Strong latitudinal shear in the shallow convection zone of a rapidly rotating A-star

We have derived the mean broadening profile of the star V102 in the region of the open cluster IC4665 from high resolution spectroscopy. At a projected equatorial rotation velocity of vsini = (105 +- 12)km/s we find strong deviation from classical rotation. We discuss several scenarios, the most plausible being strong differential rotation in latitudinal direction. For this scenario we find a difference in angular velocity of DeltaOmega = 3.6 +- 0.8 rad/d (DeltaOmega/Omega = 0.42 +- 0.09). From the Halpha line we derive a spectral type of A9 and support photometric measurements classifying IC4665 V102 as a non-member of IC4665. At such early spectral type this is the strongest case of differential rotation observed so far. Together with three similar stars, IC4665 V102 seems to form a new class of objects that exhibit extreme latitudinal shear in a very shallow convective envelope.Comment: accepted for A&A Letter

Differential rotation in rapidly rotating F-stars

We obtained high quality spectra of 135 stars of spectral types F and later and derived ``overall'' broadening functions in selected wavelength regions utilizing a Least Squares Deconvolution (LSD) procedure. Precision values of the projected rotational velocity $v \sin{i}$ were derived from the first zero of the Fourier transformed profiles and the shapes of the profiles were analyzed for effects of differential rotation. The broadening profiles of 70 stars rotating faster than $v \sin{i} = 45$ km s$^{-1}$ show no indications of multiplicity nor of spottedness. In those profiles we used the ratio of the first two zeros of the Fourier transform $q_2/q_1$ to search for deviations from rigid rotation. In the vast majority the profiles were found to be consistent with rigid rotation. Five stars were found to have flat profiles probably due to cool polar caps, in three stars cuspy profiles were found. Two out of those three cases may be due to extremely rapid rotation seen pole on, only in one case ($v \sin{i} = 52$ km s$^{-1}$) solar-like differential rotation is the most plausible explanation for the observed profile. These results indicate that the strength of differential rotation diminishes in stars rotating as rapidly as v \sin{i} \ga 50 km s$^{-1}$.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in A&

Can stellar activity make a planet seem misaligned?

Several studies have shown that the occultation of stellar active regions by the transiting planet can generate anomalies in the high-precision transit light curves, and these anomalies may lead to an inaccurate estimate of the planetary parameters (e.g., the planet radius). Since the physics and geometry behind the transit light curve and the Rossiter- McLaughlin effect (spectroscopic transit) are the same, the Rossiter-McLaughlin observations are expected to be affected by the occultation of stellar active regions in a similar way. In this paper we perform a fundamental test on the spin-orbit angles as derived by Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements, and we examine the impact of the occultation of stellar active regions by the transiting planet on the spin-orbit angle estimations. Our results show that the inaccurate estimation on the spin-orbit angle due to stellar activity can be quite significant (up to 30 degrees), particularly for the edge-on, aligned, and small transiting planets. Therefore, our results suggest that the aligned transiting planets are the ones that can be easily misinterpreted as misaligned owing to the stellar activity. In other words, the biases introduced by ignoring stellar activity are unlikely to be the culprit for the highly misaligned systems.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Estimates of Active Region Area Coverage through Simultaneous Measurements of He I λλ\lambda\lambda 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 $T_\mathrm{eff}$. 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

Rapid magnetic flux variability on the flare star CN Leonis

We present UVES/VLT observations of the nearby flare star CN Leo covering the Wing-Ford FeH band near 1mu with high spectral resolution. Some of the FeH absorption lines in this band are magnetically sensitive and allow a measurement of the mean magnetic flux on CN Leo. Our observations, covering three nights separated by 48 hours each, allow a clear detection of a mean magnetic field of Bf~2.2kG. The differential flux measurements show a night-to-night variability with extremely high significance. Finally, our data strongly suggest magnetic flux variability on time scales as low as 6 hours in line with chromospheric variability.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication as A&A Lette

The Origin of Enhanced Activity in the Suns of M67

We report the results of the analysis of high resolution photospheric line spectra obtained with the UVES instrument on the VLT for a sample of 15 solar-type stars selected from a recent survey of the distribution of H and K chromospheric line strengths in the solar-age open cluster M67. We find upper limits to the projected rotation velocities that are consistent with solar-like rotation (i.e., v sini ~< 2-3 km/s) for objects with Ca II chromospheric activity within the range of the contemporary solar cycle. Two solar-type stars in our sample exhibit chromospheric emission well in excess of even solar maximum values. In one case, Sanders 1452, we measure a minimum rotational velocity of vsini = 4 +/- 0.5 km/s, or over twice the solar equatorial rotational velocity. The other star with enhanced activity, Sanders 747, is a spectroscopic binary. We conclude that high activity in solar-type stars in M67 that exceeds solar levels is likely due to more rapid rotation rather than an excursion in solar-like activity cycles to unusually high levels. We estimate an upper limit of 0.2% for the range of brightness changes occurring as a result of chromospheric activity in solar-type stars and, by inference, in the Sun itself. We discuss possible implications for our understanding of angular momentum evolution in solar-type stars, and we tentatively attribute the rapid rotation in Sanders 1452 to a reduced braking efficiency.Comment: accepted by Ap

Multi-wavelength observations of Proxima Centauri

We report simultaneous observations of the nearby flare star Proxima Centauri with VLT/UVES and XMM-Newton over three nights in March 2009. Our optical and X-ray observations cover the star's quiescent state, as well as its flaring activity and allow us to probe the stellar atmospheric conditions from the photosphere into the chromosphere, and then the corona during its different activity stages. Using the X-ray data, we investigate variations in coronal densities and abundances and infer loop properties for an intermediate-sized flare. The optical data are used to investigate the magnetic field and its possible variability, to construct an emission line list for the chromosphere, and use certain emission lines to construct physical models of Proxima Centauri's chromosphere. We report the discovery of a weak optical forbidden Fe xiii line at 3388 AA during the more active states of Proxima Centauri. For the intermediate flare, we find two secondary flare events that may originate in neighbouring loops, and discuss the line asymmetries observed during this flare in H i, He i, and Ca ii lines. The high time-resolution in the H alpha line highlights strong temporal variations in the observed line asymmetries, which re-appear during a secondary flare event. We also present theoretical modelling with the stellar atmosphere code PHOENIX to construct flaring chromospheric models.Comment: 19 pages, 22 figures, accepted by A&

Magnetic cycles of the planet-hosting star Tau Bootis: II. a second magnetic polarity reversal

In this paper, we present new spectropolarimetric observations of the planet-hosting star Tau Bootis, using ESPaDOnS and Narval spectropolarimeters at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Telescope Bernard Lyot (TBL), respectively. We detected the magnetic field of the star at three epochs in 2008. It is a weak magnetic field of only a few Gauss, oscillating between a predominant toroidal component in January and a dominant poloidal component in June and July. A magnetic polarity reversal was observed relative to the magnetic topology in June 2007. This is the second such reversal observed in two years on this star, suggesting that Tau Boo has a magnetic cycle of about 2 years. This is the first detection of a magnetic cycle for a star other than the Sun. The role of the close-in massive planet in the short activity cycle of the star is questioned. Tau Boo has strong differential rotation, a common trend for stars with shallow convective envelope. At latitude 40 deg., the surface layer of the star rotates in 3.31 d, equal to the orbital period. Synchronization suggests that the tidal effects induced by the planet may be strong enough to force at least the thin convective envelope into corotation. Tau Boo shows variability in the Ca H & K and Halpha throughout the night and on a night to night time scale. We do not detect enhancement in the activity of the star that may be related to the conjunction of the planet. Further data is needed to conclude about the activity enhancement due to the planet.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables Accepted to MNRA

The lived user experience of virtual environments: Initial steps of a phenomenological analysis in a safety training setting

Virtual environments (VEs) are making their way into various sectors of life to enhance and support human activity, including learning. VEs have been used in various contexts for training, and in many cases they are designed to model or simulate - as accurately and authentically as possible - a specific work context. In striving for authenticity, visual and representative realism tends to receive most of the development input, despite of several studies that challenge its importance. New training avenues have raised the importance of rigorous phenomenological descriptions for a deeper understanding of user experience in the actual context of use. This paper reports the preliminary steps in a phenomenological analysis of how employees working in actual hazardous settings experience virtual safety training environments. Such open-ended research project can reveal new aspects of user experience that can advice the development and evaluation of human-computer interaction in digital technology-enhanced training contexts