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A Survey of Stellar Families: Multiplicity of Solar-type Stars
We present the results of a comprehensive assessment of companions tosolar-type stars. A sample of 454 stars, including the Sun, was selectedfrom the Hipparcos catalog with ?>40 mas,??/? < 0.05, 0.5 <= B - V <= 1.0(~F6-K3), and constrained by absolute magnitude and color to excludeevolved stars. These criteria are equivalent to selecting all dwarf andsubdwarf stars within 25 pc with V-band flux between 0.1 and 10 timesthat of the Sun, giving us a physical basis for the term "solar-type."New observational aspects of this work include surveys for (1) veryclose companions with long-baseline interferometry at the Center forHigh Angular Resolution Astronomy Array, (2) close companions withspeckle interferometry, and (3) wide proper-motion companions identifiedby blinking multi-epoch archival images. In addition, we include theresults from extensive radial-velocity monitoring programs and evaluatecompanion information from various catalogs covering many differenttechniques. The results presented here include four new commonproper-motion companions discovered by blinking archival images.Additionally, the spectroscopic data searched reveal five new stellarcompanions. Our synthesis of results from many methods and sourcesresults in a thorough evaluation of stellar and brown dwarf companionsto nearby Sun-like stars. The overall observed fractions of single,double, triple, and higher-order systems are 56% ± 2%, 33%± 2%, 8% ± 1%, and 3% ± 1%, respectively, countingall confirmed stellar and brown dwarf companions. If all candidate,i.e., unconfirmed, companions identified are found to be real, thepercentages would change to 54% ± 2%, 34% ± 2%, 9%± 2%, and 3% ± 1%, respectively. Our completeness analysisindicates that only a few undiscovered companions remain in thiswell-studied sample, implying that the majority (54% ± 2%) ofsolar-type stars are single, in contrast to the results of priormultiplicity studies. Our sample is large enough to enable a check ofthe multiplicity dependence on various physical parameters by analyzingappropriate subsamples. Bluer, more massive stars are seen as morelikely to have companions than redder, less massive ones, consistentwith the trend seen over the entire spectral range. Systems with largerinteraction cross sections, i.e., those with more than two components orlong orbital periods, are preferentially younger, suggesting thatcompanions may be stripped over time by dynamical interactions. Weconfirm the planet-metallicity correlation (i.e., higher metallicitystars are more likely to host planets), but are unable to check it forbrown dwarfs due to the paucity of such companions, implying that thebrown dwarf desert extends over all separation regimes. We find nocorrelation between stellar companions and metallicity for B - V< 0.625, but among the redder subset, metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]<-0.3) are more likely to have companions with a 2.4?significance. The orbital-period distribution of companions is unimodaland roughly log normal with a peak and median of about 300 years. Theperiod-eccentricity relation shows the expected circularization forperiods below 12 days, caused by tidal forces over the age of theGalaxy, followed by a roughly flat distribution. The mass-ratiodistribution shows a preference for like-mass pairs, which occur morefrequently in relatively close pairs. The fraction of planet hosts amongsingle, binary, and multiple systems are statisticallyindistinguishable, suggesting that planets are as likely to form aroundsingle stars as they are around components of binary or multiple systemswith sufficiently wide separations. This, along with the preference oflong orbital periods among stellar systems, increases the space aroundstars conducive for planet formation, and perhaps life.
| Reaching the boundary between stellar kinematic groups and very wide binaries . II. ? Librae + KU Librae: a common proper motion system in Castor separated by 1.0 pc
Aims: I investigate the gravitational binding of a nearby commonproper motion system in the young Castor moving group (? ~ 200 Ma),which is formed by the bright quadruple star ? Lib (Zubenelgenubi)and the young solar analogue KU Lib. The system has an exceptionallywide angular separation of about 2.6 deg, which corresponds to aprojected physical separation of about 1.0 pc. Methods: Icompiled basic information on the system, compared its binding energywith those of other weakly bound systems in the field, and studied thephysical separations of resolved multiple systems in Castor. Results: KU Lib has roughly the same proper motion, parallacticdistance, radial velocity, and metallicity as the young hierarchicalquadruple system ? Lib. It also displays youth features. Theresemblance between these basic parameters and the relatively highestimated binding energy indicate that the five stars aregravitationally bound. KU Lib and ? Lib constitute the widestknown multiple system in all mass domains, and probably represent themost extreme example of young wide binaries on the point of beingdisrupted. Besides this, I make a comprehensive compilation of starcandidates in Castor, including new ones.
| A high-resolution spectroscopic survey of late-type stars: chromospheric activity, rotation, kinematics, and age
Aims: We present a compilation of spectroscopic data from asurvey of 144 chromospherically active young stars in the solarneighborhood, which may be used to investigate different aspects of itsformation and evolution in terms of kinematics and stellar formationhistory. The data have already been used by us in several studies. Withthis paper, we make all these data accessible to the scientificcommunity for future studies on different topics. Methods: Weperformed spectroscopic observations with echelle spectrographs to coverthe entirety of the optical spectral range simultaneously. Standard datareduction was performed with the IRAF echelle package. We applied thespectral subtraction technique to reveal chromospheric emission in thestars of the sample. The equivalent width of chromospheric emissionlines was measured in the subtracted spectra and then converted tofluxes using equivalent width-flux relationships. Radial and rotationalvelocities were determined by the cross-correlation technique.Kinematics, equivalent widths of the lithium line ?6707.8 Åand spectral types were also determined. Results: A catalog ofspectroscopic data is compiled: radial and rotational velocities, spacemotion, equivalent widths of optical chromospheric activity indicatorsfrom Ca II H & K to the calcium infrared triplet and the lithiumline in ?6708 Å. Fluxes in the chromospheric emission linesand R'_HK are also determined for each observation of a star in thesample. We used these data to investigate the emission levels of ourstars. The study of the H? emission line revealed two differentpopulations of chromospheric emitters in the sample, clearly separatedin the logFH?/Fbol - (V-J) diagram. Thedichotomy may be associated with the age of the stars.Based on observations made with the 2.2 m telescope of theGerman-Spanish Astronomical Centre, Calar Alto (Almería, Spain),operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg,and the Spanish National Commission for Astronomy; the Nordic OpticalTelescope (NOT), operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark,Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio delRoque de Los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica deCanarias; the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) operated on the island of LaPalma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque deLos Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; withthe Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) operated on the island ofLa Palma by the Centro Galileo Galilei of the INAF (Istituto Nazionaledi Astrofisica) at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachosof the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; and with theHobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) operated by McDonald Observatory on behalfof The University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University,Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. This research has madeuse of the SIMBAD database and VizieR catalog access tool, operated atCDS, Strasbourg, France.Tables A.1-A.4 and reduced spectra are alsoavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/514/A97
| Search for cold debris disks around M-dwarfs. II
Although 70% of the stars in the Galaxy are M-dwarfs, thermal emissionsearches for cold debris disks have been conducted mostly for A-type andsolar-type stars. We report on new ?=1.2 mm continuumobservations of thirty M-dwarfs, using the MAMBO-2 bolometer arraycamera at the IRAM 30 m telescope. For a statistical analysis, wecombine these data with our prior SCUBA and MAMBO-2 observations of 20other M-dwarfs. Our sample consists of M-dwarfs in moving groups, withrelatively young ages, and of nearby M-dwarfs with unknown ages. Onlyone cold debris disk (GJ842.2) was detected significantly. We comparethe implied disk abundance constraints with those found in twocomparable submillimeter surveys of 10 to 190 Myr old A- and FGK-typestars. For the 19 youngest (ages less than 200 Myr) M-dwarfs in oursample, we derive a cold disk fraction of5.3+10.5-5.0%, compared to15+11.5-11.5% for FGK-stars and22+33-20% for A-stars. Hence, for this age group,there is an apparent trend of fewer cold disks for later stellar types.Although its statistical significance is marginal, this trend isstrengthened by the deeper observations of our M-dwarf sample. We derivea cold disk fraction of <10% for the older (likely a few Gyr)M-dwarfs in our sample. Finally, although inconclusively related to adebris disk, we present the complex millimeter structure found aroundthe position of the M 1.5 dwarf GJ526 in our sample.
| Infrared Spectrograph Characterization of a Debris Disk Around an M-Type Star in NGC 2547
We present 5 to 15 μm Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS)low-resolution spectral data of a candidate debris disk around an M4.5star identified as a likely member of the ~40 Myr old clusterNGC 2547. The IRS spectrum shows a silicate emission feature,indicating the presence of warm, small, (sub)micron-sized dust grains inthe disk. Of the 15 previously known candidate debris disks aroundM-type stars, the one we discuss in this paper is the first to have anobserved mid-infrared spectrum and is also the first to have measuredsilicate emission. We combined the IRS data with ancillary data(optical, JHKs , and Spitzer InfraRed Array Camera and 24μm data) to build the spectral energy distribution (SED) of thesource. Monte Carlo radiation transfer modeling of the SED characterizedthe dust disk as being very flat (h 100 = 2 AU) and extendinginward within at least 0.13 AU of the central star. Our analysisshows that the disk is collisionally dominated and is likely a debrisdisk.
| New Debris Disks Around Young, Low-Mass Stars Discovered with the Spitzer Space Telescope
We present 24 μm and 70 μm Multiband Imaging Photometer forSpitzer (MIPS) observations of 70 A through M-type dwarfs with estimatedages from 8 Myr to 1.1 Gyr, as part of a Spitzer guaranteed timeprogram, including a re-analysis of some previously published sourcephotometry. Our sample is selected from stars with common youthindicators such as lithium abundance, X-ray activity, chromosphericactivity, and rapid rotation. We compare our MIPS observations toempirically derived Ks -[24] colors as a function of thestellar effective temperature to identify 24 μm and 70 μmexcesses. We place constraints or upper limits on dust temperatures andfractional infrared luminosities with a simple blackbody dust model. Weconfirm the previously published 70 μm excesses for HD 92945, HD112429, and AU Mic, and provide updated flux density measurements forthese sources. We present the discovery of 70 μm excesses for fivestars: HD 7590, HD 10008, HD 59967, HD 73350, and HD 135599. HD 135599is also a known Spitzer IRS (InfraRed Spectrograph) excess source, andwe confirm the excess at 24 μm. We also present the detection of 24μm excesses for 10 stars: HD 10008, GJ 3400A, HD 73350, HD 112429, HD123998, HD 175742, AT Mic, BO Mic, HD 358623 and Gl 907.1. We find thatlarge 70 μm excesses are less common around stars with effectivetemperatures of less than 5000 K (3.7+7.6–1.1%) than around stars with effective temperaturesbetween 5000 K and 6000 K (21.4+9.5 –5.7%),despite the cooler stars having a younger median age in our sample (12Myr vs. 340 Myr). We find that the previously reported excess for TWA13A at 70 μm is due to a nearby background galaxy, and the previouslyreported excess for HD 177724 is due to saturation of the near-infraredphotometry used to predict the mid-infrared stellar flux contribution.In the Appendix, we present an updated analysis of dust grain removaltimescales due to grain-grain collisions and radiation pressure,Poynting-Robertson (P-R) drag, stellar wind drag, and planet-dustdynamical interaction. We find that drag forces can be important fordisk dynamics relative to grain-grain collisions for L IR/L* < 10–4, and that stellar wind drag ismore important than P-R drag for K and M dwarfs, and possibly for young(<1 Gyr) G dwarfs as well.
| New M Dwarf Debris Disk Candidates in NGC 2547
With only six known examples, M dwarf debris disks are rare, even thoughM dwarfs constitute the majority of stars in the Galaxy. After finding anew M dwarf debris disk in a shallow mid-infrared observation of NGC2547, we present a considerably deeper Spitzer MIPS image of the region,with a maximum exposure time of 15 minutes pixel-1. Amongsources selected from a previously published membership list, weidentify nine new M dwarfs with excess emission at 24 μm tracing warmmaterial close to the snow line of these stars, at orbital radii of lessthan 1 AU. We argue that these are likely debris disks, suggesting thatplanet formation is under way in these systems. Interestingly, theestimated excess fraction of M stars appears to be higher than that of Gand K stars in our sample.
| Evolution of Debris Disks
Circumstellar dust exists around several hundred main sequence stars.For the youngest stars, that dust could be a remnant of theprotoplanetary disk. Mostly it is inferred to be continuouslyreplenished through collisions between planetesimals in belts analogousto the Solar System's asteroid and Kuiper belts, or in collisionsbetween growing protoplanets. The evolution of a star's debris disk isindicative of the evolution of its planetesimal belts and may beinfluenced by planet formation processes, which can continue throughoutthe first gigayear as the planetary system settles to a stableconfiguration and planets form at large radii. Evidence for thatevolution comes from infrared photometry of large numbers of debrisdisks, providing snapshots of the dust present at different evolutionaryphases, as well as from images of debris disk structure. This reviewdescribes the theoretical framework within which debris disk evolutiontakes place and shows how that framework has been constrained byobservations.
| Further Constraints on the Presence of a Debris Disk in the Multiplanet System Gliese 876
Using both the Very Large Array (VLA) at 7 mm wavelength, and theAustralia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) at 3 mm, we have searched formicrowave emission from cool dust in the extrasolar planetary systemGliese 876 (Gl 876). Having detected no emission above our 3σdetection threshold of 135 μJy, we rule out any dust disk with eithera mass greater than 0.0006 M ⊕ or less than ~250 AUacross. This result improves on previous detection aperture thresholdsby an order of magnitude, and it has some implications for the dynamicalmodeling of the system. It also is consistent with the Greaves et al.hypothesis that relates the presence of a debris disk to close-inplanets. Due to the dust-planetesimal relationship, our null result mayalso provide a constraint on the population or composition of the dustand small bodies around this nearby M dwarf.
| The effect of activity on stellar temperatures and radii
Context: Recent analyses of low-mass eclipsing binary stars haveunveiled a significant disagreement between the observations andpredictions of stellar structure models. Results show that theoreticalmodels underestimate the radii and overestimate the effectivetemperatures of low-mass stars but yield luminosities that accord withobservations. A hypothesis based upon the effects of stellar activitywas put forward to explain the discrepancies. Aims: In this paper westudy the existence of the same trend in single active stars and providea consistent scenario to explain systematic differences between activeand inactive stars in the H-R diagram reported earlier. Methods: Theanalysis is done using single field stars of spectral types late-K and Mand computing their bolometric magnitudes and temperatures throughinfrared colours and spectral indices. The properties of the stars insamples of active and inactive stars are compared statistically toreveal systematic differences. Results: After accounting for a numberof possible bias effects, active stars are shown to be cooler thaninactive stars of similar luminosity therefore implying a larger radiusas well, in proportions that are in excellent agreement with those foundfrom eclipsing binaries. Conclusions: The present results generalisethe existence of strong radius and temperature dependences on stellaractivity to the entire population of low-mass stars, regardless of theirmembership in close binary systems.Tables 1 and 2 are 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/478/507
| Speckle interferometry of nearby multiple stars. IV. Measurements in 2004 and new orbits
The results of speckle interferometric observations of 104 binary and 6triple stars performed at the BTA 6 m telescope in 2004 October arepresented. Nearby low-mass stars are mostly observed for the program,among which 59 there are new binaries recently discovered by theHipparcos astrometric satellite. Concurrently with thediffraction-limited position measurements we obtained 154 brightnessratio measurements of binary and multiple star components in differentbands of the visible spectrum. New, first-resolved binaries are thesymbiotic star CH Cyg with a weak companion at 0.043″ separationand the pair of red dwarfs, GJ 913 = HIP 118212. In addition, we derivedthe orbital parameters for two interferometric systems: the CN-giantpair HD 210211 = HIP 109281 (P = 10.7 yr) and the G2V-K2V G2V-K2V binaryGJ 9830 = HIP 116259 (P = 15.7 yr).
| Mass and Temperature of the TWA 7 Debris Disk
We present photometric detections of dust emission at 850 and 450 μmaround the pre-main-sequence M1 dwarf TWA 7 using the SCUBA camera onthe James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. These data confirm the presence of acold dust disk around TWA 7, a member of the TW Hydrae Association(TWA). Based on the 850 μm flux, we estimate the mass of the disk tobe 18 Mlunar (0.2 M⊕) assuming a massopacity of 1.7 cm2 g-1 with a temperature of 45 K.This makes the TWA 7 disk (d=55 pc) an order of magnitude more massivethan the disk reported around AU Microscopii (GL 803), the closest (9.9pc) debris disk detected around an M dwarf. This is consistent with TWA7 being slightly younger than AU Mic. We find that the mid-IR andsubmillimeter data require the disk to be comprised of dust at a rangeof temperatures. A model in which the dust is at a single radius fromthe star, with a range of temperatures according to grain size, is aseffective at fitting the emission spectrum as a model in which the dustis of uniform size, but has a range of temperatures according todistance. We discuss this disk in the context of known disks in the TWAand around low-mass stars; a comparison of masses of disks in the TWAreveals no trend in mass or evolutionary state (gas-rich vs. debris) asa function of spectral type.
| High-Dispersion Optical Spectra of Nearby Stars Younger Than the Sun
We present high-dispersion (R~16,000) optical (3900-8700 Å)spectra of 390 stars obtained with the Palomar 60 inch telescope. Themajority of stars observed are part of the Spitzer Legacy ScienceProgram ``The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems.'' Throughdetailed analysis we determine stellar properties for this sample,including radial and rotational velocities, Li I λ6708 andHα equivalent widths, the chromospheric activity indexR'HK, and temperature- and gravity-sensitive lineratios. Several spectroscopic binaries are also identified. From ourtabulations, we illustrate basic age- and rotation-related correlationsamong measured indices. One novel result is that Ca II chromosphericemission appears to saturate at vsini values above ~30 kms-1, similar to the well-established saturation of X-raysthat originate in the spatially separate coronal region.
| Search for cold debris disks around M-dwarfs
Debris disks are believed to be related to planetesimals left overaround stars after planet formation has ceased. The frequency of debrisdisks around M-dwarfs which account for 70% of the stars in the Galaxyis unknown while constrains have already been found for A- to K-typestars. We have searched for cold debris disks around 32 field M-dwarfsby conducting observations at λ = 850~μm with the SCUBAbolometer array camera at the JCMT and at λ = 1.2 mm with theMAMBO array at the IRAM 30-m telescopes. This is the first survey of alarge sample of M-dwarfs conducted to provide statistical constraints ondebris disks around this type of stars. We have detected a new debrisdisk around the M0.5 dwarf GJ 842.2 at λ = 850~μm, providingevidence for cold dust at large distance from this star (~300 AU). Bycombining the results of our survey with the ones of Liu et al. (2004),we estimate for the first time the detection rate of cold debris disksaround field M-dwarfs with ages between 20 and 200 Myr. This detectionrate is 13+6-8% and is consistent with thedetection rate of cold debris disks (9-23%) around A- to K-type mainsequence stars of the same age. This is an indication that cold disksmay be equally prevalent across stellar spectral types.
| Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
| Speckle interferometry of nearby multiple stars. III.
Not Available
| 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.
| The field brown dwarf LP 944-20 and the Castor moving group
A reliable age estimation for the field brown dwarf LP944-20 is accomplished through the analysis of its kinematicproperties. The space velocities of this star strongly suggest itsmembership in the so-called Castor moving group. LP 944-20 can besensibly assumed to have the group's age, which is estimated to be ~320 Myr, and metal content, which is found to be roughly solar. Withthese new constrains and the available photometry and lithium abundance,current brown dwarf models are put to a test. Using the IR magnitudesand the lithium diagnostics, the models are able to provide a reasonabledescription of the brown dwarf's properties (to within a few sigma) butyield an age which is roughly 50% larger than our estimate. Possiblereasons for this discrepancy 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.
| Hipparcos red stars in the HpV_T2 and V I_C systems
For Hipparcos M, S, and C spectral type stars, we provide calibratedinstantaneous (epoch) Cousins V - I color indices using newly derivedHpV_T2 photometry. Three new sets of ground-based Cousins V I data havebeen obtained for more than 170 carbon and red M giants. These datasetsin combination with the published sources of V I photometry served toobtain the calibration curves linking Hipparcos/Tycho Hp-V_T2 with theCousins V - I index. In total, 321 carbon stars and 4464 M- and S-typestars have new V - I indices. The standard error of the mean V - I isabout 0.1 mag or better down to Hp~9 although it deteriorates rapidly atfainter magnitudes. These V - I indices can be used to verify thepublished Hipparcos V - I color indices. Thus, we have identified ahandful of new cases where, instead of the real target, a random fieldstar has been observed. A considerable fraction of the DMSA/C and DMSA/Vsolutions for red stars appear not to be warranted. Most likely suchspurious solutions may originate from usage of a heavily biased color inthe astrometric processing.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997).}\fnmsep\thanks{Table 7 is onlyavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/397/997
| The Palomar/MSU Nearby Star Spectroscopic Survey. III. Chromospheric Activity, M Dwarf Ages, and the Local Star Formation History
We present high-resolution echelle spectroscopy of 676 nearby M dwarfs.Our measurements include radial velocities, equivalent widths ofimportant chromospheric emission lines, and rotational velocities forrapidly rotating stars. We identify several distinct groups by theirHα properties and investigate variations in chromospheric activityamong early (M0-M2.5) and mid (M3-M6) dwarfs. Using a volume-limitedsample together with a relationship between age and chromosphericactivity, we show that the rate of star formation in the immediate solarneighborhood has been relatively constant over the last 4 Gyr. Inparticular, our results are inconsistent with recent large bursts ofstar formation. We use the correlation between Hα activity and ageas a function of color to set constraints on the properties of L and Tdwarf secondary components in binary systems. We also identify a numberof interesting stars, including rapid rotators, radial velocityvariables, and spectroscopic binaries. Observations were made at the 60inch telescope at Palomar Mountain, which is jointly owned by theCalifornia Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Institution ofWashington.
| Late-type members of young stellar kinematic groups - I. Single stars
This is the first paper of a series aimed at studying the properties oflate-type members of young stellar kinematic groups. We concentrate ourstudy on classical young moving groups such as the Local Association(Pleiades moving group, 20-150Myr), IC 2391 supercluster (35Myr), UrsaMajor group (Sirius supercluster, 300Myr), and Hyades supercluster(600Myr), as well as on recently identified groups such as the Castormoving group (200Myr). In this paper we compile a preliminary list ofsingle late-type possible members of some of these young stellarkinematic groups. Stars are selected from previously established membersof stellar kinematic groups based on photometric and kinematicproperties as well as from candidates based on other criteria such astheir level of chromospheric activity, rotation rate and lithiumabundance. Precise measurements of proper motions and parallaxes takenfrom the Hipparcos Catalogue, as well as from the Tycho-2 Catalogue, andpublished radial velocity measurements are used to calculate theGalactic space motions (U, V, W) and to apply Eggen's kinematic criteriain order to determine the membership of the selected stars to thedifferent groups. Additional criteria using age-dating methods forlate-type stars will be applied in forthcoming papers of this series. Afurther study of the list of stars compiled here could lead to a betterunderstanding of the chromospheric activity and their age evolution, aswell as of the star formation history in the solar neighbourhood. Inaddition, these stars are also potential search targets for directimaging detection of substellar companions.
| Photometric Measurements of the Fields of More than 700 Nearby Stars
In preparation for optical/IR interferometric searches for substellarcompanions of nearby stars, we undertook to characterize the fields ofall nearby stars visible from the Northern Hemisphere to determinesuitable companions for interferometric phase referencing. Because theKeck Interferometer in particular will be able to phase-reference oncompanions within the isoplanatic patch (30") to about 17th magnitude atK, we took images at V, r, and i that were deep enough to determine iffield stars were present to this magnitude around nearby stars using aspot-coated CCD. We report on 733 fields containing 10,629 measurementsin up to three filters (Gunn i, r and Johnson V) of nearby stars down toabout 13th magnitude at V.
| The Castor moving group. The age of Fomalhaut and VEGA
We have recomputed the kinematic properties of several of dozens nearbystars, to try to verify if Castor (alpha Gem) indeed has a cohort ofstars sharing the same space motion and age. We used kinematics, thelocation of the stars in Color-Magnitude Diagrams, their lithiumabundances, and their activity, to establish that the moving group seemsto be real and to reject several stars which were believed to be part ofthis group. Of the initial 26 stars, we show that probably only 16 starsare physically associated. The moving group contains several A spectraltype stars. Among them, Vega and Fomalhaut, two of the prototypes of thebeta Pic type stars. If these stars are coeval, their different levelsof IR emission suggest that the time scale for the formation of planetsis not universal. Due to the age of the group, these IR excesses wouldappear as a consequence of collisions and sublimation of larger bodiesand they would not arise from protoplanetary structures. Since thisassociation includes several late spectral type stars, we used theirproperties to estimate their age and, therefore, the age of the groupand that of Vega and Fomalhaut. Our estimate for that age is 200+/-100Myr. Based on observations collected by the Hipparcos satellite
| The Age of Beta PIC Type Stars: Vega, Fomalhaut, β PIC and HR4796
We have established that several prominent β Pic stars areassociated to moving groups. Based on this fact, we have estimated theirages. Our estimates are 200+/-100 Myr for Castor (which contains Vegaand Fomalhaut), the same age for β Pic, and 8+/-2 Myr for HR4796 A.
| The Palomar/MSU Nearby Star Spectroscopic Survey.II.The Southern M Dwarfs and Investigation of Magnetic Activity
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....112.2799H&db_key=AST
| The Palomar/MSU Nearby-Star Spectroscopic Survey. I. The Northern M Dwarfs -Bandstrengths and Kinematics
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995AJ....110.1838R&db_key=AST
| The general catalogue of trigonometric [stellar] paralaxes
Not Available
| Not Available
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| Photometry of dwarf K and M stars
An observational program using UBVRI photometry is presented for 688stars from among the dwarf K and M stars already found spectroscopicallyby Vyssotsky (1958). Of these, 211 have not been observedphotometrically. These observations were obtained over a period ofseveral years at the Kitt Peak National Observatory using a GaAsphotomultiplier with an 0.9 m reflector. Based on night-to-nightvariations in the measures of individual stars, the internal errors maybe estimated to be roughly 0.01 mag for the colors and 0.015 for the Vmagnitudes. The photometric parallaxes reported for each star werecomputed in the manner discussed by Weis (1986).
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Céphée |
| Right ascension: | 21h58m24.51s |
| Declination: | +75°35'20.6" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 10.498 |
| Distance: | 20.855 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 231.3 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 24.9 |
| B-T magnitude: | 12.483 |
| V-T magnitude: | 10.662 |
Catalogs and designations:
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