A study of many-year spectral variability of the Ae Herbig star HD 36112

We present the results of long-term high-dispersion spectral observations (R = 20000) of the Ae Herbig star HD 36112 in the regions of the Ha emission line and the NaI D resonance doublet lines. They show that parameters of the Ha emission line demonstrate complicated variability on several time scales: 1) variability from night to night caused by inhomogeneity of the circumstellar envelope; 2) variability on a time scale of about 1200d characterized by a variation of the equivalent width, intensity, and other emission parameters; 3) variability on a time scale of more than 4000d observed as a many-year trend in variations of parameters of the Ha emission line. We associate these results with variability of physical and kinematic conditions in the inner regions of the accretion disk and wind. The most probable mechanism of this variability is a process of planet formation in the circumstellar disk.

First detection of bromine and antimony in hot stars

Bromine (Z = 35) and antimony (Z = 51) are extremely difficult to detect in stars. In very few instances, weak and mostly uncertain identifications of Br I, Br II, and Sb II in relatively cool, chemically peculiar stars were successful. Adopted solar abundance values rely on meteoritic determinations. Here, we announce the first identification of these species in far-ultraviolet spectra of hot stars (with effective temperatures of 49 500–70 000 K), namely in helium-rich (spectral type DO) white dwarfs. We identify the Br VI resonance line at 945.96 Å. A previous claim of Br detection based on this line is incorrect because its wavelength position is inaccurate by about 7 Å in atomic databases. Taking advantage of precise laboratory measurements, we identify this line as well as two other, subordinate Br VI lines. Antimony is detected by the Sb V resonance doublet at 1104.23/1225.98 Å as well as two subordinate Sb VI lines. A model-atmosphere analysis reveals strongly oversolar Br and Sb abundances that are caused by radiative-levitation dominated atomic diffusion.

A detailed study of lithium in 107 CHEPS dwarf stars

Context. We report results from lithium abundance determinations using high resolution spectral analysis of the 107 metal-rich stars from the Calan-Hertfordshire Extrasolar Planet Search programme. Aims. We aim to set out to understand the lithium distribution of the population of stars taken from this survey. Methods. The lithium abundance taking account of non-local thermodynamical equilibrium effects was determined from the fits to the Li I 6708 Å resonance doublet profiles in the observed spectra. Results. We find that a) fast rotators tend to have higher lithium abundances; b) log N(Li) is higher in more massive and hot stars; c) log N(Li) is higher in stars of lower log g; d) stars with the metallicities >0.25 dex do not show the lithium lines in their spectra; e) most of our planet hosts rotate slower; and f) a lower limit of lithium isotopic ratio is 7Li/6Li > 10 in the atmospheres of two stars with planets (SWP) and two non-SWP stars. Conclusions. Measurable lithium abundances were found in the atmospheres of 45 stars located at distances of 20−170 pc from the Sun, for the other 62 stars the upper limits of log N(Li) were computed. We found well defined dependences of lithium abundances on Teff, V sin i, and less pronounced for the log g. In case of V sin i we see two sequences of stars: with measurable lithium and with the upper limit of log N(Li). About 10% of our targets are known to host planets. Only two SWP have notable lithium abundances, so we found a lower proportion of stars with detectable Li among known planet hosts than among stars without planets. However, given the small sample size of our planet-host sample, our analysis does not show any statistically significant differences in the lithium abundance between SWP and stars without known planets.

Time-resolved remote Raman study of minerals under supercritical CO 2 and high temperatures relevant to Venus exploration

We report time-resolved (TR) remote Raman spectra of minerals under supercritical CO 2 (approx. 95 atm pressure and 423 K) and under atmospheric pressure and high temperature up to 1003 K at distances of 1.5 and 9 m, respectively. The TR Raman spectra of hydrous and anhydrous sulphates, carbonate and silicate minerals (e.g. talc, olivine, pyroxenes and feldspars) under supercritical CO 2 (approx. 95 atm pressure and 423 K) clearly show the well-defined Raman fingerprints of each mineral along with the Fermi resonance doublet of CO 2 . Besides the CO 2 doublet and the effect of the viewing window, the main differences in the Raman spectra under Venus conditions are the phase transitions, the dehydration and decarbonation of various minerals, along with a slight shift in the peak positions and an increase in line-widths. The dehydration of melanterite (FeSO 4 · 7H 2 O) at 423 K under approximately 95 atm CO 2 is detected by the presence of the Raman fingerprints of rozenite (FeSO 4 · 4H 2 O) in the spectrum. Similarly, the high-temperature Raman spectra under ambient pressure of gypsum (CaSO 4 · 2H 2 O) and talc (Mg 3 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 ) indicate that gypsum dehydrates at 518 K, but talc remains stable up to 1003 K. Partial dissociation of dolomite (CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 ) is observed at 973 K. The TR remote Raman spectra of olivine, α-spodumene (LiAlSi 2 O 6 ) and clino-enstatite (MgSiO 3 ) pyroxenes and of albite (NaAlSi 3 O 8 ) and microcline (KAlSi 3 O 8 ) feldspars at high temperatures also show that the Raman lines remain sharp and well defined in the high-temperature spectra. The results of this study show that TR remote Raman spectroscopy could be a potential tool for exploring the surface mineralogy of Venus during both daytime and nighttime at short and long distances.

New results of the spectral observations of CP stars

The lithium problem in Ap-CP stars has been, for a long time, a subject of debate. Individual characteristics of CP stars, such as high abundance of the rare-earth elements presence of magnetic fields, complicate structure of the surface distribution of chemical elements, rapid oscillations of some CP-stars, make the detection of the lithium lines and the determination of the lithium abundance, a difficult task. During the International Meeting in Slovakia in 1996, the lithium problem in Ap-CP stars was discussed. The results of the Li study carried out in CrAO Polosukhina (1973–1976), the works of Hack & Faraggiana (1963), Wallerstein & Hack (1964), Faraggiana et al. (1992–1996) formed the basis of the International project ‘Lithium in the cool CP-stars with magnetic fields’. The main goal of the project was, using systematical observations of Ap-CP stars with phase rotation in the spectral regions of the resonance doublet Li I 6708 Å and subordinate 6104 Å lithium lines with different telescopes, to create a database, which will permit to explain the physical origin of anomalous Li abundance in the atmospheres of these stars.