贫金属星的重元素丰度——Ⅰ.观测数据和大气模型

本文给出了27颗贫金属矮星和亚巨星的高分辨率高信噪比光谱观测资料.确定了这些样本星的恒星大气参数.利用Magain的定标方法,从b—y和V—K包指数导出有效温度.由迫使Fell谱线与高激发态Fel谱线给出相同铁丰度值确定表面重力.由Stromgren m_1色指数确定金属丰度[Fe/H].     

星系NGC5018的星族合成研究

利用星团谱样本的星族合成方法,研究了邻近巨椭圆星系NGC5018中的星族成分和其内部的恒星形成历史,给出了星系中不同年龄和金属丰度星族的成分占有比.星族合成结果表明,NGC5018中不仅存在大量金属丰度低的年老恒星成分,而且较年轻的星族成分(T=5×108yr)对星系光度贡献也很重要.星系吞并和相互作用过程可能是触发这些较年轻星族形成的物理原因,椭圆星系内部的恒星形成历史可能是2次爆发或者多次爆发过程.这些结果可以很好地解释NGC5018颜色偏蓝、Mg2谱指数强度偏弱等观测特征.     

贫金属星的重元素丰度Ⅱ.细致的光谱分析

本文确定了贫金属矮星和亚巨星的重元素丰度.基于高分辨率高信噪比光谱得到27颗样本星的锶、钇、锆、钡、镧、铈和铕丰度.主要结果为:(1)第一峰区元素锶-钇-锆显示了奇偶效应,在晕族星中钇相对于锶和锆过贫。(2)对[Fe/H]>-2.5的恒星钇丰度为常数([Y/Fe]=-0.06).(3)对于[Fe/H]<-1.7的样本星,随金属丰度减小钡过贫增加·(4)镧和铈相对于铁过贫.(5)在金属丰度-1.0>[Fe/H]>- 2.0 区间,铕表现过富.(6)对[Y/Fe],[Zr/Fe]和[Ba/Fe]存在约0.1dex的本质弥散.     

红亚矮星研究进展

红亚矮星是甚小质量恒星中的贫金属成员,质量从约0.5M⊙(M⊙为太阳质量)到H燃烧的最小质量(0:075M⊙0:085M⊙,取决于金属丰度),其寿命长于哈勃年龄,是银河系结构和化学增丰史的重要示踪体。与银盘上数量最多的恒星成员红矮星不同,红亚矮星在太阳附近非常稀少,并且其运动学特征与盘矮星有较大差异,属于年老银河系星族,即为年老盘星族、厚盘星族或晕星族。观测上,红亚矮星可以根据其不同于红矮星的自行、测光和光谱特征被识别和证认。由于其恒星表面大气温度很低,并且颜色比同质量的矮星更蓝,因此红亚矮星在赫罗图上位于主序带末端的下方,介于矮星与白矮星之间。红亚矮星的光学波段光谱由金属氧化物(如TiO和VO)和氢化物(如CaH和H2O)的分子吸收带占主导。红亚矮星可按其光谱形态和分子带特征分成不同的光谱型和金属丰度等级,其中晚M型到早L型的亚矮星既可能是小质量的恒星,也可能是较大质量的年轻褐矮星。介绍了对红亚矮星研究的历史背景和前沿动态,详细阐述了光谱分析方法在研究亚矮星中的重要性,以及根据光谱特征对亚矮星进行分类的方法。最后,总结了甚小质量恒星大气模型的发展过程,并探讨了如何利用模型对亚矮星的大气参数进行估算等热点问题。     

褐矮星的观测特征和搜寻

褐矮星是亚恒星天体,内核没有稳定的氢燃烧,其质量一般在13至75倍木星质量之间。本质上,褐矮星的内核物理演化过程不同于行星和恒星,观测上我们根据褐矮星不同于行星和恒星的测光和光谱特征来区别证认它们。由于质量小、温度低,在光学波段,它们测光特征表现为光度暗,颜色红;在近红外波段,受大气尘埃、金属丰度等影响,它们有不同寻常的星等、颜色。根据褐矮星的光谱形态与特征谱线,它们可以被分为M、L、T和Y矮星。现在己发现的全部T与Y矮星都是褐矮星,但不是所有的M与L矮星都是褐矮星。介绍了L、T和Y矮星的特征吸收线和光谱分类方法,回顾了早期在星团和双星系统中褐矮星的搜寻,以及现阶段用大视场、长波段深度巡天数据在近邻场区中褐矮星的搜寻。对目前已发现的晚型M和L、T、Y矮星的总数目、温度范围、距离及测量其年龄的方法等做了小结。最后讨论了如何判断L矮星是否为褐矮星,重力、金属丰度和大气尘埃对近红外波段光谱形状的影响,光谱型-J波段绝对星等图上L、T交接处"大鼓包"的形成原因等热点问题。     

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.     

观测结果对三成分多分量星系化学演化模型的约束

本文是在银河系化学演化的基础上,利用银河系的三成分(threezone)(即晕、厚盘和薄盘)多相(multi phase)(气体,分子云,大、小质量恒星以及剩余物质)的化学演化的理论模型,讨论了以下观测约束:1、质量面密度、恒星形成率,各分区质量比;2、场星的年龄-金属丰度关系;3、α元素化学演化;4、太阳附近G矮星金属丰度分布;5、三成分金属丰度特征量;6、超新星爆发率;7、内落速率。结果表明,三成分多分量模型能够较好地满足观测约束,比较真实地反映星系演化过程。可以用该模型计算元素的星系化学演化。     

太阳附近G矮星金属含量分布和化学演化

利用新的太阳附近２５ｐｃ内的Ｇ矮星金属含量分布函数，本在假定星系介质丰度非均匀情况下，讨论了四种化学演化模型的合理性，结果表明，简单模型和坍缩模型与实际情况相差较大，而ＰＩＥ模型和ＰＰＹ模型不仅对金属含量分布函数拟合较好，而且传统的Ｇ矮星问题也可以得到解释，这表明太阳附近可能受银晕影响较小。     

疏散星团在近红外波段的巨星支斜率与[Fe/H]的关系以及半人马座矮球状星系中心的金属丰度（英文）

导出了疏散星团在近红外波段的巨星支斜率与[Fe/H]的关系。将这一关系应用于半人马座矮球状星系的中心,得到了金属丰度[Fe/H]=-0.13±0.09。这一富金属星族的存在表明,在几十亿年前,这个星系经历了一次恒星形成过程。     

椭圆星系一些动力学问题研究的进展

近年来有关椭圆星系的观测研究结果(包括对椭圆星系个体的研究和一系列的统计工作)揭示出一些以前尚不为人们所知的性质,使得关于椭圆星系的形态、动力学状态、形成及演化过程等的研究工作逐步深化。本文介绍的有关椭圆星系的观测结果主要包括:椭圆星系表面光度的径向分布和角向分布;通过光谱观测得到的椭圆星系自转速度和速度弥散度方面的结果。这些均和椭圆星系的动力学状态有着直接的联系,并且是研究椭圆星系形成、演化的重要依据。理论工作的介绍,重点在讲述几种椭圆星系的动力学模型和三种流行的关于椭圆星系形成、演化过程的理论.     

Spectroscopic constraints on the stellar population of elliptical galaxies in the Coma cluster

Near-infrared spectra for a sample of 31 elliptical galaxies in the Coma cluster are obtained. The galaxies are selected to be ellipticals (no lenticulars), with a large spatial distribution, covering both the core and outskirts of the cluster (i.e. corresponding to regions with large density contrasts). CO_sp (2.3-μm) absorption indices, measuring the contribution from intermediate-age red giant and supergiant stars to the near-infrared light of the ellipticals, are then estimated.
It is found that the strength of CO_sp features in elliptical galaxies increases from the core ( r <02) to the outskirts ( r >02) of the Coma cluster. Using the Mg₂ strengths, it is shown that the observed effect is not caused by metallicity and is mostly caused by the presence of a younger population (giant and supergiant stars) in ellipticals in the outskirts (low-density region) of the cluster.
Using the CO_sp features, the origin of the scatter on the near-infrared Fundamental Plane (the relation between the effective diameter, effective surface brightness and velocity dispersion) of elliptical galaxies is studied. Correcting this relation for contributions from the red giant and supergiant stars, the rms scatter reduces from 0.077 to 0.073 dex. Although measurable, the contribution from these intermediate-age stars to the scatter on the near-infrared Fundamental Plane of ellipticals is only marginal.
A relation is found between the CO_sp and V − K colours of ellipticals, corresponding to a slope of 0.036±0.016, significantly shallower than that from the Mg₂–( V − K ) relation. This is studied using stellar synthesis models.     

F stars, metallicity and the ages of red galaxies at z > 1

We explore whether the rest-frame near-ultraviolet spectral region, observable in high-redshift galaxies via optical spectroscopy, contains sufficient information to allow the degeneracy between age and metallicity to be lifted. We do this by first testing the ability of evolutionary synthesis models to reclaim the correct metallicity when fitted to the near-ultraviolet spectra of F stars of known (subsolar and supersolar) metallicity. F stars are of particular interest because the rest-frame near-ultraviolet spectra of the oldest known elliptical galaxies at   z > 1  appear to be dominated by F stars near to the main-sequence turn-off.
We find that, in the case of the F stars, where the Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectra have a high signal-to-noise ratio, fitting models in which the metallicity is allowed to vary as a free parameter is rather successful at deriving the correct metallicity. As a result, the estimated turn-off ages of these stars yielded by model-fitting are well constrained. Encouraged by this we have fitted these same variable-metallicity models to the deep, optical spectra of the   z ≃ 1.5 mJy  radio galaxies 53W091 and 53W069 obtained with the Keck telescope. While the age and metallicity are not so easily constrained for these galaxies, we find that even when metallicity is allowed as a free parameter, the best estimates of their ages are still ≥3 Gyr, with ages younger than 2 Gyr now strongly excluded. Furthermore, we find that a search of the entire parameter space of metallicity and star formation history using MOPED leads to the same conclusion. Our results therefore continue to argue strongly against an Einstein–de Sitter universe, and favour a Λ-dominated universe in which star formation in at least these particular elliptical galaxies was completed somewhere in the redshift range   z = 3–5  .     

Study of the nature of He II nebular emission in the spectra of low-metallicity H II regions from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We studied a sample of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 that exhibited the He II λ 468.6 nm nebular line (an indicator of hard radiation in H II regions) in their spectra. The intensity of this line in the spectra of H II regions from our sample increased with decreasing metallicity, thus confirming the results of earlier studies. However, the theoretical models of population synthesis predict that the He II line intensity must decrease with decreasing metallicity. A possible connection between hard UV radiation and Wolf-Rayet stars was investigated. Only 30% of spectra from our sample exhibited both the nebular emission and the broad He II emission of Wolf-Rayet stars. This fact does not rule out the possibility that Wolf-Rayet stars serve as sources of hard ionizing radiation in some H II regions. However, other possible sources, such as the fast radiative shock waves, seem to be more likely to produce this hard ionizing radiation.     

The formation of hot subdwarf stars and its implications for the UV-upturn phenomenon of elliptical galaxies

In this paper, we review the formation scenario for field hot subdwarf stars and extreme horizontal branch stars in globular clusters and discuss how the scenario helps us to understand the UV-upturn phenomenon of elliptical galaxies. It is widely accepted that field hot subdwarf stars originate from binary evolution via the following three channels, common envelope evolution channel for hot subdwarf binaries with short orbital periods, stable Roche lobe overflow channel for hot subdwarf binaries with long orbital periods, and the double helium white dwarf merger channel for single hot subdwarfs. Such a scenario can also explain the lack of binarity of extreme horizontal branch stars in globular clusters. We have applied, in an a priori way, the scenario to the study of UV-upturn phenomenon of elliptical galaxies via an evolutionary population synthesis approach and found that the UV-upturn can be naturally explained. This has major implications for understanding the evolution of UV-upturn and elliptical galaxies in general. In particular, it implies that the UV-upturn is not a sign of age, as had been postulated previously, and should not be strongly dependent on the metallicity of the population, but exists universally from dwarf ellipticals to giant ellipticals. The above a priori UV-upturn model is supported by recent GALEX observations and has been applied to naturally explain the colours of both dwarf ellipticals and giant ellipticals without the requirement of dichotomy between their stellar population properties.     

The next generation stellar population synthesis library

Most of the analysis of absorption lines in galaxies is done in the Lick system, defined in the 1970's and 1980's by Faber, Burstein and collaborators. Working in this system is difficult, since it is based on low resolution spectra taken with a non-linear detector without flux-calibration. Due to intrinsic errors in the published indices the Lick system limits the accuracy with which one can analyse galaxy spectra. In the last 2 years we have observed a new stellar library to replace the Lick system. It consists of 1100 stars, covering a wide range in metallicity, abundance ratio, temperature and gravity, observed at a resolution of 2.0Å (9 for Lick) from 3500–7500Å, and calibrated in flux. With this library galaxy spectra can be analysed much more accurately than before, and in much more detail. Most important, the library now makes it possible to study absorption lines of galaxies at intermediate and high redshift, something which was impossible with the Lick system. With this library it will be possible for the first time to synthesise full Spectral energy distributions of galaxies in the optical based fully on observational spectra.     

Recent star-forming activity in local elliptical galaxies

The formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies (EGs) are still an open question. In particular, recent observations suggest that EGs are not only simple spheroidal systems of old stars. In this paper, we analyse a sample of EGs selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in order to study the star-forming activity in local EGs. Among these 487 ellipticals, we find that 13 EGs show unambiguous evidence of recent star formation activity betrayed by conspicuous nebular emission lines. Using the evolutionary stellar population synthesis models and Lick absorption line indices, we derive stellar ages, metallicities and α-element abundances, and thus reconstruct the star formation and chemical evolution history of the star-forming elliptical galaxies (SFEGs) in our sample.
We find that SFEGs have relative younger stellar population age, higher metallicity and lower stellar mass, and that their star formation history can be well described by a recent minor and short starburst superimposed on old stellar component. We also detect 11 E+A galaxies whose stellar population properties are closer to those of quiescent (normal) ellipticals than to star-forming ones. However, from the analysis of their absorption line indices, we note that our E+A galaxies show a significant fraction of intermediate-age stellar populations, remarkably different from the quiescent galaxies. This might suggest an evolutionary link between E+As and star-forming ellipticals. Finally, we confirm the relations between age, metallicity, α-element abundance and stellar mass for local EGs.     

Empirical population synthesis for 74 blue compact galaxies

We have observed the largest optical spectra sample of 97 blue compact galaxies. Stellar population properties of 74 star-forming BCGs of them were derived by comparing the equivalent widths of strong absorption features and continuum colors, using a method of empirical population synthesis based on star cluster sample. The results indicate that blue compact galaxies are typically age-composite stellar system, the continuum flux fractions at 5870Å due to old stellar components and young stellar components are both important for most of the galaxies. The stellar populations of blue compact galaxies present a variety of characteristics, and the contribution from different age and metallicity components is different. The star formation episodes are usually short, some galaxies maybe undergoing their first global episode of star formation, while for the most sample galaxies, older stars contribute to at most half the optical emission. Our results suggest that BCGs are old galaxies, in which star formation occurs in short intense burst separated by long quiescent phases.     

Sample of Wolf-Rayet galaxies from the SLOAN digital sky survey

We have analyzed the spectra of blue compact dwarf galaxies from the SLOAN Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 and created a sample of 271 galaxies with Wolf-Rayet (WR) spectral features produced by high-velocity stellar winds. A blue WR feature (bump) is a blend of the N V λλ 460.5 and 462.0 nm, N III λλ 463.4 and 464.0 nm, C III λ 465.0 nm, C IV λ 465.8 nm, and He II λ 468.6 nm emission lines. A red WR feature (bump) is the broad C IV λ 580.8 nm emission. The blue WR bump is mainly due to emissions of nitrogen WR (WN) stars, while the red bump is fully produced by emissions of carbon WR (WC) stars. All the sample spectra show the blue WR bumps, whereas the red WR bumps are only identified in 50% of sample spectra. We have derived the numbers of early-type WC stars (WCE) and late-type WN stars (WNL) in the galaxies using the luminosities of single WC and WN stars in the red and blue bumps, respectively. The number of O stars is estimated using the H_β luminosity. The ratio of the overall number of WR stars of different types to the number of all massive stars N(WR)/N(O + WR) decreases with decreasing metallicity, corresponding to the evolution population synthesis models.     

Stellar populations as a function of radius in giant elliptical galaxies

Accurate surface photometry has been obtained inJ andK for 12 giant elliptical galaxies. Ellipses have been fitted, to obtain luminosity, ellipticity, and major axis position angle profiles. The results have been combined with visual profiles from CCD observations. We find that elliptical galaxies become bluer inV - K on the average by 0.3 (mag/sq xr _e) going outward from the nucleus. Radial colour gradients inV - K correlate strongly with those inU - V andB - V. By modelling, using theoretical isochrones, it is found that the observed colour gradients can be explained by a gradient in metallicity, if in addition the proportion of hot stars rises very rapidly with decreasing metallicity.     

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.