55 research outputs found
Population and dynamical state of the eta Chamaeleontis sparse young open cluster
We report new results in our continuing study of the unique compact (1 pc
extent), nearby (d = 97 pc), young (t = 9 Myr) stellar cluster dominated by the
B9 star eta Chamaeleontis. An optical photometric survey spanning 1.3 x 1.3 pc
adds two M5-M5.5 weak-lined T Tauri (WTT) stars to the cluster inventory which
is likely to be significantly complete for primaries with masses > 0.15 M_sun.
The cluster now consists of 17 primaries and approximately 9 secondaries lying
within 100 AU of their primaries. The apparent distribution of 9:7:1
single:binary:triple systems shows 2-4 x higher multiplicity than in the field
main sequence stars, and is comparable to that seen in other pre-main sequence
(PMS) populations. The initial mass function (IMF) is consistent with that of
rich young clusters and field stars. By extending the cluster IMF to lower
masses, we predict 10-14 additional low mass stars with 0.08 < M < 0.15 M-sun
and 10-15 brown dwarfs with 0.025 < M < 0.08 M_sun remain to be discovered. The
eta Cha cluster extends the established stellar density and richness
relationship for young open clusters. The radial distribution of stars is
consistent with an isothermal sphere, but mass segregation is present with > 50
percent of the stellar mass residing in the inner 6 arcmin (0.17 pc).
Considering that the eta Cha cluster is sparse, diffuse and young, the cluster
may be an ideal laboratory for distinguishing between mass segregation that is
primordial in nature, or arising from dynamical interaction processes.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted for MNRA
Infrared study of the eta Chamaeleontis cluster and the longevity of circumstellar discs
We have analyzed JHKL observations of the stellar population of the ~9
Myr-old eta Chamaeleontis cluster. Using infrared (IR) colour-colour and
colour-excess diagrams, we find the fraction of stellar systems with near-IR
excess emission is 0.60 pm 0.13 (2_sigma). This results implies considerably
longer disc lifetimes than found in some recent studies of other young stellar
clusters. For the classical T Tauri (CTT) and weak-lined T Tauri (WTT) star
population, we also find a strong correlation between the IR excess and H_alpha
emission. The IR excesses of these stars indicate a wide range of star-disc
activity; from a CTT star showing high levels of accretion, to CTT - WTT
transition objects with evidence for some on-going accretion, and WTT stars
with weak or absent IR excesses. Of the 15 known cluster members, 4 stars with
IR excesses delta(K-L) > 0.4 mag are likely experiencing on-going accretion
owing to strong or variable optical emission. The resulting accretion fraction
(0.27 pm 0.13; 2_sigma) shows that the accretion phase, in addition to the
discs themselves, can endure for at least ~10 Myr.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for MNRA
ROSAT and ASCA observations of the Crab-Like Supernova Remnant N157B in the Large Magellanic Cloud
We report the results of ROSAT and ASCA X-ray observations of the supernova
remnant N157B (or 30 Dor B, SNR 0539-69.1) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. For
comparison, we also briefly describe the results on SNR 0540-69.3, the only
confirmed Crab-like remnant in the Cloud. The X-ray emission from N157B can be
decomposed into a bright comet-shaped feature, superimposed on a diffuse
emission region of a dimension pc. The flat and nearly featureless
spectrum of the remnant is distinctly different from those of young shell-like
remnants, suggesting a predominantly Crab-like nature of N157B. Characterized
by a power law with an energy slope , the spectrum of N157B above
keV is, however, considerably steeper than that of SNR 0540-69.3,
which has a slope of . At lower energies, the spectrum of N157B
presents marginal evidence for emission lines, which if real most likely arise
in hot gas of the diffuse emission region. The hot gas has a characteristic
thermal temperature of 0.4-0.7 keV. No significant periodic signal is detected
from N157B in the period range of s. The pulsed
fraction is (99% confidence) in the keV range. We discuss
the nature of the individual X-ray components. In particular, we suggest that
the synchrotron radiation of relativistic particles from a fast-moving () pulsar explains the size, morphology, spectrum, and energetics
of the comet-shaped X-ray feature. We infer the age of the remnant as yrs. The lack of radio polarization of the remnant may be due to
Faraday dispersion by foreground \ion{H}{2} gas.Comment: To be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 21 pages, plus 11
images in the PS, GIF, or jpeg format. Postscript files of images are
available at http://www.astro.nwu.edu/astro/wqd/paper/n157b
A High Relative-Precision Color-Magnitude Diagram of M67
We have calibrated an extensive set of BVI observations of M67. We have
selected stars that are most likely to be single-star members of the cluster
using proper motion, radial velocity, and variability information from the
literature, and an examination of the most probable color-magnitude diagram
locations of unresolved stellar blends. Observations of M67 turnoff stars are a
severe test of algorithms attempting to describe convective cores in the limit
of small extent, and we find strong evidence of a ``hook'' just fainter than
the turnoff gap. The stars in M67 support assertions that the degree of
convective core overshooting decreases to zero for stars with masses in the
range 1.0 < (M / M_sun) < 1.5, but that the degree of overshoot is smaller than
currently used in published isochrones. We also verify that all current
theoretical models for the lower main sequence (with the exception of Baraffe
et al. 1998) are too blue for M_V >~ 6 even when the sequences are shifted to
match M67 near the M_V of the Sun, probably due to a combination of problems
with color-T_eff transformations and realistic surface boundary conditions for
models. Finally, we identify a subset of cluster members with unusual
photometry (candidate red giant binaries, blue straggler stars, and triple
systems) deserving of further study.Comment: 25 pages, 15 figures, accepted for MNRA
Ecological Monitoring and Health Research in Luambe National Park, Zambia: Generation of Baseline Data Layers
Classifying, describing and understanding the natural environment is an important element of studies of human, animal and ecosystem health, and baseline ecological data are commonly lacking in remote environments of the world. Human African trypanosomiasis is an important constraint on human well-being in sub-Saharan Africa, and spillover transmission occurs from the reservoir community of wild mammals. Here we use robust and repeatable methodology to generate baseline datasets on vegetation and mammal density to investigate the ecology of warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) in the remote Luambe National Park in Zambia, in order to further our understanding of their interactions with tsetse (Glossina spp.) vectors of trypanosomiasis. Fuzzy set theory is used to produce an accurate landcover classification, and distance sampling techniques are applied to obtain species and habitat level density estimates for the most abundant wild mammals. The density of warthog burrows is also estimated and their spatial distribution mapped. The datasets generated provide an accurate baseline to further ecological and epidemiological understanding of disease systems such as trypanosomiasis. This study provides a reliable framework for ecological monitoring of wild mammal densities and vegetation composition in remote, relatively inaccessible environments
Surprising dissimilarities in a newly formed pair of 'identical twin' stars
The mass and chemical composition of a star are the primary determinants of
its basic physical properties--radius, temperature, luminosity--and how those
properties evolve with time. Thus, two stars born at the same time, from the
same natal material, and with the same mass are 'identical twins,' and as such
might be expected to possess identical physical attributes. We have discovered
in the Orion Nebula a pair of stellar twins in a newborn binary star system.
Each star in the binary has a mass of 0.41 +/- 0.01 solar masses, identical to
within 2 percent. Here we report that these twin stars have surface
temperatures that differ by ~300K (~10%), and luminosities that differ by ~50%,
both at high confidence level. Preliminary results indicate that the stars'
radii also differ, by 5-10%. These surprising dissimilarities suggest that one
of the twins may have been delayed by several hundred thousand years in its
formation relative to its sibling. Such a delay could only have been detected
in a very young, definitively equal-mass binary system3 such as that reported
here. Our findings reveal cosmic limits on the age synchronisation of young
binary stars, often used as tests for the age calibrations of star-formation
models.Comment: Published in Nature, 19 June 200
Observation of the Far-ultraviolet Continuum Background with SPEAR/FIMS
We present the general properties of the far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1370-1720A)
continuum background over most of the sky, obtained with the Spectroscopy of
Plasma Evolution from Astrophysical Radiation instrument (SPEAR, also known as
FIMS), flown aboard the STSAT-1 satellite mission. We find that the diffuse FUV
continuum intensity is well correlated with N_{HI}, 100 m, and H-alpha
intensities but anti-correlated with soft X-ray. The correlation of the diffuse
background with the direct stellar flux is weaker than the correlation with
other parameters. The continuum spectra are relatively flat. However, a weak
softening of the FUV spectra toward some sight lines, mostly at high Galactic
latitudes, is found not only in direct-stellar but also in diffuse background
spectra. The diffuse background is relatively softer that the direct stellar
spectrum. We also find that the diffuse FUV background averaged over the sky
has about the same level as the direct-stellar radiation field in the
statistical sense and a bit softer spectrum compared to direct stellar
radiation. A map of the ratio of 1400-1510A to 1560-1660A shows that the sky is
divided into roughly two parts. However, this map shows a lot of patchy
structures on small scales. The spatial variation of the hardness ratio seems
to be largely determined by the longitudinal distribution of spectral types of
stars in the Galactic plane. A correlation of the hardness ratio with the FUV
intensity at high intensities is found but an anti-correlation at low
intensities. We also find evidence that the FUV intensity distribution is
log-normal in nature.Comment: 39 pages, 26 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Rotation of young stars in Cepheus OB3b
We present a photometric study of I-band variability in the young association Cepheus OB3b. The study is sensitive to periodic variability on time-scales of less than a day, to more than 20 d. After rejection of contaminating objects using V, I, R and narrow-band Hα photometry, we find 475 objects with measured rotation periods, which are very likely pre-main-sequence members of the Cep OB3b star-forming region.
We revise the distance and age to Cep OB3b, putting it on the self-consistent age and distance ladder of Mayne & Naylor. This yields a distance modulus of 8.8 ± 0.2 mag, corresponding to a distance of 580 ± 60 pc, and an age of 4–5 Myr.
The rotation period distribution confirms the general picture of rotational evolution in young stars, exhibiting both the correlation between accretion (determined in this case through narrow-band Hα photometry) and rotation expected from disc locking, and the dependence of rotation upon mass that is seen in other star-forming regions. However, this mass dependence is much weaker in our data than found in other studies. Comparison to the similarly aged NGC 2362 shows that the low-mass stars in Cep OB3b are rotating much more slowly. This points to a possible link between star-forming environment and rotation properties. Such a link would call into question models of stellar angular momentum evolution, which assume that the rotational period distributions of young clusters and associations can be assembled into an evolutionary sequence, thus ignoring environmental effects
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