Unusual infrared fading of CH Cygni in 2006

Infrared observations of the unique symbiotic system CH Cyg in 2003–2006 are presented. Analysis of the observations has shown that a fairly dense dust structure (a cloud or a shell) appeared on the line of sight in August–November 2006. The dust grains in the new shell are similar in optical properties to graphite ones and their sizes are mostly within the range 0.14–0.16 μm. The dust shell is optically thick and its optical depth at 2.2 μm is τ(2.2) ≈ 0.97. The dust shell mass is M _d(06) ≈ 8 × 10⁻⁶ M _⊙ and the rate of matter flow into the shell has reached ∼2 × 10⁻⁵ M _⊙ yr⁻¹. Original Russian Text ? O.G. Taranova, V.I. Shenavrin, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2007, Vol. 33, No. 8, pp. 598–603.     

On the Evolutionary State of High-Latitude Variable V534 Lyr

Based on the high spectral resolution monitoring conducted at the 6-m BTA telescope, we study the optical spectrum of the high-latitude variable V534 Lyr. Heliocentric radial velocities V_r corresponding to the positions of all metal absorption components, as well as the Na I D and Hα lines were measured during all the observational sets. The analysis of the velocity field examining the lines of various nature revealed a low-amplitude variability of V_r based on the lines with a high excitation potential, which are formed in deep layers of the stellar atmosphere, and allowed to estimate the systemic velocity of V_sys ≈ ?125 kms^?1 (V_lsr ≈ ?105 kms^?1). The distance estimate of d ≈ 6 kpc for the star leads to its absolute magnitude of \(M_V \approx - 5_ \cdot ^m 3\), what corresponds to the spectral classification. The previously undetected spectral phenomenon was revealed for this star: at certain times a splitting of the profiles of low-excited absorptions is observed, reaching ΔV_r = 20–50 kms^?1. A combination of the parameters: reduced metallicity [Met/H]_⊙ = ?0.28, high nitrogen abundance [N/Fe] = +1.10, large spatial velocity, high luminosity, a strong variability of the emission-absorption profiles of HI lines, splitting of metal absorptions at different times of observations and the variability of the velocity field in the atmosphere allow to classify V534 Lyr as a pulsating star in the thick disk of our Galaxy.     

Evolution of low-mass helium stars in semidetached binaries

We systematically investigate the evolution of low-mass (0.35, 0.40, and 0.65M _⊙) helium donors in semidetached binaries with white-dwarf accretors. The initial periods of the binaries are chosen in such a way that the helium abundance in the center of the models at the time of Roche lobe overflow varies between Y _c = 0.98 and Y _c ? 0.1. The results of our calculations can be used to analyze the formation scenarios and evolutionary status of AM CVn stars. We show that the minimum orbital periods of the semidetached binaries depend weakly on the total mass of the components and the evolutionary phase of the donor at the time of Roche lobe overflow and are 9–10 min. The differences in the mass transfer rates after P _orb reaches its minimum in the range P _orb ≈ 10–40 min do not exceed a factor of ～2.5. For P _orb ? 20 min, the mass-losing stars are weakly degenerate homogeneous cooling objects; the He, C, N, O, and Ne abundances depend on the evolutionary phase at which Roche lobe overflow occurred. For the binaries that are currently believed to be the most probable candidates for AM CVn stars with helium donors, Y ? 0.4, X _C ? 0.3, X _O ? 0.25, and X _N ? 0.5 × 10^?2. In the binaries under consideration, once P _orb ≈ 40 min has been reached, the mass loss time scale begins to exceed the thermal time scale of the donors, the latter begin to contract, their matter becomes degenerate, and the populations of AMCVn stars with white-dwarf and helium-star progenitors of their donors probably merge together.     

Observations of the optical afterglow from GRB 060526 with the RTT-150 telescope

Multicolor photometric observations of the optical afterglow from GRB 060526 with the Russian-Turkish 1.5-m RTT-150 telescope (Mount Bakyrlytepe, Turkey) are presented. The afterglow light curve was measured in detail starting from about 5 h after the GRB and over five ensuing nights. In addition, upper limits were obtained on the rapid variability of the afterglow on the first night of observations and the history of afterglow color variations was measured in detail. In the time interval from 6 to 16 h after the burst, the flux gradually decreased approximately as a power law with a slope of ?1.14 ± 0.02. Subsequently, variability was observed on a time scale δt < t and the afterglow began to decay much faster. The afterglow color was approximately constant (V?R ≈ 0.5) throughout the observations, despite the flux variability. Variability time scales up to δt/t ≈ 0.0055 were observed at ΔF _ν/F _ν ≈ 0.3, which violates many constraints on the variability of the observed emission from an ultrarelativistic jet obtained by Ioka et al. (2005). We suggest explaining this variability by the fact that the shell motion is no longer ultrarelativistic at this time.     

Structure of radio sources at wavelengths 10.5 and 12.0 cm from observations of the Solar eclipse on March 29, 2006

The eclipse observations were performed at the Laboratory of Radio Astronomy of the CrAO in Katsiveli with stationary instrumentation of the Solar Patrol at wavelengths of 10.5 and 12.0 cm. The data obtained were used to determine the brightness temperature of the undisturbed Sun at solar activity minimum between 11-year cycles 23 and 24: T _d10.5 = (43.7 ± 0.5) × 10³ K at 10.5 cm and T _d12.0 = (51.8 ± 0.5) × 10³ K at 12.0 cm. The radio brightness distribution above the limb group of sunspots NOAA 0866 was calculated. It shows that at both wavelengths the source consisted of a compact bright nucleus about 50 × 10³ km in size with temperatures T _b10.5 = 0.94 × 10⁶ K and T _b12.0 = 2.15 × 10⁶ K located, respectively, at heights h _10.5 = 33.5 × 10³ km and h _12.0 = 43.3 × 10³ km above the sunspot and an extended halo with a temperature T _b = (230–300) × 10³ K stretching to a height of 157 × 10³ km above the photosphere. The revealed spatial structure of the local source is consistent with the universally accepted assumption that the radiation from the bright part of the source is generated by electrons in the sunspot magnetic fields at the second-third cyclotron frequency harmonics and that the halo is the bremsstrahlung of thermal electrons in the coronal condensation forming an active region. According to the eclipse results, the electron density near the upper boundary of the condensation was N _e ≈ 2.3 × 10⁸ cm^?3, while the optical depth was τ ≈ 0.1 at an electron temperature T _e ≈ 10⁶ K. Thus, the observations of the March 29, 2006 eclipse have allowed the height of the coronal condensation at solar activity minimum to be experimentally determined and the physical parameters of the plasma near its upper boundary to be estimated.     

Stellar Mass—Halo Mass Relation and Star Formation Efficiency in High-Mass Halos

We study relation between stellar mass and halo mass for high-mass halos using a sample of galaxy clusters with accurate measurements of stellar masses from optical and ifrared data and total masses from X-ray observations. We find that stellar mass of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) scales as M_*,BCG ∝ M ₅₀₀ ^αBCG with the best fit slope of α_BCG ≈ 0.4 ± 0.1. We measure scatter of M_*,BCG at a fixed M₅₀₀ of ≈0.2 dex. We show that stellar mass-halo mass relations from abundance matching or halo modelling reported in recent studies underestimate masses of BCGs by a factor of ～2?4. We argue that this is because these studies used stellar mass functions (SMF) based on photometry that severely underestimates the outer surface brightness profiles of massive galaxies. We show that M_*?M relation derived using abundance matching with the recent SMF calibration by Bernardi et al. (2013) based on improved photometry is in a much better agreement with the relation we derive via direct calibration for observed clusters. The total stellar mass of galaxies correlates with total mass M₅₀₀ with the slope of ≈0.6 ± 0.1 and scatter of 0.1 dex. This indicates that efficiency with which baryons are converted into stars decreases with increasing cluster mass. The low scatter is due to large contribution of satellite galaxies: the stellar mass in satellite galaxies correlates with M₅₀₀ with scatter of ≈0.1 dex and best fit slope of α_sat ≈ 0.8 ± 0.1. We show that for a fixed choice of the initial mass function (IMF) total stellar fraction in clusters is only a factor of 3?5 lower than the peak stellar fraction reached in M ≈ 10¹²M_⊙ halos. The difference is only a factor of ～1.5?3 if the IMF becomes progressively more bottom heavy with increasing mass in early type galaxies, as indicated by recent observational analyses. This means that the overall efficiency of star formation in massive halos is only moderately suppressed compared to L_* galaxies and is considerably less suppressed than previously thought. The larger normalization and slope of the M_*?M relation derived in this study shows that feedback and associated suppression of star formation in massive halos should be weaker than assumed in most of the current semi-analytic models and simulations.     

Spectroscopic and photometric characteristics of stars in the field of the cluster vdB 130

The observational data for 24 stars toward the young cluster vdB 130 are analyzed. The spectroscopic and photometric BV RIJHK observations have been carried out with the following telescopes: 6-m at the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 60-cm at the Southern Station of the Moscow State University, and 2.5-m at the Caucasus Observatory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute of theMoscow State University. Nine stars previously selected as cluster members have been found to belong to different subtypes of type B. A minimum color excess toward the cluster, E(B ? V) = 0.9 mag, has been revealed for the vdB 130 stars lying outside the molecular cloud. Maximum color excesses, E(B ? V) = 1.3?1.4 mag, have been found in the spectra of cluster stars 1r and 5r observed in dust blobs. Inside the cluster R _v is shown to differ from the standard one. The overwhelming majority of the remaining investigated stars belong to late types and have minor color excesses (≤0.3) typical of close distances.     

Pulsations of microwave emission and flare plasma diagnostics

We consider the modulation of nonthermal gyrosynchrotron emission from solar flares by the ballooning and radial oscillations of coronal loops. The damping mechanisms for fast magnetoacoustic modes are analyzed. We suggest a method for diagnosing the plasma of flare loops that allows their main parameters to be estimated from peculiarities of the microwave pulsations. Based on observational data obtained with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (17 GHz) and using a technique developed for the event of May 8, 1998, we determined the particle density n≈3.7×10¹⁰ cm^?3, the temperature T≈4×10⁷ K, and the magnetic field strength B≈220 G in the region of flare energy release. A wavelet analysis for the solar flare of August 28, 1999, has revealed two main types of microwave oscillations with periods P₁≈7, 14 s and P₂≈2.4 s, which we attribute to the ballooning and radial oscillations of compact and extended flare loops, respectively. An analysis of the time profile for microwave emission shows evidence of coronal loop interaction. We determined flare plasma parameters for the compact (T≈5.3×10⁷ K, n≈4.8≈10¹⁰ cm^?3, B≈280 G) and extended (T≈2.1≈10⁷ K, n≈1.2≈10¹⁰ cm^?3, B≈160 G) loops. The results of the soft X-ray observations are consistent with the adopted model.     

GJ 900: A new hierarchical system with low-mass components

Speckle interferometric observations made with the 6 m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2000 revealed the triple nature of the nearby (π _Hip = 51.80 ± 1.74 mas) low-mass young (≈ 200 Myr) star GJ 900. The configuration of the triple system allowed it to be dynamically unstable. Differential photometry performed from 2000 through 2004 yielded I- and K-band absolute magnitudes and spectral types for the components to be I _A =6.66±0.08, I _B =9.15±0.11, I _C =10.08±0.26, K _A =4.84±0.08, K _B =6.76±0.20, K _C =7.39±0.31, Sp _A ≈K5?K7, Sp _B ≈M3?M4, Sp _C ≈M5?M6. The “mass-luminosity” relation is used to estimate the individual masses of the components: M _A ≈0.64M _⊙, M _B ≈0.21M _⊙, M _C ≈0.13M _⊙. From the observations of the components’ relative motion in the period 2000–2006, we conclude that GJ 900 is a hierarchical triple star with the possible orbital periods P_A-BC≈80 yrs and P_BC≈20 yrs. An analysis of the 2MASS images of the region around GJ 900 leads us to suggest that the system can include other very-low-mass components.     

The most metal-poor quadruple system of subdwarfs G89-14

The system of subdwarfs G89-14 is one of the most metal-poor multiple stars with an atmospheric metal abundance [m/H] = ?1.9. Speckle interferometry at the 6-m BTA telescope has revealed that G89-14 consists of four components. Measurements of the magnitude difference between the components and published data have allowed their masses to be estimated: M _A ≈ 0.67 M _⊙, M _B ≈ 0.24M _⊙,M _C ≈ 0.33M _⊙, andM _D ≈ 0.22M _⊙. The ratio of the orbital periods of the subsystems has been obtained, 0.52 yr: 3000 yr: 650 000 yr (1: 5769: 1 250 000), indicative of a high degree of hierarchy o fG89-14 and its internal dynamical stability. The calculated Galactic orbital elements and the low metallicity of the quadruple system suggest that it belongs to the Galactic halo.     

Interstellar extinction toward the ultradeep Galactic field of the Chandra observatory from 2MASS data

We have measured the interstellar extinction in the region of ultradeep Galactic-field observations by the Chandra telescope (l ^II, b ^II) ≈ 0.1–1.42 using photometric data from the 2MASS infrared allsky survey. The angular resolution of our interstellar extinction map is 1′.8. We show that the interstellar extinction has a minimum, A _V ～ 3.4, near the center of the Chandra field of view and increases to A _V ～ 5.8–6 at the edge of the field of view. In addition, we show that the bulk of the extinction is gained in the Galactic disk and is approximately the same for all bulge stars. Our results will be subsequently used to process the Chandra data and to estimate the properties of the stellar population in this region.     

Radial pulsations of red giant branch stars

We performed hydrodynamic computations of nonlinear stellar pulsations of population I stars at the evolutionary stages of the ascending red giant branch and the following luminosity drop due to the core helium flash. Red giants populating this region of the Hertzsprung–Russel diagram were found to be the fundamental mode pulsators. The pulsation period is the largest at the tip of the red giant branch and for stars with initial masses from 1.1 M _⊙ to 1.9 M _⊙ ranges from ∏ ≈ 254 day to ∏ ≈ 33 day , respectively. The rate of period change during the core helium flash is comparable with rates of secular period change in Mira type variables during the thermal pulse in the helium shell source. The period change rate is largest (∏?/∏ ≈ ?10^?2 yr^?1) in stars with initial mass M ^ZAMS = 1.1 M ^⊙ and decreases to ∏?/∏ ～ ?10^?3 yr^?1 for stars of the evolutionary sequence M ^ZAMS = 1.9 M ^⊙. Theoretical light curves of red giants pulsating with periods ∏ > 200 day show the presence of the secondary maximum similar to that observed in many Miras.     

Pulsations of intermediate–mass stars on the asymptotic giant branch

Evolutionary tracks from the zero age main sequence to the asymptotic giant branch were computed for stars with initial masses 2 M _⊙ ≤ M _ZAMS ≤ 5 M _⊙ and metallicity Z = 0.02. Some models of evolutionary sequences were used as initial conditions for equations of radiation hydrodynamics and turbulent convection describing radial stellar pulsations. The early asymptotic giant branch stars are shown to pulsate in the fundamental mode with periods 30 day ? Π ? 400day. The rate of period change gradually increases as the star evolves but is too small to be detected (Π?/Π < 10^?5 yr^?1). Pulsation properties of thermally pulsing AGB stars are investigated on time intervals comprising 17 thermal pulses for evolutionary sequences with initial masses M _ZAMS = 2 M _⊙ and 3 M _⊙ and 6 thermal pulses for M _ZAMS = 4 M _⊙ and 5 M _⊙. Stars with initial masses M _ZAMS ≤ 3 M _⊙ pulsate either in the fundamental mode or in the first overtone, whereas more massive red giants (M _ZAMS ≥ 4 M _⊙) pulsate in the fundamental mode with periods Π ? 10³ day. Most rapid pulsation period change with rate ?0.02 yr^?1 ? Π?/Π ? ?0.01 yr^?1 occurs during decrease of the surface luminosity after the maximum of the luminosity in the helium shell source. The rate of subsequent increase of the period is Π?/Π ? 5 × 10^?3 yr^?1.     

Kinematics of the Galaxy from OB Stars with Data from the Gaia DR2 Catalogue

We have selected and analyzed a sample of OB stars with known line-of-sight velocities determined through ground-based observations and with trigonometric parallaxes and propermotions from the Gaia DR2 catalogue. Some of the stars in our sample have distance estimates made from calcium lines. A direct comparison with the trigonometric distance scale has shown that the calcium distance scale should be reduced by 13%. The following parameters of the Galactic rotation curve have been determined from 495 OB stars with relative parallax errors less than 30%: (U, V,W)_⊙ = (8.16, 11.19, 8.55)± (0.48, 0.56, 0.48) km s^?1, Ω₀ = 28.92 ± 0.39 km s^?1 kpc^?1, Ω'₀ = ?4.087 ± 0.083 km s^?1 kpc^?2, and Ω″ ₀ = 0.703 ± 0.067 km s?1 kpc^?3, where the circular velocity of the local standard of rest is V0 = 231 ± 5 km s^?1 (for the adopted R₀ = 8.0 ± 0.15 kpc). The parameters of the Galactic spiral density wave have been found from the series of radial, V_R, residual tangential, ΔV_circ, and vertical, W, velocities of OB stars by applying a periodogram analysis. The amplitudes of the radial, tangential, and vertical velocity perturbations are f_R = 7.1± 0.3 km s^?1, f_θ = 6.5 ± 0.4 km s^?1, and f_W = 4.8± 0.8 km s^?1, respectively; the perturbation wavelengths are λ_R = 3.3 ± 0.1 kpc, λ_θ = 2.3 ± 0.2 kpc, and λ_W = 2.6 ± 0.5 kpc; and the Sun’s radial phase in the spiral density wave is (χ_⊙)_R = ?135? ± 5?, (χ_⊙)θ = ?123? ± 8?, and (χ_⊙)_W = ?132? ± 21? for the adopted four-armed spiral pattern.     

The hydrogen emission spectrum of a shock wave in a stellar atmosphere

Based on a self-consistent solution of the equations of gas dynamics, kinetics of hydrogen atomic level populations, and radiative transfer, we analyze the structure of a shock wave that propagates in a partially ionized hydrogen gas. We consider the radiative transfer at the frequencies of spectral lines by taking into account the effects of a moving medium in the observer's frame of reference. The flux in Balmer lines is shown to be formed behind the shock discontinuity at the initial hydrogen recombination stage. The Doppler shift of the emission-line profile is approximately one and a half times smaller than the gas flow velocity in the Balmer emission region, because the radiation field of the shock wave is anisotropic. At Mach numbers M₁?10 and unperturbed gas densities σ₁=10^?10 g cm^?3, the Doppler shift is approximately one third of the shock velocity U₁. The FWHM of the emission-line profile δ _? is related to the shock velocity by δ _? ≈ k _? U₁, where k _? = 1, 0.6, and 0.65 for the Hα, Hβ, and Hγ lines, respectively.     

Interaction of the supernova remnant HB3 with the ambient interstellar gas

The well-known shell supernova remnant (SNR) HB3 is part of a feature-rich star-forming region together with the nebulae W3, W4, and W5. We study the HI structure around this SNR using five RATAN-600 drift curves obtained at a wavelength of 21 cm with an angular resolution of 2′ in one coordinate over the radial-velocity range ?183 to +60 km s^?1 in a wider region of the sky and with a higher sensitivity than in previous works by other authors. The spatial-kinematic distribution of HI features around the SNR clearly shows two concentric expanding shells of gas that surround the SNR and coincide with it in all three coordinates (α, δ, and V). The outer shell has a radius of 133 pc, a thickness of 24 pc, and an expansion velocity of 48 km s^?1. The mass of the gas in it is ≈2.3 × 10⁵M_⊙. For the inner shell, these parameters are 78 pc, 36 pc, 24 km s^{? 1}, and 0.9 × 10⁵M_⊙, respectively. The inner shell is immediately adjacent to the SNR. Assuming that the outer shell was produced by the stellar wind and the inner shell arose from the shock wave of the SNR proper, we estimated the age of the outer shell, ≈1.7 × 10⁶ yr, and the mechanical luminosity of the stellar wind, 1.5 × 10³⁸ erg s^?1. The inner shell has an age of ≈10⁶ yr and corresponds to a total supernova explosion energy of ≈10⁵² erg.