OB stars in the Tycho-2 and 2MASS catalogues

The Tycho-2 proper motions and five-band Tycho-2 and 2MASS photometry for approximately 2.5 million common stars have been used to select OB stars and to determine the extinction and photometric distance for each of them. We have selected 37 485 stars and calculated their reddenings based on their positions in the two-color V _T -H, J-Ks diagrams relative to the zero-age main sequence and the theoretical reddening line for B5 stars. Tests confirm that the selected stars belong to the spectral types O-B with a small admixture of later types. We calculate the extinction coefficient R and its variations with Galactic longitude based on the positions of the selected stars in the two-color B _T -V _T , V _T -Ks diagram. The interstellar extinction for each star is calculated as the product of the reddening found and the coefficient R. The extinction and its variations with Galactic longitude agree well with the extinction based on the model by Arenou et al. (1992). Calibration of the relation between the absolute magnitude and reduced proper motion V _T − + 5 + 5 log μ for Hipparcos stars has allowed us to calculate the absolute magnitudes and photometric distances for the selected stars. The distances found agree with those derived from the Hipparcos parallaxes within 500 pc. The distribution of the stars and the extinction variations with distance found show that the selected stars form an almost complete sample of stars with spectral types earlier than B5 within about 750 pc of the Sun. The sample includes many noticeably reddened stars in the first and second Galactic quadrants that are absent from the Hipparcos and Tycho Spectral Types Catalogues. This slightly changes the pattern of the distribution of OB stars compared to the classical pattern based on Hipparcos. Original Russian Text ? G.A. Goncharov, 2008, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 10–20.     

Red giant clump in the Tycho-2 catalogue

The Tycho-2 proper motions and Tycho-2 and 2MASS photometry are used to select 97348 red giant clump (RGC) stars. The interstellar extinction and photometric distance are calculated for each of the stars. The selected stars are shown to form a selection-unbiased sample of RGC stars within about 350 pc of the Sun with the addition of more distant stars. The distribution of the selected stars in space and their motion are consistent with the assumption that the RGC contains Galactic disk stars with various ages and metallicities, including a significant fraction of stars younger than 1 Gyr with masses of more than 2M _⊙. These young stars show differences of their statistical characteristics from those of older RGC stars, including differences in the variations of their distribution density with distance from the Galactic plane and in the dispersion of their velocities found using radial velocities and proper motions. The Sun has been found to rise above the Galactic plane by 13 ± 1 pc. The distribution density of the stars under consideration in space is probably determined by the Local Spiral Arm and the distribution of absorbing matter in the plane of the Gould Belt.     

High-resolution spectroscopy of ROSAT-discovered weak-line T Tauri stars near Lupus

We present high-resolution optical echelle spectroscopy for a large fraction of the Li-rich late-type stars recently discovered in the vicinity of the Lupus dark clouds. Our results confirm the high Li  i   λ 6708 equivalent widths previously estimated from medium-resolution spectra, thus adding strength to the conclusion that the large majority of these stars are still in the pre-main-sequence phase of their evolution, contrary to claims from other authors that many of them might be zero-age main-sequence stars. We present a statistical approach to derive a mean distance for the sample, and find that it is consistent with, or slightly lower than, the Hipparcos distance of the Lupus star-forming region. The radial velocities measured for part of these stars are consistent with those observed for the Lupus star-forming region, while stars outside the dark clouds show a mean difference of the order of 3 km s⁻¹. The projected rotational velocities show a lack of slow rotators, which is interpreted as a consequence of the X-ray selection of the sample. The Li-rich stars in Lupus studied in this work yield a fairly 'clean' sample of very young stars, while in other star-forming regions a larger fraction of older zero-age main-sequence stars has been found among ROSAT -discovered Li-rich stars. We argue that this fact reflects the relation of these stars with the Gould Belt.     

Giant CP Stars?

This study is part of an investigation of the possibility of using chemically peculiar (CP) stars to map local galactic structure. Correct luminosities of these stars are therefore crucial. CP stars are generally regarded as main-sequence or near-main-sequence objects. However, some CP stars have been classified as giants. A selection of stars, classified in literature as CP giants, are compared to normal stars in the same effective temperature interval and to ordinary ‘non giant’ CP stars. We find no clear confirmation of a higher luminosity for ‘CP giants’, than for CP stars in general. In addition, CP characteristics seem to be individual properties not repeated in a component star or other cluster members.     

Estimates of dynamic parameters and boundaries of habitable zones of selected stars of the Pulkovo program

A list of selected binary stars is presented that have been observed for several decades using a 26-inch refractor at the Pulkovo Observatory. These stars are at a distance from 3.5 to 25 pc from the Sun. They belong to spectral classes F, G, K, and M. Their masses range from 0.3 to 1.5 solar masses. We have analyzed them as possible parent stars for exoplanets taking into account the physical characteristics of these stars. In view of dynamic parameters and orbital elements that we have obtained by Pulkovo observations, ephemerides of positions for the coming years are calculated. The boundaries of the habitable zones around these stars are calculated. The astrometric signal that depends on the gravitational influence of hypothetical planets is estimated. Space telescopes for astrometric observations with microsecond accuracy can be used to detect Earth-like planets near the closest stars of this program. This paper presents an overview of astrometric programs of searches for exoplanets.     

MK morphological study of Am stars at 66 Å/mm

The pseudo-luminosity effect in the metallic line A-type stars found by Abt & Morgan (1976) is confirmed in a random sample of 27 Am stars. From a morphological study of their spectra in the wavelength interval 3850-4400 Å at a reciprocal dispersion of 66 Å/mm, revised spectral types are given on the MK system for their K-line and metallic-line spectra. This shows that: (a) our segregation of weak Am from the Am stars largely agrees with that by Cowleyet al. (1969); (b) all the stars in the sample are dwarfs according to their K-line classification; (c) more than 80 per cent exhibit the pseudo-luminosity effect significantly, with their metallic-line spectra resembling a giant or even a supergiant in the violet (3850-4100 Å), and a giant rather than a dwarf in the blue region (4260-4400 Å); (d) in two-thirds of the stars under (c), the Sr n 4077 Å line is found to have a markedly brighter luminosity class compared to any region, and in more than one-third of the sample it is comparable to that in Ap stars; (e) at least five stars exhibit characteristics which might suggest a spectrum variability: among these, the most striking example is 41 Sex A which was found to show a phase-modulated spectrum variation hitherto unknown in Am stars; (f) the metallic-line spectra of another five stars appear to be similar to A-shell type in differing degrees; (g) less than 20 per cent of the sample comprises stars which do not show any significant differential luminosity effect; these stars might have been misclassified or perhaps they are in a quiescent state. We also confirm the conclusion arrived at by Böhm-Vitense & Johnson (1978) that all Am stars may vary and our observations suggest that groups may exist among them.     

Three-dimensional distribution of high-velocity stars

Numerical calculations support the conjecture that high velocity stars born in or near the rotating disk are not distributed spherically throughout the galaxy. Instead an empty funnel region forms around the rotation axis of the galaxy, where no stars reside. The funnel appears only for high velocity stars, such as old pulsars. Within about 50 kpc distance from the galactic center the funnel shape is almost not dependent on the existence of a massive corona.     

Classification of Stars by the Reddening-Free Paraneters Q and D

Relationships between two interstellar reddening-free quantities, the photometric parameter Q and the Balmer jump D, are derived for main sequence O9-G0 stars. We compare our average values of the Balmer jumps for main sequence stars with a theoretical model of the Balmer jump as a function of the effective temperature for main sequence stars. The theoretical and observational data, as well as our calculations, are shown to correlate well.     

Heiles星光偏振源表的距离更正

星光偏振是研究星际介质磁场的有力工具之一.Heiles源表收集了9286颗恒星的偏振信息,是目前最大的光学波段星光偏振源表,被广泛使用.但该表中恒星的距离参数是以前的测光距离,很不确定.把Heiles源表和Gaia第2次数据释放(DR2)源表进行交叉证认,以位置和星等作为判据,匹配了7613颗恒星,并获得了这些恒星的三角视差距离和误差,超过90%的恒星距离相对误差小于20%.基于新的距离,展示了星光偏振在银河系内的分布并讨论了可能的应用.     

Chemically peculiar stars in the orion OB1 association. I. occurrence frequency, spatial distribution, and kinematics

A total of 85 CP stars of various types are identified among 814 members of the OriOB1 association. The fraction of CP stars decreases with age for different cluster subgroups: from 15.1% in the youngest subgroup (b) to 7.7% in the oldest one (a). Individual comments are provided for each of the 85 stars, where we analyze the physical parameters and distance of the objects. All the 23 Am stars identified as a result of this study are found to have heliocentric distances between 100 and 300 pc and appear not to be members of the OrionOB1 association, but foreground objects. We identified 59 Bp stars, which account for 13.4% of the total number of B-type stars in the association. The fraction of peculiar B-type stars in the OriOB1 association is found to be twice higher than that of peculiar A-type stars. The same is true for field stars. The association contains 22 magnetic stars, out of which 21 are Bp stars and only one is an Ap star. Seventeen of these stars are objects with anomalous helium lines. Magnetic stars show a well-defined tendency to concentrate in the central region of the association (in Orion’s Belt), which contains most of these objects. No significant differences are found between the field strengths in the B-type stars of the association and Bp-type field stars, although there is a noticeable trend for He-rich stars to have stronger fields compared to He-weak stars. We identified 17 binaries, which make up 20% of the total number of peculiar stars studied, which is the standard ratio for CP stars. Except for one HgMn star (HD35548), the radial velocities and proper motions of our identified objects are consistent with the corresponding parameters of normal B-type stars.     

A Revisit to the Optical Starlight Polarization Catalogue by Heiles: Distance Update

Starlight polarization serves one of the powerful tools to study magnetic fields in the Galactic interstellar medium. Heiles catalogue contains polarization information for 9286 stars, and is by far the biggest. This catalogue has been extensively used to study the magnetic fields. However, the distance parameters of the stars in this catalogue are from photometric observations, and very uncertain. We cross match Heiles catalogue with Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2), and identify 7613 stars using both angular separation and magnitude as constraints. We then obtain precise distances from Gaia DR2 for these stars. For more than 90% of the stars, the relative errors of the new distances are within 20%. Based on the new catalogue, we demonstrate how starlight polarization can probe Galactic magnetic fields.     

A search for the optical and near-infrared counterpart of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar XTE J1751−305

We have obtained optical and near-infrared images of the field of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar XTE J1751−305. There are no stars in the 0.7-arcsec error circle (0.7 arcsec is the overall uncertainty arising from tying the optical and X-ray images and from the intrinsic uncertainty in the Chandra X-ray astrometric solution). We derive limiting magnitudes for the counterpart of   R > 23.1, I > 21.6, Z > 20.6, J > 19.6  and   K > 19.2  . We compare these upper limits with the magnitudes one would expect for simple models for the possible donor stars and the accretion disc subject to the reddening observed in X-rays for XTE J1751−305 and when put at the distance of the Galactic Centre (8.5 kpc). We conclude that our non-detection does not constrain any of the models for the accretion disc or possible donor stars. Deep, near-infrared images obtained during quiescence will, however, constrain possible models for the donor stars in this ultracompact system.     

Magnetically active stars in Taurus-Auriga: Photometric variability and basic physical parameters

We have analyzed homogeneous long-term photometric observations of 28 well-known weakline T Tauri stars (WTTS) and 60 WTTS candidates detected by the ROSAT observatory toward the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. We show that 22 known WTTS and 39 WTTS candidates exhibit periodic light variations that are attributable to the phenomenon of spotted rotational modulation. The rotation periods of these spotted stars lie within the range from 0.5 to 10 days. Significant differences between the long-term photometric behaviors of known WTTS and WTTS candidates have been found. We have calculated accurate luminosities, radii, masses, and ages for 74 stars. About 33% of the sample of WTTS candidates have ages younger than 10 Myr. The mean distance to 24 WTTS candidates with reliable estimates of their radii is shown to be 143 ± 26 pc. This is in excellent agreement with the adopted distance to the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region.     

OH／IR星的绝对K星等与距离

本文计算了一批ＯＨ／ＩＲ星的绝对Ｋ星等Ｍｋ，对ＯＨ／ＩＲ星的Ｍｋ和距离ｄ作了讨论。发现当Ｋ较亮时，Ｍｋ为一常数；当Ｋ较暗时，Ｍｋ较离散且呈现一定的变化趋势。本文还拟合得到了一个由Ｋ星等求距离的经验公式，并由此公式计算了一批ＯＨ／ＩＲ星的距离。最后，对所得结果进行了解释和讨论。     

Information from the Kinematics of F and G Stars in the Solar Neighborhood

We have calculated the orbital parameters for 90 stars in Chen et al. and updated the kinematic data for stars in Edvardsson et al. by using the accurate Hipparcos parallaxes and proper motions, and recalculated the \\\\\\\\\\\\-element abundances in Edvardsson et al. in a way consistent with Chen et al. The two sets of data are combined in a study of stellar populations and characteristics of F & G stars in the solar neighborhood. We confirm the result of Chen et al. that a distinguishable group of stars may belong to the thick disk rather than the thin disk. The ages for the stars are determined using the theoretical isochrones of VandenBerg et al. The age-metallicity relation is investigated for different subgroups according to distance from the sun and galactic orbital parameters. It is found that a mixing of stars with different orbital parameters significantly affect the age-metallicity relation for the disk. Stars with orbits confined to the solar circle all have metallicities [Fe/H] > -0.3 irresp     

Magnetospheric radio emission from extrasolar giant planets: the role of the host stars

We present a new analysis of the expected magnetospheric radio emission from extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) for a distance limited sample of the nearest known extrasolar planets. Using recent results on the correlation between stellar X-ray flux and mass-loss rates from nearby stars, we estimate the expected mass-loss rates of the host stars of extrasolar planets that lie within 20 pc of the Earth. We find that some of the host stars have mass-loss rates that are more than 100 times that of the Sun and, given the expected dependence of the planetary magnetospheric radio flux on stellar wind properties, this has a very substantial effect. Using these results and extrapolations of the likely magnetic properties of the extrasolar planets, we infer their likely radio properties.
We compile a list of the most promising radio targets and conclude that the planets orbiting Tau Bootes, Gliese 86, Upsilon Andromeda and HD 1237 (as well as HD 179949) are the most promising candidates, with expected flux levels that should be detectable in the near future with upcoming telescope arrays. The expected emission peak from these candidate radio emitting planets is typically ∼40–50 MHz. We also discuss a range of observational considerations for detecting EGPs.     

Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars as Tracers of Star Formation Histories: the GAIA Context

We discuss a possible use of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars for tracing star formation histories on the Galactic and extragalactic distance scales with the ESA's astrometric space mission GAIA. Extensive numerical simulations demonstrate that metallicities (Δ [M/H] ≲ 0.3) can be obtained for the AGB stars with GAIA up to the distances of ∼ 200 kpc, if no interstellar extinction is present. Reliable population ages can be also obtained from the AGB stars if their T _eff are constrained precisely. We show that precise effective temperatures can be obtained by fitting observed spectral energy distributions of the AGB stars with theoretical fluxes calculated from the synthetic spectra. A combination of the derived effective temperatures with the bolometric luminosities allows to derive precise population ages for a wide range of ages and metallicities over the large distance scales. This demonstrates that AGB stars can be employed very effectively for tracing star formation histories with GAIA, allowing to refine the global evolutionary scenarios of stellar populations in the Milky Way and the galaxies beyond. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Habitable zones around main sequence stars

A one-dimensional climate model is used to estimate the width of the habitable zone (HZ) around our Sun and around other main sequence stars. Our basic premise is that we are dealing with Earth-like planets with CO2/H2O/N2 atmospheres and that habitability requires the presence of liquid water on the planet's surface. The inner edge of the HZ is determined in our model by loss of water via photolysis and hydrogen escape. The outer edge of the HZ is determined by the formation of CO2 clouds, which cool a planet's surface by increasing its albedo and by lowering the convective lapse rate. Conservative estimates for these distances in our own Solar System are 0.95 and 1.37 AU, respectively; the actual width of the present HZ could be much greater. Between these two limits, climate stability is ensured by a feedback mechanism in which atmospheric CO2 concentrations vary inversely with planetary surface temperature. The width of the HZ is slightly greater for planets that are larger than Earth and for planets which have higher N2 partial pressures. The HZ evolves outward in time because the Sun increases in luminosity as it ages. A conservative estimate for the width of the 4.6-Gyr continuously habitable zone (CHZ) is 0.95 to 1.15 AU. Stars later than F0 have main sequence lifetimes exceeding 2 Gyr and, so, are also potential candidates for harboring habitable planets. The HZ around an F star is larger and occurs farther out than for our Sun; the HZ around K and M stars is smaller and occurs farther in. Nevertheless, the widths of all of these HZs are approximately the same if distance is expressed on a logarithmic scale. A log distance scale is probably the appropriate scale for this problem because the planets in our own Solar System are spaced logarithmically and because the distance at which another star would be expected to form planets should be related to the star's mass. The width of the CHZ around other stars depends on the time that a planet is required to remain habitable and on whether a planet that is initially frozen can be thawed by modest increases in stellar luminosity. For a specified period of habitability, CHZs around K and M stars are wider (in log distance) than for our Sun because these stars evolve more slowly. Planets orbiting late K stars and M stars may not be habitable, however, b ecause they can become trapped in synchronous rotation as a consequence of tidal damping. F stars have narrower (log distance) CHZ's than our Sun because they evolve more rapidly. Our results suggest that mid-to-early K stars should be considered along with G stars as optimal candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life.     

Spectral observations of red dwarfs II. New observations of flare stars in the Pleiades cluster region

We studied the spectra of 24 flare stars of the Pleiades cluster region obtained on the 2.6m telescope of the Byurakan observatory in the years 1986–1989. From the spectral indices of titanium oxide (TiO) and other chemical elements of the stars investigated we determined their spectral classes and luminosities (absolute visual stellar magnitudes). The agreement of these moduli of the stars with the distance modulus of the Pleiades cluster confirms that 21 of them belong to the cluster. Only three of them (FSP 169, FSP 377, and FSP 435) are possibly not members of the cluster. This indicates that the flare activity of a star is a reliable criterion for its membership in a nearby stellar system (cluster or association).Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 37, No. 4, 1994.