Multi-wavelength observations of Galactic hard X-ray sources discovered by INTEGRAL. II. The environment of the companion star
Context: The INTEGRAL mission has led to the discovery of a new type ofsupergiant X-ray binaries (SGXBs), whose physical properties differ fromthose of previously known SGXBs. Those sources are in the course ofbeing unveiled by means of multi-wavelength X-rays, optical, near- andmid-infrared observations, and two classes are appearing. The firstclass consists of obscured persistent SGXBs and the second is populatedby the so-called supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs). Aims:We report here mid-infrared (MIR) observations of the companion stars oftwelve SGXBs from these two classes in order to assess the contributionof the star and the material enshrouding the system to the totalemission. Methods: We used data from observations we carried outat ESO/VLT with VISIR, as well as archival and published data, toperform broad-band spectral energy distributions of the companion starsand fitted them with a combination of two black bodies representing thestar and a MIR excess due to the absorbing material enshrouding thestar, if there was any. Results: We detect a MIR excess in theemission of IGR J16318-4848, IGR J16358-4726, and perhaps IGRJ16195-4945. The other sources do not exhibit any MIR excess even whenthe intrinsic absorption is very high. Indeed, the stellar winds ofsupergiant stars are not suitable for dust production, and we show thatthis behaviour is not changed by the presence of the compact object.Concerning IGR J16318-4848 and probably IGR J16358-4726, the MIR excesscan be explained by their sgB[e] nature and the presence of anequatorial disk around the supergiant companion in which dust can beproduced. Moreover, our results suggest that some of the supergiantstars in those systems could exhibit an absorption excess compared toisolated supergiant stars, this excess being possibly partly due to thephotoionisation of their stellar wind in the vicinity of theiratmosphere. We also show that the differences in behaviour between theobscured SGXBs and the SFXTs in the high-energy domain do not exist fromoptical-to-MIR wavelength. Supergiant stars in SFXTs could neverthelessbe most of the time less absorbed than supergiant stars in obscuredSGXBs, due to the geometry of the systems. At last, our results confirma very dense cocoon of material around the compact object as theextinction in the X-ray domain is generally several orders of magnitudehigher than the extinction in the visible.Based onobservations carried out at the European Southern Observatoryunder programmes ID 075.D-0773 and 077.D-0721.
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New Estimates of the Solar-Neighborhood Massive Star Birthrate and the Galactic Supernova Rate
The birthrate of stars of masses >=10 Msolar is estimatedfrom a sample of just over 400 O3-B2 dwarfs within 1.5 kpc of the Sunand the result extrapolated to estimate the Galactic supernova ratecontributed by such stars. The solar-neighborhood Galactic-plane massivestar birthrate is estimated at ~176 stars kpc-3Myr-1. On the basis of a model in which the Galactic stellardensity distribution comprises a ``disk+central hole'' like that of thedust infrared emission (as proposed by Drimmel and Spergel), theGalactic supernova rate is estimated at probably not less than ~1 normore than ~2 per century and the number of O3-B2 dwarfs within the solarcircle at ~200,000.
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Catalog of Galactic OB Stars
An all-sky catalog of Galactic OB stars has been created by extendingthe Case-Hamburg Galactic plane luminous-stars surveys to include 5500additional objects drawn from the literature. This work brings the totalnumber of known or reasonably suspected OB stars to over 16,000.Companion databases of UBVβ photometry and MK classifications forthese objects include nearly 30,000 and 20,000 entries, respectively.
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The total-to-selective extinction ratio determined from near IR photometry of OB stars
The paper presents an extensive list of the total to selectiveextinction ratios R calculated from the infrared magnitudes of 597 O andB stars using the extrapolation method. The IR magnitudes of these starswere taken from the literature. The IR colour excesses are determinedwith the aid of "artificial standards" - Wegner (1994). The individualand mean values of total to selective extinction ratios R differ in mostcases from the average value R=3.10 +/-0.05 - Wegner (1993) in differentOB associations. The relation between total to selective extinctionratios R determined in this paper and those calculated using the "methodof variable extinction" and the Cardelli et al. (1989) formulae isdiscussed. The R values presented in this paper can be used to determineindividual absolute magnitudes of reddened OB stars with knowntrigonometric parallaxes.
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Atlas of Interstellar Extinction Curves of OB Stars Covering the Whole Available Wavelength Range
The paper presents a collection of 436 extinction curves covering thewhole available range of wavelengths from satellite UV to near-IR. Thedata were taken from the ANS photometric catalogue and from thecompilations of IR photometric measurements. The data curves have beenobtained with the aid of ``artificial standards": Papaj et al. (1993)and Wegner (1994, 1995). The visual magnitudes and spectralclassifications of O and B type stars with EB-V>= 0.05were taken from the SIMBAD database. The curves are given in the form ofplots and tables E{lambda - V} / EB-V versus1/λ. The observed variety of extinction laws among slightlyreddened stars is apparently due to the various physical parameters ofinterstellar clouds.
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Absolute proper motions of open clusters. I. Observational data
Mean proper motions and parallaxes of 205 open clusters were determinedfrom their member stars found in the Hipparcos Catalogue. 360 clusterswere searched for possible members, excluding nearby clusters withdistances D < 200 pc. Members were selected using ground basedinformation (photometry, radial velocity, proper motion, distance fromthe cluster centre) and information provided by Hipparcos (propermotion, parallax). Altogether 630 certain and 100 possible members werefound. A comparison of the Hipparcos parallaxes with photometricdistances of open clusters shows good agreement. The Hipparcos dataconfirm or reject the membership of several Cepheids in the studiedclusters. Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
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Five-colour photometry of OB-stars in the Southern Hemisphere
Observations of OB-stars, made in 1959 and 1960 at the Leiden SouthernStation near Hartebeespoortdam, South Africa, with the VBLUW photometerattached to the 90 cm light-collector, are given in this paper. They arecompared with photometry obtained by \cite[Graham (1968),]{gra68}\cite[Walraven & Walraven (1977),]{wal77} \cite[Lub & Pel(1977)]{lub77} and \cite[Van Genderen et al. (1984).]{gen84} Formulaefor the transformation of the present observations to those of\cite[Walraven & Walraven (1977)]{wal77} and \cite[Lub & Pel(1977)]{lub77} are given. Table 4 is only available in electronic format the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
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UBV beta Database for Case-Hamburg Northern and Southern Luminous Stars
A database of photoelectric UBV beta photometry for stars listed in theCase-Hamburg northern and southern Milky Way luminous stars surveys hasbeen compiled from the original research literature. Consisting of over16,000 observations of some 7300 stars from over 500 sources, thisdatabase constitutes the most complete compilation of such photometryavailable for intrinsically luminous stars around the Galactic plane.Over 5000 stars listed in the Case-Hamburg surveys still lackfundamental photometric data.
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Red and infrared colours of B stars and the reddening law in the Galaxy
The red and infrared intrinsic colours of B stars are derived fromphotometric observations through the UBV(RI)_CJHK and Hβ filters of257 early-type stars. Those stars for which the UBV and Hβmeasurements match the published spectral class, and which show no othersigns of peculiarity, are used to determine the intrinsic photometriccolours of B stars in the red and infrared. From these intrinsic coloursthe interstellar reddening relationships for the red and infraredcolours are evaluated, and the results are compared with previousestimates of these quantities. The values of R, E(B-V) and the distanceare then determined for the individual stars. R is confirmed to be closeto 3.1 in most cases, but was found to be much larger in somedirections. The relationship between R and the location of a star in theGalaxy is investigated. Usually the abnormally reddened stars seemed tobe associated with known regions of star formation. The paper alsoidentifies seven likely variable stars and a number of stars withpossible dust shells.
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A Radial Velocity Database for Stephenson-Sanduleak Southern Luminous Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....113..823R&db_key=AST
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Far-Ultraviolet Stellar Photometry: Fields Centered on rho Ophiuchi and the Galactic Center
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJS..104..101S&db_key=AST
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Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
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A spectroscopic database for Stephenson-Sanduleak Southern Luminous Stars
A database of published spectral classifications for objects in theStepenson-Sanduleak Luminous Stars in the Southern Milky Way catalog hasbeen compiled from the literature. A total of 6182 classifications for2562 stars from 139 sources are incorporated.
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Far-ultraviolet stellar photometry: Fields in Sagittarius and Scorpius
Far-ultraviolet photometry for 741 objects in a field in Sagittariuscentered near M8 and 541 objects in a field centered near sigma Scorpiiis presented. These data were extracted from electographic imagesobtained with two cameras during a shuttle flight in 1991 April/May. Thecameras provided band passes with lambdaeff = 1375 A andlambdaeff = 1781 A. Synthetic colors show that these bandsare sensitive to effective temperature for hot stars. Our measurementswere placed on a quantitative far-ultraviolet magnitude scale byconvolving the spectra of stars observed by IUE with our cameras'spectral response functions. Fifty-eight percent of the ultravioletobjects were identified with visible stars using the SIMBAD databasewhile another 40% of the objects are blends of early type stars tooclose together to separate with our resolution. Our photometry iscompared with that from the TD-1, OAO 2, and ANS satellites and the S201(Apollo 16) far-ultraviolet camera and found to agree at the level of afew tenths of a magnitude. Unlike previous studies, almost half of theidentified visual counterparts to the ultraviolet objects are early Bstars. A plot of distance modulus against ultraviolet color excessreveals a significant population of stars with strong ultravioletexcess.
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The interstellar 217 NM band - A third catalogue of equivalent widths
A catalog of equivalent widths of the 217 nm interstellar absorptionband as well as other parameters characterizing the extinction curve inthe ultraviolet has been compiled for 790 O and B stars. A relativelytight correlation between the equivalent width of the 217 nm band andE(B-V) indicates that the absorber of this band is connected with thepopulation of larger interstellar grains responsible for the visualextinction. The parameter characterizing the amount of extinction in thefar UV is only weakly correlated with E(B-V), a result in accord withthe assumption that a second population of very small grains causes therapid increase of the far-UV extinction.
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Observations of the very broad-band structure by combined UVBY and UBV photometry
The features of the very broad-band structure (VBS) in the interstellarextinction curve were studied photometrically. It is shown that thecolor excess ratio E(b-y)/E(B-V) can be used as a measure of thestrength of the VBS. The color excess ratio was calibrated in terms ofthe central depth of the VBS; from the calibration stars and 13 reddenedyoung open clusters containing more than 10 B-type stars, a relationshipwas derived between the central depth of the VBS and the E(B-V)quantity.
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The spectral energy distribution of early type stars. I - A catalogue of photometric data of 259 stars from 0.15 to 4.8 microns
For the derivation of physical parameters (e.g., effective temperatureand radius) of early-type stars from their intrinsic spectral-energydistribution, and for the study of foreground interstellar and/orcircumstellar matter, a sample of 237 O, B, and A stars was chosen fromthe ANS catalog (Wesselius et al., 1982). The ANS ultraviolet and theJohnson UBV data (mostly from Nicolet's catalog, 1978) of these starswere supplemented with visual Walraven WULBV, red VRI, and near-infraredJHKLM measurements. All these data are given in the present catalog.Data for 22 stars of spectral type later than A are also included.
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A catalog of ultraviolet interstellar extinction excesses for 1415 stars
Ultraviolet interstellar extinction excesses are presented for 1415stars with spectral types B7 and earlier. The excesses with respect to Vare derived from Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS) 5-channel UVphotometry at central wavelengths of approximately 1550, 1800, 2500, and3300 A. A measure of the excess extinction in the 2200-A extinction bumpis also given. The data are valuable for investigating the systematicsof peculiar interstellar extinction and for studying the character of UVinterstellar extinction in the general direction of stars for which theextinction-curve shape is unknown.
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On the intrinsic UVBY colours of early-type supergiants
The present photoelectric uvby observations of 43 late O-type to earlyA-type supergiants are combined with published results to extend theZhang (1983) determination of the intrinsic color lines in the(b-y)/c(1) diagram. Zhang's conclusion that the H-beta index is wellcorrelated with luminosity class is reaffirmed by the results obtained,although the degree of separation found here is less clear. It is notfound, however, that beta has a significant minimum between the B1 andB3 spectral types.
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Early-type stars in OB associations in the infrared. II - A discussion of density and temperature distributions in stellar winds
Numerical computations of the infrared flux distribution in early-typestars with mass loss are presented. After assuming that infraredradiation is due both to the stellar photosphere and to free-free andfree-bound transitions in the ionized stellar wind, the influence ofmass-loss rate and wind velocity-law on the infrared flux is studied. Asignificant infrared excess over the photospheric flux will only beobserved when the mass-loss rate is larger than about 10 to the -6thsolar masses/yr, and/or when the velocity gradient is moderate. Bymatching computed and observed flux distributions, the velocity law of asample of OB stars with spectral types ranging from O4 to B2 isinvestigated. While the velocity law derived from the infrared flux of Ostars is consistent with that expected from a radiatively-driven wind,early B stars show, on the average, a smoother velocity gradient.
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Early-type stars in OB associations in the infrared. I Extinction law and IR excesses
Observations have been made of 82 early-type stars of OB associations inthe infrared (JHKLM). The law of interstellar extinction isinvestigated. The empirical reddening curve (with R = 3.13) is found tobe in close agreement with van de Hulst's (1949) theoretical curve No.15. This law is generally valid for the OB associations considered. Themeasured infrared magnitudes were dereddened with this extinction law,and compared with the prediction of model atmospheres. Significantinfrared excesses due to circumstellar free-free radiation are found fora large number of stars. The strongest IR excess (about 0.5 mag in M) isfound for the Of-type stars HD 108, HD 151804, and HD 152408. In late Bsupergiants no significant excess radiation is detectable. However, thevery luminous hypergiants HD 168607 and HD 168625 do show excessradiation of about 0.2 mag in M.
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A study of B-type supergiants with the uvby,beta photometric system
The applicability of the uvby,beta photometric system to theclassification and study of B-type supergiants (BTS) is investigatedusing published data on 157 BTS and observations of 17 BTS made with the36-in. reflector at McDonald Observatory. The results are presented intabular form and analyzed to produce preliminary calibrations ofluminosity class vs. beta index and of absolute magnitude (Mv) vs. beta(or delta Mv vs. delta beta) for four associations of stars. Theeffectiveness of various color indices as temperature indicators isdiscussed. It is shown that there is good correspondence between MK anduvby,beta classifications of B-type main-sequence stars, giants, andBTS, confirming the usefulness of the uvby,beta system in furtherresearch on BTS.
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New UBVRI photometry for 900 supergiants
A description is presented of the results obtained in connection with asystematic program of supergiant photometry on the Johnson UBVRI system.During the eight years after the start of the program, almost 1000 starshave been observed, about 400 three or more times each. The originalselection of stars used the spectral type catalog of Jaschek et al.(1964) to choose supergiants. Since observations were possible from bothChile and Canada, no declination limits were imposed, and no particularselection criteria were imposed other than to eliminate carbon stars.These are so red as to require enormous extrapolations of thetransformation equations.
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UBV photometry for southern OB stars
New UBV photometry of 1227 OB stars in the southern Milky Way ispresented. For 1113 of these stars, MK spectral types have been reportedpreviously in a comprehensive survey to B = 10.0 mag.
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The interstellar extinction law in some dusty HII regions
UBVRI data for 62 O and B stars in dusty H II regions and for nine fieldstars are presented. The data are used to investigate the reddening lawin the range BVRI. For the field stars and the H II regions M8, M20, S5,S66, S67, the normal interstellar extinction law has been confirmed.However, in NGC 6334, NGC 6357 and M16 unusually high color excessratios have been found: E(V-R)/E(B-V) and E(V-I)/E(B-V), indicatingabnormal values of the ratio of total to selective extinction, R equals3.8 for NGC 6334/6357 and R equals 4.0 for M16.
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Very broadband structure in the extinction curves of southern Milky Way stars
Very broadband structure (VBS), previously detected in the interstellarextinction curve, is examined in detail for 22 reddened stars in thesouthern Milky Way. The VBS, which takes the form of a shallowdepression in the 5200-6000 A region, appears to be a widespread featureof the general galactic extinction, with the central depth amounting toabout 0.02 mag per magnitude of visual extinction for stars with longpath-length reddening. Two stars in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud exhibita modified form of VBS which may reflect chemical changes occurring onthe grain surfaces. A possible identification of the VBS with solidmagnetite (Fe3O4) in the grain material is discussed.
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Infrared photometry of southern early-type stars
The paper presents infrared photometry tied to the JHKL (1.2-3.5microns) broadband photometric system for 229 southern early-type stars.To determine data for stars of low reddening intrinsic visual-IR colorindices were used; the E(V-K)/E(B-V) diagram was applied to evaluate theratio of total selective extinction. A mean value of R = 3.12 plus orminus 0.05 was found for stars close to the galactic plane, but a highervalue of R (about 4.0) applies to the Orion and Sco-Oph regions.Infrared two-color diagrams were used to investigate the occurrence ofinfrared excess emission in different classes of shell star; no excesseswere found for supergiants or Of stars. It is concluded that theanomalous position HD 164740 in the two-color diagrams is produced bystrong infrared excess and not by a peculiar extinction law.
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On the 4430 A interstellar band - A visual classification
A system of visual classification of the strength of the interstellarband 4430 A has been developed, based on spectra taken at spectralclassification dispersion. The intensity of the band was divided into 8main classes, defined by a group of selected standard stars. The systemwas applied to 1,111 southern OB stars contained in the catalog ofspectral types by Garrison, Hiltner, and Schild (1977). The mean errorin the classification was estimated to be plus or minus 1 class.Equivalent widths were measured for 100 stars; an excellent correlationwith the visual estimations was obtained. A calibration between thesetwo parameters is given.
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Studies of luminous stars in nearby galaxies. I. Supergiants and O stars in the Milky Way.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1978ApJS...38..309H&db_key=AST
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Observations in linearly polarized light of the intensity of the diffuse lam 6180 absorption band in 56 southern O, B and A stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1978A&A....70..195G&db_key=AST
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INHABITED SKY
