Silk oak flowers as a source of β-carotene

The pigment of the yellow flowers of the silk oak (Grevillea robusta, Cunningham) does not appear to have been investigated heretofore. If the dried material is extracted with ether, the solution shows typical absorption maxima at 483 and 453 mµ,corresponding to the spectrum of p-carotene. The rather blurred borders of these bands indicate, however, the presence of other polyenic pigments in small quantities. After saponification a photometric analysis of the total extract gave values which would correspond to 270 mg. of β-carotene in 1 kilo of the dry flowers if no other pigments were present. After a chromatographic separation the true β-carotene content was found to be about 215 mg. per kilo. Two-thirds of this amount was isolated as crystals; lycopene or γ- and α-carotene were not present [1]. The non-carotene fraction is a complicated xanthophyll mixture in which no single compound predominates. From this fraction two very small amounts of crystalline material were isolated, one of which was kryptoxanthin and the other a new carotenoid possessing a remarkably short wave-length spectrum. For the separation and study of carotenoids contained in extracts we suggest the systematic use of the ultraviolet lamp which has been so helpful in the chromatography of colorless substances (2). Plant pigments are frequently accompanied by large amounts of colorless material which prevent the formation of sharp pigment zones in the Tswett column and thus a satisfactory separation of the components. Furthermore, the crystallization of some carotenoids may be hindered. Fortunately many such colorless substances show an intense fluorescence (3). An observation made in ultraviolet light during the chromatographic separation of the pigments may furnish a good indication of the best method and optimum extent of developing the chromatogram. The distribution of the fluorescence may also indicate the lines at which it is best to cut the column. By sacrificing small amounts of pigment large portions of colorless associated material may be eliminated in this simple way

The carotenoid and provitamin A content of the watermelon

10 years ago lycopene, C40H56, and carotene, C40H56, were isolated from the pulp of the European watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris, Schrad. = Cucumis citrullus, L.) by Zechmeister and Tuzson (l), and it was shown that the chief pigment, lycopene, is responsible for the red color. As the chromatographic method was not available at that time, no precise information as to the composition of the pigment was obtained. In some new experiments described below we have carried out a quantitative analysis of the components and have estimated the provitamin A content of the California watermelon. 1 kilo of the pulp examined contained 1.0 mg. of a complicated xanthophyll mixture, 6.1 mg. of lycopene, 0.06 mg. of γ-carotene, 0.16 mg. of unknown carotenoids (located in the column between γ- and β-carotene), 0.46 mg. of β-carotene, 0.01 mg. of α-carotene. The figures include the fractions of lycopene, and γ- and β-carotene which underwent isomerization during the experimental procedure (2). The calorimetric value of the total extract of 1 kilo of pulp corresponded to 7 to 8 mg. of “lycopene”; some samples were, however, considerably richer in pigment. Our material, picked in California in September, contained, according to the above figures, 0.5 mg. of provitamin A in 1 kilo of pulp, or about one-fifth to one-sixth of the daily β-carotene requirement of an adult person. It is interesting to note that a considerable number of yellow and pink unidentified oxygen-containing carotenoids were found in minute quantities; i.e., to the extent of about 0.01 mg. per kilo of pulp. Even with the use of chromatography 1000 or more kilos of melon would be needed for a satisfactory study of these pigments. One of them is spectroscopically identical with torulene, detected by Lederer in red yeast (3)

Prolycopene, a Naturally Occurring Stereoisomer of Lycopene

In this paper we record the observation that there occurs in the variety of tomato called "tangerine tomato" a carotenoid, prolycopene, which is an isomer of lycopene; the isomeric relationship is similar to that between lycopene and neolycopene,I and in our opinion prolycopene is to be classed as a naturally occurring neolycopene, being the first observed natural neo form of a C40-carotenoid

Unevenly-sampled signals: a general formalism of the Lomb-Scargle periodogram

The periodogram is a popular tool that tests whether a signal consists only of noise or if it also includes other components. The main issue of this method is to define a critical detection threshold that allows identification of a component other than noise, when a peak in the periodogram exceeds it. In the case of signals sampled on a regular time grid, determination of such a threshold is relatively simple. When the sampling is uneven, however, things are more complicated. The most popular solution in this case is to use the "Lomb-Scargle" periodogram, but this method can be used only when the noise is the realization of a zero-mean, white (i.e. flat-spectrum) random process. In this paper, we present a general formalism based on matrix algebra, which permits analysis of the statistical properties of a periodogram independently of the characteristics of noise (e.g. colored and/or non-stationary), as well as the characteristics of sampling.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres

Comparison of different exoplanet mass detection limit methods using a sample of main-sequence intermediate-type stars

The radial velocity (RV) technique is a powerful tool for detecting extrasolar planets and deriving mass detection limits that are useful for constraining planet pulsations and formation models. Detection limit methods must take into account the temporal distribution of power of various origins in the stellar signal. These methods must also be able to be applied to large samples of stellar RV time series We describe new methods for providing detection limits. We compute the detection limits for a sample of ten main sequence stars, which are of G-F-A type, in general active, and/or with detected planets, and various properties. We use them to compare the performances of these methods with those of two other methods used in the litterature. We obtained detection limits in the 2-1000 day period range for ten stars. Two of the proposed methods, based on the correlation between periodograms and the power in the periodogram of the RV time series in specific period ranges, are robust and represent a significant improvement compared to a method based on the root mean square of the RV signal. We conclude that two of the new methods (correlation-based method and local power analysis, i.e. LPA, method) provide robust detection limits, which are better than those provided by methods that do not take into account the temporal sampling.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures Accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysic

The IAG spectral atlas of the spatially resolved Sun: Centre-to-limb observations

Solar surface magneto-convection appears as granulation pattern that impacts spectral lines in terms of both shape and wavelength. Such induced effects also tend to vary over the observed solar disc because of the changing observation angle and, thus, the changing observation height as well. Centre-to-limb observations of the resolved Sun offer an insight into the variable spectral behaviour across different heliocentric observing positions, providing crucial information about limb darkening, convective velocities, and line profile variability relevant to radial velocity (RV) calculations. Thus, RV measurements and exoplanet transit spectroscopy depend on precise reference templates. We want to provide a spectroscopic centre-to-limb solar atlas at high spectral resolution and high-frequency accuracy. The atlas shall help improve the understanding of the solar atmosphere and convection processes. We performed high-resolution observations of the resolved quiet Sun with a Fourier transform spectrograph at the Institut f\"ur Astrophysik und Geophysik in G\"ottingen. Our dataset contains a wavelength range from 4200\r{A} to 8000\r{A}. We obtained 165 spectra in total, with a spectral resolution of $\Delta \nu$ = 0.024cm$^{-1}$, corresponding to a resolving power $R$ of 700,000 at $\sim$6000\r{A}. We present a centre-to-limb solar atlas containing 14 heliocentric positions. To check for consistency, we investigated the FeI ~6175\r{A} absorption line and compared our line profiles with previous centre-to-limb observations and also with simulations. The line profile and also the bisector profiles are generally consistent with previous observations, but we have identified differences to model line profiles, especially close to the solar limb

Convective blueshift strengths for 242 evolved stars

Context. Extreme precision radial velocity (RV) surveys seeking to detect planets at RV semi-amplitudes of 10 cm/s are facing numerous challenges. One of those challenges is convective blueshift caused by stellar granulation and its suppression through magnetic activity which plays a significant role in hiding planetary signals in stellar jitter. Aims. Previously we found that for main sequence stars, convective blueshift as an observational proxy for the strength of convection near the stellar surface strongly depends on effective temperature. In this work we investigate 242 post main sequence stars, covering the subgiant, red giant, and asymptotic giant phases and empirically determine the changes in convective blueshift with advancing stellar evolution. Methods. We used the third signature scaling approach to fit a solar model for the convective blueshift to absorption-line shift measurements from a sample of coadded HARPS spectra, ranging in temperature from 3750 K to 6150 K. We compare the results to main sequence stars of comparable temperatures but with a higher surface gravity. Results. We show that convective blueshift becomes significantly stronger for evolved stars compared to main sequence stars of a similar temperature. The difference increases as the star becomes more evolved, reaching a 5x increase below 4300 K for the most evolved stars. The large number of stars in the sample, for the first time, allowed for us to empirically show that convective blueshift remains almost constant among the entire evolved star sample at roughly solar convection strength with a slight increase from the red giant phase onward. We discover that the convective blueshift shows a local minimum for subgiant stars, presenting a sweet spot for exoplanet searches around higher mass stars, by taking advantage of their spin-down during the subgiant transition.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures; accepted for publication in A&

The planet search programme at the ESO CES and HARPS. IV. The search for Jupiter analogues around solar-like stars

In 1992 we began a precision radial velocity (RV) survey for planets around solar-like stars with the Coude Echelle Spectrograph and the Long Camera (CES LC) at the 1.4 m telescope in La Silla (Chile). We have continued the survey with the upgraded CES Very Long Camera (VLC) and HARPS, both at the 3.6 m telescope, until 2007. The observations for 31 stars cover a time span of up to 15 years and the RV precision permit a search for Jupiter analogues. We perform a joint analysis for variability, trends, periodicities, and Keplerian orbits and compute detection limits. Moreover, the HARPS RVs are analysed for correlations with activity indicators (CaII H&K and CCF shape). We achieve a long-term RV precision of 15 m/s (CES+LC, 1992-1998), 9 m/s (CES+VLC, 1999-2006), and 2.8 m/s (HARPS, 2003-2009, including archive data), resp. This enables us to confirm the known planets around Iota Hor, HR 506, and HR 3259. A steady RV trend for Eps Ind A can be explained by a planetary companion. On the other hand, we find previously reported trends to be smaller for Beta Hyi and not present for Alp Men. The candidate planet Eps Eri b was not detected despite our better precision. Also the planet announced for HR 4523 cannot be confirmed. Long-term trends in several of our stars are compatible with known stellar companions. We provide a spectroscopic orbital solution for the binary HR 2400 and refined solutions for the planets around HR 506 and Iota Hor. For some other stars the variations could be attributed to stellar activity. The occurrence of two Jupiter-mass planets in our sample is in line with the estimate of 10% for the frequency of giant planets with periods smaller than 10 yr around solar-like stars. We have not detected a Jupiter analogue, while the detections limits for circular orbits indicate at 5 AU a sensitivity for minimum mass of at least 1 M_Jup (2 M_Jup) for 13% (61%) of the stars.Comment: 63 pages, 24 figures (+33 online figures), 13 Tables, accepted for publication in A&A (2012-11-13

Difference image photometry with bright variable backgrounds

Over the last two decades the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) has been something of a test-bed for methods aimed at obtaining accurate time-domain relative photometry within highly crowded fields. Difference imaging methods, originally pioneered towards M31, have evolved into sophisticated methods, such as the Optimal Image Subtraction (OIS) method of Alard & Lupton (1998), that today are most widely used to survey variable stars, transients and microlensing events in our own Galaxy. We show that modern difference image (DIA) algorithms such as OIS, whilst spectacularly successful towards the Milky Way bulge, may perform badly towards high surface brightness targets such as the M31 bulge. Poor results can occur in the presence of common systematics which add spurious flux contributions to images, such as internal reflections, scattered light or fringing. Using data from the Angstrom Project microlensing survey of the M31 bulge, we show that very good results are usually obtainable by first performing careful photometric alignment prior to using OIS to perform point-spread function (PSF) matching. This separation of background matching and PSF matching, a common feature of earlier M31 photometry techniques, allows us to take full advantage of the powerful PSF matching flexibility offered by OIS towards high surface brightness targets. We find that difference images produced this way have noise distributions close to Gaussian, showing significant improvement upon results achieved using OIS alone. We show that with this correction light-curves of variable stars and transients can be recovered to within ~10 arcseconds of the M31 nucleus. Our method is simple to implement and is quick enough to be incorporated within real-time DIA pipelines. (Abridged)Comment: 12 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Includes an expanded discussion of DIA testing and results, including additional lightcurve example

Physical modeling of echelle spectrographs: the CARMENES case study

We have developed a generic physical modeling scheme for high resolution spectroscopy based on simple optical principles. This model predicts the position of centroids for a given set of spectral features with high accuracy. It considers off-plane grating equations and rotations of the different optical elements in order to properly account for tilts in the spectral lines and order curvature. In this way any astronomical spectrograph can be modeled and controlled without the need of commercial ray tracing software. The computations are based on direct ray tracing applying exact corrections to certain surfaces types. This allows us to compute the position on the detector of any spectral feature with high reliability. The parameters of this model, which describe the physical properties of the spectrograph, are continuously optimized to ensure the best possible fit to the observed spectral line positions. We present the physical modeling of CARMENES as a case study. We show that our results are in agreement with commercial ray tracing software. The model prediction matches the observations at a pixel size level, providing an efficient tool in the design, construction and data reduction of high resolution spectrographs. © 2018 SPIE