745 research outputs found
The ubiquitous nature of the Horizontal Branch second U-jump: A link with the Blue Hook scenario?
In a previous paper we reported on a discontinuity in the extreme horizontal
branch (EHB) of the Galactic globular cluster NGC6752, which we called the
second U-jump. This feature was attributed to a combination of post zero-age
horizontal branch evolution and diffusion effects. In this follow-up study we
analyze other EHB clusters and show that the second U-jump is a common feature
among EHB clusters reaching T_{eff}\ge 23,000K, and that its onset in different
clusters converges around T_{eff}\sim 21,000\pm3,000K. We also present
near-ultraviolet diagrams of \omega Cen and NGC2808, the only two objects with
spectroscopically confirmed ``blue hook'' stars (T_{eff}\ge 35,000K). We
confirm predictions of a photometric discontinuity separating late from
early-helium flashers. Moreover, we present empirical evidence that the second
U-jump population might be mainly composed by early-helium flashers. Lastly, we
revisit the discussion on the ubiquitous nature of the gaps and jumps so far
identified in the blue HB tails, suggesting a possible discrete nature of the
distribution in temperature of the HB stars.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. Higher resolution version available via ftp at
ftp://ftp.pd.astro.it/pub/momany/momany.tar A&A accepte
The circumstellar environment of the YSO TMR-1 and a revisit to the candidate very low-mass object TMR-1C
TMR-1 (IRAS~04361+2547) is a class~I proto-stellar source located in the
nearby Taurus star-forming region. Its circumstellar environment is
characterized by extended dust emission with complex structures and conspicuous
filaments. A faint companion, called TMR-1C, located near the proto-star had
been detected in previous studies, but its nature as a very young substellar
object remained inconclusive. To improve the constraints on the nature of
TMR-1C, and to investigate the process of very low-mass star formation in the
TMR-1 system we use very sensitive infrared imaging observations as well as NIR
spectroscopy. We construct the SED of TMR-1C over a much larger wavelength
range as had been possible in previous work and compare it with models of
extincted background stars, young sub-stellar objects, and very low-mass stars
with circumstellar disk and envelope emission. We also search for additional
low-luminosity objects in the immediate environment of the TMR-1, study the
surrounding NIR dust morphology, and analyse the emission line spectrum of a
filamentary structure in the physical context of a bow-shock model. We find
that the observed SED of TMR-1C is inconsistent with an extincted background
star, nor can be fitted with available models for a young extremely low-mass
(<12M_Jup) object. Our near-IR spectrum indicates an effective temperature of
at least ~3000K. Based on a good match of TMR-1C's SED with radiation transfer
models of young stellar objects with circumstellar disks, we propose that
TMR-1C is most likely a very low-mass star with M~0.1-0.2M_sun surrounded by a
circumstellar disk with high inclination, i>80deg. Moreover, we detect an
additional very faint source, which we call TMR-1D, and that shows a quite
striking symmetry in position with TMR-1C. TMR-1C and TMR-1D may have been
formed from a common triggered star-formation event, caused by... (abstract
abridged)Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The planetary nebula Abell 48 and its [WN] nucleus
We have conducted a detailed multi-wavelength study of the peculiar nebula
Abell 48 and its central star. We classify the nucleus as a helium-rich,
hydrogen-deficient star of type [WN4-5]. The evidence for either a massive WN
or a low-mass [WN] interpretation is critically examined, and we firmly
conclude that Abell 48 is a planetary nebula (PN) around an evolved low-mass
star, rather than a Population I ejecta nebula. Importantly, the surrounding
nebula has a morphology typical of PNe, and is not enriched in nitrogen, and
thus not the `peeled atmosphere' of a massive star. We estimate a distance of
1.6 kpc and a reddening, E(B-V) = 1.90 mag, the latter value clearly showing
the nebula lies on the near side of the Galactic bar, and cannot be a massive
WN star. The ionized mass (~0.3 M_Sun) and electron density (700 cm^-3) are
typical of middle-aged PNe. The observed stellar spectrum was compared to a
grid of models from the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) grid. The best fit
temperature is 71 kK, and the atmospheric composition is dominated by helium
with an upper limit on the hydrogen abundance of 10 per cent. Our results are
in very good agreement with the recent study of Todt et al., who determined a
hydrogen fraction of 10 per cent and an unusually large nitrogen fraction of ~5
per cent. This fraction is higher than any other low-mass H-deficient star, and
is not readily explained by current post-AGB models. We give a discussion of
the implications of this discovery for the late-stage evolution of
intermediate-mass stars. There is now tentative evidence for two distinct
helium-dominated post-AGB lineages, separate to the helium and carbon dominated
surface compositions produced by a late thermal pulse. Further theoretical work
is needed to explain these recent discoveries.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, to appear in MNRAS. Version 3 incorporates
proof correction
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