Peculiarities of the abundance of chemical elements in the atmosphere of PMMR23-red supergiant in the Small Magellanic Cloud due to interstellar gas accretion

The chemical composition of the PMMR23 red supergiant located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is analyzed. The abundance of 35 chemical elements and the upper limits of abundance for Tl and U are found. The relative abundance of heavy elements is higher by 0.6–1.0 dex with respect to iron peak elements. The spectra of several SMC red supergiants PMMR27, PMMR28, and PMMR144—located in the region where the velocities of stars and interstellar gas are quite high— show the emission components in the wings of the hydrogen line. This emission is not detected for PMMR23. A possibility of interstellar gas accretion on the atmospheres of PMMR23 and other supergiants in Magellanic Clouds is discussed. The analysis is carried out using spectra measured at ESO 3.6 m telescope with the spectral resolving power R = 30000.     

The oxygen abundance in the H II regions of the spiral galaxy M101 determined from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra

We examined the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectra of the H II regions in the disk of the spiral galaxy M101 (NGC 5457), and 17 H II regions with the auroral oxygen line [O III] λ 436.3 nm in their spectra were selected for line intensity measurements. The measurement data were used to determine the oxygen abundance in the H II region sample. We demonstrate that the spectral SDSS data supplemented with the information on the nebular oxygen line [O II] λ 372.7 nm based on the recently found ff-relation between the oxygen line intensities in the spectra of H II regions allow the oxygen abundance to be determined as accurately as in the standard T _e method. The parameters of the radial oxygen abundance distribution in the M101 disk (the abundance at the galactic center and the radial gradient) are estimated.     

Measurement of Extreme Ultraviolet Solar Radiation in Different Wavelength Intervals Onboard the <Emphasis Type="Italic">CORONAS</Emphasis> Satellites: Instruments and Main Results

The paper presents a brief review of the instruments developed for measurement of ionizing extreme UV solar radiation at wavelengths of less than 130 nm onboard the CORONAS-I and CORONAS-F satellites and summarizes the observation data. The main goal of the study was to obtain information concerning variations of fluxes of solar radiation and solar flares at various wavelengths in the extreme ultraviolet. SUFR radiometers based on the thermoluminescent method were mounted onboard both CORONAS satellites (CORONAS-I and CORONAS-F). They performed measurements at λ < 130 nm. Spectral measurements in the 30.4-nm line were made by the photoelectronic spectrometer VUSS tested on CORONAS-I. Spectral measurements in the waveband including the H L_α line (121.6 nm) were conducted by the VUSS-L instrument (a Lyman alpha spectrophotometer) onboard the CORONAS-F satellite. The basic characteristics of the instruments, which were supposed to be used in a system of space weather monitoring on patrol satellites of the hydrometeorological service of Russia, are presented. The main data on the solar radiation flux at λ < 130 nm for minimum and maximum solar activity are given for quiet conditions and during solar flares.     

Spectropolarimetric investigation of an Ellerman bomb: 1. Observations

Spectra of an Ellerman bomb in the NOAA 11024 active region were obtained in spectropolarimetric observations with the French–Italian THEMIS telescope (Tenerife, Spain). The variations of profiles of the Stokes parameters I, Q, U, and V of photospheric lines were analyzed. The chosen lines had different intensities and magnetic-field sensitivities. It was found that the photospheric line profiles in the Ellerman bomb spectra differed greatly from the profiles for the quiet photosphere outside the active region. The Stokes I profiles of photospheric lines in the Ellerman bomb spectra were much weaker. The largest values of the Stokes parameters Q, U, and V were derived for the Fe I λ 630.25 nm magnetosensitive line. The Stokes parameter V was the highest in the central region of the Ellerman bomb, while the maximum Q and U parameters were observed at one of the edges of the Ellerman bomb. It follows from the comparison of the Stokes parameters for the Ellerman bomb and microflares that the Q, U, and V parameters for the bomb are much higher than those for flares.     

Continuous absorption and depression in the solar spectrum at wavelengths from 650 to 820 nm

Results of calculations of the cross-sections of the basic processes forming continuous absorption in the photospheres of solar-type stars in the visible and infrared spectral ranges are reported. (These processes are photoionization of H^– ions and excited hydrogen atoms, as well as absorption of photons by “free” electrons being in the partially ionized plasma of the photosphere.) The effective cross-section of hydrogen satisfying the observational data or the results of laboratory experiments was introduced, and its nonmonotonic behavior caused by photoionization of excited hydrogen atoms was ascertained in the spectral range of λ from 650 to 820 nm. For a plane-parallel model of the Sun, the continuous absorption coefficient κ _c (λ|z) was calculated as a function of the wavelength and coordinate. Its spectral features caused by the effective cross-section structure in the above-mentioned spectral range were for the first time analyzed. The spectral dependence of the radiation intensity in the solar disk center in the continuous spectral range of λ from 600 to 900 nm was studied. The calculation results were compared to the currently available data of observations. It has been shown that the deviation of the observed radiation intensity from the Planck distribution (i.e., the depression) is caused by the processes of photoionization of the excited hydrogen atoms in the states with a principal quantum number n = 3. In the range of λ from 650 to 820 nm, the mean relative deviation is approximately 4%. It has been established that the magnitude of the depression effect significantly depends on the effective temperature of the photosphere of a solar-type star.     

Minimum Spanning Tree cluster analysis of the LMC region above 10 GeV: detection of the SNRs N 49B and N 63A

We present the results of a cluster search in the \(\gamma \)-ray sky images of the Large Magellanic Cloud region by means of the Minimum Spanning Tree algorithm at energies higher than 10 GeV, using 9 years of Fermi-LAT data. Several significant clusters were found, the majority of which associated with previously known \(\gamma \)-ray sources. New significant clusters associated with the supernova remnants N 49B and N 63A are also found, and confirmed with a Maximum Likelihood analysis of the Fermi-LAT data.     

Magnetic field of CP stars in the Ori OB1 association. II. HD36540, HD36668, HD36916, HD37058

We present the results of magnetic field measurements of four chemically peculiar (CP) stars with helium abundance anomalies which are the members of the Orion stellar association OB1. The stars under study were classified as magnetic by other authors earlier. The present paper contains the results of the extensive study of the stars. Magnetic field measurements allowed us to conclude that HD36540 has a weak field and the longitudinal component B _e does not exceed 500 G. The longitudinal field of HD36668 varies with the period P = 2_. ^d 11884 and the amplitude from ?2 to +2 kG. The magnetic field of HD36916 has mainly negative polarity and varies within the range from 0 to ?1 kG with the period P = 1.d 565238. HD37058 is a magnetic star, the longitudinal field of which varies from ?1.2 to +0.8 kG with the period P = 14_. ^d 659. The B _e field variability pattern for the stars HD36916 and HD37058 is of a simple harmonic type. The longitudinal field of HD36668 is best described with two combined harmonic functions (“a doublewave”). The variability period of HD36540 is still undetermined. For all the stars from this paper, we measured radial velocities V _r, axial rotation rates v _e sin i, and determined basic parameters of atmospheres (effective temperatures T _eff and gravity acceleration log g). We also estimated masses M, luminosities L, and radii R of the stars.     

Abnormal Stokes Profiles of the Photospheric Lines in the Region of Chromospheric Dual Flows in the Surroundings of a Solar Pore: 1. Observations

The results of the analysis of the full Stokes profiles of the photospheric lines Fe I λ 630.15 nm and Fe I λ 630.25 nm in a region of chromospheric dual flows appearance in the vicinity of a small pore are presented. The analysis is based on the spectropolarimetric observations of the active region NOAA 11024 with the THEMIS French–Italian telescope (Tenerife Island, Spain). The temporal variations in the high-resolution Stokes parameters I, Q, U, and V were considered for each pixel. It was found that the dual chromospheric flows appeared in the region of the abnormal Stokes profiles of the photospheric lines. Most of the Stokes profiles Q, U, and V have a complex shape and vary greatly from pixel to pixel, which indicates strong inhomogeneities in the structure of the magnetic field in that region. The amplitude and shape of the Stokes profiles were rapidly changing during the observations. A change in the polarity of the photospheric magnetic field took place during the observations in the region of a bright chromospheric point. The evidence of the emergence of a new small-scale magnetic flux of the opposite polarity is obtained; this could lead to magnetic reconnections, appearance of dual chromospheric flows, and occurrence of a microflare.     

The toroidal iron atmosphere of a protoneutron star: Numerical solution

A numerical method presented by Imshennik et al. (2002) is used to solve the two-dimensional axisymmetric hydrodynamic problem on the formation of a toroidal atmosphere during the collapse of an iron stellar core and outer stellar layers. An evolutionary model from Boyes et al. (1999) with a total mass of 25M_⊙ is used as the initial data for the distribution of thermodynamic quantities in the outer shells of a high-mass star. Our computational region includes the outer part of the iron core (without its central part with a mass of 1M_⊙ that forms the embryo of a protoneutron star at the preceding stage of the collapse) and the silicon and carbon-oxygen shells with a total mass of (1.8–2.5)M_⊙. We analyze in detail the results of three calculations in which the difference mesh and the location of the inner boundary of the computational region are varied. In the initial data, we roughly specify an angular velocity distribution that is actually justified by the final result—the formation of a hydrostatic equilibrium toroidal atmosphere with reasonable total mass, M^tot=(0.117–0.122)M_⊙, and total angular momentum, J^tot=(0.445–0.472)×10⁵⁰ erg s, for the two main calculations. We compare the numerical solution with our previous analytical solution in the form of toroidal atmospheres (Imshennik and Manukovskii 2000). This comparison indicates that they are identical if we take into account the more general and complex equation of state with a nonzero temperature and self-gravitation effects in the atmosphere. Our numerical calculations, first, prove the stability of toroidal atmospheres on characteristic hydrodynamic time scales and, second, show the possibility of sporadic fragmentation of these atmospheres even after a hydrodynamic equilibrium is established. The calculations were carried out under the assumption of equatorial symmetry of the problem and up to relatively long time scales (～10 s).     

Modeling the linear polarization of optical emission from red giants

We present the results of solving the radiative transfer equation for the Stokes vector in the case of light scattering by spherical forsterite dust particles in an axisymmetric circumstellar envelope of a red giant. We have assumed that the surfaces of constant scattering-particle density are prolate or oblate spheroids, the particle density decreases with radius as N _d ∝ r ⁻², and the dust particles at the inner boundary of the envelope are in thermal equilibrium with the stellar emission at solid-phase evaporation temperature T _ev = 800 K. In the wavelength range 0.27 μm ≤ λ ≤ 1 μm, particles with radii 0.03 μm ≲ a ≲ 0.2 μm make a major contribution to the linear polarization of the stellar emission. The increase in scattering efficiency factor with decreasing wavelength λ is mainly responsible for the growth of polarization toward the short wavelengths known from observations. However, at a mean number of scatterings 1.2 ≤ N _sca ≤ 1.6, the polarization ceases to grow due to depolarization effects and decreases rapidly as the wavelength decreases further. The wavelength of the polarization maximum is determined mainly by two quantities: the particle radius and the mass loss rate. The upper limits for the degree of linear polarization in the case of light scattering in circumstellar dust envelopes with the geometries of prolate and oblate spheroids are p ≈ 3 and 5%, respectively. The polarization for light scattering by enstatite particles is higher than that for light scattering by forsterite particles approximately by 0.3%. Original Russian Text ? Yu.A. Fadeyev, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2007, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 123–133.     

Magnetic field and chemical composition of the peculiar star HD 10221

We analyzed the chemical composition of the chemically peculiar (CP) star HD 0221=43 Cas using spectra taken with the NES spectrograph of the 6-m telescope with a spectral resolution of 45 000. The Hβ line profile corresponds most closely to T_eff = 11 900 K and log g = 3.9. The rotational velocity is v_e sin i = 27 ± 2 km s^?1, and the microturbulence is ξ_t = 1 km s^?1. The results of our abundance determination by the method of synthetic spectra show that the star has chemical anomalies typical of SrCrEu stars, although its effective magnetic field is weak, B_e < 100 G. For silicon, we obtained an abundance distribution in atmospheric depth with a sharp jump of 1.5 dex at an optical depth of log τ₅₀₀₀ = ?0.3 and with silicon concentration in deep atmospheric layers. Similar distributions were found in the atmospheres of cooler stars with strong and weak magnetic fields. A comparison of the chemical peculiarities in HD 10221 with known CP stars with magnetic fields of various strengths leads us to conclude that a low rotational velocity rather than amagnetic field is the determining factor in the formation mechanism of chemical anomalies in the atmospheres of CP stars.     

Corrected spectral dependence of the imaginary part of the refractive index of aerosol in Jupiter’s atmosphere in the short-wavelength spectral range

To correctly determine the relative contribution of aerosol to the scattering properties of a gas–aerosol medium in the continuum, we propose a method that allows more reliable values of the imaginary part of the refractive index n _i to be obtained for Jupiter’s atmosphere in the short-wavelength spectral range. We considered the measurement data on the spectral values of the geometric albedo of Jupiter acquired in 1993 and used the model of homogeneous spherical aerosol particles. The obtained values of n _i are 0.00378, 0.00309, 0.00254, 0.00175, 0.00123, 0.00084, 0.00064, 0.00045, 0.00031, 0.00033, 0.00013, and 0.00008 at wavelengths λ = 320, 350, 375, 400, 420, 450, 470, 500, 520, 550, 606, and 631 nm, respectively.     

A NLTE model atmosphere analysis of the pulsating sdO star SDSS J1600+0748

We started a program to construct several grids of suitable model atmospheres and synthetic spectra for hot subdwarf O stars computed, for comparative purposes, in LTE, NLTE, with and without metals. For the moment, we use our grids to perform fits on our spectrum of SDSS J160043.6+074802.9 (J1600+0748 for short), this unique pulsating sdO star. Our best fit is currently obtained with NLTE model atmospheres including carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in solar abundances, which leads to the following parameters for SDSS J1600+0748 : T _eff=69060±2080 K, log?g=6.00±0.09 and log?N(He)/N(H)=?0.61±0.06. Improvements are needed, however, particularly for fitting the available He ii lines. It is hoped that the inclusion of Fe will help remedy the situation.     

Variability of the spectrum and brightness of RY Tau

The results of spectroscopic observations of the star RY Tau in the ultraviolet based on IUE data and in the visual spectral range obtained at ShAO are presented. Despite significant brightness variability in 1983–1984, the Mg II λ2800 Å emission doublet showed no synchronous variation with the UBV photometric data. Periodic variability of the Mg II λ2800 Å emission intensity with a period of 23 days has been detected for the first time. The periodicity is also observed for a group of such lines as CIV λ1450 Å, He II λ1640 Å, and S II λ1756 Å. The equivalent widths and shifts of the individual components of the Hα, H + H _ε , and CaII K lines also vary with the period found. The observed variability of the emission spectrum can be explained by the existence of a companion in the system in an orbit with a semimajor axis of about 0.13 AU.     

Independent estimate of the interstellar extinction toward FU Ori

Speckle-interferometric observations of FU Ori are performed with the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory with 600/40 nm and 800/100 nm (central bandwidth/halfwidth) filters. The companion star FU Ori S that was recently discovered at λ >-1.25µm was recorded in observations with the λ/Δλ==800/100 nm filter. The positional parameters and magnitude difference of the companion in the filter considered are found to be θ = (163.9 ± 1.0)°, ρ = (0.493 ± 0.007)″, Δm = 3.96 ± 0.28. An analysis of the spectral energy distribution of the companion implies that for the extinction A _V toward FU Ori to be greater than about 1.6 ^m , i.e., the minimum value required by the available models of the fuor, the spectral type of the companion star must be no later than K3. The reliability of this conclusion and the possible ways for obtaining more accurate estimates of A _V are discussed.     

Discovery of GeV gamma-ray emission from the LMC B0443-6657 with the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fermi</Emphasis> Large Area Telescope

We report the discovery of gamma-ray detection from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) B0443-6657 using the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. LMC B0443-6657 is a flat-spectrum radio source, possibly associated with a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC N4). Employing the LAT data of 8 years, our results show a significant excess (\(>9.4\sigma \)) of gamma rays in the range of 0.2–100 GeV above the gamma-ray background. A power-law function is found to adequately describe the 0.2–\(100\mbox{ GeV}\)\(\gamma \)-ray spectrum, which yields a photon flux of \(3.27\pm 0.53\ \text{photon}\,\mbox{cm}^{2}\,\mbox{s}^{-1}\) with a photon index of \(2.35\pm 0.11\), corresponding to an isotropic gamma-ray luminosity of \(5.3\times 10^{40}~\mbox{erg}\,\mbox{s}^{-1}\). The hadronic model predicts a low X-ray and TeV flux while the leptonic model predicts an observable flux in these two energy bands. The follow-up observations of the LMC B0443-6657 in X-ray or TeV band would distinguish the radiation models of gamma rays from this region.     

Analysis of the lithium lines in the atmosphere of the roAp star HD 24712

We use the synthetic spectrum technique to analyze two lithium lines in the spectrum of the roAp star HD 24712. The synthetic spectra are calculated in the ranges λλ 610.2–610.4 nm and 670.5–670.8 nm. We take into account the magnetic splitting of the lines and their blending by the lines of rare-earth elements. The effect of the magnetic field on absorption lines is estimated by the synthetic spectrum software SynthM developed by S.A. Khan. The upper limit for the lithium abundance turns out to be log N/N _tot = ?10.0.     

Luminescence in Primordial Helium Lines at the Pre-recombination Epoch

The formation of luminescent subordinate He I lines by the absorption of radiation from a source in lines of the main He I series in an expanding Universe is considered. A burst of radiation in continuum is assumed to occur at some instant of time corresponding to redshift z₀. This radiation is partially absorbed at different z < z₀ in lines of the main He I series (different pumping channels) and then is partially converted into radiation in subordinate lines. If ν _ik is the laboratory transition frequency of some subordinate line emerging at some z, then at the present epoch its frequency will be ν = ν _ik /(1 + z). The quantum yield, i.e., the number of photons emitted in the subordinate line per initial excited atom, has been calculated for different z (and, consequently, for different ν). Several pumping channels have been considered. We show that the luminescent lines can be both emission and absorption ones; the same line can be an emission one for one of the pumping channels and an absorption one for another. For example, the 1s2s–1s2p (1S–1P*) line is an emission one for the 1s2–1s2p pumping and an absorption one for the 1s2–1s3p pumping. We show that in the frequency range 30–80 GHz the total quantum yield for the first and second of the above channels can reach +50 and ?50%, respectively.     

Spectroscopic study of the optical counterpart to the fast X-ray transient IGR J17544-2619 based on observations at the 1.5-m RTT-150 telescope

We present the results of our long-term photometric and spectroscopic observations at the Russian–Turkish RTT-150 telescope for the optical counterpart to one of the best-known sources, representatives of the class of fast X-ray transients, IGR J17544-2619. Based on our optical data, we have determined for the first time the orbital and physical parameters of the binary system by the methods of Doppler spectroscopy.We have calculated theoretical spectra of the optical counterpart by applying non- LTE corrections for selected lines and obtained the parameters of the stellar atmosphere (T _eff = 33 000 K, log g = 3.85, R = 9.5 R _⊙, and M = 23 M _⊙). The latter suggest that the optical star is not a supergiant as has been thought previously.     

Variations in solar shortwave radiation in the solar activity cycle as measured by the <Emphasis Type="Italic">CORONAS</Emphasis> satellites

The CORONAS-I and CORONAS-F data on variations in the ionizing shortwave ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation (EUV radiation) at wavelengths of less than 130 nm and near the H Lyman-alpha line are presented. The CORONAS-I data refer to the period close to solar minimum (the index F _10.7 = 80?100), and the CORONAS-F measurements were held close to solar maximum (F_10.7 = 140?280). The UV data are compared to those from the UARS and SOHO satellites and to the results obtained from the ionospheric measurements of ionosphere critical frequencies.