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Chemical Inhomogeneities in the Milky Way Stellar Halo
We have compiled a sample of 699 stars from the recent literature withdetailed chemical abundance information (spanning –4.2lsim [Fe/H]lsim+0.3), and we compute their space velocities and Galactic orbitalparameters. We identify members of the inner and outer stellar halopopulations in our sample based only on their kinematic properties andthen compare the abundance ratios of these populations as a function of[Fe/H]. In the metallicity range where the two populations overlap(–2.5lsim [Fe/H] lsim–1.5), the mean [Mg/Fe] of the outerhalo is lower than the inner halo by –0.1 dex. For [Ni/Fe] and[Ba/Fe], the star-to-star abundance scatter of the inner halo isconsistently smaller than in the outer halo. The [Na/Fe], [Y/Fe],[Ca/Fe], and [Ti/Fe] ratios of both populations show similar means andlevels of scatter. Our inner halo population is chemically homogeneous,suggesting that a significant fraction of the Milky Way stellar halooriginated from a well-mixed interstellar medium. In contrast, our outerhalo population is chemically diverse, suggesting that anothersignificant fraction of the Milky Way stellar halo formed in remoteregions where chemical enrichment was dominated by local supernovaevents. We find no abundance trends with maximum radial distance fromthe Galactic center or maximum vertical distance from the Galactic disk.We also find no common kinematic signature for groups of metal-poorstars with peculiar abundance patters, such as the α-poor stars orstars showing unique neutron-capture enrichment patterns. Several starsand dwarf spheroidal systems with unique abundance patterns spend themajority of their time in the distant regions of the Milky Way stellarhalo, suggesting that the true outer halo of the Galaxy may have littleresemblance to the local stellar halo.
| Speckle interferometry of metal-poor stars in the solar neighborhood. II
The results of speckle interferometric observations of 115 metal-poorstars ([m/H] < ‑1) within 250 pc from the Sun and with propermotions µ ≳ 0.2″/yr, made with the 6-m telescope of theSpecial Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences,are reported. Close companions with separations ranging from0.034″ to 1″ were observed for 12 objects—G76-21,G59-1, G63-46, G135-16, G168-42, G141-47, G142-44, G190-10, G28-43,G217-8, G130-7, and G89-14—eight of them are astrometricallyresolved for the first time. The newly resolved systems include onetriple star—G190-10. If combined with spectroscopic and visualdata, our results imply a single:binary:triple:quadruple star ratio of147:64:9:1 for a sample of 221 primary components of halo and thick-diskstars.
| Uncovering the Chemical Signature of the First Stars in the Universe
The chemical abundance patterns observed in metal-poor Galactic halostars contain the signature of the first supernovae, and thus allow usto probe the first stars that formed in the universe. We construct atheoretical model for the early chemical enrichment history of the MilkyWay, aiming in particular at the contribution from pair-instabilitysupernovae (PISNe). These are a natural consequence of currenttheoretical models for primordial star formation at the highest masses.However, no metal-poor star displaying the distinct PISN signature hasyet been observed. We here argue that this apparent absence of any PISNsignature is due to an observational selection effect. Whereas mostsurveys traditionally focus on the most metal-poor stars, we predictthat early PISN enrichment tends to ``overshoot,'' reaching enrichmentlevels of [Ca/H]~=-2.5 that would be missed by current searches. Weutilize existing observational data to place constraints on theprimordial initial mass function (IMF). The number fraction of PISNe inthe primordial stellar population is estimated to be <0.07, or<~40% by mass, assuming that metal-free stars have masses in excessof 10 Msolar. We further predict, based on theoreticalestimates for the relative number of PISNe, that the expected fractionof second-generation stars below [Ca/H]=-2 with a dominant (i.e.,>90%) contribution from PISNe is merely ~10-4 to5×10-4. The corresponding fraction of stars formed fromgas exclusively enriched by PISNe is a factor of ~4 smaller. With theadvent of next-generation telescopes and new, deeper surveys, we shouldbe able to test these predictions.
| Medium-resolution Isaac Newton Telescope library of empirical spectra - II. The stellar atmospheric parameters
We present a homogeneous set of stellar atmospheric parameters(Teff, logg, [Fe/H]) for MILES, a new spectral stellarlibrary covering the range λλ 3525-7500Å at2.3Å (FWHM) spectral resolution. The library consists of 985 starsspanning a large range in atmospheric parameters, from super-metal-rich,cool stars to hot, metal-poor stars. The spectral resolution, spectraltype coverage and number of stars represent a substantial improvementover previous libraries used in population synthesis models. Theatmospheric parameters that we present here are the result of aprevious, extensive compilation from the literature. In order toconstruct a homogeneous data set of atmospheric parameters we have takenthe sample of stars of Soubiran, Katz & Cayrel, which has very welldetermined fundamental parameters, as the standard reference system forour field stars, and have calibrated and bootstrapped the data fromother papers against it. The atmospheric parameters for our clusterstars have also been revised and updated according to recent metallicityscales, colour-temperature relations and improved set of isochrones.
| Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
| Medium-resolution Isaac Newton Telescope library of empirical spectra
A new stellar library developed for stellar population synthesismodelling is presented. The library consists of 985 stars spanning alarge range in atmospheric parameters. The spectra were obtained at the2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope and cover the range λλ3525-7500 Å at 2.3 Å (full width at half-maximum) spectralresolution. The spectral resolution, spectral-type coverage,flux-calibration accuracy and number of stars represent a substantialimprovement over previous libraries used in population-synthesis models.
| Galactic model parameters for field giants separated from field dwarfs by their 2MASS and V apparent magnitudes
We present a method which separates field dwarfs and field giants bytheir 2MASS and V apparent magnitudes. This method is based onspectroscopically selected standards and is hence reliable. We appliedit to stars in two fields, SA 54 and SA 82, and we estimated a full setof Galactic model parameters for giants including their total localspace density. Our results are in agreement with the ones given in therecent literature.
| uvby-β photometry of high-velocity and metal-poor stars. XI. Ages of halo and old disk stars
New uvby-β data are provided for 442 high-velocity and metal-poorstars; 90 of these stars have been observed previously by us, and 352are new. When combined with our previous two photometric catalogues, thedata base is now made up of 1533 high-velocity and metal-poor stars, allwith uvby-β photometry and complete kinematic data, such as propermotions and radial velocities taken from the literature. Hipparcos, plusa new photometric calibration for Mv also based on theHipparcos parallaxes, provide distances for nearly all of these stars;our previous photometric calibrations give values for E(b-y) and [Fe/H].The [Fe/H], V(rot) diagram allows us to separate these stars intodifferent Galactic stellar population groups, such as old-thin-disk,thick-disk, and halo. The X histogram, where X is our stellar-populationdiscriminator combining V(rot) and [Fe/H], and contour plots for the[Fe/H], V(rot) diagram both indicate two probable components to thethick disk. These population groups and Galactic components are studiedin the (b-y)0, Mv diagram, compared to theisochrones of Bergbusch & VandenBerg (2001, ApJ, 556, 322), toderive stellar ages. The two thick-disk groups have the meancharacteristics: ([Fe/H], V(rot), Age, σW') ≈ (-0.7dex, 120 km s-1, 12.5 Gyr, 62.0 km s-1), and≈(-0.4, 160, 10.0, 45.8). The seven most metal-poor halo groups,-2.31 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.31, show a mean age of 13.0 ± 0.2(mean error) Gyr, giving a mean difference from the WMAP results for theage of the Universe of 0.7 ± 0.3 Gyr. These results for the agesand components of the thick disk and for the age of the Galactic halofield stars are discussed in terms of various models and ideas for theformation of galaxies and their stellar populations.
| A Catalog of Northern Stars with Annual Proper Motions Larger than 0.15" (LSPM-NORTH Catalog)
The LSPM catalog is a comprehensive list of 61,977 stars north of theJ2000 celestial equator that have proper motions larger than 0.15"yr-1 (local-background-stars frame). The catalog has beengenerated primarily as a result of our systematic search for high propermotion stars in the Digitized Sky Surveys using our SUPERBLINK software.At brighter magnitudes, the catalog incorporates stars and data from theTycho-2 Catalogue and also, to a lesser extent, from the All-SkyCompiled Catalogue of 2.5 million stars. The LSPM catalog considerablyexpands over the old Luyten (Luyten Half-Second [LHS] and New LuytenTwo-Tenths [NLTT]) catalogs, superseding them for northern declinations.Positions are given with an accuracy of <~100 mas at the 2000.0epoch, and absolute proper motions are given with an accuracy of ~8 masyr-1. Corrections to the local-background-stars propermotions have been calculated, and absolute proper motions in theextragalactic frame are given. Whenever available, we also give opticalBT and VT magnitudes (from Tycho-2, ASCC-2.5),photographic BJ, RF, and IN magnitudes(from USNO-B1 catalog), and infrared J, H, and Ks magnitudes(from 2MASS). We also provide an estimated V magnitude and V-J color fornearly all catalog entries, useful for initial classification of thestars. The catalog is estimated to be over 99% complete at high Galacticlatitudes (|b|>15deg) and over 90% complete at lowGalactic latitudes (|b|>15deg), down to a magnitudeV=19.0, and has a limiting magnitude V=21.0. All the northern starslisted in the LHS and NLTT catalogs have been reidentified, and theirpositions, proper motions, and magnitudes reevaluated. The catalog alsolists a large number of completely new objects, which promise to expandvery significantly the census of red dwarfs, subdwarfs, and white dwarfsin the vicinity of the Sun.Based on data mining of the Digitized Sky Surveys (DSSs), developed andoperated by the Catalogs and Surveys Branch of the Space TelescopeScience Institute (STScI), Baltimore.Developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), aspart of the NASA/NSF NStars program.
| Stellar Chemical Signatures and Hierarchical Galaxy Formation
To compare the chemistries of stars in the Milky Way dwarf spheroidal(dSph) satellite galaxies with stars in the Galaxy, we have compiled alarge sample of Galactic stellar abundances from the literature. Whenkinematic information is available, we have assigned the stars tostandard Galactic components through Bayesian classification based onGaussian velocity ellipsoids. As found in previous studies, the[α/Fe] ratios of most stars in the dSph galaxies are generallylower than similar metallicity Galactic stars in this extended sample.Our kinematically selected stars confirm this for the Galactic halo,thin-disk, and thick-disk components. There is marginal overlap in thelow [α/Fe] ratios between dSph stars and Galactic halo stars onextreme retrograde orbits (V<-420 km s-1), but this is notsupported by other element ratios. Other element ratios compared in thispaper include r- and s-process abundances, where we find a significantoffset in the [Y/Fe] ratios, which results in a large overabundance in[Ba/Y] in most dSph stars compared with Galactic stars. Thus, thechemical signatures of most of the dSph stars are distinct from thestars in each of the kinematic components of the Galaxy. This resultrules out continuous merging of low-mass galaxies similar to these dSphsatellites during the formation of the Galaxy. However, we do not ruleout very early merging of low-mass dwarf galaxies, since up to one-halfof the most metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<=-1.8) have chemistries that arein fair agreement with Galactic halo stars. We also do not rule outmerging with higher mass galaxies, although we note that the LMC and theremnants of the Sgr dwarf galaxy are also chemically distinct from themajority of the Galactic halo stars. Formation of the Galaxy's thickdisk by heating of an old thin disk during a merger is also not ruledout; however, the Galaxy's thick disk itself cannot be comprised of theremnants from a low-mass (dSph) dwarf galaxy, nor of a high-mass dwarfgalaxy like the LMC or Sgr, because of differences in chemistry.The new and independent environments offered by the dSph galaxies alsoallow us to examine fundamental assumptions related to thenucleosynthesis of the elements. The metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<=-1.8)in the dSph galaxies appear to have lower [Ca/Fe] and [Ti/Fe] than[Mg/Fe] ratios, unlike similar metallicity stars in the Galaxy.Predictions from the α-process (α-rich freeze-out) would beconsistent with this result if there have been a lack of hypernovae indSph galaxies. The α-process could also be responsible for thevery low Y abundances in the metal-poor stars in dSph's; since [La/Eu](and possibly [Ba/Eu]) are consistent with pure r-process results, thelow [Y/Eu] suggests a separate r-process site for this light(first-peak) r-process element. We also discuss SNe II rates and yieldsas other alternatives, however. In stars with higher metallicities([Fe/H]>=-1.8), contributions from the s-process are expected; [(Y,La, and Ba)/Eu] all rise as expected, and yet [Ba/Y] is still muchhigher in the dSph stars than similar metallicity Galactic stars. Thisresult is consistent with s-process contributions from lower metallicityAGB stars in dSph galaxies, and is in good agreement with the slowerchemical evolution expected in the low-mass dSph galaxies relative tothe Galaxy, such that the build-up of metals occurs over much longertimescales. Future investigations of nucleosynthetic constraints (aswell as galaxy formation and evolution) will require an examination ofmany stars within individual dwarf galaxies.Finally, the Na-Ni trend reported in 1997 by Nissen & Schuster isconfirmed in Galactic halo stars, but we discuss this in terms of thegeneral nucleosynthesis of neutron-rich elements. We do not confirm thatthe Na-Ni trend is related to the accretion of dSph galaxies in theGalactic halo.
| A New Contributor to Chemical Evolution in High-Redshift Galaxies
The recent discovery of a new population of stars exhibiting unusualelemental abundance patterns characterized by enhanced Ti-to-Ga elementsand low α- and n-capture elements suggests the contribution of anew class of supernovae, probably a kind of Type Ia supernovaeassociated with close binary evolution. The role of these supernovae inchemical evolution is negligible in normal galaxies that undergomoderate star formation such as our own. Thus, while the frequency ofoccurrence would be too low to detect in low-redshift galaxies, it mayrepresent a prominent population in high-redshift objects such as earlyepoch massive elliptical galaxies and QSOs. The chemical contributor ofthis proposed type of supernova in combination with recognizedsupernovae is shown to be compatible with the recent observationalfeatures in the distant universe, successfully reproducing the Type IIsupernova-like abundance pattern with enhancement of Ga and Ge in thegas of newborn massive galaxies and high iron abundances in QSOs even atredshifts of around 6.
| Empirically Constrained Color-Temperature Relations. II. uvby
A new grid of theoretical color indices for the Strömgren uvbyphotometric system has been derived from MARCS model atmospheres and SSGsynthetic spectra for cool dwarf and giant stars having-3.0<=[Fe/H]<=+0.5 and 3000<=Teff<=8000 K. Atwarmer temperatures (i.e., 8000-2.0. To overcome thisproblem, the theoretical indices at intermediate and high metallicitieshave been corrected using a set of color calibrations based on fieldstars having well-determined distances from Hipparcos, accurateTeff estimates from the infrared flux method, andspectroscopic [Fe/H] values. In contrast with Paper I, star clustersplayed only a minor role in this analysis in that they provided asupplementary constraint on the color corrections for cool dwarf starswith Teff<=5500 K. They were mainly used to test thecolor-Teff relations and, encouragingly, isochrones thatemploy the transformations derived in this study are able to reproducethe observed CMDs (involving u-v, v-b, and b-y colors) for a number ofopen and globular clusters (including M67, the Hyades, and 47 Tuc)rather well. Moreover, our interpretations of such data are verysimilar, if not identical, with those given in Paper I from aconsideration of BV(RI)C observations for the sameclusters-which provides a compelling argument in support of thecolor-Teff relations that are reported in both studies. Inthe present investigation, we have also analyzed the observedStrömgren photometry for the classic Population II subdwarfs,compared our ``final'' (b-y)-Teff relationship with thosederived empirically in a number of recent studies and examined in somedetail the dependence of the m1 index on [Fe/H].Based, in part, on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope,operated jointly on the island of La Palma by Denmark, Finland, Iceland,Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.Based, in part, on observations obtained with the Danish 1.54 mtelescope at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.
| Chemical Substructure in the Milky Way Halo: A New Population of Old Stars
We report the results of a coherent study of a new class of halo starsdefined on the basis of the chemical compositions of three metal-poorobjects ([Fe/H]~=-2) that exhibit unusually low abundances ofα-element (Mg, Si, Ca) and neutron-capture (Sr, Y, Ba) material.Our analyses confirm and expand on earlier reports of atypical α-and neutron-capture abundances in BD +80°245, G4-36, and CS22966-043. We also find that the latter two stars exhibit unusualrelative abundance enhancements within the iron peak (Cr, Mn, Ni, Zn),along with what may be large abundances of Ga, an element not previouslyreported as being observed in any metal-poor star. These results providefurther evidence that chemical enrichment and star formation historiesvaried from region to region within the Milky Way halo. Comparing thechemical abundances of the newly identified stellar population tosupernova model yields, we derive supernova ratios of Type Ia versusType II events in the range of0.6<~(NIa/NII)NewPop<~1.3. Forthe Sun, we derive0.18+/-0.01<(NIa/NII)solar<0.25+/-0.06,supernova ratios in good agreement with values found in the literature.Given the relatively low metallicity and relatively highIa/NII> ratios of the low-α stars studiedhere, these objects may have been born from material produced in theyields of the earliest Type Ia supernova events. We also report theresults of a preliminary attempt to employ the observed chemicalabundances of low-metallicity stars in the identification, and possiblecosmic evolution, of Type Ia supernova progenitors, and we discuss thelimitations of current model yields.Based on data acquired at the following facilities: McDonaldObservatory, which is operated by the University of Texas at Austin; LasCampanas Observatory, which is operated by the Observatories of theCarnegie Institution of Washington; W. M. Keck Observatory, which isoperated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute ofTechnology, the University of California, and NASA; and Kitt PeakNational Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which isoperated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy(AURA), Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National ScienceFoundation (NSF).
| Improved Astrometry and Photometry for the Luyten Catalog. II. Faint Stars and the Revised Catalog
We complete construction of a catalog containing improved astrometry andnew optical/infrared photometry for the vast majority of NLTT starslying in the overlap of regions covered by POSS I and by the secondincremental Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) release, approximately 44%of the sky. The epoch 2000 positions are typically accurate to 130 mas,the proper motions to 5.5 mas yr-1, and the V-J colors to0.25 mag. Relative proper motions of binary components are measured to 3mas yr-1. The false-identification rate is ~1% for11<~V<~18 and substantially less at brighter magnitudes. Theseimprovements permit the construction of a reduced proper-motion diagramthat, for the first time, allows one to classify NLTT stars intomain-sequence (MS) stars, subdwarfs (SDs), and white dwarfs (WDs). We inturn use this diagram to analyze the properties of both our catalog andthe NLTT catalog on which it is based. In sharp contrast to popularbelief, we find that NLTT incompleteness in the plane is almostcompletely concentrated in MS stars, and that SDs and WDs are detectedalmost uniformly over the sky δ>-33deg. Our catalogwill therefore provide a powerful tool to probe these populationsstatistically, as well as to reliably identify individual SDs and WDs.
| A Survey of Proper-Motion Stars. XVI. Orbital Solutions for 171 Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries
We report 25,563 radial velocity measurements for 1359 single-linedstars in the Carney-Latham sample of 1464 stars selected for high propermotion. For 171 of these, we present spectroscopic orbital solutions. Wefind no obvious difference between the binary characteristics in thehalo and the disk populations. The observed frequency is the same, andthe period distributions are consistent with the hypothesis that the twosets of binaries were drawn from the same parent population. Thissuggests that metallicity in general, and radiative opacities inparticular, have little influence over the fragmentation process thatleads to short-period binaries. All the binaries with periods shorterthan 10 days have nearly circular orbits, while the binaries withperiods longer than 20 days exhibit a wide range of eccentricities and amedian value of 0.37. For the metal-poor high-velocity halo binaries inour sample, the transition from circular to eccentric orbits appears tooccur at about 20 days, supporting the conclusion that tidalcircularization on the main sequence is important for the oldestbinaries in the Galaxy. Some of the results presented here usedobservations made with the Multiple Mirror Telescope, a joint facilityof the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona.
| Catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations for FGK stars: 2001 edition
The catalogue presented here is a compilation of published atmosphericparameters (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) obtained from highresolution, high signal-to-noise spectroscopic observations. This newedition has changed compared to the five previous versions. It is nowrestricted to intermediate and low mass stars (F, G and K stars). Itcontains 6354 determinations of (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) for3356 stars, including 909 stars in 79 stellar systems. The literature iscomplete between January 1980 and December 2000 and includes 378references. The catalogue is made up of two tables, one for field starsand one for stars in galactic associations, open and globular clustersand external galaxies. The catalogue is distributed through the CDSdatabase. Access to the catalogue with cross-identification to othersets of data is also possible with VizieR (Ochsenbein et al.\cite{och00}). The catalogue (Tables 1 and 2) is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/373/159 and VizieRhttp://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/.
| Chemical Compositions of Four Metal-poor Giant Stars
We present the chemical compositions of four K giants (CS 22877-1, CS22166-16, CS 22169-35, and BS 16085-0050) that have [Fe/H] in the range-2.4 to -3.1. Metal-poor stars with [Fe/H]<-2.5 are known to exhibitconsiderable star-to-star variations of many elements. This quartetconfirms this conclusion. CS 22877-1 and CS 22166-16 are carbon-rich.There is significant spread of [α/Fe] within our samples, where[α/Fe] is computed from the mean of the [Mg/Fe] and [Ca/Fe]ratios. BS 16085-0050 is remarkably α-enriched with a mean[α/Fe] of +0.7, but CS 22169-35 is α-poor. The aluminumabundance also shows a significant variation over the sample. A paralleland unsuccessful search among high-velocity late-type stars formetal-poor stars is described.
| Galactic Mergers: A Search for Chemical Signatures
Recent kinematic and photometric evidence depicts an increasinglycomplicated picture of early galaxy formation, and of stellar debrisleft behind by an unknown number of passages and mergers by satellitesystems of the Milky Way. In addition to kinematic similarites, chemical``signatures'' may identify these merger/accretion events. A number ofvery high-velocity metal-poor field stars have been discovered thatpossess very unusual abundance ratios of alpha-elements to iron. Thestars discovered to date all have large apogalacticon distances -- thesestars may have originated within a satellite galaxy or galaxies thatexperienced a different nucleosynthetic chemical evolution history thanthe Milky Way and which were later accreted by it. We have gathered highresolution echelle spectra for more than two dozen high-velocitymetal-poor field stars, including BD+80 245, a star previously known tohave extremely low [alpha/Fe] abundances, as well as G4--36, a new low[alpha/Fe] star with unusually large [Ni/Fe]. In addition to derivingthe alpha-element abundances, we have also analysed iron-group ands-process elements. For stars in common with those in the literature,our abundances are in accord. We are now able to start exploring thefollowing question: What nucleosynthesis history is required to producethe unusual [alpha/Fe] and [Ni/Fe] ratios?
| The Abundance of CN. Calcium and Heavy Elements in High Velocity Stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....114..825E&db_key=AST
| A catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations: 1996 edition
A fifth Edition of the Catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations is presentedherewith. It contains 5946 determinations for 3247 stars, including 751stars in 84 associations, clusters or galaxies. The literature iscomplete up to December 1995. The 700 bibliographical referencescorrespond to [Fe/H] determinations obtained from high resolutionspectroscopic observations and detailed analyses, most of them carriedout with the help of model-atmospheres. The Catalogue is made up ofthree formatted files: File 1: field stars, File 2: stars in galacticassociations and clusters, and stars in SMC, LMC, M33, File 3: numberedlist of bibliographical references The three files are only available inelectronic form at the Centre de Donnees Stellaires in Strasbourg, viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5), or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| The empirical scale of temperatures of the low main sequence (F0V-K5V).
We have calibrated the effective temperatures of the low main sequencestars ranging spectral types from F0 to K5 versus [Fe/H] and colours(B-V), (R-I), (V-R), (V-I), (V-K), (J-H), (J-K) and ubvy-β, using alarge sample of dwarfs and subdwarfs. The effective temperatures, scaledto direct T_eff_ determinations via reliable angular diametermeasurements, were derived applying the InfraRed Flux Method with thenew grid of atmosphere models developed by Kurucz (1993). We have fittedpolynomial functions of the form θ_eff_=P(colour,[Fe/H]) usingthe least squares method. The precision of the fits ranges from 30K for(V-K) to 154K for (J-H). The new relations have been compared toprevious calibrations. We also provide the empirical intrinsic colours(U-B), (B-V), (R-I), (V-R), (V-I), (V-K), (J-H), (J-K) and β, inthe ranges: 4000K[Fe/H]>-2.5.
| Determination of effective temperatures for an extended sample of dwarfs and subdwarfs (F0-K5).
We have applied the InfraRed Flux Method (IRFM) to a sample of 475dwarfs and subdwarfs in order to derive their effective temperatureswith a mean accuracy of about 1.5%. We have used the new homogeneousgrid of theoretical model atmosphere flux distributions developed byKurucz (1991, 1993) for the application of the IRFM. The atmosphericparameters of the stars cover, roughly, the ranges:3500K<=T_eff_<=8000K -3.5<=[Fe/H]<=+0.53.5<=log(g)<=5. The monocromatic infrared fluxes at the continuum,and the bolometric fluxes are derived using recent results, whichsatisfy the accuracy requeriments of the work. Photometric calibrationshave been revised and applied to estimate metallicities, although directspectroscopic determinations were preferred when available. The adoptedinfrared absolute flux calibration, based on direct optical measurementsof angular stellar diameters, sets the effective temperatures determinedusing the IRFM on the same scale than those obtained by direct methods.We derive three temperatures, T_J_, T_H_ and T_K_, for each star usingthe monochromatic fluxes at different infrared wavelengths in thephotometric bands J, H, and K. They show good consistency over 4000 K,and no trend with wavelength may be appreciated. We provide a detaileddescription of the steps followed for the application of the IRFM, aswell as the sources of the errors associated to the different inputs ofthe method, and their transmission into the final temperatures. We alsoprovide comparison with previous works.
| Spectroscopic analyses of metal-poor stars. II. The evolutionary stage of subdwarfs.
Models of post-main sequence stellar evolution of VandenBerg & Bell(???) have been applied to determine spectroscopic masses and distancesfor metal-poor stars. Careful consideration of the most important errorsources published in more recent papers such as VandenBerg (???) for thefirst time allow us to draw firm statistical conclusions. It is shownthat the evolutionary calculations qualitatively fit to the observedstellar parameters whereas quantitatively they predict too high ages formetal-poor stars. As an important result we confirm that evolutionarysequences need to be calibrated with respect to their metal abundance inorder to use their absolute predictions of temperature and luminosity.It turns out that this can be achieved by a simple shift of theevolutionary tracks and isochrones in effective temperature with values{DELTA}log T_eff_<~0.03 which accounts for possible changes of themixing-length and the O/Fe ratio with metallicity. The stellarluminosities and surface gravities obtained from evolutionary models aremuch more reliable than their effective temperatures. Therefore weconclude that the accuracy of the corresponding spectroscopic stellargravities is systematically affected by deviations from LTE, inparticular along the subgiant sequence where systematic errors less than{DELTA}log g =~0.3 must be ascribed to the non-LTE ionizationequilibrium of Fe II/Fe I. In our spectroscopic analyses the strongdependence between surface gravity and abundances determined from Fe Ilines restricts the accuracy of Fe abundances in subgiants to 0.1 dex atbest. The most remarkable result of our evolutionary and kinematicinvestigations of halo stars refers to the large fraction of slightlyevolved subgiants among the so-called subdwarfs. Since conventionalphotometric approaches often assume that the great majority ofmetal-poor stars are dwarfs this results in distances that aresystematically too low for their samples. Consequently, significantdifferences are found when comparing evolutionary and kinematicparameters obtained from either photometric or spectroscopic data. Wedemonstrate this by comparing the space velocities of the stars. Itappears that stars with particularly high space velocities derived fromspectroscopic distances show very often much lower velocities based ontheir main sequence parallaxes. We find that results refering to mainsequence parallaxes are doubtful and can be used only with greatestcare. An advantageous side-effect of the application of spectroscopicdata to evolutionary calculations is the possibility to identify binarysystems that are either standing out from the Toomre diagram with theirunusually high space velocities, or from a log g - log T_eff_ diagramwith apparently contradictory luminosities.
| Spectroscopic analyses of metal-poor stars. 1: Basic data and stellar parameters
Accurate stellar parameters have been obtained from the analyses of morethan thousand spectra of 115 metal-poor dwarfs and subgiants with visualmagnitudes brighter than V approximately equal to 12. The stellar samplewas selected mainly by high proper motion, with additional restrictionsfrom B-V colors and U-B excesses. The effective temperatures cover arange from 5000 to 6500 K while abundances are found between (M/H) =-0.1 and -0.3 dex. Based on homogeneous ODF blanketed model atmospheresin local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and working differentially withrespect to the Sun we derive a consistent set of stellar parameters,effective temperature, surface gravity, metal abundance andmicroturbulence velocity. Individual profile synthesis is applied to anumber of spectral lines for each star, which has led as a rule toaccuracies in Teff of better than 100 K, in log g of betterthan 0.15, and in (Fe/H) of better than 0.1 dex. Because of theconsistent treatment with only one type of model atmosphere, this sampleprovides an oppurtunity to examine the individual parametersstatistically and investigate in detail their relation to the formationand evolution of the Galaxy. One aspect of this analysis is a generalshift to higher iron abundances for the most metal-poor stars. Alongwith the recently preferred meteoritic solar iron abundance andeffective temperatures from conistent Balmer line profile fits that tendto be 100-200 K hotter than found from photometric calibrations,discrepancies of up to 0.5 dex in (Fe/H) can be explained in comparisonwith other abundance analyses. The most important results refer to theevolutionary status of the bona fide subdwarf sample. Irrespective ofthe different effective temperatures found here, there exists a severeproblem when comparing post main sequence evolutionary models of coolstars with our observed parameters. Even more interesting is the fact,demonstrated by the results of a consistent analysis of the ironionization equilibrium, that roughly half of the subdwarfs aresubgiants, some of them having nearly reached the bottom of the giantbranch.
| Broad band JHK infrared photometry of an extended sample of late type dwarfs and subdwarfs.
The results of a long term programme of broad band JHK photometry, for asample of 360 late type stars, made at the Observatorio del Teide(Tenerife, Spain) are presented. Transformations between thesemagnitudes and those of several currently used systems (CIT (Elias etal. 1982 and Carney 1983), Johnson (Johnson 1966, and Lee 1970), and ESO(Bouchet et al. 1991)) are proposed. A comparison to the narrow-bandsystem of Selby et al. (1988) has been made, in order to check theaccuracy of the photometric system. A mean internal accuracy better than0.02mag in the three bands can be inferred from the comparison to thelarge number of stars in common with Carney (1983), and from thedispersion of the multiple measured stars. The list of standards, thefilter passbands and effective wavelengths, together with correlationsbetween the extinction coefficients, ultimately characterize thephotometric IR system of the Observatorio del Teide (TCS). Data ofcomparable quality previously published have been added in order tocomplete the sample. This way the final sample consists of 550 stars.From the analysis of optical and IR colour:colour diagrams, we maydeduce that the range F0-K0 is properly sampled for0.1>[Fe/H]>-3.0. In the range K0-M4, no reliable photometricestimates of metallicity can be assigned, and only a small number ofstars have spectroscopic determination of the metallicity. Nevertheless,after kinematical considerations, the stars in this spectral range arealso expected to sample the galactic populations of dwarfs. Themetallicity effects on the IR and optical colour:colour diagrams arebriefly discussed.
| A survey of proper motion stars. 12: an expanded sample
We report new photometry and radial velocities for almost 500 stars fromthe Lowell Proper Motion Catalog. We combine these results with ourprior sample and rederive stellar temperatures based on the photometry,reddening, metallicities (using chi squared matching of our 22,500 lowSignal to Noise (S/N) high resolution echelle spectra with a grid ofsynthetic spectra), distances, space motions, and Galactic orbitalparameters for 1269 (kinematics) and 1261 (metallicity) of the 1464stars in the complete survey. The frequency of spectroscopic binariesfor the metal-poor ((m/H) less than or equal to -1.2) stars with periodsshorter than 3000 days is at least 15%. The spectroscopic binaryfrequency for metal-rich stars ((m/H) greater than -0.5) appears to belower, about 9%, but this may be a selection effect. We also discussspecial classes of stars, including treatment of the double-linedspectroscopic binaries, and identification of subgiants. Four possiblenew members of the class of field blue stragglers are noted. We pointout the detection of three possible new white dwarfs, six broad-lined(binary) systems, and discuss briefly the three already knownnitrogen-rich halo dwarfs. The primary result of this paper will beavailable on CD-ROM, in the form of a much larger table.
| Balmer lines in cool dwarf stars II. Effective temperatures and calibration of colour indices
Effective temperatures obtained from synthesis of the extended profilewings of the first four Balmer lines are presented for more than 100dwarfs and subgiants of different metal abundances and surface gravitiesin the temperature range from 5000 to 6500 K. Line formation is based onhomogeneous ODF blanketed model atmospheres in LTE. The resultingtemperatures of the more metal-rich stars differ systematically fromthose determined by reference to synthetic broad- or intermediate-bandcolours such as B-V , b-y , R-I or V-K . While the Balmer linetemperatures give room to only very small individual errors and resultin a convincingly small mean error for all four lines, the scatteragainst temperatures determined from broad-band colours is by faroutside the internal errors claimed in recent applications. This may beattributed to either (a) observational errors, (b) dependence on therelative mixture of metal abundances, (c) unknown line blocking in mostof the visible and near-infrared spectrum or (d) the inhomogeneity foundin the granular patterns of stellar surfaces. Our results suggest thatbroad-band colours are insufficient individual temperature indicators,reliable only in a statistical sense.
| Subdwarf studies. II - Abundances and kinematics from medium resolution spectra. III - The halo metallicity distribution
Stars previously identified as having UV excesses are observed at 1-Aresolution in the Ca II K-line region. Comparisons of these data withother samples and with Monte Carlo simulations involving a singlecomponent halo have yielded estimates of halo velocity dispersions androtation velocity, corrected for the kinematic biases in the sample. Itis suggested that the data are not consistent with a model in which thehalo formed from star formation in a dissipating, collapsing cloud; theyare, however, reconcilable with the formation of the halo stars bynumerous, independently evolving gas clouds. The metallicitydistribution of a sample of 372 kinematically selected halo stars isthen constructed, with a view to selection effects in the data. Goodagreement is noted between the globular cluster metallicity distributionand a stochastic model with a mean of 10 enrichments/fragment.
| Subdwarf studies. I - UBVRI photometry of NLTT stars
UBVRI photometry is presented for a sample of 1656 southern stars,including 1211 that were previously unmeasured, drown from the NLTTproper-motion catalog. The catalog is shown to be a rich source ofsubdwarfs. The normalized ultraviolet excess delta (U - B)0.6,photometric parallax, and interstellar reddening are calculated for eachstar when possible. Photometric parallaxes are compared withtrigonometric parallaxes from the literature. It is found that theformer do not have systematic errors greater than about 25 percent. Inagreement with other studies, the bluest subdwarfs are found at B - V =0.35. The selection of the program stars on the basis of large reducedproper motions restricted subgiant contamination of the sample to about5 percent and increased the discovery fraction of halo stars relative todisk stars. The claim is made here that the sample can be used toinvestigate the abundance distribution of the halo. The sample includesstars with ultraviolet excesses characteristic of disk abundances butwith velocities up to 150 km/s. These are believed to be stars that,quite expectedly, reside in the high-velocity tail of the disk velocitydistribution.
| Ubvy-beta photometry of high-velocity and metal-poor stars. III - Metallicities and ages of the halo stars
The interstellar color excesses, E(b-y) and the metallicities, Fe/Habundance ratio, are determined for the 711 high-velocity and metal-poorstars in the catalog of ubvy-beta photometry compiled by Schuster andNissen (1988). It is found that 220 of these are halo stars and that 15percent of these halo stars have colors that are significantly affectedby interstellar reddening. A minimum age of 18-20 Gyr is determined forthe halo stars. The results suggest that a pressure-supported slowuniform collapse controlled the formation and evolution of the Galaxy.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Aries |
| Right ascension: | 02h43m22.05s |
| Declination: | +13°25'57.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 11.651 |
| Proper motion RA: | 340.5 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -147.4 |
| B-T magnitude: | 11.996 |
| V-T magnitude: | 11.68 |
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