The formation process of the He I lambda 10830 line in cool giant stars

The Final Report on the formation process of the He I lambda 10830 line in cool giant stars is presented. The research involves observing a sample of cool giant stars with ROSAT. These stars were selected from the list of bright stars which display He I lambda 10830 in absorption or emission and lie on the cool side of the coronal dividing line. With measured x ray fluxes or upper limits measured by the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC), the role x rays play in the formation of this important line was investigated using the non-LTE radiative transfer code PANDORA. Hydrodynamic calculations were performed to investigate the contributions of acoustic wave heating in the formation of this line as well

Radiative transfer in the dynamic atmospheres of Mira-type variables

This NASA grant covers our ADP research program, which involved detailed radiative transfer calculations of hydrodynamic models of pulsating asymptotic giant branch stars. Synthetic spectra resulting from these calculations are compared with International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observations of these stars to test the validity of the models

Phase Dependent Spectroscopy of Mira Variable Stars

Spectroscopic measurements of Mira variable stars, as a function of phase, probe the stellar atmospheres and underlying pulsation mechanisms. For example, measuring variations in TiO, VO, and ZrO with phase can be used to help determine whether these molecular species are produced in an extended region above the layers where Balmer line emission occurs or below this shocked region. Using the same methods, the Balmer-line increment, where the strongest Balmer line at phase zero is H-delta and not H-alpha can be measured and explanations tested, along with another peculiarity, the absence of the H-epsilon line in the spectra of Miras when other Balmer lines are strong. We present new spectra covering the spectral range from 6200 Angstroms to 9000 Angstroms of 20 Mira variables. A relationship between variations in the CaII IR triplet and H-alpha as a function of phase support the hypothesis that H-epsilon's observational characteristics result from an interaction of H-epsilon photons with the CaII H line. New periods and epochs of variability are also presented for each star

Blinded by the Lines: Mid-IR Spectra of Mira Variables Taken with Spitzer

We present preliminary analysis of mid-infrared spectra of M-type and C-type Mira variables. Due to the brightness of this sample, it is straightforward to monitor changes with phase in the infrared spectral features of these regular pulsators. We have spectra of 25 Mira variables, taken with phase, using the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) high-resolution module. Each star has multiple spectra obtained over a one-year period from 2008-09. This is a rich, unique data set due to multiple observations of each star and the high signal-to-noise ratio from quick exposure times to prevent saturation of the IRS instrument. This paper focuses on the 17.6 and 33.2 micron lines shared by M-types and C-types. These are mostly emission lines that change with phase. We discuss preliminary physical diagnostics for the atmospheres based on the lines, as well as possible line identifcations such as fuorescence of metal species

Spatially resolving the outer atmosphere of the M giant BK Vir in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER

The mass-loss mechanism in normal K--M giant stars with small variability amplitudes is not yet understood, although they are the majority among red giant stars. We present high-spatial and high-spectral resolution observations of the 2.3 micron CO lines in the M7 giant BK Vir with a spatial resolution of 9.8 mas and a spectral resolution of 12000, using AMBER at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The angular diameters observed in the CO lines are 12--31% larger than those measured in the continuum. We also detected asymmetry in the CO line-forming region. The data taken 1.5 months apart show possible time variation on a spatial scale of 30 mas (corresponding to 3 x stellar diameter) at the CO band head. Comparison of the observed data with the MARCS photospheric model shows that whereas the observed CO line spectrum can be well reproduced by the model, the angular sizes observed in the CO lines are much larger than predicted by the model. Our model with two additional CO layers above the MARCS photosphere reproduces the observed spectrum and interferometric data in the CO lines simultaneously. This model suggests that the inner CO layer at ~1.2 stellar radii is very dense and warm with a CO column density of ~10^{22} cm^{-2} and temperatures of 1900--2100K, while the outer CO layer at 2.5--3.0 stellar radii is characterized by column densities of 10^{19}--10^{20} cm^{-2} and temperatures of 1500--2100K. Our AMBER observations of BK Vir have spatially resolved the extended molecular outer atmosphere of a normal M giant in the individual CO lines for the first time. The temperatures derived for the CO layers are higher than or equal to the uppermost layer of the MARCS photospheric model, implying the operation of some heating mechanism in the outer atmosphere.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Pulsating Stellar Atmospheres

We review the basic concepts, the present state of theoretical models, and the future prospects for theory and observations of pulsating stellar atmospheres. Our emphasis is on radially pulsating cool stars, which dynamic atmospheres provide a general example for the differences with standard static model atmospheres.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figs, LaTex, in Proc. of IAU Symp 189, "Fundamental Stellar Properties...", eds. T. R. Bedding, A. J. Booth and J. Davis, Kluwer, p.253, 199

Infrared Light Curves of Mira Variable Stars from COBE DIRBE Data

We have used the COBE DIRBE database to derive near- and mid-infrared light curves for a well-defined sample of 38 infrared-bright Mira variable stars, and compared with optical data from the AAVSO. In general, the 3.5 micron and 4.9 micron DIRBE bandpasses provide the best S/N light curves, with S/N decreasing with wavelength at longer wavelengths. At 25 microns, good light curves are only available for ~10 percent of our stars, and at wavelengths >= 60 microns, extracting high quality light curves is not possible. The amplitude of variability is typically less in the near-infrared than in the optical, and less in the mid-infrared than in the near-infrared, with decreasing amplitude with increasing wavelength. On average, there are 0.20 +/- 0.01 magnitudes variation at 1.25 microns and 0.14 +/- 0.01 magnitudes variation at 4.9 micron for each magnitude variation in V. The observed amplitudes are consistent with results of recent theoretical models of circumstellar dust shells around Mira variables. For a few stars in our sample, we find clear evidence of time lags between the optical and maxima of phase ~ 0.05 - 0.13, with no lags in the minima. For three stars, mid-infrared maximum appears to occur slightly before that in the near-infrared,but after optical maximum. We find three examples of secondary maxima in the rising portions of the DIRBE light curves, all of which have optical counterparts in the AAVSO data, supporting the hypothesis that they are due to shocks rather than newly-formed dust layers. We find no conclusive evidence for rapid (hours to days) variations in the infrared brightnesses of these stars.Comment: 16 pages, Astronomical Journal, in press, to be publishe

Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies