145 research outputs found
K Giants in Baade's Window. II. The Abundance Distribution
This is the second in a series of papers in which we analyze spectra of over
400 K and M giants in Baade's Window, including most of the stars with proper
motions measured by Spaenhauer et al. [AJ, 103, 297 (1992)]. In our first
paper, we measured line--strength indices of Fe, Mg, CN and H and
calibrated them on the system of Faber et al. [ApJS, 57, 711 (1985)]. Here, we
use the index to derive an abundance distribution in
[Fe/H] for 322 stars with effective temperatures between 3900 K and 5160 K.
Our derived values of [Fe/H] agree well with those measured from
high--resolution echelle spectra (e.g., McWilliam \& Rich [ApJS, 91, 749
(1994)]) for the small number of stars in common. We find a mean abundance
for our sample of Baade's Window
K giants. More than half the sample lie in the range \feh\ .
We estimate line--of--sight distances for individual stars in our sample and
confirm that, in Baade's Window, most K giants with are foreground
disk stars, but the great majority (more than 80\%) with belong to the
bulge.
We also compare the metallicities derived from the CN and Mg indices to
those from iron. Most of the metal--rich stars in our sample appear to be
CN--weak, in contrast to the situation in metal--rich globular clusters and
elliptical galaxies. The metal--poor half of our sample ([Fe/H] ) shows
evidence for a mild Mg overenhancement ([Mg/Fe] ); but this is not
seen in the more metal--rich stars ([Fe/H] 0). The K giants in Baade's
Window therefore share some, but not all, of the characteristics of stars in
elliptical galaxies as inferred from their integrated light.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, tentatively
scheduled for July, 1996. LaTex source which generates 40 pages of text (no
figures or tables). Complete (text + 15 figs + 5 tables) preprint in gzip/tar
format is also available at
ftp://bessel.mps.ohio-state.edu/pub/terndrup/kg2.tar.gz (227 kbyte
Ages, Distances, and the Initial Mass Functions of Stellar Clusters
We provide a review of the current status of several topics on the ages,
distances, and mass functions of open clusters, with a particular emphasis on
illuminating the areas of uncertainty. Hipparcos has obtained parallaxes for
nearby open clusters that have expected accuracies much better than has been
previously achievable. By using the lithium depletion boundary method and
isochrone fitting based on much improved new theoretical evolutionary models
for low mass stars, it is arguable that we will soon have have much better age
scales for clusters and star-forming regions. With improved optical and near-IR
cameras, we are just now beginning to extend the mass function of open clusters
like the Pleiades into the regime below the hydrogen burning mass limit.
Meanwhile, observations in star-forming regions are in principle capable of
identifying objects down to of order 10 Jupiter masses.Comment: 13 pages, including 3 embedded figures (4 EPS files). To appear in
"11th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun," ed. R.
J. Garcia Lopez, R. Rebolo, and M. R. Zapatero Osori
GRB 060218/SN 2006aj: A Gamma-Ray Burst and Prompt Supernova at z=0.0335
We report the imaging and spectroscopic localization of GRB 060218 to a
low-metallicity dwarf starburst galaxy at z = 0.03345 +/- 0.00006. In addition
to making it the second nearest gamma-ray burst known, optical spectroscopy
reveals the earliest detection of weak, supernova-like Si II near 5720
Angstroms (0.1c), starting 1.95 days after the burst trigger. UBVRI photometry
obtained between 1 and 26 days post-burst confirms the early rise of supernova
light, and suggests a short time delay between the gamma-ray burst and the
onset of SN 2006aj if the early appearance of a soft component in the X-ray
spectrum is understood as a ``shock breakout''. Together, these results verify
the long-hypothesized origin of soft gamma-ray bursts in the deaths of massive
stars.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Resolving the pulsations of subdwarf B stars: HS 0039+4302, HS 0444+0458, and an examination of the group properties of resolved pulsators
We continue our program of single-site observations of pulsating subdwarf B
(sdB) stars and present the results of extensive time series photometry of HS
0039+4302 and HS 0444+0458. Both were observed at MDM Observatory during the
fall of 2005. We extend the number of known frequencies for HS 0039+4302 from 4
to 14 and discover one additional frequency for HS 0444+0458, bringing the
total to three. We perform standard tests to search for multiplet structure,
measure amplitude variations, and examine the frequency density to constrain
the mode degree .
Including the two stars in this paper, 23 pulsating sdB stars have received
follow-up observations designed to decipher their pulsation spectra. It is
worth an examination of what has been detected. We compare and contrast the
frequency content in terms of richness and range and the amplitudes with
regards to variability and diversity. We use this information to examine
observational correlations with the proposed pulsation mechanism as
well as alternative theories.Comment: 32 pages, 18 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
K giants in Baade's window; 1, velocity and line-strength measurements
This is the first in a series of papers in which we analyze medium--resolution spectra of over 400 K and M giants in Baade's Window. Our sample was selected from the proper motion study of Spaenhauer et al. [AJ, 103, 297 (1992)]. We have measured radial velocities for most of the sample, as well as line--strength indices on the system of Faber et al. [ApJS, 57, 711 (1985)]. We analyze the random and systematic errors in velocities and line strengths, and show that the bright (V < 16.0) stars in our sample are predominantly foreground disk stars along the line--of--sight toward Baade's Window. We find that most of the bulge K giants have stronger Mg absorption at a given color than do stars in the solar neighborhood. If the K giants in our sample are moderately old, we suggest that on average they may have [Mg/Fe] ~ +0.3, consistent with the results of recent high--resolution spectroscopy in Baade's Window
GRB 021004: A Possible Shell Nebula around a Wolf-Rayet Star Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor
The rapid localization of GRB 021004 by the HETE-2 satellite allowed nearly
continuous monitoring of its early optical afterglow decay, as well as
high-quality optical spectra that determined a redshift of z=2.328 for its
host, an active starburst galaxy with strong Lyman-alpha emission and several
absorption lines. Spectral observations show multiple absorbers blueshifted by
up to 3,155 km/s relative to the host galaxy Lyman-alpha emission.We argue that
these correspond to a fragmented shell nebula, gradually enriched by a
Wolf-Rayet wind over the lifetime of a massive progenitor bubble. In this
scenario, the absorbers can be explained by circumstellar material that have
been radiatively accelerated by the GRB emission. Dynamical and photoionization
models are used to provide constraints on the radiative acceleration from the
early afterglow.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 2003 GRB
Conferenc
Implications of New JHK Photometry and a Deep Infrared Luminosity Function for the Galactic Bulge
We present deep near-IR photometry for Galactic bulge stars in Baade's
Window, and another minor axis field at . We combine our data with previously published photometry
and construct a luminosity function over the range ,
deeper than any previously published. The slope of this luminosity function and
the magnitude of the tip of the first ascent giant branch are consistent with
theoretical values derived from isochrones with appropriate age and
metallicity.
We use the relationship between [Fe/H] and the giant branch slope derived
from near-IR observations of metal rich globular clusters by Kuchinski {\it et
al.} [AJ, 109, 1131 (1995)] to calculate the mean metallicity for several bulge
fields along the minor axis. For Baade's Window we derive , consistent with the recent estimate of
McWilliam \& Rich [ApJS, 91, 749 (1994)], but somewhat lower than previous
estimates based on CO and TiO absorption bands and the colors of M giants
by Frogel {\it et al.} [ApJ, 353, 494 (1990)]. Between and
we find a gradient in of dex/degree or dex/kpc for kpc, consistent with
other independent derivations. We derive a helium abundance for Baade's Window
with the and methods and find that implying
.
Next, we find that the bolometric corrections for bulge K giants () are in excellent agreement with empirical derivations based on observations
of globular cluster and local field stars. However, for the redder M giants weComment: Accepted by the Astronomical Journal. 43 pages, uuencoded compressed
PostScript, no figures or tables. A complete (text, figs and tables) preprint
is also available at
ftp://bessel.mps.ohio-state.edu/pub/terndrup/bwphot.tar.Z (compressed tar
file with PostScript
Abundance Patterns in Stars in the Bulge and Galactic Center
We discuss oxygen and iron abundance patterns in K and M red-giant members of
the Galactic bulge and in the young and massive M-type stars inhabiting the
very center of the Milky Way. The abundance results from the different bulge
studies in the literature, both in the optical and the infrared, indicate that
the [O/Fe]-[Fe/H] relation in the bulge does not follow the disk relation, with
[O/Fe] values falling above those of the disk. Based on these elevated values
of [O/Fe] extending to large Fe abundances, it is suggested that the bulge
underwent a rapid chemical enrichment with perhaps a top-heavy initial mass
function. The Galactic Center stars reveal a nearly uniform and slightly
elevated (relative to solar) iron abundance for a studied sample which is
composed of 10 red giants and supergiants. Perhaps of more significance is the
fact that the young Galactic Center M-type stars show abundance patterns that
are reminiscent of those observed for the bulge population and contain enhanced
abundance ratios of alpha-elements relative to either the Sun or Milky Way disk
at near-solar metallicities.Comment: requires iaus.cls; to appear in Formation and Evolution of Galaxy
Bulges, Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 245, 2007, M. Bureau et al. eds., in
pres
GRB 021004: A Possible Shell Nebula around a Wolf-Rayet Star Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor
The rapid localization of GRB 021004 by the HETE-2 satellite allowed nearly
continuous monitoring of its early optical afterglow decay, as well as
high-quality optical spectra that determined a redshift of z3=2.328 for its
host galaxy, an active starburst galaxy with strong Lyman-alpha emission and
several absorption lines. Spectral observations show multiple absorbers at
z3A=2.323, z3B= 2.317, and z3C= 2.293 blueshifted by 450, 990, and 3,155 km/s
respectively relative to the host galaxy Lyman-alpha emission. We argue that
these correspond to a fragmented shell nebula that has been radiatively
accelerated by the gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow at a distance greater than
0.3 pc from a Wolf-Rayet star progenitor. The chemical abundance ratios
indicate that the nebula is overabundant in carbon and silicon. The high level
of carbon and silicon is consistent with a swept-up shell nebula gradually
enriched by a WCL progenitor wind over the lifetime of the nebula prior to the
GRB onset. The detection of statistically significant fluctuations and color
changes about the jet-like optical decay further supports this interpretation
since fluctuations must be present at some level due to inhomogeneities in a
clumpy stellar wind medium or if the progenitor has undergone massive ejection
prior to the GRB onset. This evidence suggests that the mass-loss process in a
Wolf-Rayet star might lead naturally to an iron-core collapse with sufficient
angular momentum that could serve as a suitable GRB progenitor.Comment: Replaced with version accepted by ApJ; 40 pages, 9 figure
New Rotation Periods in the Pleiades: Interpreting Activity Indicators
We present results of photometric monitoring campaigns of G, K and M dwarfs in the Pleiades carried out in 1994, 1995 and 1996. We have determined rotation periods for 18 stars in this cluster. In this paper, we examine the validity of using observables such as X-ray activity and amplitude of photometric variations as indicators of angular momentum loss. We report the discovery of cool, slow rotators with high amplitudes of variation. This contradicts previous conclusions about the use of amplitudes as an alternate diagnostic of the saturation of angular momentum loss. We show that the X-ray data can be used as observational indicators of mass-dependent saturation in the angular momentum loss proposed on theoretical grounds
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