ASAS Light Curves of Intermediate Mass Eclipsing Binaries and the Parameters of HI Mon

We present a catalog of 56 candidate intermediate mass eclipsing binary systems extracted from the 3rd data release of the All Sky Automated Survey. We gather pertinent observational data and derive orbital properties, including ephemerides, for these systems as a prelude to anticipated spectroscopic observations. We find that 37 of the 56, or ~66% of the systems are not identified in the Simbad Astronomical Database as known binaries. As a specific example, we show spectroscopic data obtained for the system HI Mon (B0 V + B0.5 V) observed at key orbital phases based on the computed ephemeris, and we present a combined spectroscopic and photometric solution for the system and give stellar parameters for each component.Comment: 83 pages, 63 figure

The change in the inclination angle of the non-eclipsing binary SS Lacertae: future eclipses

Eclipses in the 14.4-day period double-lined binary SS Lac were observed photographically and visually early in the 20th century, but stopped some 50 or 60 years ago. This has been explained by the presence of a distant third star in the system, which has now been detected spectroscopically with a period of 679 days. The plane of the orbit of the binary is changing relative to the line of sight in response to perturbations from this third object. A recent analysis by Milone et al. (M00) of all photometric material available for the system, including a re-measurement of original Harvard plates, has confirmed earlier reports of changes in the depth of the eclipses as a function of time, which are due to the third star. In this paper we discuss our detailed analysis of the eclipse amplitude measurements, and extract from them information on the change in the inclination angle of the binary over the last century. Our use of a much improved ephemeris for the system by Torres & Stefanik was found to be crucial, and prompted us to re-determine all the amplitudes from the historical data at our disposal, including the Harvard material used by M00. Systematically lower measurements on the branches of the minima were properly accounted for, and we made use of both a linear approximation to the time variation of the inclination angle and a more realistic model based on the theory of three-body interactions ("regression of the nodes" effect). The nodal cycle is found to be about 600 yr, within which TWO eclipse "seasons" occur, each lasting about 100 yr. The non-eclipsing status of the system is expected to continue until the beginning of the 23rd century.Comment: 32 pages, including figures and tables. Accepted for The Astronomical Journal, April 200

HAT Variability Survey in the High Stellar Density "Kepler Field" with Millimagnitude Image Subtraction Photometry

The Hungarian-made Automated Telescope network (HATnet) is an ongoing project to detect transiting extra-solar planets using small aperture (11 cm diameter), robotic telescopes. In this paper we present the results from using image subtraction photometry to reduce a crowded stellar field observed with one of the HATnet telescopes (HAT-5). This field was chosen to overlap with the planned Kepler mission. We obtained I-band light curves for 98,000 objects in a 8.3x8.3 square degree field of view, near the Galactic plane in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra. These observations include 788 5-minute exposures over 30 days. For the brightest stars (I~8.0) we achieved a precision of 3.5 millimagnitudes, falling to 0.1 magnitudes at the faint end (I~14). From these light curves we identify 1617 variable stars, of which 1439 are newly discovered. The fact that nearly 90% of the variables were previously undetected further demonstrates the vast number of variables yet to be discovered even among fairly bright stars in our Galaxy. We also discuss some of the most interesting cases. These include: V1171 Cyg, a triple system with the inner two stars in P=1.462 day period eclipsing orbit and the outer star a P=4.86 day Cepheid; HD227269, an eccentric eclipsing system with a P=4.86 day period that also shows P=2.907 day pulsations; WW Cyg, a well studied eclipsing binary; V482 Cyg, an RCB star; and V546 Cyg, a PV Tel Variable. We also detect a number of small amplitude variables, in some cases with full amplitude as low as 10 mmag.Comment: 44 pages, 19 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Revised version, including updated matches to existing catalogs. Data available at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~gbakos/HAT/LC/199

Revealing The Millimeter Environment of the New FU Orionis Candidate HBC722 with the Submillimeter Array

We present 230 GHz Submillimeter Array continuum and molecular line observations of the newly discovered FUor candidate HBC722. We report the detection of seven 1.3 mm continuum sources in the vicinity of HBC722, none of which correspond to HBC722 itself. We compile infrared and submillimeter continuum photometry of each source from previous studies and conclude that three are Class 0 embedded protostars, one is a Class I embedded protostar, one is a Class I/II transition object, and two are either starless cores or very young, very low luminosity protostars or first hydrostatic cores. We detect a northwest-southeast outflow, consistent with the previous detection of such an outflow in low-resolution, single-dish observations, and note that its axis may be precessing. We show that this outflow is centered on and driven by one of the nearby Class 0 sources rather than HBC722, and find no conclusive evidence that HBC722 itself is driving an outflow. The non-detection of HBC722 in the 1.3 mm continuum observations suggests an upper limit of 0.02 solar masses for the mass of the circumstellar disk. This limit is consistent with typical T Tauri disks and with a disk that provides sufficient mass to power the burst.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Ap

Catalog of 93 Nova Light Curves: Classification and Properties

We present a catalog of 93 very-well-observed nova light curves. The light curves were constructed from 229,796 individual measured magnitudes, with the median coverage extending to 8.0 mag below peak and 26% of the light curves following the eruption all the way to quiescence. Our time-binned light curves are presented in figures and as complete tabulations. We also calculate and tabulate many properties about the light curves, including peak magnitudes and dates, times to decline by 2, 3, 6, and 9 magnitudes from maximum, the time until the brightness returns to quiescence, the quiescent magnitude, power law indices of the decline rates throughout the eruption, the break times in this decline, plus many more properties specific to each nova class. We present a classification system for nova light curves based on the shape and the time to decline by 3 magnitudes from peak (t3). The designations are S for smooth light curves (38% of the novae), P for plateaus (21%), D for dust dips (18%), C for cusp-shaped secondary maxima (1%), O for quasi-sinusoidal oscillations superposed on an otherwise smooth decline (4%), F for flat-topped light curves (2%), and J for jitters or flares superposed on the decline (16%). Our classification consists of this single letter followed by the t3 value in parentheses; so for example V1500 Cyg is S(4), GK Per is O(13), DQ Her is D(100), and U Sco is P(3).Comment: Astronomical Journal, in press, 19 figures, 73 page

Accurate masses and radii of normal stars: modern results and applications

This paper presents and discusses a critical compilation of accurate, fundamental determinations of stellar masses and radii. We have identified 95 detached binary systems containing 190 stars (94 eclipsing systems, and alpha Centauri) that satisfy our criterion that the mass and radius of both stars be known to 3% or better. To these we add interstellar reddening, effective temperature, metal abundance, rotational velocity and apsidal motion determinations when available, and we compute a number of other physical parameters, notably luminosity and distance. We discuss the use of this information for testing models of stellar evolution. The amount and quality of the data also allow us to analyse the tidal evolution of the systems in considerable depth, testing prescriptions of rotational synchronisation and orbital circularisation in greater detail than possible before. The new data also enable us to derive empirical calibrations of M and R for single (post-) main-sequence stars above 0.6 M(Sun). Simple, polynomial functions of T(eff), log g and [Fe/H] yield M and R with errors of 6% and 3%, respectively. Excellent agreement is found with independent determinations for host stars of transiting extrasolar planets, and good agreement with determinations of M and R from stellar models as constrained by trigonometric parallaxes and spectroscopic values of T(eff) and [Fe/H]. Finally, we list a set of 23 interferometric binaries with masses known to better than 3%, but without fundamental radius determinations (except alpha Aur). We discuss the prospects for improving these and other stellar parameters in the near future.Comment: 56 pages including figures and tables. To appear in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. Ascii versions of the tables will appear in the online version of the articl

The Behavior of Novae Light Curves Before Eruption

In 1975, E. R. Robinson conducted the hallmark study of the behavior of classical nova light curves before eruption, and this work has now become part of the standard knowledge of novae. He made three points; that 5 out of 11 novae showed pre-eruption rises in the years before eruption, that one nova (V446 Her) showed drastic changes in the variability across eruptions, and that all but one of the novae (excepting BT Mon) have the same quiescent magnitudes before and after the outburst. This work has not been tested since it came out. We have now tested these results by going back to the original archival photographic plates and measuring large numbers of pre-eruption magnitudes for many novae using comparison stars on a modern magnitude scale. We find in particular that four out of five claimed pre-eruption rises are due to simple mistakes in the old literature, that V446 Her has the same amplitude of variations across its 1960 eruption, and that BT Mon has essentially unchanged brightness across its 1939 eruption. Out of 22 nova eruptions, we find two confirmed cases of significant pre-eruption rises (for V533 Her and V1500 Cyg), while T CrB has a deep pre-eruption dip. These events are a challenge to theorists. We find no significant cases of changes in variability across 27 nova eruptions beyond what is expected due to the usual fluctuations seen in novae away from eruptions. For 30 classical novae plus 19 eruptions from 6 recurrent novae, we find that the average change in magnitude from before the eruption to long after the eruption is 0.0 mag. However, we do find five novae (V723 Cas, V1500 Cyg, V1974 Cyg, V4633 Sgr, and RW UMi) that have significantly large changes, in that the post-eruption quiescent brightness level is over ten times brighter than the pre-eruption level.Comment: 91 pages (preprint), AJ accepte

The Properties of X-Ray and Optical Light Curves of X-Ray Novae

We have collected the available data from the literature and from public data archives covering the past two decades for the long-term X-ray and optical light curves of X-ray nova (XN) outbursts, and carry out for the first time a systematic, statistical study of XN light curves which are classified into 5 morphological types. Basic light curve parameters, e.g., the outburst peak flux, amplitude, luminosity, rise and decay timescales, the observed and expected outburst durations, and total energy radiated, are tabulated and discussed. The rise timescales are found to have a flat distribution while the decay timescales have a much narrower and near-Gaussian distribution, centered around 30 days and dominated by the strongest outbursts. The peak luminosity is also distributed like a Gaussian, centered around 0.2 in Eddington units, while the total energy released has a much broader distribution around 10E44 ergs. We identify and discuss additional light curve features, such as precursors, plateaus, and secondary maxima. The plateaus exhibited in the light curves of black hole sources are found to have, on average, longer durations and they are followed by longer decays. The identified secondary maxima seem to occur mostly in black hole systems. For the frequency of outbursts, we find that the average XN outburst rate is about 2.6 per year for events >0.3 Crab, and that the mean recurrence time between outbursts from a single source is 6 years. The spatial and logN-logS distribution of the XN sources, with limited statistics, agrees with a source population in the Galactic disk, as observed from a point at a distance of 8.5 kpc from the Galactic center. Finally, we point out that the observed XN light curve properties can in general be explained by a disk thermal instability model, although some important problems still remain.Comment: 68 pages including 27 Postscript figures and 12 tables. To be published in the Astrophysical Journal, Part

Lattice Boltzmann simulations of soft matter systems

This article concerns numerical simulations of the dynamics of particles immersed in a continuum solvent. As prototypical systems, we consider colloidal dispersions of spherical particles and solutions of uncharged polymers. After a brief explanation of the concept of hydrodynamic interactions, we give a general overview over the various simulation methods that have been developed to cope with the resulting computational problems. We then focus on the approach we have developed, which couples a system of particles to a lattice Boltzmann model representing the solvent degrees of freedom. The standard D3Q19 lattice Boltzmann model is derived and explained in depth, followed by a detailed discussion of complementary methods for the coupling of solvent and solute. Colloidal dispersions are best described in terms of extended particles with appropriate boundary conditions at the surfaces, while particles with internal degrees of freedom are easier to simulate as an arrangement of mass points with frictional coupling to the solvent. In both cases, particular care has been taken to simulate thermal fluctuations in a consistent way. The usefulness of this methodology is illustrated by studies from our own research, where the dynamics of colloidal and polymeric systems has been investigated in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium situations.Comment: Review article, submitted to Advances in Polymer Science. 16 figures, 76 page