Studies of hot B subdwarfs. Part 2: Energy distributions of three bright sdB/sdOB stars in the 950-5500 angstrom range

Voyager ultraviolet spectrometer observations of the subdwarf B or OB stars HD 205805, UV 1758+36 and Feige 66 are presented. All three objects display the H I Layman series in absorption. These observations are combined with low dispersion IUE spectrophotometry and with Stroemgren photometry to construct virtually complete energy distributions, which extend over the range 950-5500 angstroms. Effective temperatures based on model atmosphere calculations for high gravity, hydrogen rich stars are determined. Our analyses yield T Sub e 28,200 + or - 1300 K for HD 205805, T sub e 31, 800 + or - 1100 K for UV 1758+36, and T sub e 35,700 + or - 1500 K for Feige 66. The importance of far ultraviolet observations below L sub alpha in reducing the uncertainties associated with the interstellar extinction and the degradation of the IUE sensitivity is emphasized

Discovery of Spectroscopic Variations in the DAB White Dwarf GD 323

We report the discovery of spectroscopic variations in GD 323, the prototypical DAB white dwarf. Simultaneous optical spectroscopic observations over five consecutive nights of GD 323 and of PG 1234+482, a non-variable comparison DA white dwarf of similar brightness, are used to reveal quasi-periodic variations in both the hydrogen and helium absorption lines over a timescale of hours. The amplitude of the variation of the equivalent width of Hbeta is ~30 %. Moreover, the strength of the hydrogen lines is shown to vary in opposite phase from that of He I 4471. These results suggest that the model currently thought to be the most viable to account for the simultaneous presence of hydrogen and helium lines in GD 323, namely a static stratified atmosphere, may need to be reexamined. Instead, a model with an inhomogeneous surface composition, resulting perhaps from the dilution of a thin hydrogen atmosphere with the underlying helium convection zone, may be a better representation of GD 323. The observed variation timescale of ~3.5 hours is consistent with the slow rotation rate of white dwarf stars.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Revisiting the theoretical DBV (V777 Her) instability strip: the MLT theory of convection

We reexamine the theoretical instability domain of pulsating DB white dwarfs (DBV or V777 Her variables). We performed an extensive $g$-mode nonadiabatic pulsation analysis of DB evolutionary models considering a wide range of stellar masses, for which the complete evolutionary stages of their progenitors from the ZAMS, through the thermally pulsing AGB and born-again phases, the domain of the PG1159 stars, the hot phase of DO white dwarfs, and then the DB white dwarf stage have been considered. We explicitly account for the evolution of the chemical abundance distribution due to time-dependent chemical diffusion processes. We examine the impact of the different prescriptions of the MLT theory of convection and the effects of small amounts of H in the almost He-pure atmospheres of DB stars on the precise location of the theoretical blue edge of the DBV instability strip.Comment: Proceedings, 16th European White Dwarf Workshop, Barcelona, 200

A Comprehensive Spectroscopic Analysis of DB White Dwarfs

We present a detailed analysis of 108 helium-line (DB) white dwarfs based on model atmosphere fits to high signal-to-noise optical spectroscopy. We derive a mean mass of 0.67 Mo for our sample, with a dispersion of only 0.09 Mo. White dwarfs also showing hydrogen lines, the DBA stars, comprise 44% of our sample, and their mass distribution appears similar to that of DB stars. As in our previous investigation, we find no evidence for the existence of low-mass (M < 0.5 Mo) DB white dwarfs. We derive a luminosity function based on a subset of DB white dwarfs identified in the Palomar-Green survey. We show that 20% of all white dwarfs in the temperature range of interest are DB stars, although the fraction drops to half this value above Teff ~ 20,000 K. We also show that the persistence of DB stars with no hydrogen features at low temperatures is difficult to reconcile with a scenario involving accretion from the interstellar medium, often invoked to account for the observed hydrogen abundances in DBA stars. We present evidence for the existence of two different evolutionary channels that produce DB white dwarfs: the standard model where DA stars are transformed into DB stars through the convective dilution of a thin hydrogen layer, and a second channel where DB stars retain a helium-atmosphere throughout their evolution. We finally demonstrate that the instability strip of pulsating V777 Her white dwarfs contains no nonvariables, if the hydrogen content of these stars is properly accounted for.Comment: 74 pages including 30 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Mapping mean total annual precipitation in Belgium, by investigating the scale of topographic control at the regional scale

Accurate precipitation maps are essential for ecological, environmental, element cycle and hydrological models that have a spatial output component. It is well known that topography has a major influence on the spatial distribution of precipitation and that increasing topographical complexity is associated with increased spatial heterogeneity in precipitation. This means that when mapping precipitation using classical interpolation techniques (e.g. regression, kriging, spline, inverse distance weighting, etc.), a climate measuring network with higher spatial density is needed in mountainous areas in order to obtain the same level of accuracy as compared to flatter regions. In this study, we present a mean total annual precipitation mapping technique that combines topographical information (i.e. elevation and slope orientation) with average total annual rain gauge data in order to overcome this problem. A unique feature of this paper is the identification of the scale at which topography influences the precipitation pattern as well as the direction of the dominant weather circulation. This method was applied for Belgium and surroundings and shows that the identification of the appropriate scale at which topographical obstacles impact precipitation is crucial in order to obtain reliable mean total annual precipitation maps. The dominant weather circulation is determined at 260°. Hence, this approach allows accurate mapping of mean annual precipitation patterns in regions characterized by rather high topographical complexity using a climate data network with a relatively low density and/or when more advanced precipitation measurement techniques, such as radar, aren't available, for example in the case of historical data

The White Dwarf Distance to the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae and its Age

We present a new determination of the distance (and age) of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) based on the fit of its white dwarf (WD) cooling sequence with the empirical fiducial sequence of local WD with known trigonometric parallax, following the method described in Renzini et al. (1996). Both the cluster and the local WDs were imaged with HST+WFPC2 using the same instrument setup. We obtained an apparent distance modulus of $(m-M)_V=13.27\pm0.14$ consistent with previous ground-based determinations and shorter than that found using HIPPARCOS subdwarfs. Coupling our distance determination with a new measure of the apparent magnitude of the main sequence turnoff, based on our HST data, we derive an age of $13\pm2.5$ Gyr.Comment: Accepted for publication on the Astrophysical Journa

CCD-based observations of PG 0856+121 and a theoretical analysis of its oscillation modes

BVRI CCD-based and near-IR (J) imaging, together with unfiltered photometry of the hot subdwarf B star PG 0856+121 are reported. Two close, faint, red, point-like sources are resolved. They account for the previously reported IR excess observed in this hot subdwarf. In addition, the new unfiltered differential photometry of PG 0856+121 confirms its previously reported pulsational nature. A comparison with the oscillation modes of stellar models suggests the possible presence of g modes.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Seven pages, four figures include

Multiwavelength Observations of the Hot DB Star PG 0112+104

We present a comprehensive multiwavelength analysis of the hot DB white dwarf PG 0112+104. Our analysis relies on newly-acquired FUSE observations, on medium-resolution FOS and GHRS data, on archival high-resolution GHRS observations, on optical spectrophotometry both in the blue and around Halpha, as well as on time-resolved photometry. From the optical data, we derive a self-consistent effective temperature of 31,300+-500 K, a surface gravity of log g = 7.8 +- 0.1 (M=0.52 Msun), and a hydrogen abundance of log N(H)/N(He) < -4.0. The FUSE spectra reveal the presence of CII and CIII lines that complement the previous detection of CII transitions with the GHRS. The improved carbon abundance in this hot object is log N(C)/N(He) = -6.15 +- 0.23. No photospheric features associated with other heavy elements are detected. We reconsider the role of PG 0112+104 in the definition of the blue edge of the V777 Her instability strip in light of our high-speed photometry, and contrast our results with those of previous observations carried out at the McDonald Observatory.Comment: 10 pages in emulateapj, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap