313 research outputs found
Fundamental Properties of Stars using Asteroseismology from Kepler & CoRoT and Interferometry from the CHARA Array
We present results of a long-baseline interferometry campaign using the PAVO
beam combiner at the CHARA Array to measure the angular sizes of five
main-sequence stars, one subgiant and four red giant stars for which solar-like
oscillations have been detected by either Kepler or CoRoT. By combining
interferometric angular diameters, Hipparcos parallaxes, asteroseismic
densities, bolometric fluxes and high-resolution spectroscopy we derive a full
set of near model-independent fundamental properties for the sample. We first
use these properties to test asteroseismic scaling relations for the frequency
of maximum power (nu_max) and the large frequency separation (Delta_nu). We
find excellent agreement within the observational uncertainties, and
empirically show that simple estimates of asteroseismic radii for main-sequence
stars are accurate to <~4%. We furthermore find good agreement of our measured
effective temperatures with spectroscopic and photometric estimates with mean
deviations for stars between T_eff = 4600-6200 K of -22+/-32 K (with a scatter
of 97K) and -58+/-31 K (with a scatter of 93 K), respectively. Finally we
present a first comparison with evolutionary models, and find differences
between observed and theoretical properties for the metal-rich main-sequence
star HD173701. We conclude that the constraints presented in this study will
have strong potential for testing stellar model physics, in particular when
combined with detailed modelling of individual oscillation frequencies.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 7 tables; accepted for publication in Ap
Detection of Potential Transit Signals in the First Three Quarters of Kepler Mission Data
We present the results of a search for potential transit signals in the first
three quarters of photometry data acquired by the Kepler Mission. The targets
of the search include 151,722 stars which were observed over the full interval
and an additional 19,132 stars which were observed for only 1 or 2 quarters.
From this set of targets we find a total of 5,392 detections which meet the
Kepler detection criteria: those criteria are periodicity of the signal, an
acceptable signal-to-noise ratio, and a composition test which rejects spurious
detections which contain non-physical combinations of events. The detected
signals are dominated by events with relatively low signal-to-noise ratio and
by events with relatively short periods. The distribution of estimated transit
depths appears to peak in the range between 40 and 100 parts per million, with
a few detections down to fewer than 10 parts per million. The detected signals
are compared to a set of known transit events in the Kepler field of view which
were derived by a different method using a longer data interval; the comparison
shows that the current search correctly identified 88.1% of the known events. A
tabulation of the detected transit signals, examples which illustrate the
analysis and detection process, a discussion of future plans and open,
potentially fruitful, areas of further research are included
Probing the core structure and evolution of red giants using gravity-dominated mixed modes observed with Kepler
We report for the first time a parametric fit to the pattern of the \ell = 1
mixed modes in red giants, which is a powerful tool to identify
gravity-dominated mixed modes. With these modes, which share the
characteristics of pressure and gravity modes, we are able to probe directly
the helium core and the surrounding shell where hydrogen is burning. We propose
two ways for describing the so-called mode bumping that affects the frequencies
of the mixed modes. Firstly, a phenomenological approach is used to describe
the main features of the mode bumping. Alternatively, a quasi-asymptotic
mixed-mode relation provides a powerful link between seismic observations and
the stellar interior structure. We used period \'echelle diagrams to emphasize
the detection of the gravity-dominated mixed modes. The asymptotic relation for
mixed modes is confirmed. It allows us to measure the gravity-mode period
spacings in more than two hundred red giant stars. The identification of the
gravity-dominated mixed modes allows us to complete the identification of all
major peaks in a red giant oscillation spectrum, with significant consequences
for the true identification of \ell = 3 modes, of \ell = 2 mixed modes, for the
mode widths and amplitudes, and for the \ell = 1 rotational splittings. The
accurate measurement of the gravity-mode period spacing provides an effective
probe of the inner, g-mode cavity. The derived value of the coupling
coefficient between the cavities is different for red giant branch and clump
stars. This provides a probe of the hydrogen-shell burning region that
surrounds the helium core. Core contraction as red giants ascend the red giant
branch can be explored using the variation of the gravity-mode spacing as a
function of the mean large separation.Comment: Accepted in A&
Unusual high-frequency oscillations in the Kepler δ Scuti star KIC 4840675
We show that the star KIC 4840675 observed by Kepler is composed of three stars with a rapidly rotating A-type star and two solar-type fainter companions. The A-type star is a δ Scuti variable with a dominant mode and many other modes of lower amplitude, including several low-frequency variations. The low-frequency variation with highest amplitude can be interpreted as rotational modulation with the light curve changing with time. However, the most interesting aspect of this star is a triplet of independent modes in the range 118–129 d−1 (1.4–1.5 mHz), which is far outside the range of typical δ Scuti frequencies. We discuss the possibility that these modes could be solar-like oscillations, oscillations of the roAp type or due to an unseen pulsating compact companion
Kepler-1649b: : An Exo-Venus in the Solar Neighborhood
Angelo, et al, 'Kepler-1649b: An Exo-Venus in the Solar Neighborhood', The Astronomical Journal, 153:162 (8pp), 2017 April. The version of record is availalbe online at doi: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/aa615f. © 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reservedThe Kepler mission has revealed that Earth-sized planets are common, and dozens have been discovered to orbit in or near their host star's habitable zone. A major focus in astronomy is to determine which of these exoplanets are likely to have Earth-like properties that are amenable to follow-up with both ground- and future space-based surveys, with an ultimate goal of probing their atmospheres to look for signs of life. Venus-like atmospheres will be of particular interest in these surveys. While Earth and Venus evolved to have similar sizes and densities, it remains unclear what factors led to the dramatic divergence of their atmospheres. Studying analogs to both Earth and Venus can thus shed light on the limits of habitability and the potential for life on known exoplanets. Here we present the discovery and confirmation of Kepler-1649b, an Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby M5V star that receives incident flux at a level similar to that of Venus. We present our methods for characterizing the star, using a combination of PSF photometry, ground-based spectroscopy and imaging, to confirm the planetary nature of Kepler-1649b. Planets like Kepler-1649b will be prime candidates for atmospheric and habitability studies in the next generation of space missions.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
Oscillation mode frequencies of 61 main sequence and subgiant stars observed by Kepler
Solar-like oscillations have been observed by Kepler and CoRoT in several
solar-type stars, thereby providing a way to probe the stars using
asteroseismology.
We provide the mode frequencies of the oscillations of various stars required
to perform a comparison with those obtained from stellar modelling.
We used a time series of nine months of data for each star. The 61 stars
observed were categorised in three groups: simple, F-like and mixed-mode. The
simple group includes stars for which the identification of the mode degree is
obvious. The F-like group includes stars for which the identification of the
degree is ambiguous. The mixed-mode group includes evolved stars for which the
modes do not follow the asymptotic relation of low-degree frequencies.
Following this categorisation, the power spectra of the 61 main sequence and
subgiant stars were analysed using both maximum likelihood estimators and
Bayesian estimators, providing individual mode characteristics such as
frequencies, linewidths, and mode heights. We developed and describe a
methodology for extracting a single set of mode frequencies from multiple sets
derived by different methods and individual scientists. We report on how one
can assess the quality of the fitted parameters using the likelihood ratio test
and the posterior probabilities.
We provide the mode frequencies of 61 stars (with their 1-sigma error bars),
as well as their associated echelle diagrams.Comment: 83 pages, 17 figures, 61 tables, paper accepted by Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler, III: Analysis of the First 16 Months of Data
New transiting planet candidates are identified in sixteen months (May 2009 -
September 2010) of data from the Kepler spacecraft. Nearly five thousand
periodic transit-like signals are vetted against astrophysical and instrumental
false positives yielding 1,091 viable new planet candidates, bringing the total
count up to over 2,300. Improved vetting metrics are employed, contributing to
higher catalog reliability. Most notable is the noise-weighted robust averaging
of multi-quarter photo-center offsets derived from difference image analysis
which identifies likely background eclipsing binaries. Twenty-two months of
photometry are used for the purpose of characterizing each of the new
candidates. Ephemerides (transit epoch, T_0, and orbital period, P) are
tabulated as well as the products of light curve modeling: reduced radius
(Rp/R*), reduced semi-major axis (d/R*), and impact parameter (b). The largest
fractional increases are seen for the smallest planet candidates (197% for
candidates smaller than 2Re compared to 52% for candidates larger than 2Re) and
those at longer orbital periods (123% for candidates outside of 50-day orbits
versus 85% for candidates inside of 50-day orbits). The gains are larger than
expected from increasing the observing window from thirteen months (Quarter 1--
Quarter 5) to sixteen months (Quarter 1 -- Quarter 6). This demonstrates the
benefit of continued development of pipeline analysis software. The fraction of
all host stars with multiple candidates has grown from 17% to 20%, and the
paucity of short-period giant planets in multiple systems is still evident. The
progression toward smaller planets at longer orbital periods with each new
catalog release suggests that Earth-size planets in the Habitable Zone are
forthcoming if, indeed, such planets are abundant.Comment: Submitted to ApJS. Machine-readable tables are available at
http://kepler.nasa.gov, http://archive.stsci.edu/kepler/results.html, and the
NASA Exoplanet Archiv
Fast calculation of thermodynamic and structural parameters of solutions using the 3DRISM model and the multi-grid method
In the paper a new method to solve the tree-dimensional reference interaction
site model (3DRISM) integral equations is proposed. The algorithm uses the
multi-grid technique which allows to decrease the computational expanses.
3DRISM calculations for aqueous solutions of four compounds (argon, water,
methane, methanol) on the different grids are performed in order to determine a
dependence of the computational error on the parameters of the grid. It is
shown that calculations on the grid with the step 0.05\Angstr and buffer
8\Angstr give the error of solvation free energy calculations less than 0.3
kcal/mol which is comparable to the accuracy of the experimental measurements.
The performance of the algorithm is tested. It is shown that the proposed
algorithm is in average more than 12 times faster than the standard Picard
direct iteration method.Comment: the information in this preprint is not up to date. Since the first
publication of the preprint (9 Nov 2011) the algorithm was modified which
allowed to achieve better results. For the new algorithm see the JCTC paper:
DOI: 10.1021/ct200815v, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ct200815
Full Sequence and Comparative Analysis of the Plasmid pAPEC-1 of Avian Pathogenic E. coli χ7122 (O78∶K80∶H9)
(APEC), are very diverse. They cause a complex of diseases in Human, animals, and birds. Even though large plasmids are often associated with the virulence of ExPEC, their characterization is still in its infancy., are also present in the sequence of pAPEC-1. The comparison of the pAPEC-1 sequence with the two available plasmid sequences reveals more gene loss and reorganization than previously appreciated. The presence of pAPEC-1-associated genes is assessed in human ExPEC by PCR. Many patterns of association between genes are found.The pathotype typical of pAPEC-1 was present in some human strains, which indicates a horizontal transfer between strains and the zoonotic risk of APEC strains. ColV plasmids could have common virulence genes that could be acquired by transposition, without sharing genes of plasmid function
An Accurate Mass Determination for Kepler-1655b, a Moderately Irradiated World with a Significant Volatile Envelope
Funding: A.C.C. acknowledges support from STFC consolidated grant number ST/M001296/1. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant Agreement No. 313014 (ETAEARTH).We present the confirmation of a small, moderately-irradiated (F= 155±7 F⊕) Neptune with a substantial gas envelope in a P=11.8728787±0.0000085-day orbit about a quiet, Sun-like G0V star Kepler-1655. Based on our analysis of the Kepler light curve, we determined Kepler-1655b’s radius to be 2.213±0.082 R⊕. We acquired 95 high-resolution spectra with TNG/HARPS-N, enabling us to characterize the host star and determine an accurate mass for Kepler-1655b of 5.0±^3.1_2.8 M⊕ via Gaussian-process regression. Our mass determination excludes an Earth-like composition with 98% confidence. Kepler-1655b falls on the upper edge of the evaporation valley, in the relatively sparsely occupied transition region between rocky and gas-rich planets. It is therefore part of a population of planets that we should actively seek to characterize further.PostprintPeer reviewe
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