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New constraints on the chemical evolution of the solar neighbourhood and Galactic disc(s). Improved astrophysical parameters for the Geneva-Copenhagen Survey
We present a re-analysis of the Geneva-Copenhagen survey, which benefitsfrom the infrared flux method to improve the accuracy of the derivedstellar effective temperatures and uses the latter to build a consistentand improved metallicity scale. Metallicities are calibrated onhigh-resolution spectroscopy and checked against four open clusters anda moving group, showing excellent consistency. The new temperature andmetallicity scales provide a better match to theoretical isochrones,which are used for a Bayesian analysis of stellar ages. With respect toprevious analyses, our stars are on average 100 K hotter and 0.1 dexmore metal rich, which shift the peak of the metallicity distributionfunction around the solar value. From Strömgren photometry we areable to derive for the first time a proxy for [?/Fe] abundances,which enables us to perform a tentative dissection of the chemical thinand thick disc. We find evidence for the latter being composed of anold, mildly but systematically alpha-enhanced population that extends tosuper solar metallicities, in agreement with spectroscopic studies. Ourrevision offers the largest existing kinematically unbiased sample ofthe solar neighbourhood that contains full information on kinematics,metallicities, and ages and thus provides better constraints on thephysical processes relevant in the build-up of the Milky Way disc,enabling a better understanding of the Sun in a Galactic context.Catalogue (Table 2) is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/530/A138
| Bayesian inference of stellar parameters and interstellar extinction using parallaxes and multiband photometry
Astrometric surveys provide the opportunity to measure the absolutemagnitudes of large numbers of stars, but only if the individualline-of-sight extinctions are known. Unfortunately, extinction is highlydegenerate with stellar effective temperature when estimated frombroad-band optical/infrared photometry. To address this problem, Iintroduce a Bayesian method for estimating the intrinsic parameters of astar and its line-of-sight extinction. It uses both photometry andparallaxes in a self-consistent manner in order to provide anon-parametric posterior probability distribution over the parameters.The method makes explicit use of domain knowledge by employing theHertzsprung-Russell Diagram (HRD) to constrain solutions and to ensurethat they respect stellar physics. I first demonstrate this method byusing it to estimate effective temperature and extinction from BVJHKdata for a set of artificially reddened Hipparcos stars, for whichaccurate effective temperatures have been estimated from high-resolutionspectroscopy. Using just the four colours, we see the expected strongdegeneracy (positive correlation) between the temperature andextinction. Introducing the parallax, apparent magnitude and the HRDreduces this degeneracy and improves both the precision (reduces theerror bars) and the accuracy of the parameter estimates, the latter byabout 35 per cent. The resulting accuracy is about 200 K in temperatureand 0.2 mag in extinction. I then apply the method to estimate theseparameters and absolute magnitudes for some 47 000 F, G, K Hipparcosstars which have been cross-matched with Two-Micron All-Sky Survey(2MASS). The method can easily be extended to incorporate the estimationof other parameters, in particular metallicity and surface gravity,making it particularly suitable for the analysis of the 109stars from Gaia.
| Discoveries from a Near-infrared Proper Motion Survey Using Multi-epoch Two Micron All-Sky Survey Data
We have conducted a 4030 deg2 near-infrared proper motionsurvey using multi-epoch data from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey(2MASS). We find 2778 proper motion candidates, 647 of which are notlisted in SIMBAD. After comparison to Digitized Sky Survey images, wefind that 107 of our proper motion candidates lack counterparts at B, R,and I bands and are thus 2MASS-only detections. We present results ofspectroscopic follow-up of 188 targets that include the infrared-onlysources along with selected optical-counterpart sources with faintreduced proper motions or interesting colors. We also establish a set ofnear-infrared spectroscopic standards with which to anchor near-infraredclassifications for our objects. Among the discoveries are six youngfield brown dwarfs, five "red L" dwarfs, three L-type subdwarfs, twelveM-type subdwarfs, eight "blue L" dwarfs, and several T dwarfs. Wefurther refine the definitions of these exotic classes to aid futureidentification of similar objects. We examine their kinematics and findthat both the "blue L" and "red L" dwarfs appear to be drawn from arelatively old population. This survey provides a glimpse of the kindsof research that will be possible through time-domain infrared projectssuch as the UKIDSS Large Area Survey, various VISTA surveys, and WISE,and also through z- or y-band enabled, multi-epoch surveys such asPan-STARRS and LSST.Some of the spectroscopic data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership amongthe California Institute of Technology, the University of California,and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatorywas made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. KeckFoundation. Other spectroscopic data were collected at the SubaruTelescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory ofJapan.
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the solar neighbourhood. III. Improved distances, ages, and kinematics
Context: Ages, chemical compositions, velocity vectors, and Galacticorbits for stars in the solar neighbourhood are fundamental test datafor models of Galactic evolution. The Geneva-Copenhagen Survey of theSolar Neighbourhood (Nordström et al. 2004; GCS), amagnitude-complete, kinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F andG dwarfs, is the largest available sample with complete data for starswith ages spanning that of the disk. Aims: We aim to improve theaccuracy of the GCS data by implementing the recent revision of theHipparcos parallaxes. Methods: The new parallaxes yield improvedastrometric distances for 12 506 stars in the GCS. We also use theparallaxes to verify the distance calibration for uvby? photometryby Holmberg et al. (2007, A&A, 475, 519; GCS II). We add newselection criteria to exclude evolved cool stars giving unreliableresults and derive distances for 3580 stars with large parallax errorsor not observed by Hipparcos. We also check the GCS II scales of T_effand [Fe/H] and find no need for change. Results: Introducing thenew distances, we recompute MV for 16 086 stars, and U, V, W,and Galactic orbital parameters for the 13 520 stars that also haveradial-velocity measurements. We also recompute stellar ages from thePadova stellar evolution models used in GCS I-II, using the new valuesof M_V, and compare them with ages from the Yale-Yonsei andVictoria-Regina models. Finally, we compare the observed age-velocityrelation in W with three simulated disk heating scenarios to show thepotential of the data. Conclusions: With these revisions, thebasic data for the GCS stars should now be as reliable as is possiblewith existing techniques. Further improvement must await consolidationof the T_eff scale from angular diameters and fluxes, and the Gaiatrigonometric parallaxes. We discuss the conditions for improvingcomputed stellar ages from new input data, and for distinguishingdifferent disk heating scenarios from data sets of the size andprecision of the GCS.Full Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/501/941
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of 14 000 F and G dwarfs
We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age,kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, andkinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sampleand, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcosparallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities,complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-qualityvelocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures andmetallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. Theremaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Amajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone agesfor all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has beengiven to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and errorestimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effectsand introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agreewell with those by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{edv93}), despite severalastrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate,however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause thedistribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of thetrue age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations ofthe Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presentedhere, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and theage-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of theSolar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor Gdwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarfproblem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk,the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since itsformation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, andthe continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiencyconsistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giantmolecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the Vcomponent of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity,corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather thanclassical moving groups, and may complicate the identification ofthick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of thisrich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteriafor the sample and the distribution of observational errors.Based on observations made with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at ESO, LaSilla, Chile, and with the Swiss 1-m telescope at Observatoire deHaute-Provence, France.Complete Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/418/989
| The Pul-3 catalogue of 58483 stars in the Tycho-2 system
A catalogue of positions and proper motions of 58483 stars (Pul-3) hasbeen constructed at the Pulkovo observatory. The Pul-3 is based on theresults of measurements of photographic plates with galaxies (Deutsch'splan). All plates were taken using the Pulkovo Normal Astrograph (thefirst epoch is in the 1950s and the second epoch is in the 1970s).The Pul-3 catalogue contains stars of mainly 12 to 16.5 mag in 146fields with galaxies in the declination zone from -5o to+85o. The Tycho-2 has been used as a reference catalogue.The mean epoch of the Pul-3 is 1963.25. The internal positional accuracyof the Pul-3 catalogue at the mean epoch of observations is ±80mas. The accuracy of the proper motions is mostly within ±3mas/yr to ±12 mas/yr. Comparisons of the Pul-3 with Tycho-2 andARIHIP have been done at the mean epoch of the Pul-3. The Pul-3 externalpositional accuracy relative to Tycho-2 is ±150 mas.The catalogue is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/418/357
| WIYN Open Cluster Study. XIX. Main-Sequence-Fitting Distances to Open Clusters Using V-K Color-Magnitude Diagrams
We have combined existing optical magnitudes for stars in seven openclusters and 54 field stars with the corresponding JHKsphotometry from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Combining opticalwith near-IR photometry broadens the color baseline, minimizing theinfluence of photometric errors and allowing better discriminationbetween cluster stars and contaminating foreground and backgroundpopulations. The open clusters in this study include NGC 2516, M35, M34,NGC 3532, M37, M67, and NGC 188. The field stars we are using possesshigh-quality Hipparcos parallaxes and well-determined metal abundances,allowing us to empirically determine the dependence of V-K color onmetal abundance in the range -0.45<=[Fe/H]<=+0.35.Using this relation along with the parallaxes of the field stars, we areable to construct an unevolved main sequence in the [MV,(V-K)0] diagram for a specific abundance. These diagrams arethen used to fit to the cluster main sequences in the (V, V-K)color-magnitude diagram in order to estimate a distance for each opencluster. We find that the resultant distances are within the range ofdistances found in the literature via the main-sequence-fittingtechnique. It is hoped that this will spur an expansion of the current(limited) database of star clusters with high-quality V-K photometrydown to the unevolved main sequence.This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All SkySurvey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts andthe Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute ofTechnology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administrationand the National Science Foundation.
| The open cluster distance scale. A new empirical approach
We present new BV(RI)C photometry for a sample of 54 local Gand K stars with accurate Hipparcos parallaxes in the metallicity range-0.4 <= [Fe/H] <= +0.3. We use this sample to develop a completelymodel-independent main sequence (MS) fitting method which we apply to 4open clusters - the Hyades, Praesepe, the Pleiades and NGC 2516 - whichall have direct Hipparcos parallax distance determinations. Comparisonof our MS-fitting results with distances derived from Hipparcosparallaxes enables us to explore whether the discrepancy between theHipparcos distance scale and other MS-fitting methods found for someclusters is a consequence of model assumptions. We find good agreementbetween our results and the Hipparcos ones for the Hyades and Praesepe.For the Pleiades and NGC 2516, when adopting the solar abundancedetermined from spectroscopy, we find significant disagreement at alevel similar to that found by other MS-fitting studies. However, thecolour-colour relationship for both these clusters suggests that theirmetallicity is significantly subsolar. Since the MS-fitting methodrelies on matching the cluster colours to a template MS, we argue that,when applying this method, the appropriate metallicity to adopt is thephotometric subsolar one, not the solar abundance indicated byspectroscopy. Adopting photometric metallicities for all 4 clusters, wefind complete agreement with the Hipparcos results and hence we concludethat the mismatch between the spectroscopic and photometric abundancesfor the Pleiades and NGC 2516 is responsible for the discrepancies indistance estimates found by previous studies. The origin of thismismatch in abundance scales remains an unsolved problem and somepossible causes are discussed.
| 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.
| 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.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Παρθένος |
| Right ascension: | 14h39m36.83s |
| Declination: | -01°12'30.6" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 10.227 |
| Proper motion RA: | 43.9 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -333.1 |
| B-T magnitude: | 11.134 |
| V-T magnitude: | 10.302 |
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