富锂巨星的观测研究

锂在温度达到T＞2.5×106 K时即参与7Li(p,α)4He反应燃烧,经典恒星理论推测,当恒星演化到红巨星阶段时,由于向内非常延伸的对流包层的存在,锂的丰度A(Li)=12+ lg[n(Li)/n(H)]应为A(Li)＜0.5.但是,陆续有处于不同光谱型、不同演化阶段的富锂巨星被发现,其中一些巨星的锂丰度甚至远超出宇宙大爆炸的原初锂丰度,给经典恒星演化模型带来了难题.回顾了从恒星主序到巨星支的锂丰度观测研究历史,并详细介绍了我们对银河系矮星系中富锂巨星的最新发现,总结了所有富锂巨星的观测证据,以及为解决此难题所提出的理论解释.     

弱发射线T Tauri型星的高色散光谱观测

应用国家天文台兴隆观测基地2.16 m望远镜及其高色散光谱仪,对6颗弱发射线T Tauri型星(Weak-line T Tauri Stars,简称WTTS)进行了高色散光谱观测,计算了这些弱发射线T Tauri型星的锂元素丰度,讨论了这些弱发射线TTauri型星锂丰度和恒星自转周期、光变幅度的关系,研究发现:自转较快的弱发射线T Tauri型星锂丰度小于自转较慢的弱发射线T Tauri型星锂丰度;但是这些弱发射线TTauri型星,其锂丰度与恒星在V波段的光变幅度并没有明显的相关性.     

恒星锂丰度研究进展

锂是少数几种在大中生成的元素之一,研究锂丰度对于探讨各种元素核合成理论以及星系的早期化学演化规律都具有十分重要的意义,阐述了有关恒星（类太阳星,晕族恒星和主序前得）及星团锂丰度的新近观测结果。介绍了在锂的核合成理论研究方面非局部热动平衡效应的影响及锂在恒星演化中的衰竭机制等理论的研究进展和存在的问题。     

类太阳色球活动恒星的高色散光谱观测和锂丰度

基于对9颗类太阳色球活动恒星高信噪比的高色散光谱观测, 测量了这些恒星锂线(入 = 6707.8 A'')的等值宽度, 计算了这些恒星表层锂元素丰度. 通过研究这些类太阳色球活动恒星锂丰度和X射线光度之间的关系, 发现X射线光度 强的类太阳色球活动恒星锂丰度值大于X射线较弱的恒星. 也就是说活动性较强的类太阳色球活动恒星其锂丰度较高, 活动性较弱的类太阳色球活动恒星其锂丰度较低. 考虑到主序的类太阳恒星锂元素和恒星自转速度随着恒星年龄的增加逐渐减少, 以及随着类太阳色球活动恒星自转速度的减小, 色球活动又逐渐变弱. 因此类似于锂丰度, 类太阳色球活动恒星自转速度的大小和恒星的 活动水平也同样可以表明恒星的年龄.     

太阳大气锂丰度的衰减

太阳大气锂的丰度７Ｌｉ／Ｈ＝１０－１１（按原子数计）。或［７Ｌｉ］＝ｌｏｇ（７Ｌｉ／Ｈ）＋１２＝１０．它比太阳系原始星云和银河系星际介质钾的丰度要低约两个数量级．因此太阳在它形成之后，其大气锂必定经受了严重衰减．然而年轻的银河疏散星团（如昂星团和英仙ａ星团）中有效温度高于５５００ Ｋ的主序星，其锂丰度都基本是正常的，井末呈现明显的衰减．这充分说明，太阳型恒星锂的衰减主要发生在主序阶段，而非在主序前的演化阶段． 在恒星中，７Ｌｉ是通过核反应７Ｌｉ（ｐ，ａ）４Ｈｅ，而毁坏．上述反应在Ｔ≥ ２．５×１０…     

恒星内部的贯穿对流(英文)

贯穿对流是恒星演化理论长期未获很好解决的理论问题。尽管它已有近五十年的研究历史 ,但至今人们对贯穿对流仍存在很多的错误的理解。究其原因是因为人们对贯穿对流的理解依然停留在唯象的混合长理论图象上。根据一种非局部对流理论 ,我们揭示了贯穿对流区的结构。在太阳下部的贯穿对流区 ,温度梯度是亚绝热的 ,但是是超辐射的。本文还对恒星对流理论给出了一个简短的评述。     

关于太阳底部贯穿对流区的延伸程度

众所周知 ,贯穿对流对恒星演化有至关重要的影响 .然而至今对此问题尚无完善的理论处理方法 .尽管该问题已经取得了很大的进展[1-4 ] ,但在恒星演化计算中处理贯穿对流最广泛的仍是某种唯象的混合长理论[5,6] .日震学提供了一个探测太阳内部结构的强有力手段 ,它对恒星对流理论给出了一个严格的限制 .　　在过去几年中 ,利用日震方法探测太阳对流区之下贯穿对流区的结构引起了人们的特别关注 .所有的理论研究都是根据这样一种简单的唯象贯穿对流模型[5-9] :在稍许高于绝热温度梯度的对流区的下方 ,紧贴着的是一个稍许低于绝热温度梯度的贯穿…     

LAMOST-Kepler视场中富锂巨星表面转动研究

Kepler卫星提供的长时序、高精度的光度观测和郭守敬望远镜(LAMOST)提供的大规模光谱观测为研究恒星表面转动周期与富锂巨星锂丰度关系提供了良好的数据.将LAMOST搜寻到的富锂巨星与Kepler观测交叉,获得了619颗共同源,研究了其中295颗有良好观测数据的富锂巨星的表面转动.在205颗有星震学参数的恒星中提取出14颗恒星的转动周期,其中氦核燃烧星(HeB) 11颗,红巨星支(RGB) 2颗, 1颗演化阶段未确定.本样本中的极富锂巨星(A(Li) 3.3 dex)皆为HeB;对于90颗没有星震学参数的样本因而没有依靠星震学手段确定演化阶段的恒星中,有22颗提取出了自转周期.前者的自转探测率为6.8%,显著高于之前工作中大样本巨星2.08%的探测率.同时,此研究首次从自转周期的角度确认了恒星转动与巨星锂增丰存在相关性,在增丰程度较弱时,自转周期分布比较弥散;强锂增丰的星倾向于快速转动.富锂巨星与极富锂巨星在转动速度随锂丰度的演化上展现了两个序列,在转动-锂丰度图上的A(Li)≈3.3 dex处产生第2个下降序列,或许暗示了两者在形成机制上的不同.极富锂巨星的样本中,随巨星锂增丰程度增强,恒星转速加快.这种相关性为由转动引起的额外混合作为富锂巨星形成的机制提供了支持.     

太阳大气铍丰度的衰减

Li和Be轻元素在温度仅几百万度时就因核反应而遭毁坏,因此它们是恒星演化过程的外层对流混合延伸程度很好的一种示踪。基于这种考虑,我们曾计算过太阳包层模型Li的衰减,得到一个同时满足日震学太阳对流区深度和太阳Li丰度观测要求的非局部太阳对流包层模型[1].Li丰度给出了一个非局部对流混合延伸程度的上限。     

第一代恒星的观测和研究进展

第一代恒星（星族Ⅲ恒星）标志着宇宙从暗物质时代到现在已知的宇宙的转折点。目前对第一代恒星（星族Ⅲ恒星）的观测结果表明，在银河系中还没有发现零金属丰度的恒星，金属丰度[Fe/H]≤-2.5的恒星极少。由于近几年的BPS巡天，银河系中已知的极端贫金属丰度的恒星数目大大增多。目前，可探测到的极端贫金属星的金属丰度[Fe/H]最低约为－4．1。金属丰度在－4到－3之间的恒星大约有100多颗，这些恒星的运动学特性非常类似于其它晕星。然而还没有发现第一代恒星，或金属丰度[Fe/H]≤-5的恒星。关于第一代恒星的形成过程、初始质量函数以及存在于银河系的什么地方，都还没有任何直接的证据。但第一代恒星确实存在。第一代恒星这个谜一般的实体，向观测和理论天文学家提出了巨大挑战。为探测和预言银河系中的第一代恒星，天文学家提出了许多观测方案和理论模型。对有关第一代恒星在观测和理论研究上的进展进行了综述。     

Abundances in intermediate-mass AGB stars undergoing third dredge-up and hot-bottom burning

High-dispersion near-infrared spectra have been taken of seven highly evolved, variable, intermediate-mass (4–6 M_⊙) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud in order to look for C, N and O variations that are expected to arise from third dredge-up and hot-bottom burning. The pulsation of the objects has been modelled, yielding stellar masses, and spectral synthesis calculations have been performed in order to derive abundances from the observed spectra. For two stars, abundances of C, N, O, Na, Al, Ti, Sc and Fe were derived and compared with the abundances predicted by detailed AGB models. Both stars show very large N enhancements and C deficiencies. These results provide the first observational confirmation of the long-predicted production of primary nitrogen by the combination of third dredge-up and hot-bottom burning in intermediate-mass AGB stars. It was not possible to derive abundances for the remaining five stars: three were too cool to model, while another two had strong shocks in their atmospheres which caused strong emission to fill the line cores and made abundance determination impossible. The latter occurrence allows us to predict the pulsation phase interval during which observations should be made if successful abundance analysis is to be possible.     

AGB variables and the Mira period–luminosity relation

Published data for large-amplitude asymptotic giant branch variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are re-analysed to establish the constants for an infrared ( K ) period–luminosity relation of the form   M _K =ρ[log  P − 2.38]+δ  . A slope of  ρ=−3.51 ± 0.20  and a zero-point of  δ=−7.15 ± 0.06  are found for oxygen-rich Miras (if a distance modulus of 18.39 ± 0.05 is used for the LMC). Assuming this slope is applicable to Galactic Miras we discuss the zero-point for these stars using the revised Hipparcos parallaxes together with published very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) parallaxes for OH masers and Miras in globular clusters. These result in a mean zero-point of  δ=−7.25 ± 0.07  for O-rich Galactic Miras. The zero-point for Miras in the Galactic bulge is not significantly different from this value.
Carbon-rich stars are also discussed and provide results that are consistent with the above numbers, but with higher uncertainties. Within the uncertainties there is no evidence for a significant difference between the period–luminosity relation zero-points for systems with different metallicity.     

The evolution of low-metallicity asymptotic giant branch stars and the formation of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars

We investigate the behaviour of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars between metallicities   Z = 10⁻⁴  and 10⁻⁸. We determine which stars undergo an episode of flash-driven mixing, where protons are ingested into the intershell convection zone, as they enter the thermally pulsing AGB phase and which undergo third dredge-up. We find that flash-driven mixing does not occur above a metallicity of   Z = 10⁻⁵  for any mass of star and that stars above  2 M_⊙  do not experience this phenomenon at any metallicity. We find carbon ingestion (CI), the mixing of carbon into the tail of hydrogen-burning region, occurs in the mass range  2 M_⊙  to around  4 M_⊙  . We suggest that CI may be a weak version of the flash-driven mechanism. We also investigate the effects of convective overshooting on the behaviour of these objects. Our models struggle to explain the frequency of Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars that have both significant carbon and nitrogen enhancement. Carbon can be enhanced through flash-driven mixing, CI or just third dredge-up. Nitrogen can be enhanced through hot bottom burning and the occurrence of hot dredge-up also converts carbon into nitrogen. The C/N ratio may be a good indicator of the mass of the primary AGB stars.     

Pulsation–decline relationships in R Coronae Borealis stars

Decline onset times were measured in long-term visual light curves for five R Coronae Borealis (RCB) variable stars. These included RY Sgr and V854 Cen, the two RCB stars previously reported to have a relationship between dust formation events and pulsational variations. Analysis of the decline epochs showed that all decline onsets for a given star obey a linear ephemeris tied to the object's dominant radial pulsation period. Thus, in addition to confirming the pulsation–decline correlation for RY Sgr and V854 Cen, this same behaviour was demonstrated in UW Cen, R CrB and S Aps for the first time. This general result firmly establishes the connection between radial pulsation and mass loss in the RCB stars. The dominant pulsation period of ≈40 d for all of these objects therefore represents the characteristic time-scale on which these stars produce dust.     

Hipparcos parallaxes for Mira-like long-period variables

This paper concerns the calibration of the K period–luminosity relation for Mira variables using Hipparcos parallaxes. K magnitudes are available for 255 Mira-like variables which were observed by Hipparcos . Period–luminosity zero-points are evaluated for various subgroups of data. The best solution for oxygen-rich Miras, which uses 180 stars, omitting the short-period red group (which had different kinematics from the short-period blue stars) and the low-amplitude variables, provides a zero-point of     which implies a distance modulus for the Large Magellanic Cloud of     or perhaps slightly greater if a metallicity correction is required, in good agreement with the value derived from Cepheids. The zero-point of the period–luminosity relation for carbon stars is briefly discussed.
Linear diameters are derived for red variables with measured angular diameters and parallaxes, and are used to examine the long-standing question of the pulsation mode(s) of these stars. Evidence is presented to suggest that most of them are pulsating in the same mode and, if published model atmospheres are correct, this is probably the first overtone. Some discussion is given of sequences in the period–luminosity and period–colour diagrams and their bearing on the pulsation mode problem.