398 research outputs found
A Technique to Derive Improved Proper Motions for Kepler Objects of Interest
We outline an approach yielding proper motions with higher precision than
exists in present catalogs for a sample of stars in the Kepler field. To
increase proper motion precision we combine first moment centroids of Kepler
pixel data from a single Season with existing catalog positions and proper
motions. We use this astrometry to produce improved reduced proper motion
diagrams, analogous to a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, for stars identified as
Kepler Objects of Interest. The more precise the relative proper motions, the
better the discrimination between stellar luminosity classes. With UCAC4 and
PPMXL epoch 2000 positions (and proper motions from those catalogs as
quasi-bayesian priors) astrometry for a single test Channel (21) and Season (0)
spanning two years yields proper motions with an average per-coordinate proper
motion error of 1.0 millisecond of arc per year, over a factor of three better
than existing catalogs. We apply a mapping between a reduced proper motion
diagram and an HR diagram, both constructed using HST parallaxes and proper
motions, to estimate Kepler Object of Interest K-band absolute magnitudes. The
techniques discussed apply to any future small-field astrometry as well as the
rest of the Kepler field.Comment: Accepted to The Astronomical Journal 15 August 201
Discovery of Par 1802 as a Low-Mass, Pre-Main-Sequence Eclipsing Binary in the Orion Star-Forming Region
We report the discovery of a pre-main-sequence, low-mass, double-lined,
spectroscopic, eclipsing binary in the Orion star-forming region. We present
our observations including radial velocities derived from optical
high-resolution spectroscopy, and present an orbit solution that permits the
determination of precise empirical masses for both components of the system. We
measure that Par 1802 is composed of two equal mass (0.39+-0.03, 0.40+-0.03
Msun) stars in a circular, 4.7 day orbit. There is strong evidence, such as the
system exhibiting strong Li lines and a center-of-mass velocity consistent with
cluster membership, that this system is a member of the Orion star-forming
region and quite possibly the Orion Nebula Cluster, and therefore has an age of
only a few million years. As there are currently only a few empirical mass and
radius measurements for low-mass, PMS stars, this system presents an
interesting test for the predictions of current theoretical models of pre-main
sequence stellar evolution.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables; Fig 2 caption edite
Employing a New BVIc Photometric Survey of IC 4665 to Investigate the Age of this Young Open Cluster
We present a new, BVIc photometric survey of the young open cluster IC4665,
which improves on previous studies of this young cluster by incorporating a
rigorous standardization procedure, thus providing high-fidelity colors and
magnitudes for cluster members. We use this new photometric dataset to
reevaluate the properties (age and distance) of IC4665. Namely, using a
statistical approach incorporating Tau^2 CMD modeling, we measure a
pre-main-sequence isochrone age and distance of 36+-9 Myr and 360+-12 pc, as
well as a upper-main-sequence turn-off age and distance of 42+-12 Myr and
357+-12 pc. These ages and distances are highly dependent on the isochrone
model and color used for the fitting procedure, with a possible range of ~10-20
Myr in age and ~20 pc in distance. This spread in calculated ages and distances
seen between colors and models is likely due to limitations in the individual
membership catalogs and/or systematic differences in the predicted stellar
parameters from the different sets of models. Interestingly, when we compare
the isochrone ages for IC4665 to the published lithium depletion boundary age,
28+-5 Myr, we observe that this cluster does not appear to follow the trend of
isochrone ages being 1.5 times smaller than lithium depletion boundary ages. In
addition, comparing the overall magnetic activity (X-ray and H-alpha emission)
in IC4665 with other well studied open clusters, we find the observed activity
distributions for this young cluster are best characterized by assuming an age
of 30-40 Myr, thus in agreement with our pre-main-sequence and turn-off
isochrone ages for IC4665. Overall, although some age discrepancies do exist,
particularly in the ages measured from pre-main-sequence isochrones, the range
of possible IC4665 ages derived from the various dating techniques employed
here is relatively small compared to that found for other well studied open
clusters.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables; Accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journa
Absence of a metallicity effect for ultra-short-period planets
Ultra-short-period (USP) planets are a newly recognized class of planets with
periods shorter than one day and radii smaller than about 2 Earth radii. It has
been proposed that USP planets are the solid cores of hot Jupiters that lost
their gaseous envelopes due to photo-evaporation or Roche lobe overflow. We
test this hypothesis by asking whether USP planets are associated with
metal-rich stars, as has long been observed for hot Jupiters. We find the
metallicity distributions of USP-planet and hot-Jupiter hosts to be
significantly different (), based on Keck spectroscopy of
Kepler stars. Evidently, the sample of USP planets is not dominated by the
evaporated cores of hot Jupiters. The metallicity distribution of stars with
USP planets is indistinguishable from that of stars with short-period planets
with sizes between 2--4~. Thus it remains possible that the USP
planets are the solid cores of formerly gaseous planets smaller than Neptune.Comment: AJ, in pres
Exploiting kinematics and UBVIc photometry to establish high fidelity membership of the open cluster Blanco 1
We present the results of a wide-field, high-precision UBVIc CCD photometric survey of the Galactic open cluster Blanco 1. Standardized photometry was acquired using the Y4Kcam on the SMARTS 1m telescope at CTIO. We have also determined new high-precision proper motions (σμ = 0.3 mas yr−1) over an eight square degree area down to V = 16.5. Combined with 1D kinematic data, our survey yields a complete list of cluster members down to ~ 0.5 M and new high-fidelity color-magnitude diagrams are presented for Blanco 1. Having established a bona fide membership catalog, astrophysical characteristics of solar-type cluster members such as X-ray activity and lithium abundance have been studied to gain more insights in the process of internal mixing and convection. Our new results should also help to better understand its peculiar location in the Milky Way and to unravel its dynamical histor
The Factory and The Beehive II. Activity and Rotation in Praesepe and the Hyades
Open clusters are collections of stars with a single, well-determined age,
and can be used to investigate the connections between angular-momentum
evolution and magnetic activity over a star's lifetime. We present the results
of a comparative study of the relationship between stellar rotation and
activity in two benchmark open clusters: Praesepe and the Hyades. As they have
the same age and roughly solar metallicity, these clusters serve as an ideal
laboratory for testing the agreement between theoretical and empirical
rotation-activity relations at 600 Myr. We have compiled a sample of
720 spectra --- more than half of which are new observations --- for 516
high-confidence members of Praesepe; we have also obtained 139 new spectra for
130 high-confidence Hyads. We have collected rotation periods () for
135 Praesepe members and 87 Hyads. To compare emission, an indicator
of chromospheric activity, as a function of color, mass, and Rossby number
, we first calculate an expanded set of values, with which we can
obtain the to bolometric luminosity ratio, ,
even when spectra are not flux-calibrated and/or stars lack reliable distances.
Our values cover a broader range of stellar masses and colors (roughly
equivalent to spectral types from K0 to M9), and exhibit better agreement
between independent calculations, than existing values. We find no difference
between the two clusters in their equivalent width or
distributions, and therefore take the merged
and data to be representative of 600-Myr-old stars. Our analysis
shows that activity in these stars is saturated for
. Above that value activity declines as a
power-law with slope , before dropping off rapidly
at ...Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, Accepted by Ap
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