Long-term radial velocity variations in some Be stars

All the radial velocities (RV) available in the literature since the beginning of the century for the Be stars EW Lac, 28 Tau, Tau, KX And, KY And, CX Dra and 88 Her, are assembled. When possible, a periodogram analysis has been performed to search for eventual periodic phenomena.The following conclusions have been drawn: EW Lac could be a spectroscopic binary with a period of about 40 years; 28 Tau shows some indications of regular long-term RV variations on the time scale of decades; a probable recurrent shell activity of Tau could be hypothesized. Some useful indications for KX and KY And are given, whereas it is not possible to draw any conclusion for CX Dra and 88 Her owing to the lack of data.     

Protoplanetary dust clouds in disks of Herbig Ae/Be stars

The very large brightness decrease of late-type Herbig Ae/Be stars is believed to be caused by obscuring dust clouds orbiting in the outer parts of their circumstellar disks. The distances of the dust clouds to the central stars have been estimated using the wavelength at maximum flux of the excess near-IR radiation, Wien's displacement law, and a formula derived by Rowan-Robinson (1980). The critical masses of these clouds were calculated employing Chandrasekhar's (1943) formula. The minimum size of the dust grains in the obscuring clouds was estimated using Aumannet al.'s (1984) formula they had applied to the star Lyr. However, it can be about ten times smaller if the dust grains are situated at the back of the cloud. The average size of these grains has been determined by assuming a size distribution similar to that in the asteroidal belt (Dohnanyi, 1969) and in the interstellar medium (Mathiset al., 1977). Their number density was determined by means of the extinction power of the dust cloud at theV pass-band. The results of our calculations show that above parameters are similar to those in our solar system. Therefore, we believe that most probably (a) the formation of planetesimals in the circumstellar disks of Herbig Ae/Be stars is on-going; and (b) the obscuring clouds will, in the long run, become planet-like objects.Paper presented at the Conference onPlanetary Systems: Formation, Evolution, and Detection held 7–10 December, 1992 at CalTech, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.     

Long-term variations and periods of Mira stars from ROTSE-IIId

We have studied the long-term variations of Mira type variables observed with Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment telescope (ROTSE-IIId) between 2004 and 2009 located at TÜB?TAK National Observatory (TUG) in Antalya, Turkey. The actual pulsation periods, variability amplitudes, epochs of maximums and light curves of selected 70 Mira type variables already defined in the SIMBAD database were investigated. In these variables, 17 periods are identified for the first time.     

HARPS spectropolarimetry of Herbig Ae/Be stars

Our knowledge of the presence and the strength of magnetic fields in intermediate‐mass pre‐main‐sequence stars remains very poor. We present new magnetic field measurements in six Herbig Ae/Be stars observed with HARPS in spectropolarimetric mode. We downloaded from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) archive the publically available HARPS spectra for six Herbig Ae/Be stars. Wavelength shifts between right‐ and left‐hand side circularly polarised spectra were interpreted in terms of a longitudinal magnetic field 〈B_z〉, using the moment technique introduced by Mathys. The application of the moment technique to the HARPS spectra allowed us in addition to study the presence of the crossover effect and quadratic magnetic fields. Our search for longitudinal magnetic fields resulted in first detections of weak magnetic fields in the Herbig Ae/Be stars HD 58647 and HD 98922. Further, we confirm the previous tentative detection of a weak magnetic field in HD 104237 by Donati et al. and confirm the previous detection of a magnetic field in the Herbig Ae star HD 190073. Surprisingly, the measured longitudinal magnetic field of HD 190073, 〈B_z〉 = 91 ± 18 G at a significance level of 5σ is not in agreement with the measurement results of Alecian et al. (2013), 〈B_z〉 = –10 ± 20 G, who applied the LSD method to exactly the same data. No crossover effect was detected for any star in the sample. Only for HD 98922 the crossover effect was found tobe close to 3σ with a measured value of –4228 ± 1443 km s^–1 G. A quadratic magnetic field of the order of 10 kG was detected in HD 98922, and of ∼3.5 kG in HD 104237. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Polarization properties of silicate-like grains in circumstellar envelopes of late-type stars due to temperature variations

The influence of temperature changes in circumstellar silicate-like envelopes upon the polarization effects is investigated. It is shown that under the assumption that ΔT _g>50° and conductivity of silicate grains is indirectly proportional toT _g this mechanism can be responsible for the observed dependence of intensity vs polarization in some late-type stars, e.g. V CVn. The same effects can be produced by dirty ices and graphite grains. It is suggested that irradiation by electrons and/or protons can affect the circumstellar envelopes in a similar way, especially those of early-type stars, and irradiation by neutrons can exert an influence on the envelopes of supernovae.     

Be星的星周盘模型与Be/X射线双星系统(英)

介绍了Be星的基本特性．评述了近年来对Be星星周物质结构研究的成果．重点介绍了最新的关于Be星星周盘产生和变化的动力学模型．另外，对Be／X射线双星系统的研究也做了简要评述，重点论述了致密星与Be星延伸大气的相互作用．     

An infrared study of Herbig Ae/Be stars

The IRAS and 2MASS associations for 206 HAEBE stars are identified in this paper. From the color-color diagrams and spectral index, it is found that the IR excesses for most samples are due to thermal emission from the circumstellar material. It is also found that the IR excesses at IRAS region for few HAEBE stars and the near-IR excesses for some HAEBE stars are likely attributed to free-free emission or free-bound emission from the circumstellar ionized gas. Moreover, the evolution scenario (from embedded HAEBE stars to β Pictoris-like main-sequence stars) from Malfait et al. (1998) has been checked, our result does not support this evolution scenario.This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, founded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation of the United States.     

On the binarity of Herbig Ae/Be stars

We present high-resolution spectro-astrometry of a sample of 28 Herbig Ae/Be and three F-type pre-main-sequence stars. The spectro-astrometry, which is essentially the study of unresolved features in long-slit spectra, is shown from both empirical and simulated data to be capable of detecting binary companions that are fainter by up to 6 mag at separations larger than ∼0.1 arcsec. The nine targets that were previously known to be binary are all detected. In addition, we report the discovery of six new binaries and present five further possible binaries. The resulting binary fraction is 68 ± 11 per cent. This overall binary fraction is the largest reported for any observed sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars, presumably because of the exquisite sensitivity of spectro-astrometry for detecting binary systems. The data hint that the binary frequency of the Herbig Be stars is larger than that of the Herbig Ae stars. The Appendix presents model simulations to assess the capabilities of spectro-astrometry and reinforces the empirical findings. Most spectro-astrometric signatures in this sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars can be explained by the presence of a binary system. Two objects, HD 87643 and Z CMa, display evidence for asymmetric outflows. Finally, the position angles of the binary systems have been compared with available orientations of the circumprimary disc and these appear to be coplanar. The alignment between the circumprimary discs and the binary systems strongly suggests that the formation of binaries with intermediate-mass primaries is due to fragmentation as the alternative, stellar capture, does not naturally predict aligned discs. The alignment extends to the most massive B-type stars in our sample. This leads us to conclude that formation mechanisms that do result in massive stars, but predict random angles between the binaries and the circumprimary discs, such as stellar collisions, are also ruled out for the same reason.     

Correlated V/R and infrared photometric variations in the Be/X-ray binary LS I +61° 235/RX J0146.9+6121

We report on the long-term variability of the Be/X-ray binary LS I +61° 235/RX J0146.9+6121. New optical spectroscopic and infrared photometric observations confirm the presence of global one-armed oscillations in the circumstellar disc of the Be star, and allow us to derive a V R band quasi-period of 1240±30 d. Pronounced shell events, reminiscent of the spectacular variations in Be stars, are also seen. We have found that the J , H and K infrared photometric bands vary in correlation with the spectroscopic V R variations, implying that the one-armed disc oscillations are prograde. The effect of the oscillations is not only seen in the H α line but is also seen in the He  i λ 6678 and Paschen lines. As these lines are formed at different radii in the equatorial disc of the Be star, such effects confirm the global nature of the perturbation. The Keplerian disc has been found to be denser than the average for a sample of isolated Be stars, which may be indicative of some kind of interaction with the compact companion. Finally, from a Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observation we derive a spin period of the neutron star of 1404.5±0.5 s.     

Probing the circumstellar structure of Herbig Ae/Be stars

We present Hα spectropolarimetry observations of a sample of 23 Herbig Ae/Be stars. A change in the linear polarization across Hα is detected in a large fraction of the objects, which indicates that the regions around Herbig stars are flattened (disc-like) on small scales. A second outcome of our study is that the spectropolarimetric signatures for the Ae stars differ from those of the Herbig Be stars, with characteristics changing from depolarization across Hα in the Herbig Be stars, to line polarizations in the Ae group. The frequency of depolarizations detected in the Herbig Be stars (seven out of 12) is particularly interesting as, by analogy with classical Be stars, it may be the best evidence to date that the higher-mass Herbig stars are surrounded by flattened structures. For the Herbig Ae stars, nine out of 11 show a line polarization effect that can be understood in terms of a compact Hα emission that is itself polarized by a rotating disc-like circumstellar medium. The spectropolarimetric difference between the Herbig Be and Ae stars may be the first indication that there is a transition in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram from magnetic accretion at spectral type A to disc accretion at spectral type B. Alternatively, the interior polarized line emission apparent in the Ae stars may be masked in the Herbig Be stars owing to their higher levels of Hα emission.     

Optical/IR studies of Be stars in NGC 6834 with emphasis on two specific stars

We present optical and infrared photometric and spectroscopic studies of two Be stars in the 70–80-Myr-old open cluster NGC 6834. NGC 6834(1) has been reported as a binary from speckle interferometric studies whereas NGC 6834(2) may possibly be a γ Cas-like variable. Infrared photometry and spectroscopy from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope(UKIRT), and optical data from various facilities are combined with archival data to understand the nature of these candidates.High signal-to-noise near-IR spectra obtained from UKIRT have enabled us to study the optical depth effects in the hydrogen emission lines of these stars. We have explored the spectral classification scheme based on the intensity of emission lines in the H and K bands and contrasted it with the conventional classification based on the intensity of hydrogen and helium absorption lines. This work also presents hitherto unavailable UBV CCD photometry of NGC 6834, from which the evolutionary state of the Be stars is identified.     

Porous dust grains in the shells of Herbig Ae/Be stars

The transfer of polarized radiation in inhomogeneous circumstellar shells with a spheroidal spatial distribution of porous dust particles is computed. The grains are modeled by an MRN mixture of silicate and graphite particles. The optical properties of porous particles (considered separately in the Appendix) are computed by using effective medium theory and Mie theory. The following observational characteristics have been computed for WW Vul, a typical Herbig Ae star with Algol-like minima: the spectral energy distribution from the ultraviolet to the far infrared, the color-magnitude diagrams, the wavelength dependence of linear polarization, and the shell brightness distribution. The effect of grain porosity on the results is considered. It has been found that only moderate particle porosity (the volume fraction of matter is f ～0.5) can explain available observational data in terms of the approach used. Since radiation pressure must rapidly sweep submicron-sized grains out of the vicinity of Herbig Ae/Be stars, we briefly discuss how particle porosity can affect this process.     

Long-term photometric behavior of the PMS stars V977 Cep and V982 Cep in the vicinity of NGC 7129

Long-term BV RI photometric light curves of the pre-main sequence stars V977 Cep and V982 Cep during the period from 2000 October to 2016 August are presented. The stars are located in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7129. Our photometric data show that both stars exhibit strong photometric variability in all optical passbands, which is typical for Classical T Tauri stars. Using our observational data we analyze the reasons for the observed brightness variations. In the case of V977 Cep we identify previously unknown periodicity in its light curve.     

Simulation of accretion disks due to viscosity in semi-detached binary systems

A computation simulation of the motion of equilibrium particles in semi-detached binary systems is presented. We find that an accretion disk can be formed around the primary due to viscosity between moving particles. The calculated results are obtained for various factors and mass ratios. The results show that a part of the martter transferred from the secondary is accreted by the primary and the equilibrium mass transfer of moving particle depends on viscous factors and mass ratios.A part of the work has been performed during author's visit the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J.     

A new photometric study of Herbig Ae/Be stars in the infrared

In this paper we collected almost all HAeBe stars known so far (253 sources in total) to photometrically study their infrared properties. The 2MASS, WISE, IRAS and AKARI data are employed to make analyses. It is shown from several two-color diagrams that from 1 µm to 60 µm infrared radiations from circumstellar disks with the power law distribution play a very important role for infrared excesses which are much larger than that for ordinary Be stars. In the WISE two-color diagram, (W2–W3) vs. (W1–W2), some sources show thermal emissions probably due to dust surrounded and enhanced PAH features at 3.3 and 11.3 µm. In the wavelength longer than 60 µm infrared radiations are not so influenced by the circumstellar disk, but mainly from the ISM surrounded.     

Detection of accreting circumstellar gas around weak emission-line Herbig Ae/Be stars

We present archival and recent IUE high dispersion spectra of late B stars which reveal the presence of accreting gas with velocities as high as 350 km s^–1, collisional ionization of the accreting gas to temperatures above the stellar T_eff, and column densities intermediate between those observed toward classical Herbig Ae/Be stars and the nearby proto-planetary system Pictoris. One of the stars, HD 176386, while lacking obvious optical signatures of youth, is a member of the R CrA star formation region, and with an inferred age of 2.8 Myr has not yet arrived on the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS). The other object, an isolated, field B star with pronounced IR excess due to warm, circumstellar dust, 51 Oph, exhibits only modest h emission. The combination of high velocity, accreting gas in systems with IR excesses due to circumstellar dust suggests that not only are these objects candidate proto-planetary systems, but that they may represent an extension to higher stellar masses of the weak-emission pre-main sequence (PMS) stars.Paper presented at the Conference onPlanetary Systems: Formation, Evolution, and Detection held 7–10 December, 1992 at CalTech, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.