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The lithium-rotation correlation for WTTS in Taurus–Auriga
Surface lithium abundance and rotation velocity can serve as powerfuland mutually complementary diagnostics of interior structure of stars.So far, the processes responsible for the lithium depletion duringpre-main sequence evolution are still poorly understood. We investigatewhether a correlation exists between equivalent widths of Li (EW(Li))and rotation period (Prot) for weak-line T Tauri stars(WTTSs). We find that rapidly rotating stars have lower EW(Li) and thefast burning of Li begins at the phase when star’s Protevolves towards 3 days among 0.9Mȯ to1.4Mȯ WTTSs in Taurus–Auriga. Our results supportthe conclusion by Piau and Turch-Chiéze about a model for lithiumdepletion with age of the star and by Bouvier et al. in relation torotation evolution. The turn over of the curve for the correlationbetween EW(Li) and Prot is at the phase of zero-age mainsequence (ZAMS). The EW(Li) decreases with decreasing Protbefore the star reaches the ZAMS, while it decreases with increasingProt (decreasing rotation velocity) for young low-mass mainsequence stars. This result could be explained as an age effect of Lidepletion and the rapid rotation does not inhibit Li destruction amonglow-mass PMS stars.
| Oxygen from the λ7774 High-Excitation Triplet in Open Cluster Dwarfs: Hyades
Oxygen abundances have been derived from the near-IR, high-excitation OI λ7774 triplet in high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratiospectra of 45 Hyades dwarfs using standard one-dimensional,plane-parallel LTE models. Effective temperatures of the stellar samplerange from 4319 to 6301 K, and the derived relative O abundances as afunction of Teff evince a trichotomous morphology. AtTeff>6100 K, there is evidence of an increase in the Oabundances with increasing Teff, consistent with non-LTE(NLTE) predictions. At intermediate Teff (5450K<=Teff<=6100 K), the O abundances are flat, andstar-to-star values are in good agreement, having a mean value of[O/H]=+0.25+/-0.02 however, systematic errors at the <~0.10 dex levelmight exist. The O abundances for stars with Teff<=5450 Kshow a striking increase with decreasing Teff, in starkcontrast to expectations and canonical NLTE calculations. The coolHyades triplet results are compared to those recently reported fordwarfs in the Pleiades cluster and the UMa moving group; qualitativedifferences between the trends observed in these stellar aggregatespoint to a possible age-related diminution of triplet abundance trendsin cool open cluster dwarfs. Correlations with age-related phenomena,i.e., chromospheric activity and photospheric spots, faculae, and/orplages, are investigated. No correlation with Ca II H+K chromosphericactivity indicators is observed. Multicomponent LTE ``toy'' models havebeen constructed in order to simulate photospheric temperatureinhomogeneities that could arise from the presence of starspots, and wedemonstrate that photospheric spots are a plausible source of thetriplet trends among the cool dwarfs.Based on observations obtained with the Mayall 4 m telescope at KittPeak National Observatory, a division of the National Optical AstronomyObservatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities forResearch in Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with theNational Science Foundation.This paper includes data taken with the Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m telescopeat the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.
| A Catalog of Temperatures and Red Cousins Photometry for the Hyades
Using Hyades photometry published by Mendoza and other authors,Pinsonneault et al. have recently concluded that Cousins V-I photometrypublished by Taylor & Joner is not on the Cousins system. Extensivetests of the Taylor-Joner photometry and other pertinent results aretherefore performed in this paper. It is found that in part, thePinsonneault et al. conclusion rests on (1) a systematic error inMendoza's (R-I)J photometry and (2) a small error in anapproximate Johnson-to-Cousins transformation published by Bessell. Forthe Taylor-Joner values of (V-R)C, it is found that there arepossible (though not definite) differences of several mmag with otherresults. However, the Taylor-Joner values of (R-I)C data aresupported at the 1 mmag level. Using the (R-I)C data andother published results, an (R-I)C catalog is assembled for146 Hyades stars with spectral types earlier than about K5. For singlestars with multiple contributing data, the rms errors of the catalogentries are less than 4.4 mmag. Temperatures on the Di Benedettoangular-diameter scale are also given in the catalog and are used tohelp update published analyses of high-dispersion values of [Fe/H] forthe Hyades. The best current mean Hyades value of [Fe/H] is found to be+0.103+/-0.008 dex and is essentially unchanged from its previous value.In addition to these numerical results, recommendations are made aboutimproving attitudes and practices that are pertinent to issues likethose raised by Pinsonneault et al.
| Mg II chromospheric radiative loss rates in cool active and quiet stars
The Mg II k emission line is a good indicator of the level ofchromospheric activity in late-type stars. We investigate the dependenceof this activity indicator on fundamental stellar parameters. To thispurpose we use IUE observations of the Mg II k line in 225 late-typestars of luminosity classes I-V, with different levels of chromosphericactivity. We first re-analyse the relation between Mg II k lineluminosity and stellar absolute magnitude, performing linear fits to thepoints. The ratio of Mg II surface flux to total surface flux is foundto be independent of stellar luminosity for evolved stars and toincrease with decreasing luminosity for dwarfs. We also analyse the MgII k line surface flux-metallicity connection. The Mg II k emissionlevel turns out to be not dependent on metallicity. Finally, the Mg II kline surface flux-temperature relation is investigated by treatingseparately, for the first time, a large sample of very active and normalstars. The stellar surface fluxes in the k line of normal stars arefound to be strongly dependent on the temperature and slightly dependenton the gravity, thus confirming the validity of recently proposedmodels. In contrast, data relative to RS CVn binaries and BY Dra stars,which show very strong chromospheric activity, are not justified in theframework of a description based only on acoustic waves and uniformlydistributed magnetic flux tubes so that they require more detailedmodels.
| Beryllium Abundances in F and G Dwarfs in Praesepe and Other Young Clusters from Keck HIRES Observations
The study of both Be and Li gives useful clues about stellar internalstructure. Of particular interest is the study of these light elementsin open clusters, which have a known age and metallicity. In this paperwe present a study of Be abundances in 10 F-type stars in Praesepe and acomprehensive discussion about Be abundances in other open clusters:Hyades, Pleiades, α Per, Coma, and UMa. We have made observationsof the doublet of Be II around 3130 Å in Praesepe stars, using theKeck I telescope and the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES).Beryllium abundances were derived from the spectra using the spectrumsynthesis method. We find four stars with definite Be depletion in thetemperature range of the Li dip like we found in our previous clusterstudies, notably for the Hyades and Coma clusters. Putting all theclusters together, we confirm the existence of a Be dip in a narrowtemperature range for F stars. Beryllium depletion in this dip is lesspronounced than Li depletion. For the cooler stars there is little or noBe depletion, even though there are large depletions of Li. For starsthat have little or no Li depletion, A(Li)>=3.0, the ratio Li/Be is75+/-4.6, compared to the meteoritic ratio of 77.6. For stars coolerthan ~5900 K there appears to be little or no Be depletion, and the meanA(Be) is 1.30+/-0.02. For these cooler stars within a given clusterthere is no evidence for intrinsic star-to-star differences in A(Be),with the possible exception of the cool Pleiades stars. In thetemperature range of the Li-Be dip, a strong correlation exists betweenLi and Be, consistent with the theory of rotationally induced mixing.Moreover, the slopes of the Li versus Be correlations are differentdepending on the temperature range. For the full sample of 42 starsbetween 5900 and 6650 K the slope is 0.43+/-0.05 [where A(Li) is theabscissa]. The slope is 0.48+/-0.08 for 6300K
| Magnesium Isotope Ratios in Hyades Stars
Using classical model atmospheres and an LTE analysis, Mg isotope ratios24Mg:25Mg:26Mg are measured in 32Hyades dwarfs covering effective temperatures4000K<=Teff<=5000K. We find no significant trend in anyisotope ratio versus Teff, and the mean isotope ratio is inexcellent agreement with the solar value. We determine stellarparameters and Fe abundances for 56 Hyades dwarfs covering4000K<=Teff<=6200K. For stars warmer than 4700 K, wederive a cluster mean value of [Fe/H]=0.16+/-0.02 (σ=0.1), in goodagreement with previous studies. For stars cooler than 4700 K, we findthat the abundance of Fe from ionized lines exceeds the abundance of Fefrom neutral lines. At 4700 K,[Fe/H]II-[Fe/H]I~=0.3dex, while at 4000 K[Fe/H]II-[Fe/H]I~=1.2dex. This discrepancy betweenthe Fe abundance from neutral and ionized lines likely reflectsinadequacies in the model atmospheres and the presence of non-LTE orother effects. Despite the inability of the models to reproduce theionization equilibrium for Fe, the Mg isotope ratios appear immune tothese problems and remain a powerful tool for studying Galactic chemicalevolution.Data presented here were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, whichis operated as a scientific partnership among the California Instituteof Technology, the University of California, and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possibleby the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| The Distances to Open Clusters as Derived from Main-Sequence Fitting. II. Construction of Empirically Calibrated Isochrones
We continue our series of papers on open cluster distances by comparingmulticolor photometry of single stars in the Hyades with theoreticalisochrones constructed with various color-temperature relations. Afterverifying that the isochrone effective temperatures agree well withspectroscopically determined values, we argue that mismatches betweenthe photometry and the theoretical colors likely arise from systematicerrors in the color-temperature relations. We then describe a method forempirically correcting the isochrones to match the photometry anddiscuss the dependence of the isochrone luminosity on metallicity.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.
| Searching for Planets in the Hyades. V. Limits on Planet Detection in the Presence of Stellar Activity
We present the results of a radial velocity survey of a sample of Hyadesstars and discuss the effects of stellar activity on radial velocitymeasurements. The level of radial velocity scatter due to rotationalmodulation of stellar surface features for the Hyades is in agreementwith the 1997 predictions of Saar & Donahue-the maximum radialvelocity rms of up to ~50 m s-1, with an average rms of ~16 ms-1. In this sample of 94 stars we find one new binary, twostars with linear trends indicative of binary companions, and noclose-in giant planets. We discuss the limits on extrasolar planetdetection in the Hyades and the constraints imposed on radial velocitysurveys of young stars.Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. KeckObservatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among theCalifornia Institute of Technology, the University of California, andthe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). TheObservatory was made possible by the generous financial support of theW. M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge thevery significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of MaunaKea has always had within the indigenous Hawaiian community. We are mostfortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from thismountain. Additional data were obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope,which is operated by McDonald Observatory on behalf of the University ofTexas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University,Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, andGeorg-August-Universität Göttingen.
| The age-activity-rotation relationship in solar-type stars
We present Ca II K line chromospheric fluxes measured fromhigh-resolution spectra in 35 G dwarf stars of 5 open clusters todetermine the age-activity-rotation relationship from the young Hyadesand Praesepe (0.6 Gyr) to the old M 67 (4.5 Gyr) through the twointermediate age clusters IC 4651 and NGC 3680 (1.7 Gyr). The fullamplitude of the activity index within a cluster is slightly above 60 %for all clusters but one, NGC 3680, in which only two stars wereobserved. As a comparison, the same Solar Ca II index varies by 40% during a solar cycle. Four of our clusters (Hyades and Praesepe, IC4651 and NGC 3680) are pairs of twins as far as age is concerned; theHyades have the same chromospheric-activity level as Praesepe, at oddswith early claims based on X-ray observations. Both stars in NGC 3680are indistinguishable, as far as chromospheric activity is concerned,from those in the coeval IC 4651. This is a validation of the existenceof an age-activity relationship. On the other hand, the two intermediateage clusters have the same activity level as the much older M 67 and theSun. Our data therefore shows that a dramatic decrease in chromosphericactivity takes place in solar stars between the Hyades and the IC 4651age, of about 1 Gyr. Afterwards, activity remains virtually constant formore than 3 Gyr. We have also measured v sin i for all of our stars andthe average rotational velocity shows the same trend as thechromospheric-activity index. We briefly investigate the impact of thisresult on the age determinations of field G dwarfs in the solarneighborhood; the two main conclusions are that a consistent group of``young'' stars (i.e. as active as Hyades stars) is present, and that itis virtually impossible to give accurate chromospheric ages for starsolder than 2 Gyr. The observed abrupt decline in activity explainsvery well the Vaughan-Preston gap.Observations collected at the ESO VLT. Some data presented herein wereobtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as ascientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, theUniversity of California, and the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration. The Observatory was made possible by the generousfinancial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| On the determination of oxygen abundances in chromospherically active stars
We discuss oxygen abundances derived from [O I] λ6300s and the OI triplet in stars spanning a wide range in chromospheric activitylevel, and show that these two indicators yield increasingly discrepantresults with higher chromospheric/coronal activity measures. While theforbidden and permitted lines give fairly consistent results forsolar-type disk dwarfs, spuriously high O I triplet abundances areobserved in young Hyades and Pleiades stars, as well as in individualcomponents of RS CVn binaries (up to 1.8 dex). The distinct behaviour ofthe [O I]-based abundances which consistently remain near-solar suggeststhat this phenomenon mostly results from large departures from LTEaffecting the O I triplet at high activity level that are currentlyunaccounted for, but also possibly from a failure to adequately modelthe atmospheres of K-type stars. These results suggest that some cautionshould be exercised when interpreting oxygen abundances in activebinaries or young open cluster stars.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory,Chile (Proposals 64.L-0249 and 071.D-0260).Table \ref{tab_data} is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| 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
| Searching for Planets in the Hyades. IV. Differential Abundance Analysis of Hyades Dwarfs
We present a differential abundance analysis of Hyades F-K dwarfs insearch for evidence of stellar enrichment from accretedhydrogen-deficient disk material. Metallicities and relative abundanceratios of several species have been determined. We derive a cluster mean[Fe/H]=0.13+/-0.01. Two stars show abundances ~0.2 dex larger than thecluster mean. In addition, one star, which was added by a recent studyas a cluster member, shows significantly lower abundances than thecluster mean. These three stars have questionable membershipcharacteristics. The remaining stars in the survey have an rms of 0.04dex in the differential [Fe/H] values. The Hyades cluster members haveapparently not been significantly chemically enriched. The abundanceratios of Si, Ti, Na, Mg, Ca, and Zn with respect to Fe are in theirsolar proportions.Some data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory,which is operated as a scientific partnership among the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, the University of California, and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possibleby the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
| Dependence of coronal X-ray emission on spot-induced brightness variations in cool main sequence stars
The maximum amplitude (Amax) of spot-induced brightnessvariations from long-term V-band photometry and the ratioLX/Lbol between X-ray and bolometric luminositiesare suitable indicators of the level of magnetic activity in thephotosphere and in the corona of late-type stars, respectively. By usingthese activity indicators we investigate the dependence of coronal X-rayemission on the level of photospheric starspot activity in a homogeneoussample of low mass main sequence field and cluster stars of differentages (IC 2602, IC 4665,IC 2391, alpha Persei,Pleiades and Hyades). First, theactivity-rotation connection at the photospheric level is re-analysed,as well as its dependence on spectral type and age. The upper envelopeof Amax increases monotonically with decreasing rotationalperiod (P) and Rossby number (R0) showing a break around 1.1d that separates two rotation regimes where the starspot activity showsdifferent behaviours. The Amax-P andAmax-R0 relations are fitted with linear,exponential and power laws to look for the function which bestrepresents the trend of the data. The highest values of Amaxare found among K-type stars and at the ages of alphaPersei and Pleiades. We also analyse theactivity-rotation connection at the coronal level as well as itsdependence on spectral type. The level of X-ray emission increases withincreasing rotation rate up to a saturation level. The rotational periodat which saturation occurs is colour-dependent and increases withadvancing spectral type. Also the LX/Lbol-P andLX/Lbol-R0 relations are fitted withlinear, exponential and power laws to look for the best fittingfunction. Among the fastest rotating stars (P<=0.3 d) there isevidence of super-saturation. Also the highest values ofLXLbol are found among K-type stars. Finally, thephotospheric-coronal activity connection is investigated by using forthe first time the largest ever sample of light curve amplitudes asindicators of the magnetic filling factor. The activity parametersLX/Lbol and Amax are found to becorrelated with each other, thus confirming the dependence of coronalactivity on photospheric magnetic fields. More precisely, theLX/Lbol-Amax distribution shows thepresence of an upper envelope, which is constant at theLX/Lbol =~ -3.0 saturation level, and of a lowerenvelope. The best fit to the lower envelope is given by a power lawwith steepness decreasing from F-G to M spectral types. However, it isconsidered a tentative result, since the fit reduced chi-squares arelarge. Such spectral-type dependence may be related to a colourdependence of Amax on the total starspot filling factor, aswell as to the coronal emission being possibly more sensitive tostarspot activity variations in F- and G-type than in M-type stars. TheLX/Lbol-Amax mean values for eachcluster in our sample decrease monotonically with increasing age,showing that the levels of photospheric and coronal activity evolve intime according to a single power law till the Sun's age.Tables of the photometric and X-ray data sets are 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/410/671
| Statistical cataloging of archival data for luminosity class IV-V stars. I. The epoch 2001 temperature catalog
This paper is one of a pair in which temperatures and metallicitycatalogs for class IV-V stars are considered. The temperature catalogdescribed here is derived from a calibration based on stellar angulardiameters. If published calibrations of this kind are compared by usingcolor-index transformations, temperature-dependent differences among thecalibrations are commonly found. However, such differences are minimizedif attention is restricted to calibrations based on Johnson V-K. Acalibration of this sort from Di Benedetto (\cite{dib98}) is thereforetested and adopted. That calibration is then applied to spectroscopicand photometric data, with the latter predominating. Cousins R-Iphotometry receives special attention because of its high precision andlow metallicity sensitivity. Testing of temperatures derived from thecalibration suggests that their accuracy and precision are satisfactory,though further testing will be warranted as new results appear. Thesetemperatures appear in the catalog as values of theta equiv5040/T(effective). Most of these entries are accompanied by measured orderived values of Cousins R-I. Entries are given for 951 stars.Catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/398/721
| The stellar activity-rotation relationship revisited: Dependence of saturated and non-saturated X-ray emission regimes on stellar mass for late-type dwarfs
We present the results of a new study on the relationship betweencoronal X-ray emission and stellar rotation in late-type main-sequencestars. We have selected a sample of 259 dwarfs in the B-V range 0.5-2.0,including 110 field stars and 149 members of the Pleiades, Hyades, alphaPersei, IC 2602 and IC 2391 open clusters. All the stars have beenobserved with ROSAT, and most of them have photometrically-measuredrotation periods available. Our results confirm that two emissionregimes exist, one in which the rotation period is a good predictor ofthe total X-ray luminosity, and the other in which a constant saturatedX-ray to bolometric luminosity ratio is attained; we present aquantitative estimate of the critical rotation periods below which starsof different masses (or spectral types) enter the saturated regime. Inthis work we have also empirically derived a characteristic time scale,taue , which we have used to investigate the relationshipbetween the X-ray emission level and an X-ray-based Rossby numberRe = Prot/taue: we show that ourempirical time scale taue resembles the theoreticalconvective turnover time for 0.4 <~ M/Msun <~ 1.2, butit also has the same functional dependence on B-V asLbol-1/2 in the color range 0.5 <~ B-V <~1.5. Our results imply that - for non-saturated coronae - theLx - Prot relation is equivalent to theLx/Lbol vs. Re relation. Tables 1 and 2are only available in electronic form at \ http://www.edpsciences.org
| New periodic variables from the Hipparcos epoch photometry
Two selection statistics are used to extract new candidate periodicvariables from the epoch photometry of the Hipparcos catalogue. Theprimary selection criterion is a signal-to-noise ratio. The dependenceof this statistic on the number of observations is calibrated usingabout 30000 randomly permuted Hipparcos data sets. A significance levelof 0.1 per cent is used to extract a first batch of candidate variables.The second criterion requires that the optimal frequency be unaffectedif the data are de-trended by low-order polynomials. We find 2675 newcandidate periodic variables, of which the majority (2082) are from theHipparcos`unsolved' variables. Potential problems with theinterpretation of the data (e.g. aliasing) are discussed.
| Photometric Investigation of the MBM 12 Molecular Cloud Area in Aries. I. Photoelectric Photometry
The results of photoelectric photometry in the Vilnius seven-colorsystem are given for 152 stars down to 12.2 mag in the area of themolecular cloud MBM 12 and the dust clouds L1454 and L1457 in Aries. Theresults of photometric classification of stars are also given. Theinvestigation of interstellar extinction in the area is described in thenext paper.
| What Is Happening at Spectral Type F5 in Hyades F Stars?
Aiming at a better understanding of the mechanisms heating thechromospheres, transition regions, and coronae of cool stars, we studyultraviolet, low-resolution Hubble Space Telescope/Space TelescopeImaging Spectrograph spectra of Hyades main-sequence F stars. We studythe B-V dependence(s) of the chromospheric and transition layer emissionline fluxes and their dependences on rotational velocities. We find thatthe transition layer emission line fluxes and also those of strongchromospheric lines decrease steeply between B-V=0.42 and 0.45, i.e., atspectral type F5, for which the rotational velocities also decreasesteeply. The magnitude of the line-flux decrease increases for lines ofions with increasing degree of ionization. This shows that the line-fluxdecrease is not due to a change in the surface filling factor but ratherdue to a change of the relative importance of different heatingmechanisms. For early F stars with B-V<0.42 we find for thetransition layer emission lines increasing fluxes for increasing vsini,indicating magnetohydrodynamic heating. The vsini dependence isstrongest for the high-ionization lines. On the other hand, the lowchromospheric lines show no dependence on vsini, indicating acousticshock heating for these layers. This also contributes to the heating ofthe transition layers. The Mg II and Ca II lines show decreasing fluxesfor increasing vsini, as long as vsini is less than ~40 kms-1. The coronal X-ray emission also decreases for increasingvsini, except for vsini larger than ~100 km s-1. We have atpresent no explanation for this behavior. For late F stars thechromospheric lines show vsini dependences similar to those observed forearly F stars, again indicating acoustic heating for these layers. Wewere unable to determine the vsini dependence of the transition layerlines because of too few single star targets. The decrease of emissionline fluxes at the spectral type F5, with steeply decreasing vsini,indicates, however, a decreasing contribution of magnetohydrodynamicheating for the late F stars. The X-ray emission for the late F starsincreases for increasing vsini, indicating magnetohydrodynamic heatingfor the coronae of the late F stars, different from the early F stars.Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtainedat the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated,under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
| Beryllium in the Hyades F and G Dwarfs from Keck HIRES Spectra
Although there are extensive observations of Li in field stars of alltypes and in both open and (recently) globular cluster stars, there arerelatively few observations of Be. Because Be is not destroyed as easilyas Li, the abundances of Li and Be together can tell us more about theinternal physical processes in stars than either element can alone. Wehave obtained high-resolution (45,000) and high signal-to-noise ratio(typically 90 per pixel) spectra of the Be II resonance lines in 34Hyades F and G dwarfs with the Keck I telescope and HIRES. In additionwe took a spectrum of the daytime sky to use as a surrogate for thesolar spectrum so we could determine the value for Be in the Sun,analyzed in the same manner as that for the stars. We have adoptedstellar temperatures and some Li abundances for these stars from theliterature. For most of the F dwarfs we have rederived Li abundances.The Be abundances have been derived with the spectrum synthesis method.We find that Be is depleted, but detected, in the Li gap in the F starsreaching down to values of A(Be)=0.60 dex, or a factor of nearly 7 belowthe meteoritic Be abundance (a factor of 3.5 below the solar value ofChmielewski et al.). There is little or no depletion of Be in starscooler than 6000 K, in spite of the large depletions (0.5-2.5 dex) inLi. The mean value of A(Be) for the 10 coolest stars is 1.33+/-0.06, notfar from the meteoritic value of 1.42. The pattern in the Beabundances-a Be dip and undepleted Be in the cool stars-is well matchedby the predictions of slow mixing due to stellar rotation. We haveinterpolated the calculations of Deliyannis and Pinsonneault for Bedepletion due to rotational mixing to the age of the Hyades; we findexcellent agreement of the predictions with the observed Be abundancesbut less good agreement with the observed Li abundances. Some of ourHyades stars have photometrically determined rotation periods, but thereis no relation between Be and rotation period. (Generally, the lowermass stars have less Li and longer periods, which may indicate greaterspin-down and thus more Li depletion relative to Be.) The Li and Beabundances are correlated for stars in the temperature range of5850-6680 K, similar to results from earlier work on Li and Be in F andG field stars. This indicates that the depletions are not justcorrelated-the only claim that can be made for the field stars-but areprobably occurring together during main-sequence evolution. The Hyades Gdwarfs have more Be than the Sun; their initial Be may have been largeror they may not be old enough to have depleted much Be. For those Hyadesstars that seem to have little or no depletion of Li or Be, the Li/Beratio is found to be 75+/-30 the meteoritic ratio Li/Be is 78. TheHyades ratio is a representative value for the initial ratio in thematerial out of which the Hyades cluster was formed.
| Searching for Planets in the Hyades. II. Some Implications of Stellar Magnetic Activity
The Hyades constitute a homogeneous sample of stars ideal forinvestigating the dependence of planet formation on the mass of thecentral star. Because of their youth, Hyades members are much morechromospherically active than stars traditionally surveyed for planetsusing high-precision radial velocity techniques. Therefore, we haveconducted a detailed investigation of whether magnetic activity of ourHyades target stars will interfere with our ability to make preciseradial velocity (vrad) searches for substellar companions. Wemeasure chromospheric activity (which we take as a proxy for magneticactivity) by computing the equivalent of the R'HKactivity index (which is corrected for photospheric contributions) fromthe Ca II K line. The value of is notconstant in the Hyades: we confirm that it decreases with increasingtemperature in the F stars and also find it decreases for stars coolerthan mid K. We examine correlations between simultaneously measuredR'HK and radial velocities using both a classicalstatistical test and a Bayesian odds ratio test. We find that there is asignificant correlation between R'HK and theradial velocity in only five of the 82 stars in this sample. Thus,simple R'HK-vrad correlations willgenerally not be effective in correcting the measured vradvalues for the effects of magnetic activity in the Hyades. We argue thatthis implies long-timescale activity variations (of order a few years;i.e., magnetic cycles or growth and decay of plage regions) will notsignificantly hinder our search for planets in the Hyades if the starsare closely monitored for chromospheric activity. The trends in theradial velocity scatter (σ'v) with, vsini, and Prot for ourstars is generally consistent with those found in field stars in theLick planet search data, with the notable exception of a shallowerdependence of σ'v on for F stars. Data presented hereinwere obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as ascientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, theUniversity of California, and the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration. The Observatory was made possible by the generousfinancial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.
| HIPPARCOS age-metallicity relation of the solar neighbourhood disc stars
We derive age-metallicity relations (AMRs) and orbital parameters forthe 1658 solar neighbourhood stars to which accurate distances aremeasured by the HIPPARCOS satellite. The sample stars comprise 1382 thindisc stars, 229 thick disc stars, and 47 halo stars according to theirorbital parameters. We find a considerable scatter for thin disc AMRalong the one-zone Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model. Orbits andmetallicities of thin disc stars show now clear relation each other. Thescatter along the AMR exists even if the stars with the same orbits areselected. We examine simple extension of one-zone GCE models whichaccount for inhomogeneity in the effective yield and inhomogeneous starformation rate in the Galaxy. Both extensions of the one-zone GCE modelcannot account for the scatter in age - [Fe/H] - [Ca/Fe] relationsimultaneously. We conclude, therefore, that the scatter along the thindisc AMR is an essential feature in the formation and evolution of theGalaxy. The AMR for thick disc stars shows that the star formationterminated 8 Gyr ago in the thick disc. As already reported by Grattonet al. (\cite{Gratton_et.al.2000}) and Prochaska et al.(\cite{Prochaska_et.al.2000}), thick disc stars are more Ca-rich thanthin disc stars with the same [Fe/H]. We find that thick disc stars showa vertical abundance gradient. These three facts, the AMR, verticalgradient, and [Ca/Fe]-[Fe/H] relation, support monolithic collapseand/or accretion of satellite dwarf galaxies as likely thick discformation scenarios. Tables 2 and 3 are only available in electronicform at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5)or via http:/ /cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/ cgi-bin/qcat?J/ A+A/394/927
| Determination of accurate stellar radial-velocity measures
Wavelength measurements in stellar spectra cannot readily be interpretedas true stellar motion on the sub-km s-1 accuracy level dueto the presence of many other effects, such as gravitational redshiftand stellar convection, which also produce line shifts. Following arecommendation by the IAU, the result of an accurate spectroscopicradial-velocity observation should therefore be given as the``barycentric radial-velocity measure'', i.e. the absolute spectralshift as measured by an observer at zero gravitational potential locatedat the solar-system barycentre. Standard procedures for reducingaccurate radial-velocity observations should be reviewed to take intoaccount this recommendation. We describe a procedure to determineaccurate barycentric radial-velocity measures of bright stars, based ondigital cross-correlation of spectra obtained with the ELODIEspectrometer (Observatoire de Haute-Provence) with a synthetic templateof Fe I lines. The absolute zero point of the radial-velocity measuresis linked to the wavelength scale of the Kurucz (1984) Solar Flux Atlasvia ELODIE observations of the Moon. Results are given for the Sun and42 stars, most of them members of the Hyades and Ursa Major clusters.The median internal standard error is 27 m s-1. The externalerror is estimated at around 120 m s-1, mainly reflecting theuncertainty in the wavelength scale of the Solar Flux Atlas. For the Sunwe find a radial-velocity measure of +257+/- 11 m s-1referring to the full-disk spectrum of the selected Fe I lines. Based onobservations made at Observatoire de Haute-Provence
| Astrometric radial velocities. III. Hipparcos measurements of nearby star clusters and associations
Radial motions of stars in nearby moving clusters are determined fromaccurate proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes, without any use ofspectroscopy. Assuming that cluster members share the same velocityvector (apart from a random dispersion), we apply a maximum-likelihoodmethod on astrometric data from Hipparcos to compute radial and spacevelocities (and their dispersions) in the Ursa Major, Hyades, ComaBerenices, Pleiades, and Praesepe clusters, and for theScorpius-Centaurus, alpha Persei, and ``HIP 98321'' associations. Theradial motion of the Hyades cluster is determined to within 0.4 kms-1 (standard error), and that of its individual stars towithin 0.6 km s-1. For other clusters, Hipparcos data yieldastrometric radial velocities with typical accuracies of a few kms-1. A comparison of these astrometric values withspectroscopic radial velocities in the literature shows a good generalagreement and, in the case of the best-determined Hyades cluster, alsopermits searches for subtle astrophysical differences, such as evidencefor enhanced convective blueshifts of F-dwarf spectra, and decreasedgravitational redshifts in giants. Similar comparisons for the ScorpiusOB2 complex indicate some expansion of its associations, albeit slowerthan expected from their ages. As a by-product from the radial-velocitysolutions, kinematically improved parallaxes for individual stars areobtained, enabling Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams with unprecedentedaccuracy in luminosity. For the Hyades (parallax accuracy 0.3 mas), itsmain sequence resembles a thin line, possibly with wiggles in it.Although this main sequence has underpopulated regions at certaincolours (previously suggested to be ``Böhm-Vitense gaps''), suchare not visible for other clusters, and are probably spurious. Futurespace astrometry missions carry a great potential for absoluteradial-velocity determinations, insensitive to the complexities ofstellar spectra. Based on observations by the ESA Hipparcos satellite.Extended versions of Tables \ref{tab1} and \ref{tab2} are available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.125.8) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/381/446
| Empirical calibration of the near-infrared Ca ii triplet - II. The stellar atmospheric parameters
We present a homogeneous set of stellar atmospheric parameters(Teff, logg, [Fe/H]) for a sample of about 700 field andcluster stars which constitute a new stellar library in the near-IRdeveloped for stellar population synthesis in this spectral region(λ8350-9020). Having compiled the available atmospheric data inthe literature for field stars, we have found systematic deviationsbetween the atmospheric parameters from different bibliographicreferences. The Soubiran, Katz & Cayrel sample of stars with verywell determined fundamental parameters has been taken as our standardreference system, and other papers have been calibrated and bootstrappedagainst it. The obtained transformations are provided in this paper.Once most of the data sets were on the same system, final parameterswere derived by performing error weighted means. Atmospheric parametersfor cluster stars have also been revised and updated according to recentmetallicity scales and colour-temperature relations.
| A new look at the relationship between activity, dynamo number and Rossby number in late-type stars
The correlation between stellar activity, as measured by the indicatorΔRHK, and the Rossby number Ro in late-type stars isrevisited in light of recent developments in solar dynamo theory.Different stellar interior models, based on both mixing-length theoryand the full spectrum of turbulence, are used in order to see to whatextent the correlation of activity with Rossby number is modeldependent, or otherwise can be considered universal. Although we findsome modest model dependence, we find that the correlation of activitywith Rossby number is significantly better than with rotation periodalone for all the models we consider. Dynamo theory suggests thatactivity should scale with the dynamo number. A current model of thesolar dynamo, the so-called interface dynamo, proposes that theamplification of the toroidal magnetic field by differential rotation(the ω-effect) and the production of the poloidal magnetic fieldfrom toroidal by helical turbulence (the α-effect) take place indifferent, adjacent layers near the base of the convection zone. A newscale analysis based on the interface dynamo shows that the appropriatedynamo number does not depend on the Rossby number alone, but alsodepends on an additional dimensionless factor related to thedifferential rotation. This leads to a new interpretation of thecorrelation between activity and Rossby number, which in turn leads tosome conclusions about the magnitude of differential rotation in thedynamo layers of late-type main-sequence stars.
| Mg II Emission Lines of Hyades F Stars
With the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) we have observed Hyades F stars,using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), in order to getmore information about the heating mechanism(s) for the chromospheresand transition layers and their dependence on rotation and age. In thispaper we study the Mg II lines at 2800 Å. We include earlierobservations with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)satellite. The Mg II emission lines become observable for B-V>0.3.The emission line fluxes increase steeply until B-V~0.40. For singlestars there is a steep decrease in flux between B-V=0.41 and B-V=0.44,similar to the behavior of the Ca II emission line cores. For larger B-Vthe Mg II emission line fluxes again increase, but much more slowly thanfor the Ca II lines. Generally, the low point of the emission is reachedbetween B-V=0.43 and B-V=0.45, i.e., similar to the Ca II emissioncores. For the Hyades F stars there appears to be a difference betweenthe emissions for single stars and those for binaries. We find that forHyades stars with surface line fluxes larger than 106 ergscm-2 s-1 the emission line fluxes decrease withincreasing vsini. For smaller fluxes they may increase with increasingvsini. We have only three stars that perhaps show this. We study theflux ratios of the Mg II k and h lines at 2795.7 and 2802.5 Å inorder to determine where the lines fall on the curve of growth. For theearliest F stars studied here the ratio is close to 2, as expected foroptically thin lines. Generally, it seems that the optical depths in theline centers are less than 10. There remain problems in understandingthe size of the line widths. We discuss the interpretation of theWilson-Bappu effect. For the Hyades F stars there is a strong dependenceof the line width on the effective temperature. Based on observationswith the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtained at the Space TelescopeScience Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universitiesfor Research in Astronomy. Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
| The Physical Basis of Luminosity Classification in the Late A-, F-, and Early G-Type Stars. II. Basic Parameters of Program Stars and the Role of Microturbulence
Paper I of this series presented precise MK spectral types for 372 lateA-, F-, and early G-type stars with the aim of understanding the natureof luminosity classification on the MK spectral classification systemfor this range of spectral types. In this paper, a multidimensionaldownhill simplex technique is introduced to determine the basicparameters of the program stars from fits of synthetic spectra andfluxes with observed spectra and fluxes from Strömgren uvbyphotometry. This exercise yields useful calibrations of the MK spectralclassification system but, most importantly, gives insight into thephysical nature of luminosity classification on the MK spectralclassification system. In particular, we find that in this range ofspectral types, microturbulence appears to be at least as important asgravity in determining the MK luminosity type.
| The Physical Basis of Luminosity Classification in the Late A-, F-, and Early G-Type Stars. I. Precise Spectral Types for 372 Stars
This is the first in a series of two papers that address the problem ofthe physical nature of luminosity classification in the late A-, F-, andearly G-type stars. In this paper, we present precise spectralclassifications of 372 stars on the MK system. For those stars in theset with Strömgren uvbyβ photometry, we derive reddenings andpresent a calibration of MK temperature types in terms of the intrinsicStrömgren (b-y)0 index. We also examine the relationshipbetween the luminosity class and the Strömgren c1 index,which measures the Balmer jump. The second paper will address thederivation of the physical parameters of these stars, and therelationships between these physical parameters and the luminosityclass. Stars classified in this paper include one new λ Bootisstar and 10 of the F- and G-type dwarfs with recently discoveredplanets.
| Rotation-induced lithium depletion of solar-type stars in open stellar clusters
We look for a correlation between Lithium abundance and rotation periodin solar-type stars (G0\dots K0). The result is not unambiguous. Starsin young open clusters (IC 2391, IC 2602, IC 4665, alpha Per) do notshow any correlation, in the Pleiades cluster a correlation is present:the faster the rotation the less the Lithium depletion. Moreover, thereis statistical evidence, that at least in the Pleiades and in the alphaPersei cluster the abundance spread at fixed color in cool stars couldbe due to rotation. The use of the inverse Rossby number instead of therotation rate does not improve on the Li-rotation correlation.
| A Hipparcos study of the Hyades open cluster. Improved colour-absolute magnitude and Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams
Hipparcos parallaxes fix distances to individual stars in the Hyadescluster with an accuracy of ~ 6 percent. We use the Hipparcos propermotions, which have a larger relative precision than the trigonometricparallaxes, to derive ~ 3 times more precise distance estimates, byassuming that all members share the same space motion. An investigationof the available kinematic data confirms that the Hyades velocity fielddoes not contain significant structure in the form of rotation and/orshear, but is fully consistent with a common space motion plus a(one-dimensional) internal velocity dispersion of ~ 0.30 kms-1. The improved parallaxes as a set are statisticallyconsistent with the Hipparcos parallaxes. The maximum expectedsystematic error in the proper motion-based parallaxes for stars in theouter regions of the cluster (i.e., beyond ~ 2 tidal radii ~ 20 pc) isla 0.30 mas. The new parallaxes confirm that the Hipparcos measurementsare correlated on small angular scales, consistent with the limitsspecified in the Hipparcos Catalogue, though with significantly smaller``amplitudes'' than claimed by Narayanan & Gould. We use the Tycho-2long time-baseline astrometric catalogue to derive a set of independentproper motion-based parallaxes for the Hipparcos members. The newparallaxes provide a uniquely sharp view of the three-dimensionalstructure of the Hyades. The colour-absolute magnitude diagram of thecluster based on the new parallaxes shows a well-defined main sequencewith two ``gaps''/``turn-offs''. These features provide the first directobservational support of Böhm-Vitense's prediction that (the onsetof) surface convection in stars significantly affects their (B-V)colours. We present and discuss the theoretical Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram (log L versus log T_eff) for an objectively defined set of 88high-fidelity members of the cluster as well as the delta Scuti startheta 2 Tau, the giants delta 1, theta1, epsilon , and gamma Tau, and the white dwarfs V471 Tau andHD 27483 (all of which are also members). The precision with which thenew parallaxes place individual Hyades in the Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram is limited by (systematic) uncertainties related to thetransformations from observed colours and absolute magnitudes toeffective temperatures and luminosities. The new parallaxes providestringent constraints on the calibration of such transformations whencombined with detailed theoretical stellar evolutionary modelling,tailored to the chemical composition and age of the Hyades, over thelarge stellar mass range of the cluster probed by Hipparcos.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Stier |
| Right ascension: | 04h20m12.97s |
| Declination: | +19°14'00.5" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.452 |
| Distance: | 44.903 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 114.2 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -36.1 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.148 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.51 |
Catalogs and designations:
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