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.     

Stars of extragalactic origin in the solar neighborhood

For 77 main-sequence F–G stars in the solar neighborhood with published iron, magnesium, and europium abundances determined from high-dispersion spectra and with the ages estimated from theoretical isochrones, we calculated the spatial velocities using Hipparcos data and the Galactic orbital elements. A comparison with the orbital elements of the globular clusters that are known to have been accreted by our Galaxy in the past reveals stars of extragalactic origin. We show that the abundance ratios of r-and α-elements in all the accreted stars differ sharply from those in the stars that are genetically associated with the Galaxy. According to current theoretical models, europium is produced mainly in low-mass type-II supernovae (SNe II), while magnesium is synthesized in large quantities in high-mass SN II progenitors. Since all the old accreted stars of our sample exhibit a significant Eu overabundance relative to Mg, we conclude that the maximum masses of the SN II progenitors outside the Galaxy were much lower than those inside it. On the other hand, only a small number of young accreted stars exhibit low negative ratios [Eu/Mg]<0. This can be explained by the delay of primordial star formation and the explosions of high-mass SNe II in a relatively small part of extragalactic space. We provide evidence that the interstellar medium was weakly mixed at the early evolutionary stages of the Galaxy formed from a single protogalactic cloud, and that the maximum mass of the SN II progenitors increased in it with time simultaneously with the increase in mean metallicity.     

银河系核纪年研究进展

确定银河系的年龄是现代天体物理学的一项基本任务。其方法之一是核纪年法，即通过恒星中某一长寿命放射性元素的丰度随时间的变化来确定恒星的年龄，并以此作为银河系年龄的下限，其中目前的观测丰度来自恒星的光谱分析，恒星形成时的初始丰度来自理论模型的预言。这种方法最初是利用元素对Th／Nd来确定G矮星的年龄，近年来开始利用元素对Th／Eu和U／Th来确定晕族场星和球状星团内恒星的年龄。简要介绍了核纪年法确定银河系年龄的原理，回顾了恒星中Th和U的观测研究，其中着重介绍了极贫金属星的研究。详细讨论了用核纪年法估计银河系年龄的不确定性。作为与核纪年法的比较，简单介绍了确定银河系年龄的其他方法。提出了今后需要进一步研究的几项工作。     

GAIA: An Astrometric and Photometric Survey of our Galaxy

In October 2000, the GAIA astrometric mission was approved as one of the next two `cornerstones' of ESA's science programme, with a launch date target of 2010–12. GAIA will provide positional, radial velocity, and photometric measurements with the accuracies needed to produce a stereoscopic and kinematic census of about one billion stars throughout our Galaxy (and into the Local Group), amounting to about 1 per cent of the Galactic stellar population. GAIA's main scientific goal is to clarify the origin and history of our Galaxy, from a quantitative census of the stellar populations. It will advance questions such as when the stars in our Galaxy formed, when and how it was assembled, and its distribution of dark matter. The survey aims for completeness toV =20 mag, with accuracies of 10 μas at 15 mag. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A study of faint young open clusters as tracers of spiral features in our galaxy paper 3: Collinder 97 (OC1 506)

Photoelectric and photographic photometry of twenty-nine stars was done in the field of the open cluster Collinder 97 ≡ OC1 506. Of these stars, a total of twenty-four have been found to be possible members. There is apparently no interstellar extinction in the direction of this cluster which is in the constellation of Monoceros: itsE(B-V) = 0.0 mag. This cluster is situated at a distance of 0.63 ± 0.01 kpc, which is well within the local arm of our Galaxy. The age of this cluster is in the range of 1 × 10⁸ to 5.9 × l0⁸ yr, which puts it in an older age group. Thus, it cannot be specifically considered as a spiral-arm tracer in the study of our Galaxy.     

What we would like to know about extreme horizontal branch stars in globular clusters

In this contribution, we explore some open questions about Extreme Horizontal Branch (EHB) stars in globular clusters. In particular, we present the current status of the search for rapid pulsators, He-depleted stars, and close binaries, three kind of objects very common among field EHB stars, but which first surveys failed to detect in clusters. We also analyze how the lack of cluster EHB binaries can reconcile with theoretical expectations. We give special attention to the first close EHB binary discovered in a globular cluster, whose characteristics point to a very rare or even unique object. Finally, we analyze some recent puzzling results about spectroscopically derived masses, that could point to the presence of two distinct families of EHB’s in clusters. For all these topics, we present the recent advancement in knowledge, the results requiring more investigation, and what has still to be done to fix the unsolved problems, showing the main points of our studies, the aims of our works, and what we expect to obtain from them.     

Dynamics for galactic archaeology

Our Galaxy is a complex machine in which several processes operate simultaneously: metal-poor gas is accreted, is chemically enriched by dying stars, and then drifts inwards, surrendering its angular momentum to stars; new stars are formed on nearly circular orbits in the equatorial plane and then diffuse through orbit space to eccentric and inclined orbits; the central stellar bar surrenders angular momentum to the surrounding disc and dark halo while acquiring angular momentum from inspiralling gas; the outer parts of the disc are constantly disturbed by satellite objects, both luminous and dark, as they sweep through pericentre. We review the conceptual tools required to bring these complex happenings into focus. Our first concern must be the construction of equilibrium models of the Galaxy, for upon these hang our hopes of determining the Galaxy’s mean gravitational field, which is required for every subsequent step. Ideally our equilibrium model should be formulated so that the secular evolution of the system can be modelled with perturbation theory. Such theory can be used to understand how stars diffuse through orbit space from either the thin gas disc in which we presume disc stars formed, or the debris of an accreted object, the presumed origin of many halo stars. Coupling this understanding to the still very uncertain predictions of the theory of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, we can finally extract a complete model of the chemodynamic evolution of our reasonably generic Galaxy. We discuss the relation of such a model to cosmological simulations of galaxy formation, which provide general guidance but cannot be relied on for quantitative detail.     

Population Synthesis for the Symbiotic Stars with Main-sequence Accretors

Using a population synthesis code, we have investigated the formation of symbiotic systems in which the hot component is a main-sequence star that is accreting matter from the cool component via Roche lobe overflow (RLOF). The RLOF can be divided into two cases: dynamically unstable and stable. In the first case, the birthrate of symbiotic stars is 0.056 yr-1 or 0.045 yr-1 depending on different assumptions; in the stable RLOF case, it is 0.002 yr-1 or 0.005 yr-1. The number of symbiotic stars with main-sequence accretors and unstable RLOF in our galaxy is about 5, that with stable RLOF is about 60 to 280. Comparison between our results with those of Yungelson et al. shows that symbiotic stars with MS accretors make only a small contribution ((?) 8%) to the whole population of symbiotic stars in the Galaxy.     

A binary model for the UV-upturn of elliptical galaxies

The discovery of a flux excess in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectrum of elliptical galaxies was a major surprise in 1969. While it is now clear that this UV excess is caused by an old population of hot helium-burning stars without large hydrogen-rich envelopes, rather than young stars, their origin has remained a mystery. Here we show that these stars most likely lost their envelopes because of binary interactions, similar to the hot subdwarf population in our own Galaxy. We have developed an evolutionary population synthesis model for the FUV excess of elliptical galaxies based on the binary model developed by Han et al. for the formation of hot subdwarfs in our Galaxy. Despite its simplicity, it successfully reproduces most of the properties of elliptical galaxies with a UV excess: the range of observed UV excesses, both in  (1550 − V )  and  (2000 − V )  , and their evolution with redshift. We also present colour–colour diagrams for use as diagnostic tools in the study of elliptical galaxies. The model has major implications for understanding the evolution of the UV excess and of elliptical galaxies in general. In particular, it implies that the UV excess is not a sign of age, as had been postulated previously, and predicts that it should not be strongly dependent on the metallicity of the population, but exists universally from dwarf ellipticals to giant ellipticals.     

Study of faint young open clusters as tracers of spiral features in our galaxy

Continuing the study of faint young open clusters as tracers of spiral features in our Galaxy, photoelectric and photographic photometry of 39 stars was done in the field of the faint open cluster NGC 2236 ≡ OCl 501 in the direction of Monoceros constellation. Out of these stars, a total of 22 down tom _v ≃ 15.4 mag have been found to be probable members. There is apparently a variable extinction across the field of the cluster with E(B - V) ranging between 0.84 mag and 0.68 mag. The median age of this cluster is estimated to be 7.6 × 10⁷ years and the cluster is thereby considered as belonging to the marginally old category. Thus, it cannot be specifically used as a spiral arm tracer in the study of our Galaxy. This cluster is located at a distance of 3.72 ± 0.13 kpc, which places it at the inner edge of the outer Perseus spiral feature of the Milky Way.     

Scale length of the galactic thin disk

This paper presents an analysis of the first 2MASS (The Two Micron All Sky Survey) sampler data as observed at lower Galactic latitude in our Galaxy. These new near-infrared data provide insight into the structure of the thin disk of our Galaxy, The interpretation of star counts and color distributions of stars in the near-infrared with the synthetic stellar population model, gives strong evidence that the Galactic thin disk density scale length,h _R , is rather short (2.7 ± 0.1 kpc).     

HST/STIS observations of sdBV stars: testing diffusion and pulsation theory

We present the initial results of an abundance analysis of echelle UV spectra of five hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars. These stars have been identified as core helium burning objects on the extreme Horizontal Branch. Around 5% of sdBs show short-period acoustic-mode oscillations. Models predict that these oscillations are due to an opacity bump caused by the ionisation of iron group elements. The necessary metal abundance has to be maintained by diffusive equilibrium between gravitational settling and radiative levitation. However, analyses of high-resolution optical spectra has revealed that we cannot discriminate between pulsating and non-pulsating sdBs on the basis of the surface iron abundance. We have therefore obtained HST/STIS observations of three pulsators and two non-pulsators in the near- and far-UV to measure the surface abundance of elements that are unobservable from the ground. The overall aim of our study is to test diffusion and pulsation calculations by searching for significant differences between these surface abundances.     

Spatial Distribution of Accreting Isolated Neutron Stars in the Galaxy

In the last few years, the spatial distribution of old, isolated neutron stars has become of great interest (see, for example, Treves and Colpi (1991)). Several sources of this size have been observed by ROSAT. We present here a computer model of the distribution of the luminosity produced by old, isolated neutron stars accreting from the interstellar medium.We use direct calculations of trajectories in the Galaxy potential, taken in the form given by Paczynski (1990). The system of differential equations was solved numerically. We made calculations on a grid with cell size 100 pc in the R direction and 10 pc in the Z direction (centered at R=50 pc, Z=5 pc and so on). Stars were born in the Galactic plane with a specified velocity distribution corresponding to non-symmetrical supernova explosions.In our model, we assumed that the birth rate of neutron stars is proportional to the square of the local density. The local density was calculated using the data and formulas of Bochkarev (1993) and Zane et al. (1995). We then calculated the luminosity using the Bondi formula (in the inner kiloparsec our results are only a rough estimate).We show that for various mean velocities for the old isolated neutron stars, the distribution of the luminosity has a torus-like structure, with the maximum at 5kpc. Since we made very general assumptions, we argue that this type of distribution is not unique to our Galaxy, and all spiral galaxies should have such a distribution of the luminosity density, associated with accreting old, isolated neutron stars.     

Searching for hidden Wolf–Rayet stars in the Galactic plane – 15 new Wolf–Rayet stars

We report the discovery of 15 previously unknown Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars found as part of an infrared (IR) broad-band study of candidate WR stars in the Galaxy. We have derived an empirically based selection algorithm which has selected ∼5000 WR candidate stars located within the Galactic plane drawn from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (mid-IR) and Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (near-IR) catalogues. Spectroscopic follow-up of 184 of these reveals 11 nitrogen-rich (WN) and four carbon-rich (WC) WR stars. Early WC subtypes are absent from our sample and none shows evidence for circumstellar dust emission. Of the candidates which are not WR stars, ∼120 displayed hydrogen emission-line features in their spectra. Spectral features suggest that the majority of these are in fact B supergiants/hypergiants, ∼40 of these are identified Be/B[e] candidates.
Here, we present the optical spectra for six of the newly detected WR stars, and the near-IR spectra for the remaining nine of our sample. With a WR yield rate of ∼7 per cent and a massive star detection rate of ∼65 per cent, initial results suggest that this method is one of the most successful means for locating evolved, massive stars in the Galaxy.     

Chemical enrichment in the early galaxy

New, precise abundance data for a large number of elements in a growing sample of extremely metal-poor stars are accumulating from the new 8-m telescopes. Combined with theoretical models, these results advance our understanding of the first generations of stars, whose nucleosynthesis products are fossilised in the oldest stars we see today and thus give clues to the earliest phases of evolution in the Galaxy. In particular, the heaviest elements give us insight into the different neutron capture mechanisms and the stellar sites where such elements could be produced. They also afford an independent way to determine the age of the Galaxy, by radioactive chronology. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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。     

Effects of external tidal field on the evolution of the outer regions of multi-mass star clusters

We present N -body simulations (including an initial mass function) of globular clusters in the Galaxy in order to study effects of the tidal field systematically on the properties of the outer parts of globular clusters. Using nbody6 , which correctly takes into account the two-body relaxation, we investigate the development of tidal tails of globular clusters in the Galactic tidal field. For simplicity, we have employed only the spherical components (bulge and halo) of the Galaxy, and ignored the effects of stellar evolution which could have been important in the very early phase of the cluster evolution. The total number of stars in our simulations is about 20 000, which is much smaller than the realistic number of stars. All simulations had been done for several orbital periods in order to understand the development of the tidal tails. In our scaled-down models, the relaxation time is sufficiently short to show the mass segregation effect, but we did not go far enough to see the core collapse, and the fraction of stars lost from the cluster at the end of the simulations is only ∼10 per cent. The radial distribution of extra-tidal stars can be described by a power law with a slope around −3 in surface density. The directions of tidal tails are determined by the orbits and locations of the clusters. We find that the length of tidal tails increases towards the apogalacticon and decreases towards the perigalacticon. This is an anti-correlation with the strength of the tidal field, caused by the fact that the time-scale for the stars to respond to the potential is similar to the orbital time-scale of the cluster. The escape of stars in the tidal tails towards the pericentre could be another reason for the decrease of the length of tidal tails. We find that the rotational angular velocity of tidally induced clusters shows quite different behaviour from that of initially rotating clusters.     

The evolution of helium-rich subdwarf-B stars

Helium-rich subdwarf-B (He-sdB) stars are extremely rare hot subluminous stars found in the field of our Galaxy as well as in some globular clusters. The existence of these hot helium stars cannot be explained by canonical stellar evolution theories nor can it be explained by normal sdB evolution. We discuss the existing evolutionary models for the formation of He-sdB stars—the flash mixing model and the binary white dwarf merger model in the light of new observational results. Spectral classification of objects as He-sdB stars by various authors has resulted in a range of objects, including white dwarfs, being classified as He-sdB stars. We propose a homogeneous definition for this class of objects based on the original classification scheme used in the PG catalogue. Spectral analysis of He-sdB stars in the last 15 years is also briefly reviewed.     

Formation of galactic subsystems in light of the magnesium abundance in field stars: The halo

Data from our compiled catalog of spectroscopically determined magnesium abundances in dwarfs and subgiants with accurate parallaxes are used to select Galactic halo stars according to kinematic criteria and to identify presumably accreted stars among them. Accreted stars are shown to constitute the majority in the Galactic halo. They came into the Galaxy from disrupted dwarf satellite galaxies. We analyze the relations between the relative magnesium abundances, metallicities, and Galactic orbital elements for protodisk and accreted halo stars. We show that the relative magnesium abundances in protodisk halo stars are virtually independent of metallicity and lie within a fairly narrow range, while presumably accreted stars demonstrate a large spread in relative magnesium abundances up to negative [Mg/Fe]. This behavior of protodisk halo stars suggests that the interstellar matter in the early Galaxy mixed well at the halo formation phase. The mean metallicity of magnesium-poor ([Mg/Fe] < 0.2 dex) accreted stars has been found to be displaced toward the negative values when passing from stars with low azimuthal velocities (|Θ| < 50 km s^?1) to those with high ones at Δ[Fe/H] ≈ ?0.5 dex. The mean apogalactic radii and inclinations of the orbits also increase with increasing absolute value of |Θ|, while their eccentricities decrease. As a result, negative radial and vertical gradients in relative magnesium abundances are observed in the accreted halo in the absence of correlations between the [Mg/Fe] ratios and other orbital elements, while these correlations are found at a high significance level for genetically related Galactic stars. Based on the above properties of accreted stars and our additional arguments, we surmise that as the masses of dwarf galaxies decrease, the maximum SN II masses and, hence, the yield of α-elements in them also decrease. In this case, the relation between the [Mg/Fe] ratios and the inclinations and sizes of the orbits of accreted stars is in complete agreement with numerical simulations of dynamical processes during the interaction of galaxies. Thus, the behavior of the magnesium abundance in accreted stars suggests that the satellite galaxies are disrupted and lose their stars en masse only after dynamical friction reduces significantly the sizes of their orbits and drags them into the Galactic plane. Less massive satellite galaxies are disrupted even before their orbits change appreciably under tidal forces.     

MSST observations of the pulsating sdB star PG 1605+072

We present the first results from the MultiSite Spectroscopic Telescope (MSST) observations of the sdBV star PG 1605+072. Pulsating sdB stars (also known as EC 14026 stars) offer the chance to gain new insights into the formation and evolution of extreme Horizontal Branch stars using the tools of asteroseismology. PG 1605+072 is an outstanding object in its class, with the richest frequency spectrum, the longest periods, and the largest variations. The MSST campaign took place in May/June 2002 immediately following the Whole Earth Telescope Xcov22 run, which observed PG 1605+072 as an alternate target. We will first give an overview of the project and its feasibility, after which we will present the massive data set, made up of 399 h of photometry and 151 h of spectroscopy. The overall aims of the project are to examine light/velocity amplitude ratios and phase differences, changes in equivalent width/line index, and λ-dependence of photometric amplitudes, and to use these properties for mode identification.