266 research outputs found
New determination of abundances and stellar parameters for a set of weak G-band stars
Weak G-band (wGb) stars are very peculiar red giants almost devoided of
carbon and often mildly enriched in lithium. Despite their very puzzling
abundance patterns, very few detailed spectroscopic studies existed up to a few
years ago, preventing any clear understanding of the wGb phenomenon. We
recently proposed the first consistent analysis of published data for 28 wGb
stars and identified them as descendants of early A-type to late B-type stars,
without being able to conclude on their evolutionary status or the origin of
their peculiar abundance pattern.
We used newly obtained high-resolution and high SNR spectra for 19 wGb stars
in the southern and northern hemisphere to homogeneously derive their
fundamental parameters, metallicities, as well as the spectroscopic abundances
for Li, C, N, O, Na, Sr, and Ba. We also computed dedicated stellar evolution
models that we used to determine the masses and to investigate the evolutionary
status and chemical history of the stars in our sample. We confirm that the wGb
stars are stars in the mass range 3.2 to 4.2 M. We suggest that a large
fraction could be mildly evolved stars on the SGB currently undergoing the 1st
DUP, while a smaller number of stars are more probably in the core He burning
phase at the clump. After analysing their abundance pattern, we confirm their
strong N enrichment anti-correlated with large C depletion, characteristic of
material fully processed through the CNO cycle to an extent not known in other
evolved intermediate-mass stars. However, we demonstrate here that such a
pattern is very unlikely due to self-enrichment. In the light of the current
observational constraints, no solid self-consistent pollution scenario can be
presented either, leaving the wGb puzzle largely unsolved.Comment: 19 pages , 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Deductive synthesis of recursive plans in linear logic
Linear logic has previously been shown to be suitable for describing and deductively solving planning problems involving conjunction and disjunction. We introduce a recursively defined datatype and a corresponding induction rule, thereby allowing recursive plans to be synthesised. In order to make explicit the relationship between proofs and plans, we enhance the linear logic deduction rules to handle plans as a form of proof term
Atomic and Molecular Data for Optical Stellar Spectroscopy
High-precision spectroscopy of large stellar samples plays a crucial role for
several topical issues in astrophysics. Examples include studying the chemical
structure and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, tracing the origin of chemical
elements, and characterizing planetary host stars. Data are accumulating from
instruments that obtain high-quality spectra of stars in the ultraviolet,
optical and infrared wavelength regions on a routine basis. These instruments
are located at ground-based 2- to 10-m class telescopes around the world, in
addition to the spectrographs with unique capabilities available at the Hubble
Space Telescope. The interpretation of these spectra requires high-quality
transition data for numerous species, in particular neutral and singly ionized
atoms, and di- or triatomic molecules. We rely heavily on the continuous
efforts of laboratory astrophysics groups that produce and improve the relevant
experimental and theoretical atomic and molecular data. The compilation of the
best available data is facilitated by databases and electronic infrastructures
such as the NIST Atomic Spectra Database, the VALD database, or the Virtual
Atomic and Molecular Data Centre (VAMDC). We illustrate the current status of
atomic data for optical stellar spectra with the example of the Gaia-ESO Public
Spectroscopic Survey. Data sources for 35 chemical elements were reviewed in an
effort to construct a line list for a homogeneous abundance analysis of up to
100000 stars.Comment: Published 30 April 2015 in Physica Script
Population Studies. XIII. A New Analysis of the Bidelman-MacConnell "Weak-Metal" Stars - Confirmation of Metal-Poor Stars in the Thick Disk of the Galaxy
A new set of very high signal-to-noise (S/N > 100/1), medium-resolution
(R~3000) optical spectra have been obtained for 302 of the candidate
"weak-metal" stars selected by Bidelman & MacConnell. We use these data to
calibrate the recently developed generalization of the SEGUE Stellar Parameter
Pipeline, and obtain estimates of the atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g , and
[Fe/H]) for these non-SDSS/SEGUE data; we also obtain estimates of [C/Fe]. The
new abundance measurements are shown to be consistent with available
high-resolution spectroscopic determinations, and represent a substantial
improvement over the accuracies obtained from the previous photometric
estimates reported in Paper I of this series. The apparent offset in the
photometric abundances of the giants in this sample noted by several authors is
confirmed by our new spectroscopy; no such effect is found for the dwarfs. The
presence of a metal-weak thick-disk (MWTD) population is clearly supported by
these new abundance data. Some 25% of the stars with metallicities -1.8 <
[Fe/H] <= -0.8 exhibit orbital eccentricities e < 0.4, yet are clearly
separated from members of the inner-halo population with similar metallicities
by their location in a Lindblad energy vs. angular momentum diagram. A
comparison is made with recent results for a similar-size sample of RAVE stars
from Ruchti et al. We conclude, based on both of these samples, that the MWTD
is real, and must be accounted for in discussions of the formation and
evolution of the disk system of the Milky Way.Comment: 45 pages, 14 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
CH in stellar atmospheres: an extensive linelist
The advent of high-resolution spectrographs and detailed stellar atmosphere
modelling has strengthened the need for accurate molecular data.
Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars spectra are interesting objects with
which to study transitions from the CH molecule. We combine programs for
spectral analysis of molecules and stellar-radiative transfer codes to build an
extensive CH linelist, including predissociation broadening as well as newly
identified levels. We show examples of strong predissociation CH lines in CEMP
stars, and we stress the important role played by the CH features in the
Bond-Neff feature depressing the spectra of barium stars by as much as 0.2
magnitudes in the 3000 -- 5500 \AA\ range. Because of the extreme
thermodynamic conditions prevailing in stellar atmospheres (compared to the
laboratory), molecular transitions with high energy levels can be observed.
Stellar spectra can thus be used to constrain and improve molecular data.Comment: 33pages, 15 figures, accepted in A&A external data available at
http://www.astro.ulb.ac.be/~spectrotools
Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars in SDSS/SEGUE. I. Carbon Abundance Estimation and Frequency of CEMP Stars
We describe a method for the determination of stellar [C/Fe] abundance ratios
using low-resolution (R = 2000) stellar spectra from the SDSS and SEGUE. By
means of a star-by-star comparison with a set of SDSS/SEGUE spectra with
available estimates of [C/Fe] based on published high-resolution analyses, we
demonstrate that we can measure [C/Fe] from SDSS/SEGUE spectra with S/N > 15 to
a precision better than 0.35 dex. Using the measured carbon-to-iron abundance
ratios obtained by this technique, we derive the frequency of carbon-enhanced
stars ([C/Fe] > +0.7) as a function of [Fe/H], for both the SDSS/SEGUE stars
and other samples from the literature. We find that the differential frequency
slowly rises from almost zero to about 14% at [Fe/H] ~ -2.4, followed by a
sudden increase, by about a factor of three, to 39% from [Fe/H] ~ -2.4 to
[Fe/H] ~ -3.7. We also examine how the cumulative frequency of CEMP stars
varies across different luminosity classes. The giant sample exhibits a
cumulative CEMP frequency of 32% for [Fe/H] < -2.5, 31% for [Fe/H] < -3.0, and
33% for [Fe/H] < -3.5. For the main-sequence turnoff stars, we obtain a lower
cumulative CEMP frequency, around 10% for [Fe/H] < -2.5. The dwarf population
displays a large change in the cumulative frequency for CEMP stars below [Fe/H]
= -2.5, jumping from 15% for [Fe/H] < -2.5 to about 75% for [Fe/H] < -3.0. When
we impose a restriction with respect to distance from the Galactic mid-plane
(|Z| < 5 kpc), the frequency of the CEMP giants does not increase at low
metallicity ([Fe/H] < -2.5), but rather, decreases, due to the dilution of
C-rich material in stars that have undergone mixing with CNO-processed material
from their interiors. The frequency of CEMP stars near the main-sequence
turnoff, which are not expected to have experienced mixing, increases for
[Fe/H] < -3.0. [abridged]Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in AJ on
August 20, 201
Molecular characterization of multidrug-resistance in Gram-negative bacteria from the Peshawar teaching hospital, Pakistan
Extended-spectrum β-lactamases, carbapenemases, 16S rRNA methylases conferring pan-drug aminoglycoside resistance and colistin resistance were investigated among Gram-negative bacteria recovered from clinical samples (infections) from 200 individuals hospitalized at the Khyber Teaching Hospital of Peshawar, north Pakistan, from December 2017 to March 2018. Out of 65 isolates recovered, 19% were carbapenem resistant and 16% carried a bla NDM-1 gene, confirming the widespread distribution of NDM producers in this country. The association of the NDM carbapenem-resistance determinant, together with the extended-spectrum β-lactamase CTX-M-15 and 16S rRNA methylases, was frequent, explaining the multidrug-resistance pattern observed. All isolates remained susceptible to colistin
Metallicity Mapping with gri Photometry: The Virgo Overdensity and the Halos of the Galaxy
We describe the methodology required for estimation of photometric estimates
of metallicity based on the SDSS gri passbands, which can be used to probe the
properties of main-sequence stars beyond ~ 10 kpc, complementing studies of
nearby stars from more metallicity-sensitive color indices that involve the u
passband. As a first application of this approach, we determine photometric
metal abundance estimates for individual main-sequence stars in the Virgo
Overdensity, which covers almost 1000 square degrees on the sky, based on a
calibration of the metallicity sensitivity of stellar isochrones in the gri
filter passbands using field stars with well-determined spectroscopic metal
abundances. Despite the low precision of the method for individual stars,
internal errors of in [Fe/H] ~ +/- 0.1 dex can be achieved for bulk stellar
populations. The global metal abundance of the Virgo Overdensity determined in
this way is = -2.0 +/- 0.1 (internal) +/- 0.5 (systematic), from
photometric measurements of 0.7 million stars with heliocentric distances from
~ 10 kpc to ~ 20 kpc. A preliminary metallicity map, based on results for 2.9
million stars in the northern SDSS DR-7 footprint, exhibits a shift to lower
metallicities as one proceeds from the inner- to the outer-halo population,
consistent with recent interpretation of the kinematics of local samples of
stars with spectroscopically available metallicity estimates and full space
motions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in IAU Symp. 26
- …