Lithium abundances in atmospheres of carbon stars estimated with the help of modern lists of spectral lines

We determine lithium abundances in atmospheres of three carbon stars from synthetic spectrum fitting in the λλ 668–674 nm range using the Li I λ 670.8 nm resonance doublet. To produce synthetic spectra, we use a modified list of atomic lines from the VALD database and three alternative line lists of CN and C₂ molecules which are modifications of line lists from the Jorgensen’s website () and from the Kurucz database (1993, CD-ROM nos. 1–23). The spectral lines from these lists were tested by matching synthetic spectra to observed spectra of the sun, Arcturus, and early R star HD 100764. We perform analysis of the blends involving the Li I λ 670.8 nm doublet in spectra of N stars AW Cyg and UX Dra. The lithium abundances in HD 100764, AW Cyg, and UX Dra are estimated to be lgN(Li) ≈ 2, −1.4, and −0.9, respectively. Discrepancies of lithium abundances lgN(Li) obtained with the help of molecular line lists do not seem to exceed 0.2 dex.     

The violet opacity in the red peculiar stars (II)

Moderate dispersion (25-35 Å mm^–1) spectra were obtained from two carbon stars, V Cyg and WZ Cas, in a wide range of wavelengths (3400-6800 Å) with the echelle-spectrometer, ZEBRA, of the 6 m telescope and two-dimensional photon-counting system. Spectral feature identification was carried out from 3850 to 6200 Å. Most of the bands are due to C₂, SiC₂, and CN, however, particularly in WZ Cas, moderate atomic lines of the iron peak and s-process elements are also found. WZ Cas is a so-called lithium star, however, we have found no evidence for a strong line of Li. The spectra of V Cyg contain an emission line of H.     

Analysis of the Spectra of Two Pleiades Brown Dwarfs: Teide 1 and Calar 3

Results of the numerical simulation of spectra of the Pleiades brown dwarfs Calar 3 and Teide 1 are discussed. Synthetical spectra were computed for several model atmospheres from a grid of Allard and Hauschildt (1995). From the comparison of computed and observed spectra we have found that: – the spectrum of Teide 1 may be reasonably well fitted by JOLA in the visible region, including the spectral regions around the Li I lines at λλ 670.8 and 812.6 nm. – The structure of absorption bands observed in the spectrum of Teide 1 and Calar 3 depends mainly on T_eff. The dependence on gravity is much weaker. – A comparison of observed and computed spectra shows that effective temperatures of these Pleiades brown dwarfs is T_eff ≈ 2900 K. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Elemental abundance analyses with DAO spectrograms – XXII. The B9–A3 stars λ Ursae Majoris, 59 Herculis, 14 Cygni and 29 Cygni

Elemental abundances of the moderately rotating B9–A3 stars λ UMa, 59 Her, 14 Cyg and 29 Cyg have been derived in a consistent manner with previous studies of this series from spectrograms obtained with Reticon and CCD detectors. The derived elemental abundances show that λ UMa is a mild Am star, while 59 Her is slightly metal-rich. Although 14 Cyg has values closer to solar than these stars, its subsolar Ca and Sc abundances indicate that it might be the hottest known hot-Am star. 29 Cyg is a metal-poor λ Boo star.     

Abundances from Disentangled Component Spectra of Close Binary Stars: An Observational Test of an Early Mixing in High-Mass Stars

Recent theoretical calculations of stellar evolutionary tracks for rotating high-mass stars suggests that the chemical composition of the surface layers changes even whilst the star is evolving on the Main Sequence. The abundance analysis of binary components with precisely known fundamental stellar quantities allows a powerful comparison with theory. The observed spectra of close binary stars can be separated into the individual spectra of the component stars using the method of spectral disentangling on a time-series of spectra taken over the orbital cycle. Recently, Pavlovski and Hensberge (2005, A&A, 439, 309) have shown that, even with moderately high line-broadening, metal abundances can be derived from disentangled spectra with a precision of 0.1 dex. In a continuation of this project we have undertaken a detailed abundance analysis of the components of another two high-mass binaries, V453 Cyg, and V380 Cyg. Both binaries are well-studied systems with modern solutions. The components are close to the TAMS and therefore very suitable for an observational test of early mixing in high-mass stars.     

Lithium abundance in the sunspot from the observational data of August 1981

A spectrum of a sunspot in the range of the Li I ?? 670.8 nm line and some lines of Ca I, Ti I, Al I, and Na I was measured. Observations were carried out with the TST-2 telescope of the Crimean astrophysical observatory on August 21, 1981. A model of the spot was calculated from the observed profiles of the Ca I, Ti I, Al I, and Na I lines. From the calculated model and the observed profile of the Li I ?? 670.8 nm line, the lithium abundance was estimated as log(N _Li) = 0.78 (in the scale of logA(H)= 12.0).     

New aspects of spectral behavior of SS Cyg and WX Hyi between quiescence and outburst states in the UV

We present low-resolution UV spectra of the dwarf novae SS Cyg and WX Hyi in both quiescence and outburst states from observations taken by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) during the period between 1978–1994 and 1979–1993 for two systems respectively. Both SS Cyg and WX Hyi are characterized by emission lines in quiescence physical states and absorption lines in states of outburst. We concentrated on calculating the line fluxes and line widths of the C IV 1550 Å emission line arising from the disk around the white dwarf of SS Cyg and WX Hyi. We found that there is spectral variability for these physical parameters at different times, similar to that known for their light curves (Voloshina and Khruzina, 2006, Kuulkers et al., 1991). We attribute it to the variations of both density and temperature as a result of changing the mass transfer rate (Long et al., 2005, Patterson, 1984, Meyer and Meyer-Hofmeister, 1994, Cannizzo, 2001, Schwope et al., 2002). Also we found that both line fluxes and line widths of SS Cyg are greater than the line fluxes and line widths of WX Hyi.     

A revised DDO abundance calibration for population I red giants

Several arguments that justify establishing a revised abundance calibration for DDO photometry of population I red giants are presented. The components of the blanketing vector in the DDOC(45–48) vsC(42–45) diagram are determined for late-type dwarfs and giants. We have redefined the DDO cyanogen anomaly and calibrated it against metallicity. The sample of field giants now available with abundances derived from high dispersion spectroscopy is substantially larger than previously available, leading to a more accurate abundance calibration. Iso-abundance lines in theC(41–42) vsC(42–45) diagram have been determined for population IG and K giants and an iterative method for deriving abundances of these stars is described. We show that the new DDO abundances are in very good agreement with those derived from high dispersion spectroscopy. The new method improves by about 0.1 dex the DDO abundances derived for early G and/or late K giants, with respect to the δCN method of Janes (1975).     

A spectrophotometric study of the Wolf-Rayet star HD 50896

New spectrophotometric observations of the Wolf-Rayet system HD 50896 are presented and interpreted in terms of its binary nature. The lines of N V, N IV and C IV show moderate variations, which can be explained using a binary model with a compact companion. He n λ4686 appears to arise from a larger region compared to other lines. The distortion caused by the wind can partly explain its flux variations. The emission fluxes of He I lines are generally constant indicating their non-participation in the orbit. The results are compared with other Wolf-Rayet binaries (V444 Cyg and CQ Cep) and the evolutionary status is discussed.     

Formation of Zr I and II lines under non-LTE conditions of stellar atmospheres

The formation of Zr I and Zr II lines in stellar atmospheres under non-LTE conditions has been considered for the first time. A model zirconium atom has been composed using 148 Zr I levels, 772 Zr II levels, and the ground Zr III state. Non-LTE calculations have been performed for model atmospheres with T _eff = 5500 and 6000 K, log g = 2.0 and 4.0, [M/H] = −3, −2, −1, 0. In the entire investigated range of parameters, the Zr I levels are shown to be underpopulated relative to their LTE populations in the line formation region. In contrast, the excited Zr II levels are overpopulated, while the ground state and lower excited levels of Zr II retain their LTE populations. Since the non-LTE effects cause the Zr I and Zr II spectral lines being investigated to weaken, the non-LTE corrections to the abundance derived from Zr I and Zr II lines are positive. For Zr II lines, they increase with decreasing metallicity and surface gravity up to 0.34 dex for the model with T _eff = 5500, log g = 2.0, and [M/H] = −2. The non-LTE effects depend weakly on temperature. The non-LTE corrections for Zr I lines reach 0.33 dex for solar-metallicity models. Zr I and Zr II lines in the solar spectrum have been analyzed. The non-LTE zirconium abundances derived from lines in the two ionization stages are shown to agree between themselves within the error limits, while the LTE abundance difference is 0.28 dex. The zirconium abundance in the solar atmosphere (averaged over Zr I and Zr II lines) is log ɛ_Zr,⊙ = 2.63 ± 0.07.     

Is KR Cygni a triple star system?

New multi-colour UBVR light curves of the eclipsing binary KR Cyg were obtained in 2005. Photometric solutions were derived using the Wilson-Devinney method. The result shows that KR Cyg is a near-contact binary system with a large effective temperature difference between the components, approximately 5230 K. All the times of minimum light were collected and combined with our observations obtained in 2010 and 2011. Analysing all the times of mid-eclipse, we found for the first time a possible periodic oscillation with an amplitude of 0.001 days and a period of ∼76 years. The periodic oscillation could be explained by the light-time effect due to a presumed third component.     

The Structure and the Partial Opacity of the Spiral Shocks on the Novalike Cataclysmic Variables

V347 Pup is the first novalike system with clear spiral arms in its accretion disc, as evidenced from its HeI Doppler maps. Combining the Doppler maps of the various lines of the system V347 Pup a more complex structure is revealed on the first arm. On the Doppler maps of HeI λ5875 emission line the first arm splits to two smaller and thinner structures. The Doppler map of HeI λ6678 emission line shows that this line dominates the region of thin structure with higher velocities that we met on the Doppler map of HeI λ5875 emission line. On the contrary the Hα emission line dominates the region of thin structure with lower velocities. We therefore observe, that the Hα emission line dominates on the exterior of the first arm, and the emission line of HeI on the interior. Most of NaI is probably emanated from the white dwarf or from the interior of the disc, and then being absorbed by the spiral shocks.     

Chemical composition of a sample of bright solar‐metallicity stars

We present a detailed analysis of seven young stars observed with the spectrograph SOPHIE at the Observatoire de Haute‐Provence for which the chemical composition was incomplete or absent in the literature. For five stars, we derived the stellar parameters and chemical compositions using our automatic pipeline optimized for F, G, and K stars, while for the other two stars with high rotational velocity, we derived the stellar parameters by using other information (parallax), and performed a line‐by‐line analysis. Chromospheric emission‐line fluxes from Caii are obtained for all targets. The stellar parameters we derive are generally in good agreement with what is available in the literature. We provide a chemical analysis of two of the stars for the first time. The star HIP 80124 shows a strong Li feature at 670.8 nm implying a high lithium abundance. Its chemical pattern is not consistent with it being a solar sibling, as has been suggested. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Neon abundances in normal late-B and mercury–manganese stars

We make new non-local thermodynamic equilibrium calculations to deduce the abundances of neon from visible-region echelle spectra of selected Ne  i lines in seven normal stars and 20 HgMn stars. We find that the best strong blend-free Ne line that can be used at the lower end of the effective temperature T _eff range is λ 6402, although several other potentially useful Ne  i lines are found in the red region of the spectra of these stars. The mean neon abundance in the normal stars (log  A =8.10) is in excellent agreement with the standard abundance of neon (8.08). However, in HgMn stars neon is almost universally underabundant, ranging from marginal deficits of 0.1–0.3 dex to underabundances of an order of magnitude or more. In many cases, the lines are so weak that only upper limits can be established. The most extreme example found is υ Her with an underabundance of at least 1.5 dex. These underabundances are qualitatively expected from radiative acceleration calculations, which show that Ne has a very small radiative acceleration in the photosphere, and that it is expected to undergo gravitational settling if the mixing processes are sufficiently weak and there is no strong stellar wind. According to theoretical predictions , the low Ne abundances place an important constraint on the intensity of such stellar winds, which must be less than 10⁻¹⁴ M_⊙ yr⁻¹ if they are non-turbulent.     

Improved HCN/HNC linelist, model atmospheres and synthetic spectra for WZ Cas

We build an accurate data base of 5200 HCN and HNC rotation–vibration energy levels, determined from existing laboratory data. 20 000 energy levels in the Harris et al. linelist are assigned approximate quantum numbers. These assignments, lab-determined energy levels and Harris et al. energy levels are incorporated in to a new energy level list. A new linelist is presented, in which frequencies are computed using the lab-determined energy levels where available, and the ab initio energy levels otherwise.
The new linelist is then used to compute new model atmospheres and synthetic spectra for the carbon star WZ Cas. This results in better fit to the spectrum of WZ Cas in which the absorption feature at 3.56 μm is reproduced to a higher degree of accuracy than has previously been possible. We improve the reproduction of HCN absorption features by reducing the abundance of Si to [Si/H]=−0.5 dex, however, the strengths of the Δ v = 2 CS band heads are overpredicted.     

Metallicity and photospheric abundances in field K and M dwarfs

Elemental abundances in late-type stars are of interest in several ways: they determine the location of the stars in the HR diagram and therefore their ages, as well as the atmospheric structure in their middle and upper photospheres. Especially in the case of chromospherically active late-type stars the question arises to what degree the upper photosphere is influenced by the nearby chromosphere. Analysing S/N ∼ 200 and Δλ/λ ∼ 20 000 data, we found a mean metallicity index [M/H] = −0.2 for programme K and M field stars based on an analysis of spectra in the region 5500–9000 Å. We also found that the Ca  I 6162-Å transition is a potential surface gravity indicator for K-type stars. For the chromospheric activity interval 4.4 < log  F _{Mg II}  < 6.6 we did not find any chromospheric activity impact on photospheric and upper photospheric transitions. With the derived metallicity, we confirmed the Li abundance from our previous paper and thus its dependence on the Mg  II chromospheric activity index. The nature of the spectrum for the active M-type star Gl 896A is explained by pure rotation of 14 km s⁻¹. As far as the lithium–rotation relation is concerned, the spectrum of Gl 517 is rotationally broadened as well, by 12 km s⁻¹, and the Li abundance is the second highest in our sample of stars. However, there is no link between very high Li abundance, 2.2 dex, in the K dwarf star Gl 5 and stellar rotation.     

Identification of absorption lines of rare-earth elements in the region of the spectrum λλ 610.25–610.57 nm roAp stars,HD 101065, HD 134214, HD 137949, and HD 24712

In the spectral region λλ = 610.25−610.57 nm of the roAp star HD 101065, we performed the identification of the rare-earth element absorption lines absent from the atomic spectral line databases VALD and DREAM. The identified lines were used for calculating the synthetic spectra of the roAp stars HD 137949, HD 134214, and HD 24712. The upper limit of the identified line estimates was determined. The rotation/pulsation parameter νsini and magnetic field modulus were determined using the lines Nd III 669.083 nm and Ca I 616.217 nm. The element abundance in the roAp stars HD 134214 and HD 24712 was determined for the first time using Nd III lines. Calculations were carried out with the help of the code SynthM developed by S.A. Khan.     

Absolute dimensions of the close binary systems V453 Monocerotis and V523 Cassiopeiae

We present multi-colour CCD observations of the low-temperature contact binaries, V453 Mon and V523 Cas. Their light curves are modelled to determine a new set of stellar and orbital parameters. Analysis of mid-eclipse times yields a new linear ephemeris for both systems. A period decrease (dP/dt=2.3×10⁻⁷ days/yr) in V453 Mon is discovered. V523 Cas, however, is detected to show a period increase (dP/dt=9.8×10⁻⁸ days/yr) because of the mass transfer of a rate of 1.1×10⁻⁷ M_⊙ yr⁻¹, from a less massive donor. Using these findings we can determine the physical parameters of the components of V523 Cas to be M ₁=0.76 (3)M _⊙, M ₂=0.39 (2)M _⊙, R ₁=0.74 (2)R _⊙, R ₂=0.55 (2)R _⊙, L ₁=0.19 (3)L _⊙, L ₂=0.14 (3)L _⊙, and the distance of system as 46(9) pc.     

Influence of departures from LTE on oxygen abundance determination in the atmospheres of A-K stars

We have performed non-LTE calculations for O I with a multilevel model atom using currently available atomic data for a set of parameters corresponding to stars of spectral types from A to K. Departures from LTE lead to a strengthening of O I lines, and the difference between the non-LTE and LTE abundances (non-LTE correction) is negative. The non-LTE correction does not exceed 0.05 dex in absolute value for visible O I lines for main-sequence stars in the entire temperature range. For the infrared O I 7771 Å line, the non-LTE correction can reach ?1.9 dex. The departures from LTE are enhanced with increasing temperature and decreasing surface gravity. We have derived the oxygen abundance for three A-type mainsequence stars with reliably determined parameters (Vega, Sirius, HD 32115). For each of the stars, allowance for the departures from LTE leads to a decrease in the difference between the abundances from infrared and visible lines, for example, for Vega from 1.17 dex in LTE to 0.14 dex when abandoning LTE. In the case of Procyon and the Sun, inelastic collisions with HI affect the statistical equilibrium of OI, and agreement between the abundances from different lines is achieved when using Drawin’s classical formalism. Based on the O I 6300, 6158, 7771-5, and 8446 Å lines of the solar spectrum, we have derived the mean oxygen abundance log ? = 8.74 ± 0.05 using a classical plane-parallel model solar atmosphere and log ? _+3D = 8.78 ± 0.03 by applying the 3D corrections taken from the literature.     

Oxygen and helium abundances in Galactic H ii regions – I. Observations

Absolute integrated line fluxes of H  ii regions have been measured using a Fabry–Perot spectrophotometer. We describe the observations and calibration procedures. Fluxes are given for 36 H  ii regions with Galactocentric distances ranging from 6.6 to 17.7 kpc. Several emission lines have been measured, mainly [O  ii ] λλ 3726 and 3629, H β , [O  iii ] λ 5007, He  i λ 5876 and H α . The very faint [O  iii ] λ 4363 line has been measured in six regions, allowing a direct determination of the electron temperature. New photometric distances have been derived based on data from the literature. A discussion of these results in terms of extinction, electron density and temperature, and oxygen and helium abundances is given in Paper II.