scholarly journals The effects of rotation on the lithium depletion of G- and K-dwarfs in Messier 35

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 1158-1177
Author(s):  
R D Jeffries ◽  
R J Jackson ◽  
Qinghui Sun ◽  
Constantine P Deliyannis

ABSTRACT New fibre spectroscopy and radial velocities from the WIYN telescope are used to measure photospheric lithium in 242 high-probability, zero-age main-sequence F- to K-type members of the rich cluster M35. Combining these with published rotation periods, the connection between lithium depletion and rotation is studied in unprecedented detail. At Teff < 5500 K there is a strong relationship between faster rotation and less Li depletion, although with a dispersion larger than measurement uncertainties. Components of photometrically identified binary systems follow the same relationship. A correlation is also established between faster rotation rate (or smaller Rossby number), decreased Li depletion and larger stellar radius at a given Teff. These results support models where star-spots and interior magnetic fields lead to inflated radii and reduced Li depletion during the pre-main-sequence (PMS) phase for the fastest rotators. However, the data are also consistent with the idea that all stars suffered lower levels of Li depletion than predicted by standard PMS models, perhaps because of deficiencies in those models or because saturated levels of magnetic activity suppress Li depletion equally in PMS stars of similar Teff regardless of rotation rate, and that slower rotators subsequently experience more mixing and post-PMS Li depletion.

2019 ◽  
Vol 628 ◽  
pp. A41 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pizzocaro ◽  
B. Stelzer ◽  
E. Poretti ◽  
S. Raetz ◽  
G. Micela ◽  
...  

The relation between magnetic activity and rotation in late-type stars provides fundamental information on stellar dynamos and angular momentum evolution. Rotation-activity studies found in the literature suffer from inhomogeneity in the measurement of activity indexes and rotation periods. We overcome this limitation with a study of the X-ray emitting, late-type main-sequence stars observed by XMM-Newton and Kepler. We measured rotation periods from photometric variability in Kepler light curves. As activity indicators, we adopted the X-ray luminosity, the number frequency of white-light flares, the amplitude of the rotational photometric modulation, and the standard deviation in the Kepler light curves. The search for X-ray flares in the light curves provided by the EXTraS (Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky) FP-7 project allows us to identify simultaneous X-ray and white-light flares. A careful selection of the X-ray sources in the Kepler field yields 102 main-sequence stars with spectral types from A to M. We find rotation periods for 74 X-ray emitting main-sequence stars, 20 of which do not have period reported in the previous literature. In the X-ray activity-rotation relation, we see evidence for the traditional distinction of a saturated and a correlated part, the latter presenting a continuous decrease in activity towards slower rotators. For the optical activity indicators the transition is abrupt and located at a period of ~10 d but it can be probed only marginally with this sample, which is biased towards fast rotators due to the X-ray selection. We observe seven bona-fide X-ray flares with evidence for a white-light counterpart in simultaneous Kepler data. We derive an X-ray flare frequency of ~0.15 d−1, consistent with the optical flare frequency obtained from the much longer Kepler time-series.


2018 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. A81 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. H. Navarrete ◽  
D. R. G. Schleicher ◽  
J. Zamponi Fuentealba ◽  
M. Völschow

Context. Eclipsing time variations are observed in many close binary systems. In particular, for several post-common-envelope binaries (PCEBs) that consist of a white dwarf and a main sequence star, the observed-minus-calculated (O–C) diagram suggests that real or apparent orbital period variations are driven by Jupiter-mass planets or as a result of magnetic activity, the so-called Applegate mechanism. The latter explains orbital period variations as a result of changes in the stellar quadrupole moment due to magnetic activity. Aims. In this work we explore the feasibility of driving eclipsing time variations via the Applegate mechanism for a sample of PCEB systems, including a range of different rotation rates. Methods. We used the MESA code to evolve 12 stars with different masses and rotation rates. We applied simple dynamo models to their radial profiles to investigate the scale at which the predicted activity cycle matches the observed modulation period, and quantifiy the uncertainty. We further calculated the required energies to drive the Applegate mechanism. Results. We show that the Applegate mechanism is energetically feasible in 5 PCEB systems. In RX J2130.6+4710, it may be feasible as well considering the uncertainties. We note that these are the systems with the highest rotation rate compared to the critical rotation rate of the main-sequence star. Conclusions. The results suggest that the ratio of physical to critical rotation rate in the main sequence star is an important indicator for the feasibility of Applegate’s mechanism, but exploring larger samples will be necessary to probe this hypothesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A48 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mittag ◽  
J. H. M. M. Schmitt ◽  
K.-P. Schröder

The connection between stellar rotation, stellar activity, and convective turnover time is revisited with a focus on the sole contribution of magnetic activity to the Ca II H&K emission, the so-called excess flux, and its dimensionless indicator R+HK in relation to other stellar parameters and activity indicators. Our study is based on a sample of 169 main-sequence stars with directly measured Mount Wilson S-indices and rotation periods. The R+HK values are derived from the respective S-indices and related to the rotation periods in various B–V-colour intervals. First, we show that stars with vanishing magnetic activity, i.e. stars whose excess flux index R+HK approaches zero, have a well-defined, colour-dependent rotation period distribution; we also show that this rotation period distribution applies to large samples of cool stars for which rotation periods have recently become available. Second, we use empirical arguments to equate this rotation period distribution with the global convective turnover time, which is an approach that allows us to obtain clear relations between the magnetic activity related excess flux index R+HK, rotation periods, and Rossby numbers. Third, we show that the activity versus Rossby number relations are very similar in the different activity indicators. As a consequence of our study, we emphasize that our Rossby number based on the global convective turnover time approaches but does not exceed unity even for entirely inactive stars. Furthermore, the rotation-activity relations might be universal for different activity indicators once the proper scalings are used.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (S314) ◽  
pp. 91-94
Author(s):  
Garrett Somers ◽  
Marc H. Pinsonneault

AbstractWe investigate the impact of starspots on the evolution of late-type stars during the pre-main sequence (pre-MS). We find that heavy spot coverage increases the radii of stars by 4–10%, consistent with inflation factors in eclipsing binary systems, and suppresses the rate of pre-MS lithium depletion, leading to a dispersion in zero-age MS Li abundance (comparable to observed spreads) if a range of spot properties exist within clusters from 3-10 Myr. This concordance with data implies that spots induce a range of radii at fixed mass during the pre-MS. These spots decrease the luminosity and Teff of stars, leading to a displacement on the HR diagram. This displacement causes isochrone derived masses and ages to be systematically under-estimated, and can lead to the spurious appearance of an age spread in a co-eval population.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S302) ◽  
pp. 100-101
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Juarez ◽  
Phillip A. Cargile ◽  
David J. James ◽  
Keivan G. Stassun

AbstractIn this project, we investigate the effects of magnetic activity on the Lithium Depletion Boundary (LDB) to recalibrate the measured ages for star clusters, using the open cluster Blanco 1 as a pilot study. We apply the LDB technique on low-mass Pre-Main-Sequence (PMS) stars to derive an accurate age for Blanco 1, and we consider the effect of magnetic activity on this inferred age. Although observations have shown that magnetic activity directly affects stellar radius and temperature, most PMS models do not include the effects of magnetic activity on stellar properties. Since the lithium abundance of a star depends on its radius and temperature, we expect that LDB ages are affected by magnetic activity. After empirically accounting for the effects of magnetic activity, we find the age of Blanco 1 to be ~100 Myr, which is ~30 Myr younger than the standard LDB age of ~130 Myr.


2019 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. A85 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Nielsen ◽  
L. Gizon ◽  
R. H. Cameron ◽  
M. Miesch

Context. During the solar magnetic activity cycle the emergence latitudes of sunspots change, leading to the well-known butterfly diagram. This phenomenon is poorly understood for other stars since starspot latitudes are generally unknown. The related changes in starspot rotation rates caused by latitudinal differential rotation can, however, be measured. Aims. Using the set of 3093 Kepler stars with measured activity cycles, we aim to study the temporal change in starspot rotation rates over magnetic activity cycles, and how this relates to the activity level, the mean rotation rate of the star, and its effective temperature. Methods. We measured the photometric variability as a proxy for the magnetic activity and the spot rotation rate in each quarter over the duration of the Kepler mission. We phase-folded these measurements with the cycle period. To reduce random errors, we performed averages over stars with comparable mean rotation rates and effective temperature at fixed activity-cycle phases. Results. We detect a clear correlation between the variation of activity level and the variation of the starspot rotation rate. The sign and amplitude of this correlation depends on the mean stellar rotation and – to a lesser extent – on the effective temperature. For slowly rotating stars (rotation periods between 15 − 28 days), the starspot rotation rates are clearly anti-correlated with the level of activity during the activity cycles. A transition is observed around rotation periods of 10 − 15 days, where stars with an effective temperature above 4200 K instead show positive correlation. Conclusions. Our measurements can be interpreted in terms of a stellar “butterfly diagram”, but these appear different from that of the Sun since the starspot rotation rates are either in phase or anti-phase with the activity level. Alternatively, the activity cycle periods observed by Kepler are short (around 2.5 years) and may therefore be secondary cycles, perhaps analogous to the solar quasi-biennial oscillations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S302) ◽  
pp. 377-378
Author(s):  
Philippe Gondoin

AbstractThe X-ray surface fluxes of intermediate-mass G and K giants are correlated with their rotation periods and Rossby numbers. Empirical relationships are presented that accounts for the X-ray luminosity evolution of single intermediate-mass giants, such as FK Comae-type stars, and of giants in close or long-period binaries, such as RS CVn-type systems, as they evolve off the main sequence towards the top of the red giant branch.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S344) ◽  
pp. 94-95
Author(s):  
Yutaka Komiyama

AbstractWe have carried out a wide and deep imaging survey for the Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxy Ursa Minor (UMi) using Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). The data cover out beyond the nominal tidal radius down to ~25 mag in i band, which is ~2 mag below the main sequence turn-off point. The structural parameters of UMi are derived using red giant branch (RGB) stars and sub-giant branch (SGB) stars, and the tidal radius is suggested to be larger than those estimated by the previous studies. It is also found that the distribution of bluer RGB/SGB stars is more extended than that of redder RGB/SGB stars. The fraction of binary systems is estimated to be ~0.4 from the morphology of the main sequences.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S240) ◽  
pp. 442-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katalin Oláh

AbstractActivity of late type stars is enhanced by fast rotation, which is maintained in nearly synchronized close binary systems. Magnetic activity originates in the deep convection zones of stars from where magnetic flux tubes emerge to their surfaces. The gravitational forces in binaries help the clustering of activity features giving rise to active longitudes. These preferred longitudes are observed in binaries from dwarfs to giants. Differential rotation is found in many active stars that are components of binary systems. If these binaries are circularized and nearly synchronized, then there will be a corotation latitude in their surfaces, and its position can be determined by observations and by theoretical calculations. Enhanced activity in binaries could have a reverse effect as well: strong magnetism in a binary component can modify the orbital period by the cyclic exchange of kinetic and magnetic energy in its convective envelope.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S236) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Pravec ◽  
A. W. Harris ◽  
B. D. Warner

AbstractOf the nearly 3900 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) known as of June 2006, 325 have estimated rotation periods, with most of those determined by lightcurve analysis led by a few dedicated programs. NEAs with diameters down to 10 meters have been sampled. Observed spin distribution shows a major changing point around diameter of 200 meters. Larger NEAs show a barrier against spins faster than 11 d−1 (period about 2.2 h) that shifts to slower rates (longer periods) with increasing lightcurve amplitude (i.e., with increasing equatorial elongation). The spin barrier is interpreted as a critical spin rate for bodies in a gravity regime; NEAs larger than 200 meters are predominantly bodies with tensile strength too low to withstand a centrifugal acceleration for rotation faster than the critical spin rate. The cohesionless spin barrier disappears at sizes less than 200 meters where most objects rotate too fast to be held together by self-gravitation only, so a cohesion is implied in the smaller NEAs.The distribution of NEA spin rates in the cohesionless size range (D0.2 km) is highly non-Maxwellian, suggesting that mechanisms other than just collisions have been at work. There is a pile up just in front of the barrier, at periods 2–3 h. It may be related to a spin up mechanism crowding asteroids to the barrier. An excess of slow rotators is observed at periods longer than 30 hours. A spin-down mechanism has no obvious lower limit on spin rate; periods as long as tens of days have been observed.Most NEAs appear to be in their basic spin states with rotation around principal axis with maximum moment of inertia. Tumbling objects (i.e., bodies in excited, non-principal axis rotation) are present and actually predominate among slow rotators with estimated damping timescales longer than the age of the solar system. A few tumblers observed among fast rotating coherent objects appear to be either more rigid or younger than the larger (cohesionless) tumblers.An abundant population of binary systems has been found among NEAs. The fraction of binaries among NEAs larger than 0.3 km has been estimated to be 15 ± 4%. Primaries of binary systems concentrate at fast spin rates (periods 2–3 h) and low amplitudes, i.e., they lie just below the cohesionless spin barrier. The total angular momentum content in binary systems suggests that they formed from parent bodies spinning at the critical rate. The fact that a very similar population of binaries has been found among small main belt asteroids suggests a binary formation mechanism that may not be related to close encounters with the terrestrial planets.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document