62 research outputs found
Principal component analysis - an efficient tool for variable stars diagnostics
We present two diagnostic methods based on ideas of Principal Component
Analysis and demonstrate their efficiency for sophisticated processing of
multicolour photometric observations of variable objects.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Published alread
Global properties of the light curves of magnetic, chemically peculiar stars as a testbed for the existence of dipole-like symmetry in surface structures
Magnetic, chemically peculiar stars are known for exhibiting surface
abundance inhomogeneities (chemical spots) that lead to photometric and
spectroscopic variability with the rotation period. It is commonly assumed that
the surface structures are causally connected with the global magnetic field
that dominates the photospheric and subphotospheric layers of these stars. As a
rule, the observed magnetic fields show a simple dipole-like geometry, with the
magnetic axis being noncollinear to the rotational one. The present study aims
at detecting underlying patterns in the distribution of photometric spots in a
sample of 650 magnetic, chemically peculiar stars and examines their link to
the magnetic field topology. Photometric time-series observations from the
ASAS-3 archive were employed to inspect the light-curve morphology of our
sample stars and divide them into representative classes described using a
principal component analysis. Theoretical light curves were derived from
numerous simulations assuming different spot parameters and following the
symmetry of a simple dipole magnetic field. These were subsequently compared
with the observed light curves. The results from our simulations are in
contradiction with the observations and predict a much higher percentage of
doublewave light curves than is actually observed. We thereby conclude that the
distribution of the chemical spots does not follow the magnetic field topology,
which indicates that the role of the magnetic field in the creation and
maintenance of the surface structures may be more subsidiary than what is
predicted by theoretical studies.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, 1 Appendix table; accepted for
publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Surprising variations in the rotation of the chemically peculiar stars CU Virginis and V901 Orionis
CU Vir and V901 Ori belong among these few magnetic chemically peculiar stars
whose rotation periods vary on timescales of decades. We aim to study the
stability of the periods in CU Vir and V901 Ori using all accessible
observational data containing phase information. We collected all available
relevant archived observations supplemented with our new measurements of these
stars and analysed the period variations of the stars using a novel method that
allows for the combination of data of diverse sorts. We found that the shapes
of their phase curves were constant, while the periods were changing. Both
stars exhibit alternating intervals of rotational braking and acceleration. The
rotation period of CU Vir was gradually shortening until the year 1968, when it
reached its local minimum of 0.52067198 d. The period then started increasing,
reaching its local maximum of 0.5207163 d in the year 2005. Since that time the
rotation has begun to accelerate again. We also found much smaller period
changes in CU Vir on a timescale of several years. The rotation period of V901
Ori was increasing for the past quarter-century, reaching a maximum of 1.538771
d in the year 2003, when the rotation period began to decrease. A theoretically
unexpected alternating variability of rotation periods in these stars would
remove the spin-down time paradox and brings a new insight into structure and
evolution of magnetic upper-main-sequence stars.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Modelling the light variability of the Ap star epsilon Ursae Majoris
We simulate the light variability of the Ap star epsUMa using the observed
surface distributions of Fe, Cr, Ca, Mn, Mg, Sr and Ti obtained with the help
of Doppler Imaging technique. Using all photometric data available we specified
light variations of epsUMa modulated by its rotation from far UV to IR. We
employed the LLmodels stellar model atmosphere code to predict the light
variability in different photometric systems. The rotational period of epsUMa
is refined to 5d088631(18). It is shown that the observed light variability can
be explained as a result of the redistribution of radiative flux from the UV
spectral region to the visual caused by the inhomogeneous surface distribution
of chemical elements. Among seven mapped elements, only Fe and Cr significantly
contribute to the amplitude of the observed light variability. In general, we
find a very good agreement between theory and observations. We confirm the
important role of Fe and Cr to the magnitude of the well-known depression
around 5200 \AA\ through the analysis of the peculiar -parameter. Finally,
we show that the abundance spots of considered elements cannot explain the
observed variability in near UV and index which are likely due to some
other causes. The inhomogeneous surface distribution of chemical elements can
explain most of the observed light variability of the A-type CP star epsUMa.Comment: Accepted in A&A, 10 pages, 9 figures, 3 table
Modelling of the ultraviolet and visual SED variability in the hot magnetic Ap star CU Vir
The spectral energy distribution (SED) in chemically peculiar stars may be
significantly affected by their abundance anomalies. The observed SED
variations are usually assumed to be a result of inhomogeneous surface
distribution of chemical elements, flux redistribution and stellar rotation.
However, the direct evidence for this is still only scarce. We aim to identify
the processes that determine the SED and its variability in the UV and visual
spectral domains of the helium-weak star CU Vir. We used the model atmospheres
to obtain the emergent flux and predict the rotationally modulated flux
variability of the star. We show that most of the light variations in the vby
filters of the Stromgren photometric system are a result of the uneven surface
distribution of silicon, chromium, and iron. Our models are only able to
explain a part of the variability in the u filter, however. The observed UV
flux distribution is very well reproduced, and the models are able to explain
most of the observed features in the UV light curve. The variability observed
in the visible is merely a faint gleam of that in the UV. While the amplitude
of the light curves reaches only several hundredths of magnitude in the visual
domain, it reaches about 1 mag in the UV. The visual and UV light variability
of CU Vir is caused by the flux redistribution from the far UV to near UV and
visible regions, inhomogeneous distribution of the elements and stellar
rotation. Bound-free transitions of silicon and bound-bound transitions of iron
and chromium contribute the most to the flux redistribution. This mechanism can
explain most of the rotationally modulated light variations in the filters
centred on the Paschen continuum and on the UV continuum of the star CU Vir.
However, another mechanism(s) has to be invoked to fully explain the observed
light variations in the u filter and in the region 2000-2500 A.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
The X-ray emission from Z CMa during an FUor-like outburst and the detection of its X-ray jet
Accretion shocks have been recognized as important X-ray emission mechanism
for pre-main sequence stars. Yet the X-ray properties of FUor outbursts, events
that are caused by violent accretion, have been given little attention. We have
observed the FUor object Z CMa during optical outburst and quiescence with
Chandra. No significant changes in X-ray brightness and spectral shape are
found, suggesting that the X-ray emission is of coronal nature. Due to the
binary nature of Z CMa the origin of the X-ray source is ambiguous. However,
the moderate hydrogen column density derived from our data makes it unlikely
that the embedded primary star is the X-ray source. The secondary star, which
is the FUor object, is thus responsible for both the X-ray emission and the
presently ongoing accretion outburst, which seem however to be unrelated
phenomena. The secondary is also known to drive a large outflow and jet, that
we detect here for the first time in X-rays. The distance of the X-ray emitting
outflow source to the central star is higher than in jets of low-mass stars.Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Characterising the magnetic fields of the Herbig Ae/Be stars HD97048, HD150193, HD176386, and MWC480
Our knowledge of the presence and the role of magnetic fields in
intermediate-mass pre-main-sequence stars remains very poor.
We present the magnetic properties of four Herbig Ae/Be stars that have not
been previously studied in detail.
Our results for the three Herbig Ae/Be stars HD97048, HD150193, and HD176386
are based on multi-epoch low-resolution spectra obtained in spectropolarimetric
mode with FORS2 mounted on the VLT. New high-resolution polarimetric spectra
were obtained for MWC480 with the SOFIN spectrograph installed at the Nordic
Optical Telescope. We discuss 41 FORS2 low-resolution observations of the
Herbig Ae/Be stars HD97048, HD150193, and HD176386 and determine their
rotational periods. Using stellar fundamental parameters and the longitudinal
magnetic field phase curves, we place constraints on the magnetic field
geometry. Three high-resolution circularly polarised SOFIN spectra obtained for
MWC480 were measured using the moment technique where wavelength shifts between
right- and left-hand side circularly polarised spectra are interpreted in terms
of a longitudinal magnetic field .
Our search for periodicities resulted in P=0.693d for HD97048, P=1.317d for
HD150193, and P=0.899d for HD176386. The magnetic field geometry can likely be
described by a centred dipole with a polar magnetic field strength B_d of
several hundred Gauss. The longitudinal magnetic-field measurements of MWC480
reveal the presence of a strong kG field, which was undetected in our previous
low-resolution polarimetric observations with FORS1. A weak magnetic field was
detected in the circumstellar components of the Ca II H&K lines and the Na I D
lines, indicating a complex interaction between the stellar magnetic field and
the circumstellar environment.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in A&
The light variability of the helium strong star HD 37776 as a result of its inhomogeneous elemental surface distribution
We simulate light curves of the helium strong chemically peculiar star HD
37776 assuming that the observed periodic light variations originate as a
result of inhomogeneous horizontal distribution of chemical elements on the
surface of a rotating star. We show that chemical peculiarity influences the
monochromatic radiative flux, mainly due to bound-free processes. Using the
model of the distribution of silicon and helium on HD 37776 surface, derived
from spectroscopy, we calculate a photometric map of the surface and
consequently the uvby light curves of this star. Basically, the predicted light
curves agree in shape and amplitude with the observed ones. We conclude that
the basic properties of variability of this helium strong chemically peculiar
star can be understood in terms of the model of spots with peculiar chemical
composition.Comment: 11 pages, accepted for the publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
The (non-)variability of magnetic chemically peculiar candidates in the Large Magellanic Cloud
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