Asymptotic giant branch stars in the Phoenix dwarf galaxy

JHK _s near-infrared photometry of stars in the Phoenix dwarf galaxy is presented and discussed. Combining these data with the optical photometry of Massey et al. allows a rather clean separation of field stars from Phoenix members. The discovery of a Mira variable ( P = 425 d), which is almost certainly a carbon star, leads to an estimate of the distance modulus of 23.10 ± 0.18 that is consistent with other estimates and indicates the existence of a significant population of age ∼2 Gyr. The two carbon stars of Da Costa have   M _bol=−3.8  and are consistent with belonging to a population of similar age; some other possible members of such a population are identified. A Da Costa non-carbon star is  Δ K _s∼ 0.3  mag brighter than these two carbon stars. It may be an asymptotic giant branch star of the dominant old population. The nature of other stars lying close to it in the   K _s, ( J − K _s)  diagram needs studying.     

Rotation and lithium in the late-type stars of NGC 2516

We present CCD photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy of low-mass stars in the open cluster NGC 2516, which has an age of about 150 Myr and may have a much lower metallicity than the Pleiades. 24 probable F to early K type, single cluster members have been identified from their photometry and radial velocities, along with three possible spectroscopic binaries. The projected equatorial velocities are measured and compared with younger and older clusters. Several fast rotating late G /early K stars are seen, but all hotter stars have v _e sin  i  < 20 km s⁻¹. The data are consistent with angular momentum loss models with spin-down time-scales that increase from tens of Myr for G stars to hundreds of Myr for K stars. The observed X-ray activity is consistent with the currently accepted rotation–activity paradigm. Lithium abundances are derived from the Li  i 6708-Å line. The pattern of Li depletion is indistinguishable from that in the Pleiades, including a spread in the K0 stars, where the most rapid rotators suffer the least Li depletion. The observations argue in favour of either a metallicity in the range −0.1 < [Fe/H]< 0.0 for NGC 2516, or a lower metallicity and extra Li depletion through non-standard mixing modes which occurs on time-scales of only ∼ 50 Myr. Neither our low signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopy nor our photometry can constrain [Fe/H] sufficiently to decide between these possibilities. A detailed spectroscopic chemical abundance analysis is urgently required.     

JHK standard stars for large telescopes: the UKIRT Fundamental and Extended lists

We present high-precision JHK photometry with the 3.8-m UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) of 82 standard stars, 28 from the widely used preliminary list known as the 'UKIRT Faint Standards', referred to here as the Fundamental List, and 54 additional stars referred to as the Extended List. The stars have 9.4< K <15.0 and all or most should be readily observable with imaging array detectors in normal operating modes on telescopes of up to 10-m aperture. Many are accessible from the southern hemisphere. Arcsec-accuracy positions (J2000, epoch ∼1998) are given, together with optical photometry and spectral types from the literature, where available, or inferred from the J − K colour. K -band finding charts are provided for stars with proper motions exceeding 0.3 arcsec yr⁻¹. We discuss some pitfalls in the construction of flat-fields for array imagers and a method to avoid them. On 30 nights between late 1994 and early 1998 the stars from the Fundamental List, which were used as standards for the whole programme, were observed on an average of 10 nights each, and those from the Extended List on an average of six nights. The average internal standard error of the mean results for the K magnitudes is 0.005 mag; for the J − H colours it is 0.003 mag for the Fundamental List stars and 0.005 mag for those of the Extended List; for H − K the average is 0.004 mag. The results are on the natural system of the IRCAM3 imager, which used a 256×256 InSb detector array with 'standard' JHK filters, behind gold-coated fore-optics and a gold- or silver-dielectric coated dichroic. We give colour transformations on to the CIT, Arcetri and LCO/Palomar NICMOS systems, and preliminary transformations on to the system defined by the new Mauna Kea Observatory near-infrared filter set.     

A search for previously unrecognized metal-poor subdwarfs in the Hipparcos astrometric catalogue

We have identified 317 stars included in the Hipparcos astrometric catalogue that have parallaxes measured to a precision of better than 15 per cent, and the location of which in the ( M _V ,( B − V ) _T ) diagram implies a metallicity comparable to or less than that of the intermediate-abundance globular cluster M5. We have undertaken an extensive literature search to locate Strömgren, Johnson/Cousins and Walraven photometry for over 120 stars. In addition, we present new UBV ( RI )_C photometry of 201 of these candidate halo stars, together with similar data for a further 14 known metal-poor subdwarfs. These observations provide the first extensive data set of R _C I _C photometry of metal-poor, main-sequence stars with well-determined trigonometric parallaxes. Finally, we have obtained intermediate-resolution optical spectroscopy of 175 stars.
47 stars still lack sufficient supplementary observations for population classification; however, we are able to estimate abundances for 270 stars, or over 80 per cent of the sample. The overwhelming majority have near-solar abundance, with their inclusion in the present sample stemming from errors in the colours listed in the Hipparcos catalogue. Only 44 stars show consistent evidence of abundances below [Fe/H]=−1.0 . Nine are additions to the small sample of metal-poor subdwarfs with accurate photometry. We consider briefly the implication of these results for cluster main-sequence fitting.     

IPHAS discoveries of young stars towards Cyg OB2 and its southern periphery

We report on the discovery of over 50 strong Hα emitting objects towards the large OB association Cyg OB2 and the H  ii region DR 15 on its southern periphery. This was achieved using the INT Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS), combined with follow-up spectroscopy using the MMT multi-object spectrometer HectoSpec. We present optical spectra, supplemented with optical r ',  i ' and H α photometry from IPHAS, and near-infrared J ,  H and K photometry from Two Micron All Sky Survey. The position of the objects in the ( J − H ) versus ( H − K ) diagram strongly suggests most of them are young. Many show Ca  ii infrared triplet emission indicating that they are in a pre-main-sequence phase of evolution of T Tauri and Herbig Ae nature. Among these, we have uncovered pronounced clustering of T Tauri stars roughly a degree south of the centre of Cyg OB2, in an arc close to the H  ii region DR 15, and the radio ring nebula G79.29+0.46, for which we discuss its candidacy as a luminous blue variable. The emission-line objects towards Cyg OB2 itself could be the brightest most prominent component of a population of lower mass pre-main-sequence stars that has yet to be uncovered. Finally, we discuss the nature of the ongoing star formation in Cyg OB2 and the possibility that the central OB stars have triggered star formation in the periphery.     

Supplementary southern standards for UBV(RI)C photometry

We present UBV ( RI )_C photometry for 80 southern red and blue stars for use as additional standards. The data are tied to the Johnson UBV and Cousins ( RI )_C systems and extend the range of the available stars for colour equation determination, especially in ( U − B ) for blue stars and ( V − R ) and ( V − I ) for red stars. Comparisons with published data are made and particularly good agreement is found with Bessell for the red (Gliese) stars.     

Galactic clusters with associated Cepheid variables – VII. Berkeley 58 and CG Cassiopeiae

Photoelectric, photographic and CCD UBV photometry, spectroscopic observations and star counts are presented for the open cluster Berkeley 58 to examine a possible association with the 4.37 d Cepheid CG Cas. The cluster is difficult to separate from the early-type stars belonging to the Perseus spiral arm, in which it is located, but has reasonably well-defined parameters: an evolutionary age of ∼10⁸ yr, a mean reddening of   E ( B − V ) (B0) = 0.70 ± 0.03  s.e. and a distance of  3.03 ± 0.17 kpc ( V ₀− M _V = 12.40 ± 0.12  s.d.). CG Cas is a likely cluster coronal member on the basis of radial velocity, and its period increase of  +0.170 ± 0.014 s yr⁻¹  and large light amplitude describe a Cepheid in the third crossing of the instability strip lying slightly blueward of strip centre. Its inferred reddening and luminosity are   E ( B − V ) = 0.64 ± 0.02  s.e. and  〈 M _V 〉=−3.06 ± 0.12  . A possible K supergiant may also be a cluster member.     

The metal homogeneity of the globular star cluster M5

This work is concerned with the precision measurement of the magnitudes of the stars across a large field of the galactic globular cluster M5. The colours of the red giants are subjected to a thorough statistical analysis in order to quantify the extent of any star-to-star variations in metal abundance within the cluster. Use is made of an extensive optical/near-infrared observational data set acquired with a large-array CCD detector and the Johnson V and I filters. The results of this photometry, which is accurate to within a few millimagnitudes for the brighter stars, are used to compile a colour–magnitude diagram.
The analysis finds that in a metal-rich M5 ([Fe/H]=−1.2) the extent of any metal inhomogeneity, Δ[Fe/H], is less than ±0.1 dex, and in a metal-poor M5 ([Fe/H]=−1.5) then     . (The literature contains a range of derived values of metallicity for M5.)     

Intermediate-metallicity, high-velocity stars and Galactic chemical evolution

High signal-to-noise ratio spectra were obtained of 10 high-proper-motion stars having  −1 ≲[Fe/H] < 0  , and a comparable number of disc stars. All but two of the high-proper-motion stars were confirmed to have  [Fe/H] > −1.0  , some approaching solar metallicity, but, even so, earlier measurements overestimated the metallicities and velocities of some of these stars. Models of stellar populations were used to assign membership probabilities to the Galactic components to which the high-velocity stars might belong. Many were found to be more probably thick-disc than halo objects, despite their large space motions, and two might be associated with the inner Galaxy. It may be necessary to reassess contamination of previous halo samples, such as those used to define the metallicity distribution, to account for contamination by high-velocity thick-disc stars, and to consider possible subcomponents of the halo.
The change in [α/Fe] ratios at  [Fe/H]≃−1.0  is often used to constrain the degree and timing of Type Ia supernova nucleosynthesis in Galactic chemical-evolution models. [Ti/Fe] values were measured for eight of the high-velocity stars. Both high- and low-[Ti/Fe] halo stars exist; likewise high- and low-[Ti/Fe] thick-disc stars exist. We conclude that the [Ti/Fe]'break' is not well defined for a given population; nor is there a simple, continuous evolutionary sequence through the break. Implications for the interpretation of the [α/Fe] break in terms of SN Ia time-scales and progenitors are discussed. The range of [Ti/Fe] found for high -velocity (low rotation) thick-disc stars contrasts with that for the low -velocity (high rotation) thick-disc sample studied by Prochaska et al.     

A comparison of optical and near-infrared colours of Magellanic Cloud star clusters with predictions of simple stellar population models

We present integrated JHK _S Two-Micron All-Sky Survey photometry and a compilation of integrated-light optical photoelectric measurements for 84 star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. These clusters range in age from ≈200 Myr to >10 Gyr, and have [Fe/H] values from −2.2 to −0.1 dex. We find a spread in the intrinsic colours of clusters with similar ages and metallicities, at least some of which is due to stochastic fluctuations in the number of bright stars residing in low-mass clusters. We use 54 clusters with the most-reliable age and metallicity estimates as test particles to evaluate the performance of four widely used simple stellar population models in the optical/near-infrared (near-IR) colour–colour space. All models reproduce the reddening-corrected colours of the old (≥10 Gyr) globular clusters quite well, but model performance varies at younger ages. In order to account for the effects of stochastic fluctuations in individual clusters, we provide composite   B − V , B − J , V − J , V − K _S  and   J − K _S  colours for Magellanic Cloud clusters in several different age intervals. The accumulated masses for most composite clusters are higher than that needed to keep luminosity variations due to stochastic fluctuations below the 10 per cent level. The colours of the composite clusters are clearly distinct in optical–near-IR colour–colour space for the following intervals of age: >10 Gyr, 2–9 Gyr, 1–2 Gyr, and 200 Myr−1 Gyr. This suggests that a combination of optical plus near-IR colours can be used to differentiate clusters of different age and metallicity.     

The Na i D resonance lines in main-sequence late-type stars

We study the sodium D lines (D1: 5895.92 Å; D2: 5889.95 Å) in late-type dwarf stars. The stars have spectral types between F6 and M5.5 ( B − V between 0.457 and 1.807) and metallicity between  [Fe/H]=−0.82  and 0.6. We obtained medium-resolution echelle spectra using the 2.15-m telescope at the Argentinian observatory Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO). The observations have been performed periodically since 1999. The spectra were calibrated in wavelength and in flux. A definition of the pseudo-continuum level is found for all our observations. We also define a continuum level for calibration purposes. The equivalent width of the D lines is computed in detail for all our spectra and related to the colour index ( B − V ) of the stars. When possible, we perform a careful comparison with previous studies. Finally, we construct a spectral index  ( R '_D)  as the ratio between the flux in the D lines and the bolometric flux. We find that, once corrected for the photospheric contribution, this index can be used as a chromospheric activity indicator in stars with a high level of activity. Additionally, we find that combining some of our results, we obtain a method to calibrate in flux stars of unknown colour.     

On the metallicity of the Milky Way thin disc and photometric abundance scales

The mean metallicity of the Milky Way thin disc in the solar neighbourhood is still a matter of debate, and we recently proposed an upward revision. Our star sample was drawn from a set of solar neighbourhood dwarfs with photometric metallicities. In a very recent study, it has been suggested that our metallicity calibration, based on Geneva photometry, is biased. We show here that the effect detected is not a consequence of our adopted metallicity scale, and we confirm that our findings are robust. On the contrary, the application to Strömgren photometry of the Schuster & Nissen metallicity scale is problematic. Systematic discrepancies of  ∼0.1–0.3 dex  affect the photometric metallicity determination of metal-rich stars, on the colour interval  0.22 < b − y < 0.59  , i.e. including F and G stars. For F stars, it is shown that this is a consequence of a mismatch between the standard sequence   m ₁( b − y )  of the Hyades used by Schuster & Nissen to calibrate their metallicity scale, and the system of Olsen. It means that although the calibration of Schuster & Nissen and Olsen's photometry are intrinsically correct, they are mutually incompatible for metal-rich F-type stars. For G stars, the discrepancy is most probably the continuation of the same problem, albeit worsened by the lack of spectroscopic calibrating stars. A corrected calibration is proposed that renders the calibration of Schuster & Nissen applicable to the catalogues of Olsen. We also give a simpler calibration referenced to the Hyades sequence, valid over the same colour and metallicity ranges.     

Metallicities and ages of stellar populations at a high Galactic latitude field

We present an analysis of UBVRI data from the selected area SA 141. By applying recalibrated methods of measuring ultraviolet excess (UVX), we approximate abundances and absolute magnitudes for 368 stars over 1.3 deg² out to distances over 10 kpc. With the density distribution constrained from our previous photometric parallax investigations and with sufficient accounting for the metallicity bias in the UVX method, we are able to compare the vertical abundance distribution to those measured in previous studies. We find that the abundance distribution has an underlying uniform component consistent with previous spectroscopic results that posit a monometallic thick disc and halo with abundances of  [Fe/H]=−0.8  and −1.4, respectively. However, there are a number of outlying data points that may indicate contamination by more metal-rich halo streams. The absence of vertical abundance gradients in the Galactic stellar populations and the possible presence of interloping halo streams would be consistent with expectations from merger models of Galaxy formation. We find that our UVX method has limited sensitivity in exploring the metallicity distribution of the distant Galactic halo, owing to the poor constraint on the UBV properties of very metal-poor stars. The derivation of metallicities from broad-band UBV photometry remains fundamentally sound for the exploration of the halo but is in need of both improved calibration and superior data.     

Infrared photometry of low-mass stars in Praesepe

We present follow-up infrared photometry for a sample of low-mass and very low-mass stars in the Praesepe open cluster. Our sample is selected from two sources: (i) 90 stars selected from the Hambly et al. photometric and proper-motion survey of Praesepe; (ii) 17 stars selected from the CCD imaging survey presented by Pinfield et al. We investigate cluster membership using infrared colour–magnitude and colour–colour diagrams. We find 81 likely and two possible members in the Hambly et al. sample, in line with predictions. Contamination in the Pinfield et al. sample is higher, and we find nine probable cluster members. We investigate the non-grey models of Baraffe et al., which are found to be in good agreement with the data. Multiplicity in Praesepe is also examined, and we find the multiple star fraction to be 0.51 from analysis of the I , I − K diagram. We investigate individual object masses, and find that the faintest candidate cluster members have masses close to the substellar limit.     

SDSS absolute magnitudes for thin-disc stars based on trigonometric parallaxes

We present a new luminosity–colour relation based on trigonometric parallaxes for thin-disc main-sequence stars in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry. We matched stars from the newly reduced Hipparcos catalogue with the ones taken from Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) All-Sky Catalogue of Point Sources, and applied a series of constraints, i.e. relative parallax errors  (σ_π/π≤ 0.05)  , metallicity  (−0.30 ≤[M/H]≤ 0.20 dex)  , age  (0 ≤ t ≤ 10 Gyr)  and surface gravity  (log  g > 4)  , and obtained a sample of thin-disc main-sequence stars. Then, we used our previous transformation equations ( Bilir et al. 2008a ) between SDSS and 2MASS photometries and calibrated the   M_g   absolute magnitudes to the  ( g − r )₀  and  ( r − i )₀  colours. The transformation formulae between 2MASS and SDSS photometries along with the absolute magnitude calibration provide space densities for bright stars which saturate the SDSS magnitudes.     

Multiwaveband studies of the hard ROSAT SMC transient 1WGA J0053.8−7226: a new X-ray pulsar

We report on two optical candidates for the counterpart to an X-ray source in the Small Magellanic Cloud , 1WGA J0053.8−7226, identified as a serendipitous X-ray source from the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) archive, and also observed by the Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter . Its X-ray properties, namely the hard X-ray spectrum, flux variability and column density, indicate a hard, transient source, with a luminosity of ∼     XTE and ASCA observations have confirmed the source to be an X-ray pulsar, with a 46-s spin period. Our optical observations reveal two possible candidates within the error circle. Both exhibit strong H α and weaker H β emission. The optical colours indicate that both objects are Be-type stars. The Be nature of the stars implies that the counterpart is most likely a Be/X-ray binary system. Subsequent infrared (IR) photometry ( JHK ) of one of the objects shows that the source varies by at least 0.5 mag, while the     measured nearly simultaneously with the UBVRI and spectroscopic observations indicate an IR excess of ∼0.3 mag.     

A catalogue of potential adaptive optics survey fields from the UKIRT archive

We present a multicolour catalogue of faint galaxies situated close to bright stars,   V ≲ 15  , with the aim of identifying high-redshift galaxies suitable for study with adaptive optics-equipped near-infrared imagers and spectrographs. The catalogue is constructed from archival calibration observations of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) Faint Standard stars with the UKIRT Fast Track Imager (UFTI) camera on UKIRT. We have analysed the deepest 16 fields from the archive to provide a catalogue of galaxies brighter than   K ∼ 20.3  lying between 3 and 25 arcsec of the guide stars. We identify 111 objects in a total survey area of  8.7 arcmin²  . Of these, 87 are classified as galaxies based on their light profiles in our ∼0.5 arcsec median seeing K -band images. 12 of the galaxies have  ( J − K ) ≥ 2.0  consistent with them lying at high redshifts,   z ≳ 2  . These 12 very red galaxies have K -band magnitudes of   K = 18.1–20.1  and separations from the guide stars of 4–20 arcsec and hence are very well suited to adaptive optics studies to investigate their morphologies and spectral properties on sub-kpc scales. We provide coordinates and JHK photometry for all catalogued objects.     

Photometric modelling of starspots – I. A Barnes–Evans-like surface brightness–colour relation using (Ic−K)

In the first part of this work, the empirical correlation of stellar surface brightness F _V with ( I _c− K ) broad-band colour is investigated by using a sample of stars cooler than the Sun. A bilinear correlation is found to represent well the brightness of G, K and M giant stars. The change in slope occurs at ( I _c− K )∼2.1 or at about the transition from K to M spectral types. The same relationship is also investigated for dwarf stars and found to be distinctly different from that of the giants. The dwarf star correlation differs by an average of −0.4 in ( I _c− K ) or by a maximum in F _V of ∼−0.1, positioning it below that of the giants, with both trends tending towards convergence for the hotter stars in our sample. The flux distribution derived from the F _V −( I _c− K ) relationship for the giant stars, together with that derived from an F _V −( V − K ) relationship and the blackbody flux distribution, is then utilized to compute synthetic light V and colour ( V − R )_c, ( V − I )_c and ( V − K ) curves of cool spotted stars. We investigate the effects on the amplitudes of the curves by using these F _V –colour relations and by assuming the effective gravity of the spots to be lower than the gravity of the unspotted photosphere. We find that the amplitudes produced by using the F _V −( I _c− K ) relationship are larger than those produced by the other two brightness correlations, meaning smaller and/or warmer spots.     

Metallicity measurements using atomic lines in M and K dwarf stars

We report the first survey of chemical abundances in M and K dwarf stars using atomic absorption lines in high-resolution spectra. We have measured Fe and Ti abundances in 35 M and K dwarf stars using equivalent widths measured from  λ/Δλ≈ 33 000  spectra. Our analysis takes advantage of recent improvements in model atmospheres of low-temperature dwarf stars. The stars have temperatures between 3300 and 4700 K, with most cooler than 4100 K. They cover an iron abundance range of  −2.44 < [Fe/H] < +0.16  . Our measurements show [Ti/Fe] decreasing with increasing [Fe/H], a trend similar to that measured for warmer stars, where abundance analysis techniques have been tested more thoroughly. This study is a step towards the observational calibration of procedures to estimate the metallicity of low-mass dwarf stars using photometric and low-resolution spectral indices.     

Fundamental parameters and new variables of the galactic open cluster NGC 7128

CCD photometry in Johnson UBV and Strömgren uvby systems and medium-resolution spectroscopy of the galactic open cluster NGC 7128 are presented. Spectral types of the brightest 12 stars in the cluster field were determined based on equivalent widths of the H α and the He  i 6678-Å line. The spectroscopic observations also revealed two obvious and one probable Be-type stars showing H α emission. The analysis of the photometric diagrams gave a colour excess of E ( B − V )=1.03±0.06 mag, a distance modulus DM =13.0±0.2 mag and an age above 10 Myr. Time-resolved photometric observations obtained on one night resulted in the detection of short time-scale light variations of seven new and three already known variable stars in the cluster field.