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First Surface-resolved Results with the Infrared Optical Telescope Array Imaging Interferometer: Detection of Asymmetries in Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars
We have measured nonzero closure phases for about 29% of our sample of56 nearby asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, using the three-telescopeInfrared Optical Telescope Array (IOTA) interferometer at near-infraredwavelengths (H band) and with angular resolutions in the range 5-10 mas.These nonzero closure phases can only be generated by asymmetricbrightness distributions of the target stars or their surroundings. Wediscuss how these results were obtained and how they might beinterpreted in terms of structures on or near the target stars. We alsoreport measured angular sizes and hypothesize that most Mira stars wouldshow detectable asymmetry if observed with adequate angular resolution.
| Full polarization study of SiO masers at 86 GHz
Aims.We study the polarization of the SiO maser emission in arepresentative sample of evolved stars in order to derive an estimate ofthe strength of the magnetic field, and thus determine the influence ofthis magnetic field on evolved stars. Methods: .We madesimultaneous spectroscopic measurements of the 4 Stokes parameters, fromwhich we derived the circular and linear polarization levels. Theobservations were made with the IF polarimeter installed at the IRAM 30m telescope. Results: . A discussion of the existing SiO masermodels is developed in the light of our observations. Under the Zeemansplitting hypothesis, we derive an estimate of the strength of themagnetic field. The averaged magnetic field varies between 0 and 20Gauss, with a mean value of 3.5 Gauss, and follows a 1/r law throughoutthe circumstellar envelope. As a consequence, the magnetic field mayplay the role of a shaping, or perhaps collimating, agent of thecircumstellar envelopes in evolved objects.
| Diameters of Mira Stars Measured Simultaneously in the J, H, and K' Near-Infrared Bands
We present the first spatially resolved observations of a sample of 23Mira stars simultaneously measured in the near-infrared J, H, and K'bands. The technique used was optical long-baseline interferometry, andwe present for each star visibility amplitude measurements as a functionof wavelength. We also present characteristic sizes at each spectralband, obtained by fitting the measured visibilities to a simple uniformdisk model. This approach reveals the general relation J diameter < Hdiameter < K' diameter.
| Secular Evolution in Mira Variable Pulsations
Stellar evolution theory predicts that asymptotic giant branch (AGB)stars undergo a series of short thermal pulses that significantly changetheir luminosity and mass on timescales of hundreds to thousands ofyears. These pulses are confirmed observationally by the existence ofthe short-lived radioisotope technetium in the spectra of some of thesestars, but other observational consequences of thermal pulses are subtleand may only be detected over many years of observations. Secularchanges in these stars resulting from thermal pulses can be detected asmeasurable changes in period if the star is undergoing Mira pulsations.It is known that a small fraction of Mira variables exhibit largesecular period changes, and the detection of these changes among alarger sample of stars could therefore be useful in evolutionary studiesof these stars. The American Association of Variable Star Observers(AAVSO) International Database currently contains visual data for over1500 Mira variables. Light curves for these stars span nearly a centuryin some cases, making it possible to study the secular evolution of thepulsation behavior on these timescales. In this paper we present theresults of our study of period change in 547 Mira variables using datafrom the AAVSO. We use wavelet analysis to measure the period changes inindividual Mira stars over the span of available data. By making linearfits to the period versus time measurements, we determine the averagerates of period change, dlnP/dt, for each of these stars. We findnonzero dlnP/dt at the 2 σ significance level in 57 of the 547stars, at the 3 σ level in 21 stars, and at the level of 6 σor greater in eight stars. The latter eight stars have been previouslynoted in the literature, and our derived rates of period change largelyagree with published values. The largest and most statisticallysignificant dlnP/dt are consistent with the rates of period changeexpected during thermal pulses on the AGB. A number of other starsexhibit nonmonotonic period change on decades-long timescales, the causeof which is not yet known. In the majority of stars, the periodvariations are smaller than our detection threshold, meaning theavailable data are not sufficient to unambiguously measure slowevolutionary changes in the pulsation period. It is unlikely that morestars with large period changes will be found among heretoforewell-observed Mira stars in the short term, but continued monitoring ofthese and other Mira stars may reveal new and serendipitous candidatesin the future.
| CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
We present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773
| Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of superclusters
The availability of the Hipparcos Catalogue has triggered many kinematicand dynamical studies of the solar neighbourhood. Nevertheless, thosestudies generally lacked the third component of the space velocities,i.e., the radial velocities. This work presents the kinematic analysisof 5952 K and 739 M giants in the solar neighbourhood which includes forthe first time radial velocity data from a large survey performed withthe CORAVEL spectrovelocimeter. It also uses proper motions from theTycho-2 catalogue, which are expected to be more accurate than theHipparcos ones. An important by-product of this study is the observedfraction of only 5.7% of spectroscopic binaries among M giants ascompared to 13.7% for K giants. After excluding the binaries for whichno center-of-mass velocity could be estimated, 5311 K and 719 M giantsremain in the final sample. The UV-plane constructed from these datafor the stars with precise parallaxes (σπ/π≤20%) reveals a rich small-scale structure, with several clumpscorresponding to the Hercules stream, the Sirius moving group, and theHyades and Pleiades superclusters. A maximum-likelihood method, based ona Bayesian approach, has been applied to the data, in order to make fulluse of all the available stars (not only those with precise parallaxes)and to derive the kinematic properties of these subgroups. Isochrones inthe Hertzsprung-Russell diagram reveal a very wide range of ages forstars belonging to these groups. These groups are most probably relatedto the dynamical perturbation by transient spiral waves (as recentlymodelled by De Simone et al. \cite{Simone2004}) rather than to clusterremnants. A possible explanation for the presence of younggroup/clusters in the same area of the UV-plane is that they have beenput there by the spiral wave associated with their formation, while thekinematics of the older stars of our sample has also been disturbed bythe same wave. The emerging picture is thus one of dynamical streamspervading the solar neighbourhood and travelling in the Galaxy withsimilar space velocities. The term dynamical stream is more appropriatethan the traditional term supercluster since it involves stars ofdifferent ages, not born at the same place nor at the same time. Theposition of those streams in the UV-plane is responsible for the vertexdeviation of 16.2o ± 5.6o for the wholesample. Our study suggests that the vertex deviation for youngerpopulations could have the same dynamical origin. The underlyingvelocity ellipsoid, extracted by the maximum-likelihood method afterremoval of the streams, is not centered on the value commonly acceptedfor the radial antisolar motion: it is centered on < U > =-2.78±1.07 km s-1. However, the full data set(including the various streams) does yield the usual value for theradial solar motion, when properly accounting for the biases inherent tothis kind of analysis (namely, < U > = -10.25±0.15 kms-1). This discrepancy clearly raises the essential questionof how to derive the solar motion in the presence of dynamicalperturbations altering the kinematics of the solar neighbourhood: doesthere exist in the solar neighbourhood a subset of stars having no netradial motion which can be used as a reference against which to measurethe solar motion?Based on observations performed at the Swiss 1m-telescope at OHP,France, and on data from the ESA Hipparcos astrometry satellite.Full Table \ref{taba1} is 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/430/165}
| Letter to the Editor: Brighter Maxima of 30 Selected Mira-Type Variable Stars for the Period 1978-1977
Letter to the Editor
| Aus der Sektion 'Karten". Neues aus der AAVSO zum Thema Umgebungskarten !
Not Available
| 28SiO v = 1 and v = 2, J = 1-0 maser variability in evolved stars. Eleven years of short spaced monitoring
This paper presents and discusses the final data set of a long-term andshort-spaced monitoring of 21 SiO maser sources, mostly evolved stars,carried out in two SiO maser lines at 43 GHz with the ObservatorioAstronómico Nacional 13.7 m telescope at the CentroAstronómico de Yebes (Guadalajara, Spain). In most objects, morethan 80 spectra per transition over a period of 11 years have beenrecorded. The new data presented here, previously unpublished, representnearly 50% of the total SiO data collected in the project. In addition,the availability of optical light curves from the AAVSO for most of theobjects during the whole period of the SiO monitoring, ground-basednear-IR data for four sources overlapping with 3 to 5 observed SiOperiods, and DIRBE near-IR data covering a significant portion of an SiOperiod in 10 sources, make this data set a unique reference forcomparing optical, NIR and SiO variability in order to elucidate thephysical mechanisms that pump SiO masers in evolved stars. The basis forthe conclusions obtained in this work comes from a numerical time seriesanalysis of the suitable SiO, optical and NIR light curves in regularvariables to obtain precise values of the periods and phase lags betweenthe different curves. This analysis shows evidence that in regularvariable evolved stars the three types of emission have the same periodand that the SiO maxima happen in phase with NIR maxima and with a phaselag typically between 0.05 and 0.20 with respect to optical maxima. Weconclude that in these objects the observational evidence presented inthis work favors the radiative pumping of SiO masers against thecollisional pumping.Figures 1-4 and 11-21 are only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| Very Low Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in Taurus-Auriga
We present high-resolution optical spectra obtained with the HIRESspectrograph on the W. M. Keck I Telescope of seven low-mass T Tauristars (LMTTs) and brown dwarfs in Taurus-Auriga. The observed Li I 6708Å absorption, low surface gravity signatures, and radialvelocities confirm that all are members of the Taurus star-formingregion; no new spectroscopic binaries are identified. Four of the seventargets observed appear to be T Tauri brown dwarfs. Of particularinterest is the previously classified ``continuum T Tauri star'' GM Tau,which has a spectral type of M6.5 and possibly a substellar mass. Thesespectra, in combination with previous high-resolution spectra of LMTTs,are used to understand the formation and early evolution of objects inTaurus-Auriga with masses near and below the stellar/substellarboundary. None of the LMTTs in Taurus are rapidly rotating (vsini<30km s-1), unlike low-mass objects in Orion. Many of the slowlyrotating, nonaccreting stars and brown dwarfs exhibit prominent Hαemission (equivalent widths of 3-36 Å), indicative of activechromospheres. We demonstrate empirically that the full width at 10% ofthe Hα emission profile peak is a more practical and possibly moreaccurate indicator of accretion than either the equivalent width ofHα or optical veiling: 10% widths >270 km s-1 areclassical T Tauri stars (i.e., accreting), independent of stellarspectral type. Although LMTTs can have accretion rates comparable tothat of more typical, higher mass T Tauri stars (e.g., K7-M0 spectraltypes), the average mass accretion rate appears to decrease withdecreasing mass. A functional form of M~M is consistent with theavailable data, but the dependence is difficult to establish because ofboth selection biases in observed samples and the decreasing frequencyof active accretion disks at low masses (M<0.2 Msolar).The diminished frequency of accretion disks for LMTTs, in conjunctionwith their lower, on average, mass accretion rates, implies that theyare formed with less massive disks than higher mass T Tauri stars. Theradial velocities, circumstellar properties, and known binaries do notsupport the suggestion that many of the lowest mass members of Taurushave been ejected from higher stellar density regions within the cloud.Instead, LMTTs appear to have formed and are evolving in the same way ashigher mass T Tauri stars, but with smaller disks and shorter disklifetimes.
| Infrared Colors and Variability of Evolved Stars from COBE DIRBE Data
For a complete 12 μm flux-limited sample of 207 IRAS sources(F12>=150 Jy, |b|>=5deg), the majority ofwhich are AGB stars (~87%), we have extracted light curves in seveninfrared bands between 1.25 and 60 μm using the database of theDiffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) instrument on the CosmicBackground Explorer (COBE) satellite. Using previous infrared surveys,we filtered these light curves to remove data points affected by nearbycompanions and obtained time-averaged flux densities and infraredcolors, as well as estimates of their variability at each wavelength. Inthe time-averaged DIRBE color-color plots, we find clear segregation ofsemiregulars, Mira variables, carbon stars, OH/IR stars, and red giantswithout circumstellar dust (i.e., V-[12]<5) and with little or novisual variation (ΔV<0.1 mag). The DIRBE 1.25-25 μm colorsbecome progressively redder and the variability in the DIRBE databaseincreases along the oxygen-rich sequence nondusty slightly varying redgiants-->SRb/Lb-->SRa-->Mira-->OH/IR and the carbon-richSRb/Lb-->Mira sequence. This supports previous assertions that theseare evolutionary sequences involving the continued production andejection of dust. The carbon stars are redder than their oxygen-richcounterparts for the same variability type, except in theF12/F25 ratio, where they are bluer. Of the 28sources in the sample not previous noted to be variable, 18 are clearlyvariable in the DIRBE data, with amplitudes of variation of ~0.9 mag at4.9 μm and ~0.6 mag at 12 μm, consistent with them being verydusty Mira-like variables. We also present individual DIRBE light curvesof a few selected stars. The DIRBE light curves of the semiregularvariable L2 Pup are particularly remarkable. The maxima at1.25, 2.2, and 3.5 μm occur 10-20 days before those at 4.9 and 12μm, and, at 4.9 and 12 μm, another maximum is seen between the twonear-infrared maxima.
| Reprocessing the Hipparcos data of evolved stars. III. Revised Hipparcos period-luminosity relationship for galactic long-period variable stars
We analyze the K band luminosities of a sample of galactic long-periodvariables using parallaxes measured by the Hipparcos mission. Theparallaxes are in most cases re-computed from the Hipparcos IntermediateAstrometric Data using improved astrometric fits and chromaticitycorrections. The K band magnitudes are taken from the literature andfrom measurements by COBE, and are corrected for interstellar andcircumstellar extinction. The sample contains stars of several spectraltypes: M, S and C, and of several variability classes: Mira, semiregularSRa, and SRb. We find that the distribution of stars in theperiod-luminosity plane is independent of circumstellar chemistry, butthat the different variability types have different P-L distributions.Both the Mira variables and the SRb variables have reasonablywell-defined period-luminosity relationships, but with very differentslopes. The SRa variables are distributed between the two classes,suggesting that they are a mixture of Miras and SRb, rather than aseparate class of stars. New period-luminosity relationships are derivedbased on our revised Hipparcos parallaxes. The Miras show a similarperiod-luminosity relationship to that found for Large Magellanic CloudMiras by Feast et al. (\cite{Feast-1989:a}). The maximum absolute Kmagnitude of the sample is about -8.2 for both Miras and semi-regularstars, only slightly fainter than the expected AGB limit. We show thatthe stars with the longest periods (P>400 d) have high mass lossrates and are almost all Mira variables.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA \cite{Hipparcos}).Table \ref{Tab:data1} is 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/403/993
| Galactic mass-losing AGB stars probed with the IRTS. II.
We are using the 2002 data-release from the Japanese space experimentIRTS to investigate the spatial distribution of galactic mass-losing(>2x 10-8 Msund) AGB stars and the relativecontribution of C-rich and O-rich ones to the replenishment of the ISM.Our sample contains 126 C-rich and 563 O-rich sources which are sortedon the basis of the molecular bands observed in the range 1.4-4.0 mu m,and for which we estimate distances and mass loss rates fromnear-infrared photometry (K and L'). There is a clear dependence ongalactocentric distance, with O-rich sources outnumbering C-rich onesfor rGC< 8 kpc, and the reverse for rGC> 10kpc. The contribution to the replenishment of the ISM by O-rich AGBstars relative to C-rich ones follows the same trend. Although they arerare ( ~ 10% in our sample), sources with 10-6Msund < dot {M} < 10-5 Msunddominate the replenishment of the ISM by contributing to ~ 50% of thetotal of the complete sample. We find 2 carbon stars at more than 1 kpcfrom the Galactic Plane, that probably belong to the halo of our Galaxy.The complete Tables \ref{tab_C-rich} and \ref{tab_O-rich} are availablein electronic 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/403/943}
| How many Hipparcos Variability-Induced Movers are genuine binaries?
Hipparcos observations of some variable stars, and especially oflong-period (e.g. Mira) variables, reveal a motion of the photocentercorrelated with the brightness variation (variability-induced mover -VIM), suggesting the presence of a binary companion. A re-analysis ofthe Hipparcos photometric and astrometric data does not confirm the VIMsolution for 62 among the 288 VIM objects (21%) in the Hipparcoscatalogue. Most of these 288 VIMs are long-period (e.g. Mira) variables(LPV). The effect of a revised chromaticity correction, which accountsfor the color variations along the light cycle, was then investigated.It is based on ``instantaneous'' V-I color indices derived fromHipparcos and Tycho-2 epoch photometry. Among the 188 LPVs flagged asVIM in the Hipparcos catalogue, 89 (47%) are not confirmed as VIM afterthis improved chromaticity correction is applied. This dramatic decreasein the number of VIM solutions is not surprising, since the chromaticitycorrection applied by the Hipparcos reduction consortia was based on afixed V-I color. Astrophysical considerations lead us to adopt a morestringent criterion for accepting a VIM solution (first-kind risk of0.27% instead of 10% as in the Hipparcos catalogue). With this moresevere criterion, only 27 LPV stars remain VIM, thus rejecting 161 ofthe 188 (86%) of the LPVs defined as VIMs in the Hipparcos catalogue.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997).Table 1 is also 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/399/1167
| Hipparcos red stars in the HpV_T2 and V I_C systems
For Hipparcos M, S, and C spectral type stars, we provide calibratedinstantaneous (epoch) Cousins V - I color indices using newly derivedHpV_T2 photometry. Three new sets of ground-based Cousins V I data havebeen obtained for more than 170 carbon and red M giants. These datasetsin combination with the published sources of V I photometry served toobtain the calibration curves linking Hipparcos/Tycho Hp-V_T2 with theCousins V - I index. In total, 321 carbon stars and 4464 M- and S-typestars have new V - I indices. The standard error of the mean V - I isabout 0.1 mag or better down to Hp~9 although it deteriorates rapidly atfainter magnitudes. These V - I indices can be used to verify thepublished Hipparcos V - I color indices. Thus, we have identified ahandful of new cases where, instead of the real target, a random fieldstar has been observed. A considerable fraction of the DMSA/C and DMSA/Vsolutions for red stars appear not to be warranted. Most likely suchspurious solutions may originate from usage of a heavily biased color inthe astrometric processing.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997).}\fnmsep\thanks{Table 7 is onlyavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/397/997
| Detection of Water Maser Flare in the Seyfert/LINER, NGC 6240
We report on a flare-up of water-vapor maser emission in a prototypicalultraluminous FIR galaxy with an AGN, NGC6240. The flux density of thedetected maser line was ≈ 0.1 Jy with FWHM ≈ 5 kms-1, indicating an apparent isotropic luminosity of ≈100 Lsolar at a distance of 100 Mpc, which is typical forwater megamasers. The maser line was redshifted by ≈ 200 kms-1 relative to the systemic velocity of the galaxy, while nosystemic-velocity feature was detected. The previous possible detectionor observed upper limits were at a level lower than the flux density inthe present paper, indicating that the water maser in NGC6240 flared upby more than a factor of 5 in 2001.
| Evidence for Very Extended Gaseous Layers around O-rich Mira Variables and M Giants
Nine bright O-rich Mira stars and five semiregular variable cool Mgiants have been observed with the Infrared and Optical Telescope Array(IOTA) interferometer in both K' (~2.15 μm) and L' (~3.8 μm)broadband filters, in most cases at very close variability phases. Allof the sample Mira stars and four of the semiregular M giants showstrong increases, from ~=20% to ~=100%, in measured uniform-disk (UD)diameters between the K' and L' bands. (A selection of hotter M starsdoes not show such a large increase.) There is no evidence that K' andL' broadband visibility measurements should be dominated by strongmolecular bands, and cool expanding dust shells already detected aroundsome of these objects are also found to be poor candidates for producingthese large apparent diameter increases. Therefore, we propose that thismust be a continuum or pseudocontinuum opacity effect. Such an apparentenlargement can be reproduced using a simple two-component modelconsisting of a warm (1500-2000 K), extended (up to ~=3 stellar radii),optically thin (τ~=0.5) layer located above the classicalphotosphere. The Planck weighting of the continuum emission from the twolayers will suffice to make the L' UD diameter appear larger than the K'UD diameter. This two-layer scenario could also explain the observedvariation of Mira UD diameters versus infrared wavelength-outside ofstrong absorption bands-as already measured inside the H, K, L, and Natmospheric windows. This interpretation is consistent with the extendedmolecular gas layers (H2O, CO, etc.) inferred around some ofthese objects from previous IOTA K'-band interferometric observationsobtained with the Fiber Linked Unit for Optical Recombination (FLUOR)and from Infrared Space Observatory and high-resolution ground-based FTSinfrared spectra. The two-component model has immediate implications.For example, the Mira photosphere diameters are smaller than previouslyrecognized-this certainly implies higher effective temperatures, and itmay favor fundamental mode pulsation. Also, the UD model fails generallyto represent the brightness distribution and has very limitedapplicability for Mira stars. The presence of a very extended gas layerextending up to ~=3 stellar radii seems now well established on a fairsample of asymptotic giant branch stars ranging from late-type giants tolong-period variables, with some probable impact on stellar modelatmospheres and mass-loss mechanisms.
| L'-Band Interferometric Observations of Evolved Stars
Ten bright Miras, six semiregular variable giants, and two semiregularvariable supergiants have been observed with the Infrared-OpticalTelescope Array interferometer in the L' band (from 3.4 to 4.1 μm).Observations were carried out in 2000 March and November with theFLUOR/TISIS instrument, using optimized single-mode waveguides foroptical recombination and a dedicated chopping system for accuratesubtraction of slow thermal background drifts. Four of the sources (theMira stars R Leo and R Cnc, α Ori, and RS Cnc) were observed inboth runs. We report on visibility measurements and derive L' broadbanduniform disk (UD) diameter best fits for all 18 stars in our sample. Wealso detect strong departures from UD models in some peculiar cases.
| Infrared Light Curves of Mira Variable Stars from COBE DIRBE Data
We have used the COBE DIRBE database to derive near- and mid-infraredlight curves for a well-defined sample of 38 infrared-bright Miravariable stars and compared with optical data from the AAVSO. In generalthe 3.5 and 4.9 μm DIRBE bandpasses provide the light curves with thebest signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), with S/N decreasing with wavelength atlonger wavelengths. At 25 μm good light curves are only available for~10% of our stars, and at wavelengths >=60 μm extracting highquality light curves is not possible. The amplitude of variability istypically less in the near-infrared than in the optical and less in themid-infrared than in the near-infrared, with decreasing amplitude withincreasing wavelength. On average there are 0.20+/-0.01 mag variation at1.25 μm and 0.14+/-0.01 mag variation at 4.9 μm for each magnitudevariation in V. The observed amplitudes are consistent with results ofrecent theoretical models of circumstellar dust shells around Miravariables. For a few stars in our sample we find clear evidence of timelags between the optical and near-infrared maxima of phase ~0.05-0.13,with no lags in the minima. For three stars mid-infrared maximum appearsto occur slightly before that in the near-infrared, but after opticalmaximum. We find three examples of secondary maxima in the risingportions of the DIRBE light curves, all of which have opticalcounterparts in the AAVSO data, supporting the hypothesis that they aredue to shocks rather than newly formed dust layers. We find noconclusive evidence for rapid (hours to days) variations in the infraredbrightnesses of these stars.
| CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
The Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe 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/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.
| Numerical simulations of stellar SiO maser variability. Investigation of the effect of shocks
A stellar hydrodynamic pulsation model has been combined with a SiOmaser model in an attempt to calculate the temporal variability of SiOmaser emission in the circumstellar envelope (CE) of a model AGB star.This study investigates whether the variations in local physicalconditions brought about by shocks are the predominant contributingfactor to SiO maser variability because, in this work, the radiativepart of the pump is constant. We find that some aspects of thevariability are not consistent with a pump provided by shock-enhancedcollisions alone. In these simulations, gas parcels of relativelyenhanced SiO abundance are distributed in a model CE by a Monte Carlomethod, at a single epoch of the stellar cycle. From this epoch on,Lagrangian motions of individual parcels are calculated according to thevelocity fields encountered in the model CE during the stellar pulsationcycle. The potentially masing gas parcels therefore experience differentdensities and temperatures, and have varying line-of-sight velocitygradients throughout the stellar cycle, which may or may not be suitableto produce maser emission. At each epoch (separated by 16.6 days),emission lines from the parcels are combined to produce syntheticspectra and VLBI-type images. We report here the results for v=1, J=1-0(43-GHz) and J=2-1 (86-GHz) masers and compare synthetic lineshapes andimages with those observed. Strong SiO maser emission is calculated toform in an unfilled ring within a few stellar radii of the photosphere,indicating a tangential amplification process. The diameter of thesynthetic maser ring is dependent upon stellar phase, as clearlyobserved for TX Cam, and upon maser transition. Proper motions ofbrightly masing parcels are comparable to measurements for some masercomponents in R Aqr and TX Cam, although we are unable to reproduce allof the observed motions. Synthetic lineshapes peak at the stellarvelocity, have typical Mira linewidths and vary in intensity withstellar phase. However, the model fails quantitatively in severalrespects. We attribute these failings to (i) lack of an accurate,time-varying stellar IR field (ii) post-shock kinetic temperatures whichare too high, due to the cooling function included in our model and(iii) the lack of a detailed treatment of the chemistry of the inner CE.We expect the use of oxygen-rich hydrodynamical stellar models which arecurrently under development to alleviate these problems.
| Snapshot VLBI Observations of SiO v=1 and v=2 (J=1 - 0) Maser Sources
We have made snapshot VLBI observations of SiO masers of the J=1-0transition at two vibrational levels v=1 and v=2 using theKashima-Nobeyama Interferometer (KNIFE). Out of 37 sources observed, wedetected both of the lines from 16 sources with a typical detectionlimit of 10 Jy. Most of the SiO masers were significantly spatiallyresolved with a KNIFE baseline (200 km), indicating extended/complicatedstructures of the SiO masers with a typical angular size of a fewmilliarcseconds. Similar fringe-phase profiles along a radial velocityspanning larger than 1.0km s-1 between the two lines indicatea similar spatial structure along the velocity spacings. This tendency,shown from 13 SiO maser sources except Orion KL, supports spatialcoincidence of the two lines found previously for M-type stars VY CMaand W Hya. The spatial coincidence should enable us to measuregroup-delays of the SiO masers for stellar astrometry.
| Stars with the Largest Hipparcos Photometric Amplitudes
A list of the 2027 stars that have the largest photometric amplitudes inHipparcos Photometry shows that most variable stars are all Miras. Thepercentage of variable types change as a function of amplitude. Thiscompilation should also be of value to photometrists looking forrelatively unstudied, but large amplitude stars.
| Polarimetry of 167 Cool Variable Stars: Data
Multicolor photoelectric polarimetry is presented for 167 stars, most ofwhich are variable stars. The observations constitute a data set thatfor some stars covers a time span of 35 yr. Complex variations are foundover time and wavelength and in both the amount of polarization and itsposition angle, providing constraints for understanding the polarizingenvironments in and around these cool stars.
| Stellar and circumstellar evolution of long period variable stars
In a first paper, HIPPARCOS astrometric and kinematic data were used tocalibrate both infrared K and IRAS luminosities at the same time askinematic parameters of Long Period Variable stars (LPVs). Individualestimated absolute magnitudes and a probabilistic assignation togalactic populations were deduced from these calibrations for each LPVof our sample. Here we propose a scenario of simultaneous stellar andcircumstellar evolution according to the galactic populations. Thetransitory states of S and Tc stars allow us to confirm the location ofthe first dredge-up at Mbol=-3.5. There is also evidencesuggesting that a previous enrichment in s-elements from a more evolvedcompanion may accelerate the evolution along the AGB. The possibleevolution to OH LPVs is included in this scenario, and any of thesestars may have a mass at the limit of the capability for a C enrichmentup to C/O > 1. A list of bright massive LPVs with peculiar envelopeand luminosity properties is proposed as Hot Bottom Burning candidates.The He-shell flash star, R Cen, is found to be exceptionally bright andcould become, before leaving the AGB, a C-rich LPV brighter than theusual luminosity limit of carbon stars.
| Envelope tomography of long-period variable stars III. Line-doubling frequency among Mira stars
This paper presents statistics of the line-doubling phenomenon in asample of 81 long-period variable (LPV) stars of various periods,spectral types and brightness ranges. The set of observations consistsof 315 high-resolution optical spectra collected with the spectrographELODIE at the Haute-Provence Observatory, during 27 observing nights atone-month intervals and spanning two years. When correlated with a maskmimicking a K0III spectrum, 54% of the sample stars clearly showed adouble-peaked cross-correlation profile around maximum light, reflectingdouble absorption lines. Several pieces of evidence are presented thatpoint towards the double absorption lines as being caused by thepropagation of a shock wave through the photosphere. The observation ofthe Balmer lines appearing in emission around maximum light in thesestars corroborates the presence of a shock wave. The observed velocitydiscontinuities, ranging between 10 and 25 km s-1, are notcorrelated with the brightness ranges. A comparison with thecenter-of-mass (COM) velocity obtained from submm CO lines originatingin the circumstellar envelope reveals that the median velocity betweenthe red and blue peaks is blueshifted with respect to the COM velocity,as expected if the shock moves upwards. The LPVs clearly exhibitingline-doubling around maximum light with the K0III mask appear to be themost compact ones, the stellar radius being estimated from theireffective temperatures (via the spectral type) and luminosities (via theperiod-luminosity relationship). It is not entirely clear whether or notthis segregation between compact and extended LPVs is an artefact of theuse of the K0III mask. Warmer masks (F0V and G2V) applied to the mostextended and coolest LPVs yield asymmetric cross-correlation functionswhich suggest that line doubling is occurring in those stars as well.Although a firm conclusion on this point is hampered by the largecorrelation noise present in the CCFs of cool LPVs obtained with warmmasks, the occurrence of line doubling in those stars is confirmed bythe double CO Delta v = 3 lines observed around 1.6 mu m by Hinkle etal. (1984, ApJS, 56, 1). Moreover, the Hdelta line in emission, which isanother signature of the presence of shocks, is observed as well in themost extended stars, although with a somewhat narrower profile. This isan indication that the shock is weaker in extended than in compact LPVs,which may also contribute to the difficulty of detecting line doublingin cool, extended LPVs. Based on observations made at Observatoire deHaute Provence, operated by the Centre National de la RechercheScientifique, France. Table 3 is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org and at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/379/305
| Galactic mass-losing AGB stars probed with the IRTS. I.
AGB mass-losing sources are easy to identify and to characterize in thenear-infrared range (1-5 mu m). We make use of the near-infrared dataacquired by the Japanese space experiment IRTS to study a sample ofsources detected in the 2 celestial strips surveyed by the IRTS.Mass-loss rates and distances are estimated for 40 carbon-rich sourcesand 86 oxygen-rich sources of which 8 are probably of S-type. Althoughthe sample is small, one sees a dependence of the relative contributionof the two kinds of sources to the replenishment of the interstellarmedium (ISM) on the galactocentric distance. E.g. from 6 to 8 kpc,oxygen-rich sources in our sample contribute 10-12 times as much ascarbon rich sources, whereas from 10 to 12 kpc, the latters contribute3-4 times as much as the formers. Therefore, one would expect a gradientin the composition of the ISM between 6 and 12 kpc from the GalacticCentre, especially in its dust component. Most of the replenishment(>50%) by AGB stars is due to sources with mass-loss rate larger than10-6 Msun yr-1.
| Long period variable stars: galactic populations and infrared luminosity calibrations
In this paper HIPPARCOS astrometric and kinematic data are used tocalibrate both infrared luminosities and kinematical parameters of LongPeriod Variable stars (LPVs). Individual absolute K and IRAS 12 and 25luminosities of 800 LPVs are determined and made available in electronicform. The estimated mean kinematics is analyzed in terms of galacticpopulations. LPVs are found to belong to galactic populations rangingfrom the thin disk to the extended disk. An age range and a lower limitof the initial mass is given for stars of each population. A differenceof 1.3 mag in K for the upper limit of the Asymptotic Giant Branch isfound between the disk and old disk galactic populations, confirming itsdependence on the mass in the main sequence. LPVs with a thin envelopeare distinguished using the estimated mean IRAS luminosities. The levelof attraction (in the classification sense) of each group for the usualclassifying parameters of LPVs (variability and spectral types) isexamined. Table only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/374/968 or via ASTRIDdatabase (http://astrid.graal.univ-montp2.fr).
| Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statistics
The Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521
| Hipparcos parallaxes for Mira-like long-period variables
This paper concerns the calibration of the K period-luminosity relationfor Mira variables using Hipparcos parallaxes. K magnitudes areavailable for 255 Mira-like variables which were observed by Hipparcos.Period-luminosity zero-points are evaluated for various subgroups ofdata. The best solution for oxygen-rich Miras, which uses 180 stars,omitting the short-period red group (which had different kinematics fromthe short-period blue stars) and the low-amplitude variables, provides azero-point of σ2σ2π +(0.4605)2π2PL(K)σ2K + σ2PL(K),0.84+/-0.14mag, which implies a distance modulus for the LargeMagellanic Cloud of σK = 0.3ΔK√N,18.64+/-0.14mag, or perhaps slightly greater if a metallicity correctionis required, in good agreement with the value derived from Cepheids. Thezero-point of the period-luminosity relation for carbon stars is brieflydiscussed. Linear diameters are derived for red variables with measuredangular diameters and parallaxes, and are used to examine thelong-standing question of the pulsation mode(s) of these stars. Evidenceis presented to suggest that most of them are pulsating in the same modeand, if published model atmospheres are correct, this is probably thefirst overtone. Some discussion is given of sequences in theperiod-luminosity and period-colour diagrams and their bearing on thepulsation mode problem.
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Dades d'Observació i Astrometria
| Constel·lació: | Cancer |
| Ascensió Recta: | 08h16m33.90s |
| Declinació: | +11°43'35.0" |
| Magnitud Aparent: | 7.13 |
| Distancia: | 10000000 parsecs |
| Moviment propi RA: | 0.6 |
| Moviment propi Dec: | -10.4 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.569 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.25 |
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INHABITED SKY
