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The Chemical Compositions of Variable Field Horizontal-branch Stars: RR Lyrae Stars
We present a detailed abundance study of 11 RR Lyrae ab-type variables:AS Vir, BS Aps, CD Vel, DT Hya, RV Oct, TY Gru, UV Oct, V1645 Sgr, WYAnt, XZ Aps, and Z Mic. High-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratioechelle spectra of these variables were obtained with the 2.5 m du Ponttelescope at the Las Campanas Observatory. We obtained more than 2300spectra, roughly 200 spectra per star, distributed more or lessuniformly throughout the pulsational cycles. A new method has beendeveloped to obtain the initial effective temperatures of our samplestars at a specific pulsational phase. We find that the abundance ratiosare generally consistent with those of similar metallicity field starsin different evolutionary states and throughout the pulsational cyclesfor RR Lyrae stars. TY Gru remains the only n-capture enriched staramong the RRab in our sample. A new relation is found betweenmicroturbulence and effective temperature among stars of thehorizontal-branch population. In addition, the variation ofmicroturbulence as a function of phase is empirically shown to besimilar to the theoretical variation. Finally, we conclude that thederived T eff and log g values of our sample stars follow thegeneral trend of a single mass evolutionary track.
| Mid-infrared Period-luminosity Relations of RR Lyrae Stars Derived from the WISE Preliminary Data Release
Interstellar dust presents a significant challenge to extendingparallax-determined distances of optically observed pulsationalvariables to larger volumes. Distance ladder work at mid-infraredwavebands, where dust effects are negligible and metallicitycorrelations are minimized, has been largely focused on few-epochCepheid studies. Here we present the first determination of mid-infraredperiod-luminosity (PL) relations of RR Lyrae stars from phase-resolvedimaging using the preliminary data release of the Wide-field InfraredSurvey Explorer (WISE). We present a novel statistical framework topredict posterior distances of 76 well observed RR Lyrae that uses theoptically constructed prior distance moduli while simultaneouslyimposing a power-law PL relation to WISE-determined mean magnitudes. Wefind that the absolute magnitude in the bluest WISE filter is MW1 = (- 0.421 ± 0.014) - (1.681 ±0.147)log10(P/0.50118 day), with no evidence for acorrelation with metallicity. Combining the results from the threebluest WISE filters, we find that a typical star in our sample has adistance measurement uncertainty of 0.97% (statistical) plus 1.17%(systematic). We do not fundamentalize the periods of RRc stars toimprove their fit to the relations. Taking the Hipparcos-derived meanV-band magnitudes, we use the distance posteriors to determine a newoptical metallicity-luminosity relation. The results of this analysiswill soon be tested by Hubble Space Telescope parallax measurements and,eventually, with the GAIA astrometric mission.
| Random forest automated supervised classification of Hipparcos periodic variable stars
We present an evaluation of the performance of an automatedclassification of the Hipparcos periodic variable stars into 26 types.The sub-sample with the most reliable variability types available in theliterature is used to train supervised algorithms to characterize thetype dependencies on a number of attributes. The most useful attributesevaluated with the random forest methodology include, in decreasingorder of importance, the period, the amplitude, the V-I colour index,the absolute magnitude, the residual around the folded light-curvemodel, the magnitude distribution skewness and the amplitude of thesecond harmonic of the Fourier series model relative to that of thefundamental frequency. Random forests and a multi-stage scheme involvingBayesian network and Gaussian mixture methods lead to statisticallyequivalent results. In standard 10-fold cross-validation (CV)experiments, the rate of correct classification is between 90 and 100per cent, depending on the variability type. The main mis-classificationcases, up to a rate of about 10 per cent, arise due to confusion betweenSPB and ACV blue variables and between eclipsing binaries, ellipsoidalvariables and other variability types. Our training set and thepredicted types for the other Hipparcos periodic stars are availableonline.
| Coudé-feed stellar spectral library - atmospheric parameters
Context. Empirical libraries of stellar spectra play an important rolein different fields. For example, they are used as reference for theautomatic determination of atmospheric parameters, or for buildingsynthetic stellar populations to study galaxies. The CFLIB(Coudé-feed library, Indo-US) database is at present one of themost complete libraries, in terms of its coverage of the atmosphericparameters space (T{eff}, log g and [Fe/H]) and wavelengthcoverage 3460-9464 Å at a resolution of 1 Å FWHM. Althoughthe atmospheric parameters of most of the stars were determined fromdetailed analyses of high-resolution spectra, for nearly 300 of the 1273stars of the library at least one of the three parameters is missing.For the others, the measurements, compiled from the literature, areinhomogeneous. Aims: In this paper, we re-determine theatmospheric parameters, directly using the CFLIB spectra, and comparethem to the previous studies. Methods: We use the ULySS programto derive the atmospheric parameters, using the ELODIE library as areference. Results: Based on comparisons with several previousstudies we conclude that our determinations are unbiased. For the 958 F,G, and K type stars the precision on T{eff}, log g, and[Fe/H] is respectively 43 K, 0.13 dex and 0.05 dex. For the 53 M starsthey are 82 K, 0.22 dex and 0.28 dex. And for the 260 OBA type stars therelative precision on T{eff} is 5.1%, and on log g, and[Fe/H] the precision is respectively 0.19 dex and 0.16 dex. Theseparameters will be used to re-calibrate the CFLIB fluxes and to producesynthetic spectra of stellar populations.Tables 2 and 3 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/525/A71
| Hysteresis of atmospheric parameters of 12 RR Lyrae stars based on multichannel simultaneous Strömgren photometry
Aims: RR Lyrae stars have been observed to improve the insightinto processes at work in their atmospheres. Methods:Simultaneous Strömgren-photometry allows to obtain a rapid sequenceof measurements in which photometric indices are unaffected bynon-optimum observing conditions. The indices y, b-y, and c1are used with an established calibration to derive Teff andto determine the gravity, log gBJ from the Balmer jump,throughout the pulsation cycle. By employing the equations for stellarstructure, additional parameters can be derived. Results:Strömgren photometry and its calibration in terms ofTeff and log g can be used to determine the run of R and theatmosphere pulsation velocity. We find that the Balmer-line strengthsare correlated with Teff and that the strength of the Ca ii Kline correlates well with the radius of the star and thus thepulsation-dependent density of the atmosphere. The density in thestellar atmosphere fluctuates as indicated by the changes in the gravitylog gBJ, derived from c1, between 2.3 and 4.5 dex.Also the Strömgren metal index, m1, fluctuates. We finda disagreement between log g(T,L,M), the gravity calculated fromTeff, L, and the mass M, and the gravity log gBJ.This can be used to reassess the mass and the absolute magnitude of anindividual star. The curves derived for the pulsational velocityVpul differ from curves obtained from spectra needed to applythe Baade-Wesselink method; we think these differences are due to phasedependent differences in the optical depth levels sampled in continuumphotometry and in spectroscopy. We find an atmospheric oscillation inthese fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars of periodicity P/7. Conclusions: Carefully conducted Strömgren-photometry allows toderive a large number of parameters for RR Lyrae stars. It provides ameans of deriving masses and absolute magnitudes. When comparingphotometry results with spectroscopic analyses it appears that opticaldepth effects affect all interpretations.Original data (photometric indices) for each star are only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/520/A46
| BAV-Results of Observations - Photoelectric Minima of Selected Eclipsing Binaries and Maxima of Pulsating Stars
Not Available
| A new method for determining physical parameters of fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars from multicolour light curves
We present a new method for determining physical parameters of RRabvariables exclusively from multicolour light curves. Our method is aninverse photometric Baade-Wesselink analysis which, using a non-linearleast-squares algorithm, searches for the effective temperature(Teff) and pulsational velocity (Vp) curves andother physical parameters that best fit the observed light curves,utilizing synthetic colours and bolometric corrections from staticatmosphere models. The Teff and Vp curves areinitially derived from empirical relations then they are varied by thefitting algorithm. The method yields the variations and the absolutevalues of the radius, the effective temperature, the visual brightnessand the luminosity of individual objects. Distance and mass are alsodetermined. The method is tested on nine RRab stars subjected toBaade-Wesselink analyses earlier by several authors. The physicalparameters derived by our method using only the light-curve data ofthese stars are well within their possible ranges defined by directBaade-Wesselink and other techniques. A new empirical relation betweenthe IC magnitude and the pulsational velocity is alsopresented, which allows to construct the Vp curve of an RRabstar purely from photometric observations to an accuracy of about 3.5kms-1.
| The luminosities and distance scales of type II Cepheid and RR Lyrae variables
Infrared and optical absolute magnitudes are derived for the type IICepheids κ Pav and VY Pyx using revised Hipparcos parallaxes andfor κ Pav, V553 Cen and SW Tau from pulsational parallaxes.Revised Hipparcos and HST parallaxes for RR Lyrae agree satisfactorilyand are combined in deriving absolute magnitudes. Phase-corrected J, Hand Ks mags are given for 142 Hipparcos RR Lyraes based onTwo-Micron All-Sky Survey observations. Pulsation and trigonometricalparallaxes for classical Cepheids are compared to establish the bestvalue for the projection factor (p) used in pulsational analyses.The MV of RR Lyrae itself is 0.16 +/- 0.12 mag brighter thanpredicted from an MV-[Fe/H] relation based on RR Lyrae starsin the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) at a modulus of 18.39 +/- 0.05 asfound from classical Cepheids. This is consistent with the prediction ofCatelan & Cortés that it is overluminous for its metallicity.The results for the metal- and carbon-rich Galactic disc stars, V553 Cenand SW Tau, each with small internal errors (+/-0.08 mag) have a meandeviation of only 0.02 mag from the period-luminosity (PL) relationestablished by Matsunaga et al. for type II Cepheids in globularclusters and with a zero-point based on the same LMC-scale. Comparingdirectly the luminosities of these two stars with published data on typeII Cepheids in the LMC and in the Galactic bulge leads to an LMC modulusof 18.37 +/- 0.09 and a distance to the Galactic Centre of R0= 7.64 +/- 0.21kpc. The data for VY Pyx agree with these results withinthe uncertainties set by its parallax. Evidence is presented thatκ Pav may have a close companion and possible implications of thisare discussed. If the pulsational parallax of this star is incorporatedin the analyses, the distance scales just discussed will be increased by~0.15 +/- 0.15 mag. V553 Cen and SW Tau show that at optical wavelengthsPL relations are wider for field stars than for those in globularclusters. This is probably due to a narrower range of masses in thelatter case.
| Pulsational and evolutionary analysis of the double-mode RR Lyrae star BSCom
We derive the basic physical parameters of the field double-mode RRLyrae star BSCom from its observed periods and the requirement ofconsistency between the pulsational and evolutionary constraints. Byusing the current solar-scaled horizontal branch evolutionary models ofPietrinferni et al. and our linear non-adiabatic purely radiativepulsational models, we get M/Msolar = 0.698 +/- 0.004,log(L/Lsolar) = 1.712 +/- 0.005, Teff = 6840 +/-14K, [Fe/H] = -1.67 +/- 0.01, where the errors are standard deviationsassuming uniform age distribution along the full range of uncertainty inage. The last two parameters are in a good agreement with the onesderived from the observed BVIC colours and the updated ATLAS9stellar atmosphere models. We get Teff = 6842 +/- 10K, [Fe/H]= -1.58 +/- 0.11, where the errors are purely statistical ones. It isremarkable that the derived parameters are nearly independent of stellarage at early evolutionary stages. Later stages, corresponding to theevolution towards the asymptotic giant branch, are most probablyexcluded because the required high temperatures are less likely tosatisfy the constraints posed by the colours. We also show that ourconclusions are only weakly sensitive to non-linear period shiftspredicted by current hydrodynamical models.
| The Extinction Toward the Galactic Bulge from RR Lyrae Stars
We present mean reddenings toward 3525 RR0 Lyrae stars from the Galacticbulge fields of the MACHO Survey. These reddenings are determined usingthe color at minimum V-band light of the RR0 Lyrae stars themselves andare found to be in general agreement with extinction estimates at thesame location obtained from other methods. Using 3256 stars located inthe Galactic Bulge, we derive the selective extinction coefficientRV,VR = AV/E(V - R) = 4.3 ± 0.2. This valueis what is expected for a standard extinction law with RV,BV= 3.1 ± 0.3.
| Stellar evolution through the ages: period variations in galactic RRab stars as derived from the GEOS database and TAROT telescopes
Context: The theory of stellar evolution can be more closely tested ifwe have the opportunity to measure new quantities. Nowadays,observations of galactic RR Lyr stars are available on a time baselineexceeding 100 years. Therefore, we can exploit the possibility ofinvestigating period changes, continuing the pioneering work started byV. P. Tsesevich in 1969. Aims: We collected the available times ofmaximum brightness of the galactic RR Lyr stars in the GEOS RR Lyrdatabase. Moreover, we also started new observational projects,including surveys with automated telescopes, to characterise the O-Cdiagrams better. Methods: The database we built has proved to be a verypowerful tool for tracing the period variations through the ages. Weanalyzed 123 stars showing a clear O-C pattern (constant, parabolic orerratic) by means of different least-squares methods. Results: Clearevidence of period increases or decreases at constant rates has beenfound, suggesting evolutionary effects. The median values are β =+0.14 d Myr-1 for the 27 stars showing a period increase andβ = -0.20 d Myr-1 for the 21 stars showing a perioddecrease. The large number of RR Lyr stars showing a period decrease(i.e., blueward evolution) is a new and intriguing result. There is anexcess of RR Lyr stars showing large, positive β values. Moreover,the observed β values are slightly larger than those predicted bytheoretical models.Tables 3, 4, 5 and Figs. 2, 3 are only available in electronic form athttp://www.aanda.org
| Halo Star Streams in the Solar Neighborhood
We have assembled a sample of halo stars in the solar neighborhood tolook for halo substructure in velocity and angular momentum space. Oursample (231 stars) includes red giants, RR Lyrae variable stars, and redhorizontal branch stars within 2.5 kpc of the Sun with [Fe/H] less than-1.0. It was chosen to include stars with accurate distances, spacevelocities, and metallicities, as well as well-quantified errors. Withour data set, we confirm the existence of the streams found by Helmi andcoworkers, which we refer to as the H99 streams. These streams have adouble-peaked velocity distribution in the z-direction (out of theGalactic plane). We use the results of modeling of the H99 streams byHelmi and collaborators to test how one might use vz velocityinformation and radial velocity information to detect kinematicsubstructure in the halo. We find that detecting the H99 streams withradial velocities alone would require a large sample (e.g.,approximately 150 stars within 2 kpc of the Sun and within 20° ofthe Galactic poles). In addition, we use the velocity distribution ofthe H99 streams to estimate their age. From our model of the progenitorof the H99 streams, we determine that it was accreted between 6 and 9Gyr ago. The H99 streams have [α/Fe] abundances similar to otherhalo stars in the solar neighborhood, suggesting that the gas thatformed these stars were enriched mostly by Type II supernovae. We havealso discovered in angular momentum space two other possiblesubstructures, which we refer to as the retrograde and progradeoutliers. The retrograde outliers are likely to be halo substructure,but the prograde outliers are most likely part of the smooth halo. Theretrograde outliers have significant structure in the vφdirection and show a range of [α/Fe], with two having low[α/Fe] for their [Fe/H]. The fraction of substructure stars in oursample is between 5% and 7%. The methods presented in this paper can beused to exploit the kinematic information present in future largedatabases like RAVE, SDSS-II/SEGUE, and Gaia.
| The GEOS RR Lyr Survey
Not Available
| Population Synthesis in the Blue. IV. Accurate Model Predictions for Lick Indices and UBV Colors in Single Stellar Populations
We present a new set of model predictions for 16 Lick absorption lineindices from Hδ through Fe5335 and UBV colors for single stellarpopulations with ages ranging between 1 and 15 Gyr, [Fe/H] ranging from-1.3 to +0.3, and variable abundance ratios. The models are based onaccurate stellar parameters for the Jones library stars and a new set offitting functions describing the behavior of line indices as a functionof effective temperature, surface gravity, and iron abundance. Theabundances of several key elements in the library stars have beenobtained from the literature in order to characterize the abundancepattern of the stellar library, thus allowing us to produce modelpredictions for any set of abundance ratios desired. We develop a methodto estimate mean ages and abundances of iron, carbon, nitrogen,magnesium, and calcium that explores the sensitivity of the variousindices modeled to those parameters. The models are compared to high-S/Ndata for Galactic clusters spanning the range of ages, metallicities,and abundance patterns of interest. Essentially all line indices arematched when the known cluster parameters are adopted as input.Comparing the models to high-quality data for galaxies in the nearbyuniverse, we reproduce previous results regarding the enhancement oflight elements and the spread in the mean luminosity-weighted ages ofearly-type galaxies. When the results from the analysis of blue and redindices are contrasted, we find good consistency in the [Fe/H] that isinferred from different Fe indices. Applying our method to estimate meanages and abundances from stacked SDSS spectra of early-type galaxiesbrighter than L*, we find mean luminosity-weighed ages of theorder of ~8 Gyr and iron abundances slightly below solar. Abundanceratios, [X/Fe], tend to be higher than solar and are positivelycorrelated with galaxy luminosity. Of all elements, nitrogen is the morestrongly correlated with galaxy luminosity, which seems to indicatesecondary nitrogen enrichment. If that interpretation is correct, thisresult may impose a lower limit of 50-200 Myr to the timescale of starformation in early-type galaxies. Unlike clusters, galaxies show asystematic effect whereby higher order, bluer, Balmer lines yieldyounger ages than Hβ. This age discrepancy is stronger for lowerluminosity galaxies. We examine four possible scenarios to explain thistrend. Contamination of the bluer indices by a metal-poor stellarpopulation with a blue horizontal branch cannot account for the data.Blue stragglers and abundance-ratio effects cannot be ruled out, as theycan potentially satisfy the data, even though this can only be achievedby resorting to extreme conditions, such as extremely high [O/Fe] orspecific blue-straggler frequencies. The most likely explanation is thepresence of small amounts of a young/intermediate-age stellar populationcomponent. We simulate this effect by producing two-component models andshow that they provide a reasonably good match to the data when the massfraction of the young component is typically a few percent. Ifconfirmed, this result implies star formation has been extended inearly-type galaxies, and more so in less massive galaxies, which seemsto lend support to the ``downsizing'' scenario. Moreover, it impliesthat stellar population synthesis models are capable of constraining notonly the mean ages of stellar populations in galaxies, but also theirage spread.
| The GEOS RR Lyr Survey
Not Available
| Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
| Analysis of RR Lyrae Stars in the Northern Sky Variability Survey
We use data from the Northern Sky Variability Survey (NSVS), obtainedfrom the first-generation Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment(ROTSE-I), to identify and study RR Lyrae variable stars in the solarneighborhood. We initially identified 1197 RRab (RR0) candidate starsbrighter than the ROTSE median magnitude V=14. Periods, amplitudes, andmean V magnitudes are determined for a subset of 1188 RRab stars withwell-defined light curves. Metallicities are determined for 589 stars bythe Fourier parameter method and by the relationship between period,amplitude, and [Fe/H]. We comment on the difficulties of clearlyclassifying RRc (RR1) variables in the NSVS data set. Distances to theRRab stars are calculated using an adopted luminosity-metallicityrelation with corrections for interstellar extinction. The 589 RRabstars in our final sample are used to study the properties of the RRabpopulation within 5 kpc of the Sun. The Bailey diagram of period versusamplitude shows that the largest component of this sample belongs toOosterhoff type I. Metal-rich ([Fe/H]>-1) RRab stars appear to beassociated with the Galactic disk. Our metal-rich RRab sample mayinclude a thin-disk, as well as a thick-disk population, although theuncertainties are too large to establish this. There is some evidenceamong the metal-rich RRab stars for a decline in scale height withincreasing [Fe/H], as was found by Layden. The distribution of RRabstars with -1<[Fe/H]<-1.25 indicates that within this metallicityrange the RRab stars are a mixture of stars belonging to halo and diskpopulations.
| [Fe/H] derived from the light curves of RR Lyrae stars in the Galactic halo
Context: .The iron abundance of halo RR Lyrae stars can provideimportant information about the formation history of the Galactichalo. Aims: .We determine the [Fe/H] of the sample of halo RRabstars by using the P-ϕ31-[Fe/H] relation developed byJurcsik & Kovács based on their light curves. We need toextend the relation from the V band to our unfiltered CCD band. Methods: .To do this, we use the low-dispersion spectroscopic [Fe/H] ofliteratures and the photometric data released by the first-generationRobotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE-I) project. We doregression analyses for the calibrating sample using a linear functionand test its validity by comparing of the predicted [Fe/H] with thespectroscopic [Fe/H]. In general, the fit accuracy for the two different[Fe/H] is better than 0.19 dex. Results: . We derive an empiricalP-ϕ31-[Fe/H] linear relation for the unfiltered CCD band(ROTSE-I), i.e. [ Fe/H]=-3.766-5.350P+1.044ϕ31. In ourtest, the P-ϕ31-[Fe/H] relation is also fit for ourunfiltered CCD band. In addition, another linear relation,ϕ31_V=0.882+0.792ϕ31_W, is also derivedfor the transformation between the V and W bands. We present thepredicted [Fe/H] of the sample (the 31 halo RRab stars) in a catalog. Conclusions: . The mean [Fe/H] of the sample is -1.63 with dispersionof 0.45 dex in distribution, which is consistent with the resultsderived from the blue horizontal branch star candidates by Kinnman etal. (2000, A&A, 364, 102). The mean [Fe/H] values of the RRab starsin the range of 1 kpc, 2 kpc, and 3 kpc from the star 91 (a double-modeRR Lyrae star), are all lower than that of the background halo stars.These values are consistent with that of star 91 suggested by Wu et al.(2005, AJ, 130, 1640), which indicates they might have a common origin.
| A catalogue of RR Lyrae stars from the Northern Sky Variability Survey
A search for RR Lyrae stars has been conducted in the publicly availabledata of the Northern Sky Variability Survey. Candidates have beenselected by the statistical properties of their variation; the standarddeviation, skewness and kurtosis with appropriate limits determined froma sample 314 known RRab and RRc stars listed in the General Catalogue ofVariable Stars. From the period analysis and light-curve shape of over3000 candidates 785 RR Lyrae have been identified of which 188 arepreviously unknown. The light curves were examined for the Blazhkoeffect and several new stars showing this were found. Six double-mode RRLyrae stars were also found of which two are new discoveries. Somepreviously known variables have been reclassified as RR Lyrae stars andsimilarly some RR Lyrae stars have been found to be other types ofvariable, or not variable at all.
| The GEOS RR Lyr Survey
Not Available
| A New Definition for the Ca4227 Feature: Is Calcium Really Underabundant in Early-Type Galaxies?
We have investigated the abundance of calcium in early-type galaxies bymeasuring the strength of the Ca I λ4227 absorption line in theirintegrated spectra. The database used is the large sample of early-typegalaxy integrated spectra in Caldwell and coworkers. We have measured Caabundances from the Ca I λ4227 feature both by using the LickCa4227 index and by defining a new index, Ca4227r, thatavoids the CN4216 molecular band in the continuum on the blueward sideof the line. With the new index definition we measure Ca abundances thatare systematically ~0.3 dex higher than with the Lick Ca4227 index. Theresult is that with the new index definition we obtain higher [Ca/Fe]abundances in early-type galaxies, which are more consistent with theirwell-known [Mg/Fe] overabundances. Hence, we suggest that Ca might beslightly enhanced, relative to Fe, in early-type galaxies.
| Photoelectric Minima of Selected Eclipsing Binaries and Maxima of Pulsating Stars
Not Available
| Proper identification of RR Lyrae stars brighter than 12.5 mag
RR Lyrae stars are of great importance for investigations of Galacticstructure. However, a complete compendium of all RR-Lyraes in the solarneighbourhood with accurate classifications and coordinates does notexist to this day. Here we present a catalogue of 561 local RR-Lyraestars (V_max ≤ 12.5 mag) according to the magnitudes given in theCombined General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS) and 16 fainter ones.The Tycho2 catalogue contains ≃100 RR Lyr stars. However, manyobjects have inaccurate coordinates in the GCVS, the primary source ofvariable star information, so that a reliable cross-identification isdifficult. We identified RR Lyrae from both catalogues based on anintensive literature search. In dubious cases we carried out photometryof fields to identify the variable. Mennessier & Colome (2002,A&A, 390, 173) have published a paper with Tyc2-GCVSidentifications, but we found that many of their identifications arewrong.
| RR Lyrae stars: kinematics, orbits and z-distribution
RR Lyrae stars in the Milky Way are good tracers to study the kinematicbehaviour and spatial distribution of older stellar populations. Arecently established well documented sample of 217 RR Lyr stars withV<12.5 mag, for which accurate distances and radial velocities aswell as proper motions from the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 catalogues areavailable, has been used to reinvestigate these structural parameters.The kinematic parameters allowed to calculate the orbits of the stars.Nearly 1/3 of the stars of our sample have orbits staying near the MilkyWay plane. Of the 217 stars, 163 have halo-like orbits fulfilling one ofthe following criteria: Θ < 100 km s-1, orbiteccentricity >0.4, and normalized maximum orbital z-distance>0.45. Of these stars roughly half have retrograde orbits. Thez-distance probability distribution of this sample shows scale heightsof 1.3±0.1 kpc for the disk component and 4.6±0.3 kpc forthe halo component. With our orbit statistics method we found a(vertical) spatial distribution which, out to z=20 kpc, is similar tothat found with other methods. This distribution is also compatible withthe ones found for blue (HBA and sdB) halo stars. The circular velocityΘ, the orbit eccentricity, orbit z-extent and [Fe/H] are employedto look for possible correlations. If any, it is that the metal poorstars with [Fe/H] <1.0 have a wide symmetric distribution aboutΘ=0, thus for this subsample on average a motion independent ofdisk rotation. We conclude that the Milky Way possesses a halo componentof old and metal poor stars with a scale height of 4-5 kpc having randomorbits. The presence in our sample of a few metal poor stars (thus partof the halo population) with thin disk-like orbits is statistically notsurprising. The midplane density ratio of halo to disk stars is found tobe 0.16, a value very dependent on proper sample statistics.
| Photoelectric Minima of Selected Eclipsing Binaries and Maxima of Pulsating Stars
Not Available
| Structure in the motions of the fastest halo stars
We analyzed the catalog published by Beers et al. (2000, ApJ, 119, 2866)of 2106 non-kinematically selected metal poor stars in the solarneighborhood, with the goal of quantifying the amount of substructure inthe motions of the fastest halo stars. We computed the two-pointvelocity correlation function for a subsample of halo stars within 1-2kpc of the Sun, and found statistical evidence of substructure with asimilar amplitude to that predicted by high resolution CDM simulations.The signal is due to a small kinematic group whose dynamical propertiesare compared to the stellar "stream" previously discovered by Helmi etal. (1999). If real, this high velocity moving group would providefurther support for the idea that substructures remain as fossils fromthe formation of the Galaxy as expected in the CDM scenario.
| Metallicity Dependence of the Blazhko Effect
The microlensing surveys, such as OGLE or MACHO, have led to thediscovery of thousands of RRLyr stars in the Galactic bulge and in theMagellanic Clouds, allowing for detailed investigation of these stars,especially the still mysterious Blazhko phenomenon. Higher incidencerate of Blazhko (BL) variables in the more metal-rich Galactic bulgethan in the LMC, suggests that occurrence of Blazhko effect correlateswith metallicity. To investigate this problem, we calibrate thephotometric method of determining the metallicity of RRab stars in theI-band and apply it to the OGLE Galactic bulge and LMC data. In bothsystems, metallicities of non Blazhko and Blazhko variables are close toeach other. The LMC Blazhko pulsators prefer slightly lowermetallicities. The different metallicities of the Galactic bulge and theLMC, cannot explain the observed incidence rates.As a by-product of our metallicity estimates, we investigate theluminosity-metallicity relation, finding a steep dependence of theluminosity on [Fe/H].
| The GEOS RR Lyr Survey
Not Available
| The Indo-US Library of Coudé Feed Stellar Spectra
We have obtained spectra for 1273 stars using the 0.9 m coudéfeed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This telescope feedsthe coudé spectrograph of the 2.1 m telescope. The spectra havebeen obtained with the no. 5 camera of the coudé spectrograph anda Loral 3K×1K CCD. Two gratings have been used to provide spectralcoverage from 3460 to 9464 Å, at a resolution of ~1 Å FWHMand at an original dispersion of 0.44 Å pixel-1. For885 stars we have complete spectra over the entire 3460 to 9464 Åwavelength region (neglecting small gaps of less than 50 Å), andpartial spectral coverage for the remaining stars. The 1273 stars havebeen selected to provide broad coverage of the atmospheric parametersTeff, logg, and [Fe/H], as well as spectral type. The goal ofthe project is to provide a comprehensive library of stellar spectra foruse in the automated classification of stellar and galaxy spectra and ingalaxy population synthesis. In this paper we discuss thecharacteristics of the spectral library, viz., details of theobservations, data reduction procedures, and selection of stars. We alsopresent a few illustrations of the quality and information available inthe spectra. The first version of the complete spectral library is nowpublicly available from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory(NOAO) via ftp and http.
| Einige vernachlassigte Veranderliche mit grossen (B-R)-Werten.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Luchs |
| Right ascension: | 09h03m07.78s |
| Declination: | +44°35'08.2" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 9.871 |
| Proper motion RA: | -85.6 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -40.9 |
| B-T magnitude: | 10.376 |
| V-T magnitude: | 9.913 |
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