The possiblity of detection of ultracool dwarfs with the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey

We present predictions for the numbers of ultracool dwarfs in the Galactic disc population that could be detected by the WFCAM/UKIDSS Large Area Survey and Ultra Deep Survey. Simulated samples of objects are created with masses and ages drawn from different mass functions and birthrates. Each object is then given absolute magnitudes in different passbands based on empirically derived bolometric correction versus effective temperature relationships (or model predictions for Y dwarfs). These are then combined with simulated space positions, velocities and photometric errors to yield observables such as apparent magnitudes and proper motions. Such observables are then passed through the survey selection mechanism to yield histograms in colour. This technique also produces predictions for the proper motion histograms for ultracool dwarfs and estimated numbers for the as yet undetected Y dwarfs. Finally, it is shown that these techniques could be used to constrain the ultra-low-mass mass function and birthrate of the Galactic disc population.     

A source of high-velocity white dwarfs

We investigate whether the recently observed population of high-velocity white dwarfs can be derived from a population of binaries residing initially within the thin disc of the Galaxy. In particular, we consider binaries where the primary is sufficiently massive to explode as a Type II supernova. A large fraction of such binaries are broken up when the primary then explodes as a supernova, owing to the combined effects of the mass loss from the primary and the kick received by the neutron star on its formation. For binaries where the primary evolves to fill its Roche lobe, mass transfer from the primary leads to the onset of a common envelope phase during which the secondary and the core of the primary spiral together as the envelope is ejected. Such binaries are the progenitors of X-ray binaries if they are not broken up when the primary explodes. For those systems that are broken up, a large number of the secondaries receive kick velocities ∼100–200 km s⁻¹ and subsequently evolve into white dwarfs. We compute trajectories within the Galactic potential for this population of stars and relate the birth rate of these stars over the entire Galaxy to those seen locally with high velocities relative to the local standard of rest (LSR) . We show that for a reasonable set of assumptions concerning the Galactic supernova rate and the binary population, our model produces a local number density of high-velocity white dwarfs compatible with that inferred from observations. We therefore propose that a population of white dwarfs originating in the thin disc may make a significant contribution to the observed population of high-velocity white dwarfs.     

The UKIDSS–2MASS proper motion survey – I. Ultracool dwarfs from UKIDSS DR4

The UK Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) is the first of a new generation of infrared surveys. Here, we combine the data from two UKIDSS components, the Large Area Survey (LAS) and the Galactic Cluster Survey (GCS), with Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) data to produce an infrared proper motion survey for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. In total, we detect 267 low-mass stars and brown dwarfs with significant proper motions. We recover all 10 known single L dwarfs and the one known T dwarf above the 2MASS detection limit in our LAS survey area and identify eight additional new candidate L dwarfs. We also find one new candidate L dwarf in our GCS sample. Our sample also contains objects from 11 potential common proper motion binaries. Finally, we test our proper motions and find that while the LAS objects have proper motions consistent with absolute proper motions, the GCS stars may have proper motions which are significantly underestimated. This is possibly due to the bulk motion of some of the local astrometric reference stars used in the proper motion determination.     

Microlensing by halo MACHOs with a spatially varying mass function

The main aim of microlensing experiments is to evaluate the mean mass of massive compact halo objects (MACHOs) and the mass fraction of the Galactic halo made by this type of dark matter. Statistical analysis shows that by considering a Dirac-Delta mass function (MF) for the MACHOs, their mean mass is about that of a white dwarf star. This result is, however, in discrepancy with other observations such as those of non-observed expected white dwarfs in the Galactic halo which give rise to metal abundance, polluting the interstellar medium by their evolution. Here we use the hypothesis of the spatially varying MF of MACHOs, proposed by Kerins and Evans to interpret microlensing events. In this model, massive lenses with a lower population contribute to the microlensing events more frequently than do dominant brown dwarfs. This effect causes the mean mass of the observed lenses to be larger than the mean mass of all the lenses. A likelihood analysis is performed to find the best parameters of the spatially varying MF that are compatible with the duration distribution of Large Magellanic Cloud microlensing candidates of the MACHO experiment.     

On the possibility of observing the Shapiro effect for pulsars in globular clusters

For pulsars in globular clusters, we suggest using observations of the relativistic time delay of their radiation in the gravitational field of a massive body (the Shapiro effect) located close to the line of sight to detect and identify invisible compact objects and to study the distribution of both visible and dark matter in globular clusters and different components of the Galaxy. We have derived the dependences of the event probability on the Galactic latitude and longitude of sources for two models of the mass distribution in the Galaxy: the “classical” Bahcall—Soneira model and the more recent Dehnen—Binney model. Using three globular clusters (M15, 47 Tuc, Terzan 5) as an example, we show that the ratios of the probability of the events due to the passages of massive Galactic objects close to the line of sight to the parameter f ² for pulsars in the globular clusters 47 Tuc and M 15 are comparable to those for close passages of massive objects in the clusters themselves and are considerably higher than those for the cluster Terzan 5. We have estimated the rates of such events. We have determined the number of objects near the line of sight toward the pulsar that can produce a modulation of its pulse arrival times characteristic of the effect under consideration; the population of brown dwarfs in the Galactic disk, whose concentration is comparable to that of the disk stars, has been taken into account for the first time.     

The DODO survey – II. A Gemini direct imaging search for substellar and planetary mass companions around nearby equatorial and Northern hemisphere white dwarfs

The aim of the Degenerate Objects around Degenerate Objects (DODO) survey is to search for very low-mass brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets in wide orbits around white dwarfs via direct imaging. The direct detection of such companions would allow the spectroscopic investigation of objects with temperatures much lower  (<500 K)  than the coolest brown dwarfs currently observed. These ultra-low-mass substellar objects would have spectral types >T8.5, and so could belong to the proposed Y dwarf spectral sequence. The detection of a planet around a white dwarf would prove that such objects can survive the final stages of stellar evolution and place constraints on the frequency of planetary systems around their progenitors (with masses between 1.5 and 8   M_⊙  , i.e. early B to mid-F). This paper presents the results of a multi epoch J band common proper motion survey of 23 nearby equatorial and Northern hemisphere white dwarfs. We rule out the presence of any common proper motion companions, with limiting masses determined from the completeness limit of each observation, to 18 white dwarfs. For the remaining five targets, the motion of the white dwarf is not sufficiently separated from the non-moving background objects in each field. These targets require additional observations to conclusively rule out the presence of any common proper motion companions. From our completeness limits, we tentatively suggest that  ≲5 per cent  of white dwarfs have substellar companions with   T _eff≳ 500 K  between projected physical separations of 60–200 au.     

Population synthesis of Galactic subdwarf B stars

I briefly review the method of population synthesis of binary stars and discuss the preliminary results of a study of the Galactic population of subdwarf B stars. In particular I focus on the formation of (apparently) single sdB stars and their relation to (apparently) single helium-core white dwarfs. I discuss the merits of mergers of two helium white dwarfs and interactions with sub-stellar companions for explaining these single objects. A preliminary conclusion is that the current observations suggest both mechanisms may contribute, but that the helium white dwarfs are likely formed in majority from interactions with sub-stellar companions.     

白矮星演化与宇宙纪年学

近几年白矮星研究在理论与观测方面都取得了很大进展，这推动了白矮星宇宙纪年学的应用和发展。白矮星宇宙纪年学，即利用白矮星的演化结果计算白矮星理论光度函数，并通过与现测光度函数的对比来确定天体年龄。简要描述了白矮星的基本性质，回顾了白矮星演化研究的历史和基本方法；介绍了白矮星宇宙纪年学研究的基本原理及其在银盘、球状星团、疏散星团以及银晕年龄确定方面的应用现状。白矮星宇宙纪年学是一个很新的研究领域，但它已经在确定天体年龄方面显示出很大的潜力。最后讨论了目前研究中存在的问题，并提出今后需要进一步研究的几项工作。     

Search for New Interesting Objects in the Second Part of the FBS

We present the results of a study of the FBS blue stellar objects with the goal of discovering new interesting objects. Forty-seven FBS objects have been observed with the Byurakan Observatory 2.6m telescope in 1987-1991 and scanned with the MAMA scanning machine at Observatoire de Paris in 1997-1999. 5 QSOs/Sy1s, 4 emission-line stars, five white dwarfs, and a number of continuous spectra objects (possible BL Lacs and DC white dwarfs) have been revealed.     

Near-infrared imaging survey of faint companions around young dwarfs in the Pleiades cluster

We conducted a near-infrared imaging survey of 11 young dwarfs in the Pleiades cluster using the Subaru Telescope and the near-infrared coronagraph imager. We found ten faint point sources,with magnitudes as faint as 20 mag in the K-band,with around seven dwarfs.Comparison with the Spitzer archive images revealed that a pair of the faint sources around V 1171 Tau is very red in infrared wavelengths,which indicates very low-mass young stellar objects.However,the results of our follow-up proper motion measure...     

A sample of stars from the second byurakan sky survey

A brief analysis of a sample of stars from the Second Byurakan Spectroscopic Survey is given. It contains 626 objects in the range of apparent magnitudes 10.1 ≤ m(pg) ≤ 19.5 and consists mainly of white dwarfs and subdwarfs of early spectral types. Most of the objects have been classified for the first time. Their distributions with respect to stellar magnitude and spectral type are given. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 627–631, October-December, 1997.     

Optical identifications of southern rosat EUV and soft X-ray sources

This paper discusses the first all-sky surveys of cosmic extreme ultra-violet and soft X-ray sources, discovered by ROSAT. Details of the surveys are presented, with comparisons made to previous selected surveys in the X-ray regime. The subsequent optical identification programs are described, and the major results summarized. We then discuss the main classes of EUV emitters: active chromosphere stars and hot white dwarfs, and describe the importance of EUV observations in understanding the astrophysics of these objects. Many bright, and relatively nearby, sources have been identified as hitherto unrecognized active stars, representing the extremes in chromospheric and coronal activity, be it binary or age related. Many new hot DA white dwarfs have also been indentified, and the most exciting result in this area is the discovery that significant traces of heavier elements (e.g. C, N, O, Si, Fe and Al) exist in their atmospheres, substantially increasing their EUV opacities. The importance of hot white dwarfs as standard candles in probing the local interstellar medium is also discussed. Miscellaneous counterparts (AGN, PNN, O-B stars and CVs) that make up the rest of the sample of EUV sources are also briefly mentioned. We finish with a discussion of the on-going ROSAT Galactic Plane Survey (RGPS) identification program.     

Binary brown dwarfs in the Galactic halo?

Microlensing events towards the Large Magellanic Cloud imply that a sizeable fraction of dark matter is in the form of MACHOs (Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects), presumably located in the halo of the Galaxy. Within the present uncertainties, brown dwarfs are viable candidates for MACHOs. Various considerations strongly suggest that a large number of MACHOs should actually consist of binary brown dwarfs. Yet this circumstance appears to be in flat contradiction with the fact that MACHOs have been detected as unresolved objects so far. We show that such an apparent paradox does not exist within a model in which MACHOs are clumped into dark clusters along with cold molecular clouds, since dynamical friction on these clouds makes binary brown dwarfs very close. Moreover, we argue that future microlensing experiments with more accurate photometric observations can resolve binary brown dwarfs.     

Population studies of the unidentified EGRET sources

The third EGRET catalog contains a large number of unidentified sources. This subset of objects is expected to include known gamma-ray emitters of Galactic origin such as pulsars and supernova remnants, in addition to an extragalactic population of blazars. However, current data allows the intriguing possibility that some of these objects may represent a new class of yet undiscovered gamma-ray sources. Many theoretically motivated candidate emitters (e.g. clumps of annihilating dark matter particles) have been suggested to account for these detections. We take a new approach to determine to what extent this population is Galactic and to investigate the nature of the possible Galactic component. By assuming that galaxies similar to the Milky Way should host comparable populations of objects, we constrain the allowed Galactic abundance and distribution of various classes of gamma-ray sources using the EGRET data set. We find it is highly improbable that a large number of the unidentified sources are members of a Galactic halo population, but that a distribution of the sources entirely in the disk and bulge is plausible. Finally, we discuss the additional constraints and new insights that GLAST will provide.     

An Historical Overview

Studies in extragalactic astronomy, galactic structure and the late stages of stellar evolution provide ample motivation for surveys of fields in the Galactic Halo. Apart from white dwarfs, blue stars had been regarded as luminous objects confined to star-forming regions in the Galactic Plane; finding them at high galactic latitudes attracted immediate interest, because their luminosities were intermediate between those of white dwarfs and blue Main Sequence stars. The study of blue stars away from the Galactic Plane was initiated by Greenstein; in due course effective temperatures (T _e ff), surface gravities (log g) and abundances showed these stars form what appeared to be a blue extension of the known Horizontal Branch (HB) in the Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram. Extended Horizontal Branch (EHB) stars were identified with Extreme Horizontal Branch stars in globular clusters. It was realised that HB and EHB stars must have formed as a consequence of mass-loss on the Giant Branch, either at or before the helium flash. Mass-loss on the Giant Branch leading to the formation of EHB stars was considered more likely for stars in binary systems. The scene was then set for three decades of EHB star research.     

Simulating Gaia performances on white dwarfs

One of the most promising space missions of the European Space Agency is the astrometric satellite Gaia , which will provide very precise astrometry and multicolour photometry, for all 1.3 billion objects to   V ∼ 20  , and radial velocities with accuracies of a few km s⁻¹ for most stars brighter than   V ∼ 17  . Consequently, full homogeneous six-dimensional phase-space information for a huge number of stars will become available. Our Monte Carlo simulator has been used to estimate the number of white dwarfs potentially observable by Gaia . From this we assess the white dwarf luminosity functions that Gaia will obtain and discuss in depth the scientific returns of Gaia in the specific field of white dwarf populations. Scientifically attainable goals include, among others, a reliable determination of the age of the Galactic disc, a better knowledge of the halo of the Milky Way and the reconstruction of the star formation history of the Galactic disc. Our results also demonstrate the potential impact of a mission such as Gaia within the context of current understanding of white dwarf cooling theory.     

自行与银河系研究的前沿

简述了精确测定相对自行的方法,特别介绍了在用2～3个历元的底片和CCD观测结果推导恒星自行的过程中如何消除光学视场畸变、星等差和色差的具体办法;并介绍了用星系把相对自行推算绝对自行的方法。还介绍了用自行资料研究银河系结构和演化的一些前沿课题,其中包括星团研究、与银河系兼并的矮星系的发现、暗物质的检测、外星行星的探测和银河系中心黑洞的质量估算等。最后评价了自行在研究银河系中的重要性,论述了我国研制4m光学/近红外望远镜的重要意义。     

Investigation of faint Galactic carbon stars from the First Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey. II

Using recent astronomical databases, we investigate the characteristics of a list of new Galactic carbon (C) stars. These stars were discovered on the First Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey (FBS) plates and constitute the second part of our search for such objects. This second list of FBS C stars contains 44 objects. Slit spectra obtained by us with the BAO 2.6-m telescope confirm the carbon-rich nature of all of them. The list comprises 12 N-type carbon stars and 32 CH-type stars. We consider spectral types, B and R magnitudes retrieved from the USNO-B1.0 catalog, and JHK_s near-infrared photometry for stars extracted from the 2MASS point-source catalog. The R magnitudes of our objects are in the range 10 to 14. We derive distance estimates for all objects and find that most of the stars are located between approximately 3 and 20 kpc from the Sun. Their heights above or below the Galactic plane are in the range 1.5 to 13.0 kpc. Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 197–208 (May 2006).     

Relation of Velocity Distribution and Mass for DA White Dwarfstwo

White dwarfs are the evolutionary endpoint of the low-and-medium mass stars. In the studies of white dwarfs, the mass of white dwarf is an important physical parameter. In this paper, we give an analysis about the velocity distribution of DA white dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and hope to find the relation between mass and velocity distribution of white dwarfs. We get the radial velocity and tangential velocity of every DA white dwarf according to their proper motion and spectral shift. Through analyzing the velocity distribution of DA white dwarfs, we find that the small-mass white dwarfs, which are produced from the single-star evolution channel, have a relatively large velocity dispersion.     

Investigation of the kinematics and structure of the Galaxy in the vicinity of the North galactic pole

In the framework of the programme of studying the meridional section of the Galaxy (MEGA) the absolute proper motions of more than 11000 stars with respect to 3000 galaxies and their stellar magnitudes in the B, V Johnson system are determined in two sky regions near the North Galactic Pole (NGP) by means of Tautenburg Schmidt plates. The limiting and completing apparent stellar magnitudes are B = 20.4 and 18.3 mag, the overall and the investigated sky areas are 16.4 and 14.6 square degrees, respectively. Distances have been determined using the stellar magnitudes, colours, proper motions and reduced proper motions. Stellar kinematics, eccentricities of Galactic orbits, spatial distribution and changes of these characteristics with Z-distance from the Galactic plane are obtained up to 15 kpc. Four subsystems distinguished in the NGP direction, respectively with semithicknesses of 0.25, 0.38, 0.67, 1.48 kpc and density ellipsoid axial ratios of 0.09, 0.20, 0.28, 0.49 show mean velocities in the Galactic rotation direction relative to the LSR of 5.6 ± 0.6, − 11.0 ± 0.6, − 62.5 ± 1.2, − 181.6 ± 4.4 km/s, and ages of 0.1, 0.4, 0.9, 1 of the Galaxy age.