We report a measurement of the streaming motion of the stars in the Galactic bar with the red clump giants (RCGs) using the data of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment II (OGLE-II). We measure the proper motion of 46961 stars and divide RCGs into bright and faint subsamples that on average will be closer to the near and far sides of the bar, respectively. We find that the far-side RCGs (4979 stars) have a proper motion of {Delta}<{mu}>~1.5+/-0.11mas/yr toward the negative longitudes relative to the near-side RCGs (3610 stars).
We investigate scaling relations of bulges using bulge-disk decompositions at 3.6um and present bulge classifications for 173 E-Sd galaxies within 20Mpc. Pseudobulges and classical bulges are identified using Sersic index, Hubble Space Telescope morphology, and star formation activity (traced by 8um emission). In the near-IR pseudobulges have n_b_<2 and classical bulges have n_b_>2, as found in the optical. Sersic index and morphology are essentially equivalent properties for bulge classification purposes. We confirm, using a much more robust sample, that the Sersic index of pseudobulges is uncorrelated with other bulge structural properties, unlike for classical bulges and elliptical galaxies. Also, the half-light radius of pseudobulges is not correlated with any other bulge property. We also find a new correlation between surface brightness and pseudobulge luminosity; pseudobulges become more luminous as they become more dense.
Knowledge of the bulk Lorentz factor {Gamma}_0_ of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) allows us to compute their comoving frame properties shedding light on their physics. Upon collisions with the circumburst matter, the fireball of a GRB starts to decelerate, producing a peak or a break (depending on the circumburst density profile) in the light curve of the afterglow. Considering all bursts with known redshift and with an early coverage of their emission, we find 67 GRBs (including one short event) with a peak in their optical or GeV light curves at a time t_p_. For another 106 GRBs we set an upper limit t_p_^UL^. The measure of t_p_ provides the bulk Lorentz factor {Gamma}_0_ of the fireball before deceleration. We show that t_p_ is due to the dynamics of the fireball deceleration and not to the passage of a characteristic frequency of the synchrotron spectrum across the optical band. Considering the t_p_ of 66 long GRBs and the 85 most constraining upper limits, we estimate {Gamma}_0_ or a lower limit {Gamma}_0_^LL^. Using censored data analysis methods, we reconstruct the most likely distribution of t_p_. All t_p_ are larger than the time T_p,{gamma}_ when the prompt {gamma}-ray emission peaks, and are much larger than the time T_ph_ when the fireball becomes transparent, that is, t_p_>T_p,{gamma}_>T_ph_. The reconstructed distribution of {Gamma}_0_ has median value ~300 (150) for a uniform (wind) circumburst density profile. In the comoving frame, long GRBs have typical isotropic energy, luminosity, and peak energy <E_iso_>=3(8)x10^50^erg, <L_iso_>=3(15)x10^47^erg/s, and <E_peak_>=1(2)keV in the homogeneous (wind) case. We confirm that the significant correlations between {Gamma}_0_ and the rest frame isotropic energy (E_iso_), luminosity (L_iso_), and peak energy (E_p_) are not due to selection effects. When combined, they lead to the observed E_p_-E_iso_ and E_p_-L_iso_ correlations. Finally, assuming a typical opening angle of 5 degrees, we derive the distribution of the jet baryon loading which is centered around a few 10^-6^M_{\sun}_.
Helioseismology and asteroseismology of red giant stars have shown that distribution of angular momentum in stellar interiors, and the evolution of this distribution with time remains an open issue in stellar physics. Owing to the unprecedented quality and long baseline of Kepler photometry, we are able to seismically infer internal rotation rates in {gamma} Doradus stars, which provide the main-sequence counterpart to the red-giants puzzle. Here, we confront these internal rotation rates to stellar evolution models which account for rotationally induced transport of angular momentum, in order to test angular momentum transport mechanisms. On the one hand, we used a stellar model-independent method developed by our team in order to obtain accurate, seismically inferred, buoyancy radii and near-core rotation for 37 {gamma} Doradus stars observed by Kepler. We show that the stellar buoyancy radius can be used as a reliable evolution indicator for field stars on the main sequence. On the other hand, we computed rotating evolutionary models of intermediate-mass stars including internal transport of angular momentum in radiative zones, following the formalism developed in the series of papers started by Zahn (1992A&A...265..115Z), with the cestam code. This code calculates the rotational history of stars from the birth line to the tip of the RGB. The initial angular momentum content has to be set initially, which is done here by fitting rotation periods in young stellar clusters. We show a clear disagreement between the near-core rotation rates measured in the sample and the rotation rates obtained from the evolutionary models including rotationally induced transport of angular momentum following Zahn's prescriptions. These results show a disagreement similar to that of the Sun and red giant stars in the considered mass range. This suggests the existence of missing mechanisms responsible for the braking of the core before and along the main sequence. The efficiency of the missing mechanisms is investigated. The transport of angular momentum as formalized by Zahn and Maeder cannot explain the measurements of near-core rotation in main-sequence intermediate-mass stars we have at hand.
We present the initial results of a 40 night contiguous ground-based campaign of time series photometric observations of a 1.39deg^2^ field located within the NASA Kepler Mission field of view. The goal of this pre-launch survey was to search for transiting extrasolar planets and to provide independent variability information of stellar sources. We have gathered a data set containing light curves of 54,687 stars from which we have created a statistical sub-sample of 13,786 stars between 14<r<18.5 and have statistically examined each light curve to test for variability. We present a summary of our preliminary photometric findings including the overall level and content of stellar variability in this portion of the Kepler field and give some examples of unusual variable stars found within. We present a preliminary catalog of 2,457 candidate variable stars, of which 776 show signs of periodicity. We also present three potential exoplanet candidates, all of which should be observable by the Kepler mission.
Several gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) last much longer (~hours) in {gamma}-rays than typical long GRBs (~minutes), and it has recently been proposed that these "ultra-long GRBs" may form a distinct population, probably with a different (e.g., blue supergiant) progenitor than typical GRBs. However, Swift observations suggest that many GRBs have extended central engine activities manifested as flares and internal plateaus in X-rays. We perform a comprehensive study on a large sample of Swift GRBs with X-Ray Telescope observations to investigate GRB central engine activity duration and to determine whether ultra-long GRBs are unusual events. We define burst duration t_burst_ based on both {gamma}-ray and X-ray light curves rather than using {gamma}-ray observations alone. We find that t_burst_can be reliably measured in 343 GRBs. Within this "good" sample, 21.9% GRBs have t_burst_>~10^3^ s and 11.5% GRBs have t_burst_>~10^4^ s. There is an apparent bimodal distribution of t_burst_ in this sample. However, when we consider an "undetermined" sample (304 GRBs) with t_burst_ possibly falling in the gap between GRB duration T_90_ and the first X-ray observational time, as well as a selection effect against t_burst_ falling into the first Swift orbital "dead zone" due to observation constraints, the intrinsic underlying t_burst_ distribution is consistent with being a single component distribution. We found that the existing evidence for a separate ultra-long GRB population is inconclusive, and further multi-wavelength observations are needed to draw a firmer conclusion. We also discuss the theoretical implications of our results. In particular, the central engine activity duration of GRBs is generally much longer than the {gamma}-ray T_90_ duration and it does not even correlate with T_90_. It would be premature to make a direct connection between T_90_ and the size of the progenitor star.
We present CCD photometry and proper motion studies of the two open star clusters NGC 1960 (M 36) and NGC 2194. Fitting isochrones to the colour magnitude diagrams, for NGC 1960 we found an age of 16Myr and a distance of roughly 1300 pc and for NGC 2194 550Myr and 2900pc, respectively. We combined membership determination by proper motions and statistical field star subtraction to derive the initial mass function of the clusters and found slopes of -1.23+/-0.17 for NGC 1960 and -1.33+/-0.29 for NGC 2194. Compared to other IMF studies of the intermediate mass range, these values indicate shallow mass functions. These tables present the complete data of the photometry (Tables 2 and 3) and the proper motion studies (Tables 7 and 9) of the two clusters.
The properties of the early-type stars in the core of the Westerlund 2 cluster are examined in order to establish a link between the cluster and the very massive Wolf-Rayet binary WR20a as well as the H II complex RCW 49. Photometric monitoring as well as spectroscopic observations of Westerlund 2 are used to search for light variability and to establish the spectral types of the early-type stars in the cluster core. The first light curves of the eclipsing binary WR 20a in B and V filters are analysed and a distance of 8kpc is inferred. Three additional eclipsing binaries, which are probable late O or early B-type cluster members, are discovered, but none of the known early O-type stars in the cluster displays significant photometric variability above 1% at the 1-sigma level. The twelve brightest O-type stars are found to have spectral types between O3 and O6.5, significantly earlier than previously thought. The distance of the early-type stars in Westerlund 2 is established to be in excellent agreement with the distance of WR20a, indicating that WR20a actually belongs to the cluster. Our best estimate of the cluster distance thus amounts to 8.0+/-1.4kpc. Despite the earlier spectral types, the currently known population of early-type stars in Westerlund 2 does not provide enough ionizing photons to account for the radio emission of the RCW 49 complex. This suggests that there might still exist a number of embedded early O-stars in RCW49.
A study of 73 carbon-rich Miras (see Subsec. 6.1) with suitable solution for 56 stars at one or several phase of their variations. In the second part, preliminary and incomplete results are reported for 17 additional Miras observed at only one phase. Table 5 contains our HC-CV-classification (see text) for the stars and their colour excess E(B-V) as determined by the method described in Subsec. 2.2.
We have used precise photometric and high-dispersion spectroscopic observations to study 11 gamma Doradus stars, 10 of them newly confirmed. Only five of these 11 gamma Doradus stars appear to be single; two are primaries of double-lined spectroscopic binaries, one is the secondary of a double-lined binary, two are primaries of visual binaries and, in the case of the double-lined binary (HD 86371), either or both components could be a pulsating gamma Doradus star. We have determined a preliminary orbital period of 5.32 days for the double-lined binary HD 41547. Several of the stars show spectroscopic line-profile and low-amplitude radial velocity variability indicative of pulsation. All 11 stars are photometrically variable with amplitudes between 4 and 94 mmag in Johnson B and periods between 0.38 and 1.86 days. The 11 stars have between two and five independent periods.