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The HARPS search for southern extrasolar planets. XXV. Results from the metal-poor sample
Searching for extrasolar planets around stars of different metallicitymay provide strong constraints to the models of planet formation andevolution. In this paper we present the overall results of a HARPS (ahigh-precision spectrograph mostly dedicated to deriving precise radialvelocities) program to search for planets orbiting a sample of 104metal-poor stars (selected [Fe/H] below -0.5). Radial velocity timeseries of each star are presented and searched for signals using severalstatistical diagnostics. Stars with detected signals are presented,including 3 attributed to the presence of previously announced giantplanets orbiting the stars HD 171028, HD 181720, and HD 190984. Severalbinary stars and at least one case of a coherent signal caused byactivity-related phenomena are presented. One very promising new,possible giant planet orbiting the star HD 107094 is discussed, and theresults are analyzed in light of the metallicity-giant planetcorrelation. We conclude that the frequency of giant planets orbitingmetal-poor stars may be higher than previously thought, probablyreflecting the higher precision of the HARPS survey. In the metallicitydomain of our sample, we also find evidence that the frequency ofplanets is a steeply rising function of the stellar metal content, asfound for higher metallicity stars.Based on observations collected at the La Silla Parana Observatory, ESO(Chile) with the HARPS spectrograph at the 3.6-m telescope (ESO runs ID72.C-0488, 082.C-0212, and 085.C-0063).Full Tables 1 and 3 are onlyavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/526/A112
| Spectroscopic characterization of a sample of metal-poor solar-type stars from the HARPS planet search program. Precise spectroscopic parameters and mass estimation
Stellar metallicity strongly correlates with the presence of planets andtheir properties. To check for new correlations between stars and theexistence of an orbiting planet, we determine precise stellar parametersfor a sample of metal-poor solar-type stars. This sample was observedwith the HARPS spectrograph and is part of a program to search for newextrasolar planets. The stellar parameters were determined using an LTEanalysis based on equivalent widths (EW) of iron lines and by imposingexcitation and ionization equilibrium. The ARES code was used to allowautomatic and systematic derivation of the stellar parameters. Precisestellar parameters and metallicities were obtained for 97 lowmetal-content stars. We also present the derived masses, luminosities,and new parallaxes estimations based on the derived parameters, andcompare our spectroscopic parameters with an infra-red flux methodcalibration to check the consistency of our method in metal poor stars.Both methods seems to give the same effective temperature scale. Finallywe present a new calibration for the temperature as a function of B-Vand [Fe/H]. This was obtained by adding these new metal poor stars inorder to increase the range in metallicity for the calibration. Thestandard deviation of this new calibration is ~50 K.Based on observations collected at the La Silla Parana Observatory, ESO(Chile) with the HARPS spectrograph at the 3.6-m telescope (ESO runs ID72.C-0488, 082.C-0212, and 085.C-0063).Tables 1-3 are only available inelectronic form at http://www.aanda.org
| An Examination of Recent Transformations to the BV(RI) C Photometric System from the Perspective of Stellar Models for Old Stars
Isochrones for ages gsim4 Gyr and metallicities in the range -2.5lsim[Fe/H] lsim+0.3 that take the diffusion of helium and recent advances instellar physics into account are compared with observations in theJohnson-Cousins BV(RI) C photometric system for several openand globular star clusters. The adopted color-T eff relationsinclude those which we have derived from the latest MARCS modelatmospheres and the empirical transformations for dwarf and subgiantstars given by Casagrande et al. (CRMBA). Those reported by VandenBerg& Clem have also been considered, mainly to resolve some outstandingquestions concerning them. Indeed, for the latter, V - ICcolors should be corrected by ?-0.02 mag, for all metal abundances,in order to obtain consistent interpretations of the observed (B - V,V), (V - RC , V), and (V - IC , V) diagrams for M67 and the Hyades as well as for local subdwarfs. Remarkably, when thesubdwarfs in the CRMBA data set that have ??/?<= 0.15 are superimposed on a set of 12 Gyr isochrones spanning awide range in [Fe/H], the inferred metallicities and effectivetemperatures agree, in the mean, with those given by CRMBA to within±0.05 dex and ±10 K, respectively. Thus, the hot Teff scale derived by CRMBA is nearly identical with thatpredicted by stellar models; and consequently, there is excellentconsistency between theory and observations on the Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram and the different color-magnitude diagrams considered in thisinvestigation. To obtain similar consistency, the colors obtained fromthe MARCS and VandenBerg & Clem (B - V)-T eff relationsfor metal-poor dwarf stars should be adjusted to the red by 0.02-0.03mag. In general, isochrones that employ the CRMBA transformationsprovide reasonably consistent fits to our BV(RI) C photometry for main-sequence stars in the globular clusters 47 Tuc, M 3,M 5, M 92, and NGC 1851—but not the cluster giants (when adoptingthe synthetic MARCS colors). We speculate that differences between theactual heavy-element mixtures and those assumed in the theoreticalmodels may be the primary cause of this difficulty.
| An absolutely calibrated Teff scale from the infrared flux method. Dwarfs and subgiants
Various effective temperature scales have been proposed over the years.Despite much work and the high internal precision usually achieved,systematic differences of order 100 K (or more) among various scales arestill present. We present an investigation based on the infrared fluxmethod aimed at assessing the source of such discrepancies and pin downtheir origin. We break the impasse among different scales by using alarge set of solar twins, stars which are spectroscopically andphotometrically identical to the Sun, to set the absolute zero point ofthe effective temperature scale to within few degrees. Our newlycalibrated, accurate and precise temperature scale applies to dwarfs andsubgiants, from super-solar metallicities to the most metal-poor starscurrently known. At solar metallicities our results validatespectroscopic effective temperature scales, whereas for [Fe/H]? -2.5our temperatures are roughly 100 K hotter than those determined frommodel fits to the Balmer lines and 200 K hotter than those obtained fromthe excitation equilibrium of Fe lines. Empirical bolometric correctionsand useful relations linking photometric indices to effectivetemperatures and angular diameters have been derived. Our results takefull advantage of the high accuracy reached in absolute calibration inrecent years and are further validated by interferometric angulardiameters and space based spectrophotometry over a wide range ofeffective temperatures and metallicities.Table 8 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/512/A54
| The M dwarf planet search programme at the ESO VLT + UVES. A search for terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of M dwarfs
We present radial velocity (RV) measurements of our sample of 40 Mdwarfs from our planet search programme with VLT+UVES begun in 2000.Although with our RV precision down to 2-2.5 m/s and timebase line of upto 7 years, we are capable of finding planets of a few Earth masses inthe close-in habitable zones of M dwarfs, there is no detection of aplanetary companion. To demonstrate this we present mass detectionlimits allowing us to exclude Jupiter-mass planets up to 1 AU for mostof our sample stars. We identified 6 M dwarfs that host a brown dwarf orlow-mass stellar companion. With the exception of these, all othersample stars show low RV variability with an rms <20 m/s. Some highproper motion stars exhibit a linear RV trend consistent with theirsecular acceleration. Furthermore, we examine our data sets for apossible correlation between RVs and stellar activity as seen invariations of the Hα line strength. For Barnard's star we found asignificant anticorrelation, but most of the sample stars do not showsuch a correlation.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Paranal Chile, ESO programmes 65.L-0428, 66.C-0446, 267.C-5700,68.C-0415, 69.C-0722, 70.C-0044, 71.C-0498, 072.C-0495, 173.C-0606,078.C-0829. Radial velocity data are available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/505/859
| 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
| Calibration of Strömgren uvby-H? photometry for late-type stars - a model atmosphere approach
Context: The use of model atmospheres for deriving stellar fundamentalparameters, such as T_eff, log g, and [Fe/H], will increase as we findand explore extreme stellar populations where empirical calibrations arenot yet available. Moreover, calibrations for upcoming large satellitemissions of new spectrophotometric indices, similar to the uvby-H?system, will be needed. Aims: We aim to test the power oftheoretical calibrations based on a new generation of MARCS models bycomparisons with observational photomteric data. Methods: Wecalculated synthetic uvby-H? colour indices from synthetic spectra.A sample of 367 field stars, as well as stars in globular clusters, isused for a direct comparison of the synthetic indices versus empiricaldata and for scrutinizing the possibilities of theoretical calibrationsfor temperature, metallicity, and gravity. Results: We show thatthe temperature sensitivity of the synthetic (b-y) colour is very closeto its empirical counterpart, whereas the temperature scale based uponH? shows a slight offset. The theoretical metallicity sensitivityof the m1 index (and for G-type stars its combination withc_1) is somewhat higher than the empirical one, based upon spectroscopicdeterminations. The gravity sensitivity of the synthetic c1index shows satisfactory behaviour when compared to obervations of Fstars. For stars cooler than the sun, a deviation is significant in thec1-(b-y) diagram. The theoretical calibrations of (b-y),(v-y), and c1 seem to work well for Pop II stars and lead toeffective temperatures for globular cluster stars supporting recentclaims that atomic diffusion occurs in stars near the turnoff point ofNGC 6397. Conclusions: Synthetic colours of stellar atmospherescan indeed be used, in many cases, to derive reliable fundamentalstellar parameters. The deviations seen when compared to observationaldata could be due to incomplete linelists but are possibly also due tothe effects of assuming plane-parallell or spherical geometry and LTE.Model colours are 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/498/527
| Cool Subdwarf Investigations. II. Multiplicity
Cool subdwarfs of types K and M are the fainter counterparts of coolmain-sequence dwarfs that dominate the Galactic population. In thispaper, we present the results of an optical speckle survey of 62confirmed cool subdwarf systems within 60 pc. We have resolved twonew companions and confirmed two previously known companions withseparations 0farcs13-3farcs29. After including previously known widecompanions and all known spectroscopic binaries, we determine themultiplicity rate of cool subdwarfs to be 26% ± 6%, which issomewhat lower than comparable main-sequence stars that have amultiplicity rate of 37% ± 5%. We find that only 3% of the coolsubdwarfs surveyed have companions within 10 AU, 3% have companionsbetween 10 and 100 AU, and 14% have companions beyond 100 AU.The other 6% of cool subdwarfs are spectroscopic binaries. This is verydifferent from K/M dwarfs that have most companions (13%) at separationscloser than 10 AU. However, because a search for close binariesamong a large sample of nearby cool subdwarfs remains elusive, it is notyet settled whether or not the multiplicity rates are significantlydifferent. Nonetheless, several different observational results andtheories pointing to a possible dearth of subdwarf multiples arediscussed.
| Kinematics and metallicity analysis for nearby F, G and K stars
A sample containing 1 026 stars of spectral types F, G, and K, mainlydwarfs, from the solar neighbourhood with available space velocities andmetallicities is treated. The treatment comprises a statistical analysisof the metallicity and velocity data and calculation of galactocentricorbits. Sample stars identified as members of the galactic halo aredetached from the rest of the sample based on the values of theirmetallicities, velocity components and galactocentric orbits. Inidentifying halo stars a new, kinematical, criterion is proposed. Exceptone, these halo stars are the metal-poorest ones in the sample. Besides,they have very high velocities with respect to LSR. On the other hand,the separation between the thin disc and thick one is done statisticallybased on LSR space velocities, membership probability (Schwarzschilddistribution with assumed parameters) and galactocentric orbits. In themetallicity these two groups are not much different. For each of thethree subsamples the mean motion and velocity ellipsoid are calculated.The elements of the velocity ellipsoids agree well with the values foundin the literature, especially for the thin disc. The fractions of thesubsystems found for the present sample are: thin disc 93%, thick disc6%, halo 1%. The sample stars established to be members of the thin discare examined for existence of star streams. Traces of both, known andunknown, star streams are not found.
| Mapping the Local Galactic Halo. I. Optical Photometry of Cool Subdwarf Candidates
Optical (BVRI) photometric measurements of a sample of 564 candidatecool subdwarfs in the nearby halo are presented. The stars generallyspan the color range 0.4<(B-V)<1.8 hence, the sample is composedof early F- through early M-type stars on the subdwarf sequence. Thesample is selected from the revised NLTT catalog of Gould and Salim andSalim and Gould via a reduced proper motion diagram. The photometry isprecise and accurate; in particular, for stars with 9
| Measuring the Balmer Jump and the Effective Gravity in FGK Stars
It is difficult to accurately measure the effective gravity (logg) inlate-type stars using broadband (e.g., UBV or SDSS) or intermediate-band(uvby) photometric systems, especially when the stars can cover a rangeof metallicities and reddenings. However, simple spectroscopicobservational and data reduction techniques can yield accurate valuesfor logg through comparison of the Balmer jumps of low-resolutionspectra with recent grids of synthetic flux spectra.
| The frequency of planets in multiple systems
Context: The frequency of planets in binaries is an important issue inthe field of extrasolar planet studies, because of its relevance inestimating of the global planet population of our Galaxy and the cluesit can give to our understanding of planet formation and evolution.However, only preliminary estimates are available in the literature. Aims: We analyze and compare the frequency of planets in multiplesystems to the frequency of planets orbiting single stars. We also tryto highlight possible connections between the frequency of planets andthe orbital parameters of the binaries (such as the periastron and massratio.) Methods: A literature search was performed for binariesand multiple systems among the stars of the sample with uniform planetdetectability defined by Fischer & Valenti (2005, ApJ, 622, 1102),and 202 of the 850 stars of the sample turned out to be binaries,allowing a statistical comparison of the frequency of planets inbinaries and single stars and a study of the run of the planet frequencyas a function of the binary separation. Results: We found that theglobal frequency of planets in the binaries of the sample is notstatistically different from that of planets in single stars. Evenconservatively taking the probable incompleteness of binary detection inour sample into account, we estimate that the frequency of planets inbinaries can be no more than a factor of three lower than that ofplanets in single stars. There is no significant dependence of planetfrequency on the binary separation, except for a lower value offrequency for close binaries. However, this is probably not as low asrequired to explain the presence of planets in close binaries only asthe result of modifications of the binary orbit after the planetformation. Table 8 and Appendix A are only available in electronic form athttp://www.aanda.org
| The usage of Strömgren photometry in studies of local group dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Application to Draco: a new catalogue of Draco members and a study of the metallicity distribution function and radial gradients
Aims.In this paper we demonstrate how Strömgren uvby photometry canbe efficiently used to: 1. identify red giant branch stars that aremembers in a dwarf spheroidal galaxy; 2. derive age-independentmetallicities for the same stars and quantify the associated errors. Methods: Strömgren uvby photometry in a 11 × 22 arcmin fieldcentered on the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy was obtained using theIsaac Newton Telescope on La Palma. Members of the Draco dSph galaxywere identified using the surface gravity sensitive c1 indexwhich discriminates between red giant and dwarf stars. Thus enabling usto distinguish the (red giant branch) members of the dwarf spheroidalgalaxy from the foreground dwarf stars in our galaxy. The method isevaluated through a comparison of our membership list with membershipclassifications in the literature based on radial velocities and propermotions. The metallicity sensitive m1 index was used toderive individual and age-independent metallicities for the members ofthe Draco dSph galaxy. The derived metallicities are compared to studiesbased on high resolution spectroscopy and the agreement is found to bevery good. Results: We present metallicities for 169 members of the redgiant branch in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy (the largest sample todate). The metallicity distribution function for the Draco dSph galaxyshows a mean [Fe/H] = -1.74 dex with a spread of 0.24 dex. Thecorrelation between metallicity and colour for the stars on the redgiant branch is consistent with a dominant old, and coeval population.There is a possible spatial population gradient over the field with themost metal-rich stars being more centrally concentrated than themetal-poor stars.Based on observations made with the Isaac Newton Telescope, operated onthe Island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the SpanishObservatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisicade Canarias. Guest User, Canadian Astronomy Data Centre, which isoperated by the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National ResearchCouncil of Canada. Full Tables 2 and 6 are only available athttp://www.aanda.org
| Structure and Evolution of Nearby Stars with Planets. II. Physical Properties of ~1000 Cool Stars from the SPOCS Catalog
We derive detailed theoretical models for 1074 nearby stars from theSPOCS (Spectroscopic Properties of Cool Stars) Catalog. The Californiaand Carnegie Planet Search has obtained high-quality (R~=70,000-90,000,S/N~=300-500) echelle spectra of over 1000 nearby stars taken with theHamilton spectrograph at Lick Observatory, the HIRES spectrograph atKeck, and UCLES at the Anglo Australian Observatory. A uniform analysisof the high-resolution spectra has yielded precise stellar parameters(Teff, logg, vsini, [M/H], and individual elementalabundances for Fe, Ni, Si, Na, and Ti), enabling systematic erroranalyses and accurate theoretical stellar modeling. We have created alarge database of theoretical stellar evolution tracks using the YaleStellar Evolution Code (YREC) to match the observed parameters of theSPOCS stars. Our very dense grids of evolutionary tracks eliminate theneed for interpolation between stellar evolutionary tracks and allowprecise determinations of physical stellar parameters (mass, age,radius, size and mass of the convective zone, surface gravity, etc.).Combining our stellar models with the observed stellar atmosphericparameters and uncertainties, we compute the likelihood for each set ofstellar model parameters separated by uniform time steps along thestellar evolutionary tracks. The computed likelihoods are used for aBayesian analysis to derive posterior probability distribution functionsfor the physical stellar parameters of interest. We provide a catalog ofphysical parameters for 1074 stars that are based on a uniform set ofhigh-quality spectral observations, a uniform spectral reductionprocedure, and a uniform set of stellar evolutionary models. We explorethis catalog for various possible correlations between stellar andplanetary properties, which may help constrain the formation anddynamical histories of other planetary systems.
| Medium-resolution Isaac Newton Telescope library of empirical spectra - II. The stellar atmospheric parameters
We present a homogeneous set of stellar atmospheric parameters(Teff, logg, [Fe/H]) for MILES, a new spectral stellarlibrary covering the range λλ 3525-7500Å at2.3Å (FWHM) spectral resolution. The library consists of 985 starsspanning a large range in atmospheric parameters, from super-metal-rich,cool stars to hot, metal-poor stars. The spectral resolution, spectraltype coverage and number of stars represent a substantial improvementover previous libraries used in population synthesis models. Theatmospheric parameters that we present here are the result of aprevious, extensive compilation from the literature. In order toconstruct a homogeneous data set of atmospheric parameters we have takenthe sample of stars of Soubiran, Katz & Cayrel, which has very welldetermined fundamental parameters, as the standard reference system forour field stars, and have calibrated and bootstrapped the data fromother papers against it. The atmospheric parameters for our clusterstars have also been revised and updated according to recent metallicityscales, colour-temperature relations and improved set of isochrones.
| Optical spectroscopy of high proper motion stars: new M dwarfs within 10 pc and the closest pair of subdwarfs
We present spectra of 59 nearby star candidates, M dwarfs and whitedwarfs, previously identified using high proper motion catalogues andthe DENIS database. We review the existing spectral classificationschemes and spectroscopic parallax calibrations in the near-infrared Jband and derive spectral types and distances of the nearby candidates.Forty-two stars have spectroscopic distances smaller than 25 pc, threeof them being white dwarfs. Two targets lie within 10 pc, one M8 star at10.0 pc (APMPM J0103-3738), and one M4 star at 8.3 pc (L 225-57). Onestar, LHS 73, is found to be among the few subdwarfs lying within 20 pc.Furthermore, together with LHS 72, it probably belongs to the closestpair of subdwarfs we know.
| Accurate fundamental parameters for lower main-sequence stars
We derive an empirical effective temperature and bolometric luminositycalibration for G and K dwarfs, by applying our own implementation ofthe Infrared Flux Method to multiband photometry. Our study is based on104 stars for which we have excellent BV(RI)C JHKSphotometry, excellent parallaxes and good metallicities.Colours computed from the most recent synthetic libraries (ATLAS9 andMARCS) are found to be in good agreement with the empirical colours inthe optical bands, but some discrepancies still remain in the infrared.Synthetic and empirical bolometric corrections also show fair agreement.A careful comparison to temperatures, luminosities and angular diametersobtained with other methods in the literature shows that systematiceffects still exist in the calibrations at the level of a few per cent.Our Infrared Flux Method temperature scale is 100-K hotter than recentanalogous determinations in the literature, but is in agreement withspectroscopically calibrated temperature scales and fits well thecolours of the Sun. Our angular diameters are typically 3 per centsmaller when compared to other (indirect) determinations of angulardiameter for such stars, but are consistent with the limb-darkeningcorrected predictions of the latest 3D model atmospheres and also withthe results of asteroseismology.Very tight empirical relations are derived for bolometric luminosity,effective temperature and angular diameter from photometric indices.We find that much of the discrepancy with other temperature scales andthe uncertainties in the infrared synthetic colours arise from theuncertainties in the use of Vega as the flux calibrator. Angulardiameter measurements for a well-chosen set of G and K dwarfs would go along way to addressing this problem.
| Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
| Medium-resolution Isaac Newton Telescope library of empirical spectra
A new stellar library developed for stellar population synthesismodelling is presented. The library consists of 985 stars spanning alarge range in atmospheric parameters. The spectra were obtained at the2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope and cover the range λλ3525-7500 Å at 2.3 Å (full width at half-maximum) spectralresolution. The spectral resolution, spectral-type coverage,flux-calibration accuracy and number of stars represent a substantialimprovement over previous libraries used in population-synthesis models.
| The puzzling abundance pattern of HD134439 and HD134440
Abundances of 18 elements are determined for the common proper-motionpair, HD134439 and HD134440, which shows high [Mn/Fe] and low[α/Fe] ratios as compared to normal halo stars. Moreover, puzzlingabundances are indicated from elements whose origins are normallyconsidered to be from the same nucleosynthesis history. Particularly, wehave found that [Mg/Fe] and [Si/Fe] are lower than [Ca/Fe] and [Ti/Fe]by 0.1-0.3dex. When elemental abundances are interpreted in term oftheir condensation temperatures (TC), obvious trends of[X/Fe] versus TC for α elements and probably iron-peakelements as well are shown. The hypothesis that these stars have formedfrom a dusty environment in dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy provides asolution to the puzzling abundance pattern.Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla orParanal Observatories from ESO archive and data collected at SubaruTelescope and obtained from the SMOKA science archive at AstronomicalData Analysis Center, which are operated by the National AstronomicalObservatory of Japan. E-mail: gzhao@bao.ac.cn
| Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 pc-The Southern Sample
We are obtaining spectra, spectral types, and basic physical parametersfor the nearly 3600 dwarf and giant stars earlier than M0 in theHipparcos catalog within 40 pc of the Sun. Here we report on resultsfor 1676 stars in the southern hemisphere observed at Cerro TololoInter-American Observatory and Steward Observatory. These resultsinclude new, precise, homogeneous spectral types, basic physicalparameters (including the effective temperature, surface gravity, andmetallicity [M/H]), and measures of the chromospheric activity of ourprogram stars. We include notes on astrophysically interesting stars inthis sample, the metallicity distribution of the solar neighborhood, anda table of solar analogs. We also demonstrate that the bimodal nature ofthe distribution of the chromospheric activity parameterlogR'HK depends strongly on the metallicity, andwe explore the nature of the ``low-metallicity'' chromosphericallyactive K-type dwarfs.
| Relics of Metal-free Low-Mass Stars Exploding as Thermonuclear Supernovae
Renewed interest in the first stars that were formed in the universe hasled to the discovery of extremely iron-poor stars. Since severalcompeting scenarios exist, our understanding of the mass range thatdetermines the observed elemental abundances remains unclear. In thisstudy, we consider three well-studied metal-poor stars in terms of thetheoretical supernova (SN) model. Our results suggest that the observedabundance patterns in the metal-poor star BD +80 245 and the pair ofstars HD 134439/40 agree strongly with the theoretical possibility thatthese stars inherited their heavy-element abundance patterns from SNeinitiated by thermonuclear runaways in the degenerate carbon-oxygencores of primordial asymptotic giant branch stars with masses of ~3.5-5Msolar. Recent theoretical calculations have predicted thatsuch SNe could be originated from metal-free stars in theintermediate-mass range. On the other hand, intermediate-mass starscontaining some metals would end their lives as white dwarfs afterexpelling their envelopes in the wind due to intense momentum transportfrom outgoing photons to heavy elements. This new pathway for theformation of SNe requires that stars be formed from the primordial gas.Thus, we suggest that stars of a few solar masses were formed from theprimordial gas and that some of them caused thermonuclear explosionswhen the mass of their degenerate carbon-oxygen cores increased to theChandrasekhar limit without experiencing efficient mass loss.
| The lithium content of the Galactic Halo stars
Thanks to the accurate determination of the baryon density of theuniverse by the recent cosmic microwave background experiments, updatedpredictions of the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis now yieldthe initial abundance of the primordial light elements withunprecedented precision. In the case of ^7Li, the CMB+SBBN value issignificantly higher than the generally reported abundances for Pop IIstars along the so-called Spite plateau. In view of the crucialimportance of this disagreement, which has cosmological, galactic andstellar implications, we decided to tackle the most critical issues ofthe problem by revisiting a large sample of literature Li data in halostars that we assembled following some strict selection criteria on thequality of the original analyses. In the first part of the paper wefocus on the systematic uncertainties affecting the determination of theLi abundances, one of our main goal being to look for the "highestobservational accuracy achievable" for one of the largest sets of Liabundances ever assembled. We explore in great detail the temperaturescale issue with a special emphasis on reddening. We derive four sets ofeffective temperatures by applying the same colour {T}_eff calibrationbut making four different assumptions about reddening and determine theLTE lithium values for each of them. We compute the NLTE corrections andapply them to the LTE lithium abundances. We then focus on our "best"(i.e. most consistent) set of temperatures in order to discuss theinferred mean Li value and dispersion in several {T}_eff and metallicityintervals. The resulting mean Li values along the plateau for [Fe/H]≤ 1.5 are A(Li)_NLTE = 2.214±0.093 and 2.224±0.075when the lowest effective temperature considered is taken equal to 5700K and 6000 K respectively. This is a factor of 2.48 to 2.81 (dependingon the adopted SBBN model and on the effective temperature range chosento delimit the plateau) lower than the CMB+SBBN determination. We findno evidence of intrinsic dispersion. Assuming the correctness of theCMB+SBBN prediction, we are then left with the conclusion that the Liabundance along the plateau is not the pristine one, but that halo starshave undergone surface depletion during their evolution. In the secondpart of the paper we further dissect our sample in search of newconstraints on Li depletion in halo stars. By means of the Hipparcosparallaxes, we derive the evolutionary status of each of our samplestars, and re-discuss our derived Li abundances. A very surprisingresult emerges for the first time from this examination. Namely, themean Li value as well as the dispersion appear to be lower (althoughfully compatible within the errors) for the dwarfs than for the turnoffand subgiant stars. For our most homogeneous dwarfs-only sample with[Fe/H] ≤ 1.5, the mean Li abundances are A(L)_NLTE = 2.177±0.071 and 2.215±0.074 when the lowest effective temperatureconsidered is taken equal to 5700 K and 6000 K respectively. This is afactor of 2.52 to 3.06 (depending on the selected range in {T}_eff forthe plateau and on the SBBN predictions we compare to) lower than theCMB+SBBN primordial value. Instead, for the post-main sequence stars thecorresponding values are 2.260±0.1 and 2.235±0.077, whichcorrespond to a depletion factor of 2.28 to 2.52. These results,together with the finding that all the stars with Li abnormalities(strong deficiency or high content) lie on or originate from the hotside of the plateau, lead us to suggest that the most massive of thehalo stars have had a slightly different Li history than their lessmassive contemporaries. In turn, this puts strong new constraints on thepossible depletion mechanisms and reinforces Li as a stellartomographer.
| CCD Photometry of M92
We present Johnson B and V photometry for the galactic globular clusterM92 (NGC 6341). Photometric results for a total of 30,000 starsare obtained and are plotted on a V versus (B-V) diagram. We fittheoretical isochrones to this diagram in order to get an estimate forthe age of M92. The age which we find is 16×109years with the following values for the metallicity and He-abundance:[Fe/H] = -2.03, Y = 0.235. The distance modulus to this cluster turnsout to be m - M = 14.6 in accordance with that obtained by Stetson &Harris (1988). We also perform stellar counts in order to produce aluminosity function which is successfully fitted by the same theoreticalmodels fitted to the colour-magnitude diagram.
| Sulphur abundance in Galactic stars
We investigate sulphur abundance in 74 Galactic stars by using highresolution spectra obtained at ESO VLT and NTT telescopes. For the firsttime the abundances are derived, where possible, from three opticalmultiplets: Mult. 1, 6, and 8. By combining our own measurements withdata in the literature we assemble a sample of 253 stars in themetallicity range -3.2 [Fe/H] +0.5. Two important features,which could hardly be detected in smaller samples, are obvious from thislarge sample: 1) a sizeable scatter in [S/Fe] ratios around [Fe/H]-1; 2) at low metallicities we observe stars with [S/Fe] 0.4, aswell as stars with higher [S/Fe] ratios. The latter do not seem to bekinematically different from the former ones. Whether the latter findingstems from a distinct population of metal-poor stars or simply from anincreased scatter in sulphur abundances remains an open question.
| Spectroscopic Properties of Cool Stars (SPOCS). I. 1040 F, G, and K Dwarfs from Keck, Lick, and AAT Planet Search Programs
We present a uniform catalog of stellar properties for 1040 nearby F, G,and K stars that have been observed by the Keck, Lick, and AAT planetsearch programs. Fitting observed echelle spectra with synthetic spectrayielded effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, projectedrotational velocity, and abundances of the elements Na, Si, Ti, Fe, andNi, for every star in the catalog. Combining V-band photometry andHipparcos parallaxes with a bolometric correction based on thespectroscopic results yielded stellar luminosity, radius, and mass.Interpolating Yonsei-Yale isochrones to the luminosity, effectivetemperature, metallicity, and α-element enhancement of each staryielded a theoretical mass, radius, gravity, and age range for moststars in the catalog. Automated tools provide uniform results and makeanalysis of such a large sample practical. Our analysis method differsfrom traditional abundance analyses in that we fit the observed spectrumdirectly, rather than trying to match equivalent widths, and wedetermine effective temperature and surface gravity from the spectrumitself, rather than adopting values based on measured photometry orparallax. As part of our analysis, we determined a new relationshipbetween macroturbulence and effective temperature on the main sequence.Detailed error analysis revealed small systematic offsets with respectto the Sun and spurious abundance trends as a function of effectivetemperature that would be inobvious in smaller samples. We attempted toremove these errors by applying empirical corrections, achieving aprecision per spectrum of 44 K in effective temperature, 0.03 dex inmetallicity, 0.06 dex in the logarithm of gravity, and 0.5 kms-1 in projected rotational velocity. Comparisons withprevious studies show only small discrepancies. Our spectroscopicallydetermined masses have a median fractional precision of 15%, but theyare systematically 10% higher than masses obtained by interpolatingisochrones. Our spectroscopic radii have a median fractional precisionof 3%. Our ages from isochrones have a precision that variesdramatically with location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. We planto extend the catalog by applying our automated analysis technique toother large stellar samples.
| The Planet-Metallicity Correlation
We have recently carried out spectral synthesis modeling to determineTeff, logg, vsini, and [Fe/H] for 1040 FGK-type stars on theKeck, Lick, and Anglo-Australian Telescope planet search programs. Thisis the first time that a single, uniform spectroscopic analysis has beenmade for every star on a large Doppler planet search survey. We identifya subset of 850 stars that have Doppler observations sufficient todetect uniformly all planets with radial velocity semiamplitudes K>30m s-1 and orbital periods shorter than 4 yr. From this subsetof stars, we determine that fewer than 3% of stars with-0.5<[Fe/H]<0.0 have Doppler-detected planets. Above solarmetallicity, there is a smooth and rapid rise in the fraction of starswith planets. At [Fe/H]>+0.3 dex, 25% of observed stars have detectedgas giant planets. A power-law fit to these data relates the formationprobability for gas giant planets to the square of the number of metalatoms. High stellar metallicity also appears to be correlated with thepresence of multiple-planet systems and with the total detected planetmass. This data set was examined to better understand the origin of highmetallicity in stars with planets. None of the expected fossilsignatures of accretion are observed in stars with planets relative tothe general sample: (1) metallicity does not appear to increase as themass of the convective envelopes decreases, (2) subgiants with planetsdo not show dilution of metallicity, (3) no abundance variations for Na,Si, Ti, or Ni are found as a function of condensation temperature, and(4) no correlations between metallicity and orbital period oreccentricity could be identified. We conclude that stars with extrasolarplanets do not have an accretion signature that distinguishes them fromother stars; more likely, they are simply born in higher metallicitymolecular clouds.Based on observations obtained at Lick and Keck Observatories, operatedby the University of California, and the Anglo-Australian Observatories.
| A Survey of Proper-Motion Stars. XVII. A Deficiency of Binary Stars on Retrograde Galactic Orbits and the Possibility that ω Centauri is Related to the Effect
We compare the frequency of field binary stars as a function of Galacticvelocity vectors and find a deficiency of such stars on stronglyretrograde orbits. Metal-poor stars moving on prograde Galactic orbitshave a binary frequency of 28%+/-3%, whereas the retrograde stars'binary frequency is only 10%+/-2% for V<=-300 km s-1. Nosuch binary deficiencies are seen for the U or W velocities, nor for[Fe/H]. Some mechanism exists that either disrupts binary systems orpreferentially adds single stars moving primarily on retrograde orbits.Theoretical analyses and critical evaluations of our observational dataappear to rule out preferential disruption of preexisting binary starsdue to such causes as tidal interactions with massive gravitationalperturbers, including giant molecular clouds, black holes, or theGalactic center.Dynamically evolved stellar ensembles, such as globular clusters,provide a possible source of single stars. Three lines of evidence ruleout this explanation. First, there is no mechanism to significantlyenhance dissolution of clusters moving on retrograde orbits. Second, astudy of globular clusters moving on prograde and retrograde orbits andwith perigalacticon distances such that they are unlikely to be affectedstrongly by central tidal effects shows that clusters moving on progradeGalactic orbits may be more evolved dynamically than clusters moving onretrograde orbits. Finally, we have undertaken a comprehensive searchfor star streams that might be discernible. Monte Carlo modelingsuggests that our sample may include one moving group, but it containsonly five stars. Although the Galactic orbit of this group passes nearthe Galactic center, it is not moving on a retrograde Galactic orbit andfalls short by a factor of at least 20 in supplying the necessary numberof single stars.There is one intriguing possibility to explain our results. A dissolveddwarf galaxy may have too large a velocity spread to be easily detectedin our sample using our technique. However, dwarf galaxies appear tooften show element-to-iron versus [Fe/H] abundance patterns that are notsimilar to the bulk of the stellar field and cluster halo stars. Weexplore the s-process elements Y and Ba. Eight stars in our sample havesuch elemental abundances already measured and also lie in the criticaldomain with -1.6<=[Fe/H]<=-1.0 and V<=-300 km s-1.The admittedly small samples appears to show a bimodal distribution in[Y/Fe], [Ba/Fe], and [α/Fe], where ``α'' represents anaverage abundance of Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti. This behavior is reminiscent ofthe difference in the abundances found between the globular clusterω Centauri and other globular clusters. It is also intriguing thatthe stars most similar to ω Cen in their chemical abundances showa relatively coherent set of kinematic properties, with a modestvelocity dispersion. The stars less like ω Cen define adynamically hot population. The binary frequency of the stars in ωCen does not appear to be enhanced, but detailed modeling of the radialvelocity data remains to be done.
| SSSPM J1444-2019: An extremely high proper motion, ultracool subdwarf
We present the discovery of a new extreme high proper motion object(˜3.5 arcsec/year) which we classify as an ultracool subdwarf with[M/H] ˜ -0.5. It has a formal spectral type of sdM9 but also showsL-type features: while the VO bands are completely absent, it exhibitsextremely strong TiO absorption in its optical spectrum. With a radialvelocity of about -160 km s-1 and a rough distance estimateof 16-24 pc, it is likely one of the nearest halo members crossing theSolar neighbourhood with a heliocentric space velocity of(U,V,W)=(-244,-256,-100)±(32,77,6) km s-1.Based on archival data from the SuperCOSMOS Sky Surveys, 2MASS, andDENIS, and observations with the ESO 3.6-m telescope (ESO 072.C-0630)and VLT (ESO 072.C-0725).
| Heavy elements and chemical enrichment in globular clusters
High resolution (R 40 000) and high S/N spectra have been acquiredwith UVES on the VLT-Kueyen (Paranal Observatory, ESO Chile) for severalmain sequence turnoff stars (V 17 mag) and subgiants at the baseof the Red Giant Branch (V 16 mag) in three globular clusters (NGC6397, NGC 6752 and 47 Tuc/NGC 104) at different metallicities(respectively [Fe/H] ≃ -2.0; -1.5; -0.7). Spectra for a sample of25 field halo subdwarves have also been taken with equal resolution, buthigher S/N. These data have been used to determine the abundances ofseveral neutron-capture elements in these three clusters: strontium,yttrium, barium and europium. This is the first abundance determinationof these heavy elements for such unevolved stars in these three globularclusters. These values, together with the [Ba/Eu] and [Sr/Ba] abundanceratios, have been used to test the self-enrichment scenario. Acomparison is done with field halo stars and other well known Galacticglobular clusters in which heavy elements have already been measured inthe past, at least in bright giants (V 11-12 mag). Our resultsshow clearly that globular clusters have been uniformly enriched by r-and s-process syntheses, and that most of them seem to follow exactlythe same abundance patterns as field halo stars, which discards the``classical'' self-enrichment scenario for the origin of metallicitiesand heavy elements in globular clusters.Based on data collected at the European Southern Observatory with theVLT-UT2, Paranal, Chile (ESO-LP 165.L-0263).
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Osservazione e dati astrometrici
| Costellazione: | Bilancia |
| Ascensione retta: | 15h10m12.97s |
| Declinazione: | -16°27'46.5" |
| Magnitudine apparente: | 9.495 |
| Distanza: | 29.691 parsec |
| Moto proprio RA: | -998.9 |
| Moto proprio Dec: | -3544.6 |
| B-T magnitude: | 10.548 |
| V-T magnitude: | 9.582 |
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