scholarly journals The Scatter of Metallicities of Stars in the Solar Neighbourhood

1996 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 431-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Fuchs ◽  
C. Dettbarn ◽  
R. Wielen

It is well known that the velocity dispersions of the stars in the solar neighbourhood increase with their ages (Wielen 1977). In Fig.1 we show |W| weighted velocity dispersions (cf. Wielen 1977) of the stars in the Third Catalog of Nearby Stars (Gliese and Jahreiß 1994). Open symbols indicate main sequence stars and crosses indicate McCormick stars, a kinematically unbiased subset of the CNS3, respectively, whereas the filled symbols are the Edvardsson et al. (1993) data. Stars older than 14 Gyr are not shown because they are probably thick disk stars (Freeman 1991). We have assumed a maximum age of the old thin disk stars of 12 Gyr as suggested by the Edvardsson et al. data. As can be seen from Fig.1 both data sets fit ideally together. The solid line indicates a σ ∝ τ1/2 law.

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 400-400
Author(s):  
Yang Ting-Gao ◽  
Shu Cheng-Gang ◽  
Fu Cheng-Qi ◽  
Jiang Dong-Rong ◽  
Peng Qiu-He

The Third Catalogue of Nearby Stars (CNS3) was analyzed. A study of the stellar luminosity function in the solar neighborhood with CNS3 was described. The luminosity function for main sequence stars derived from CNS3 was compared with that from CNS2 and that based on the method of photometric parallaxes. The results from CNS3 for stars with Mv <15.5 were well defined. Luminosity functions for the giants and A, F, G, K and M type main sequence stars are also given, based on CNS3.


1959 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 39-40
Author(s):  
O. C. Wilson

Modern photoelectric techniques yield magnitudes and colors of stars with accuracies of the order of a few thousandths and a few hundredths of a magnitude respectively. Hence for star clusters it is possible to derive highly accurate color-magnitude arrays since all of the members of a cluster may be considered to be at the same distance from the observer. It is much more difficult to do this for the nearby stars where all of the objects concerned are at different, and often poorly determined, distances. If one depends upon trigonometric parallaxes, the bulk of the reliable individual values will refer to main sequence stars, and while the mean luminosities of brighter stars are given reasonably well by this method, the scatter introduced into a color-magnitude array by using individual trigonometrically determined luminosities could obscure important features. Somewhat similar objections could be raised against the use of the usual spectroscopic parallaxes which also should be quite good for the main sequence but undoubtedly exhibit appreciable scatter for some, at least, of the brighter stars.


2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiko Ibukiyama

AbstractWe derive age–metallicity relations (AMRs) and orbits for the 1658 solar neighbourhood stars for which accurate distances are measured by the Hipparcos satellite. The sample comprises 1382 thin disk stars, 229 thick disk stars, and 47 halo stars according to their orbital parameters. We find a considerable scatter for thin disk AMRs along the one-zone Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model. Orbits and metallicities of thin disk stars show no clear relation to each other. The scatter along the AMR exists even if stars with the same orbits are selected. We examine simple extensions of one-zone GCE models which account for inhomogeneity in the effective yield and inhomogeneous star formation rate in the Galaxy. Both extensions of the one-zone GCE model cannot account for the scatter in the age–[Fe/H]–[Ca/Fe] relation simultaneously. We conclude, therefore, that the scatter along the thin disk AMR is an essential feature in the formation and evolution of the Galaxy. The AMR for thick disk stars shows that star formation terminated 8 Gyr ago in the thick disk. As previously reported, thick disk stars are more Ca-rich than thin disk stars with the same [Fe/H]. We find that thick disk stars show a vertical abundance gradient. These three facts — AMR, vertical gradient, and [Ca/Fe]–[Fe/H] relation — support monolithic collapse and/or accretion of satellite dwarf galaxies as likely thick disk formation scenarios.


1995 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 368-368
Author(s):  
Devendra Ojha ◽  
Olivier Bienaymé

We have been doing a sample survey in UBV photometry and proper motions as part of an investigation of galactic structure and evolution. The 3 fields in the direction of galactic anticentre (l = 167°, b = 47°), centre (l = 3°, b = 47°) and antirotation (l = 278°, b = 47°) have been surveyed. The high astrometric quality of the MAMA machine (CAI, Paris) gives access to micronic accuracy (leading to < 2 mas per year) on proper motions with a 35 years time base. The kinematical distribution of F and G–type stars have been probed to distances up to 2.5 kpc above the galactic plane. We have derived the constrain on the structural parameters of the thin and thick disk components of the Galaxy (Ojha et al. 1994abc): • The scale lengths of the thin and thick disks are found to be 2.6±0.1 and 3.3±0.5 kpc, respectively. The density laws for stars with 3.5≤MV≤5 as a function of distance above the plane follow a single exponential with scale height of ∼ 260 pc (thin disk) and a second exponential with scale height of ∼ 800 pc (thick disk) with a local normalization of 5–6% of the disk.• The thin disk population was found with (〈 U+W〉, 〈V〉) = (1±4, −14±2) km/s and velocity dispersions (σU+W, σV) = (35±2, 30±1) km/s. The thick disk population was found to have a rotational velocity of Vrot = 177 km/s and velocity dispersions (σU, σV, σW) = (67,51,42) km/s. No dependence with r and z distances was found in the asymmetric drift measurements of the thick disk population.


1973 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
W. Gliese

By examining the observed dispersion in (colour, spectral type) relations, classification errors have been derived from the data of nearby stars. The comparisons of the colour deviations observed in spectral regions of large variations of colour with type with the deviations in regions of small variations give the following standard errors in units of a tenth of a spectral class: For K dwarfs ±0.6 (MK), ±1.2 (Mt. Wilson), ±0.7 (Kuiper); for early M dwarfs ±0.9: (MK), ±0.7 (Mt. Wilson), ±0.5: (Kuiper); and for late M dwarfs ±0.7 (Kuiper).


1996 ◽  
Vol 158 ◽  
pp. 335-338
Author(s):  
Joanna Mikołajewska

AbstractWe have combined IUE spectra with optical spectroscopic and photometric data collected over a few orbits of the symbiotic binary CI Cyg to follow the evolution of a disk and boundary layer during a full activity cycle. Our results indicate an extended optically thin disk during quiescent periods, which evolves into an optically thick state in an eruption; a classical boundary layer at the inner edge of the disk ionizes a surrounding H II region in quiescence, and this emission fades during the rise to visual maximum in outburst. This evolution of Ṁ rivals that observed in classical CVs and pre-main sequence stars, so symbiotic systems like CI Cyg represent another opportunity to study the physics of disk accretion.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S240) ◽  
pp. 109-110
Author(s):  
Luiz Paulo R. Vaz ◽  
Johannes Andersen ◽  
Antônio Claret

AbstractWe have redetermined the absolute dimensions of the mid B-type eclipsing binary U Oph from new light and radial-velocity curves, accounting for both the apsidal motion and the light-time orbit around the third star. The stars in U Oph have masses of 5.27 and 4.74 M⊙(±1.5%) and are located in the middle of the main-sequence band for an an age of ∼50 Myr. U Oph and three other systems (V760 Sco, MU, Cas and DI Her) all have components within 10% of 5M⊙ and ages below 100 Myr; we find significant heavy-element abundance differences between these young nearby stars.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S262) ◽  
pp. 127-130
Author(s):  
Timothy C. Beers ◽  
Deokkeun An ◽  
Jennifer A. Johnson ◽  
Marc H. Pinsonneault ◽  
Donald M. Terndrup ◽  
...  

AbstractWe describe the methodology required for estimation of photometric estimates of metallicity based on the SDSS gri passbands, which can be used to probe the properties of main-sequence stars beyond ~10 kpc, complementing studies of nearby stars from more metallicity-sensitive color indices that involve the u passband. As a first application of this approach, we determine photometric metal abundance estimates for individual main-sequence stars in the Virgo Overdensity, which covers almost 1000 deg2 on the sky, based on a calibration of the metallicity sensitivity of stellar isochrones in the gri filter passbands using field stars with well-determined spectroscopic metal abundances. Despite the low precision of the method for individual stars, internal errors of σ[Fe/H]~0.1 dex can be achieved for bulk stellar populations. The global metal abundance of the Virgo Overdensity determined in this way is 〈[Fe/H]〉 = −2.0±0.1 (internal) ±0.5 (systematic), from photometric measurements of 0.7 million stars with heliocentric distances from ~10 kpc to ~20 kpc. A preliminary metallicity map, based on results for 2.9 million stars in the northern SDSS DR-7 footprint, exhibits a shift to lower metallicities as one proceeds from the inner- to the outer-halo population, consistent with recent interpretation of the kinematics of local samples of stars with spectroscopically available metallicity estimates and full space motions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (H16) ◽  
pp. 357-357
Author(s):  
Jincheng Yu ◽  
Jerry Sellwood ◽  
Carlton Pryor ◽  
Li Chen ◽  
Jinliang Hou

AbstractWe use samples of local main-sequence stars to show that the radial gradient of [Fe/H] in the thin disk of the Milky Way decreases with mean effective stellar temperature. We use the angular momentum of each star about the Galactic center to eliminate the effects of epicyclic motion, which would otherwise blur the estimated gradients. We use the effective temperatures as a proxy for mean age, and conclude that the decreasing gradient is consistent with the predictions of radial mixing due to transient spiral patterns. We find some evidence that the trend of decreasing gradient with increasing mean age breaks to a constant gradient for samples of stars whose main-sequence life-times exceed the likely age of the thin disk.


1993 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 107-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Jahreiß ◽  
Wilhelm Gliese

The nearby stars constitute the statistically most complete and therefore most representative sample of stars in our Galaxy. Only this sample allows a direct investigation of luminosity function and kinematics of low-mass stars.A study of the Third Catalogue of Nearby Stars reveals a considerable increase — not only in quantity but also in quality — in our knowledge of the immediate solar neighbourhood, and reflects very nicely the progress achieved during the last decades — especially in astrometry and photometry. Expectations for the near future (HIPPARCOS) and desiderata for further astrometric and photometric work will be discussed.


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