Approximately 16%of Sun-like stars have close (P<5 yr) companions more massive thanJupiter: 11%+/-3% are stellar, <1% are brown dwarf, and 5%+/-2% aregiant planets. The steep decline in the number of companions in thebrown dwarf regime, compared to the initial mass function of individualstars and free-floating brown dwarfs, suggests either a differentspectrum of gravitational fragmentation in the formation environment orpost-formation migratory processes disinclined to leave brown dwarfs inclose orbits.
| An Infrared Coronagraphic Survey for Substellar Companions
We have used the F160W filter (1.4-1.8 μm) and the coronagraph on theNear-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) on theHubble Space Telescope to survey 45 single stars with a median age of0.15 Gyr, an average distance of 30 pc, and an average H magnitude of 7mag. For the median age we were capable of detecting a 30MJcompanion at separations between 15 and 200 AU. A 5MJ objectcould have been detected at 30 AU around 36% of our primaries. Forseveral of our targets that were less than 30 Myr old, the lower masslimit was as low as 1MJ, well into the high mass planetregion. Results of the entire survey include the proper-motionverification of five low-mass stellar companions, two brown dwarfs(HR7329B and TWA5B), and one possible brown dwarf binary (Gl 577B/C).
| Stellar Lyα Emission Lines in the Hubble Space Telescope Archive: Intrinsic Line Fluxes and Absorption from the Heliosphere and Astrospheres
We search the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive for previouslyunanalyzed observations of stellar H I Lyα emission lines, ourprimary purpose being to look for new detections of Lyα absorptionfrom the outer heliosphere and to also search for analogous absorptionfrom the astrospheres surrounding the observed stars. The astrosphericabsorption is of particular interest because it can be used to studysolar-like stellar winds that are otherwise undetectable. We find andanalyze 33 HST Lyα spectra in the archive. All the spectra weretaken with the E140M grating of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph(STIS) instrument on board HST. The HST STIS spectra yield four newdetections of heliospheric absorption (70 Oph, ξ Boo, 61 Vir, and HD165185) and seven new detections of astrospheric absorption (EV Lac, 70Oph, ξ Boo, 61 Vir, δ Eri, HD 128987, and DK UMa), doubling theprevious number of heliospheric and astrospheric detections. Whencombined with previous results, 10 of 17 lines of sight within 10 pcyield detections of astrospheric absorption. This high detectionfraction implies that most of the ISM within 10 pc must be at leastpartially neutral, since the presence of H I within the ISM surroundingthe observed star is necessary for an astrospheric detection. Incontrast, the detection percentage is only 9.7% (3 out of 31) for starsbeyond 10 pc. Our Lyα analyses provide measurements of ISM H I andD I column densities for all 33 lines of sight, and we discuss someimplications of these results. Finally, we measure chromosphericLyα fluxes from the observed stars. We use these fluxes todetermine how Lyα flux correlates with coronal X-ray andchromospheric Mg II emission, and we also study how Lyα emissiondepends on stellar rotation.Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtainedat the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASAcontract NAS5-26555.
| A Catalog of Northern Stars with Annual Proper Motions Larger than 0.15" (LSPM-NORTH Catalog)
The LSPM catalog is a comprehensive list of 61,977 stars north of theJ2000 celestial equator that have proper motions larger than 0.15"yr-1 (local-background-stars frame). The catalog has beengenerated primarily as a result of our systematic search for high propermotion stars in the Digitized Sky Surveys using our SUPERBLINK software.At brighter magnitudes, the catalog incorporates stars and data from theTycho-2 Catalogue and also, to a lesser extent, from the All-SkyCompiled Catalogue of 2.5 million stars. The LSPM catalog considerablyexpands over the old Luyten (Luyten Half-Second [LHS] and New LuytenTwo-Tenths [NLTT]) catalogs, superseding them for northern declinations.Positions are given with an accuracy of <~100 mas at the 2000.0epoch, and absolute proper motions are given with an accuracy of ~8 masyr-1. Corrections to the local-background-stars propermotions have been calculated, and absolute proper motions in theextragalactic frame are given. Whenever available, we also give opticalBT and VT magnitudes (from Tycho-2, ASCC-2.5),photographic BJ, RF, and IN magnitudes(from USNO-B1 catalog), and infrared J, H, and Ks magnitudes(from 2MASS). We also provide an estimated V magnitude and V-J color fornearly all catalog entries, useful for initial classification of thestars. The catalog is estimated to be over 99% complete at high Galacticlatitudes (|b|>15deg) and over 90% complete at lowGalactic latitudes (|b|>15deg), down to a magnitudeV=19.0, and has a limiting magnitude V=21.0. All the northern starslisted in the LHS and NLTT catalogs have been reidentified, and theirpositions, proper motions, and magnitudes reevaluated. The catalog alsolists a large number of completely new objects, which promise to expandvery significantly the census of red dwarfs, subdwarfs, and white dwarfsin the vicinity of the Sun.Based on data mining of the Digitized Sky Surveys (DSSs), developed andoperated by the Catalogs and Surveys Branch of the Space TelescopeScience Institute (STScI), Baltimore.Developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), aspart of the NASA/NSF NStars program.
| The Brown Dwarf Desert at 75-1200 AU
We present results of a comprehensive infrared coronagraphic search forsubstellar companions to nearby stars. The research consisted of (1) a178-star survey at Steward and Lick observatories, with opticalfollow-up from Keck Observatory, capable of detecting companions withmasses greater than 30 MJ, and semimajor axes between about140 to 1200 AU; (2) a 102-star survey using the Keck Telescope, capableof detecting extrasolar brown dwarfs and planets typically more massivethan 10 MJ, with semimajor axes between about 75 and 300 AU.Only one brown dwarf companion was detected, and no planets. Thefrequency of brown dwarf companions to G, K, and M stars orbitingbetween 75 and 300 AU is measured to be 1%+/-1%, the most precisemeasurement of this quantity to date. The frequency of massive (greaterthan 30 MJ) brown dwarf companions at 120-1200 AU is found tobe f=0.7%+/-0.7%. The frequency of giant planet companions with massesbetween 5 and 10 MJ orbiting between 75 and 300 AU ismeasured here for the first time to be no more than ~3%. Together withother surveys that encompass a wide range of orbital separations, theseresults imply that substellar objects with masses between 12 and 75MJ form only rarely as companions to stars. Theories of starformation that could explain these data are only now beginning toemerge.
| 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
| Kinematics of chromospherically active binaries and evidence of an orbital period decrease in binary evolution
The kinematics of 237 chromospherically active binaries (CABs) werestudied. The sample is heterogeneous with different orbits andphysically different components from F to M spectral-type main-sequencestars to G and K giants and supergiants. The computed U, V, W spacevelocities indicate that the sample is also heterogeneous in velocityspace. That is, both kinematically younger and older systems exist amongthe non-evolved main sequence and the evolved binaries containing giantsand subgiants. The kinematically young (0.95 Gyr) subsample (N= 95),which is formed according to the kinematical criteria of moving groups,was compared with the rest (N= 142) of the sample (3.86 Gyr) toinvestigate any observational clues of binary evolution. Comparing theorbital period histograms between the younger and older subsamples,evidence was found supporting the finding of Demircan that the CABs losemass (and angular momentum) and evolve towards shorter orbital periods.The evidence of mass loss is noticeable on the histograms of the totalmass (Mh+Mc), which is compared between theyounger (only N= 53 systems available) and older subsamples (only N= 66systems available). The orbital period decrease during binary evolutionis found to be clearly indicated by the kinematical ages of 6.69, 5.19and 3.02 Gyr which were found in the subsamples according to the periodranges of logP<= 0.8, 0.8 < logP<= 1.7 and 1.7 < logP<=3, respectively, among the binaries in the older subsample.
| Nearby stars of the Galactic disk and halo. III.
High-resolution spectroscopic observations of about 150 nearby stars orstar systems are presented and discussed. The study of these and another100 objects of the previous papers of this series implies that theGalaxy became reality 13 or 14 Gyr ago with the implementation of amassive, rotationally-supported population of thick-disk stars. The veryhigh star formation rate in that phase gave rise to a rapid metalenrichment and an expulsion of gas in supernovae-driven Galactic winds,but was followed by a star formation gap for no less than three billionyears at the Sun's galactocentric distance. In a second phase, then, thethin disk - our ``familiar Milky Way'' - came on stage. Nowadays ittraces the bright side of the Galaxy, but it is also embedded in a hugecoffin of dead thick-disk stars that account for a large amount ofbaryonic dark matter. As opposed to this, cold-dark-matter-dominatedcosmologies that suggest a more gradual hierarchical buildup throughmergers of minor structures, though popular, are a poor description forthe Milky Way Galaxy - and by inference many other spirals as well - if,as the sample implies, the fossil records of its long-lived stars do notstick to this paradigm. Apart from this general picture that emergeswith reference to the entire sample stars, a good deal of the presentwork is however also concerned with detailed discussions of manyindividual objects. Among the most interesting we mention the bluestraggler or merger candidates HD 165401 and HD 137763/HD 137778, thelikely accretion of a giant planet or brown dwarf on 59 Vir in itsrecent history, and HD 63433 that proves to be a young solar analog at\tau200 Myr. Likewise, the secondary to HR 4867, formerly suspectednon-single from the Hipparcos astrometry, is directly detectable in thehigh-resolution spectroscopic tracings, whereas the visual binary \chiCet is instead at least triple, and presumably even quadruple. Withrespect to the nearby young stars a complete account of the Ursa MajorAssociation is presented, and we provide as well plain evidence foranother, the ``Hercules-Lyra Association'', the likely existence ofwhich was only realized in recent years. On account of its rotation,chemistry, and age we do confirm that the Sun is very typical among itsG-type neighbors; as to its kinematics, it appears however not unlikelythat the Sun's known low peculiar space velocity could indeed be thecause for the weak paleontological record of mass extinctions and majorimpact events on our parent planet during the most recent Galactic planepassage of the solar system. Although the significance of thiscorrelation certainly remains a matter of debate for years to come, wepoint in this context to the principal importance of the thick disk fora complete census with respect to the local surface and volumedensities. Other important effects that can be ascribed to this darkstellar population comprise (i) the observed plateau in the shape of theluminosity function of the local FGK stars, (ii) a small thoughsystematic effect on the basic solar motion, (iii) a reassessment of theterm ``asymmetrical drift velocity'' for the remainder (i.e. the thindisk) of the stellar objects, (iv) its ability to account for the bulkof the recently discovered high-velocity blue white dwarfs, (v) itsmajor contribution to the Sun's 220 km s-1 rotationalvelocity around the Galactic center, and (vi) the significant flatteningthat it imposes on the Milky Way's rotation curve. Finally we note ahigh multiplicity fraction in the small but volume-complete local sampleof stars of this ancient population. This in turn is highly suggestivefor a star formation scenario wherein the few existing single stellarobjects might only arise from either late mergers or the dynamicalejection of former triple or higher level star systems.
| Some anomalies in the occurrence of debris discs around main-sequence A and G stars
Debris discs consist of large dust grains that are generated bycollisions of comets or asteroids around main-sequence stars, and thequantity and distribution of debris may be used to detect the presenceof perturbing planets akin to Neptune. We use stellar and disc surveysto compare the material seen around A- and G-type main-sequence stars.Debris is detected much more commonly towards A stars, even when acomparison is made only with G stars of comparable age. Detection ratesare consistent with disc durations of ~0.5 Gyr, which may occur at anytime during the main sequence. The higher detection rate for A stars canresult from this duration being a larger fraction of the main-sequencelifetime, possibly boosted by a globally slightly larger disc mass thanfor the G-type counterparts. The disc mass range at any given age is afactor of at least ~100 and any systematic decline with time is slow,with a power law estimated to not be steeper than t-1/2.Comparison with models shows that dust can be expected as late as a fewGyr when perturbing planetesimals form slowly at large orbital radii.Currently, the Solar system has little dust because the radius of theKuiper Belt is small and hence the time-scale to produce planetesimalswas less than 1 Gyr. However, the apparently constant duration of ~0.5Gyr when dust is visible is not predicted by the models.
| 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
| Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 Parsecs: The Northern Sample. I.
We have embarked on a project, under the aegis of the Nearby Stars(NStars)/Space Interferometry Mission Preparatory Science Program, toobtain spectra, spectral types, and, where feasible, basic physicalparameters for the 3600 dwarf and giant stars earlier than M0 within 40pc of the Sun. In this paper, we report on the results of this projectfor the first 664 stars in the northern hemisphere. These resultsinclude precise, homogeneous spectral types, basic physical parameters(including the effective temperature, surface gravity, and overallmetallicity [M/H]), and measures of the chromospheric activity of ourprogram stars. Observed and derived data presented in this paper arealso available on the project's Web site.
| The 100 Brightest X-Ray Stars within 50 Parsecs of the Sun
Based on the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 astrometric catalogs and the ROSATsurveys, a sample of 100 stars most luminous in X-rays within or arounda distance of 50 pc is culled. The smallest X-ray luminosity in thesample, in units of 1029 ergs s-1, isLX=9.8 the strongest source in the solar neighborhood is IIPeg, a RS CVn star, at LX=175.8. With respect to the originof X-ray emission, the sample is divided into partly overlapping classesof pre-main-sequence, post-T Tauri, and very young ZAMS objects (typeXY), RS CVn-type binary stars (type RS), other active short-periodbinaries, including binary BY Dra-type objects (type XO), apparentlysingle or long-period binary active evolved stars (type XG), contactbinaries of WU UMa kind (type WU), apparently single or long-periodbinary variable stars of BY Dra kind (type BY), and objects of unknownnature (type X?). Chromospherically active, short-period binaries (RSand XO) make up 40% of the brightest X-ray emitters, followed by youngstars (XY) at 30% and unknown sources (X?) at 15%. The fraction ofspectroscopically single evolved X-ray emitters of spectral classes IVand III is quite large (10%). The sources identified as RS CVn-typestars (RS, 23 objects) are considerably stronger in X-ray than theXY-objects and the other active binaries (XO and WU, 20 objects). Sevenobjects have LX>100, all RS except one XY, viz., BO Mic. Onlyfive (22%) RS objects have LX<25, while only three (10%)XY stars have LX>25. Formally, the limit of LX=25could serve as a statistical criterion to differentiate RS and XY stars.However, the other short-period binaries (including eclipsing stars ofAlgol and β Lyr type) have a distribution of LX verysimilar to the XY objects. The contact binaries (WU) appear to be muchweaker in X-rays than their detached counterparts of RS type, but thesample of the former is too small (three objects) to reach a firmconclusion. Sources matched with giants (either single or in binaries)are found to be significantly harder, with only 7% of hardness ratiosbelow 0, than subgiants (66% of HR1<0) and dwarfs (59% of HR1<0).Almost all objects in the sample are binary or multiple stars; thefraction of components (FC), defined as the total number of componentsin all binary and multiple systems divided by the sum of the totalnumber of components and single stars, is at least 0.90. The FC for theXY objects reaches 0.81, and for the unknown type 0.89. About 70% of RSobjects have also visual or astrometric companions, which makes themhierarchical multiple systems. The RS objects (mostly old, evolvedstars) and the XY stars have quite different kinematics. While the RSobjects move at considerable velocities in apparently random directionswith respect to the local standard of rest, the young stars have smallerand orderly velocities and tend to comprise expanding mini-associationssuch as the β Pic and the Tucana groups. The majority of the youngX-ray active stars belong to the Pleiades stream with the meanheliocentric velocity (U,V,W)=(-9.6,-21.8,-7.7) km s-1.
| A systematic study of X-ray variability in the ROSAT all-sky survey
We present a systematic search for variability among the ROSAT All-SkySurvey (RASS) X-ray sources. We generated lightcurves for about 30 000X-ray point sources detected sufficiently high above background. For ourvariability study different search algorithms were developed in order torecognize flares, periods and trends, respectively. The variable X-raysources were optically identified with counterparts in the SIMBAD, theUSNO-A2.0 and NED data bases, but a significant part of the X-raysources remains without cataloged optical counterparts. Out of the 1207sources classified as variable 767 (63.5%) were identified with stars,118 (9.8%) are of extragalactic origin, 10 (0.8%) are identified withother sources and 312 (25.8%) could not uniquely be identified withentries in optical catalogs. We give a statistical analysis of thevariable X-ray population and present some outstanding examples of X-rayvariability detected in the ROSAT all-sky survey. Most prominent amongthese sources are white dwarfs, apparently single, yet neverthelessshowing periodic variability. Many flares from hitherto unrecognisedflare stars have been detected as well as long term variability in theBL Lac 1E1757.7+7034.The complete version of Table 7 is 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/403/247
| Nearby young stars
We present the results of an extensive all-sky survey of nearby stars ofspectral type F8 or later in a systematic search of young (zero-age mainsequence) objects. Our sample has been derived by cross-correlating theROSAT All-Sky Survey and the TYCHO catalogue, yielding a total of 754candidates distributed more or less randomly over the sky. Follow-upspectroscopy of these candidate objects has been performed on 748 ofthem. We have discovered a tight kinematic group of ten stars withextremely high lithium equivalent widths that are presumably youngerthan the Pleiades, but again distributed rather uniformly over the sky.Furthermore, about 43 per cent of our candidates have detectable levelsof lithium, thus indicating that these are relatively young objects withages not significantly above the Pleiades age.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Chile (ESO No. 62.I-0650, 66.D-0159(A), 67.D-0236(A)).
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Cepheus |
| Right ascension: | 23h19m26.64s |
| Declination: | +79°00'12.7" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.547 |
| Distance: | 19.743 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 202.7 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 72.1 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.66 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.639 |
Catalogs and designations:
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