1,405 research outputs found
Estimates of Active Region Area Coverage through Simultaneous Measurements of He I 5876 and 10830 Lines
Simultaneous, high-quality measurements of the neutral helium triplet
features at 5876~\AA\ and 10830~\AA, respectively, in a sample of solar-type
stars are presented. The observations were made with ESO telescopes at the La
Silla Paranal Observatory under program ID 088.D-0028(A) and MPG Utility Run
for FEROS 088.A-9029(A). The equivalent widths of these features combined with
chromospheric models are utilized to infer the fractional area coverage, or
filling factor, of magnetic regions outside of spots. We find that the majority
of the sample is characterized by filling factors less than unity. However,
discrepancies occur among the coolest K-type and warmest and most rapidly
rotating F-type dwarf stars. We discuss these apparently anomalous results and
find that in the case of K-type stars they are an artifact of the application
of chromospheric models best suited to the Sun than to stars with significantly
lower . The case of the F-type rapid rotators can be explained
with the measurement uncertainties of the equivalent widths, but they may also
be due to a non-magnetic heating component in their atmospheres. With the
exceptions noted above, preliminary results suggest that the average heating
rates in the active regions are the same from one star to the other, differing
in the spatially integrated, observed level of activity due to the area
coverage. Hence, differences in activity in this sample are mainly due to the
filling factor of active regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Testing evolutionary tracks of Pre-Main Sequence stars: the case of HD113449
Evolutionary tracks are of key importance for the understanding of star
formation. Unfortunately, tracks published by various groups differ so that it
is fundamental to have observational tests. In order to do this, we intend to
measure the masses of the two components of the Pre-Main Sequence binary
HD113449 by combining radial velocity measurements taken with HARPS, with
infrared interferometric data using AMBER on the VLTI. The spectroscopic orbit
that has already been determined, combined with the first AMBER measurement,
allows us to obtain a very first estimation of the inclination of the binary
system and from this the masses of the two stars. More AMBER measurements of HD
113449 are needed to improve the precision on the masses: in the ESO period P82
two new measurements are scheduled.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; to appear in proceedings of Cool Star 15
conference, St.Andrews 200
The Chamaeleon II low-mass star-forming region: radial velocities, elemental abundances, and accretion properties
Radial velocities, elemental abundances, and accretion properties of members
of star-forming regions (SFRs) are important for understanding star and planet
formation. While infrared observations reveal the evolutionary status of the
disk, optical spectroscopy is fundamental to acquire information on the
properties of the central star and on the accretion characteristics. 2MASS
archive data and the Spitzer c2d survey of the Chamaeleon II dark cloud have
provided disk properties of a large number of young stars. We complement these
data with spectroscopy with the aim of providing physical stellar parameters
and accretion properties. We use FLAMES/UVES+GIRAFFE observations of 40 members
of Cha II to measure radial velocities through cross-correlation technique, Li
abundances by means of curves of growth, and for a suitable star elemental
abundances of Fe, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Ni using the code MOOG. From the
equivalent widths of the Halpha, Hbeta, and the HeI-5876, 6678, 7065 Angstrom
emission lines, we estimate the mass accretion rates, dMacc/dt, for all the
objects. We derive a radial velocity distribution for the Cha II stars
(=11.4+-2.0 km/s). We find dMacc/dt prop. to Mstar^1.3 and to Age^(-0.82)
in the 0.1-1.0 Msun mass regime, and a mean dMacc/dt for Cha II of ~7*10^(-10)
Msun/yr. We also establish a relationship between the HeI-7065 Angstrom line
emission and the accretion luminosity. The radial velocity distributions of
stars and gas in Cha II are consistent. The spread in dMacc/dt at a given
stellar mass is about one order of magnitude and can not be ascribed entirely
to short timescale variability. Analyzing the relation between dMacc/dt and the
colors in Spitzer and 2MASS bands, we find indications that the inner disk
changes from optically thick to optically thin at dMacc/dt~10^(-10) Msun/yr.
Finally, the disk fraction is consistent with the age of Cha II.Comment: 21 Pages, 15 Figures, 7 Tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysics. Abstract shortene
X-Shooter spectroscopy of FU Tau A
We have analyzed a broad-band optical and near-infrared spectrum of FU Tau A,
a presumed young brown dwarf in the Taurus star forming region that has
intrigued both theorists and observers by its over-luminosity in the HR diagram
with respect to standard pre-main sequence evolutionary models. The new data,
obtained with the X-Shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope, include
an unprecedented wealth of information on stellar parameters and simultaneously
observed accretion and outflow indicators for FU Tau A. We present the first
measurements of gravity (log g = 3.5 +- 0.5), radial velocity (RV = 22.5 +- 2.9
km/s), rotational velocity (v sin(i) = 20 +- 5 km/s) and lithium equivalent
width (W_Li = 430 +- 20 mAA) for FUTau A. From the rotational velocity and the
published period we infer a disk inclination of i ~ 50^deg. The lithium content
is much lower than theoretically expected for such a young very low mass
object, adding another puzzling feature to this object's properties. We
determine the mass accretion rate of FU Tau A from comparison of the
luminosities of 24 emission lines to empirical calibrations from the literature
and find a mean of log (dM/dt)_acc [M_sun/yr] = -9.9 +- 0.2. The accretion rate
determined independently from modeling of the excess emission in the Balmer and
Paschen continua is consistent with this value. The corresponding accretion
luminosity is too small to make a significant contribution to the bolometric
luminosity. The existence of an outflow in FU Tau A is demonstrated through the
first detection of forbidden emission lines from which we obtain an estimate
for the mass loss rate, log (dM/dt)_out [M_sun/yr] < -10.4. The mass outflow
and inflow rates can be combined to yield (dM/dt)_out / (dM/dt)_acc ~ 0.3, a
value that is in agreement with jet launching models.Comment: 12 pages, accepted for publication in A&
Elemental abundances of low-mass stars in nearby young associations: AB Doradus, Carina Near, and Ursa Major
We present stellar parameters and abundances of 11 elements (Li, Na, Mg, Al,
Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn) of 13 F6-K2 main-sequence stars in the young
groups AB Doradus, Carina Near, and Ursa Major. The exoplanet-host star \iota
Horologii is also analysed.
The three young associations have lithium abundance consistent with their
age. All other elements show solar abundances. The three groups are
characterised by a small scatter in all abundances, with mean [Fe/H] values of
0.10 (\sigma=0.03), 0.08 (\sigma=0.05), and 0.01 (\sigma=0.03) dex for AB
Doradus, Carina Near, and Ursa Major, respectively. The distribution of
elemental abundances appears congruent with the chemical pattern of the
Galactic thin disc in the solar vicinity, as found for other young groups. This
means that the metallicity distribution of nearby young stars, targets of
direct-imaging planet-search surveys, is different from that of old, field
solar-type stars, i.e. the typical targets of radial velocity surveys.
The young planet-host star \iota Horologii shows a lithium abundance lower
than that found for the young association members. It is found to have a
slightly super-solar iron abundance ([Fe/H]=0.16+-0.09), while all [X/Fe]
ratios are similar to the solar values. Its elemental abundances are close to
those of the Hyades cluster derived from the literature, which seems to
reinforce the idea of a possible common origin with the primordial cluster.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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