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On the evolutionary status of Be stars. I. Field Be stars near the Sun
A sample of 97 galactic field Be stars were studied by taking intoaccount the effects induced by the fast rotation on their fundamentalparameters. All program stars were observed in the BCDspectrophotometric system in order to minimize the perturbationsproduced by the circumstellar environment on the spectral photosphericsignatures. This is one of the first attempts at determining stellarmasses and ages by simultaneously using model atmospheres andevolutionary tracks, both calculated for rotating objects. The stellarages (τ) normalized to the respective inferred time that eachrotating star can spend in the main sequence phase (τ_MS) reveal amass-dependent trend. This trend shows that: a) there are Be starsspread over the whole interval 0 τ/τ_MS 1 of themain sequence evolutionary phase; b) the distribution of points in the(τ/τMS,M/Mȯ) diagram indicates thatin massive stars (M 12~Mȯ) the Be phenomenon ispresent at smaller τ/τ_MS age ratios than for less massive stars(M 12~Mȯ). This distribution can be due to: i)higher mass-loss rates in massive objets, which can act to reduce thesurface fast rotation; ii) circulation time scales to transport angularmomentum from the core to the surface, which are longer the lower thestellar mass.
| Non-radially pulsating Be stars
Based on more than 3000 high-resolution echelle spectra of 27 early-typeBe stars, taken over six years, it is shown that the short-term periodicline profile variability of these objects is due to non-radialpulsation. The appearance of the line profile variability depends mostlyon the projected rotational velocity v sin i and thus, since all Bestars rotate rapidly, on the inclination i. The observed variability ofthe investigated stars is described, and for some of them line profilevariability periods are given for the first time. For two of theinvestigated stars the line profile variability was successfully modeledas non-radial pulsation with l=m=+2 already in previous works. Since Bestars with similarly low v sin i share the same variability properties,these are in general explainable under the same model assumptions. Theline profile variability of stars with higher v sin i is different fromthe one observed in low v sin i stars, but can be reproduced by thesame model, if only the model inclination is modified to more equatorialvalues. Only for a few stars with periodic line profile variability thel=m=2 non-radial pulsation mode is not able to provide a satisfyingexplanation. These objects might pulsate in different modes (e.g.tesseral ones, l != |m|). Almost all stars in the sample show traces ofoutburst-like variability, pointing to an ephemeral nature of themass-loss phenomenon responsible for the formation of the circumstellardisk of early-type Be stars, rather than a steady star-to-disk masstransfer. In addition to the variability due to non-radial pulsationpresent in most stars, several objects were found to show other periodsresiding in the immediate circumstellar environment. The presence ofthese secondary periods is enhanced in the outburst phases. Short-livedaperiodic phenomena were clearly seen in two stars. But, given theunfavourable sampling of our database to follow rapid variability oftransient nature, they might be more common. Only in two out of 27 starsshort-term spectroscopic variability was not detected at all.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory atLa Silla, Chile, 55.D-0502, 56.D-0381, 58.D-0697, 62.H-0319, 63.H-0080,64.H-0548, and 267.D-5702, the German-Spanish Astronomical Centre, CalarAlto, operated by the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg,jointly with the Spanish National Commission for Astronomy, and onobservations with the Wendelstein 80-cm and the Ondřejov 2-mtelescopes, both equipped with the HEROS spectrograph provided by theLandessternwarte Heidelberg.
| Autocorrelation Analysis of Hipparcos Photometry of Short-Period Be Stars
We have used Hipparcos epoch photometry and a form of autocorrelationanalysis to investigate the amplitude and timescale of the short-periodvariability of 82 Be stars, including 46 Be stars that were analyzed byHubert & Floquet using Fourier and CLEAN analysis and 36 other Bestars that were suspected of short-period variability. Our method hasgiven useful information for about 84% of these stars; for the rest, thetime distribution of the Hipparcos epoch photometry limits thecapability of our technique.
| New periodic variables from the Hipparcos epoch photometry
Two selection statistics are used to extract new candidate periodicvariables from the epoch photometry of the Hipparcos catalogue. Theprimary selection criterion is a signal-to-noise ratio. The dependenceof this statistic on the number of observations is calibrated usingabout 30000 randomly permuted Hipparcos data sets. A significance levelof 0.1 per cent is used to extract a first batch of candidate variables.The second criterion requires that the optimal frequency be unaffectedif the data are de-trended by low-order polynomials. We find 2675 newcandidate periodic variables, of which the majority (2082) are from theHipparcos`unsolved' variables. Potential problems with theinterpretation of the data (e.g. aliasing) are discussed.
| FAUST observations of ultraviolet sources in the directions of NGC 4038-39 and 6752
Analysis of ultraviolet (UV) observations with the FAUST shuttle-bornetelescope toward the Antennae and NGC 6752 celestial regions resulted inthe detection of 46 and 221 candidate sources respectively, for asignal-to-noise ratio of 8. We discuss the source detection process andthe identification of UV sources with optical counterparts. Usingcorrelations with existing catalogues, we present reliableidentifications for approximately 60 per cent of the sources. We findthat most identified objects are B, A and F stars. The remainingidentified objects are galaxies, a white dwarf in a binary system, andtwo K-type stars. Nearly all of the remaining unidentified objects haveassigned optical counterparts but, lacking additional information, wegive these only as best estimates. With help from new diagnosticdiagrams, we suggest that these unclassified objects are main-sequence(or giant) stars within the local spiral arm or halo; or other hotevolved objects within the local spiral arm. We discuss the nature ofthe objects found and compare our results with those predicted fromspectral and Galactic models.
| A Search for High-Velocity Be Stars
We present an analysis of the kinematics of Be stars based uponHipparcos proper motions and published radial velocities. We findapproximately 23 of the 344 stars in our sample have peculiar spacemotions greater than 40 km s-1 and up to 102 kms-1. We argue that these high-velocity stars are the resultof either a supernova that disrupted a binary or ejection by closeencounters of binaries in young clusters. Be stars spun up by binarymass transfer will appear as high-velocity objects if there wassignificant mass loss during the supernova explosion of the initiallymore massive star, but the generally moderate peculiar velocities of BeX-ray binaries indicate that the progenitors lose most of their massprior to the supernova (in accordance with model predictions). Binaryformation models for Be stars predict that most systems bypass thesupernova stage (and do not receive runaway velocities) to createultimately Be+white dwarf binaries. The fraction of Be stars spun up bybinary mass transfer remains unknown, since the post-mass transfercompanions are difficult to detect.
| High and intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of Be stars 4481 lines
We present an atlas of Hγ , He i lambda 4471 and Mg ii lambda 4481line profiles obtained in a 10 year observation period of 116 Be stars,which enabled many of them to be observed at quite different emissionepochs. From the best fit of the observed He i lambda 4471 line profileswith non-LTE, uniform (Teff,log g) and full limb-darkenedmodel line profiles, we determined the V sin i of the program stars. Toaccount, to some degree, for the line formation peculiarities related tothe rapid rotation-induced non-uniform distributions of temperature andgravity on the stellar surface, the fit was achieved by considering(Teff,log g) as free parameters. This method produced V sin iestimations that correlate with the rotational velocities determined bySlettebak (1982) within a dispersion sigma <= 30 km s-1and without any systematic deviation. They can be considered as given inthe new Slettebak's et al. (1975) system. Only 13 program stars havediscrepant V sin i values. In some objects, this discrepancy could beattributed to binary effects. Using the newly determined V sin iparameters, we found that the ratio of true rotational velocitiesV/Vc of the program Be stars has a very low dispersion aroundthe mean value. Assuming then that all the stars are rigid rotators withthe same ratio V(/lineω)/Vc, we looked for the value of/line ω that better represents the distribution of V sini/Vc for randomly oriented rotational axes. We obtained/lineω = 0.795. This value enabled us to determine the probableinclination angle of the stellar rotation axis of the program stars. Inthe observed line profiles of Hγ , He i lambda 4471, Mg ii lambda4481 and Fe ii lambda 4351 we measured several parameters related to theabsorption and/or emission components, such as: equivalent width,residual emission and/or absorption intensity, FWHM, emission peakseparations, etc. The parameters related to the Hγ line emissionprofiles were used to investigate the structure of the nearbyenvironment of the central star. From the characteristics of thecorrelations between these quantities and the inferred inclinationangle, we concluded that in most of cases the Hγ line emissionforming regions may not be strongly flattened. Using a simplerepresentation of the radiation flux emitted by the star+envelopesystem, we derived first order estimates of physical parameterscharacterizing the Hγ line emission formation region. Thus, weobtained that the total extent of the Hγ region is Rf=~ 2.5 +/- 1.0 R* and that the density distribution in theselayers can be mimicked with a power law rho ~ R-alpha , wherealpha =2.5+2.2-0.6. The same approach enabled usto estimate the optical depth of the Hγ line emission formationregion. From its dependence with the aspect angle, we concluded thatthese regions are caracterized by a modest flattening and that the rho(equator)/rho (pole) density contrast of the circumstellar envelope nearthe star should be two orders of magnitude lower than predicted bymodels based on a priori disc-shaped circumstellar envelopes. We foundthat the separation between the emission peaks, Deltap, andthe full width at half maximum, Delta 1/2, of the Hγline emission are not only sensitive to kinematic effects, but to lineoptical depth as well. This finding agrees with previous theoreticalpredictions and confirms that Huang's (1972) relation overestimates theextent of the Hγ line emission formation region. Data obtained atCASLEO operated under agreement between the CONICET and the NationalUniversities of La Plata, Córdoba and San Juan, Argentina, at ESOLa Silla, Chile and at OHP, France.}\fnmsep\thanks{Tables 2 to 7 andFigs. 1 and 2 are only available in full in electronic form at CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via\http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/378/861}} \subtitle{Anatlas of Hγ , He {\fontsize {10pt}{12pt}\selectfont I} 4471 and Mg{\fontsize {10pt}{12pt}\selectfont II
| VLT-spectropolarimetry of the high-polarization Seyfert 1 galaxy Fairall 51
We present high-precision optical spectropolarimetry of the Seyfert 1galaxy Fairall 51 (F51) taken with FORS1 at the VLT.The observed spectrum shows unpolarized and linearly polarizedcomponents. The AGN continuum and the broad lines show (after correctionfor the Galactic interstellar polarization and the light contribution ofthe F51 host galaxy) a practically identical amountof intrinsic polarization ranging from 5% in the red to 13% in the UV.The narrow lines are unpolarized or show only little intrinsicpolarization. The observed AGN continuum and the broad line radiationcan be explained by a combination of reddened (and attenuated) directlight and scattered light reflected from an optically thin dust region.Hence, within the framework of the unification scheme of AGN, theSeyfert 1 galaxy F51 appears to be an example of aborderline Seyfert 1/Seyfert 2 case where the nucleus is partiallyobscured like for other type 1 AGN with high intrinsic scatteringpolarization. It is found that the scattering region inF51 is located far from the BLR and the continuumsource. Thanks to this special scattering configuration, we were able tostudy the kinematics (line profiles) of the broad line region from twodifferent viewing angles, one along the line of sight (in total light)and one via the scattering region (in polarized light). The lineprofiles in polarized and total light are found to be indistinguishableto a very high accuracy, strongly indicating that the velocity field ofthe F51 BLR is essentially spherically symmetric.Based on observations obtained at the ESO VLT UT1 (Antu) at CerroParanal, Chile (ESO program 63.P-0074).
| Statistical analysis of intrinsic polarization, IR excess and projected rotational velocity distributions of classical Be stars
We present the results of statistical analyses of a sample of 627 Bestars. The parameters of intrinsic polarization (p*),projected rotational velocity (v sin i), and near IR excesses have beeninvestigated. The values of p* have been estimated for a muchlarger and more representative sample of Be stars (~490 objects) thanpreviously. We have confirmed that most Be stars of early spectral typehave statistically larger values of polarization and IR excesses incomparison with the late spectral type stars. It is found that thedistributions of p* diverge considerably for the differentspectral subgroups. In contrast to late spectral types (B5-B9.5), thedistribution of p* for B0-B2 stars does not peak at the valuep*=0%. Statistically significant differences in the meanprojected rotational velocities (/line{vsin i}) are found for differentspectral subgroups of Be stars in the sense that late spectral typestars (V luminosity class) generally rotate faster than early types, inagreement with previously published results. This behaviour is, however,not obvious for the III-IV luminosity class stars. Nevertheless, thecalculated values of the ratio vt/vc of the truerotational velocity, vt, to the critical velocity forbreak-up, vc, is larger for late spectral type stars of allluminosity classes. Thus, late spectral type stars appear to rotatecloser to their break-up rotational velocity. The distribution of nearIR excesses for early spectral subgroups is bi-modal, the position ofthe second peak displaying a maximum value E(V-L)~ 1 . m 3for O-B1.5 stars, decreasing to E(V-L)~0. m8 for intermediatespectral types (B3-B5). It is shown that bi-modality disappears for latespectral types (B6-B9.5). No correlations were found betweenp* and near IR excesses and between E(V-L) and vsin i for thedifferent subgroups of Be stars. In contrast to near IR excesses, arelation between p* and far IR excesses at 12 mu m is clearlyseen. A clear relation between p* and vsin i (as well asbetween p* and /line{vsin i}/vc) is found by thefact that plots of these parameters are bounded by a ``triangular"distribution of p*: vsin i, with a decrease of p*towards very small and very large vsin i (and /line{vsini}/vc) values. The latter behaviour can be understood in thecontext of a larger oblateness of circumstellar disks for the stars witha rapid rotation. From the analysis of correlations between differentobservational parameters we conclude that circumstellar envelopes forthe majority of Be stars are optically thin disks with the range of thehalf-opening angle of 10degr
| The proper motions of fundamental stars. I. 1535 stars from the Basic FK5
A direct combination of the positions given in the HIPPARCOS cataloguewith astrometric ground-based catalogues having epochs later than 1939allows us to obtain new proper motions for the 1535 stars of the BasicFK5. The results are presented as the catalogue Proper Motions ofFundamental Stars (PMFS), Part I. The median precision of the propermotions is 0.5 mas/year for mu alpha cos delta and 0.7mas/year for mu delta . The non-linear motions of thephotocentres of a few hundred astrometric binaries are separated intotheir linear and elliptic motions. Since the PMFS proper motions do notinclude the information given by the proper motions from othercatalogues (HIPPARCOS, FK5, FK6, etc.) this catalogue can be used as anindependent source of the proper motions of the fundamental stars.Catalogue (Table 3) is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strastg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/365/222
| On the origin of the O and B-type stars with high velocities. II. Runaway stars and pulsars ejected from the nearby young stellar groups
We use milli-arcsecond accuracy astrometry (proper motions andparallaxes) from Hipparcos and from radio observations to retrace theorbits of 56 runaway stars and nine compact objects with distances lessthan 700 pc, to identify the parent stellar group. It is possible todeduce the specific formation scenario with near certainty for twocases. (i) We find that the runaway star zeta Ophiuchi and the pulsarPSR J1932+1059 originated about 1 Myr ago in a supernova explosion in abinary in the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Sco OB2 association. Thepulsar received a kick velocity of ~ 350 km s-1 in thisevent, which dissociated the binary, and gave zeta Oph its large spacevelocity. (ii) Blaauw & Morgan and Gies & Bolton alreadypostulated a common origin for the runaway-pair AE Aur and mu Col,possibly involving the massive highly-eccentric binary iota Ori, basedon their equal and opposite velocities. We demonstrate that these threeobjects indeed occupied a very small volume ~ 2.5 Myr ago, and show thatthey were ejected from the nascent Trapezium cluster. We identify theparent group for two more pulsars: both likely originate in the ~ 50 Myrold association Per OB3, which contains the open cluster alpha Persei.At least 21 of the 56 runaway stars in our sample can be linked to thenearby associations and young open clusters. These include the classicalrunaways 53 Arietis (Ori OB1), xi Persei (Per OB2), and lambda Cephei(Cep OB3), and fifteen new identifications, amongst which a pair ofstars running away in opposite directions from the region containing thelambda Ori cluster. Other currently nearby runaways and pulsarsoriginated beyond 700 pc, where our knowledge of the parent groups isvery incomplete.
| Sixth Catalogue of Fundamental Stars (FK6). Part I. Basic fundamental stars with direct solutions
The FK6 is a suitable combination of the results of the HIPPARCOSastrometry satellite with ground-based data, measured over more than twocenturies and summarized in the FK5. Part I of the FK6 (abbreviatedFK6(I)) contains 878 basic fundamental stars with direct solutions. Suchdirect solutions are appropriate for single stars or for objects whichcan be treated like single stars. From the 878 stars in Part I, we haveselected 340 objects as "astrometrically excellent stars", since theirinstantaneous proper motions and mean (time-averaged) ones do not differsignificantly. Hence most of the astrometrically excellent stars arewell-behaving "single-star candidates" with good astrometric data. Thesestars are most suited for high-precision astrometry. On the other hand,199 of the stars in Part I are Δμ binaries in the sense ofWielen et al. (1999). Many of them are newly discovered probablebinaries with no other hitherto known indication of binarity. The FK6gives, besides the classical "single-star mode" solutions (SI mode),other solutions which take into account the fact that hidden astrometricbinaries among "apparently single-stars" introduce sizable "cosmicerrors" into the quasi-instantaneously measured HIPPARCOS proper motionsand positions. The FK6 gives in addition to the SI mode the "long-termprediction (LTP) mode" and the "short-term prediction (STP) mode". TheseLTP and STP modes are on average the most precise solutions forapparently single stars, depending on the epoch difference with respectto the HIPPARCOS epoch of about 1991. The typical mean error of anFK6(I) proper motion in the single-star mode is 0.35 mas/year. This isabout a factor of two better than the typical HIPPARCOS errors for thesestars of 0.67 mas/year. In the long-term prediction mode, in whichcosmic errors are taken into account, the FK6(I) proper motions have atypical mean error of 0.50 mas/year, which is by a factor of more than 4better than the corresponding error for the HIPPARCOS values of 2.21mas/year (cosmic errors included).
| Investigation of the variability of bright Be stars using HIPPARCOS photometry
The high accuracy and the homogeneity of Hipparcos data for bright starshave allowed us to quantify the degree of variability of Be stars. Thisdegree has been found to be highly dependent on the temperature of thestar. Rapid variability is the main feature of the 86% of early Be andless than 20% of late Be stars taking into account the limit ofdetection considered. In addition to Be stars reported in the Hipparcoscatalogue (ESA 1997) as short-period variables, we have been able toenlarge the number of detections as well as to confirm periodspreviously determined. Be stars that show larger amplitude rapidvariations are proposed as candidates for a search of multiperiodicityi.e. as non-radial pulsators. We have also searched for the presence ofoutbursts and fading events in the Hipparcos data. Outbursts have beenfrequently and preferentially detected in early Be stars with rather lowto moderate v sini while fading events seem to be more conspicuous instars with higher v sini. Mid-term and long-term variations have alsobeen investigated. Several stars have shown some evidence of temporaryquasi-periodic oscillations ranging between 10 and 200 days. Finallyinformation concerning long-term variations is reported. Cycles shorterthan or equal to the Hipparcos mission have mainly been detected instars earlier than B6. Long-term time scales of late Be stars areconfirmed to be longer by far. Tables 1 and 2 are only available inelectronic form at CDS via ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| Comparison of the ACRS and PPM Catalogs with the FK5 in the Southern Hemisphere
A comparison of the Astrographical Catalog of Reference Stars (ACRS) andthe Positions and Proper Motions Catalog (PPM) with the FK5 in thesouthern hemisphere, is presented. To this aim, the positions of FK5stars uniformly spread over the celestial sphere were astrographicallytaken. These positions were reduced in the ACRS and PPM systems and thencompared with those from the FK5 for the epoch of observation. The (FK5- ACRS) and (FK5 - PPM) systematic differences thus obtained, in thedeclination range from -30o down to the South Pole, for themean epoch of 1994.50, are shown.
| A Minisurvey of Interstellar Titanium from the Southern Hemisphere
We describe the results of a minisurvey of interstellar Ti II and Ca IIabsorption toward 42 early-type stars observed from the southernhemisphere at a spectral resolution of 4.5 km s-1. Results are alsopresented for the Na I ultraviolet line (3302 Angstroms) detected towardnine of these targets. We examine the dependence of the integratedcolumn densities of N(Ti II), N(Ca II), and N(Na I) on distance,reddening, neutral hydrogen column density, and their Galactic elementalabundance. Our findings support the proposition that Ti II and Ca IIabsorption originates in the same regions of the pervasive, warm, andneutral intercloud gas of the interstellar medium. We have observed acorrelation of decreasing Ti and Ca abundance with increasingline-of-sight gas density. The Ti II/Ca II abundance ratio has beenfound to be essentially constant under all the interstellar densityconditions we have sampled. Thus, we conclude that the generalabsorption properties of titanium (and calcium) are similar throughoutthe entire disk of our Galaxy.
| The ROSAT all-sky survey catalogue of optically bright OB-type stars.
For the detailed statistical analysis of the X-ray emission of hot starswe selected all stars of spectral type O and B listed in the Yale BrightStar Catalogue and searched for them in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. Inthis paper we describe the selection and preparation of the data andpresent a compilation of the derived X-ray data for a complete sample ofbright OB stars.
| A catalog of far-ultraviolet point sources detected with the fast FAUST Telescope on ATLAS-1
We list the photometric measurements of point sources made by the FarUltraviolet Space Telescope (FAUST) when it flew on the ATLAS-1 spaceshuttle mission. The list contains 4698 Galactic and extragalacticobjects detected in 22 wide-field images of the sky. At the locationssurveyed, this catalog reaches a limiting magnitude approximately afactor of 10 fainter than the previous UV all-sky survey, TDl. Thecatalog limit is approximately 1 x 10-14 ergs A sq cm/s,although it is not complete to this level. We list for each object theposition, FUV flux, the error in flux, and where possible anidentification from catalogs of nearby stars and galaxies. Thesecatalogs include the Michigan HD (MHD) and HD, SAO, the HIPPARCOS InputCatalog, the Position and Proper Motion Catalog, the TD1 Catalog, theMcCook and Sion Catalog of white dwarfs, and the RC3 Catalog ofGalaxies. We identify 2239 FAUST sources with objects in the stellarcatalogs and 172 with galaxies in the RC3 catalog. We estimate thenumber of sources with incorrect identifications to be less than 2%.
| Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
| Second astrolabe catalogue of Santiago.
Positions for 350 FK5 and 164 FK5 Extension stars as determined with theDanjon astrolabe of Santiago and differences astrolabe-catalogue aregiven for Equinox J2000.0 and for the mean observation epoch of eachstar. The average mean error in alpha is +/-0.005s and +/-0.07" indelta. The mean epoch of observation of the catalogue is J1979.96.
| On the rotation properties of Be stars and their envelopes.
We present the results of low resolution spectroscopy (4A) obtained atCTIO for a sample of 42 Be, 4 B and 3 O stars covering theλ3700-7000A spectral range. Equivalent widths of the Balmer lineswere measured up to H_10_. We also give the V/R state of the Hαemission line. In addition, the peak separation and the width at thebase of the Hβ and Hγ emission lines are tabulated for atotal of 243 medium resolution (1A) spectra of 51 southern Be starstaken at the Manuel Foster Observatory, Chile. We analyzed our Hαequivalent widths (Wα) together with published data for a total of122 Be and 2 Oe stars. An upper limit of Wα increasing with theprojected rotational velocity vsini is shown by the data. The Wαvalues depend strongly on spectral type, being lower for later-type Bestars. This could indicate that the maximum strength of emission dependsmainly on the spectral type and rotation velocity. The relation betweenWα(max) and vsini, together with the observed excess in number oflow vsini Be stars and the reported anti-correlation between photometricperiod and vsini give evidence for a considerable range of the truerotation velocities of Be stars: definitely there are intrinsically slowrotators among them. However, our results could also be interpreted interms of anisotropic Hα emission coming from the disk. Theanalysis of the net equivalent widths and peak separations of Hαdouble emission line profiles strongly favor a disk type emittingenvelope with a r^-j^ rotation law with j=1.4+/-0.2 which do not dependon the spectral subtype. This result is interpreted as evidence ofradial motions in the envelopes of Be stars. The mean radial extensionsof the regions which emit Balmer lines were determined to range between30% (H_10_) and 60% (Hβ) of the Hα emitting envelope in thecase j=1. The mean electron density within the envelope has been foundto vary only by a factor of 4. We compare our results with earlierinvestigations.
| The continuous spectrum of the normal galaxies central regions obtained on the station "ASTRON".
Not Available
| Highly ionized gas in the GUM nebula and elsewhere - A comparison of IUE and Copernicus satellite results
The data from six high-dispersion IUE echelle spectra are averaged inorder to obtain an interstellar absorption line spectrum with an S/N ofabout 30 and a resolution of about 25 km/s. The interstellar lines of CIV and Si IV are very strong and broad and N V is detected. The profilesfor these species and Al III are compared to the Copernicus satelliteprofiles for O VI. The high ionization lines toward HD 64760 are muchstronger and broader than those recorded toward Zeta Pup and Gamma super2 Vel, the two exciting stars of the Gum nebula. The profiles for Al IIIand Si IV are similar and considerably narrower than the O VI profile.An origin in photoionized Gum nebula gas is suggested as the most likelyexplanation for Al III and Si IV. The C IV profile has a high positivevelocity wing extending to approximately +80 km/s, which is similar inappearance to the positive velocity portion of the O VI profile. It isinferred that a substantial part of the observed C IV has an origin inthe collisionally ionized gas most likely rsponsible for the O VI.
| Be stars - Chromospheres and cool envelopes and their relation to magnetic fields
The present paper discusses Be stars with nonexpanding cool envelopesobserved at large inclination angles. It is suggested thathigh-ionization lines are formed in a chromosphere where the rise intemperature is partly due to dissipation of mechanical energy by brakingforces, and that braking forces can be provided by a magnetic field.Further, it is shown how the same magnetic field that characterizes thechromosphere can produce an equatorial envelope (outside thechromosphere) when gravity is counterbalanced by radiation pressure andsome particular conditions are fulfilled.
| The stellar temperature scale for stars of spectral types from O8 to F6 and the standard deviation of the MK spectral classification
Empirical effective temperature of 211 early-type stars found in aprevious investigation (Kontizas and Theodossiou, 1980; Theodossiou,1985) are combined with the effective temperatures of 313 early-typestars from the literature. From these effective temperatures of a totalnumber of 524 early-type stars of spectral types from O8 to F6 a newstellar temperature scale is developed along with the standard deviationof the MK spectral classification.
| H-beta line profile variability of seven southern Be stars
The results of spectroscopic observations of six B0-B4e and one B7estars at the Manuel Foster Observatory (Chile) during 1984-87 arereported. By means of photographic spectroscopy (20 A/mm), equivalentwidths, peak separations, and V/R ratios were obtained for a total of106 H-beta and 7 H-gamma line profiles. Emission episodes in H-beta weredetected in 27 CMa and Lambda Pav, lasting at least 5 months and 18 daysrespectively. Significant variations in the equivalent width of theH-beta emission line, W beta, in time scales of months were found inKappa CMa, PP Car, and QY Car. On the other hand, Alpha Ara and EpsilonPsA showed a relatively constant strength of emission. The variations inW beta were interpreted as the cumulative effect of several individualejections from the stellar surface with mass loss rates of the order of10 to the -10th solar mass/yr.
| Absolute magnitudes of B emission line stars - Correlation between the luminosity excess and the effective temperature
A new determination of the visual absolute magnitude of Be stars iscarried out. For this, a new calibration of visual absolute magnitudesof B stars of luminosity classes, V, IV, and III is first obtained froma sample of 215 stars. The absolute luminosity excess in the visual isdetermined for a sample of 49 Be stars. It is found that this excess iscorrelated with the effective temperature of the underlying stars. Awell defined correlation between this excess and the emission in thefirst two Balmer lines is established. From these results, using asimple model of circumstellar envelope, it is inferred that the zones ofthe circumstellar envelope contributing to the emission in the continuumand in the lines have to be rather small. It is also deduced that theemission measure of the envelope is correlated with the temperature ofthe central star and that the irregular photometric variations of Bestars are an envelope-opacity phenomenon.
| Second Rio Grande catalogue (RG2).
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1990RMxAA..21..286H&db_key=AST
| Physical data of the fundamental stars.
Not Available
| Catalogue of i and w/w crit values for rotating early type stars
Not Available
| Observaciones espectroscopicas de siete estrellas Be.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1989RMxAA..19..107M&db_key=AST
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Pfau |
| Right ascension: | 18h52m13.00s |
| Declination: | -62°11'15.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 4.22 |
| Distance: | 555.556 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 0 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 0 |
| B-T magnitude: | 4.006 |
| V-T magnitude: | 4.181 |
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