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Does the Milky Way Produce a Nuclear Galactic Wind?
We detect high-velocity absorbing gas using Hubble Space Telescope andFar Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer medium-resolution spectroscopyalong two high-latitude active galactic nucleus (AGN) sight lines (Mrk1383 and PKS 2005-489) above and below the Galactic center (GC). Theseabsorptions are most straightforwardly interpreted as a wind emanatingfrom the GC that does not escape from the Galaxy's gravitationalpotential. Spectra of four comparison B stars are used to identify andremove foreground velocity components from the absorption-line profilesof O VI, N V, C II, C III, C IV, Si II, Si III, and Si IV. Twohigh-velocity (HV) absorption components are detected along each AGNsight line, three redshifted and one blueshifted. Assuming that the fourHV features trace a large-scale Galactic wind emanating from the GC, theblueshifted absorber is falling toward the GC at a velocity of 250+/-20km s-1, which can be explained by ``Galactic fountain''material that originated in a bound Galactic wind. The other threeabsorbers represent outflowing material; the largest derived outflowvelocity is +250+/-20 km s-1, which is only 45% of thevelocity necessary for the absorber to escape from its current positionin the Galactic gravitational potential. All four HV absorbers are foundto reach the same maximum height above the Galactic plane(zmax=12+/-1 kpc), implying that they were all ejected fromthe GC with the same initial velocity. The derived metallicity limits of>~10%-20% solar are lower than expected for material recently ejectedfrom the GC unless these absorbers also contain significant amounts ofhotter gas in unseen ionization stages.
| The Origins and Evolutionary Status of B Stars Found Far from the Galactic Plane. II. Kinematics and Full Sample Analysis
This paper continues the analysis of faint high-latitude B stars fromMartin. Here we analyze the kinematics of the stars and combine themwith the abundance information from the first paper to classify eachone. The sample contains 31 Population I runaways, 15 old evolved stars(including 5 blue horizontal-branch [BHB] stars, 3 post-HB stars, 1pulsating helium dwarf, and 6 stars of ambiguous classification), 1 Fdwarf, and 2 stars that do not easily fit in one of the othercategories. No star in the sample unambiguously shows thecharacteristics of a young massive star formed in situ in the halo. Thetwo unclassified stars are probably extreme Population I runaways. Thelow binary frequency and rotational velocity distribution of thePopulation I runaways imply that most were ejected from dense starclusters by the dynamic ejection scenario. However, we remain puzzled bythe lack of runaway Be stars. We also confirm that PB 166 and HIP 41979are both nearby solar-metallicity BHB stars.Based on observations made at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope ofMcDonald Observatory, operated by the University of Texas at Austin.
| The Origins and Evolutionary Status of B Stars Found Far from the Galactic Plane. I. Composition and Spectral Features
The existence of faint blue stars far above the Galactic plane that havespectra that are similar to nearby Population I B stars presents severalinteresting questions. Among them are the following: Can a Population IB star travel from the disk to a position many kiloparsecs above theplane in a relatively short main-sequence lifetime? Is it possible thatsingle massive star formation is occurring far from the Galactic plane?Are these objects something else masquerading as main-sequence B stars?This paper (the first of two) analyzes the abundances of a sample ofthese stars and reveals several that are chemically similar to nearbyPopulation I B stars, whereas others clearly have abundance patternsmore like those expected in blue horizontal-branch (BHB) orpost-asymptotic giant branch stars. Several of those with old evolvedstar abundances also have interesting features of note in their spectra.We also consider why this sample does not have any classical Be starsand identify at least two nearby solar-metallicity BHB stars.Based on observations made at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope ofMcDonald Observatory operated by the University of Texas at Austin.
| Young Stars far from the Galactic Plane: Runaways from Clusters
Quite recently, a significant number of OB stars far from the galacticplane have been found, situated at z-distances ranging from severalhundreds of pc to several kpc. The short lifetimes of these stars poseproblems for their interpretation in terms of the standard picture ofstar formation. Different mechanisms have been put forward to explainthe existence of these stars, either within the conventional view, orpostulating star formation in the galactic halo itself. These mechanismsrange from arguing that they are misidentified evolved or abnormalstars, to postulating powerful ejection mechanisms for young disk stars;in situ formation also admits several variants. We have collected fromthe literature a list of young stars far from the plane, for which theevidence of youth seems convincing. We discuss two possible formationmechanisms for these stars: ejection from the plane as the result ofdynamical evolution of small clusters (Poveda et al. 1967) and in situformation, via induced shocks created by spiral density waves (Martos etal. 1999). We compute galactic orbits for these stars, and identify thestars that could be explained by one or the other mechanism. We findthat about 90 percent of the stars can be accounted for by the clusterejection mechanism, that is, they can be regarded as runaway stars inthe galactic halo.
| Rotation Velocities of Red and Blue Field Horizontal-Branch Stars
We present measurements of the projected stellar rotation velocities(vsini) of a sample of 45 candidate field horizontal-branch (HB) starsspanning a wide range of effective temperatures, from red HB stars withTeff~=5000K to blue HB stars with Teff of 17,000K.Among the cooler blue HB stars (Teff=7500-11500 K), weconfirm prior studies showing that, although a majority of stars rotateat vsini<15kms-1, there exists a subset of ``fastrotators'' with vsini as high as 30-35 km s-1. All but one ofthe red HB stars in our sample have vsini<10kms-1, and noanalogous rotation bimodality is evident. We also identify anarrow-lined hot star (Teff~=16,000K) with enhancedphotospheric metal abundances and helium depletion, similar to theabundance patterns found among hot BHB stars in globular clusters, andfour other stars that may also belong in this category. We discussdetails of the spectral line fitting procedure that we use to deducevsini and explore how measurements of field HB star rotation may shedlight on the issue of HB star rotation in globular clusters.
| Highly Ionized Gas in the Galactic Halo: A FUSE Survey of O VI Absorption toward 22 Halo Stars
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) spectra of 22 Galactichalo stars are studied to determine the amount of O VI in the Galactichalo between ~0.3 and ~10 kpc from the Galactic midplane. Strong O VIλ1031.93 absorption was detected toward 21 stars, and a reliable3 σ upper limit was obtained toward HD 97991. The weaker member ofthe O VI doublet at 1037.62 Å could be studied toward only sixstars because of stellar and interstellar blending problems. Themeasured logarithmic total column densities vary from 13.65 to 14.57with =14.17+/-0.28 (1 σ). The observed columns arereasonably consistent with a patchy exponential O VI distribution with amidplane density of 1.7×10-8 cm-3 and scaleheight between 2.3 and 4 kpc. We do not see clear signs of stronghigh-velocity components in O VI absorption along the Galactic sightlines, which indicates the general absence of high-velocity O VI within2-5 kpc of the Galactic midplane. This result is in marked contrast tothe findings of Sembach et al., who reported high-velocity O VIabsorption toward ~60% of the complete halo sight lines observed byFUSE. The line centroid velocities of the O VI absorption do not reflectGalactic rotation well. The O VI velocity dispersions range from 33 to78 km s-1, with an average of =45+/-11 kms-1 (1 σ). These values are much higher than the valueof ~18 km s-1 expected from thermal broadening for gas atT~3×105 K, the temperature at which O VI is expected toreach its peak abundance in collisional ionization equilibrium.Turbulence, inflow, and outflow must have an effect on the shape of theO VI profiles. Kinematical comparisons of O VI with Ar I reveal thateight of 21 sight lines are closely aligned in LSR velocity(|ΔVLSR|<=5 km s-1), while nine of 21exhibit significant velocity differences(|ΔVLSR|>=15 km s-1). This dual behaviormay indicate the presence of two different types of O VI-bearingenvironments toward the Galactic sight lines. The correlation betweenthe H I and O VI intermediate-velocity absorption is poor. We couldidentify the known H I intermediate-velocity components in the Ar Iabsorption but not in the O VI absorption in most cases. Comparison of OVI with other highly ionized species suggests that the high ions areproduced primarily by cooling hot gas in the Galactic fountain flow andthat turbulent mixing also has a significant contribution. The role ofturbulent mixing varies from negligible to dominant. It is mostimportant toward sight lines that sample supernova remnants like Loops Iand IV. The average N(C IV)/N(O VI) ratios for the nearby halo (thiswork) and complete halo (Savage et al.) are similar (~0.6), but thedispersion is larger in the sample of nearby halo sight lines. We areable to show that the O VI enhancement toward the Galactic center regionthat was observed in the FUSE survey of complete halo sight lines(Savage et al.) is likely associated with processes occurring near theGalactic center by comparing the observations toward the nearby HD177566 sight line to those toward extragalactic targets.
| Radial velocities. Measurements of 2800 B2-F5 stars for HIPPARCOS
Radial velocities have been determined for a sample of 2930 B2-F5 stars,95% observed by the Hipparcos satellite in the north hemisphere and 80%without reliable radial velocity up to now. Observations were obtainedat the Observatoire de Haute Provence with a dispersion of 80Ä,mm(-1) with the aim of studying stellar and galactic dynamics.Radial velocities have been measured by correlation with templates ofthe same spectral class. The mean obtained precision is 3.0 km s(-1)with three observations. A new MK spectral classification is estimatedfor all stars. Based on observations made at the Haute ProvenceObservatory, France and on data from The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA.Tables 4, 5 and 6 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.htm
| 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
| Absorption by Highly Ionized Interstellar Gas Along Extragalactic and Galactic Sight Lines
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....113.2158S&db_key=AST
| High-Resolution Ultraviolet Observations of the Highly Ionized Interstellar Gas toward Radio Loops I and IV
We present new Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) echelleobservations of the high ionization lines of Si IV, C IV, and N V towardHD 119608, a halo star at d = 4.1 kpc behind the Loop I and IV supernovaremnants. Absorption along the path to HD 119608 makes it possible tostudy energetic processes that may result in the flow of gas into theGalactic halo. The data have a resolution (FWHM) of ~3.5 km s-1 and S/Nratios of 30:1--50:1. The integrated high ion column densities log N =13.57 +/- 0.02, 14.48 +/- 0.06, and 13.45 +/- 0.07 for Si IV, C IV, andN V, respectively, imply a factor of 2--4 enhancement in the amount ofhighly ionized gas compared to average sight lines through the Galacticdisk and halo. The integrated high ion column density ratios, N(CIV)/N(Si IV) = 8.1 +/- 1.1 and N(C IV)/N(N V) = 10.7 +/- 2.1, are alsoseveral times larger than normal. These high ion results suggest theabsorption is influenced by passage of the sight line through the centerof Loop IV. The HD 119608 C IV absorption profile has a bimodal velocitystructure indicative of an expanding shell; we tentatively derive anexpansion velocity of 16 km s-1 for Radio Loop IV. A detailed analysisof the high ion profile structure indicates that multiple types ofhighly ionized gas with a range of properties exist along this sightline. We also reexamine the high ionization properties of the QSO 3C 273sight line using new intermediate-resolution (FWHM ~ 20 km s-1) GHRSdata. We obtain log N = 14.49 +/- 0.03 and 13.87 +/- 0.06 for C IV and NV, respectively. The C IV column density, which is 0.12 dex smaller thanearlier estimates, leads to somewhat smaller ionic ratios thanpreviously determined. We find N(C IV)/N(Si IV) = 5.1 +/- 0.6 and N(CIV)/N(N V) = 4.2 +/- 0.6. However, as for HD 119608, the high ion columndensities toward 3C 273 are larger than normal by factors of 2--4. The3C 273 high ion absorption profiles are much broader than those seentoward HD 119608 and other sight lines near the center of Loop IV. Thelarger line widths may result because the sight line passes through theturbulent edge of Loop IV as well as the X-ray and radio continuumemission regions of the North Polar Spur. We have compiled a list of thehighest quality IUE and GHRS high ion measurements available forinterstellar sight lines through the disk and halo and find thefollowing median averaged results: N(C IV)/N(Si IV) = 3.8 +/- 1.9 andN(C IV)/N(N V) = 4.0 +/- 2.4. These ratios are lower than those foundfor four Loop IV sight lines. We suggest a model for the production ofhighly ionized gas in Loop IV in which the contributions from turbulentmixing layers and conductive interfaces/SNR bubbles to the total highion column densities are approximately equal. Much of the high ionabsorption toward HD 119608 and 3C 273 may occur within a highlyfragmented medium within the remnant or the outer cavity walls of theremnant.
| Coronal Gas in the Halo. II. ORFEUS Observations of Galactic Halo Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...465..296H&db_key=AST
| DO OB Runaway Stars Have Pulsar Companions?
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....111.1220P&db_key=AST
| 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.
| Interstellar titanium in the galactic halo
We present observations of Ti II lambda 3384 absorption toward 15distant stars in the Galactic halo and the Magellanic Clouds. These newdata extend existing surveys of the distribution of Ti(+) to largerdistances from the plane of the Galaxy than sampled previously, allowingthe scale height of titaniumn to be determined for the first time. Wefind hTi(+ = 1.5 +/- 0.2 kpc, a value which although greaterthan those of other tracers of neutral gas, is not as large as had beensuspected. We interpret the extended distribution of Ti(+) as anindication that its severe depletion in interstellar clouds in the diskis reduced at the lower densities prevailing in the halo. The data areconsistent with a simple power-law dependence of the Ti abundance on theambient density, with exponent k approximately = -1. If the model iscorrect, it implies that refractory elements like Ti are fully returnedto the gas phase at distances beyond approximately 1 kpc from the planeof the Galaxy.
| Optical studies of interstellar material in low density regions of the Galaxy
We analyze high-resolution Na I and Ca II interstellar absorption linedata obtained in an earlier spectroscopic survey of 57 stars alongextended sight lines through the Galactic disk and halo. We find thatthe Na I lines trace a diffuse cloudy medium and the CA II lines traceboth the cloudy medium and a more extended (intercloud) medium. Highlatitude and interarm sight lines that do not cross spiral arms haveclouds that are more diffuse on average than those along sight linesthat cross spiral arms. Spiral structure may play an important role indeterminating the average absorption properties along extended sightlines and/or interesting physical differences may exist between sightlines that cross spiral arms and those that do not. These might includea harder radiation field and/or higher electron tempertures along thehigh latitude and 'clean' interarm sight lines. On average, 10% of theCa II column density occurs at velocities forbidden by the Galacticrotation law by more than 10 km/s. In contrast, only a small precentageof the Na I column density occurs at these velocites. The Ca II to Na Iratio increases by a factor of 15 over forbidden velocities from 0 to 50km/s and rises rapidly thereafter. A two component model of the Ca IIcolumn density per unit velocity over the range l = 325 deg to 360 degindicates that two distinct distributions exists, one with sigma = 8km/s and one with sigma = 21 km/s. As much as 60% of the Ca II columndensity at forbidden velocities may be associated with the fasterdistribution, which we attribute to warm intercloud material. Weestimate expontential scale heights of 0.4-0.5 kpc for the neutral gastraced by the E(B-V), Na I, and H I distributions along the low densitysight lines, and we find that Ca II has a larger scale height of 0.8kpc.
| An IUE survey of interstellar H I LY alpha absorption. 1: Column densities
We measure Galactic interstellar neutral hydrogen column densities byanalyzing archival interstellar Ly alpha absorption line data toward 554B2 and hotter stars observed at high resolution with the IUE satellite.This study more than doubles the number of lines of sight with measuresof N(H I) based on Ly alpha. We have included the scattered lightbackground correction algorithm of Bianchi and Bohlin in our datareduction. We use the correlation between the Balmer discontinuity(c1) index and the stellar Ly alpha absorption in order toassess the effects of stellar Ly alpha contamination. Approximately 40%of the B stars with measured (c1) index, exhibit seriousstellar Ly alpha contamination. One table contains the derived values ofthe interstellar N(H I) for 393 stars with at most small amounts ofstellar contamination. Another lists the observed values of total N(H I)for 161 stars with suspected stellar Ly alpha contamination and/oruncertain stellar parameters.
| IUE observations of highly ionized gas toward distant stars in the Milky Way
Combined high-dispersion IUE spectra of interstellar Si IV, C IV, and NV absorption along distant sight lines toward early-type stars in theGalactic disk and low halo are discussed. The highly ionized specieshave complex profiles and exhibit stronger absorption toward distantlow-latitude stars than toward high-latitude stars. Absorption alonglow-latitude directions is often broadened substantially by Galacticrotation. Along these sight lines the Si IV, C IV, and N V profiles aremore similar in shape to each other than to those of Al III, which is atracer of photoionized interstellar gas. The observed column densityratios of the high ions are similar in widely different regions withinthe Galaxy. The similarities in the high ion profile shapes alongindividual sight lines and integrated column density ratios alongdifferent sight lines suggest a common origin for these species incollisionally ionized gas associated with a global process such as aGalactic fountain.
| Optical studies of interstellar material in low density regions of the Galaxy. I - A survey of interstellar NA I and CA II absorption toward 57 distant stars
We present high-resolution spectra of the Na I D and Ca II K linestoward 57 late-O and early-B stars along extended (d greater than 1 kpc)low-density paths through the Milky Way disk and halo. The sight linespreferentially sample diffuse gas in the interstellar medium (ISM) alonginterarm, Galactic center, and high latitude directions. We measureequivalent widths, apparent column densities, and absorption componentstructure. The Ca II to Na I ratios presented as a function of velocityfor each sight line exhibit variations due to elemental depletion,ionization, and density enhancements. Absorption along high latitudesight lines is kinematically simpler than it is along interarm andGalactic center sight lines. Galactic rotation noticeably broadens theabsorption profiles of distant stars located in these latter directions.Along several sight lines, we see Ca II absorption at velocitiescorresponding to large distances (/z/ about 1 kpc) from the Galacticplane. The effects of differences in the Ca II and Na I scale heightsand nonzero velocity dispersions are readily apparent in the data. Briefnotes are given for several sight lines with interesting absorptionproperties.
| Observations of highly ionized gas in the Galactic halo
A sample of high-quality sight lines is studied by means of IUE spectrato study the formation of Si IV, C IV, and N V in the Galaxy andconstrain the mechanisms of halo gas formation. High-dispersion IUEspectra are taken for 12 objects to give combined spectra for studyingthe halo gas along the sight lines. N V absorption is reported in 10 ofthe sightlines suggesting that hot collisionally ionized gas dominatesthe Galactic halo. Analyses are conducted to derive the Doppler-spreadparameters of the Si IV, C IV, and N V components that are theorized todominate the collisionally ionized gas. The observed column-densityratios of the high ions are given and shown to be generally constantthroughout the Galaxy with no variation according to the distance of theabsorbing gas from the Galactic plane. Existing photoionization andcollisional models cannot simultaneously predict the column densitiesand ratios of Si IV, C IV, and N V. It is concluded that theimplementation of self-ionization and other mechanisms could make themodels more effective.
| Ultraviolet and radio observations of Milky Way halo gas
Interstellar-absorption-line and 21-cm emission-line data for sightlines to 56 stars are combined in order to study the kinematics andspatial distribution of the gas that is at great distances from theGalactic plane. Measurements of the interstellar velocities and H Icolumn densities from the 21-cm emission and Ly-alpha absorption areincluded. The problem of contamination of the interstellar Ly-alphaabsorption line by stellar Ly-alpha absorption is analyzed, and thisinformation is used to reevaluate the vertical distribution of H I. Anew method for determining lower limits on the vertical distribution ofgas by including information on the velocity structure in the gas ispresented. The data for individual sight lines are discussed.
| IUE observations of early-type stars at high Galactic latitudes
High- and low-resolution IUE spectra of 14 apparently normalhigh-Galactic latitude B-type stars, together with visual fluxesdetermined from Stroemgren four-color photometry, are compared withtheoretical spectra deduced from LTE model atmosphere calculations. Tenof the program stars have normal flux distributions, with only four ofthe stars exhibiting UV flux deficiency. For the latter, PHL 346 hasbeen identified as a beta Cepheid variable, SB 357 is a Be-type star,and the ultraviolet flux deficiency for HD 214080 can be removed byincreasing the E(B-V) from 0.09 to 0.12. In the case of HD 100340, thefour-color photometry is inconsistent with the ultraviolet fluxdistribution, but this inconsistency vanishes when UBV photometry isemployed in the analysis, implying that the uvby measurements may be inerror. The normal flux distributions found for the program star providesupport for their being Population I objects in the Galactic halo.
| The distribution of interstellar AL III away from the Galactic plane
IUE spectra are analyzed to study the density distribution ofinterstellar Al III away from the Galactic plane. In most cases, themeasured values of the relative line strengths are consistent with onlymodest levels of line saturation. Al III is found to have an exponentialscale height and 1 sigma errors of 1.02(+0.36, -0.24) kpc. For the sameset of 70 stars, the scale height and 1 sigma errors for H I are0.67(+0.21, -0.16) kpc. The Al III scale height is similar to the valueobtained for free electrons from pulsar dispersion measures. The ionizedgas traced by Al III is somewhat more extended than the neutral gastraced by H I but less extended than the very highly ionized gas tracedby Si IV, C IV, and N V.
| The runaway nature of distant early-type stars in the galactic halo
The kinematics of a sample of 32 distant halo B-stars with masses in therange 3-21 solar masses are investigated using the current 'runawaystar' hypotheses to establish if they belong to this group of stars.Whether postmass transfer secondaries in evolved massive close binariescan be normal low mass B-stars is discussed, but support for this ideais not found. Thus it appears that the lower mass stars could not havebeen ejected out of the disk as a result of supernova explosions inmassive close binaries, while the higher mass objects do not in generalreveal a binary nature as expected from this theory. The results ofrecent N-body simulations of the purely dynamical ejection of runawaystars from young galactic star clusters are in excellent agreement withthe observations. Thus it appears that these halo stars are the mostdistant subgroup of OB runaways produced by cluster ejection yetobserved.
| Broad-band photometry of selected southern ultraviolet-bright stars.
Not Available
| Empirical temperature calibrations for early-type stars
Three temperature calibrations of suitable photometric quantities havebeen derived for O and B stars. A sample of 120 stars with reliableT(eff.) determinations has been used for establishing each calibration.The different calibrations have been critically discussed and compared.Temperature determinations for 1009 program stars have been obtainedwith an accuracy of the order of 10 percent.
| Investigations of young stars in the galactic halo
High resolution optical spectra of fifteen intermediate and highlatitude blue stars have been obtained using the 2.5 m Isaac Newton andthe 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescopes. Three of the sample areidentified as subdwarfs. The remaining twelve are analyzed foratmospheric parameters and metal and helium abundances using modelatmosphere techniques, and appear to be normal B-type stars 1 kpc ormore from the plane. Their origin is discussed in terms of theiravailable kinematics. Eight of the stars could have been formed in thegalactic plane and reached their present z-positions in their lifetimes.From the stellar kinematics, cluster ejection seems the most likelymechanism for their presence in the halo, although close binary ejectionmay have been responsible for a small number of these stars. Four starscould not have traveled from the disk to their current halo z-distancesin their lifetimes, and the idea of star formation in the halo isbriefly discussed.
| The kinematics of Milky Way halo gas. I - Observations of low-ionization species
Ultraviolet interstellar line day observed with the IUE toward 70 halostars and four extragalactic sight lines are analyzed in a study of thelarge-scale kinematic properties of the Milky Way halo gas. The motionsof the low-ionization gas is focused on. Large systematic velocities arefound, and a pronounced asymmetry in the absorption characteristics ofhalo gas toward the Galactic poles is indicated. In the north,substantial amounts of material are falling toward the disk atvelocities up to about 120 km/s in the most extreme case. Toward thesouth, low-ionization material shows no extreme or systematic motions.
| The density distribution of refractory elements away from the Galactic plane
The density distributions of the three refractory elements Ti II, Ca II,and Fe II away from the Galactic plane are compared with thedistribution of hydrogen and dust by examining plots of N s in b versusz. It is found that Ti II and Ca II are considerably more extended in zthan the H I and dust and that Fe II has an intermediate extension.Although the results are strongly influenced by sample bias, theindicated exponential scale heights for the data sample are h(Ti II) notless than 2 kpc, h(Ca II) = 1 kpc, h(Fe II) = 0.5 kpc, H(H I) = 0.3 kpc,and h(E/B-V) = 0.1 kpc. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that Ti II andCa II are much more smoothly distributed in space than the hydrogen ordust. The large scale heights for Ti II and Ca II and their smoothdistributions are most easily understood as the effect of a mixturealong the line of sight of two H I phases namely, a diffuse cloud phase,in which nearly all of the Ti and Ca are tied up in dust, and anintercloud medium, where refractory elements are less depleted. It isfound that Ti II and Ca II mostly trace the smoothly distributedintercloud medium. The smoothness of the distributions of Ti II and CaII makes them candidates for use as distance indicators.
| Radial velocities and spectral types for a sample of faint blue stars.
Not Available
| An abundance and kinematical analysis of four early-type high latitude stars
Stellar absorption line profiles and equivalent widths are measured fromhigh resolution INT and AAT optical spectra of four high galacticlatitude targets and used in conjunction with model atmosphere codes todetermine their atmospheric parameters and chemical compositions. NormalPopulation I abundances are derived, with typical errors of + or - 0.2dex, implying z-distances in the range 1-2 kpc. Various explanations forthe existence of such stars so far from the Galactic plane arediscussed, the most likely mechanism being cluster ejection.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Virgo |
| Right ascension: | 14h22m43.00s |
| Declination: | -08°14'53.6" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 9.718 |
| Proper motion RA: | 5 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -10.6 |
| B-T magnitude: | 9.437 |
| V-T magnitude: | 9.695 |
Catalogs and designations:
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INHABITED SKY
