HST UV measurements of wind structure and velocities in Local Group OB stars

Archival HST FOS and GHRS data sets have been used to collect ultraviolet evidence for large- and small-scale stellar wind structure in extragalactic Local Group OB stars (i.e. SMC, LMC including R136, M31, M33 and NGC 6822). By comparison with previous studies of Galactic OB stars, wind activity is principally diagnosed in individual spectrograms via the presence of 'narrow absorption components' and saturated 'black' absorption troughs in the resonance line doublets. Their characteristics broadly suggest that these stars share the same physical mechanisms for perturbing the winds as those that act in Galactic stars. Both of these spectral indicators are also used to provide reliable measures of wind terminal velocities. These velocities are directly compared with previously published Galactic values, without reliance on model profile fitting. Relative to Galactic OB stars, the most discrepant terminal velocities (and wind line profiles) result from main-sequence early O-type stars in the SMC.     

Precise laboratory wavelengths of the Mg I and Mg II resonance transitions at 2853, 2803 and 2796 Å

Strong ultraviolet resonance transitions are observed routinely both in the Galactic interstellar medium and in quasar absorption systems. The quality of the astronomical spectroscopic data now available demands more precise laboratory rest wavelengths. Of particular interest is the accuracy with which one can constrain space–time variations in fundamental constants using quasar spectra. A recent analysis by Webb et al. of 25 quasar spectra using Mg and Fe transitions tentatively suggests that the fine-structure constant was smaller at earlier epochs. To permit a check on this result, and to allow further more extensive investigations, we have carried out a new determination of the laboratory wavelengths of Mg  i  2853 Å, Mg  II  2796 Å and Mg  II  2803 Å by high-resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy. Our results for Mg  II  2796 Å are consistent with the value measured independently by two other groups. To our knowledge, no previous measurements of comparable precision exist for Mg  I  2853 Å and Mg  II  2803 Å.     

Star formation and figure rotation in the early-type galaxy NGC 2974

We present Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ) far-ultraviolet (FUV) and near-ultraviolet (NUV) imaging of the nearby early-type galaxy NGC 2974, along with complementary ground-based optical imaging. In the ultraviolet, the galaxy reveals a central spheroid-like component and a newly discovered complete outer ring of radius 6.2 kpc, with suggestions of another partial ring at an even larger radius. Blue FUV–NUV and UV-optical colours are observed in the centre of the galaxy and from the outer ring outwards, suggesting young stellar populations (≲1 Gyr) and recent star formation in both locations. This is supported by a simple stellar population model which assumes two bursts of star formation, allowing us to constrain the age, mass fraction and surface mass density of the young component pixel by pixel. Overall, the mass fraction of the young component appears to be just under 1 per cent (lower limit, uncorrected for dust extinction). The additional presence of a nuclear and an inner ring (radii 1.4 and 2.9 kpc, respectively), as traced by [O  iii ] emission, suggests ring formation through resonances. All three rings are consistent with a single pattern speed of  78 ± 6  km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹, typical of S0 galaxies and only marginally slower than expected for a fast bar if traced by a small observed surface brightness plateau. This thus suggests that star formation and morphological evolution in NGC 2974 at the present epoch are primarily driven by a rotating asymmetry (probably a large-scale bar), despite the standard classification of NGC 2974 as an E4 elliptical.     

On the exact shape of the horizontal profile of a topographically rectified tidal flow

Abstract

Starting from the nonlinear shallow water equations of a homogeneous rotating fluid we derive the equation describing the evolution of vorticity by a fluctuating bottom topography of small amplitude, using a multiple scale expansion in a small parameter, which is the topographic length scale relative to the tidal wave length. The exact response functions of residual vorticity for a sinusoidal bottom topography are compared with those obtained by a primitive perturbation series and by harmonic truncation, showing the former to be invalid for small topographic length scales and the latter to be only a fair approximation for vorticity produced by planetary vortex stretching. In deriving the exact shape of the horizontal residual velocity profile at a step-like break in the bottom topography, it is shown that the Lagrangian profile only exists in a strip having the width of the amplitude of the tidal excursion at both sides of the break, and that it vanishes outside that interval. Moreover, in the limit of small amplitude topography at least, it vanishes altogether for the generation mechanism by means of planetary vortex stretching. The Eulerian profile is shown to extend over twice the interval of the Lagrangian profile both for production by vortex stretching and by differential bottom friction. These finite intervals over which the residual velocity profiles exist for a step-like topography are not reproduced by harmonic truncation of the basic equation. This method gives exponentially decaying profiles, indicating spurious horizontal diffusion of vorticity. In terms of orders of magnitude, the method of harmonic truncation is reliable for residual velocity produced by vortex stretching but it overestimates the residual velocity produced by differential bottom friction by a factor 2.     

Hidden subluminous stars among the FAUST UV sources towards Ophiuchus

We present results of an analysis of a UV image in the direction of Ophiuchus, obtained with the FAUST instrument. The image contains 228 UV sources. Most of these are identified as normal early-type stars through correlations with catalogued objects. For the first time in this project we identify UV sources as such stars by selecting suitable candidates in crowded fields as the bluest objects in colour–colour diagrams using observations from the Wise Observatory. These candidates are then studied using low-resolution spectroscopy, which allows the determination of spectral types to an accuracy of about one-half class, for 60 stars.
Synthetic photometry of spectral data is performed in order to predict the expected UV emission, on the basis of the photometric information. These results are used along with the Hipparcos /Tycho information, to search for subluminous stars. The comparison of the predicted emission with the FAUST measured magnitudes allows us to select 12 stars as highly probable evolved hot stars. High signal-to-noise spectra are obtained for nine of these stars, and Balmer line profiles are compared with the prediction of atmosphere models and with the spectrum of real stellar atmospheres. Among the nine candidates, six are classified as previously unrecognized sdB stars, and two as white dwarfs. Our result indicates that indeed more bright subluminous stars are still unrecognized in the existing samples.