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Ultraviolet spectroscopy of the extended solar corona
The first observations of ultraviolet spectral line profiles andintensities from the extended solar corona (i.e., more than 1.5 solarradii from Sun-center) were obtained on 13 April 1979 when arocket-borne ultraviolet coronagraph spectrometer of theHarvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics made direct measurements ofproton kinetic temperatures, and obtained upper limits on outflowvelocities in a quiet coronal region and a polar coronal hole. Followingthose observations, ultraviolet coronagraphic spectroscopy has expandedto include observations of over 60 spectral lines in coronal holes,streamers, coronal jets, and solar flare/coronal mass ejection (CME)events. Spectroscopic diagnostic techniques have been developed todetermine proton, electron and ion kinetic temperatures and velocitydistributions, proton and ion bulk flow speeds and chemical abundances.The observations have been made during three sounding rocket flights,four Shuttle deployed and retrieved Spartan 201 flights, and the Solarand Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission. Ultraviolet spectroscopy ofthe extended solar corona has led to fundamentally new views of theacceleration regions of the solar wind and CMEs. Observations with theUltraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) on SOHO revealedsurprisingly large temperatures, outflow speeds, and velocitydistribution anisotropies in coronal holes, especially for minor ions.Those measurements have guided theorists to discard some candidatephysical processes of solar wind acceleration and to increase and expandinvestigations of ion cyclotron resonance and related processes.Analyses of UVCS observations of CME plasma properties and the evolutionof CMEs have provided the following: temperatures, inflow velocities andderived values of resistivity and reconnection rates in CME currentsheets, compression ratios and extremely high ion temperatures behindCME shocks, and three dimensional flow velocities and magnetic fieldchirality in CMEs. Ultraviolet spectroscopy has been used to determinethe thermal energy content of CMEs allowing the total energy budget tobe known for the first time. Such spectroscopic observations are capableof providing detailed empirical descriptions of solar energetic particle(SEP) source regions that allow theoretical models of SEP accelerationto be tailored to specific events, thereby enabling in situ measurementsof freshly emitted SEPs to be used for testing and guiding the evolutionof SEP acceleration theory. Here we review the history of ultravioletcoronagraph spectroscopy, summarize the physics of spectral lineformation in the extended corona, describe the spectroscopic diagnostictechniques, review the advances in our understanding of solar windsource regions and flare/CME events provided by ultraviolet spectroscopyand discuss the scientific potential of next generation ultravioletcoronagraph spectrometers.
| Elemental abundance analyses with DAO spectrograms. XXIX. The mercury-manganese stars 53 Tau, β Tau, γ Crv, and υ Her
We performed elemental abundances analyses of the mercury-manganese(HgMn) stars 53 Tau, β Tau, and γ Crv consistent withprevious studies of similar stars in this series. The derived v sin ivalues for the last two stars are 59 and 32 km s-1,respectively, both of which are greater than those of HgMn starspreviously studied. For 53 Tau this analysis using selected wavelengthregions replaces one performed with coadded photographic spectra. Astricter upper limit is placed on any Hg II λ3984 line. Theabundances of β Tau are usually greater than those of γ Crv.But the later star has a Hg II λ3984 line which the former lacks.Our analysis of υ Her, which was performed with spectrogramsobtained with CCD detectors, is extended by using additionalspectrograms to increase the range of wavelengths covered longward ofλ4800. Minor changes in the derived abundances result.
| Evolution of interacting binaries with a B type primary at birth
We revisited the analytical expression for the mass ratio distributionfor non-evolved binaries with a B type primary. Selection effectsgoverning the observations were taken into account in order to comparetheory with observations. Theory was optimized so as to fit best withthe observed q-distribution of SB1s and SB2s. The accuracy of thistheoretical mass ratio distribution function is severely hindered by theuncertainties on the observations. We present a library of evolutionarycomputations for binaries with a B type primary at birth. Some liberalcomputations including loss of mass and angular momentum during binaryevolution are added to an extensive grid of conservative calculations.Our computations are compared statistically to the observeddistributions of orbital periods and mass ratios of Algols. ConservativeRoche Lobe Over Flow (RLOF) reproduces the observed distribution oforbital periods but fails to explain the observed mass ratios in therange q in [0.4-1]. In order to obtain a better fit the binaries have tolose a significant amount of matter, without losing much angularmomentum.
| Observed Orbital Eccentricities
For 391 spectroscopic and visual binaries with known orbital elementsand having B0-F0 IV or V primaries, we collected the derivedeccentricities. As has been found by others, those binaries with periodsof a few days have been circularized. However, those with periods up toabout 1000 or more days show reduced eccentricities that asymptoticallyapproach a mean value of 0.5 for the longest periods. For those binarieswith periods greater than 1000 days their distribution of eccentricitiesis flat from 0 to nearly 1, indicating that in the formation of binariesthere is no preferential eccentricity. The binaries with intermediateperiods (10-100 days) lack highly eccentric orbits.
| Heavy Element Abundances in Late-B and Early-A Stars. I. Co-Added IUE Spectra of HgMn Stars
Very heavy elements (Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, and Bi) are found to be enhanced inthe atmospheres of the chemically peculiar stars of the upper mainsequence by up to a million times the solar system levels. Suchenhancements are believed to result from atmospheric dynamics (i.e.,diffusion) rather than scenarios that dredge up nuclear-processedmaterial to the surface or transfer processed material between binarycompanions. However, the theoretical framework needs to be furtherconstrained by observations beyond the realm of the spectral types forwhich such abundance enhancements are observed at optical wavelengths.The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite collected spectraof bright stars for which chemical peculiarities have been derived fromground-based data. For several elements the abundance enhancements haveonly been recently measured using Hubble Space Telescope data and havetherefore not yet been exploited in the IUE data. We have initiated aprogram to analyze IUE high-dispersion spectra to more fullycharacterize the pattern of very heavy element enhancement for manymercury-manganese (HgMn) stars and to potentially extend the spectralclass (effective temperature) boundaries over which these abundanceanomalies are known to exist. The abundances of very heavy elements inchemically normal B and A-type stars provide a base level that may becompared with the solar system abundances. These early spectral typestars may therefore reveal clues for galactic chemical evolution studiessince they were formed at a later epoch than the Sun in the history ofthe Galaxy. This first paper presents the motivation for the analyses tofollow, outlines our spectral co-addition technique for IUE spectra, anddiscusses the choice of model atmospheres and the synthetic spectrumprocedures, while initiating the study by highlighting the abundance ofgold in several HgMn stars.
| The Indo-US Library of Coudé Feed Stellar Spectra
We have obtained spectra for 1273 stars using the 0.9 m coudéfeed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This telescope feedsthe coudé spectrograph of the 2.1 m telescope. The spectra havebeen obtained with the no. 5 camera of the coudé spectrograph anda Loral 3K×1K CCD. Two gratings have been used to provide spectralcoverage from 3460 to 9464 Å, at a resolution of ~1 Å FWHMand at an original dispersion of 0.44 Å pixel-1. For885 stars we have complete spectra over the entire 3460 to 9464 Åwavelength region (neglecting small gaps of less than 50 Å), andpartial spectral coverage for the remaining stars. The 1273 stars havebeen selected to provide broad coverage of the atmospheric parametersTeff, logg, and [Fe/H], as well as spectral type. The goal ofthe project is to provide a comprehensive library of stellar spectra foruse in the automated classification of stellar and galaxy spectra and ingalaxy population synthesis. In this paper we discuss thecharacteristics of the spectral library, viz., details of theobservations, data reduction procedures, and selection of stars. We alsopresent a few illustrations of the quality and information available inthe spectra. The first version of the complete spectral library is nowpublicly available from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory(NOAO) via ftp and http.
| Tidal Effects in Binaries of Various Periods
We found in the published literature the rotational velocities for 162B0-B9.5, 152 A0-A5, and 86 A6-F0 stars, all of luminosity classes V orIV, that are in spectroscopic or visual binaries with known orbitalelements. The data show that stars in binaries with periods of less thanabout 4 days have synchronized rotational and orbital motions. Stars inbinaries with periods of more than about 500 days have the samerotational velocities as single stars. However, the primaries inbinaries with periods of between 4 and 500 days have substantiallysmaller rotational velocities than single stars, implying that they havelost one-third to two-thirds of their angular momentum, presumablybecause of tidal interactions. The angular momentum losses increase withdecreasing binary separations or periods and increase with increasingage or decreasing mass.
| Implementing TOPbase/Iron Project: continuous absorption from FeII
We discuss implementation of TOPbase and Iron Project opacities forstellar spectral codes. We use a technique employed by Peach, where aBoltzmann-averaged cross-section is calculated for selectedtemperatures, and the opacity obtained from double interpolation intemperature and wavelength. It is straightforward to include all levelsfor which cross-sections have been calculated. Boltzmann-averagedcross-sections for FeII show a local maximum between 1700 and 2000Å. We suggest this feature arises from 3d54snl->3d54pnl transitions within FeII. IUE spectra of iron-rich CPstars show local minima in this region. Theoretical calculations of arepresentative stellar continuum demonstrate that FeII photoionizationcontributes significantly to the observed minima.
| 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.
| Abundance analysis of late B stars. Evidence for diffusion and against weak stellar winds
Based on high S/N spectra obtained at La Silla, Chile, and the SpecialAstrophysical Observatory, Russia, the abundances of He, C, O, Ne, Mg,Si, Ca, Fe, Sr, and Ba in 27 optically bright B5-B9 main-sequence starswere determined. NLTE effects were taken into account. A variety ofabundance patterns is present in late B stars. Accurate surfaceabundances of the diffusion indicators O, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba suggest thatelement stratification due to diffusion is common in the program stars.Models of stellar atmospheres which include meridional mixing canexplain the observed anomalies. Although the program stars representonly a volume-limited sample of the solar neighbourhood this result isimportant for the cosmochemical evolution of the Galaxy: the surfaceabundances of the stars investigated do not necessarily reflect thechemical composition of the interstellar cloud they originated from.Furthermore, five program stars show narrow absorption lines in Ca II Kwhich can be attributed to circumstellar gas. Neon serves as a traceelement for the occurrence of weak stellar winds. Neon overabundances ofsome stars derived under the assumption of LTE suggest that such windshave been detected. In sharp contrast, the more realistic treatment ofNLTE leads to solar neon abundances and thus reveals that weak stellarwinds are absent in the program stars.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla, Chile and at the Special Astrophysical Observatory, NizhnijArkhyz, Russia.
| Catalogue of averaged stellar effective magnetic fields. I. Chemically peculiar A and B type stars
This paper presents the catalogue and the method of determination ofaveraged quadratic effective magnetic fields < B_e > for 596 mainsequence and giant stars. The catalogue is based on measurements of thestellar effective (or mean longitudinal) magnetic field strengths B_e,which were compiled from the existing literature.We analysed the properties of 352 chemically peculiar A and B stars inthe catalogue, including Am, ApSi, He-weak, He-rich, HgMn, ApSrCrEu, andall ApSr type stars. We have found that the number distribution of allchemically peculiar (CP) stars vs. averaged magnetic field strength isdescribed by a decreasing exponential function. Relations of this typehold also for stars of all the analysed subclasses of chemicalpeculiarity. The exponential form of the above distribution function canbreak down below about 100 G, the latter value representingapproximately the resolution of our analysis for A type stars.Table A.1 and its references are only 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/407/631 and Tables 3 to 9are only available in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org
| On the relationship between the mercury-manganese stars and the metallic-lined stars
An HR diagram indicating the positions of the HgMn and the Am starsanalyzed by the senior author and his collaborators shows that thecoolest HgMn stars and the hottest Am stars are found on the samestellar evolutionary tracks and hence the former must evolve into thelater. The explanation of the dividing line between these two types ofnonmagnetic chemically peculiar stars where the Hg abundances suddenlychange their degree of overabundance is a major test of the theorieswhich try to explain the anomalous abundances of such stars. Some otherimportant relationships are found which can also serve as tests oftheories which purport to explain the properties of these stars.
| The Variability of the Hg II λ3984 Line of the Mercury-Manganese Star α Andromedae
The variability of the Hg II λ3984 line in the primary of thebinary star α And was discovered through the examination ofhigh-dispersion spectra with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 500.This first definitively identified spectrum variation in anymercury-manganese star is not due to the orbital motion of thecompanion. Rather, the variation is produced by the combination of the2.38236 day period of rotation of the primary that we determined and anonuniform surface distribution of mercury that is concentrated in itsequatorial region. If the surface mercury distribution exhibitslong-term stability, then it is likely that a weak magnetic fieldoperates in its atmosphere, but if changes are observed in the lineprofile over a period of a few years, then these would constitute directevidence for diffusion.
| Rotational Velocities of B Stars
We measured the projected rotational velocities of 1092 northern B starslisted in the Bright Star Catalogue (BSC) and calibrated them againstthe 1975 Slettebak et al. system. We found that the published values ofB dwarfs in the BSC average 27% higher than those standards. Only 0.3%of the stars have rotational velocities in excess of two-thirds of thebreakup velocities, and the mean velocity is only 25% of breakup,implying that impending breakup is not a significant factor in reducingrotational velocities. For the B8-B9.5 III-V stars the bimodaldistribution in V can be explained by a set of slowly rotating Ap starsand a set of rapidly rotating normal stars. For the B0-B5 III-V starsthat include very few peculiar stars, the distributions in V are notbimodal. Are the low rotational velocities of B stars due to theoccurrence of frequent low-mass companions, planets, or disks? Therotational velocities of giants originating from late B dwarfs areconsistent with their conservation of angular momentum in shells.However, we are puzzled by why the giants that originate from the earlyB dwarfs, despite having 3 times greater radii, have nearly the samerotational velocities. We find that all B-type primaries in binarieswith periods less than 2.4 days have synchronized rotational and orbitalmotions; those with periods between 2.4 and 5.0 days are rotating withina factor 2 of synchronization or are ``nearly synchronized.'' Thecorresponding period ranges for A-type stars are 4.9 and 10.5 days, ortwice as large. We found that the rotational velocities of the primariesare synchronized earlier than their orbits are circularized. The maximumorbital period for circularized B binaries is 1.5 days and for Abinaries is 2.5 days. For stars of various ages from 107.5 to1010.2 yr the maximum circularized periods are a smoothexponential function of age.
| Speckle Observations of Binary Stars with the WIYN Telescope. II. Relative Astrometry Measures during 1998-2000
Five hundred twelve relative astrometry measures are presented for 253double stars, including 53 double stars discovered by Hipparcos. In 15cases, relative astrometry is reported for the first time for newlyconfirmed pairs. In addition, 20 high-quality nondetections ofcompanions are reported for stars suspected of being nonsingle byHipparcos. Observations were taken using a fast-readout CCD camerasystem at the WIYN 3.5 m telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona. In comparingthese measures with ephemeris predictions for binary stars with verywell known orbits, we find that the measurement precision is better than3 mas in separation and 1° in position angle per individualobservation. Measurement precision and detection capabilities are fullydiscussed, and confirmed orbital motion is reported in four cases of theHipparcos double star discoveries. The WIYN Observatory is a jointfacility of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University,Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
| Rotational velocities of A-type stars in the northern hemisphere. II. Measurement of v sin i
This work is the second part of the set of measurements of v sin i forA-type stars, begun by Royer et al. (\cite{Ror_02a}). Spectra of 249 B8to F2-type stars brighter than V=7 have been collected at Observatoirede Haute-Provence (OHP). Fourier transforms of several line profiles inthe range 4200-4600 Å are used to derive v sin i from thefrequency of the first zero. Statistical analysis of the sampleindicates that measurement error mainly depends on v sin i and thisrelative error of the rotational velocity is found to be about 5% onaverage. The systematic shift with respect to standard values fromSlettebak et al. (\cite{Slk_75}), previously found in the first paper,is here confirmed. Comparisons with data from the literature agree withour findings: v sin i values from Slettebak et al. are underestimatedand the relation between both scales follows a linear law ensuremath vsin inew = 1.03 v sin iold+7.7. Finally, thesedata are combined with those from the previous paper (Royer et al.\cite{Ror_02a}), together with the catalogue of Abt & Morrell(\cite{AbtMol95}). The resulting sample includes some 2150 stars withhomogenized rotational velocities. Based on observations made atObservatoire de Haute Provence (CNRS), France. Tables \ref{results} and\ref{merging} are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.125.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/393/897
| A highly sensitive search for magnetic fields in B, A and F stars
Circular spectropolarimetric observations of 74 stars were obtained inan attempt to detect magnetic fields via the longitudinal Zeeman effectin their spectral lines. The sample observed includes 22 normal B, A andF stars, four emission-line B and A stars, 25 Am stars, 10 HgMn stars,two lambda Boo stars and 11 magnetic Ap stars. Using the Least-SquaresDeconvolution multi-line analysis approach (Donati et al.\cite{donati97etal}), high precision Stokes I and V mean signatures wereextracted from each spectrum. We find absolutely no evidence formagnetic fields in the normal, Am and HgMn stars, with upper limits onlongitudinal field measurements usually considerably smaller than anypreviously obtained for these objects. We conclude that if any magneticfields exist in the photospheres of these stars, these fields are notordered as in the magnetic Ap stars, nor do they resemble the fields ofactive late-type stars. We also detect for the first time a field in theA2pSr star HD 108945 and make new precise measurements of longitudinalfields in five previously known magnetic Ap stars, but do not detectfields in five other stars classified as Ap SrCrEu. We also report newresults for several binary systems, including a new vsin i for therapidly rotating secondary of the Am-delta Del SB2 HD 110951. Based onobservations obtained using the MuSiCoS spectropolarimeter on theBernard Lyot telescope, l'Observatoire du Pic du Midi, France.
| An elemental abundance analysis of the mercury manganese star HD 29647
The sharp-lined mercury manganese (HgMn) star HD 29647, which is locatedbehind the outer envelope of the Taurus Molecular Cloud 1, is ofinterest for both its stellar properties and its utility as a probe ofinterstellar gas and dust along its line of sight. In this paper wereview the properties of the star, summarize its line identificationsand present an abundance analysis based on spectrograms obtained at theMcDonald Observatory and the Observatoire de Haute-Provence. This starhas elemental abundances similar to those of other HgMn stars exceptthat its He/H ratio is closer to solar, possibly indicating a young age,and that it, like HR 7775, is overabundant in selected elementsincluding the rare earths. The stellar radial velocity, unfortunately,closely matches that of the foreground cloud.
| Speckle Interferometry of New and Problem Hipparcos Binaries. II. Observations Obtained in 1998-1999 from McDonald Observatory
The Hipparcos satellite made measurements of over 9734 known doublestars, 3406 new double stars, and 11,687 unresolved but possible doublestars. The high angular resolution afforded by speckle interferometrymakes it an efficient means to confirm these systems from the ground,which were first discovered from space. Because of its coverage of adifferent region of angular separation-magnitude difference(ρ-Δm) space, speckle interferometry also holds promise toascertain the duplicity of the unresolved Hipparcos ``problem'' stars.Presented are observations of 116 new Hipparcos double stars and 469Hipparcos ``problem stars,'' as well as 238 measures of other doublestars and 246 other high-quality nondetections. Included in these areobservations of double stars listed in the Tycho-2 Catalogue andpossible grid stars for the Space Interferometry Mission.
| New results of magnetic field diagnosis in HgMn stars and normal late B-type stars
We suggested in a previous paper that three HgMn stars, HD 175640, HD178065, and HD 186122, may be suspected to possess a magnetic field thatcould be larger than 2 kG. We report here new observations of thesethree stars, three more HgMn stars, and four normal late B-type stars.The search was carried out by measuring the equivalent width of the FeII lambda 6147.7 Å line relative to the equivalent width of the FeII lambda 6149.2 Å line. The observed relative differences betweenthe equivalent widths of these Fe II lines are compared with thosederived from synthetic spectra computed by neglecting magnetic fieldeffects. To investigate the effect of oscillator strength uncertaintieson the results, we computed equivalent widths by using both Fe II loggf-values taken from Kurucz & Bell (\cite{KB95}) and Fe II loggf-values taken from Raassen & Uylings (2000). The comparison of thecomputed and observed equivalent widths based on the Kurucz & Bell(\cite{KB95}) atomic data leads us to conclude that all the stars of oursample, except HD 175640, are very likely to possess a magnetic field.On the other hand, the comparison of the computed and observedequivalent widths based on the Raassen & Uylings (2000) loggf-values suggests the possible presence of magnetic fields only inthree stars, the HgMn star HD 16717 and the two normal B-type stars HD179761 and HD 186568. The latter two are those in the sample with thelargest vsin i (15 km s-1 and 18 km s-1,respectively), so that the results for them are the most uncertain ones.
| Elemental abundance analyses with DAO spectrograms. XXIV. The Mercury Manganese stars upsilon Her, phi Her, and HR 7018
Elemental abundances analyses are performed for the Mercury-Manganesestars upsilon Her, phi Her, and HR 7018 consistent with previous studiesof this series using spectrograms obtained with Reticon and CCDdetectors. Comparisons of the first two analyses with those performedusing coadded photographic plates show the general consistency of thederived elemental abundances. For upsilon Her and for phi Her,abundances were newly found for O, and for Al, V, Zn, and Ce,respectively. HR 7018 is discovered to be a single-lined spectroscopicbinary. Its Sc abundance is the smallest of any class member withderived abundances and its Sr abundance the largest of any known HgMnstar. A correlation analysis of the most complete abundance sets for 20HgMn stars shows that the abundances of some elements are correlatedwith one another and some are functions of the stellar effectivetemperature. Table 6 is 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/367/597
| 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
| Neon abundances in normal late-B and mercury-manganese stars
We make new non-local thermodynamic equilibrium calculations to deducethe abundances of neon from visible-region echelle spectra of selectedNei lines in seven normal stars and 20HgMn stars. We find that the beststrong blend-free Ne line that can be used at the lower end of theeffective temperature Teff range is λ6402, althoughseveral other potentially useful Nei lines are found in the red regionof the spectra of these stars. The mean neon abundance in the normalstars (logA=8.10) is in excellent agreement with the standard abundanceof neon (8.08). However, in HgMn stars neon is almost universallyunderabundant, ranging from marginal deficits of 0.1-0.3dex tounderabundances of an order of magnitude or more. In many cases, thelines are so weak that only upper limits can be established. The mostextreme example found is υ Her with an underabundance of at least1.5dex. These underabundances are qualitatively expected from radiativeacceleration calculations, which show that Ne has a very small radiativeacceleration in the photosphere, and that it is expected to undergogravitational settling if the mixing processes are sufficiently weak andthere is no strong stellar wind. According to theoretical predictions,the low Ne abundances place an important constraint on the intensity ofsuch stellar winds, which must be less than10-14Msolaryr-1 if they arenon-turbulent.
| Emission lines in the spectra of late-B type stars
We report detections of weak emission lines in the red spectral regionof sharp-lined chemically normal and peculiar (HgMn) late-B type starsfrom high spectral resolution and high signal-to-noise data. Mostemission lines originate from high-excitation states of the ions Cr IIand Mn II, with others likely to be attributed to Ti II and Fe II. Theemission is observed to extend over the entire line profile width forrotational velocities up to 18 km s-1, implying that itoriginates within the same rotational framework as the absorption linespectrum. Within the sample no obvious correlation is noted for thepresence of emission with regard to stellar effective temperature orluminosity. A dependence upon element abundance is evident from theabsence of Mn II emission for HgMn stars for which the manganeseenhancement is greater than 1.3 dex. This trend is mildly reinforced bythe chromium emission spectrum being most developed amongst stars richerin chromium. We postulate that the Cr II and Mn II emissions in the redspectral region arise from a selective excitation process involvinghydrogen Lyalpha photon energies.
| On the effective temperatures, surface gravities, and optical region fluxes of the CP stars
We determined effective temperatures and surface gravities for 17magnetic Chemically Peculiar (mCP) stars by comparing optical regionspectrophotometry and Hγ profiles with the predictions of ATLAS9model atmospheres. Although solar composition models can fit the energydistributions of the normal and many Mercury-Manganese stars, theycannot match the optical energy distributions of the mCP stars,especially the lambda 5200 broad, continuum regions. The role ofmetallicity and microturbulence to provide appropriate energydistributions which fit those observed for the mCP stars isinvestigated. Using metal-rich models with the opacity distributionfunctions for microturbulent velocities of 4 and 8 km s-1,their lambda 5200 broad, continuum features are often fit as part ofthis process. For some stars it is impossible to fit simultaneously boththis feature and the line blanketing in the Hγ region. Thissuggests that this continuum feature is produced by elements other thanthose which contribute most of the general line blanketing. A systematicdifference in the temperatures found by the photometric andspectrophotometric approaches is discovered for the hotter mCP stars. Aninvestigation of 10 Mercury-Manganese stars shows a similar effect. Thismay be due to the photospheric compositions becoming less solar withincreasing temperature.
| Oxygen 6156-8 Angstroms Triplet in Chemically Peculiar Stars of the Upper Main Sequence: Do HgMn Stars Show an Oxygen Anomaly?
An extensive spectrum-fitting analysis in the lambda ~ 6150 Angstromsregion was performed for forty late-B and A chemically peculiar (HgMn,Ap, Am, weak-lined) and normal stars of the upper main sequence, inorder to quantitatively establish the abundance of oxygen from the O I6156-8 triplet and to study its behavior/anomaly for each peculiaritygroup, where special attention was paid to HgMn-type stars. Magnetic Apvariables (Si or SrCrEu type) generally show a remarkably large oxygendepletion (by ~ -1.6 dex to ~ -0.4 dex relative to the solar abundance),and classical Am stars also show a clear underabundance (by ~ -0.6 dexon the average). In contrast, the oxygen abundance in HgMn stars,exhibiting only a mild deficiency relative to the Sun typically by ~0.3-0.4 dex, is not markedly different from the tendency of normalstars, also showing a subsolar abundance ([O/H] =~ -0.2). In view of therecent observational implication that the present solar oxygen abundanceis enriched by ~ 0.2-0.3 dex relative to the interstellar gas (fromwhich young stars are formed), and thus unsuitable for the comparisonstandard, we concluded that the extent of the average O-deficiency inHgMn stars is appreciably reduced down to only ~ 0.1-0.2 dex (i.e., notmuch different from the initial composition), which contrasts with theirwell-known drastically large N-depletion. Yet, as can be seen from thedelicate and tight O vs. Fe anticorrelation, this marginal deficiencyshould be real, and thus some physical process simultaneously producingO-depletion/Fe-enrichment must have actually worked in the atmosphere ofHgMn stars.
| Manganese abundances in mercury-manganese stars
We use exact curve-of-growth analysis and spectral synthesis to deducethe abundance of Mn from high signal-to-noise ratio visible-regionechelle spectra of selected Mn i and MnII lines in 24 HgMn stars. Theresults are compared with the Mn abundances derived from UV resonancelines by Smith & Dworetsky. We find excellent agreement for severalunblended Mn lines and confirm the temperature dependence of the Mnabundance found by Smith & Dworetsky. The MnII lines at lambdalambda 4206 and 4326 are much stronger than one would predict from themean Mn abundances. The lack of agreement is greatest for stars with thestrongest MnII lines. Using ad hoc multicomponent fits to the profilesof sharp-lined stars, we show that most of the discrepancies can beexplained by hyperfine structure that desaturates the lines, with fullwidths of the order of 0.06-0.09 A.
| Mercury Elemental and Isotopic Abundances in Mercury-Manganese Stars
Hg II abundances have been determined for 42 mercury-manganese (HgMn)stars by fitting synthetic spectra to observed spectra of the 3984Å Hg II line. Twenty of the stars had lines sharp enough to allowtheir Hg isotopic abundance mixes to be estimated. The Hg abundance isreported for more HgMn stars here than in any other single work. Nocorrelation was found between Hg II abundance and T_eff or the meancentral wavelength of HgMn lambda3984 stars. The mean central wavelengthof lambda3984 , an indicator of the Hg isotopic mix, is looselycorrelated with T_eff: stars with primarily heavy Hg isotopes tend to becooler, although one star, 46 Aql, has almost pure ^204Hg and T_eff inabout the middle of the temperature range for HgMn stars. We find thatthere is no evidence that any of the HgMn stars have ^196Hg or ^198Hg.For the very sharp-lined stars, the ^204Hg abundance decreases withincreasing T_eff. No correlation is seen between the mean centralwavelength and the surface gravity. No correlation was found between theprojected rotational velocity and the Hg II abundance or the centralwavelength of lambda3984, although this result may be biased by theselection of stars with low reported vsini. Hg I lambda4358 was measuredat high spectral resolution for seven HgMn stars. The isotopic shiftsare too small, and the hyperfine components are too weak to allowunambiguous isotopic abundance ratios to be found. Hg I abundancescorrelate fairly well with Hg II abundances. Some of the Hg isotopicmixtures are difficult to explain using only diffusion. HR 7245 hasapproximately equal abundances of ^199Hg, ^200Hg, ^202Hg, and ^204Hg butvery little ^201Hg, and 11 Per has Hg that is mostly ^199Hg and ^204Hg.Calculations show that hyperfine splitting of ^201Hg changes theradiative forces it feels compared with other isotopes, which may alterdiffusion of that isotope enough to explain its absence in HR 7245, butwe have found no possible explanation for the Hg isotopic mix found in11 Per. These are the first very high resolution measurements of Hg IIlambda3984 for HR 7245 and 11 Per. Although diffusion may be acting inHgMn stars, either there are one or more other mechanisms acting to helpproduce the overabundances and isotopic mixtures seen or ourunderstanding of diffusion is lacking on some important point.
| Three Very Young HGMN Stars in the Orion OB1 Association
We report the detection of three mercury-manganese stars in the OrionOB1 association. HD 37886 and BD -0 deg984 are in the approximately 1.7million year old Orion OB1b. HD 37492 is in the approximately 4.6million year old Orion OB1c. Orion OB1b is now the youngest cluster withknown HgMn star members. This places an observational upper limit on thetimescale needed to produce the chemical peculiarities seen inmercury-manganese stars, which should help in the search for the causeor causes of the peculiar abundances in HgMn and other chemicallypeculiar upper main-sequence stars.
| Speckle Interferometry of New and Problem HIPPARCOS Binaries
The ESA Hipparcos satellite made measurements of over 12,000 doublestars and discovered 3406 new systems. In addition to these, 4706entries in the Hipparcos Catalogue correspond to double star solutionsthat did not provide the classical parameters of separation and positionangle (rho,theta) but were the so-called problem stars, flagged ``G,''``O,'' ``V,'' or ``X'' (field H59 of the main catalog). An additionalsubset of 6981 entries were treated as single objects but classified byHipparcos as ``suspected nonsingle'' (flag ``S'' in field H61), thusyielding a total of 11,687 ``problem stars.'' Of the many ground-basedtechniques for the study of double stars, probably the one with thegreatest potential for exploration of these new and problem Hipparcosbinaries is speckle interferometry. Results are presented from aninspection of 848 new and problem Hipparcos binaries, using botharchival and new speckle observations obtained with the USNO and CHARAspeckle cameras.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Taurus |
| Right ascension: | 04h19m26.10s |
| Declination: | +21°08'32.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 5.35 |
| Distance: | 81.967 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 29.5 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -42.6 |
| B-T magnitude: | 5.398 |
| V-T magnitude: | 5.471 |
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