Magnetospheric accretion and pre-main-sequence stellar masses

We present a method of determining lower limits on the masses of pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars and so constraining the PMS evolutionary tracks. This method uses the redshifted absorption feature observed in some emission-line profiles of T Tauri stars, indicative of infall. The maximum velocity of the accreting material measures the potential energy at the stellar surface, which, combined with an observational determination of the stellar radius, yields the stellar mass. This estimate is a lower limit owing to uncertainties in the geometry and projection effects. Using available data, we show that the computed lower limits can be larger than the masses derived from PMS evolutionary tracks for M   0.5 M. Our analysis also supports the notion that accretion streams do not impact near the stellar poles but probably hit the stellar surface at moderate latitudes.     

The effect of turbulent mixing on the g‐mode spectrum of MS stars

Understanding transport processes inside stars is one of the main goals of asteroseismology. Chemical turbulent mixing can affect the internal distribution of μ near the energy generating core, having an effect on the evolutionary tracks similar to that of overshooting. This mixing leads to a smoother chemical composition profile near the edge of the convective core, which is reflected in the behavior of the buoyancy frequency and, therefore, in the frequencies of gravity modes. We describe the effects of convective overshooting and turbulent mixing on the frequencies of gravity modes in B‐type main sequence stars. In particular, the cases of p‐g mixed modes in β Cep stars and high‐order modes in SPBs are considered. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The violent past of Cygnus X-2

Cygnus X-2 appears to be the descendant of an intermediate-mass X-ray binary (IMXB). Using Mazzitelli's stellar code we compute detailed evolutionary sequences for the system and find that its prehistory is sensitive to stellar input parameters, in particular the amount of core overshooting during the main-sequence phase. With standard assumptions for convective overshooting a case B mass transfer starting with a 3.5-M_⊙ donor star is the most likely evolutionary solution for Cygnus X-2. This makes the currently observed state rather short-lived, of order 3 Myr, and requires a formation rate > 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ yr⁻¹ of such systems in the Galaxy. Our calculations show that neutron star IMXBs with initially more massive donors (≳4 M_⊙) encounter a delayed dynamical instability; they are unlikely to survive this rapid mass transfer phase. We determine limits for the age and initial parameters of Cygnus X-2 and calculate possible dynamical orbits of the system in a realistic Galactic potential, given its observed radial velocity. We find trajectories which are consistent with a progenitor binary on a circular orbit in the Galactic plane inside the solar circle that received a kick velocity ≤200 km s⁻¹ at the birth of the neutron star. The simulations suggest that about 7 per cent of IMXBs receiving an arbitrary kick velocity from a standard kick velocity spectrum would end up in an orbit similar to Cygnus X-2, while about 10 per cent of them reach yet larger Galactocentric distances.     

Can mass loss and overshooting prevent the excitation of g-modes in blue supergiants?

Thanks to their past history on the main-sequence phase, supergiant massive stars develop a convective shell around the helium core. This intermediate convective zone (ICZ) plays an essential role in governing which g-modes are excited. Indeed, a strong radiative damping occurs in the high-density radiative core but the ICZ acts as a barrier preventing the propagation of some g-modes into the core. These g-modes can thus be excited in supergiant stars by the κ-mechanism in the superficial layers due to the opacity bump of iron, at  log  T = 5.2  . However, massive stars are submitted to various complex phenomena such as rotation, magnetic fields, semiconvection, mass loss, overshooting. Each of these phenomena exerts a significant effect on the evolution and some of them could prevent the onset of the convective zone. We develop a numerical method which allows us to select the reflected, thus the potentially excited, modes only. We study different cases in order to show that mass loss and overshooting, in a large enough amount, reduce the extent of the ICZ and are unfavourable to the excitation of g-modes.     

Modelling the binary progenitor of Supernova 1993J

We have developed a detailed stellar evolution code capable of following the simultaneous evolution of both stars in a binary system, together with their orbital properties. To demonstrate the capabilities of the code, we investigate potential progenitors for the Type IIb Supernova 1993J, which is believed to have been an interacting binary system prior to its primary exploding. We use our detailed binary stellar evolution code to model this system to determine the possible range of primary and secondary masses that could have produced the observed characteristics of this system, with particular reference to the secondary. Using the luminosities and temperatures for both stars (as determined by Maund et al.) and the remaining mass of the hydrogen envelope of the primary at the time of explosion, we find that if mass transfer is 100 per cent efficient, the observations can be reproduced by a system consisting of a  15 M_⊙  primary and a  14 M_⊙  secondary in an orbit with an initial period of 2100 days. With a mass transfer efficiency of 50 per cent, a more massive system consisting of a  17 M_⊙  primary and a  16 M_⊙  secondary in an initial orbit of 2360 days is needed. We also investigate some of the uncertainties in the evolution, including the effects of tidal interaction, convective overshooting and thermohaline mixing.     

Stellar evolution models for Z = 0.0001 to 0.03

We have calculated a grid of empirically well tested evolutionary tracks with masses M between 0.5 and 50 M⊙, spaced by approximately 0.1 in log M , and with metallicities Z  = 0.0001, 0.0003, 0.001, 0.004, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03. We use a robust and fast evolution code with a self-adaptive non-Lagrangian mesh, which employs the mixing-length theory but treats convective mixing as a diffusion process, solving simultaneously for the structure and the chemical composition. The hydrogen and helium abundances are chosen as functions of the metallicity: X  = 0.76 − 3.0 Z Y  = 0.24 + 2.0 Z .   Two sets of models were computed, one without and one with a certain amount of enhanced mixing or 'overshooting'. This amount has been empirically chosen by means of various sensitive tests for overshooting: (1) the luminosity of core helium burning (blue loop) giants of well-known mass, (2) the width of the main sequence as defined by double-lined eclipsing binaries with well-measured masses and radii, and (3) the shape and implied stellar distribution of isochrones of various open clusters. The first two tests have been the subject of previous papers, the third test is discussed in this paper. On the basis of these tests, we recommend the use of the overshooting models for masses above about 1.5M ⊙.   We describe here the characteristics of the models, the procedure for constructing isochrones for arbitrary age and metallicity from the models, and the performance of these isochrones for several intermediate-age and old open clusters. All original models are available in electronic form and we describe the means by which they may be obtained.     

Parametrization of single and binary stars

Stellar masses and ages are not directly observable parameters, and the methods used to determine them are based on the calibrating relations. In particular, the mass–luminosity relation, based on the masses of less than 200 well-studied binaries, is virtually the only way to estimate the mass of single stars. Thus, the development of methods for estimating stellar masses with accuracy comparable to direct methods is a problem of vital importance.
Here, we describe a method for estimating stellar masses and ages, which is based on the geometric similarity of evolutionary tracks for the stars at the same evolutionary stage in the Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagram. To examine the proposed approach, it has been applied to various test data sets. Application of the method, using synthetic stellar spectra Basel Stellar Library (of theoretical spectra; BaSeL), demonstrates that it allows determination of masses and ages of stars with a predictable distribution of uncertainties.
This statistical approach allows us to demonstrate the viability of the method using it on the set of double-lined eclipsing binaries with intermediate-mass and low-mass components which allows us to compare calculated characteristics with observational ones. As a result, the uncertainties of the stellar masses estimated with the proposed method are comparable with the accuracy of ones obtained from direct observations. This allows us to recommend the method for mass estimates of masses of single stars by the localization in the HR diagram.
As for the ages, the estimates for intermediate-mass stars are more reliable, while those obtained for low-mass stars are very uncertain, due both to slower movement of these stars in the HR diagram with age at stages close to the main sequence and to certain disagreements between theoretical models for this mass range.     

中等质量恒星在赫罗图中由E-AGB星进入TP-AGB星的分界点

通过对3～10 M_☉恒星在赫罗图上演化轨迹的研究,分析恒星内部氦壳层燃烧峰值处能量、密度、温度、氦壳层表面光度与恒星表面光度比及恒星半径的变化,给出了中等质量恒星由早期AGB星演化至热脉冲AGB星阶段在赫罗图上的分界点,与119颗碳星的观测结果吻合得相当好.同时提出:在恒星演化至该分界点之后,其星风物质损失公式可能需要引入一个与表面光度无关的量以主导超星风的形成.在此基础上,通过对考虑湍流压效应下5 M_☉恒星的结构和演化及星风物质损失率的分析,发现湍流压在热脉冲AGB星阶段对星风物质损失影响较大,从而使得热脉冲AGB星的湍流压不可忽略,进而提出了影响热脉冲AGB星星风物质损失的可能的物理因素.     

Lithium depletion in late-type dwarfs

Using a self-consistent dynamic theory of non-local convection, the atmospheric lithium-abundance depletion values of a series of stellar evolutionary models with     are calculated, and the results show that the general observed properties of lithium abundance in lower-main-sequence stars can be reproduced by overshooting mixing and gravitational settling. After a careful study of the mechanisms of lithium depletion in stars, it is concluded that overshooting mixing and microdiffusion induced by gravitational settling and radiative acceleration are the two primary depletion mechanisms: for warm stars with     (or     ) microdiffusion dominates, while it is the other way round for cooler objects with     (or     ).     

Δ Y/Δ Z from fine structure in the main sequence based on Hipparcos parallaxes

The slope Δ Y /Δ Z is a quantity of interest in relation to stellar evolution, the initial mass function and the determination of the primordial helium abundance. In this paper we estimate Δ Y /Δ Z from fine structure in the main sequence of nearby stars from Hipparcos data for stars with Z  ≤ Z⊙. We find a value of about 3, which is consistent with what has been found in extragalactic H  II regions and with stellar models for suitable upper limits to the initial masses of supernovae according to the initial mass function slope adopted.     

Magnetic activity and evolution of Algol-type stars – II

We examine the possibility of probing dynamo action in mass-losing stars, components of Algol-type binaries. Our analysis is based on the calculation of non-conservative evolution of these systems. We model the systems U Sge and β Per where the more massive companion fills its Roche lobe at the main sequence (case AB) and where it has a small helium core (early case B) respectively. We show that to maintain evolution of these systems at the late stages which are presumably driven by stellar 'magnetic braking', an efficient mechanism for producing large-scale surface magnetic fields in the donor star is needed. We discuss the relevance of dynamo operation in the donor star to the accelerated mass transfer during the late stages of evolution of Algol-type binaries. We suggest that the observed X-ray activity in Algol-type systems may be a good indicator of their evolutionary status and internal structure of the mass-losing stellar components.     

Dark stars at the Galactic Centre – the main sequence

In regions of very high dark matter density such as the Galactic Centre, the capture and annihilation of WIMP dark matter by stars has the potential to significantly alter their evolution. We describe the dark stellar evolution code D ark S tars , and present a series of detailed grids of WIMP-influenced stellar models for main-sequence stars. We describe the changes in stellar structure and main-sequence evolution which occur as a function of the rate of energy injection by WIMPs, for masses of  0.3–2.0 M_⊙  and metallicities   Z = 0.0003–0.02  . We show what rates of energy injection can be obtained using realistic orbital parameters for stars at the Galactic Centre, including detailed consideration of the velocity and density profiles of dark matter. Capture and annihilation rates are strongly boosted when stars follow elliptical rather than circular orbits. If there is a spike of dark matter induced by the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Centre, single solar mass stars following orbits with periods as long as 50 yr and eccentricities as low as 0.9 could be significantly affected. Binary systems with similar periods about the Galactic Centre could be affected on even less eccentric orbits. The most striking observational effect of this scenario would be the existence of a binary consisting of a low-mass protostar and a higher mass evolved star. The observation of low-mass stars and/or binaries on such orbits would either provide a detection of WIMP dark matter, or place stringent limits on the combination of the WIMP mass, spin-dependent nuclear-scattering cross-section, halo density and velocity distribution near the Galactic Centre. In some cases, the derived limits on the WIMP mass and spin-dependent nuclear-scattering cross-section would be of comparable sensitivity to current direct-detection experiments.     

Low- and intermediate-mass close binary evolution and the initial–final mass relation – III. Conservative case with convective overshooting and non-conservative case without overshooting

We have completed our series of calculation of case B evolution of Population I close binaries by including a conservative case with convective overshooting and a non-conservative case without convective overshooting in this paper. To apply the results easily to binary population synthesis, we fit two formulae for the remnant mass as a function of the initial mass of the primary, the radius of the primary at the onset of Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) and the initial mass ratio, with errors less than 1.9 per cent and 3.6 per cent for the conservative and non-conservative cases, respectively. We have also made comparisons between the results in this paper and those of previous studies in this series to examine the effects of our assumptions.
We find that the remnant mass depends on when RLOF begins in the Hertzsprung gap and the dependence increases with the mass of the primary. Helium–carbon–oxygen white dwarfs are formed in this series of calculation. Both the non-conservative assumption and convective overshooting make RLOF more stable: some binaries with initial mass ratios   q _i= 4.0  are dynamically stable during RLOF in all cases except for the conservative case without overshooting. From these models, we have discussed potential electron-degenerate oxygen–neon cores. Finally, we show the conditions under which one evolution scenario may be more likely than the others according to the results of previous authors.     

Surface magnetic fields on two accreting T Tauri stars: CV Cha and CR Cha

We have produced brightness and magnetic field maps of the surfaces of CV Cha and CR Cha: two actively accreting G- and K-type T Tauri stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming cloud with ages of 3–5 Myr. Our magnetic field maps show evidence for strong, complex multipolar fields similar to those obtained for young rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Brightness maps indicate the presence of dark polar caps and low-latitude spots – these brightness maps are very similar to those obtained for other pre-main-sequence and rapidly rotating main-sequence stars.
Only two other classical T Tauri stars have been studied using similar techniques so far: V2129 Oph and BP Tau. CV Cha and CR Cha show magnetic field patterns that are significantly more complex than those recovered for BP Tau, a fully convective T Tauri star.
We discuss possible reasons for this difference and suggest that the complexity of the stellar magnetic field is related to the convection zone; with more complex fields being found in T Tauri stars with radiative cores (V2129 Oph, CV Cha and CR Cha). However, it is clearly necessary to conduct magnetic field studies of T Tauri star systems, exploring a wide range of stellar parameters in order to establish how they affect magnetic field generation, and thus how these magnetic fields are likely to affect the evolution of T Tauri star systems as they approach the main sequence.     

The evolutionary status of W Ursae Majoris-type systems

Well-determined physical parameters of 130 W Ursae Majoris (W UMa) systems were collected from the literature. Based on these data, the evolutionary status and dynamical evolution of W UMa systems are investigated. It is found that there is no evolutionary difference between W- and A-type systems in the   M – J   diagram, which is consistent with the results derived from the analysis of observed spectral type and of   M – R   and   M – L   diagrams of W UMa systems.   M – R   and   M – L   diagrams of W- and A-type systems indicate that a large amount of energy should be transferred from the more massive to the less massive component, so that they are not in thermal equilibrium and undergo thermal relaxation oscillation. Moreover, the distribution of angular momentum, together with the distribution of the mass ratio, suggests that the mass ratio of the observed W UMa systems decreases with decreasing total mass. This could be the result of the dynamical evolution of W UMa systems, which suffer angular momentum loss and mass loss as a result of the magnetic stellar wind. Consequently, the tidal instability forces these systems towards lower q values and finally to rapidly rotating single stars.     

The distance to the Orion Nebula cluster

The distance to the Orion Nebula cluster (ONC) is estimated using the rotational properties of its low-mass pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars. Rotation periods, projected equatorial velocities and distance-dependent radius estimates are used to form an observational sin  i distribution (where i is the axial inclination), which is modelled to obtain the distance estimate. A distance of  440 ± 34 pc  is found from a sample of 74 PMS stars with spectral types between G6 and M2, but this falls to  392 ± 32 pc  when PMS stars with accretion discs are excluded on the basis of their near-infrared excess. Since the radii of accreting stars are more uncertain and probably systematically underestimated, then this closer distance is preferred. The quoted uncertainties include statistical errors and uncertainties due to a number of systematic effects including binarity and inclination bias. This method is geometric and independent of stellar evolution models, though does rely on the assumption of random axial orientations and the Cohen & Kuhi effective temperature scale for PMS stars. The new distance is consistent with, although lower and more precise, than most previous ONC distance estimates. A closer ONC distance implies smaller luminosities and an increased age based on the positions of PMS stars in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.     

The discovery of a low-mass, pre-main-sequence stellar association around γ Velorum

We report the serendipitous discovery of a population of low-mass, pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars in the direction of the Wolf–Rayet/O-star binary system γ ²  Vel and the Vela OB2 association. We argue that γ ²  Vel and the low-mass stars are truly associated and approximately coeval, and that both are at distances between 360 and 490 pc, disagreeing at the 2 σ level with the recent Hipparcos parallax of γ ²  Vel, but consistent with older distance estimates. Our results clearly have implications for the physical parameters of the γ ²  Vel system, but also offer an exciting opportunity to investigate the influence of high-mass stars on the mass function and circumstellar disc lifetimes of their lower mass PMS siblings.     

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.     

Evolutionary stellar population synthesis at high spectral resolution: optical wavelengths

We present the single stellar population (SSP) synthesis results of our new synthetic stellar atmosphere models library with a spectral sampling of 0.3 Å, covering the wavelength range from 3000 to 7000 Å for a wide range of metallicities (twice solar, solar, half solar and 1/10 solar). The stellar library is composed of 1650 spectra computed with the latest improvements in stellar atmospheres. In particular, it incorporates non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) line-blanketed models for hot  ( T _eff≥ 27 500 K)  , and LTE line-blanketed models (Phoenix) for cool  (3000 ≤ T _eff≤ 4500 K)  stars. Because of the high spectral resolution of this library, evolutionary synthesis models can be used to predict the strength of numerous weak absorption lines and the evolution of the profiles of the strongest lines over a wide range of ages. The SSP results have been calculated for ages from 1 Myr to 17 Gyr using the stellar evolutionary tracks provided by the Geneva and Padova groups. For young stellar populations, our results have a very detailed coverage of high-temperature stars with similar results for the Padova and Geneva isochrones. For intermediate and old stellar populations, our results, once degraded to a lower resolution, are similar to the ones obtained by other groups (limitations imposed by the stellar evolutionary physics notwidthstanding). The limitations and advantages of our models for the analysis of integrated populations are described. The full set of the stellar library and the evolutionary models are available for retrieval at the websites http://www.iaa.csic.es/~rosa and http://www.iaa.csic.es/~mcs/sed@ , or on request from the first two authors.