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Linsky, J. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Linsky, J. L..

At least 73 records · Page 4
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NASA NTRS1985

A VLA radio continuum survey of active late-type giants in binary systems - Preliminary results

Preliminary results of a 6 cm continuum survey using the NRAO VLA of binary systems with 10-100 day orbital period containing an 'active' giant component are reported. The results show that strong radio continuum emission at centimeter wavelengths is a common but not universal property of this class of stars. Possible correlations between radio luminosity and other properties, such as X-ray luminosity, rotational period, and type of companion are discussed. Several binary systems which have been detected for the first time as radio sources are reported, and sensitive upper limits are presented for five other systems, including Capella.

Drake, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Observations of Interstellar HI Toward Nearby Late-type Stars

High-disperson Copernicus and IUE observations of chromospheric Ly alpha emission are used to study the distribution of HI in the local interstellar medium. Interstellar parameters are derived toward 3 stars within 5 pc of the Sun, and upper limits are given for the Ly alpha flux from 9 other stars within 10 pc.

Landsman, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Observations of interstellar hydrogen and deuterium toward Alpha Centauri A

A composite profile is presented of the Ly-alpha emission line of Alpha Cen A, obtained from 10 individual spectra with the high-resolution spectrograph aboard the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite. There is excellent overall agreement with two previous Copernicus observations. Interstellar deuterium is detected, and a lower limit is set on the deuterium to hydrogen ratio of nDI/nHI greater than 8 x 10 to the -6th. In addition, the deuterium bulk velocity appears blueshifted by 8 + or - 2 km/s with respect to interstellar hydrogen, suggesting a nonuniform medium along the line of sight.

Landsman, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The origin of low-velocity absorption components in the Mg II resonance lines of hybrid-chromosphere stars

It is argued that the low-velocity absorption features seen in the Mg II resonance lines of seven confirmed and three probable hybrid-chromosphere stars are interstellar rather than circumstellar in origin. From a comparison of radial velocities based on all available spectra in the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) archives with estimates of the interstellar velocity along each line of sight, a good correlation between the observed position of the low-velocity component and the predicted interstellar feature is found. It is also shown that previous arguments in favor of the circumstellar origin of the low-velocity absorption features are either incorrect or implausible. The conclusion of the present study may modify previously proposed models of hybrid star winds which have assumed a priori that both Mg II absorption components are circumstellar.

Drake, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

High-resolution, far-ultraviolet study of Beta Draconis (G2 Ib-II) - Transition region structure and energy balance

High-resolution far ultraviolet spectra of the star Beta Draconis have been obtained with the IUE satellite. The observations and emission line data from the spectra are presented, the interpretation of the emission line widths and shifts is discussed, and the implications are given in terms of atmospheric properties. The emission measure distribution is derived, and density diagnostics involving both line ratios and line opacity arguments is investigated. The methods for calculating spherically symmetric models of the atmospheric structure are outlined, and several such models are presented. The extension of these models to log T(e) greater than 5.3 using the observed X-ray flux is addressed, the energy balance of an 'optimum' model is investigated, and possible models of energy transport and deposition are discussed.

Brown, A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Corona models tested with IUE and Einstein observations

Compilations of IUE and Einstein observations which show that the emissions from the outer layers of cool stars are nonlinearly correlated are discussed. This result can be used to test theoretical corona models as well as hypotheses on the mechanism that determines the location of the transition region. In stars in which most of the X-ray emission originates in small coronal loops it may be necessary that part of the emitting plasma is hotter than 20 million K or that the transition region is not only heated by thermal conduction, but also by downflows. Observational evidence for both these effects, and methods for analyzing the geometrical structure of outer stellar atmospheres are considered.

Hammer, R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Models for the active and quiescent regions on the RS CVN-type system 2 Pegasi (HD 224085)

The IUE observations of the RS CVn binary system II Pegasi obtained during the period 1981 October 1-7 were used to derive the emission measure distributions and to calculate transmission region models of the quiescent and plage (active) regions of II Peg. Active region models were calculated assuming area coverages of 10%, 6%, 3% and 1% of the visible hemisphere. These models are used to provide lower limits to the electron pressure in the quiescent and plage regions, which are compared with the available density diagnostics. The amount of mechanical energy deposition required to account for the observed radiative losses is very large.

Linsky, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Stellar chromospheres and coronae in the Ursa Major Cluster stars

IUE spectra of 18 proposed members of the Ursa Major Cluster and Einstein X-ray images of 11 of these stars are discussed. Thirteen stars, six in the nucleus and seven in the extended comoving stream, are probably true members of the UMa Cluster in that their bright ultraviolet and X-ray surface fluxes indicate youth. Four stars, one in the nucleus and three in the stream, exhibit weak ultraviolet and/or X-ray emission suggesting that they are old field stars that have the same space motion as the UMa Cluster. The X-ray surface fluxes of the UMa Cluster stars appear to be brighter than those of the Hyades Cluster stars, consistent with their relative ages. It is argued that chromospheres and transition regions could be present in dwarf stars hotter than B-V of about 0.30, but are unobservable in IUE spectra due to the rapid increase in photospheric flux in hotter stars.

Simon, T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Sigma Geminorum (K1 III + ?) - Variability of the ultraviolet emission lines near conjunction

Far-ultraviolet IUE echelle spectra of the moderate-period RS CVn system Sigma Geminorum (K1 III + ?) are reported. Despite the location of the red-giant primary of Sigma Gem in a portion of the H-R diagram where cool stellar winds are common, no evidence for circumstellar absorption features or blueward asymmetries is found in the chromospheric O I (or Mg I and Mg II) emission cores. However, observations on two consecutive days indicate significant changes in the profiles of high-excitation species such as Si IV and C IV which likely were produced by the rotation of a large-scale active region (Fried et al., 1983) off the visible hemisphere of the primary.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

RS CV sub n binary systems

An attempt is made to place in context the vast amount of data obtained as a result of X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and microwave observations of RS CVn and similar spectroscopic binary systems. Emphasis is on the RS CVn systems and their long period analogs. The following questions are considered: (1) are the original defining characteristics still valid and still adequate? (2) what is the evidence for discrete active regions? (3) have any meaningful physical properties for the atmospheres of RS CVn systems been derived? (4) what do the flare observations tell about magnetic fields in RS CVn systems? (5) is there evidence for systematic trends in RS CVn systems with spectral type?

Linsky, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Microwave emission from the coronae of late-type dwarf stars

VLA microwave observations of 14 late-type dwarf and subgiant stars and binary systems are examined. In this extensive set of observations, four sources at 6 cm (Chi-1 Ori, UV Cet, YY Gem, and Wolf 630AB) were detected and low upper limits for the remaining stars were found. The microwave luminosities of the nondetected F-K dwarfs are as small as 0.01 those of the dMe stars. The detected emission is slowly variable in all cases and is consistent with gyroresonant emission from thermal electrons spiraling in magnetic fields of about 300 gauss if the source sizes are as large as R/R(asterisk) = 3-4. This would correspond to magnetic fields that are probably in the range 0.001-0.0001 gauss at the photospheric level. An alternative mechanism is gyrosynchrotron emission from a relatively small number of electrons with effective temperature.

Linsky, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Outer atmospheres of cool stars. XV - High-dispersion ultraviolet studies of active chromosphere G-K dwarfs

IUE ultraviolet echelle spectra of three late-type active chromosphere dwarf stars, Chi-1 Orionis, Xi Bootis, and Epsilon Eridani, are compared with previously published observations of the quiet chromosphere dwarfs Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. The spectra indicate a gross strengthening of chromospheric and transition-region line fluxes from quiet to active dwarf stars without a fundamental change in their line shapes. Qualitatively the same spectroscopic behavior is seen in detail on the solar surface between regions of strong and weak magnetic fields. It is argued that the correspondence between the stellar and solar behavior is not accidental, but instead affirms that enhanced chromospheric and coronal emission on late-type main sequence stars is a result of increased surface coverage of magnetic active regions.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Redshifts of high-temperature emission lines in the far-ultraviolet spectra of late-type stars

High-dispersion IUE spectra of six late-type stars exhibit small but statistically significant differential redshifts of high-temperature emission lines, like Si IV and C IV, with respect to low-temperature lines like S I and O I. A well-exposed, small-aperture spectrum of the active chromosphere binary Capella (Alpha Aurigae A: G6 II+F9 III) establishes that the high-temperature lines are redshifted in an absolute sense with respect to the accurately determined photospheric velocity of the system at single-line phase 0.50. Several possible explanations for the stellar redshifts are discused, including a warm wind (100,000 K) in which aparent redshifts are produced in optically thick lines by an accelerating outfow, and the downflowing component of a vertical circulation system for which the up-leg portion of the flow is too cool, too hot, or too tenuous to be visible in Si IV and C IV. If the second scenario is true, the stellar redshifts may provide an important phenomenological link to the downflows observed in 100,000 K species over magnetic active regions in the sun.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

First detection of winds in red giants by microwave continuum techniques

Eight red giants and supergiants have been observed at 4885 MHz (6 cm) with the Very Large Array in an attempt to detect continuum emission. The bright giant Alpha-1 Her (M5 II) was detected at an average flux density of 0.9 + or - 0.13 mJy. Since the likely source of this emission is an ionized, optically thick component of a stellar wind, this detection implies a mass loss rate of 2 x 10 to the -9th solar masses per yr for the ionized gas. The fraction of the outflow in Alpha-1 Her that is ionized (0.002-0.02) seems to be similar to that previously found for Alpha Ori and Alpha Sco A. Alpha Boo (K2 IIIp) and Beta Gem (K0 III) are probable and definite detections, respectively. The derived ionized mass loss rates for these two stars are about 1 x 10 to the -10th solar masses per yr, implying in the case of Alpha Boo that the wind is largely ionized.

Drake, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Outer atmospheres of cool stars. XIV - A model for the chromosphere and transition region of Beta Ceti (G9.5 III)

In the present chromospheric and transition region model for Beta Ceti, which is consistent with IUE spectra of the Mg II, C II, and C IV resonance lines, the Mg II h and k lines are treated in partial redistribution and the C II and C IV lines in complete redistribution. Computed line fluxes are presented for a range of models to show the range of permitted temperature structures. A comparison of the Beta Ceti model to models previously computed in a similar way for other stars shows a trend of decreasing chromospheric pressures and increasing geometric scales as single stars evolve across the transition region boundary. The present analysis also suggests that transition region pressures drastically decrease and geometric scales rapidly increase as single giant stars evolve to the right, toward the boudnary. Beta Ceti's exceptional X-ray brightness is discussed.

Eriksson, K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Outer atmospheres of cool stars. XIII - Capella at critical phases

The results are presented of a program of high-dispersion spectroscopy of Capella at critical orbital phases utilizing the International Ultraviolet Explorer. The considered program had the objective to establish as carefully as possible the relative ultraviolet emission levels of the Capella primary and secondary in order to obtain an understanding regarding the nature of their chromospheres and coronae. The results of the program confirm the earlier study of the Capella by Ayres and Linsky (1980), which was limited to orbital phases 0.50 and 0.75. Both programs found that the Capella secondary is considerably brighter than the primary, in surface flux, in all of the prominent far-ultraviolet emissions, particularly the high-excitation CII-CIV lines. In addition, the present study has revealed several puzzling aspects of the system. It is concluded that the Capella primary is comparatively bright, for a yellow giant, in far-ultraviolet and perhaps also in soft X-ray normalized fluxes. The implications of this conclusion are evaluated.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The narrow ultraviolet emission lines of the red dwarf Au Microscopii (dM1.6e)

It is pointed out that the red dwarfs are the smallest, coolest, faintest, least massive, but most common of normal main-sequence stars. The dMe (H-alpha emission) subclass of the red dwarfs exhibits the largest median soft X-ray to bolometric luminosity ratio of any group of late-type stars. In connection with the present investigation, attention is given to the first high-dispersion spectra of the chromospheric (6000 K) and higher temperature (up to 100,000 K) emissions of a dMe star, AU Microscopii in the far-ultraviolet (1150-2000 A) and middle-ultraviolet (2000-3000 A) bands accessible to the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). AU Mic is one of the most luminous of lower main-sequence stars in C IV and soft X-ray emission.

Ayres, T. R.↗