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At least 1,027 records · Page 57
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DOE OSTI2014

Winds of low-metallicity OB-type stars: HST-COS spectroscopy in IC 1613

We present the first quantitative ultraviolet spectroscopic analysis of resolved OB stars in IC 1613. Because of its alleged very low metallicity (≲1/10 Z {sub ☉}, from H II regions), studies in this Local Group dwarf galaxy could become a significant step forward from the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) toward the extremely metal-poor massive stars of the early universe. We present HST-COS data covering the ∼1150-1800 Å wavelength range with resolution R ∼ 2500. We find that the targets do exhibit wind features, and these are similar in strength to SMC stars. Wind terminal velocities were derived from the observed P Cygni profiles with the Sobolev plus Exact Integration method. The v {sub ∞}-Z relationship has been revisited. The terminal velocity of IC 1613 O stars is clearly lower than Milky Way counterparts, but there is no clear difference between IC 1613 and SMC or LMC analog stars. We find no clear segregation with host galaxy in the terminal velocities of B-supergiants, nor in the v {sub ∞}/v {sub esc} ratio of the whole OB star sample in any of the studied galaxies. Finally, we present the first evidence that the Fe-abundance of IC 1613 OB stars is similar to the SMC, which is in agreement with previous results on red supergiants. With the confirmed ∼1/10 solar oxygen abundances of B-supergiants, our results indicate that IC 1613's α/Fe ratio is sub-solar.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermal-orbital coupled tidal heating and habitability of Martian-sized extrasolar planets around M stars

M-type stars are good targets in the search for habitable extrasolar planets. Due to their low effective temperatures, the habitable zone of M stars is very close to the stars themselves. For planets that are close to their stars, tidal heating plays an important role in thermal and orbital evolutions, especially when the planet's orbit has a relatively large eccentricity. Although tidal heating interacts with the thermal state and the orbit of the planet, such coupled calculations for extrasolar planets around M stars have not been conducted. We perform coupled calculations using simple structural and orbital models and analyze the thermal state and habitability of a terrestrial planet. Considering this planet to be Martian-sized, the tide heats up and partially melts the mantle, maintaining an equilibrium state if the mass of the star is less than 0.2 times the mass of the Sun and the initial eccentricity of the orbit is more than 0.2. The reduction of heat dissipation due to the melted mantle allows the planet to stay in the habitable zone for more than 10 Gyr even though the orbital distance is small. The surface heat flux at the equilibrium state is between that of Mars and Io. The thermal state of the planet mainly depends on the initial value of the eccentricity and the mass of the star.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Hubble space telescope near-ultraviolet spectroscopy of the bright cemp-no star BD+44°493

We present an elemental-abundance analysis, in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectral range, for the extremely metal-poor star BD+44°493 a ninth magnitude subgiant with [Fe/H] =–3.8 and enhanced carbon, based on data acquired with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. This star is the brightest example of a class of objects that, unlike the great majority of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, does not exhibit over-abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements (CEMP-no). In this paper, we validate the abundance determinations for a number of species that were previously studied in the optical region, and obtain strong upper limits for beryllium and boron, as well as for neutron-capture elements from zirconium to platinum, many of which are not accessible from ground-based spectra. The boron upper limit we obtain for BD+44°493, log ε (B) <–0.70, the first such measurement for a CEMP star, is the lowest yet found for very and extremely metal-poor stars. In addition, we obtain even lower upper limits on the abundances of beryllium, log ε (Be) <–2.3, and lead, log ε (Pb) <–0.23 ([Pb/Fe] <+1.90), than those reported by previous analyses in the optical range. Taken together with the previously measured low abundance of lithium, the very low upper limits on Be and B suggest that BD+44°493 was formed at a very early time, and that it could well be a bona-fide second-generation star. Finally, the Pb upper limit strengthens the argument for non-s-process production of the heavy-element abundance patterns in CEMP-no stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A classification scheme for young stellar objects using the wide-field infrared survey explorer AllWISE catalog: revealing low-density star formation in the outer galaxy

We present an assessment of the performance of WISE and the AllWISE data release for a section of the Galactic Plane. We lay out an approach to increasing the reliability of point-source photometry extracted from the AllWISE catalog in Galactic Plane regions using parameters provided in the catalog. We use the resulting catalog to construct a new, revised young star detection and classification scheme combining WISE and 2MASS near- and mid-infrared colors and magnitudes and test it in a section of the outer Milky Way. The clustering properties of the candidate Class I and II stars using a nearest neighbor density calculation and the two-point correlation function suggest that the majority of stars do form in massive star-forming regions, and any isolated mode of star formation is at most a small fraction of the total star forming output of the Galaxy. We also show that the isolated component may be very small and could represent the tail end of a single mechanism of star formation in line with models of molecular cloud collapse with supersonic turbulence and not a separate mode all to itself.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

BANYAN. IV. Fundamental parameters of low-mass star candidates in nearby young stellar kinematic groups—isochronal age determination using magnetic evolutionary models

Based on high-resolution optical spectra obtained with ESPaDOnS at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we determine fundamental parameters (T {sub eff}, R, L {sub bol}, log g, and metallicity) for 59 candidate members of nearby young kinematic groups. The candidates were identified through the BANYAN Bayesian inference method of Malo et al., which takes into account the position, proper motion, magnitude, color, radial velocity, and parallax (when available) to establish a membership probability. The derived parameters are compared to Dartmouth magnetic evolutionary models and field stars with the goal of constraining the age of our candidates. We find that, in general, low-mass stars in our sample are more luminous and have inflated radii compared to older stars, a trend expected for pre-main-sequence stars. The Dartmouth magnetic evolutionary models show a good fit to observations of field K and M stars, assuming a magnetic field strength of a few kG, as typically observed for cool stars. Using the low-mass members of the β Pictoris moving group, we have re-examined the age inconsistency problem between lithium depletion age and isochronal age (Hertzspring-Russell diagram). We find that the inclusion of the magnetic field in evolutionary models increases the isochronal age estimates for the K5V-M5V stars. Using these models and field strengths, we derive an average isochronal age between 15 and 28 Myr and we confirm a clear lithium depletion boundary from which an age of 26 ± 3 Myr is derived, consistent with previous age estimates based on this method.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Predicted space motions for hypervelocity and runaway stars: proper motions and radial velocities for the Gaia Era

We predict the distinctive three-dimensional space motions of hypervelocity stars (HVSs) and runaway stars moving in a realistic Galactic potential. For nearby stars with distances less than 10 kpc, unbound stars are rare; proper motions alone rarely isolate bound HVSs and runaways from indigenous halo stars. At large distances of 20-100 kpc, unbound HVSs are much more common than runaways; radial velocities easily distinguish both from indigenous halo stars. Comparisons of the predictions with existing observations are encouraging. Although the models fail to match observations of solar-type HVS candidates from SEGUE, they agree well with data for B-type HVS and runaways from other surveys. Complete samples of g ≲ 20 stars with Gaia should provide clear tests of formation models for HVSs and runaways and will enable accurate probes of the shape of the Galactic potential.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

How dead are dead galaxies? Mid-infrared fluxes of quiescent galaxies at redshift 0.3 < z < 2.5: implications for star formation rates and dust heating

We investigate star formation rates (SFRs) of quiescent galaxies at high redshift (0.3 < z < 2.5) using 3D-HST WFC3 grism spectroscopy and Spitzer mid-infrared data. We select quiescent galaxies on the basis of the widely used UVJ color-color criteria. Spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting (rest-frame optical and near-IR) indicates very low SFRs for quiescent galaxies (sSFR ∼ 10{sup –12} yr{sup –1}). However, SED fitting can miss star formation if it is hidden behind high dust obscuration and ionizing radiation is re-emitted in the mid-infrared. It is therefore fundamental to measure the dust-obscured SFRs with a mid-IR indicator. We stack the MIPS 24 μm images of quiescent objects in five redshift bins centered on z = 0.5, 0.9, 1.2, 1.7, 2.2 and perform aperture photometry. Including direct 24 μm detections, we find sSFR ∼ 10{sup –11.9} × (1 + z){sup 4} yr{sup –1}. These values are higher than those indicated by SED fitting, but at each redshift they are 20-40 times lower than those of typical star-forming galaxies. The true SFRs of quiescent galaxies might be even lower, as we show that the mid-IR fluxes can be due to processes unrelated to ongoing star formation, such as cirrus dust heated by old stellar populations and circumstellar dust. Our measurements show that star formation quenching is very efficient at every redshift. The measured SFR values are at z > 1.5 marginally consistent with the ones expected from gas recycling (assuming that mass loss from evolved stars refuels star formation) and well below that at lower redshifts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the interplay between star formation and feedback in galaxy formation simulations

We investigate the star formation–feedback cycle in cosmological galaxy formation simulations, focusing on the progenitors of Milky Way (MW)-sized galaxies. We find that in order to reproduce key properties of the MW progenitors, such as semi-empirically derived star formation histories (SFHs) and the shape of rotation curves, our implementation of star formation and stellar feedback requires (1) a combination of local early momentum feedback via radiation pressure and stellar winds, and subsequent efficient supernovae feedback, and (2) an efficacy of feedback that results in the self-regulation of the global star formation rate on kiloparsec scales. We show that such feedback-driven self-regulation is achieved globally for a local star formation efficiency per free fall time of ϵ{sub ff}≈10%. Although this value is larger that the ϵ{sub ff}∼1% value usually inferred from the Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) relation, we show that it is consistent with direct observational estimates of ϵ{sub ff} in molecular clouds. Moreover, we show that simulations with local efficiency of ϵ{sub ff}≈10% reproduce the global observed KS relation. Such simulations also reproduce the cosmic SFH of the MW-sized galaxies and satisfy a number of other observational constraints. Conversely, we find that simulations that a priori assume an inefficient mode of star formation, instead of achieving it via stellar feedback regulation, fail to produce sufficiently vigorous outflows and do not reproduce observations. This illustrates the importance of understanding the complex interplay between star formation and feedback, and the detailed processes that contribute to the feedback-regulated formation of galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photometric study on stellar magnetic activity. I. Flare variability of red dwarf stars in the open cluster M37

Based on one-month long MMT time-series observations of the open cluster M37, we monitored light variations of nearly 2500 red dwarfs and successfully identified 420 flare events from 312 cluster M dwarf stars. For each flare light curve, we derived observational and physical parameters, such as flare shape, peak amplitude, duration, energy, and peak luminosity. We show that cool stars produce serendipitous flares energetic enough to be observed in the r-band, and their temporal and peak characteristics are almost the same as those in traditional U-band observations. We also found many large-amplitude flares with inferred Δu>6 mag in the cluster sample which had been rarely reported in previous ground-based observations. Following the ergodic hypothesis, we investigate in detail statistical properties of flare parameters over a range of energy (E{sub r} ≃ 10{sup 31}–10{sup 34} erg). As expected, there are no statistical differences in the distributions of flare timescales, energies, and frequencies among stars of the same age and mass group. We note that our sample tend to have longer rise and decay timescales compared to those seen in field flare stars of the same spectral type and be more energetic. Flare frequency distributions follow power-law distributions with slopes β∼0.62–1.21 for all flare stars and β∼0.52–0.97 for stars with membership information (P{sub mem}⩾0.2). These are in general agreement with previous works on flare statistics of young open clusters and nearby field stars. Our results give further support to the classical age–activity relations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

X-RAY EMISSION FROM MAGNETIC MASSIVE STARS

Magnetically confined winds of early-type stars are expected to be sources of bright and hard X-rays. To clarify the systematics of the observed X-ray properties, we have analyzed a large series of Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, corresponding to all available exposures of known massive magnetic stars (over 100 exposures covering ∼60% of stars compiled in the catalog of Petit et al.). We show that the X-ray luminosity is strongly correlated with the stellar wind mass-loss rate, with a power-law form that is slightly steeper than linear for the majority of the less luminous, lower- M-dot B stars and flattens for the more luminous, higher- M-dot O stars. As the winds are radiatively driven, these scalings can be equivalently written as relations with the bolometric luminosity. The observed X-ray luminosities, and their trend with mass-loss rates, are well reproduced by new MHD models, although a few overluminous stars (mostly rapidly rotating objects) exist. No relation is found between other X-ray properties (plasma temperature, absorption) and stellar or magnetic parameters, contrary to expectations (e.g., higher temperature for stronger mass-loss rate). This suggests that the main driver for the plasma properties is different from the main determinant of the X-ray luminosity. Finally, variations of the X-ray hardnesses and luminosities, in phase with the stellar rotation period, are detected for some objects and they suggest that some temperature stratification exists in massive stars' magnetospheres.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ACTIVITY ANALYSES FOR SOLAR-TYPE STARS OBSERVED WITH KEPLER. I. PROXIES OF MAGNETIC ACTIVITY

Light curves of solar-type stars often show gradual fluctuations due to rotational modulation by magnetic features (starspots and faculae) on stellar surfaces. Two quantitative measures of modulated light curves are employed as the proxies of magnetic activity for solar-type stars observed with Kepler telescope. The first is named autocorrelation index i{sub AC}, which describes the degree of periodicity of the light curve; the second is the effective fluctuation range of the light curve R{sub eff}, which reflects the depth of rotational modulation. The two measures are complementary and depict different aspects of magnetic activities on solar-type stars. By using the two proxies i{sub AC} and R{sub eff}, we analyzed activity properties of two carefully selected solar-type stars observed with Kepler (Kepler ID: 9766237 and 10864581), which have distinct rotational periods (14.7 versus 6.0 days). We also applied the two measures to the Sun for a comparative study. The result shows that both the measures can reveal cyclic activity variations (referred to as i{sub AC}-cycle and R{sub eff}-cycle) on the two Kepler stars and the Sun. For the Kepler star with the faster rotation rate, i{sub AC}-cycle and R{sub eff}-cycle are in the same phase, while for the Sun (slower rotator), they are in the opposite phase. By comparing the solar light curve with simultaneous photospheric magnetograms, it is identified that the magnetic feature that causes the periodic light curve during solar minima is the faculae of the enhanced network region, which can also be a candidate of magnetic features that dominate the periodic light curves on the two Kepler stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

From hadrons to quarks in neutron stars: a review

In recent years our understanding of neutron stars has advanced remarkably, thanks to research converging from many directions. The importance of understanding neutron star behavior and structure has been underlined by the recent direct detection of gravitational radiation from merging neutron stars. The clean identification of several heavy neutron stars, of order two solar masses, challenges our current understanding of how dense matter can be sufficiently stiff to support such a mass against gravitational collapse. Furthermore, programs underway to determine simultaneously the mass and radius of neutron stars will continue to constrain and inform theories of neutron star interiors. At the same time, an emerging understanding in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) of how nuclear matter can evolve into deconfined quark matter at high baryon densities is leading to advances in understanding the equation of state of the matter under the extreme conditions in neutron star interiors.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

On stars, galaxies and black holes in massive bigravity

In this paper we study the phenomenology of stars and galaxies in massive bigravity. We give parameter conditions for the existence of viable star solutions when the radius of the star is much smaller than the Compton wavelength of the graviton. If these parameter conditions are not met, we constrain the ratio between the coupling constants of the two metrics, in order to give viable conditions for e.g. neutron stars. For galaxies, we put constraints on both the Compton wavelength of the graviton and the conformal factor and coupling constants of the two metrics. The relationship between black holes and stars, and whether the former can be formed from the latter, is discussed. We argue that the different asymptotic structure of stars and black holes makes it unlikely that black holes form from the gravitational collapse of stars in massive bigravity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Radial stability of anisotropic strange quark stars

The influence of the anisotropy in the equilibrium and stability of strange stars is investigated through the numerical solution of the hydrostatic equilibrium equation and the radial oscillation equation, both modified from their original version to include this effect. The strange matter inside the quark stars is described by the MIT bag model equation of state. For the anisotropy two different kinds of local anisotropic σ = p {sub t} − p {sub r} are considered, where p {sub t} and p {sub r} are respectively the tangential and the radial pressure: one that is null at the star's surface defined by p {sub r} ( R ) = 0, and one that is nonnull at the surface, namely, σ {sub s} = 0 and σ {sub s} {sub ≠} {sub 0}. In the case σ {sub s} = 0, the maximum mass value and the zero frequency of oscillation are found at the same central energy density, indicating that the maximum mass marks the onset of the instability. For the case σ {sub s} {sub ≠} {sub 0}, we show that the maximum mass point and the zero frequency of oscillation coincide in the same central energy density value only in a sequence of equilibrium configurations with the same value of σ {sub s} . Thus, the stability star regions are determined always by the condition dM / d ρ {sub c} {sub >} {sub 0} only when the tangential pressure is maintained fixed at the star surface's p {sub t} ( R ). These results are also quite important to analyze the stability of other anisotropic compact objects such as neutron stars, boson stars and gravastars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Black hole formation from axion stars

The classical equations of motion for an axion with potential V (φ)= m {sub a} {sup 2} f {sub a} {sup 2} [1−cos (φ/ f {sub a} )] possess quasi-stable, localized, oscillating solutions, which we refer to as ''axion stars''. We study, for the first time, collapse of axion stars numerically using the full non-linear Einstein equations of general relativity and the full non-perturbative cosine potential. We map regions on an ''axion star stability diagram', parameterized by the initial ADM mass, M {sub ADM}, and axion decay constant, f {sub a} . We identify three regions of the parameter space: i) long-lived oscillating axion star solutions, with a base frequency, m {sub a} , modulated by self-interactions, ii) collapse to a BH and iii) complete dispersal due to gravitational cooling and interactions. We locate the boundaries of these three regions and an approximate ''triple point' ( M {sub TP}, f {sub TP}) ∼ (2.4 M {sub pl}{sup 2}/ m {sub a} ,0.3 M {sub pl}). For f {sub a} below the triple point BH formation proceeds during winding (in the complex U(1) picture) of the axion field near the dispersal phase. This could prevent astrophysical BH formation from axion stars with f {sub a} || M {sub pl}. For larger f {sub a} ∼> f {sub TP}, BH formation occurs through the stable branch and we estimate the mass ratio of the BH to the stable state at the phase boundary to be O(1) within numerical uncertainty. We discuss the observational relevance of our findings for axion stars as BH seeds, which are supermassive in the case of ultralight axions. For the QCD axion, the typical BH mass formed from axion star collapse is M {sub BH} ∼ 3.4 ( f {sub a} /0.6 M {sub pl}){sup 1.2} M {sub ⊙}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

DISCOVERY OF A NEUTRON STAR OSCILLATION MODE DURING A SUPERBURST

Neutron stars are among the most compact objects in the universe and provide a unique laboratory for the study of cold ultra-dense matter. While asteroseismology can provide a powerful probe of the interiors of stars, for example, helioseismology has provided unprecedented insights about the interior of the Sun, comparable capabilities for neutron star seismology have not yet been achieved. Here, we report the discovery of a coherent X-ray modulation from the neutron star 4U 1636–536 during the 2001 February 22 thermonuclear superburst seen with NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) that is very likely produced by a global oscillation mode. The observed frequency is 835.6440 ± 0.0002 Hz (1.43546 times the stellar spin frequency of 582.14323 Hz) and the modulation is well described by a sinusoid (A + Bsin (φ – φ{sub 0})) with a fractional half-amplitude of B/A = 0.19 ± 0.04% (4-15 keV). The observed frequency is consistent with the expected inertial frame frequency of a rotationally modified surface g-mode, an interfacial mode in the ocean-crust interface, or perhaps an r-mode. Observing an inertial frame frequency—as opposed to a co-rotating frame frequency—appears consistent with the superburst's thermal emission arising from the entire surface of the neutron star, and the mode may become visible by perturbing the local surface temperature. We briefly discuss the implications of the mode detection for the neutron star's projected velocity and mass. Our results provide further strong evidence that global oscillation modes can produce observable modulations in the X-ray flux from neutron stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The COMBS Survey – III. The chemodynamical origins of metal-poor bulge stars

The characteristics of the stellar populations in the Galactic bulge inform and constrain the Milky Way’s formation and evolution. The metal-poor population is particularly important in light of cosmological simulations, which predict that some of the oldest stars in the Galaxy now reside in its centre. The metal-poor bulge appears to consist of multiple stellar populations that require dynamical analyses to disentangle. In this work, we undertake a detailed chemodynamical study of the metal-poor stars in the inner Galaxy. Using R ~ 20000 VLT/GIRAFFE spectra of 319 metal-poor (-2.55 dex ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0.83 dex, with $\overline{[Fe/H]}$ = -0.84 dex) stars, we perform stellar parameter analysis and report 12 elemental abundances (C, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Zn, Ba, and Ce) with precisions of ≈0.10 dex. Based on kinematic and spatial properties, we categorize the stars into four groups, associated with the following Galactic structures: the inner bulge, the outer bulge, the halo, and the disc. We find evidence that the inner and outer bulge population is more chemically complex (i.e. higher chemical dimensionality and less correlated abundances) than the halo population. This result suggests that the older bulge population was enriched by a larger diversity of nucleosynthetic events. We also find one inner bulge star with a [Ca/Mg] ratio consistent with theoretical pair-instability supernova yields and two stars that have chemistry consistent with globular cluster stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Photometric variability in star-forming galaxies as evidence for low-mass AGN and a precursor to quenching

We measure the optical variability in ~16 500 low-redshift (z ~ 0.1) galaxies to map the relations between active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and galaxy stellar mass, specific star formation rate, half-light radius, and bulge-to-total ratio. To do this, we use a reduced χ 2 variability measure on >10 epoch light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility and combine with spectroscopic data and derive galaxy parameters from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that below the stellar mass of 10 11 M ⊙ , galaxies classed as star-forming via the Baldwin–Phillips–Terlevich diagram have higher mean variabilities than AGN or composite galaxies. Revealingly, the highest mean variabilities occur in star-forming galaxies in a narrow range of specific star formation rate: -11 < log(sSFR/yr -1 ) < -10. In very actively star-forming galaxies [log(sSFR/yr -1 ) > -10], the reduced variability implies a lack of instantaneous correlation with star formation rate. Our results may indicate that a high level of variability, and thus black hole growth, acts as a precursor for reduced star formation, bulge growth, and revealed AGN-like emission lines. These results add to the mounting evidence that optical variability can act as a viable tracer for low-mass AGNs and that such AGNs can strongly affect their host galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗