Young, intermediate-mass stars are experiencing renewed interest as targets for direct-imaging planet searches. However, these types of stars are part of multiple systems more often than not. Close stellar companions affect the formation and orbital architecture of planetary systems, and the properties of the companions can help constrain the binary formation mechanism. Unfortunately, close companions are difficult and expensive to detect with imaging techniques. In this paper, we describe the direct spectral detection method wherein a high-resolution spectrum of the primary is cross-correlated against a template for a companion star. Variants of this method have previously been used to search for stellar, brown dwarf, and even planetary companions. We show that the direct spectral detection method can detect companions as late as M-type orbiting A0 or earlier primary stars in a single epoch on small-aperture telescopes. In addition to estimating the detection limits, we determine the sources of uncertainty in characterizing the companion temperature, and find that large systematic biases can exist. After calibrating the systematic biases with synthetic binary star observations, we apply the method to a sample of 34 known binary systems with an A- or B-type primary star. We detect nine total companions, including four of the five known companions with literature temperatures between 4000K<T<6000K, the temperature range for which our method is optimized. We additionally characterize the companion for the first time in two previously single-lined binary systems and one binary identified with speckle interferometry. This method provides an inexpensive way to use small-aperture telescopes to detect binary companions with moderate mass ratios, and is competitive with high-resolution imaging techniques inside ~100-200mas.
Binary stars and higher-order multiple systems are a ubiquitous outcome of star formation, especially as the system mass increases. The companion mass-ratio distribution is a unique probe into the conditions of the collapsing cloud core and circumstellar disk(s) of the binary fragments. Inside a~1000AU the disks from the two forming stars can interact, and additionally companions can form directly through disk fragmentation. We should, therefore, expect the mass-ratio distribution of close companions (a<~100AU) to differ from that of wide companions. This prediction is difficult to test using traditional methods, in particular, with intermediate-mass primary stars, for a variety of observational reasons. We present the results of a survey searching for companions to A- and B-type stars using the direct spectral detection method, which is sensitive to late-type companions within ~1'' of the primary and which has no inner working angle. We estimate the temperatures and surface gravity of most of the 341 sample stars and derive their masses and ages. We additionally estimate the temperatures and masses of the 64 companions we find, 23 of which are new detections. We find that the mass-ratio distribution for our sample has a maximum near q~0.3. Our mass-ratio distribution has a very different form than in previous works, where it is usually well-described by a power law, and indicates that close companions to intermediate-mass stars experience significantly different accretion histories or formation mechanisms than wide companions.
Spectroscopy of bright M dwarfs in the northern sky
Short Name:
J/AJ/145/102
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a spectroscopic catalog of the 1564 brightest (J<9) M dwarf candidates in the northern sky, as selected from the SUPERBLINK proper motion catalog. Observations confirm 1408 of the candidates to be late-K and M dwarfs with spectral subtypes K7-M6. From the low ({mu}>40mas/yr) proper motion limit and high level of completeness of the SUPERBLINK catalog in that magnitude range, we estimate that our spectroscopic census most likely includes >90% of all existing, northern-sky M dwarfs with apparent magnitude J<9. Only 682 stars in our sample are listed in the Third Catalog of Nearby Stars (CNS3); most others are relative unknowns and have spectroscopic data presented here for the first time. Spectral subtypes are assigned based on spectral index measurements of CaH and TiO molecular bands; a comparison of spectra from the same stars obtained at different observatories, however, reveals that spectral band index measurements are dependent on spectral resolution, spectrophotometric calibration, and other instrumental factors. As a result, we find that a consistent classification scheme requires that spectral indices be calibrated and corrected for each observatory/instrument used. After systematic corrections and a recalibration of the subtype-index relationships for the CaH2, CaH3, TiO5, and TiO6 spectral indices, we find that we can consistently and reliably classify all our stars to a half-subtype precision. The use of corrected spectral indices further requires us to recalibrate the {zeta} parameter, a metallicity indicator based on the ratio of TiO and CaH optical bandheads. However, we find that our {zeta} values are not sensitive enough to diagnose metallicity variations in dwarfs of subtypes M2 and earlier (+/-0.5dex accuracy) and are only marginally useful at later M3-M5 subtypes (+/-0.2dex accuracy). Fits of our spectra to the Phoenix atmospheric model grid are used to estimate effective temperatures. These suggest the existence of a plateau in the M1-M3 subtype range, in agreement with model fits of infrared spectra but at odds with photometric determinations of T_eff_. Existing geometric parallax measurements are extracted from the literature for 624 stars, and are used to determine spectroscopic and photometric distances for all the other stars. Active dwarfs are identified from measurements of H{alpha} equivalent widths, and we find a strong correlation between H{alpha} emission in M dwarfs and detected X-ray emission from ROSAT and/or a large UV excess in the GALEX point source catalog. We combine proper motion data and photometric distances to evaluate the (U, V, W) distribution in velocity space, which is found to correlate tightly with the velocity distribution of G dwarfs in the solar neighborhood. However, active stars show a smaller dispersion in their space velocities, which is consistent with those stars being younger on average. Our catalog will be most useful to guide the selection of the best M dwarf targets for exoplanet searches, in particular those using high-precision radial velocity measurements.
Using a sample of 43 bright (V<16.1, distance <13kpc) RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) from the QUasar Equatorial Survey with spectroscopic radial velocities and metallicities, we find that several separate halo substructures contribute to the Virgo overdensity (VOD). While there is little evidence of a halo substructure in the spatial distribution of these stars, their distribution in radial velocity reveals two moving groups. These results are reinforced when the sample is combined with a sample of blue horizontal branch stars that were identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the combined sample provides evidence for one additional moving group.
We present constraints on the thermodynamical structure of the chromosphere from ground-based observations of the CaII H line profile near and off the solar limb.
Previous studies have found that ~1deg^2^ fields surrounding the stellar aggregates in the Taurus star-forming region exhibit a surplus of solar-mass stars relative to denser clusters like IC 348 and the Orion Nebula Cluster. To test whether this difference reflects mass segregation in Taurus or a variation in the initial mass function, we have performed a survey for members of Taurus across a large field (~40deg^2^) that was imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We obtained optical and near-infrared spectra of candidate members identified with those images and the Two Micron All Sky Survey, as well as miscellaneous candidates that were selected with several other diagnostics of membership. We have classified 22 of the candidates as new members of Taurus, which includes one of the coolest known members (M9.75). Our updated census of members within the SDSS field shows a surplus of solar-mass stars relative to clusters, although it is less pronounced than in the smaller fields toward the stellar aggregates that were surveyed for previously measured mass functions in Taurus. In addition to spectra of our new members, we include in our study near-IR spectra of roughly half of the known members of Taurus, which are used to refine their spectral types and extinctions. We also present an updated set of near-IR standard spectra for classifying young stars and brown dwarfs at M and L types.
We have completed an optical spectroscopic survey of a sample of candidate young stars in the Serpens Main star-forming region selected from deep B, V, and R band images. While infrared, X-ray, and optical surveys of the cloud have identified many young stellar objects (YSOs), these surveys have been biased toward particular stages of pre-main sequence evolution. We have obtained over 700 moderate resolution optical spectra that, when combined with published data, have led to the identification of 63 association members based on the presence of H{alpha} in emission, lithium absorption, X-ray emission, a mid-infrared excess, and/or reflection nebulosity. Twelve YSOs are identified based on the presence of lithium absorption alone. An additional 16 objects are classified as possible association members and their pre-main sequence nature is in need of confirmation. Spectral types along with V and R band photometry were used to derive effective temperatures and bolometric luminosities for association members to compare with theoretical tracks and isochrones for pre-main sequence stars. An average age of 2Myr is derived for this population. When compared to simulations, there is no obvious evidence for an age spread when considering the major sources of uncertainties in the derived luminosities. However when compared to the young cluster in Ophiuchus, the association members in Serpens appear to have a larger spread in luminosities and hence ages which could be intrinsic to the region or the result of a foreground population of YSOs associated with the Aquila Rift. Modeling of the spectral energy distributions from optical through mid-infrared wavelengths has revealed three new transition disk objects, making a total of six in the cluster. Echelle spectra for a subset of these sources enabled estimates of vsini for seven association members. Analysis of gravity-sensitive lines in the echelle and moderate resolution spectra of the association members indicate surface gravities consistent with dwarf or sub-giant stars.
Solar-type protostars have been shown to harbor highly deuterated complex organics as for example witnessed by the high relative abundances of doubly and triply deuterated isotopologs. While this degree of deuteration may provide important clues to the formation of these species, spectroscopic information on multiply deuterated isotopologs is often insufficient. In particular, searches for triply deuterated methanol, CD_3_OH, are hampered to a large extent by the lack of intensity information from a spectroscopic model. The aim of the present study is to develop a spectroscopic model of CD_3_OH in low-lying torsional states sufficiently accurate to facilitate further searches for CD_3_OH in space. We have performed a new measurement campaign for CD_3_OH involving three spectroscopic laboratories which covers the 34GHz-1.1THz and the 20-900cm^-1^ ranges. The analysis was perfomed using the rho-axis-method torsion- rotation Hamiltonian model. We determined a model that describes the ground and first excited torsional states of CD_3_OH up to quantum numbers J<=55 and K<=23, and derived a line list for radio-astronomical observations. The resulting line list is accurate up to at least 1.1THz and should be sufficient for all types of radio-astronomical searches for this methanol isotopolog. This line list was used to search for CD_3_OH in data from the Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey of IRAS 16293-2422 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. CD_3_OH is securely detected in the data with a large number of clearly separated and well-reproduced lines. We detected not only lines belonging to the ground torsional state, but also several belonging to the first excited torsional state. The derived column density of CD_3_OH and abundance relative to non-deuterated isotopolog confirm the significant enhancement of this multiply deuterated variant. This is in line with other observations of multiply deuterated complex organic molecules and may serve as an important constraint on models for their formation.
This paper reports on the spectroscopic investigation of 238 Cepheids in the northern sky. Of these stars, about 150 are new to the study of the galactic abundance gradient. These new Cepheids bring the total number of Cepheids involved in abundance distribution studies to over 400. In this work, we also consider systematics between various studies and also those which result from the choice of models.
Thioformamide NH_2_CHS is a sulfur-bearing analog of formamide NH_2_CHO. The latter was detected in the interstellar medium back in the 1970s. Most of the sulfur-containing molecules detected in the interstellar medium are analogs of corresponding oxygen-containing compounds. Therefore, thioformamide is an interesting candidate for a search in the interstellar medium. A previous study of the rotational spectrum of thioformamide was limited to frequencies below 70GHz and to transitions with J<=3. The aim of this study is to provide accurate spectroscopic parameters and rotational transition frequencies for thioformamide to enable astronomical searches for this molecule using radio telescope arrays at millimeter wavelengths. The rotational spectrum of thioformamide was measured and analyzed in the frequency range 150 to 660GHz using the Lille spectrometer. We searched for thioformamide toward the high-mass star-forming region Sagittarius (Sgr) B2(N) using the ReMoCA spectral line survey carried out with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Accurate rigid rotor and centrifugal distortion constants were obtained from the analysis of the ground state of parent, ^34^S, ^13^C, and ^15^N singly substituted isotopic species of thioformamide. In addition, for the parent isotopolog, the lowest two excited vibrational states, v_12_=1 and v_9_=1, were analyzed using a model that takes Coriolis coupling into account. Thioformamide was not detected toward the hot cores Sgr B2(N1S) and Sgr B2(N2). The sensitive upper limits indicate that thioformamide is nearly three orders of magnitude at least less abundant than formamide. This is markedly different from methanethiol, which is only about two orders of magnitude less abundant than methanol in both sources. The different behavior shown by methanethiol versus thioformamide may be caused by the preferential formation of the latter (on grains) at late times and low temperatures, when CS abundances are depressed. This reduces the thioformamide-to- formamide ratio, because the HCS radical is not as readily available under these conditions.