scholarly journals BRITE photometry and STELLA spectroscopy of bright stars in Auriga: Rotation, pulsation, orbits, and eclipses

2020 ◽  
Vol 644 ◽  
pp. A104 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Strassmeier ◽  
T. Granzer ◽  
M. Weber ◽  
R. Kuschnig ◽  
A. Pigulski ◽  
...  

Context. Knowing rotational and pulsational periods across the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is of top priority for understanding stellar activity as a function of time. Aims. We aim to determine periods for bright stars in the Auriga field that are otherwise not easily accessible for ground-based photometry. Methods. Continuous photometry with up to three BRITE satellites was obtained for 12 targets and subjected to a period search. Contemporaneous high-resolution optical spectroscopy with STELLA was used to obtain radial velocities through cross correlation with template spectra as well as to determine astrophysical parameters through a comparison with model spectra. Results. The Capella red light curve was found to be constant over 176 days with a root mean square of 1 mmag, but the blue light curve showed a period of 10.1 ± 0.6 d, which we interpret to be the rotation period of the G0 component. From STELLA we obtained an improved orbital solution based on 9600 spectra from the previous 12.9 yr. We derive masses precise to ≈0.3% but 1% smaller than previously published. The BRITE light curve of the F0 supergiant ε Aur suggests 152 d as its main pulsation period, while the STELLA radial velocities reveal a clear 68 d period. An ingress of an eclipse of the ζ Aur binary system was covered with BRITE and a precise timing for its eclipse onset derived. A possible 70 d period fits the proposed tidal-induced, nonradial pulsations of this ellipsoidal K4 supergiant. η Aur is identified as a slowly pulsating B (SPB) star with a main period of 1.29 d and is among the brightest SPB stars discovered so far. The rotation period of the magnetic Ap star θ Aur is detected from photometry and spectroscopy with a period of 3.6189 d and 3.6177 d, respectively, likely the same within the errors. The radial velocities of this star show a striking non-sinusoidal shape with a large amplitude of 7 km s−1. Photometric rotation periods are also confirmed for the magnetic Ap star IQ Aur of 2.463 d and for the solar-type star κ1 Cet of 9.065 d, and also for the B7 HgMn giant β Tau of 2.74 d. Revised orbital solutions are derived for the eclipsing SB2 binary β Aur, which replaces the initial orbit dating from 1948 for the 27-year eclipsing SB1 ε Aur, and for the RS CVn binary V711 Tau, for which a spot-corrected orbital solution was achieved. The two stars ν Aur and ι Aur are found to be long-term, low-amplitude RV and brightness variables, but provisional orbital elements based on a period of 20 yr and an eccentricity of 0.7 could only be extracted for ν Aur. The variations of ι Aur are due to oscillations with a period of ≈4 yr.

2020 ◽  
Vol 492 (4) ◽  
pp. 5141-5151
Author(s):  
S M Zaleski ◽  
A Valio ◽  
B D Carter ◽  
S C Marsden

ABSTRACT Little is known of the activity and differential rotation of low luminosity, early M dwarfs from direct observation. We present the first stellar activity analysis of star-spots and faculae for the hot Jupiter hosting M1V dwarf Kepler-45 from $\it Kepler$ transit light curves. We find star-spot and facula temperatures contrasting a few hundred degrees with the quiet photosphere, hence similar to other early M dwarfs having a convective envelope surrounding a radiative core. Star-spots are prominent close to the centre of the stellar disc, with faculae prominent towards the limbs, similar to what is observed for the Sun. Star-spot and facula mean sizes are about 40 and 45 × 103 km, respectively, and thus faculae occupy a 10 per cent larger surface area than the star-spots. A short-term activity cycle of about 295 d is observed that is reminiscent of those seen for other cool dwarfs. Adopting a solar-type differential rotation profile (faster equatorial rotation than polar rotation), our star-spot and facula temporal mapping indicates a rotation period of 15.520 ± 0.025 d at the transit latitude of −33.2°. From the mean stellar rotation of 15.762 d, we estimate a rotational shear of 0.031 ± 0.004 rad d−1, or a relative differential rotation of 7.8 ± 0.9 per cent. Kepler-45’s surface rotational shear is thus consistent with observations and theoretical modelling of other early M dwarfs that indicate a shear of less than 0.045 rad d−1 and no less than 0.03 rad d−1 for stars with similar stellar rotation periods.


1993 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 141-145
Author(s):  
K. Stȩpień

It is shown that the scaling of rotation periods by a color-dependent parameter (turnover time) improves substantially the observed activity-period relations only for single, main sequence, solar type stars with 0.5 ≲ B – V ≲ 0.8. For other single main sequence stars and for single giants activity indices correlate equally well with rotation period and the Rossby number, or show no correlation with either parameter.


1991 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 353-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas S. Hall

AbstractSpottedness, as evidenced by photometric variability in 277 late-type binary and single stars, is found to occur when the Rossby number is less than about 2/3. This holds true when the convective turnover time versus B–V relation of Gilliland is used for dwarfs and also for subgiants and giants if their turnover times are twice and four times longer, respectively, than for dwarfs. Differential rotation is found correlated with rotation period (rapidly rotating stars approaching solid-body rotation) and also with lobe-filling factor (the differential rotation coefficient k is 2.5 times larger for F = 0 than F = 1). Also reviewed are latitude extent of spottedness, latitude drift during a solar-type cycle, sector structure and preferential longitudes, starspot lifetimes, and the many observational manifestations of magnetic cycles.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A91 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ďurech ◽  
J. Hanuš

Context. In addition to stellar data, Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) also contains accurate astrometry and photometry of about 14 000 asteroids covering 22 months of observations. Aims. We used Gaia asteroid photometry to reconstruct rotation periods, spin axis directions, and the coarse shapes of a subset of asteroids with enough observations. One of our aims was to test the reliability of the models with respect to the number of data points and to check the consistency of these models with independent data. Another aim was to produce new asteroid models to enlarge the sample of asteroids with known spin and shape. Methods. We used the lightcurve inversion method to scan the period and pole parameter space to create final shape models that best reproduce the observed data. To search for the sidereal rotation period, we also used a simpler model of a geometrically scattering triaxial ellipsoid. Results. By processing about 5400 asteroids with at least 10 observations in DR2, we derived models for 173 asteroids, 129 of which are new. Models of the remaining asteroids were already known from the inversion of independent data, and we used them for verification and error estimation. We also compared the formally best rotation periods based on Gaia data with those derived from dense lightcurves. Conclusions. We show that a correct rotation period can be determined even when the number of observations N is less than 20, but the rate of false solutions is high. For N > 30, the solution of the inverse problem is often successful and the parameters are likely to be correct in most cases. These results are very promising because the final Gaia catalogue should contain photometry for hundreds of thousands of asteroids, typically with several tens of data points per object, which should be sufficient for reliable spin reconstruction.


1979 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 277-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy D. Morrison ◽  
Peter S. Conti

The star HD 93206 (=QZ Carinae) is a double-lined (Conti et al. 1977), eclipsing (Moffat and Seggewiss 1972) binary with a period of 6 d. Walborn (1973) classified it 09.7Ib:(n). Since the star is probably a member of the cluster Collander 228 (which is near η Carinae), its distance can be assumed to be 2600 pc. In principle, one can determine the masses of the components of HD 93206 from observations of the radial velocities and the light curve, and a spectroscopic orbit is the object of this investigation. A mass determination for an evolved star such as this one is especially important for checking recently computed evolutionary tracks with mass loss for massive stars (de Loore et al. 1977, Chiosi et al. 1978, Dearborn et al. 1978).


2020 ◽  
Vol 492 (1) ◽  
pp. 1008-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gillen ◽  
Joshua T Briegal ◽  
Simon T Hodgkin ◽  
Daniel Foreman-Mackey ◽  
Floor Van Leeuwen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We determine rotation periods for 127 stars in the ∼115-Myr-old Blanco 1 open cluster using ∼200 d of photometric monitoring with the Next Generation Transit Survey. These stars span F5–M3 spectral types (1.2 M⊙ ≳ M ≳ 0.3 M⊙) and increase the number of known rotation periods in Blanco 1 by a factor of four. We determine rotation periods using three methods: Gaussian process (GP) regression, generalized autocorrelation function (G-ACF), and Lomb–Scargle (LS) periodogram, and find that the GP and G-ACF methods are more applicable to evolving spot modulation patterns. Between mid-F and mid-K spectral types, single stars follow a well-defined rotation sequence from ∼2 to 10 d, whereas stars in photometric multiple systems typically rotate faster. This may suggest that the presence of a moderate-to-high mass ratio companion inhibits angular momentum loss mechanisms during the early pre-main sequence, and this signature has not been erased at ∼100 Myr. The majority of mid-F to mid-K stars display evolving modulation patterns, whereas most M stars show stable modulation signals. This morphological change coincides with the shift from a well-defined rotation sequence (mid-F to mid-K stars) to a broad rotation period distribution (late-K and M stars). Finally, we compare our rotation results for Blanco 1 to the similarly aged Pleiades: the single-star populations in both clusters possess consistent rotation period distributions, which suggests that the angular momentum evolution of stars follows a well-defined pathway that is, at least for mid-F to mid-K stars, strongly imprinted by ∼100 Myr.


1992 ◽  
Vol 135 ◽  
pp. 67-72
Author(s):  
Gordon A.H. Walker

AbstractCurrent techniques for the detection of long-term, low-amplitude (<50 m s−1), radial velocity variations are briefly reviewed together with some of their most successful programs. In the era of 8- to 10-m telescopes we must strive for a precision of < 1ms−1.


2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (4) ◽  
pp. 5513-5529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiming Cui ◽  
Jifeng Liu ◽  
Shuhong Yang ◽  
Qing Gao ◽  
Huiqin Yang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Stellar rotation plays a key role in stellar activity. The rotation period could be detected through light curve variations caused by star-spots. Kepler provides two types of light curves: one is the Pre-search Data Conditioning (PDC) light curves, and the other is the Simple Aperture Photometer (SAP) light curves. Compared with the PDC light curves, the SAP light curves keep the long-term trend, relatively suitable for searches of long-period signals. However, SAP data are inflicted by some artefacts such as quarterly rolls and instrumental errors, making it difficult to find the physical periods in the SAP light curves. We explore a systematic approach based on the light curve pre-processing, period detection, and candidate selection. We also develop a simulated light curve test to estimate our detection limits for the SAP-like LCs. After applying our method to the raw SAP light curves, we found more than 1000 main-sequence stars with periods longer than 30 d; 165 are newly discovered. Considering the potential flaw of the SAP, we also inspect the newly found objects with photometry methods, and most of our periodical signals are confirmed.


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