热亚矮星的研究进展

热亚矮星以其独特的性质受到人们日益关注.它们是年老椭圆星系中良好的紫外源,系统地研究热亚矮星的观测特征和形成机制可以帮助我们理解恒星演化、椭圆星系中"紫外超"现象的起源和球状星团的动力学演化.热亚矮星的形成模型主要包括单星模型和双星模型.双星模型包含三种渠道:公共包层抛射渠道、稳定的洛希瓣物质交流渠道和双氦白矮星并合渠道.该文系统地总结了热亚矮星的观测特征,并简要介绍了它们的形成机制.     

氦白矮星与小质量主序星并合及脉动热亚矮星的形成

sdBVrs型热亚矮星是一类特殊的热亚矮星,观测显示它们同时具有p模和g模的脉动.目前这一类热亚矮星的演化起源仍然缺乏完备的解释.对氦白矮星与小质量主序星并合模型进行详细计算表明,并合模型的结果符合sdBVrs型热亚矮星的表面有效温度、重力加速度等观测特征,并且能够激发出稳定的p模和g模脉动.因此,氦白矮星与小质量主序星并合是形成sdBVrs型热亚矮星可能的渠道之一.     

蓝离散星研究现状(Ⅰ):形成机制

大量研究表明,蓝离散星的形成可能有多种机制,目前比较流行的形成机制可以概括为以下几类:密近双星系统的质量传输及双星并合、密集星场的恒星碰撞,以及包含双星系统的恒星间 (双星-单星、双星-双星)相互作用导致的恒星并合。与此同时,蓝离散星在各类恒星系统中的普遍存在,也使得研究这类恒星的形成及演化成为追踪恒星系统动力学演化、化学演化及积分光谱性质变化的有效指针。     

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.     

两颗CEMP-s视单星化学元素的天体物理来源研究

CS30301–015和HE1045+0226是两颗C元素和s-过程元素均超丰的贫金属(CEMP-s)星.视向速度观测发现这两颗星可能为单星.采用叠加与分解的方法探究这两颗星化学元素的天体物理来源能够为更好地理解银河系早期化学演化提供线索.计算结果表明:这两颗星的轻元素和Fe族元素主要产生于大质量星的primary过程.对于CS 30301–015,中子俘获元素主要来自AGB (Asymptotic Giant Branch)星中的主要s-过程. Pb的显著超丰主要归因于主要s-过程的贡献(约占Pb观测丰度的99.8%).需要更多的视向速度观测来确定这两颗星的轨道特征.对于HE 1045+0226, 56Z (质子数)62的重中子俘获元素主要来源于主要s-过程; Eu主要来源于主要r-过程.而轻中子俘获元素Y和Zr主要来自快速自转大质量星的primary弱s-过程,这一核合成过程对HE 1045+0226的Y和Zr丰度的贡献分别约为69.8%和67.6%.这从观测的角度证明弱s-过程能够在贫金属环境下发生.     

半相接双星室女座UW轨道周期变化的物理机制研究

对大陵五型半相接双星室女座UW的轨道周期变化进行了分析.结果表明该星的轨道周期在长期快速增加(dP/dt=+1.37×10-6天/年)的同时也含有周期为62.3年的周期性变化.利用Brancewicz和Dworak在1980年给出的基本物理参量,对引起轨道周期变化的物理机制进行了分析研究.分析表明一个质量为Ms>0.94M⊙的第三天体的光时轨道效应能对轨道周期的周期性变化成份作出解释.由于在观测上没有发现这个第三天体存在的信息,它有可能是一个致密天体(如白矮星等).轨道周期的长期增加成份可解释为由次星到主星的物质交流引起(dM2/dt=1.43×10-7M⊙/年),这与该系统次星充满的半接几何结构是相一致的.但是,根据双星演化理沦,大陵五型半相接双星应该处于以次星的核反应时标进行物质交换的慢速物质交流演化阶段,而分析发现该星的轨道周期变化时标远小于次星的核反应时标,但接近于次星的热力学时标,揭示了(1)这颗双星处于以次星热力学时标进行物质交换的快速物质交流演化阶段;或(2)系统的星周物质要通过角动量交换对轨道周期的快速增加做贡献.     

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.     

HD 140283元素丰度分析及弱r-过程元素天体物理来源

HD 140283是一颗近邻极贫金属亚巨星,形成于宇宙大爆炸初期,被认为是迄今为止最古老的恒星之一,同时它也是一颗典型的弱r-过程星,对它的研究有助于深入理解宇宙早期演化、丰富元素核合成理论.将HD 140283从C到Zn的观测丰度与单个超新星(SN)事件元素理论产量进行拟合,得出HD 140283可能诞生于前身星质量为22.5 M⊙(下标"⊙"代表太阳)的超新星爆发污染的星云.基于同样的方法,研究了另外5颗典型弱r-过程星,分别得出了污染产生这些恒星的气体云的超新星前身星质量,进一步推测了弱r-过程可能发生的天体物理环境.     

银河系疏散星团中的蓝离散星(英文)

作为目前研究复杂恒星系统的有力工具 ,星族合成方法是建立在单星演化理论基础之上的 ,因此 ,必然有其不完善性存在 ,尤其当系统中的双星成分不容忽视时。作为演化星族合成方法的基本单元 ,简单恒星星族模型的构成即排除了双星贡献。本文中 ,我们以银河系疏散星团为简单恒星星族模板 ,构造出一系列简单恒星星族积分光谱。从中我们可以看到 :蓝离散星这类理论上主要来源于双星系统的恒星 ,对星团积分光谱的紫外及蓝端有很大影响 ,从而造成简单恒星星族积分光谱能量分布的改变。这种改变势必影响对星团年龄及其它一些物理参量的判定 ,并最终影响星族合成的结果。同时 ,若以 (B -V )色指数进行度量 ,蓝离散星对简单恒星星族积分颜色的影响可达到 30 %。工作中 ,我们选取了 2 6个年龄在1x10 1 0 ～ 6x10 1 0 年之间的疏散星团为样本进行统计研究。     

CEMP星HE 1005-1439中子俘获元素天体物理来源的研究

HE1005-1439是一颗金属丰度极低([Fe/H]～-3.0)的碳增丰贫金属星(Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor,CEMP),该星的s-过程元素显著超丰([Ba/Fe]=1.16±0.31,[Pb/Fe]=1.98±0.19),而r-过程元素温和超丰([Eu/Fe]=0.46±0.22),使用单一的s-过程模型和i-过程模型均不能拟合该星中子俘获丰度分布.采用丰度分解的方法探究该星化学元素的天体物理来源可有助于理解CEMP星的形成和化学演化.利用s-过程和r-过程的混合模型对其中子俘获元素的丰度分布进行拟合,发现该星的中子俘获元素主要来源于低质量低金属丰度AGB伴星的s-过程核合成,而r-过程核合成也有贡献.     

Formation of Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor RR Lyrae Stars

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars are considered to be related to the first generation of stars, and responsible for the chemical evolution of the early Galaxy. More than half of them are in binaries, and could be explained by the binary evolution, but the formation channel of them is still not fully understood. Among the hundreds of CEMP stars, there are nine CEMP RR Lyrae stars identified, and at least seven of which are very likely not binaries. The usual binary star evolution channel is difficult to produce such a single star, particularly that of carbon enrichment. One way in which such a single star might be produced is the merger of a helium white dwarf with a Hertzsprung gap (HG) star. We use a stellar evolution program to calculate the models of the merger remnants, and find that the models can reproduce the observed distribution of these CEMP single RR Lyrae stars in terms of surface temperature, gravity, and carbon abundance. Hence, it is extremely possible that the helium white dwarf and HG star merger model is one of the formation channels of the metal-poor carbon-rich RR Lyrae stars.     

Light element abundances in carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars

We model the evolution of the abundances of light elements in carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, under the assumption that such stars are formed by mass transfer in a binary system. We have modelled the accretion of material ejected by an asymptotic giant branch star on to the surface of a companion star. We then examine three different scenarios: one in which the material is mixed only by convective processes, one in which thermohaline mixing is present and a third in which both thermohaline mixing and gravitational settling are taken in to account. The results of these runs are compared to light element abundance measurements in CEMP stars (primarily CEMP- s stars, which are rich in s -processes elements and likely to have formed by mass transfer from an AGB star), focusing on the elements Li, F, Na and Mg. None of the elements is able to provide a conclusive picture of the extent of mixing of accreted material. We confirm that lithium can only be preserved if little mixing takes place. The bulk of the sodium observations suggest that accreted material is effectively mixed but there are also several highly Na and Mg-rich objects that can only be explained if the accreted material is unmixed. We suggest that the available sodium data may hint that extra mixing is taking place on the giant branch, though we caution that the data are sparse.     

The outer-halo globular cluster NGC 6229 – IV. Variable stars

We present time-series B , V photometry of NGC 6229, obtained with the purpose of providing the first extensive CCD variability study of this cluster. As a result, we were able to obtain periods for all NGC 6229 variables, with the exception of five stars from the candidate list of Borissova et al. located very close to the cluster centre. Two stars suspected to be variables by Carney, Fullton and Trammell are first-overtone RR Lyrae (RRc) stars, whereas seven of the 12 candidates of Borissova et al. are confirmed variables – three of them being fundamental RR Lyrae (RRab) pulsators, two first-overtone pulsators, one an eclipsing binary (most likely an Algol system) and one a bright star whose variability status could not be satisfactorily determined. A new image subtraction method (ISM) suggested by Alard has been employed which, together with the Welch–Stetson technique, has allowed us to discover twelve new RR Lyrae variables in the cluster, for which ephemerides are provided. Ten of these are RRabs, whereas the other two are RRcs. As originally suggested by Mayer, NGC 6229 is clearly an Oosterhoff type I globular cluster. We also confirm that V8 is a Population II Cepheid of the W Virginis type, and suspect that this is the case for V22 as well. The physical properties of the NGC 6229 RR Lyrae population are contrasted with those of M3 (NGC 5272) using several different methods, including a standard period-shift analysis. Possible differences between these two clusters are discussed.     

Pulsational MV versus [Fe/H] relation(s) for globular cluster RR Lyrae variables

We use the results from recent computations of updated non-linear convective pulsating models to constrain the distance modulus of Galactic globular clusters through the observed periods of first-overtone (RR _c ) pulsators. The resulting relation between the mean absolute magnitude of RR Lyrae stars 〈 M _V (RR)〉 and the heavy element content [Fe/H] appears well in the range of several previous empirical calibrations, but with a non-linear dependence on [Fe/H] so that the slope of the relation increases when moving towards larger metallicities. On this ground, our results suggest that metal-poor ([Fe/H]<−1.5) and metal-rich ([Fe/H]>−1.5) variables follow two different linear 〈 M _V (RR)〉−[Fe/H] relations. Application to RR Lyrae stars in the metal-poor globular clusters of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) provides an LMC distance modulus of the order of 18.6 mag, thus supporting the 'long' distance scale. The comparison with recent predictions based on updated stellar evolution theory is briefly presented and discussed.     

V473 Lyrae: a Blazhko-effect Cepheid?

The amplitude spectra of the light curves of RR Lyrae Blazhko stars can often be typified by symmetrical triplets. It is shown that the same applies to V473 Lyr. Furthermore, the star is probably a radial pulsator – as is thought to be the case for the RR Lyrae stars – thus ruling out rotational splitting of a purely non-radial mode.     

A catalogue of RR Lyrae stars from the Northern Sky Variability Survey

A search for RR Lyrae stars has been conducted in the publicly available data of the Northern Sky Variability Survey. Candidates have been selected by the statistical properties of their variation; the standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis with appropriate limits determined from a sample 314 known RRab and RRc stars listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars. From the period analysis and light-curve shape of over 3000 candidates 785 RR Lyrae have been identified of which 188 are previously unknown. The light curves were examined for the Blazhko effect and several new stars showing this were found. Six double-mode RR Lyrae stars were also found of which two are new discoveries. Some previously known variables have been reclassified as RR Lyrae stars and similarly some RR Lyrae stars have been found to be other types of variable, or not variable at all.     

The University of New South Wales Extrasolar Planet Search: a catalogue of variable stars from fields observed between 2004 and 2007

We present a new catalogue of variable stars compiled from the data taken for the University of New South Wales Extrasolar Planet Search. From 2004 October to 2007 May, 25 target fields were each observed for one to four months, resulting in ∼87 000 high-precision light curves with 1600–4400 data points. We have extracted a total of 850 variable light curves, 659 of which do not have a counterpart in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars, the New Suspected Variables catalogue or the All Sky Automated Survey southern variable star catalogue. The catalogue is detailed here, and includes 142 Algol-type eclipsing binaries, 23 β Lyrae-type eclipsing binaries, 218 contact eclipsing binaries, 53 RR Lyrae stars, 26 Cepheid stars, 13 rotationally variable active stars, 153 uncategorized pulsating stars with periods <10 d, including δ Scuti stars, and 222 long period variables with variability on time-scales of >10 d. As a general application of variable stars discovered by extrasolar planet transit search projects, we discuss several astrophysical problems which could benefit from carefully selected samples of bright variables. These include (i) the quest for contact binaries with the smallest mass ratio, which could be used to test theories of binary mergers; (ii) detached eclipsing binaries with pre-main-sequence components, which are important test objects for calibrating stellar evolutionary models and (iii) RR Lyrae-type pulsating stars exhibiting the Blazhko effect, which is one of the last great mysteries of pulsating star research.     

The depletion of carbon by extra mixing in metal-poor giants

There is an apparent dichotomy between the metal-poor  ([Fe/H]≤−2)  yet carbon-normal giants and their carbon-rich counterparts. The former undergo significant depletion of carbon on the red giant branch after they have undergone first dredge-up, whereas the latter do not appear to experience significant depletion. We investigate this in the context that the extra mixing occurs via the thermohaline instability that arises due to the burning of  ³He  . We present the evolution of [C/Fe], [N/Fe] and  ¹²C/¹³C  for three models: a carbon-normal metal-poor star, and two stars that have accreted material from a  1.5 M_⊙  AGB companion, one having received  0.01 M_⊙  of material and the other having received  0.1 M_⊙  . We find the behaviour of the carbon-normal metal-poor stars is well reproduced by this mechanism. In addition, our models also show that the efficiency of carbon-depletion is significantly reduced in carbon-rich stars. This extra-mixing mechanism is able to reproduce the observed properties of both carbon-normal and carbon-rich stars.     

Identification of temperature anomaly RR Lyrae stars in LAMOST survey,misclassification and binarities

RR Lyrae stars,a well-known type of pulsating variable stars,have been known about for more than a century.A large amount of photometric data on RR Lyrae stars has been accumulated by space-and ground-based sky surveys,but the spectral data are relatively poor.Fortunately,the LAMOST sky survey project provides an opportunity to view them from the point of view of spectra.We collect the atmospheric parameters of 1685 RR Lyrae stars provided by the LAMOST catalog,and carry out research by using the reliable T_(eff).We find that there is a clear correlation between their Teff and pulsation periods,which is consistent with the pulsation and evolution theories of RR Lyrae stars.In addition,we focus on those RR Lyrae stars with abnormal temperatures.After analyzing the data from several photometric surveys,we find that some of these temperature anomalies are misclassified variable stars(e.g.,eclipsing binaries,pulsating stars on main sequence),and some are RR Lyrae binary candidates.For the latter,the temperatures of potential companions should be lower and their luminosities should not be neglected(e.g.,red giant stars).We obtain that the ratio of temperature anomaly stars to all the sample stars is 4%,which means that the impact on the further analysis(e.g.,kinematics analysis) is low.We also present the catalogs of spectral anomaly RR Lyrae stars.     

On rejuvenation in massive binary systems

We introduce a set of stellar models for massive stars whose evolution has been affected by mass transfer in a binary system, at a range of metallicities. As noted by other authors, the effect of such mass transfer is frequently more than just rejuvenation. We find that, whilst stars with convective cores which have accreted only H-rich matter rejuvenate as expected, those stars which have accreted He-rich matter (e.g. at the end stages of conservative mass transfer) evolve in a way that is qualitatively similar to rejuvenated stars of much higher metallicity. Thus, the effects of non-conservative evolution depend strongly on whether He-rich matter is amongst the portion accreted or ejected. This may lead to a significant divergence in binary evolution paths with only a small difference in initial assumptions. We compare our models to observed systems and find approximate formulae for the effect of mass accretion on the effective age and metallicity of the resulting star.