Photometry and polarimetry of the classical Herbig Ae star VV Ser

We present the results of our long-term photometric and polarimetric observations of the classical Herbig Ae star VV Ser, performed at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory as part of a program of photometric and polarimetric monitoring of UX Ori stars. We recorded an unusually deep minimum of VV Ser (ΔV≈3^m), with a turn of the color tracks in the V-(U-B) and V-(B-V) diagrams (“the blueing effect”) observed for the first time for this star. The increase of the linear polarization during the minimum brightness was consistent with expectations for variable circumstellar extinction models, and the maximum polarization in the B band reached a record value for UX Ori stars in the deepest part of the minimum (12.8±1.4%). Our results cannot be explained by models with an axially symmetrical circumstellar dust disk consisting of silicate grains. They point to the existence of a large-scale nonuniformity in the azimuthal dust distribution near VV Ser attributable to the presence of a second component or protoplanet.     

Photometric activity of UX Ori stars and related objects in the near infrared and visual. BF Ori, CQ Tau, WW Vul, and SV Cep

We have analyzed the activity of four UX Ori stars in the near-IR (JHKL) and visual (V) using the results of long-term photometric observations. For comparison, we also obtained IR (JHKLM) photometric observations of two visually quiet young stars of close spectral types (AB Aur and HD 190073). For the photometrically most active UX Ori stars BF Ori, CQ Tau, and WW Vul, the Algol-like declines of brightness in the visual, which are due to sporadic enhancements of the circumstellar extinction, are also observed (with decreasing amplitude) in the IR bands. A strict correlation between the V and J brightness variations is observed for all the stars except for SV Cep. For some of the UX Ori stars, a strong correlation between the visual and IR activity is observed up to L, where the main contribution to the emission is made by circumstellar dust. In the case of SV Cep, the visual variability is not correlated with the variability of the IR fluxes. On one occasion, a clear anti-correlation was even observed: a shallow, but prolonged decrease of the visual brightness was accompanied by an increase in the IR fluxes. This indicates that circumstellar clouds themselves can become powerful sources of IR emission. Our results provide evidence that the photometric activity of UX Ori stars is a consequence of instability of the deepest layers of their gas-dust accretion disks. In some cases (SV Cep), fluctuations of the density in this region are global, in the sense that they occur along a significant part of the circle marking the inner boundary of the dust disk. It is interesting that AB Aur, which is the quietest in the visual, appeared to be the most active in the IR. In contrast to UX Ori stars, the amplitude of its brightness variations increases from the J to the M band. It follows from analysis of the IR colors of this star that their variability cannot be described by models in which the variable IR emission has a temperature close to the sublimation temperature of silicate grains (about 1500 K). This means that the photometric activity of AB Aur must be due to both the dust and gas components of the circumstellar disk.     

Photopolarimetric activity of the Ae Herbig star SV Cep

We present the results of simultaneous UBVRI photometric and polarimetric observations of the Ae Herbig star SV Cep made in 1987–1998. Over these 11 years, only a single deep (ΔV>1^m) brightness minimum was observed. Near this minimum, the brightness decrease was accompanied by an increase of the linear polarization, as is typical of young UX Ori stars. The photometric observations of SV Cep indicate reversals of the color tracks in brightness minima, as is common for stars of this type, as well as variations of the slopes of the color tracks during and after minima. This provides evidence that the circumstellar dust clouds screening the star differ in their sizes and masses, and also in the optical properties of their dust particles. A Fourier analysis of the brightness variations of SV Cep (including data from the literature) confirms the presence of previously suspected activity cycles with periods P ₁=4000^d and P ₂=670^d The polarimetric observations indicate that, along with the inverse correlation between the degree of linear polarization and brightness, the polarization parameters vary on characteristic time scales of 4000 and 1000 days. This suggests the existence of large-scale inhomogeneities in the circumstellar dust disk rotating about the star.     

The accretion activity of the Ae Herbig star CQ Tau

Results of spectral observations of the isolated Ae Herbig star CQ Tau obtained in 1995–1998 in the H_α line and near the sodium resonance doublet are presented, together with simultaneous photometric monitoring of the star. CQ Tau is a member of the family of young UX Ori stars with nonperiodic Algol-like brightness decreases. The star is surrounded by an accretion disk, in which its emission-line spectrum and part of its absorption-line spectrum are formed. The strong variability of the H_α, D NaI, and HeI 5876 Å lines testifies that the gaseous disk is appreciably inhomogeneous in both the radial and azimuthal directions. This inhomogeneity probably results from uneven feeding by the circumstellar material from the peripheral regions of the circumstellar disk. Over the four years of observations, we observed the star in deep minima three times (ΔV～2). On these nights, an increase in the H_α equivalent width followed the decrease in radiation flux. In the two deepest minima, the normally two-component line profile had only a single component with a nearly symmetrical profile. This behavior of the H_α line is in good agreement with the results of numerical modeling of Algol-like minima and can be used to estimate the parameters of the dust clouds eclipsing the star and inner accretion disk. These estimates suggest that the circumstellar dust clouds can approach very close to the star and be sublimated there.     

Photometric activity of UX orionis stars and related objects in the near infrared and optical: CO Ori,RR Tau,UX Ori,and VV Ser

This paper continues a study of the photometric activity of UX Ori stars in the optical and near-infrared (JHKLM bands) initiated in 2000. For comparison, the list of program stars contains two Herbig Ae stars that are photometrically quiet in the optical: MWC480 andHD179218. Fadings ofUXOri stars in the optical (V band) due to sporadic increases of the circumstellar extinction are also observed in the infrared (IR), but with decreasing amplitude. Two stars, RR Tau and UX Ori, displayed photometric events when V -band fadings were accompanied by an increase in IR fluxes. Among the two Herbig Ae stars that are photometrically quiet in the optical, MWC 480 proved to be fairly active in the IR. Unlike the UX Ori stars, the variation amplitude of MWC 480 increases from the J band to the M band. In the course of the observations, no deep fadings in the IR bands were detected. This indicates that eclipses of the program stars have a local nature, and are due to extinction variations in the innermost regions of the circumstellar disks. The results presented testify to an important role of the alignment of the circumstellar disks relative to the direction towards the observer in determining the observed IR variability of young stars.     

The photopolarimetric activity and circumstellar environment of the T Tauri star CO Ori

We present the results of simultaneous UBVRI photometry and polarimetry of the classical T Tauri star CO Ori carried out at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory during the 18 years between 1986 and 2004. We show that the variations of linear polarization accompanying the star’s brightness variations follow the law characteristic of UX Ori stars. This suggests that the brightness variations of the star are mainly due to changes of the circumstellar extinction due to non-uniform structure of the circumstellar environment, and to an “optimal” orientation of the circumstellar gas and dust disk relative to the observer, whose line of sight crosses the gas and dust atmosphere of the disk. We determine the star’s intrinsic polarization due to scattering of light in the circumstellar disk. The polarization position angle indicates the orientation of the disk’s symmetry axis in the plane of the sky. Our analysis of an archival light curve for CO Ori confirms the existence of a many-year cycle of photometric activity, suspected by us earlier. The refined period of this cycle is 12.4 years. The existence of such activity cycles of UX Ori stars testifies to considerable deviations of their circumstellar disks from axial symmetry, a reflection of either stellar binarity or the commencement of the process of planetary formation.     

Photometric and polarimetric activity of the Herbig Ae star VX Cas

We present the results of our simultaneous photometric and polarimetric observations of the Herbig Ae/Be star VX Cas acquired in 1987–2001. The star belongs to the UX Ori subtype of young variable stars and exhibits a rather low level of photometric activity: only six Algol-like minima with amplitudes ΔV>1^m were recorded in 15 years of observations. Two of these minima, in 1998 and 2001, were the deepest in the history of the star’s photometric studies, with V amplitudes of about 2^m. In each case, the dimming was accompanied by an increase in the linear polarization in agreement with the law expected for variable circumstellar extinction. The highest V polarization was about 5%. Observations of VX Cas in the deep minima revealed a turnover of the color tracks, typical of stars of this type and due to an increased contribution from radiation scattered in the circumstellar disk. We separated the observed polarization of VX Cas into interstellar (P_is) and intrinsic (P_in) components. Their position angles differ by approximately 60°, with P_is dominating in the bright state and P_in dominating during the deep minima. The competition of these two polarization components leads to changes in both the degree and position angle of the polarization during the star’s brightness variations. Generally speaking, in terms of the behavior of the brightness, color indices, and linear polarization, VX Cas is similar to other UX Ori stars studied by us earlier. A number of episodes of photometric and polarimetric activity suggest that, in their motion along highly eccentric orbits, circumstellar gas and dust clouds can enter the close vicinity of the star (and be disrupted there).     

Evolution of the dust envelope of Sakurai’s star (V4334 Sgr) in 1997–1999

We have studied the structural evolution of the dust envelope of V4334 Sgr, starting with the onset of its condensation in 1997. A model with complete cloud cover, with the optical depth growing until the end of 1999, gives the best fit to the photometric data in the optical and IR. The inner radius of the dust layer remained virtually constant, whereas its thickness increased due to expansion. The deep minimum in the visual light curve of V4334 Sgr in October 1998 is attributed to the arrival at the dust-grain condensation zone of a density discontinuity in the circumstellar envelope. The discontinuity was probably formed early in 1997 due to an increase in the mass-loss rate by a factor of about four, possibly associated with an increase in the luminosity of V4334 Sgr during its transformation into a carbon star. After this luminosity increase, the mass-loss rate was $\dot M \approx 2 \times 10^{ - 6} M_ \odot /yr$ . In the summer of 1999, the mass of the dust envelope was $M_{dust} \approx 2 \times 10^{ - 7} M_ \odot (M_{gas} \approx 4 \times 10^{ - 6} M_ \odot)$ . In the complete-cloud-cover model, the envelope consists of graphite grains with a _gr=0.05 µm, to ～85% per cent in terms of the number of grains. The remaining ～15 per cent of the grains have sizes a _gr=0.1 and 0.25 µm. To reproduce the small hump in the spectral energy distribution of V4334 Sgr near 11 µm, some silicon carbide grains must be added to the graphite mixture. Their contribution to the V optical depth is ≤4%. The first deep minimum in the visual light curve could also be reproduced using a model in which the dust cloud has condensed along the line of sight, but a detailed analysis of the resulting characteristics of the cloud and envelope indicates that this model is improbable.     

A “tsunami” in the protoplanetary disk of SV Cep

The results of ~15 years of photometric observations of the UX Ori star SV Cep in the near-infrared (JHKL) are presented. They demonstrate the presence of a cyclic component with a period of ~7 years in the variations of the IR fluxes. This is clearly seen in all four IR bands, but is absent in the optical. The variation amplitude is highest in the K band: ΔK ≈ 0.68 ^m . The shape of the variations differs slightly in the transition from J to L. However, it is reproduced with good accuracy during two cycles, suggesting a periodic process is observed. If the periodic perturbations in the circumstellar disk of SV Cep are due to a companion’s orbitalmotion, the orbital semi-major axis should be ~5AU, foramass of SVCep of 2.6M _⊙. The absence of a seven-year period in the optical light curve of SV Cep means that the observed period cannot be due to variations in the circumstellar extinction. The IR brightness variations could be due to the companion’s motion along an eccentric orbit, resulting in a periodic modulation of the rate of accretion onto the star.     

Dissipation of the hot dust envelope of CH Cygni (1996–2003)

Our analysis of JHKLM photometric data obtained in 1978–2003 for the CH Cyg system shows that the “local” dust envelope that formed in the system in 1986 and reached its highest column density in 1996 had largely dispersed by mid-2001, so that the observed brightness of the system’s red giant has returned to its pre-1985 level. The giant’s spectral type varied in the range M6.5–M7.5 in 2001–2003. The optical depth of the dust envelope at 1.25 µm was τ(J)≈0.83 near JD 2450090. The increase in the dust envelope’s optical depth was approximately a factor of 2.3 slower than the decrease. The envelope of CH Cyg can be pictured as a “stationary” dust cloud with an optical depth at λ=1.25 µm of ～0.4 and a dust-grain temperature of ～750–800 K. There was probably an injection of matter into this cloud toward the end of 1985, initiating the condensation of dust grains. The optical depth began to increase and, by 1991, the dust envelope was transformed from a cloud into a local, almost spherically-symmetric envelope with a grain temperature of 750–800 K. Its optical depth reached its maximum in 1996, after which the local envelope began to disperse, becoming a cloud again by 2001. The detected 4000-day variability of the JHK brightness of CH Cyg is in good agreement with a model with an eclipsing binary consisting of two cool giants with effective temperatures differing by approximately 100 K, a luminosity ratio of L(M7)/L(M6)～6.8, and a radius ratio of R(M7)/R(M6)～3.6. The orbital ephemeris is given by JD (Min I)=2444180+4000E.     

Photometric activity of the Herbig Be star MWC 297 over 25 years

The photometric behavior of the hot, young Herbig Be starMWC 297 on various time scales is studied using published data, as well as new observations. The series of photometric observations covers about 25 years. Over this time, the star showed low-amplitude (ΔV ≈ 0.3 ^m ) irregular variabilitymodulated by large-scale cyclic variabilitywith an amplitude close to 0.2 ^m and a period (or quasi-period) of 5.4±0.1 yr. A detailed seasonal analysis of the data shows that the light curve of MWC 297 displays two types of photometric features: low-amplitude Algol-like fading with an amplitude close to 0.2 ^m and low-amplitude flares resembling the flares of UV Ceti stars, but being more powerful and having longer durations. The variations of the stellar brightness are accompanied by variations of the B-V and V -R colors: when the brightness decreases, B-V decreases, while V -R increases (the star reddens). The reddening law is close to the standard interstellar reddening law. Although the character of the brightness variability ofMWC 297 resembles the photometric activity of UX Ori type stars, which is due to variations of their circumstellar extinction, its scale is very far from the scales observed for UX Ori stars. It is difficult to reconcile the level of photometric activity with the idea that MWC 297 is observed through its own gas-dust disk viewed almost edge-on, as has been suggested in several studies.     

IR photometry and a model of a dust shell in V2108 Ophiuchi

We present the results of JHKLM photometry of the oxygen Mira variable V2108 Oph acquired in 2000–2004. The period of brightness variations is refined (570 ± 3 days), and light and color curves in the near-IR are presented. The mean fluxes, color temperatures, and sizes for two blackbodies representing the combined radiation of the star and dust shell at minimum and maximum brightness are estimated. Additional IRAS data were used to compute a model with a spherically symmetric dust shell of silicate grains; the best-fit model has a radius for its inner boundary of 2.4 × 10¹⁴ cm, a dust temperature at this boundary of 1150 K, an optical depth of the shell at 0.55 μm of 16.8, and implies a distance to the star of 980 pc. We estimate the mass-loss rate for V2108 Oph to be 1.2 × 10⁻⁵ M _⊙/yr. Original Russian Text ? M.B. Bogdanov, O.G. Taranova, V.I. Shenavrin, 2006, published in Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2006, Vol. 83, No. 5, pp. 437–442.     

Multicolor photometry of CH Cygni in 1978–1998

We present the results of long-term (1978–1998) infrared and optical observations of the unique symbiotic system CH Cygni. The system’s IR brightness and color variations are generally consistent with a model in which the source is surrounded by a dust envelope with variable optical depth. There was evidence for a hot source in the CH Cyg system during the entire period from 1978 to 1998, with the exception of several hundred days in 1987–1989. Over the observation period, there was tendency for the system to gradually redden at 0.36–5 µm, accompanied by a brightness decrease at 0.36–2.2µm and a brightness increase at 3.5 and 5 µm. The “activation” of the cool sources in 1986–1989 nearly coincided with the disappearance of radiation from the hot source. The dust envelope of CH Cyg is not spherically symmetrical, and its optical depth along the line of sight is substantially lower than its emission coefficient, the mean values being τ_ex(L)～0.06 and τ_em(L)～0.16. We confirm the presence of a 1800-to 2000-day period in both the optical and IR, both accounting for, and not accounting for, a linear trend. The spectral type of the cool star varied between M5III and M7III. The spectral type was M5III during the phase of maximum activity of the system’s hot source, while the spectral type was M7III when the star’s optical radiation was almost completely absent. The luminosity of the cool giant varied from (6300–9100)L _⊙; its radius varied by approximately 30%. The ratio of the luminosities of the dust envelope and the cool giant varied from 0.08 to 0.5; i.e., up to 50% of the cool star’s radiation could be absorbed in the envelope. The temperature of dust particles in the emitting envelope varied from 550 to 750 K; the radius of the envelope varied by more than a factor of 2. The expansion of the emitting dust envelope observed in 1979–1988 accelerated: its initial velocity (in 1979) was ～8 km/s, while the maximum velocity (in 1987–1989) was ～180 km/s. Beginning in 1988, the radiation radius of the dust envelope began to decrease, first at ～45 km/s and then (in 1996–1998) at ～3 km/s. From 1979 until 1996, the mass of the emitting dust envelope increased by approximately a factor of 27 (the masses in 1979 and 1988 were ～1.4×10^?7 M _⊙ and ～3.8×10^?6 M _⊙, respectively), after which (by 1999) it decreased by nearly a factor of 7. The mass-loss rate of the cool star increased in 1979–1989, reaching ～3.5×10^?6 ～3.5×10^?6 M _⊙/yr in 1988. Subsequently (up to the summer of 1999), the envelope itself began to lose mass at a rate exceeding that of the cool star. The largest input of matter to the envelope occurred after the phase of optical activity in 1978–1985. If the envelope’s gas-to-dust ratio is ～100, the mass of matter ejected in 1988 was ～4×10^?4 M _⊙.     

Lithium lines in the spectra of M dwarfs: UX Tau C

The results of numerical modeling of lithium lines in the spectra of M dwarfs are discussed. The behavior of the lithium lines relative to the local pseudocontinuum formed by molecular bands is analyzed as a function of model atmosphere parameters: effective temperature T _eff, gravity logg, and metallicity μ The molecular opacity was computed using the just overlapping line approximation (JOLA) and “line-by-line” methods. The pseudo-equivalent widths of lithium lines depend appreciably on metallicity μ and weakly on T{nteff}. The lithium abundance in the atmosphere of UX Tau C is redetermined. Previous studies underestimated the lithium abundance in this star as a result of the use of insufficiently accurate molecular-line lists. The new lithium abundance log N (Li)=3.2±0.3was derived by comparing the observed profiles of the 670.8 nm resonance doublet lines with profiles calculated using the new TiO line list of Plez.¹ The new abundance agrees with the atmospheric lithium abundances of the other two components in the stellar system, providing further evidence that the three stars in the UX Tau system have the same age. A comparison of the observed spectra of UX Tau C near the lithium resonance doublet (665–680 nm) with spectra computed using JOLA and line-by-line methods suggests that the list of Plez is the best currently available.     

Diagnostics for accretion disks around UX Ori stars based on Balmer, Paschen, and Brackett Lines

We have modeled the H_α, H_β, and H_γ (Balmer series), P₁₄ (Paschen series), and Br_γ (Brackett series) hydrogen lines formed in the inner regions of the accretion disk around the Herbig Ae star UX Ori. Our calculations are based on spectra obtained with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) and the IRTF. We computed a grid of non-LTE models for a radiating area in the accretion disk and determined the basic parameters of the lines using the method of Sobolev. Analyzing the theoretical and observed line profiles, equivalent widths, and luminosities, we have estimated the accretion rate and electron-temperature distribution in the inner parts of the accretion disk. The accretion rate of UX Ori is about $\dot M_a = (3 - 10) \times 10^{ - 9} M_ \odot /yr$ , and the temperature distribution is consistent with the power law T(r)=T(r _*)(r/r _*)^?1/n , where the electron temperature near the stellar surface T(r _*) is 15000–20000 K and the power-law index n≈2–3 is about two to three. The resulting value for $\dot M_a $ eliminates problems connected with the application of magnetospheric accretion models to Herbig Ae/Be stars. Another important conclusion is that, at the estimated accretion rate, the energy release is substantially (about two orders of magnitude) lower than the stellar luminosity. Therefore, the optical radiation of UX Ori accretion disks cannot appreciably contribute to the observed variability of these stars, which must be determined mainly by variability in the circumstellar extinction.     

Parameters for the dust envelope of the protoplanetary nebula IRAS 18062+2410

We have calculated a model for the dust envelope of the protoplanetary nebula IRAS 18062+2410 using observations from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. We assume that the envelope is spherically symmetrical and consists of identical silicate grains with a radius of 0.10 micron, and with the number density of the grains inversely proportional to the square of the distance. The optical depth of the envelope, whose inner boundary is 1.40×10^?3 pc from the center of the star, is 0.050 at 10 microns. At the inner envelope boundary, the temperature of the dust grains is 410 K and their density is 2.7×10^?7 cm^?3. Using calculations of stellar evolution at the stage following the exit from the asymptotic giant branch, we estimate the dust envelope’s expansion velocity to be 12 km/s. The mass-loss rate of the star preceding the ejection of the envelope was about 4.5×10^?6 M _⊙/yr. The observed excess of far-IR flux is not associated with the continuum radiation of the nebula, and may provide evidence for the presence of dust ejected by the star in earlier stages of its evolution.     

Photometric observations of R Coronae Borealis in the optical and infrared

The results of long-term photometric observations of R CrB in the UBV JHKLM bands are presented. The temporal and color characteristics of the emission of the star itself and of its extended dust envelope are analyzed in detail. No stable harmonic has been found in the semiregular variations of the optical brightness of R CrB. Two harmonics with periods P≈3.3 and 11.3 yrs have been detected in the brightness variations of the dust envelope; the minima of these variations coincided in 1999, resulting in a record decrease in the LM brightness of the envelope. This by chance coincided in time with a deep minimum of the visual brightness of the star, resulting in a unique decrease in the total brightness of the star and dust envelope. This enabled estimation of the bolometric flux of the hot dust clouds, which made up only a few per cent of the bolometric flux of the dust envelope. The brightness variations of the dust envelope are not accompanied by appreciable color changes and are associated with variations of its optical depth τ(V) in the range 0.2–0.4. The dust envelope forms at a large and fairly constant distance from the star $(r_{in} \approx 110R_* ,T_{gr} \approx 860 K)$ , from material in its stellar wind, whose intensity $(\dot M_{gas} \approx 2.1 \times 10^{ - 7} M_ \odot /year)$ obeys a Reimers law. No variations synchronous with those of the optical depth of the dust envelope, in particular, with the period P≈3.3 yrs, have been found in the optical emission of R CrB, suggesting that the stellar wind is not spherically symmetric. The dust envelope consists of small grains (a _gr≤0.01 µm), while the clouds screening the star from the observer are made up of large grains (a _gr≈0.1 µm). The activity of R CrB, whose nature is unclear, is reflected in variations of the stellar-wind intensity and the appearance of dust clouds in the line of sight: these variations are repeated by corresponding changes in the optical depth of the dust envelope with a delay of ～4 years (the time for a particle moving at V _env≈45 km/s to move from the star to the boundary of the dust envelope).     

Infrared photometry of the unique object FG Sge in 1985–2001

Our analysis of many years of infrared photometry of the unique object FG Sge indicates that the dust envelope formed around the supergiant in August 1992 is spherically symmetrical and contains compact, dense dust clouds. The emission from the spherically symmetrical dust envelope is consistent with the observed radiation from the star at 3.5–5 µm, and the presence of the dust clouds can explain the radiation observed at 1.25–2.2 µm. The mean integrated flux from the dust envelope in 1992–2001 was ～(1.0±0.2)×10^?8 erg s^?1cm^?2. The variations of its optical depth in 1992–2001 were within 0.5–1.0. The maximum density of the dust envelope was recorded in the second half of 1993 and corresponded to mean optical depths as high as unity. Several times in the interval from 1992 to 2001, the dusty material of the envelope partially dissipated and was then replenished. For example, the optical depth of the dust cloud at λ=1.25 µm during the last brigthness minimum in the J band was τ_1.25≈4.3, which is much higher than the optical depth of the dust envelope of FG Sge. During maxima of the J brightness, the mean spectral energy distribution at 0.36–5 µm can be represented as a combination of radiation from a G0 supergiant that is attenuated by a dust envelope with a mean optical depth of 0.65±0.15 and emission from the spherically symmetrical dust envelope itself, with the temperature of the graphite grains being 750±150 K. At minima of the J brightness, only radiation from the dust envelope is observed at 1.65–5 µm, with the radiation from the supergiant barely detectable at 1.25 µm. As a result, the integrated flux during J minima is almost half that during J maxima. The mean mass of the spherically symmetrical dust envelope of FG Sge in 1992–2001 was (3 ± 1) × 10^?7M_⊙. This envelope’s mass varied by nearly a factor of two during 1992–2001, in the range (2 – 4) × 10^?7M_⊙. In Autumn 1992, the mass-loss rate from the supergiant exceeded 2 × 10^?7M_⊙/yr. The average rate at which matter was injected into the envelope during 1993–2001 was 10^?8M_⊙/yr. The mean rate of dissipation of the dust envelope was about 1 × 10^?8M_⊙/yr. During 1992–2001, the supergiant lost about 8.7 × 10^?7M_⊙. The parameters of the dust envelope were relatively constant from 1999 until the middle of 2001.     

Unusual Photometric Activity of the Weak-line T Tauti Star V715 Per

The results of many-year photometric observations of the weak-line T Tauri star V715 Per in the optical (V RI) and infrared (JHK) photometric bands are presented. The period of the star’s lowamplitude brightness variations in the V RI bands detected earlier, 5.23d, is confirmed. This period persists during the entire 14-year time interval of the observations, but its amplitude varies with time. The same period was found in the variations of JHK infrared fluxes, with the brightness variations in the two ranges being almost synchronous. The most probable origin of these variations is periodic eclipses of the star by its own disk, perturbed by its interaction with the magnetosphere (AA Tau-type variations). In addition to the periodic brightness variations, the star also displayed sporadic Algol-like minima characteristic of UX Ori stars during several years (2005–2011). The amplitude of these variations increasedmonotonically, reaching approximately 1^m in the V band by the end of 2010, after which the deep fadings ended. During this entire time interval, the amplitude of the periodic variations was observed to decrease. After 2011, the periodic component began to become stronger again. These changes of the photometric activity of V715 Per can be explained by an increasing rate of gas accretion onto the star, decreasing the radius of warped regions of the disk and leading to accompanying Algol-like fadings. This model assumes a low inclination of the circumstellar disk in V715 Per to the line of sight.     

Photometric and polarimetric activity of RZ Psc

We present the results of synchronous photometric and polarimetric U BV RI observations of the irregular variable star RZ Psc, acquired at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in 1989–2002. The star’s photometric behavior is characterized by short, sporadic Algol-like dimmings. We observed only one deep minimum, with a V amplitude of about 1.5^m, during the entire observation time. During this minimum, the star’s linear polarization reached 3.5%. Comparisons with polarization observations of RZ Psc during another deep minimum in 1989 show that the two minima can be described by the same polarization-brightness relation, testifying to an eclipsing nature for the minima. This provides evidence that the optical characteristics of the flattened circumstellar dust envelope that gives rise to the star’s intrinsic polarization have remained virtually unchanged over the last 13 years. We argue that the origin of this stability is the presence of a large dust-free cavity in the central region of the circumstellar dust disk of RZ Psc. The cavity could be associated with binarity of the star or the formation of a planetary system, with most of the dust in the central region of the disk being transformed into large bodies—planetesimals and planets.