322 research outputs found
The stellar population of Sco OB2 revealed by Gaia DR2 data
Sco OB2 is the nearest OB association, extending over approximately 2000
sq.deg. on the sky. Only its brightest members are already known (from
Hipparcos) across its entire size, while studies of its lower-mass population
refer only to small portions of its extent. In this work we exploit the
capabilities of Gaia DR2 measurements to search for Sco OB2 members across its
entire size and down to the lowest stellar masses. We use both Gaia astrometric
and photometric data to select association members, using minimal assumptions
derived mostly from the Hipparcos studies. Gaia resolves small details in both
the kinematics of individual Sco OB2 subgroups and their distances from the
Sun. We develop methods to explore the 3D kinematics of stellar populations
covering large sky areas. We find ~11000 pre-main sequence (PMS) Sco OB2
members (with <3% contamination), plus ~3600 MS candidate members with a larger
(10-30%) field-star contamination. A higher-confidence subsample of ~9200 PMS
(and ~1340 MS) members is also selected (<1% contamination for the PMS),
affected however by larger (~15%) incompleteness. We classify separately stars
in compact and diffuse populations. Most members belong to a few kinematically
distinct diffuse populations, whose ensemble outlines the association shape.
Upper Sco is the densest part of Sco OB2, with a complex spatial and
kinematical structure, and no global pattern of motion. Other dense subclusters
are found in Upper Centaurus-Lupus and in Lower Centaurus-Crux. Most clustered
stars appear to be younger than the diffuse PMS population, suggesting star
formation in small groups which rapidly disperse and dilute, while keeping
memory of their original kinematics. We also find that the open cluster IC 2602
has a similar dynamics to Sco OB2, and its PMS members are evaporating and
forming a ~10 deg halo around its double-peaked core.Comment: 27 pages, 37 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Circumstellar Disks in the Outer Galaxy: the Star-Forming Region NGC 1893
It is still debated whether star formation process depends on environment. In
particular it is yet unclear whether star formation in the outer Galaxy, where
the environmental conditions are, theoretically, less conducive, occurs in the
same way as in the inner Galaxy. We investigate the population of NGC1893, a
young cluster ~3-4 Myr in the outer part of the Galaxy (galactic radius >11
Kpc), to explore the effects of environmental conditions on star forming
regions. We present infrared observations acquired using the IRAC camera
onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope and analyze the color-color diagrams to
establish the membership of stars with excesses. We also merge this information
with that obtained from Chandra ACIS-I observations, to identify the Class III
population. We find that the cluster is very rich, with 242 PMS Classical
T-Tauri stars and 7 Class 0/I stars. We identify 110 Class III candidate
cluster members in the ACIS-I field of view. We estimate a disk fraction for
NGC1893 of about 67%, similar to fractions calculated for nearby star forming
regions of the same age. Although environmental conditions are unfavorable,
star formation can clearly be very successful in the outer Galaxy, allowing
creation of a very rich cluster like NGC1893.Comment: 10 pages,7 figures,4 table
Low mass star formation and subclustering in the HII regions RCW 32, 33 and 27 of the Vela Molecular Ridge. A photometric diagnostics to identify M-type stars
Most stars born in clusters and recent results suggest that star formation
(SF) preferentially occurs in subclusters. Studying the morphology and SF
history of young clusters is crucial to understanding early SF. We identify the
embedded clusters of young stellar objects (YSOs) down to M stars, in the HII
regions RCW33, RCW32 and RCW27 of the Vela Molecular Ridge. Our aim is to
characterise their properties, such as morphology and extent of the clusters in
the three HII regions, derive stellar ages and the connection of the SF history
with the environment. Through public photometric surveys such as Gaia, VPHAS,
2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE, we identify YSOs with IR, Halpha and UV excesses, as
signature of circumstellar disks and accretion. In addition, we implement a
method to distinguish M dwarfs and giants, by comparing the reddening derived
in several optical/IR color-color diagrams, assuming suitable theoretical
models. Since this diagnostic is sensitive to stellar gravity, the procedure
allows us to identify pre-main sequence stars. We find a large population of
YSOs showing signatures of circumstellar disks with or without accretion. In
addition, with the new technique of M-type star selection, we find a rich
population of young M stars with a spatial distribution strongly correlated to
the more massive population. We find evidence of three young clusters, with
different morphology. In addition, we identify field stars falling in the same
region, by securely classifying them as giants and foreground MS stars. We
identify the embedded population of YSOs, down to about 0.1 Msun, associated
with the HII regions RCW33, RCW32 and RCW27 and the clusters Vela T2, Cr197 and
Vela T1, respectively, showing very different morphologies. Our results suggest
a decreasing SF rate in Vela T2 and triggered SF in Cr197 and Vela T1.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 20 pages, 22 figures, 6 table
Spectroscopic observations of blue stars with infrared excesses in NGC 6611
Context. The young open cluster NGC 6611 includes a group of peculiar objects with interesting properties among its candidate members: blue stars with infrared (IR) excesses. These stars show excesses in IR bands, a signature of the presence of a circumstellar disk, but optical colors typical of older field stars. To confirm their membership in the cluster, it is therefore important to use new spectroscopic observations, together with previous photometric data. Aims. We aim to confirm the membership of these objects and investigate their physical properties to verify whether the observed colors are intrinsic or altered by the disk or by the accretion processes. Methods. We analyzed the intermediate-resolution spectroscopic data obtained for a subsample of blue stars in NGC 6611 with FLAMES. In particular, we focused on the study of 1) the profile of the Hα emission line, to select stars with accretion and outflow activity; 2) the Li absorption line, used as a youth indicator; 3) the radial velocity. Results. Using the spectroscopic analysis, it has been possible to investigate the Li absorption line, as well as to distinguish between stars with inert or active disks. In particular, from the analysis of the Hα emission line we were able to infer the activity due to the accretion and outflow processes and the variability of the emission. We also investigated the binarity of the blue stars and their membership to NGC 6611. Conclusions. From our spectroscopic analysis, we conclude that half of the sample of blue stars (10/20) are confirmed members of NGC 6611 (with 6 more stars that could also be possible members). In conclusion, our results indicate that members of young clusters can also be found in an anomalous region of the color-magnitude diagram, i.e., outside of the pre-main sequence locus where most of the cluster members lie
Spectral classification and HR diagram of pre-main sequence stars in NGC6530
Mechanisms involved in the star formation process and in particular the
duration of the different phases of the cloud contraction are not yet fully
understood. Photometric data alone suggest that objects coexist in the young
cluster NGC6530 with ages from ~1 Myr up to 10 Myrs. We want to derive accurate
stellar parameters and, in particular, stellar ages to be able to constrain a
possible age spread in the star-forming region NGC6530. We used low-resolution
spectra taken with VIMOS@VLT and literature spectra of standard stars to derive
spectral types of a subsample of 94 candidate members of this cluster. We
assign spectral types to 86 of the 88 confirmed cluster members and derive
individual reddenings. Our data are better fitted by the anomalous reddening
law with R=5. We confirm the presence of strong differential
reddening in this region. We derive fundamental stellar parameters, such as
effective temperatures, photospheric colors, luminosities, masses, and ages for
78 members, while for the remaining 8 YSOs we cannot determine the interstellar
absorption, since they are likely accretors, and their V-I colors are bluer
than their intrinsic colors. The cluster members studied in this work have
masses between 0.4 and 4 M and ages between 1-2 Myrs and 6-7 Myrs. We
find that the SE region is the most recent site of star formation, while the
older YSOs are loosely clustered in the N and W regions. The presence of two
distint generations of YSOs with different spatial distribution allows us to
conclude that in this region there is an age spread of ~6-7 Myrs. This is
consistent with the scenario of sequential star formation suggested in
literature.Comment: 23 pages, 16 Postscript figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication
in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Parameter properties and stellar population of the old open cluster NGC 3960
We present a photometric and astrometric catalogue of the open cluster
NGC 3960, down to limiting magnitude , obtained from observations
taken with the Wide Field Imager camera at the MPG/ESO 2.2 m Telescope at La
Silla. The photometry of all the stars detected in our field of view has been
used to estimate a map of the strong differential reddening affecting this
area. Our results indicate that, within the region where the cluster dominates,
the values range from 0.21 up to 0.78, with
() at the nominal cluster centroid position; color excesses
up to 1 mag have been measured in the external regions of the field of
view where field stars dominate. The reddening corrected color-magnitude
diagram (CMD) allows us to conclude that the cluster has an age between 0.9 and
1.4 Gyr and a distance modulus of .
In order to minimize field star contamination, their number has been
statistically subtracted based on the surface density map. The empirical
cluster main sequence has been recovered in the vs. and in the
vs. planes, using optical and infrared data, respectively. From these
empirical cluster main sequences, two samples of candidate cluster members were
derived in order to obtain the luminosity distributions as a function of the
and magnitudes. The Luminosity Functions have been transformed into the
corresponding Mass Functions; for , the two distributions have
been fitted with a power law of index and
in and in , respectively, while the Salpeter Mass
Function in this notation has index .Comment: 17 pages, 16 ps figures, in press in Astronomy and Astrophysic
VLT/Flames observations of the star forming region NGC 6530
Mechanisms regulating the evolution of pre-main sequence stars can be understood by studying stellar properties such as rotation, disk accretion, internal mixing and binarity. To investigate such properties, we studied a sample of 332 candidate members of the massive and populous star forming region NGC 6530. We want to select cluster members by using different membership criteria,to study the properties of pre-main sequence stars with or without circumstellar disks. We use intermediate resolution spectra including the Li I 6707.8 Angstroms line to derive radial and rotational velocities, binarity and to measure the Equivalent Width of the lithium line; these results are combined with X-ray data to study the cluster membership. Optical-IR data and Halpha spectra, these latter available for a subsample of our targets, are used to classify CTTS and WTTS and to compare the properties of stars with and without disks. We find a total of 237 certain members including 53 binaries. The rotational velocity distributions of stars with IR excesses are statistically different from that of stars without IR excesses, while the fraction of binaries with disks is significantly smaller than that of single stars. Stars with evidence for accretion show circumstellar disks; youth of cluster members is confirmed by the lithium abundance consistent with the initial content. As indicated by the disk-locking picture, stars with disks have in general rotational velocities lower than stars without disks. Binaries in NGC 6530 seem have undergone a significant disk evolution
Mitochondrial Targeted Coenzyme Q, Superoxide, and Fuel Selectivity in Endothelial Cells
Background
Previously, we reported that the “antioxidant” compound “mitoQ” (mitochondrial-targeted ubiquinol/ubiquinone) actually increased superoxide production by bovine aortic endothelial (BAE) cell mitochondria incubated with complex I but not complex II substrates.
Methods and Results
To further define the site of action of the targeted coenzyme Q compound, we extended these studies to include different substrate and inhibitor conditions. In addition, we assessed the effects of mitoquinone on mitochondrial respiration, measured respiration and mitochondrial membrane potential in intact cells, and tested the intriguing hypothesis that mitoquinone might impart fuel selectivity in intact BAE cells. In mitochondria respiring on differing concentrations of complex I substrates, mitoquinone and rotenone had interactive effects on ROS consistent with redox cycling at multiple sites within complex I. Mitoquinone increased respiration in isolated mitochondria respiring on complex I but not complex II substrates. Mitoquinone also increased oxygen consumption by intact BAE cells. Moreover, when added to intact cells at 50 to 1000 nM, mitoquinone increased glucose oxidation and reduced fat oxidation, at doses that did not alter membrane potential or induce cell toxicity. Although high dose mitoquinone reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, the positively charged mitochondrial-targeted cation, decyltriphenylphosphonium (mitoquinone without the coenzyme Q moiety), decreased membrane potential more than mitoquinone, but did not alter fuel selectivity. Therefore, non-specific effects of the positive charge were not responsible and the quinone moiety is required for altered nutrient selectivity.
Conclusions
In summary, the interactive effects of mitoquinone and rotenone are consistent with redox cycling at more than one site within complex I. In addition, mitoquinone has substrate dependent effects on mitochondrial respiration, increases repiration by intact cells, and alters fuel selectivity favoring glucose over fatty acid oxidation at the intact cell level.This work was supported by Veterans Affairs Medical Research Funds and grant DK25295 from the National Institutes of Health
Multiple kinematical populations in Vela OB2 from Gaia DR1 data
Context. Recent results using radial-velocity measurements from the Gaia-ESO Survey have led to the discovery of multiple kinematic populations across the Vela OB2 association. We present here a proper-motion study of the same region.
Aims. Our aim is to test whether or not the radial-velocity populations have a counterpart in proper-motion space, and if so, how the two sets of kinematical data complement each other.
Methods. This work is based on parallaxes and proper motions from the TGAS catalogue, as part of Gaia DR1.
Results. Two distinct proper-motion populations are found dispersed across ~ 5 degrees (or ~ 30 pc at their likely distances). Their detailed correspondence to the radial-velocity populations could not be tested because of the paucity of common objects. However, compelling indications are found that one of the new proper-motion populations consists mostly of members of the young cluster NGC 2547, and the other is related to the 2 Vel cluster. Constraints on the age of the two populations, both of which appear to be only 1
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