The Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) is a large public spectroscopic survey at the European Southern Observatory Very LargeTelescope. A key aim is to provide precise radial velocities (RVs) and projected equatorial velocities (vsini) for representative samples of Galactic stars, which will complement information obtained by the Gaia astrometry satellite. We present an analysis to empirically quantify the size and distribution of uncertainties in RV and vsini using spectra from repeated exposures of the same stars. We show that the uncertainties vary as simple scaling functions of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and vsini, that the uncertainties become larger with increasing photospheric temperature, but that the dependence on stellar gravity, metallicity and age is weak. The underlying uncertainty distributions have extended tails that are better represented by Students t-distributions than by normal distributions. Parametrised results are provided, which enable estimates of the RV precision for almost all GES measurements, and estimates of the vsini precision for stars in young clusters, as a function of S/N, vsini and stellar temperature. The precision of individual high S/N GES RV measurements is 0.22-0.26km/s, dependent on instrumental configuration.
Angular momentum (J) loss requires magnetic interaction between the forming star and both the circumstellar disk and the magnetically driven outflows. In order to test these predictions many authors have investigated a rotation-disk connection in pre-main sequence objects with masses larger than about 0.4M_{sun}_. For brown dwarfs (BDs) this connection was not investigated as yet because there are very few samples available. We aim to extend this investigation well down into the substellar regime for our large sample of ~~80 BDs in the Orion Nebula Cluster, for which we have recently measured rotational periods.
A proper motion membership list is presented for the lower mass stars in the Pleiades open cluster based on a survey of about a 5x5{deg} area around the cluster center. Finder charts prepared from an R passband Schmidt plate are given. Photographic R and I photometry is given for all stars; where possible a V magnitude is also listed. The photometry is accurate to about 0.1mag.
We present the results of a deep proper motion survey of a 19 square degree area of the Galactic open cluster Praesepe. Details of the astrometric and photometric reductions are given, along with the selection process for members. A list of these probable members, along with cross identifications from previous less sensitive surveys, is presented and finder charts given in an Appendix.
Determination of the mass functions of open clusters of different ages allows us to infer the efficiency with which brown dwarfs are evaporated from clusters to populate the field. In this paper we present the results of a photometric survey to identify low mass and brown dwarf members of the old open cluster Praesepe (age 590^+150^_-120_Myr, distance 190^+6.0^_-5.8_pc) from which we estimate its mass function and compare this with that of other clusters. We performed an optical (Ic-band) and near-infrared (J and Ks-band) photometric survey of Praesepe covering 3.1{deg}^2^. With 5sigma detection limits of Ic=23.4 and J=20.0, our survey is predicted to be sensitive to objects with masses from 0.6 to 0.05M_{sun}.
Charge-coupled device (CCD) photometry in the Johnson V, Kron-Cousins I and Washington CMT1 systems is presented in the field of the poorly known open cluster NGC 2627.
We have obtained CCD photometry in the Johnson V, Kron-Cousins I and CT_1_ Washington systems for NGC 2324, a rich open cluster located ~35{deg} from the Galactic anticentre direction. We measured V magnitudes and V-I colours for 2865 stars and T_1_ magnitudes and C-T_1_ colours for 1815 stars in an area of 13.6'x13.6' (pixel=0.4")
We present CCD VI_KC_ photometry down to V~21mag in the field of the rich open cluster NGC 2194, which is projected towards the Galactic anticentre direction. We measured V magnitudes and V-I colours for a total of 2515 stars in a field of 13.6x13.6arcmin^2^, supplemented with CCD photometry in the C, M and T_1_ filters of the Washington system and photoelectric CMT_1_T_2_ photometry of 20 red giant candidates, using the 0.9-m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Chile, on 1997 December 23-24.
We report deep (V~24.0) VI CCD photometry of three fields centred in the regions of the old open clusters Saurer A, B and C. In the case of Saurer A, which is considered one of the oldest known open clusters, we also provide a comparison field.
Attention is given to a population of 110 stars in the NGC 6611 cluster of the Eagle nebula that have prominent near-infrared excess and optical colours typical of pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars older than 8Myr. At least half of those for which spectroscopy exists have a H{alpha} emission line profile revealing active accretion. In principle, the V-I colours of all these stars would be consistent with those of young PMS objects (<1Myr) whose radiation is heavily obscured by a circumstellar disc seen at high inclination and in small part scattered towards the observer by the back side of the disc. However, using theoretical models it is shown here that objects of this type can only account for a few percent of this population. In fact, the spatial distribution of these objects, their X-ray luminosities, their optical brightness, their positions in the colour-magnitude diagram and the weak Li absorption lines of the stars studied spectroscopically suggest that most of them are at least eight times older than the ~1Myr-old PMS stars already known in this cluster and could be as old as ~30Myr. This is the largest homogeneous sample to date of Galactic PMS stars considerably older than 8Myr that are still actively accreting from a circumstellar disc and it allows us to set a lower limit of 7 percent to the disc frequency at ~16Myr in NGC 6611. These values imply a characteristic exponential lifetime of ~6Myr for disc dissipation.
