923 research outputs found
Erratum: "Post-T Tauri Stars in the Nearest OB Association" (AJ, 124, 1670 [2002])
A few typos in Mamajek, Meyer, & Liebert (2002, AJ, 124, 1670) have been
corrected in this erratum (including two stellar misidentifications and an
incorrect power in the units of a slope). The most significant is the
correction of a sign error in the published polynomial conversion between Tycho
and Johnson-Cousins (B-V) colors.Comment: 1 page, to appear in April 2006 Astronomical Journa
On the Spectral Evolution of Cool, Helium-Atmosphere White Dwarfs: Detailed Spectroscopic and Photometric Analysis of DZ Stars
We present a detailed analysis of a large spectroscopic and photometric
sample of DZ white dwarfs based on our latest model atmosphere calculations. We
revise the atmospheric parameters of the trigonometric parallax sample of
Bergeron, Leggett, & Ruiz (12 stars) and analyze 147 new DZ white dwarfs
discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The inclusion of metals and
hydrogen in our model atmosphere calculations leads to different atmospheric
parameters than those derived from pure helium models. Calcium abundances are
found in the range from log (Ca/He) = -12 to -8. We also find that fits of the
coolest objects show peculiarities, suggesting that our physical models may not
correctly describe the conditions of high atmospheric pressure encountered in
the coolest DZ stars. We find that the mean mass of the 11 DZ stars with
trigonometric parallaxes, = 0.63 Mo, is significantly lower than that
obtained from pure helium models, = 0.78 Mo, and in much better agreement
with the mean mass of other types of white dwarfs. We determine hydrogen
abundances for 27% of the DZ stars in our sample, while only upper limits are
obtained for objects with low signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic data. We
confirm with a high level of confidence that the accretion rate of hydrogen is
at least two orders of magnitude smaller than that of metals (and up to five in
some cases) to be compatible with the observations. We find a correlation
between the hydrogen abundance and the effective temperature, suggesting for
the first time empirical evidence of a lower temperature boundary for the
hydrogen screening mechanism. Finally, we speculate on the possibility that the
DZA white dwarfs could be the result of the convective mixing of thin
hydrogen-rich atmospheres with the underlying helium convection zone.Comment: 67 pages, 32 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Simultaneous Multi-Wavelength Observations of Magnetic Activity in Ultracool Dwarfs. I. The Complex Behavior of the M8.5 Dwarf TVLM513-46546
[Abridged] We present the first simultaneous radio, X-ray, ultraviolet, and
optical spectroscopic observations of the M8.5 dwarf TVLM513-46546, with a
duration of 9 hours. These observations are part of a program to study the
origin of magnetic activity in ultracool dwarfs, and its impact on
chromospheric and coronal emission. Here we detect steady quiescent radio
emission superposed with multiple short-duration, highly polarized flares;
there is no evidence for periodic bursts previously reported for this object,
indicating their transient nature. We also detect soft X-ray emission, with
L_X/L_bol~10^-4.9, the faintest to date for any object later than M5, and a
possible weak X-ray flare. TVLM513-46546 continues the trend of severe
violation of the radio/X-ray correlation in ultracool dwarfs, by nearly 4
orders of magnitude. From the optical spectroscopy we find that the Balmer line
luminosity exceeds the X-ray luminosity by a factor of a few, suggesting that,
unlike in early M dwarfs, chromospheric heating may not be due to coronal X-ray
emission. More importantly, we detect a sinusoidal H-alpha light curve with a
period of 2 hr, matching the rotation period of TVLM513-46546. This is the
first known example of such Balmer line behavior, which points to a co-rotating
chromospheric hot spot or an extended magnetic structure, with a covering
fraction of about 50%. This feature may be transitory based on the apparent
decline in light curve peak during the four observed maxima. From the radio
data we infer a large scale steady magnetic field of ~100 G, in good agreement
with the value required for confinement of the X-ray emitting plasma. The radio
flares, on the other hand, are produced in a component of the field with a
strength of ~3 kG and a likely multi-polar configuration.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
The Formation Rate, Mass and Luminosity Functions of DA White Dwarfs from the Palomar Green Survey
Spectrophotometric observations at high signal-to-noise ratio were obtained
of a complete sample of 347 DA white dwarfs from the Palomar Green (PG) Survey.
Fits of observed Balmer lines to synthetic spectra calculated from
pure-hydrogen model atmospheres were used to obtain robust values of Teff, log
g, masses, radii, and cooling ages. The luminosity function of the sample,
weighted by 1/Vmax, was obtained and compared with other determinations. The
mass distribution of the white dwarfs is derived, after important corrections
for the radii of the white dwarfs in this magnitude-limited survey and for the
cooling time scales. The formation rate of DA white dwarfs from the PG is
estimated to be 0.6x10^(-12) pc^(-3) yr^(-1). Comparison with predictions from
a theoretical study of the white dwarf formation rate for single stars
indicates that >80% of the high mass component requires a different origin,
presumably mergers of lower mass double degenerate stars. In order to estimate
the recent formation rate of all white dwarfs in the local Galactic disk,
corrections for incompleteness of the PG, addition of the DB-DO white dwarfs,
and allowance for stars hidden by luminous binary companions had to be applied
to enhance the rate. An overall formation rate of white dwarfs recently in the
local Galactic disk of 1.15+/-0.25x10^(-12) pc^(-3) yr^(-1) is obtained. Two
recent studies of samples of nearby Galactic planetary nebulae lead to
estimates around twice as high. Difficulties in reconciling these
determinations are discussed.Comment: 73 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ Supplemen
Multiwavelength Observations of the Hot DB Star PG 0112+104
We present a comprehensive multiwavelength analysis of the hot DB white dwarf
PG 0112+104. Our analysis relies on newly-acquired FUSE observations, on
medium-resolution FOS and GHRS data, on archival high-resolution GHRS
observations, on optical spectrophotometry both in the blue and around Halpha,
as well as on time-resolved photometry. From the optical data, we derive a
self-consistent effective temperature of 31,300+-500 K, a surface gravity of
log g = 7.8 +- 0.1 (M=0.52 Msun), and a hydrogen abundance of log N(H)/N(He) <
-4.0. The FUSE spectra reveal the presence of CII and CIII lines that
complement the previous detection of CII transitions with the GHRS. The
improved carbon abundance in this hot object is log N(C)/N(He) = -6.15 +- 0.23.
No photospheric features associated with other heavy elements are detected. We
reconsider the role of PG 0112+104 in the definition of the blue edge of the
V777 Her instability strip in light of our high-speed photometry, and contrast
our results with those of previous observations carried out at the McDonald
Observatory.Comment: 10 pages in emulateapj, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Restriction of measles virus gene expression in acute and subacute encephalitis in Lewis rats
No abstract availabl
Spectroscopic analysis of DA white dwarfs from the McCook & Sion catalog
For some years now, we have been gathering optical spectra of DA white dwarfs
in an effort to study and define the empirical ZZ Ceti instability strip.
However, we have recently expanded this survey to include all the DA white
dwarfs in the McCook & Sion catalog down to a limiting visual magnitude of
V=17.5. We present here a spectroscopic analysis of over 1000 DA white dwarfs
from this ongoing survey. We have several specific areas of interest most
notably the hot DAO white dwarfs, the ZZ Ceti instability strip, and the DA+dM
binary systems. Furthermore, we present a comparison of the ensemble properties
of our sample with those of other large surveys of DA white dwarfs, paying
particular attention to the distribution of mass as a function of effective
temperature.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Journal of Physics Conference
Proceedings for the 16th European White Dwarf Worksho
The Masses of Population II White Dwarfs
Globular star clusters are among the first stellar populations to have formed
in the Milky Way, and thus only a small sliver of their initial spectrum of
stellar types are still burning hydrogen on the main-sequence today. Almost all
of the stars born with more mass than 0.8 M_sun have evolved to form the white
dwarf cooling sequence of these systems, and the distribution and properties of
these remnants uniquely holds clues related to the nature of the now evolved
progenitor stars. With ultra-deep HST imaging observations, rich white dwarf
populations of four nearby Milky Way globular clusters have recently been
uncovered, and are found to extend an impressive 5 - 8 magnitudes in the
faint-blue region of the H-R diagram. In this paper, we characterize the
properties of these population II remnants by presenting the first direct mass
measurements of individual white dwarfs near the tip of the cooling sequence in
the nearest of the Milky Way globulars, M4. Based on Gemini/GMOS and Keck/LRIS
multiobject spectroscopic observations, our results indicate that 0.8 M_sun
population II main-sequence stars evolving today form 0.53 +/- 0.01 M_sun white
dwarfs. We discuss the implications of this result as it relates to our
understanding of stellar structure and evolution of population II stars and for
the age of the Galactic halo, as measured with white dwarf cooling theory.Comment: Accepted for Publication in Astrophys. J. on Aug. 05th, 2009. 19
pages including 9 figures and 2 tables (journal format
Post common envelope binaries from the SDSS VI. SDSS J120615.73+510047.0 : a new low accretion rate magnetic binary
We report the discovery of the ninth pre-polar consisting of a late-type ZAMS secondary and a magnetic white dwarf. The white dwarf accretes at an extreme low rate, \dot{M} \sim 10^  yr-1, from the wind of the companion donor star. The source was found in our systematic search for WD/MS binaries within SDSS/SEGUE. Based on seven Sloan spectra we estimate a binary period of ~200, 230, or 270 min. The UV to IR spectral energy distribution was decomposed into a dM3-dM4 ZAMS secondary and a cool white dwarf, ~9000 K, which consistently imply a distance between 360 and 420 pc. The optical spectrum displays one pronounced cyclotron hump, likely originating from a low-temperature plasma, ~1 keV, in a field of 108 MG. We comment on the evolutionary link between polars and pre-polars
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