VSX J074727.6 + 065050: A dwarf nova with a non-radially pulsating white dwarf primary

High speed photometric observations of the dwarf nova VSX J074727.6 + 065050 made in December 2009 during quiescence show an orbital modulation at P _orb =85.6 min. They also show that the star is a member of the relatively rare CV/ZZ group, i.e. the accreting white dwarf primary has non-radial pulsations. The two regions of oscillating power are at 684 s and 238 s. There is some evidence for hidden ∼1 μHz fine structure splitting, which has been seen in three other CV/ZZ stars.     

BV centauri: dwarf or classical nova?

The similarity in properties of GK Per and BV Cen suggests that the latter may be a classical nova remnant rather than a dwarf nova. Our H and V CCD photometry show no sign of a nova shell but disclose the presence of a close and probably physical companion. BV(RI) _c CCD photometry of the companion, assumed to be a dwarf, givesM _v =3.1±0.3 for BV Cen at quiescence. Even though half of the light in BV Cen comes from the secondary this is much brighter than expected for a dwarf nova and supports the conclusion that BV Cen was an unrecorded nova.     

Survey of hα emission from thirty nearby dwarf galaxies

Measurements of the Hα flux from 30 neighboring dwarf galaxies are presented. After correction for absorption, these fluxes are used to estimate the star formation rate (SFR). The SFR for 18 of the galaxies according to the Hα emission are compared with estimates of the SFR from FUV magnitudes obtained with the GALEX telescope. These are in good agreement over the range log[SFR] = [ −3, 0] M_⨀ /year.     

Orbital period analysis of eclipsing dwarf novae: U Geminorum

A new orbital period analysis for U Geminorum is made by means of the standard O–C technique based on 187 times of light minima including the three newest CCD data from our observation. Although there are large scatter near 70,000 cycles in its O–C diagram, there is strong evidence (>99.9% confidence level) to show the secular increase of orbital period with a rate  s⁻¹. Using the physical parameters recently derived by Echevarría et al. (Astron. J. 134:262, 2007), the range of mass transfer rate for U Geminorum is estimated as from −3.5(5)×10⁻⁹ M _⊙ yr⁻¹ to −1.30(6)×10⁻⁸ M _⊙ yr⁻¹. Moreover, the data before 60,000 cycles shows the obvious quasi-period variations. The least square estimation of a ∼17.4 yr quasi-periodic variation superimposed on secular orbital period increase is derived. Considering the possibility that solar-type magnetic activity cycles in the secondary star of U Geminorum may produce the quasi-period variations of the orbital period, Applegate’s mechanism is discussed and the results indicate such mechanism has difficulty explaining the quasi-period variation for U Geminorum. Hence, we attempted to apply the light-travel time effect to interpret the quasi-period variation and found the perturbation of ∼17.4 yr quasi-period may result from a brown dwarf. If the orbital inclination is assumed as i∼15°, corresponding to the upper limit of mass of a brown dwarf, then its orbital radii is ∼7.7 AU.     

GD 552: a cataclysmic variable with a brown dwarf companion?

GD 552 is a high proper motion star with the strong, double-peaked emission lines characteristic of the dwarf nova class of cataclysmic variable (CV) star, and yet no outburst has been detected during the past 12 yr of monitoring. We present spectroscopy taken with the aim of detecting emission from the mass donor in this system. We fail to do so at a level which allows us to rule out the presence of a near-main-sequence star donor. Given GD 552's orbital period of 103 min, this suggests that it is either a system that has evolved through the ∼80-minute orbital period minimum of CV stars and now has a brown dwarf mass donor, or that has formed with a brown dwarf donor in the first place. This model explains the low observed orbital velocity of the white dwarf and GD 552's low luminosity. It is also consistent with the absence of outbursts from the system.     

Radial stellar populations of AGN-host dwarf galaxies in SDSS-Ⅳ MaNGA survey

Based on MaNGA integral field unit(IFU) spectroscopy we search 60 AGN candidates,which have stellar masses M_*≤5 × 10~9 M_⊙ and show AGN ionization signatures in the BPT diagram.For these AGN candidates,we derive the spatially resolved stellar population with the stellar population synthesis code STARLIGHT and measure the gradients of the mean stellar age and metallicity.We find that the gradients of mean stellar age(metallicity) of individual AGN-host dwarfs are diverse in 0-0.5 Re,0.5-1 Re and 0-1 Re.However,the overall behavior of the mean stellar age(metallicity) profiles tend to be flat,as the median values of the gradients are close to zero.We further study the overall behavior of the mean stellar age(metallicity) by plotting the co-added radial profiles for the AGN sample and compare with a control sample with similar stellar mass.We find that the median values of light-weighted mean stellar ages of the AGN sample are as old as 2-3 Gyr within 2 Re,which are about 4-7 times older than those of the control sample.Meanwhile,most of the AGN candidates are low-level AGNs,as only eight sources have L_([O)_(Ⅲ])10~(39.5) erg s~(-1).Hence,the AGNs in dwarf galaxies might accelerate the evolution of galaxies by accelerating the consumption of the gas,resulting in an overall quenching of the dwarf galaxies,and the AGNs also become weak due to the lack of gas.The median values of mass-weighted mean stellar age of both samples within 2 Re are similar and as old as about 10 Gyr,indicating that the stellar mass is mainly contributed by old stellar populations.The gradients of co-added mean stellar metallicity for both samples tend to be negative but close to zero,and the similar mean stellar metallicity profiles for both samples indicate that the chemical evolution of the host galaxy is not strongly influenced by the AGN.     

Magnetic activity of the spotted dwarf AP149 in the α Persei open cluster

The simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations of the spotted G dwarf AP149 in the young open cluster α Persei are analyzed here.We reconstruct the observed light curves with a two-starspot model by means of a light curve modeling technique,and find that the active regions shift oppositely along longitude on a time scale of one day.Combining with the observational data obtained by other groups,we discuss the evolution of spotted regions in the photosphere,and find that its starspots evolve not ...     

K 23 — a spatially isolated low surface brightness dwarf galaxy?

Wir möchten aufmerksam machen auf den relativ seltenen Fall einer anscheinend “isolierten” sphärischen Zwerggalaxie K 23 (α = 02^h40^m.5, δ = +16·31'). Am 6 m-Teleskop aufgenommene Platten wurden mit einem Microdensitometer abgetastet und die photometrischen Parameter sowie die Parameter eines angepaßten King-Modells bestimmt. Danach ist K 23 den bekannten Prototypen in der Lokalen Gruppe und der M81-Gruppe sehr ähnlich. Eine Analyse der räumlichen Galaxienverteilung zeigt, daß K 23 wahrscheinlich in der Brücke liegt, die den Lokalen Superhaufen mit dem Perseus-Pisces-Superhaufen verbindet, also nicht wirklich räumlich isoliert ist.     

The old metal-poor open cluster ESO 92-SC05: accreted from a dwarf galaxy?

The study of old open clusters outside the solar circle can bring constraints on formation scenarios of the outer disc. In particular, accretion of dwarf galaxies has been proposed as a likely mechanism in the area. We use BVI photometry for determining fundamental parameters of the faint open cluster ESO 92-SC05. Colour–magnitude diagrams are compared with Padova isochrones, in order to derive age, reddening and distance. We derive a reddening   E ( B − V ) = 0.17  , and an old age of ∼6.0 Gyr. It is one of the rare open clusters known to be older than 5 Gyr. A metallicity of   Z ∼ 0.004  or  [M/H]∼−0.7  is found. The rather low metallicity suggests that this cluster might be the result of an accretion episode of a dwarf galaxy.     

The cool companion of AA Doradus—Brown dwarf or late M star?

AA Dor is one of only seven known eclipsing binaries consisting of a hot subdwarf star and a low-mass companion. Although AA Dor has been studied in many investigations, a controversy about the nature of its companion persists. Is it a brown dwarf or a low-mass main sequence star? We reanalyse high resolution spectra using metal enhanced LTE model atmospheres. The optical spectra are polluted by reflected light from the companion. Using spectra taken during secondary eclipse, we derive atmospheric parameters consistent with results from the light curve. For the first time we achieve a self-consistent solution that matches all available observations, i.e. the light and radial velocity curves, as well as the atmospheric parameters. The resulting masses $M_{1}=0.510^{+0.125}_{-0.108}\ \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ and $M_{2}=0.085^{+0.031}_{-0.023}\ \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ are consistent with the canonical mass of an sdB star and a low-mass main sequence star. However, a brown dwarf companion cannot be excluded.     

Alfvén node-free vibrations of white dwarf in the model of solid star with toroidal magnetic field

In the context of white dwarf asteroseismology, we investigate the vibrational properties of a non-convective solid star with an axisymmetric purely toroidal intrinsic magnetic field of two different shapes. Focus is laid on the regime of node-free global Lorentz-force-driven vibrations about the symmetry axis at which material displacements have one and the same form as those for nodeless spheroidal and torsional vibrations restored by Hooke’s force of elastic shear stresses. Particular attention is given to the even-parity poloidal Alfvén modes whose frequency spectra are computed in analytic form, showing how the purely toroidal magnetic fields completely buried beneath the star surface can manifest itself in seismic vibrations of non-magnetic white dwarfs. The spectral formulae obtained are discussed in juxtaposition with those for Alfvén modes in the solid star model with the poloidal, homogeneous internal and dipolar external, magnetic field whose inferences are relevant to Alfvén vibrations in magnetic white dwarfs.     

Irregular dwarf galaxy KK 230: A relatively young galaxy at the periphery of the local group?

We present some results of the photometric analysis of the stellar population of the irregular dwarf galaxy KK 230 on the basis of the archive database of the Hubble space telescope. The color index-magnitude diagram for KK 230 gets to magnitude 27 ^m in the V and I bands, and it comprises stellar populations of various ages. The age of the youngest main-sequence stars is 3.2 × 10⁷ yr. These stars are distributed along the north-south direction in the picture plane, and this fact can be linked to the observed kinematics of the neutral gas in the galaxy. Older blue and red supergiants are no less than 1.6 × 10⁸ years old, and such an age implies that the star formation was episodic over the last several hundreds of millions of years. As judged from the position of the tip of the red giant branch, the distance modulus for KK 230 is m ? M = 26.5 ^m . The corresponding distance is D = 2 Mpc. Based on the average absolute magnitude M _I,RC and color index (V ? I)_I,RC of the red clump, we conclude that the majority of KK 230 stars have an age of no more than (2–3) × 10⁹ yr, their metallicity being Z ≈ 0.0004.     

SDSS J121606.5+280648.5: a helium-core white dwarf in an eclipsing binary system?

A comparison of Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images showed SDSS J121606.5+280648.5 to have increased in brightness by nearly two magnitudes since 1955. SDSS J121606.5+280648.5 turned out to be a low-mass white dwarf having a less luminous cool companion, probably a late-type Main Sequence dwarf. A possible explanation of brightening is that the companion eclipsed the white dwarf at the time the POSS plate was obtained. If SDSS J121606.5+280648.5 is an eclipsing binary, further study should help establish circumstances in which rapid mass loss occurs on the Red Giant Branch (RGB).     

Gravitational wave radiation from a double white dwarf system inside our galaxy： a potential method for seeking strange dwarfs

Like the investigation of double white dwarf （DWD） systems, strange dwarf （SD） - white dwarf （WD） system evolution in Laser Interferometer Space Antenna （LISA）＇s absolute amplitude-frequency diagram is investigated. Since there is a strange quark core inside an SD, SDs＇ radii are significantly smaller than the value predicted by the standard WD model, which may strongly affect the gravitational wave （GW） signal in the mass-transferring phases of binary systems. We study how an SD-WD binary evolves across LISA＇s absolute amplitude-frequency diagram. In principle, we provide an executable way to detect SDs in the Galaxy＇s DWD systems by radically new windows offered by GW detectors.     

The highly magnetic (B∼500 mg) white dwarf PG 1031+234: Discovery of wavelength dependent polarization and intensity variations

Our simultaneous five-colour (UBVRI) linear and circular polarimetry of PG 1031+234 have revealed a strong rotationally modulated circular polarization, peaking in the ultraviolet (P _max(U)–17%)Based on observations made at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.