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The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the solar neighbourhood. III. Improved distances, ages, and kinematics
Context: Ages, chemical compositions, velocity vectors, and Galacticorbits for stars in the solar neighbourhood are fundamental test datafor models of Galactic evolution. The Geneva-Copenhagen Survey of theSolar Neighbourhood (Nordström et al. 2004; GCS), amagnitude-complete, kinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F andG dwarfs, is the largest available sample with complete data for starswith ages spanning that of the disk. Aims: We aim to improve theaccuracy of the GCS data by implementing the recent revision of theHipparcos parallaxes. Methods: The new parallaxes yield improvedastrometric distances for 12 506 stars in the GCS. We also use theparallaxes to verify the distance calibration for uvby? photometryby Holmberg et al. (2007, A&A, 475, 519; GCS II). We add newselection criteria to exclude evolved cool stars giving unreliableresults and derive distances for 3580 stars with large parallax errorsor not observed by Hipparcos. We also check the GCS II scales of T_effand [Fe/H] and find no need for change. Results: Introducing thenew distances, we recompute MV for 16 086 stars, and U, V, W,and Galactic orbital parameters for the 13 520 stars that also haveradial-velocity measurements. We also recompute stellar ages from thePadova stellar evolution models used in GCS I-II, using the new valuesof M_V, and compare them with ages from the Yale-Yonsei andVictoria-Regina models. Finally, we compare the observed age-velocityrelation in W with three simulated disk heating scenarios to show thepotential of the data. Conclusions: With these revisions, thebasic data for the GCS stars should now be as reliable as is possiblewith existing techniques. Further improvement must await consolidationof the T_eff scale from angular diameters and fluxes, and the Gaiatrigonometric parallaxes. We discuss the conditions for improvingcomputed stellar ages from new input data, and for distinguishingdifferent disk heating scenarios from data sets of the size andprecision of the GCS.Full Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/501/941
| A catalogue of chromospherically active binary stars (third edition)
The catalogue of chromospherically active binaries (CABs) has beenrevised and updated. With 203 new identifications, the number of CABstars is increased to 409. The catalogue is available in electronicformat where each system has a number of lines (suborders) with a uniqueorder number. The columns contain data of limited numbers of selectedcross references, comments to explain peculiarities and the position ofthe binarity in case it belongs to a multiple system, classicalidentifications (RS Canum Venaticorum, BY Draconis), brightness andcolours, photometric and spectroscopic data, a description of emissionfeatures (CaII H and K, Hα, ultraviolet, infrared),X-ray luminosity, radio flux, physical quantities and orbitalinformation, where each basic entry is referenced so users can go to theoriginal sources.
| Hα and the Ca II H and K lines as activity proxies for late-type stars
Context: The main chromospheric activity indicator is the S index, whichis the ratio of the flux in the core of the Ca II H and K lines to thecontinuum nearby, and is well studied for stars from F to K. Anotherchromospheric proxy is the Hα line, which is believed to betightly correlated with the Ca II index. Aims: In this work wecharacterize both chromospheric activity indicators, the one associatedwith the H and K Ca II lines and the other with Hα, for the wholerange of late type stars, from F to M. Methods: We present periodicmedium-resolution echelle observations covering the complete visualrange, taken at the CASLEO Argentinean Observatory over 7 years. We usea total of 917 flux-calibrated spectra for 109 stars that range from F6to M5. We statistically study these two indicators for stars ofdifferent activity levels and spectral types. Results: We directlyderive the conversion factor that translates the known S index to fluxin the Ca II cores, and extend its calibration to a wider spectralrange. We investigate the relation between the activity measurements inthe calcium and hydrogen lines, and found that the usual correlationobserved is the product of the dependence of each flux on stellarcolour, and not the product of similar activity phenomena.Tables 1 and 2 and full Figs. 1 and 6 are only available in electronicform at http://www.aanda.org
| Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
| Chemical enrichment and star formation in the Milky Way disk. III. Chemodynamical constraints
In this paper, we investigate some chemokinematical properties of theMilky Way disk, by using a sample composed by 424 late-type dwarfs. Weshow that the velocity dispersion of a stellar group correlates with theage of this group, according to a law proportional to t0.26,where t is the age of the stellar group. The temporal evolution of thevertex deviation is considered in detail. It is shown that the vertexdeviation does not seem to depend strongly on the age of the stellargroup. Previous studies in the literature seem to not have found it dueto the use of statistical ages for stellar groups, rather thanindividual ages. The possibility to use the orbital parameters of a starto derive information about its birthplace is investigated, and we showthat the mean galactocentric radius is likely to be the most reliablestellar birthplace indicator. However, this information cannot bepresently used to derive radial evolutionary constraints, due to anintrinsic bias present in all samples constructed from nearby stars. Anextensive discussion of the secular and stochastic heating mechanismscommonly invoked to explain the age-velocity dispersion relation ispresented. We suggest that the age-velocity dispersion relation couldreflect the gradual decrease in the turbulent velocity dispersion fromwhich disk stars form, a suggestion originally made by Tinsley &Larson (\cite{tinsley}, ApJ, 221, 554) and supported by several morerecent disk evolution calculations. A test to distinguish between thetwo types of models using high-redshift galaxies is proposed.Full Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/423/517
| The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of 14 000 F and G dwarfs
We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age,kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, andkinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sampleand, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcosparallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities,complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-qualityvelocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures andmetallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. Theremaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Amajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone agesfor all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has beengiven to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and errorestimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effectsand introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agreewell with those by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{edv93}), despite severalastrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate,however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause thedistribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of thetrue age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations ofthe Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presentedhere, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and theage-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of theSolar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor Gdwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarfproblem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk,the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since itsformation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, andthe continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiencyconsistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giantmolecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the Vcomponent of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity,corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather thanclassical moving groups, and may complicate the identification ofthick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of thisrich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteriafor the sample and the distribution of observational errors.Based on observations made with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at ESO, LaSilla, Chile, and with the Swiss 1-m telescope at Observatoire deHaute-Provence, France.Complete Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/418/989
| Kinematics of chromospherically active binaries and evidence of an orbital period decrease in binary evolution
The kinematics of 237 chromospherically active binaries (CABs) werestudied. The sample is heterogeneous with different orbits andphysically different components from F to M spectral-type main-sequencestars to G and K giants and supergiants. The computed U, V, W spacevelocities indicate that the sample is also heterogeneous in velocityspace. That is, both kinematically younger and older systems exist amongthe non-evolved main sequence and the evolved binaries containing giantsand subgiants. The kinematically young (0.95 Gyr) subsample (N= 95),which is formed according to the kinematical criteria of moving groups,was compared with the rest (N= 142) of the sample (3.86 Gyr) toinvestigate any observational clues of binary evolution. Comparing theorbital period histograms between the younger and older subsamples,evidence was found supporting the finding of Demircan that the CABs losemass (and angular momentum) and evolve towards shorter orbital periods.The evidence of mass loss is noticeable on the histograms of the totalmass (Mh+Mc), which is compared between theyounger (only N= 53 systems available) and older subsamples (only N= 66systems available). The orbital period decrease during binary evolutionis found to be clearly indicated by the kinematical ages of 6.69, 5.19and 3.02 Gyr which were found in the subsamples according to the periodranges of logP<= 0.8, 0.8 < logP<= 1.7 and 1.7 < logP<=3, respectively, among the binaries in the older subsample.
| Library of flux-calibrated echelle spectra of southern late-type dwarfs with different activity levels
We present Echelle spectra of 91 late-type dwarfs, of spectral typesfrom F to M and of different levels of chromospheric activity, obtainedwith the 2.15 m telescope of the CASLEO Observatory located in theArgentinean Andes. Our observations range from 3890 to 6690 Å, ata spectral resolution from 0.141 to 0.249 Å per pixel(R=λ/δ λ ≈ 26 400). The observations were fluxcalibrated with the aid of long slit spectra. A version of thecalibrated spectra is available via the World Wide Web.Table 2 is also available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/414/699The spectra are available as FITS and ascii-files at the URL:http://www.iafe.uba.ar/cincunegui/spectra/Table2.html. They are alsoavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/414/699. When convertingthe fits to ascii, the spectra were oversampled to a constant δλ ≈ 0.15 Å.Table 2 is also available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous
| A systematic study of X-ray variability in the ROSAT all-sky survey
We present a systematic search for variability among the ROSAT All-SkySurvey (RASS) X-ray sources. We generated lightcurves for about 30 000X-ray point sources detected sufficiently high above background. For ourvariability study different search algorithms were developed in order torecognize flares, periods and trends, respectively. The variable X-raysources were optically identified with counterparts in the SIMBAD, theUSNO-A2.0 and NED data bases, but a significant part of the X-raysources remains without cataloged optical counterparts. Out of the 1207sources classified as variable 767 (63.5%) were identified with stars,118 (9.8%) are of extragalactic origin, 10 (0.8%) are identified withother sources and 312 (25.8%) could not uniquely be identified withentries in optical catalogs. We give a statistical analysis of thevariable X-ray population and present some outstanding examples of X-rayvariability detected in the ROSAT all-sky survey. Most prominent amongthese sources are white dwarfs, apparently single, yet neverthelessshowing periodic variability. Many flares from hitherto unrecognisedflare stars have been detected as well as long term variability in theBL Lac 1E1757.7+7034.The complete version of Table 7 is only available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/403/247
| Chromospherically young, kinematically old stars
We have investigated a group of stars known to have low chromosphericages, but high kinematical ages. Isochrone, chemical and lithium agesare estimated for them. The majority of stars in this group show lithiumabundances much smaller than expected for their chromospheric ages,which is interpreted as an indication of their old age. Radial velocitymeasurements in the literature also show that they are not closebinaries. The results suggest that they can be formed from thecoalescence of short-period binaries. Coalescence rates, calculatedtaking into account several observational data and a maximum theoreticaltime scale for contact, in a short-period pair, predict a number ofcoalesced stars similar to what we have found in the solarneighbourhood.
| Long-term monitoring of active stars. IX. Photometry collected in 1993
As a part of an extensive program focused on the global properties andevolution of active stars, high-precision UBV(RI)_c and UBV photometryof 31 selected stars is presented. The UBV(RI)_c observations werecollected at the European Southern Observatory over the 31 December1992-18 January 1993 and the 20 November-3 December 1993 intervals.Additional UBV photometry obtained by the ``Phoenix" and by the CataniaAstrophysical Observatory Automatic Photoelectric Telescopes from 1990to 1993 is also presented for some of the program stars. Significantevolution of the light curves, period variations and evidence forlong-term variability of the global degree of spottedness are found.Some spectral classifications are revised and the inferred photometricparallaxes are compared, whenever possible, with the values measured bythe Hipparcos satellite. These observations are finalized to theconstruction of an extended photometric database, which can giveimportant clues on topics such as the stability of spotted areas,differential rotation, solar-like cycles and the correlation betweeninhomogeneities at different atmospheric levels. Based on data collectedat the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile. Tables and thecomplete data set are also available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/367/910
| Chemical enrichment and star formation in the Milky Way disk. I. Sample description and chromospheric age-metallicity relation
The age-metallicity relation of the solar neighbourhood is studied usinga sample of 552 late-type dwarfs. This sample was built from theintersection of photometric catalogues with chromospheric activitysurveys of the Mount Wilson group. For these stars, metallicities wereestimated from uvby data, and ages were calculated from theirchromospheric emission levels using a new metallicity-dependentchromospheric activity-age relation developed by Rocha-Pinto &Maciel (\cite{RPM98}). A careful estimate of the errors in thechromospheric age is made. The errors in the chromospheric indices areshown to include partially the effects of the stellar magnetic cycles,although a detailed treatment of this error is still beyond ourknowledge. It is shown that the results are not affected by the presenceof unresolved binaries in the sample. We derive an age-metallicityrelation which confirms the mean trend found by previous workers. Themean metallicity shows a slow, steady increase with time, amounting atleast 0.56 dex in 15 Gyr. The initial metallicity of the disk is around-0.70 dex, in agreement with the G dwarf metallicity distribution(Rocha-Pinto & Maciel \cite{RPM96}). According to our data, theintrinsic cosmic dispersion in metal abundances is around 0.13 dex, afactor of two smaller than that found by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{Edv}).We show that chromospheric ages are compatible with isochrone ages,within the expected errors, so that the difference in the scatter cannotbe caused by the accuracy of our ages and metallicities. This reinforcessome suggestions that the Edvarsson et al.'s sample is not suitable tothe determination of the age-metallicity relation.
| On X-Ray Variability in Active Binary Stars
We have compared the X-ray emissions of active binary stars observed atvarious epochs by the Einstein and ROSAT satellites in order toinvestigate the nature of their X-ray variability. The primary aim ofthis work is to determine whether or not active binaries exhibitlong-term variations in X-ray emission, perhaps analogous to theobserved cyclic behavior of solar magnetic activity. We find that, whilethe mean level of emission of the sample remains steady, comparison ofdifferent ROSAT observations of the same stars shows significantvariation on timescales <~2 yr, with an ``effective variability''ΔI/I=0.32+/-0.04, where I and ΔI represent the mean emissionand variation from the mean emission, respectively. A comparison of theROSAT All-Sky Survey and later pointed observations with earlierobservations of the same stars carried out with Einstein yields onlymarginal evidence for a larger variation (ΔI/I=0.38+/-0.04 forEinstein vs. ROSAT All-Sky Survey and 0.46+/-0.05 for Einstein vs. ROSATpointed) at these longer timescales (~10 yr), thus indicating thepossible presence of a long-term component to the variability. Whetheror not this long-term component is due to the presence of cyclicvariability cannot be decided on the basis of existing data. However,assuming that this component is analogous to the observed cyclicvariability of the Sun, we find that the relative magnitude of thecyclic component in the ROSAT passband can, at most, be a factor of 4,i.e., I_cyc/I_min<4. This is to be compared with the correspondingbut significantly higher solar value of ~10-10^2 derived from GOES,Yohkoh, and Solrad data. These results are consistent with thesuggestions of earlier studies that a turbulent or distributive dynamomight be responsible for the observed magnetic activity on the mostactive, rapidly rotating stars.
| A Multiplicity Survey of Chromospherically Active and Inactive Stars
Surveys of three samples of solar-type stars, segregated bychromospheric emission level, were made to determine their multiplicityfractions and to investigate the evolution of multiplicity with age. Intotal, 245 stars were searched for companions with DeltaV <= 3.0 andseparations of 0.035" to 1.08" using optical speckle interferometry. Byincorporating the visual micrometer survey for duplicity of theLamontHussey Observatory, the angular coverage was extended to 5.0" withno change in the DeltaV limit. This magnitude difference allows massratios of 0.63 and larger to be detected throughout a search region of2-127 AU for the stars observed. The 84 primaries observed in thechromospherically active sample are presumably part of a youngpopulation and are found to have a multiplicity fraction of 17.9% +/-4.6%. The sample of 118 inactive, presumably older, primaries wereselected and observed using identical methods and are found to have amultiplicity fraction of only 8.5% +/- 2.7%. Given the known linkbetween chromospheric activity and age, these results tentatively implya decreasing stellar multiplicity fraction from 1 to 4 Gyr, theapproximate ages of the two samples. Finally, only two of the 14 veryactive primaries observed were found to have a companion meeting thesurvey detection parameters. In this case, many of the systems areeither very young, or close, RS CVn type multiples that are unresolvableusing the techniques employed here.
| Metallicity effects on the chromospheric activity-age relation for late-type dwarfs
We show that there is a relationship between the age excess, defined asthe difference between the stellar isochrone and chromospheric ages, andthe metallicity as measured by the index [Fe/H] for late-type dwarfs.The chromospheric age tends to be lower than the isochrone age formetal-poor stars, and the opposite occurs for metal-rich objects. Wesuggest that this could be an effect of neglecting the metallicitydependence of the calibrated chromospheric emission-age relation. Wepropose a correction to account for this dependence. We also investigatethe metallicity distributions of these stars, and show that there aredistinct trends according to the chromospheric activity level. Inactivestars have a metallicity distribution which resembles the metallicitydistribution of solar neighbourhood stars, while active stars appear tobe concentrated in an activity strip on the logR'_HKx[Fe/H] diagram. Weprovide some explanations for these trends, and show that thechromospheric emission-age relation probably has different slopes on thetwo sides of the Vaughan-Preston gap.
| Long-term monitoring of active stars. VIII. UBV(RI)_(c) photometry collected in February 1992
As a part of an extensive program focusing on the global properties andevolution of active stars, high-precision UBV(RI)_c photometry of 31selected stars, collected at the European Southern Observatory over the14-29 February 1992 interval, is presented. Significant evolution of thelight curves, period variations and evidence for long-term variabilityof the global degree of spottedness are found. Some spectralclassifications are revised and the inferred photometric parallaxes arecompared, whenever possible, with the values measured by the Hipparcossatellite. Flare events were detected for the star HD16157 = CC Eri, EXO 055609-3804.4 TY Coland HD 119285 = V851 Cen. Optical variability wasdiscovered for the Pop II binary HD 89499. Theseobservations contribute to the establishment of a time-extendedphotometric database which can give important clues on topics such asthe stability of spotted areas, differential rotation, solar-like cyclesand the correlation between inhomogeneities at different atmosphericlevels. based on data collected at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla, Chile.
| On the rotation-activity correlation for active binary stars
We present an investigation of rotation-activity correlations usingInternational Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) SWP measurements of the Civemission line at 1550Angstroms for 72 active binary systems. We use astandard stellar evolution code to derive non-empirical Rossby numbers,R_0, for each star in our sample and compare the resulting Civrotation-activity correlation to that found for empirically derivedvalues of the Rossby number and that based on rotation alone. For dwarfstars our values of R_0 do not differ greatly from empirical ones and wefind a corresponding lack of improvement in correlation. Only a marginalimprovement in correlation is found for evolved components in oursample. We discuss possible additional factors, other than rotation orconvection, that may influence the activity levels in active binaries.Our observational data imply, in contrast to the theoretical predictionsof convective motions, that activity is only weakly related to mass inevolved stars. We conclude that current dynamo theory is limited in itsapplication to the study of active stars because of the uncertainty inthe angular velocity-depth profile in stellar interiors and the unknowneffects of binarity and surface gravity.
| Long-term monitoring of active stars. VII. UBV(RI)_c photometry collected in March 1991
In the framework of an extensive program focusing on the globalproperties and evolution of active stars, high-precision UBV(RI)_cphotometry of 19 selected stars, collected at the European SouthernObservatory over the 15-31 March 1991 interval is presented. Significantevolution of the light curves, period variations and evidence forlong-term variability of the global degree of spottedness are found.Most of the spectral classifications are discussed. A flare event wasdetected for the star HD 127535 = V 841 Cen. These observationscontribute to the establishment of a time-extended photometric databasewhich can give important clues on topics such as the stability ofspotted areas, differential rotation, solar-like cycles and thecorrelation between inhomogeneities at different atmospheric levelsFigure 1 to 24 are only available on the on-line version of A&A athttp://www.ed-phys.fr}. based on data collected at the European SouthernObservatory, La Silla, Chile. Tables and the complete data set are alsoavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| Common chromospheres - roundchroms - as a means for the study of binary systems
An independent method based on the concept of common chromospheres -roundchroms - is proposed for the determination of the radii of the maincomponents of RS CVn-type close binary systems. The essence of themethod is in the coincidence of the radius of the main component of thebinary system with the equipotential zero-velocity surface for somevalues of the Jacobi constant. As an illustration, the method is appliedto a sample of 15 RS CVn-type systems, and as a result the revised radiiof the main components in the systems are determined. The mainparameters, particularly the volumes, electron concentrations and massesof the roundchroms, are obtained as well. Empirical dependences of theelectron concentration in the roundchrom, n_e, and of the 2800 Mg iidoublet luminosity, L(Mg ii), on intercomponent distance a werediscovered, the first in the form n_e~a^-0.85 and the second in the formL(Mg ii)~a^1.66. The formation of a roundchrom in close binary systemsis inevitable, and the roundchrom is as essential a physical formationfor binary systems as are the corona and chromosphere for single stars.
| EUV Emission from RS Canum Venaticorum binaries.
We performed a study of 104 RS CVn systems in the extreme ultraviolet(EUV) using the all-sky survey data obtained by the Extreme UltravioletExplorer (EUVE). The present sample includes several new RS CVndetections; 11 more than in the published EUVE catalogs, and 8 more thanin the ROSAT Wide Field Camera catalog. The ratio of detections tonon-detections remained constant throughout the sky, implying that ourdetections are not limited by the exposure time but are most likelylimited by absorption from the interstellar medium. A general trend ofincreasing Lex/B (50-180Å) flux with decreasing rotational periodis clear. The dwarf systems exhibit a leveling-off for the fasterrotators. In contrast, the evolved systems exhibit no such effect. Forthe RS CVn systems the losses in the EUV represent a smaller fraction ofthe coronal radiative losses, as compared to active late-type dwarfs.
| The X-ray evidence that the 51 Peg companion is a planet
51 Pegasi is a nearby G2--3 V star which is similar to the Sun. Mayor& Queloz (1995) [Natur, 378, 355] have recently found that 51 Peghas sinusoidal radial velocity variations with a period of 4.2 days andamplitude of 59 m/s. The radial velocity, if due to orbital motionaround the system center-of-mass, implies a minimum companion mass of0.47 Jupiter masses, which results from the assumption that theinclination angle of the system is 90 deg from the line of sight.However, because the inclination angle is not directly measured thereremains an uncertainty in the companion mass. In the limit of anear-zero inclination angle the companion could even be a late-typedwarf star. We argue that the low measured X-ray luminosity of the 51Peg system supports the conclusion that the companion is a planet,independent of any assumption about the inclination angle. If 51 Pegwere a binary stellar system with a 4-day orbital period its X-rayemission would be in marked contrast with ALL known binary stellarsystems with similar orbital periods. When compared to the distributionof binary star X-ray luminosities, a system with the 51 Peg X-rayluminosity have an occurrence probability of only 1.7 times 10^-6. Thelow X-ray luminosity also confirms that 51 Peg is a slow rotator basedupon the correlation between X-ray emission and rotational velocity. Wediscuss the lack of synchronization between the 51 Peg orbital androtational periods and calculate model-dependent upper limits on thecompanion mass which also indicate that it is a planet.
| A Survey of Ca II H and K Chromospheric Emission in Southern Solar-Type Stars
More than 800 southern stars within 50 pc have been observed forchromospheric emission in the cores of the Ca II H and K lines. Most ofthe sample targets were chosen to be G dwarfs on the basis of colors andspectral types. The bimodal distribution in stellar activity first notedin a sample of northern stars by Vaughan and Preston in 1980 isconfirmed, and the percentage of active stars, about 30%, is remarkablyconsistent between the northern and southern surveys. This is especiallycompelling given that we have used an entirely different instrumentalsetup and stellar sample than used in the previous study. Comparisons tothe Sun, a relatively inactive star, show that most nearby solar-typestars have a similar activity level, and presumably a similar age. Weidentify two additional subsamples of stars -- a very active group, anda very inactive group. The very active group may be made up of youngstars near the Sun, accounting for only a few percent of the sample, andappears to be less than ~0.1 Gyr old. Included in this high-activitytail of the distribution, however, is a subset of very close binaries ofthe RS CVn or W UMa types. The remaining members of this population maybe undetected close binaries or very young single stars. The veryinactive group of stars, contributting ~5%--10% to the total sample, maybe those caught in a Maunder Minimum type phase. If the observations ofthe survey stars are considered to be a sequence of snapshots of the Sunduring its life, we might expect that the Sun will spend about 10% ofthe remainder of its main sequence life in a Maunder Minimum phase.
| The emission of the RS CVn binaries in the IRAS passbands.
In the literature, there is an ambiguity pertaining to the existence ofa far-IR excess in RS CVn systems. In the current paper we undertook astudy of the behaviour of 103 such systems in the IRAS passbands. Wefound 72 acceptable detections in the 12μm band, and 40 in the25μm band (50% more than the IRAS Point Source Catalog). Although ourfindings may be interpreted as indicating towards the existence of anexcess beyond 12μm for some systems, the evidence is not conclusivein all but two cases. These are systems GX Lib and HR 7428, with Capellabeing the only system where the IRAS fluxes in all four bands originatefrom the stellar photosphere. Given the accuracy of the data we did notfind 12μm excess for any system. We argue that the IRAS data alonecannot settle the issue, as their uncertainty is, in many cases, higherthan what the Signal-to-Noise ratio of each observation implies.Furthermore, at the higher wavelength bands the IRAS angular resolutiondrops from 0.5' at 12μm to 2' at 100μm and the background becomesvery complex, so one cannot be certain about the origin of the observedflux. The existence of IR excess in the RS CVn stars is important as faras the evolutionary scenarios for these systems are concerned. Futuremissions such as the Infrared Space Observatory will return moresensitive and accurate measurements and the ambiguity can be removed.The fluxes we quote will be helpful when planning these futureobservations, as we provide more accurate photometry and for a largerselection of sources than the IRAS Point Source Catalog.
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| Long-term monitoring of active stars. IV. UBV(RI)_c_ observations obtained at La Silla in December 1989.
High-precision UBV(RI)_c_ photometry of 23 selected acitve stars,collected at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile) overthe period 9-28 December 1989, is presented. This paper is part of alarger program focusing on the global properties and evolution of activestars and is aimed at establishing a time-extended database which cangive important clues on topics such as the stability of the spottedareas, differential rotation and solar-like cycles. Significantevolution of the wave-like light curves, period variations and, in mostcases, evidence for long-term variability of the global degree ofspottedness are found for the observed stars. Some spectralclassifications are rediscussed and evidence for a newly discoveredvariable star is given.
| Radio continuum emission from stars: a catalogue update.
An updated version of my catalogue of radio stars is presented. Somestatistics and availability are discussed.
| Rotational modulation and flares on RS Canum Venaticorum and BY Draconis stars. 18: Coordinated VLA, ROSAT, and IUE observations of RS CVn binaries
As part of a coordinated program of multi-wavelength observations of RSCVn close binary systems, we observed 15 systems with the Very LargeArray (VLA) and 10 systems with IUE, simultaneously or nearlysimultaneously with the ROSAT All Sky Survey observations of thesestars. Of the 22 systems observed with ROSAT, three were observed bothby IUE and the VLA. Radio observations were made at 3.6, 6 and 20 cm. Ofthe 15 observed RS CVn systems, we detected 11 with greater than 4 sigmaconfidence at one or more wavelengths. The IUE observations were madewithin the RIASS (ROSAT-IUE All Sky Survey) program. We present theresults of the VLA observations, along with the corresponding subsets ofthe ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) X-ray and WideField Camera (WFC) XUV survey, and RIASS IUE observations. We obtainedan extended VLA/IUE/ROSAT simultaneous coverage of one system, TY Pyx,covering more than one orbital period. These observations reveal thatthe quiescent radio flux of TY Pyx is relatively constant over timescales of up to 7 hours, but that it did change by a factor of 3 over 24hours, probably due to a flare on 1990 Nov. 12. The UV, XUV and X-rayfluxes do not show large day-to-day or phase-related variability. Theobservation of the decay phase of a radio flare on EI Eri, with noaccompanying X-ray or XUV flare, suggests that the lack of a strongcorrelation between X-ray and radio flares previously noted for dMeflare stars holds for RS CVn systems as well. We suggest that the radioflare may have been due to a coherent emission process such as electroncyclotron emission. The simultaneous measurements presented here providea unique test of the general correlation between radio and soft X-rayluminosities, Lradio approximately Lx exp m (Drakeet al. 1989) with a power-law slope close to unity, which was previouslyderived using data obtained years apart. Our derived slopes areconsistent with and thus support the general correlations betweencoronal and chromospheric/transition region emissions previously derivedfrom nonsimultaneous measurements of a much larger sample of thesevariable sources. However, the importance of simultaneous measurementsfor accurate energy balance calculations is stressed.
| The active dynamo stars: RS CVn, BY Dra, FK Com, Algol, W UMa, and T Tau
Not Available
| A catalog of chromospherically active binary stars (second edition)
The catalog contains 206 spectroscopic binary systems with at least onelate-type component that shows Ca II H and K emission in its spectrum.These systems include the classical RS CVn binaries and BY Dra binaries.The catalog summarizes information on the photometric, spectroscopic,orbital, and physical properties of the systems as well as space motionsand positions. Up to 42 'parameters' for each stellar system are listedfollowed by the appropriate reference to direct interested colleagues tothe original papers. A comprehensive selection of further informationfor each star is given in the individual notes. In addition, the catalogcontains a candidate list of 138 stars that have similar characteristicsbut are not definitely known binaries or have not had Ca II H and Kemission observed.
| The ROSAT All-Sky Survey of active binary coronae. I - Quiescent fluxes for the RS Canum Venaticorum systems
One hundred and thirty-six RS CV(n) active binary systems were observedwith the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) during theAll-Sky Survey component of the mission. The entire sky was surveyed,which represents the largest sample of RS CV(n) systems observed to dateat any wavelength, including X-rays. X-ray surface fluxes for the RSCV(n) systems are found to lie in the range 10 exp 4 to 10 exp 8 ergs/sqcm seconds. Surface flux as a function of (B - V) color is reported. Adecrease in surface flux with increasing rotation period for the entiresample is observed. The rotation period provides the best stellar ororbital parameter to predict the X-ray surface flux level. The absenceof correlation of F(x) or L(x) with Gamma is noted due to the fact thatthe coronal heating mechanism for these active stars must be magnetic incharacter, and the magnetic field depends on the interaction betweenconvection and differential rotation inside the star. X-ray propertiesof the RS CV(n) systems with 6 cm radio and C IV UV emission systems iscompared.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Pictor |
| Right ascension: | 05h53m27.36s |
| Declination: | -43°33'31.3" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.898 |
| Distance: | 194.932 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -5.1 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -56.7 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.885 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.98 |
Catalogs and designations:
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INHABITED SKY
