Searching for Magnetospheres around Herbig Ae/Be Stars

We describe four different approaches for the detection of magnetospheric accretion among Herbig Ae/Be stars with accretion disks. Studies of several unique objects have been carried out. One of the objects is the Herbig Ae star HD 101412 with a comparatively strong magnetic field. The second is the early-type Herbig B6e star HD 259431. The existence of a magnetosphere in these objects was not recognized earlier. In both cases, a periodicity in the variation of some line parameters, originating near the region of the disk/star interaction, has been found. The third object is the young binary system HD 104237, hosting a Herbig Ae star and a T Tauri star. Based on the discovery of periodic variations of equivalent widths of atmospheric lines in the spectrum of the primary, we have concluded that the surface of the star is spotted. Comparing our result with an earlier one, we argue that these spots can be connected with the infall of material from the disk onto the stellar surface through a magnetosphere. The fourth example is the Herbig Ae/Be star HD 37806. Signatures of magnetospheric accretion in this object have been identified using a different method. They were inferred from the short-term variability of the He i λ5876 line profile forming in the region of the disk/star interaction.

Surveying the Bright Stars by Optical Interferometry. III. A Magnitude-limited Multiplicity Survey of Classical Be Stars

We present the results of a multiplicity survey for a magnitude-limited sample of 31 classical Be stars conducted with the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer and the Mark III Stellar Interferometer. The interferometric observations were used to detect companions in 10 previously known binary systems. For two of these sources (66 Oph and β Cep) new orbital solutions were obtained, while for a third source (υ Sgr) our observations provide the first direct, visual detection of the hot companion to the primary star. Combining our interferometric observations with an extensive literature search, we conclude that an additional four sources (o Cas, 15 Mon, β Lyr, and β Cep) also contain wider binary components that are physical companions to the narrow binaries, thus forming hierarchical multiple systems. Among the sources not previously confirmed as spectroscopic or visual binaries, BK Cam was resolved on a number of nights within a close physical proximity of another star with relative motion possibly suggesting a physical binary. Combining our interferometric observations with an extensive literature search, we provide a detailed listing of companions known around each star in the sample, and discuss the multiplicity frequency in the sample. We also discuss the prospects for future multiplicity studies of classical Be stars by long-baseline optical interferometry.

Discovery of 2716 hot emission-line stars from LAMOST DR5

We present a catalog of 3339 hot emission-line stars (ELSs) identified from 451 695 O, B and A type spectra, provided by LAMOST Data Release 5 (DR5). We developed an automated Python routine that identified 5437 spectra having a peak between 6561 and 6568 Å. False detections and bad spectra were removed, leaving 4138 good emission-line spectra of 3339 unique ELSs. We re-estimated the spectral types of 3307 spectra as the LAMOST Stellar Parameter Pipeline (LASP) did not provide accurate spectral types for these emission-line spectra. As Herbig Ae/Be stars exhibit higher excess in near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths than classical Ae/Be stars, we relied on 2MASS and WISE photometry to distinguish them. Finally, we report 1089 classical Be, 233 classical Ae and 56 Herbig Ae/Be stars identified from LAMOST DR5. In addition, 928 B[em]/A[em] stars and 240 CAe/CBe potential candidates are identified. From our sample of 3339 hot ELSs, 2716 ELSs identified in this work do not have any record in the SIMBAD database and they can be considered as new detections. Identification of such a large homogeneous set of emission-line spectra will help the community study the emission phenomenon in detail without worrying about the inherent biases when compiling from various sources.

The Viscosity Parameter for Late-type Stable Be Stars

Using hydrodynamic principles we investigate the nature of the disk viscosity following the parameterization by Shakura & Sunyaev adopted for the viscous decretion model in classical Be stars. We consider a radial viscosity distribution including a constant value, a radially variable α assuming a power-law density distribution, and isothermal disks, for a late-B central star. We also extend our analysis by determining a self-consistent temperature disk distribution to model the late-type Be star 1 Delphini, which is thought to have a nonvariable, stable disk as evidenced by Hα emission profiles that have remained relatively unchanged for decades. Using standard angular momentum loss rates given by Granada et al., we find values of α of approximately 0.3. Adopting lower values of angular momentum loss rates, i.e., smaller mass loss rates, leads to smaller values of α. The values for α vary smoothly over the Hα emitting region and exhibit the biggest variations nearest the central star within about five stellar radii for the late-type, stable Be stars.

Bridging Work and Global Asias: Stars and Sandbars

Proposals for Global Asias as an emerging field that “bridges” Asian studies and Asian American studies should attend to the residual debris of older understandings of global bridging work. This response explores two motifs for speculating about what bridging work in Global Asias could be: stars, as understood in terms of interimperial constellations, and sandbars, as a metaphor for more local, coalitional, and temporary aggregations.

Modeling of the Wind/Disk Outflow from Be Stars

The objective of this work is to reproduce the formation of the fast polar wind and viscous disk outflow from Be stars in a unified physical picture. Numerical modeling of the plasma outflow from fast rotating stars was performed taking into account the acceleration of the plasma due to scattering of the radiation of the star in lines of plasma ions and excitation of the hydrodynamic turbulence in the outflow. The fast polar wind naturally arises in this picture with an expected flow rate. For the first time, it is shown that a disk-like outflow with a relatively high level of turbulence is formed at the equator of fast rotating stars emitting radiation-driven wind. However, the level of turbulent viscosity is well below the level necessary for the formation of a Keplerian disk.