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.

Asteroseismology of a High-amplitude δ Scuti Star GSC 4552-1498: Mode Identification and Model Fitting

In this paper, the pulsation behavior of high-amplitude δ Scuti star GSC 4552-1498 was analyzed. Using the high-precision photometric data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, two new independent frequencies F1 = 22.6424(1) day−1 and F2 = 28.6803(5) day−1 were identified for this source, along with the fundamental one F = 17.9176(7) day−1, which was previously known. In addition, the classical O − C analysis was conducted to give a new ephemeris formula of BJDmax = T 0 + P × E = 2453321.534716(4) + 0.055811(0) × E. The O − C diagram reveals a continuous period increase, but the rate of (1/P)(dP/dt) = 1.11(3) × 10−7 yr−1 seems much larger (about hundreds) than predicted by evolution theories, which is long been noticed but not well understood, possibly related to nonlinear mode interaction. Based on frequency parameters (i.e., F, F1, and F2), a series of theoretical models were conducted by employing the stellar evolution code. It turns out that F1 should be a non-radial mode and F2 is the second overtone radial mode. Due to the mass–metallicity degeneracy, the stellar parameter of the star can however not be determined conclusively. We suggest high-resolution spectral observation is highly desired in the future to further constrain models. We note GSC 4552-1498 is located on the main sequence in the H-R diagram.

Thorough characterisation of the 16 Cygni system

Context. Being part of the brightest solar-like stars, and close solar analogues, the 16 Cygni system is of great interest to the scientific community and may provide insight into the past and future evolution of our Sun. It has been observed thoroughly by the Kepler satellite, which provided us with data of an unprecedented quality. Aims. This paper is the first of a series aiming to extensively characterise the system. We test several choices of micro- and macro-physics to highlight their effects on optimal stellar parameters and provide realistic stellar parameter ranges. Methods. We used a recently developed method, WhoSGlAd, that takes the utmost advantage of the whole oscillation spectrum of solar-like stars by simultaneously adjusting the acoustic glitches and the smoothly varying trend. For each choice of input physics, we computed models which account, at best, for a set of seismic indicators that are representative of the stellar structure and are as uncorrelated as possible. The search for optimal models was carried out through a Levenberg-Marquardt minimisation. First, we found individual optimal models for both stars. We then selected the best candidates to fit both stars while imposing a common age and composition. Results. We computed realistic ranges of stellar parameters for individual stars. We also provide two models of the system regarded as a whole. We were not able to build binary models with the whole set of choices of input physics considered for individual stars as our constraints seem too stringent. We may need to include additional parameters to the optimal model search or invoke non-standard physical processes.

Derivation of parameters for 3748 FGK stars using H-band spectra from APOGEE Data Release 14

Context. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) has observed the H-band spectra of over 200 000 stars with R ∼ 22 000. Aims. The main motivation for this work is to test an alternative method to the standard APOGEE pipeline (APOGEE Stellar Parameter and Chemical Abundances Pipeline, ASPCAP) to derive parameters in the near-infrared for FGK dwarfs. Methods. iSpec and Turbospectrum are used to generate synthetic spectra matching APOGEE observations and to determine the parameters through χ2 minimization. Results. We present spectroscopic parameters (Teff, [M/H], log g, vmic) for a sample of 3748 main-sequence and subgiant FGK stars, obtained from their APOGEE H-band spectra. Conclusions. We compare our output parameters with the ones obtained with ASPCAP for the same stellar spectrum, and find that the values agree within the expected uncertainties. A comparison with the optical samples California Planet Survey, High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher – Guaranteed Time Observations, and PASTEL is also available, and median differences below 10 K for Teff and 0.2 dex for [M/H] are found. Reasons for these differences are explored. The full H-band line list, the line selection for the synthesis, and the synthesized spectra are available at the CDS, as are the calculated parameters and their estimated uncertainties.

High-resolution spectroscopy of detached solar-type eclipsing binaries observed during the Kepler K2 mission

ABSTRACT Solar-type stars in eclipsing binaries are proving to be a remarkable resource of knowledge for testing models of stellar evolution, as spectroscopic and photometric studies have opened up a window into their interiors. Until recently, many cases have been worked out with Kepler data. In an ongoing effort to elucidate this research, we examine five detached eclipsing binaries, selected from the Kepler catalogue. There is a well-known stellar parameter discrepancy for low-mass stars, in that the observed radii and masses are often larger and stars overluminous than predicted by theory by several per cent. In our samples, we found five double-lined binaries, with solar-type stars dominating the spectrum. The orbital and light-curve solutions were found for them, and compared with isochrones, in order to estimate absolute physical parameters and evolutionary status of the components. An important aspect of this work is that the calculated stellar radii and masses are consistent with theoretical models within the uncertainties, whereas the estimated temperatures from the disentangled spectra of the components are no different than predicted.

Chemical mixing in low mass stars

Context. When modelling stars with masses higher than 1.2 M⊙ with no observed chemical peculiarity, atomic diffusion is often neglected because, on its own, it causes unrealistic surface abundances compared with those observed. The reality is that atomic diffusion is in competition with other transport processes. Rotation is one of the processes able to prevent excessively strong surface abundance variations. Aims. The purpose of this study is to quantify the opposite or conjugated effects of atomic diffusion (including radiative acceleration) and rotationally induced mixing in stellar models of low mass stars, and to assess whether rotational mixing is able to prevent the strong abundance variations induced by atomic diffusion in F-type stars. Our second goal is to estimate the impact of neglecting both rotational mixing and atomic diffusion in stellar parameter inferences for stars with masses higher than 1.3 M⊙. Methods. Using the Asteroseismic Inference on a Massive Scale (AIMS) stellar parameter inference code, we infer the masses and ages of a set of representative artificial stars for which models were computed with the Code d’Evolution Stellaire Adaptatif et Modulaire (CESTAM; the T stands for Transport) evolution code, taking into account rotationally induced mixing and atomic diffusion, including radiative acceleration. The observed constraints are asteroseismic and classical properties. The grid of stellar models used for the optimization search include neither atomic diffusion nor rotationally induced mixing. The differences between real and retrieved parameters then provide an estimate of the errors made when neglecting transport processes in stellar parameter inference. Results. We show that for masses lower than 1.3 M⊙, rotation dominates the transport of chemical elements and strongly reduces the effect of atomic diffusion, with net surface abundance modifications similar to solar values. At higher mass, atomic diffusion and rotation are competing equally. Above 1.44 M⊙, atomic diffusion dominates in stellar models with initial rotation lower than 80 km s−1 producing a chemical peculiarity which is not observed in Kepler Legacy stars. This indicates that a transport process of chemical elements is missing, probably linked to the missing transport process of angular momentum needed to explain rotation profiles in solar-like stars. Importantly, neglecting rotation and atomic diffusion (including radiative acceleration) in the models, when inferring the parameters of F-type stars, may lead to respective errors of ≈5%, ≈2.5%, and ≈25% for stellar masses, radii, and ages. Conclusions. Atomic diffusion (including radiative acceleration) and rotational mixing should be taken into account in stellar models in order to determine accurate stellar parameters. When atomic diffusion and shellular rotation are both included, they enable stellar evolution codes to reproduce the observed metal and helium surface abundances for stars with masses up to 1.4 M⊙ at solar metallicity. However, if rotation is actually uniform for these stars (as observations seem to indicate), then an additional chemical mixing process is needed together with a revised formulation of rotational mixing. For higher masses, an additional mixing process is needed in any case.

The LUMBA UVES stellar parameter pipeline

Context. The Gaia-ESO Survey has taken high-quality spectra of a subset of 100 000 stars observed with the Gaia spacecraft. The goal for this subset is to derive chemical abundances for these stars that will complement the astrometric data collected by Gaia. Deriving the chemical abundances requires that the stellar parameters be determined. Aims. We present a pipeline for deriving stellar parameters from spectra observed with the FLAMES-UVES spectrograph in its standard fibre-fed mode centred on 580 nm, as used in the Gaia-ESO Survey. We quantify the performance of the pipeline in terms of systematic offsets and scatter. In doing so, we present a general method for benchmarking stellar parameter determination pipelines. Methods. Assuming a general model of the errors in stellar parameter pipelines, together with a sample of spectra of stars whose stellar parameters are known from fundamental measurements and relations, we use a Markov chain Monte Carlo method to quantitatively test the pipeline. Results. We find that the pipeline provides parameter estimates with systematic errors on effective temperature below 100 K, on surface gravity below 0.1 dex, and on metallicity below 0.05 dex for the main spectral types of star observed in the Gaia-ESO Survey and tested here. The performance on red giants is somewhat lower. Conclusions. The pipeline performs well enough to fulfil its intended purpose within the Gaia-ESO Survey. It is also general enough that it can be put to use on spectra from other surveys or other spectrographs similar to FLAMES-UVES.

Data-driven stellar parameters for southern TESS FGK targets

We present stellar parameter estimates for 939 457 southern FGK stars that are candidate targets for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. Using a data-driven method similar to the CANNON, we build a model of stellar colours as a function of stellar parameters. We then use these in combination with stellar evolution models to estimate the effective temperature, gravity, metallicity, mass, radius, and extinction for our selected targets. Our effective temperature estimates compare well with those from spectroscopic surveys and the addition of Gaia DR2 parallaxes allows us to identify subgiant interlopers into the TESS sample. We are able to estimate the radii of TESS targets with a typical uncertainty of 9.3 per cent. This catalogue can be used to screen exoplanet candidates from TESS and provides a homogeneous set of stellar parameters for statistical studies.