- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/818/153
- Title:
- MEarth photometry: nearby M-dwarf magnitudes
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/818/153
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The MEarth Project is a photometric survey systematically searching the smallest stars near the Sun for transiting rocky planets. Since 2008, MEarth has taken approximately two million images of 1844 stars suspected to be mid-to-late M dwarfs. We have augmented this survey by taking nightly exposures of photometric standard stars and have utilized this data to photometrically calibrate the MEarth system, identify photometric nights, and obtain an optical magnitude with 1.5% precision for each M dwarf system. Each optical magnitude is an average over many years of data, and therefore should be largely immune to stellar variability and flaring. We combine this with trigonometric distance measurements, spectroscopic metallicity measurements, and 2MASS infrared magnitude measurements in order to derive a color-magnitude-metallicity relation across the mid-to-late M dwarf spectral sequence that can reproduce spectroscopic metallicity determinations to a precision of 0.1 dex. We release optical magnitudes and metallicity estimates for 1567 M dwarfs, many of which did not have an accurate determination of either prior to this work. For an additional 277 stars without a trigonometric parallax, we provide an estimate of the distance, assuming solar neighborhood metallicity. We find that the median metallicity for a volume-limited sample of stars within 20pc of the Sun is [Fe/H]=-0.03+/-0.008, and that 29/565 of these stars have a metallicity of [Fe/H]=-0.5 or lower, similar to the low-metallicity distribution of nearby G dwarfs. When combined with the results of ongoing and future planet surveys targeting these objects, the metallicity estimates presented here will be important for assessing the significance of any putative planet-metallicity correlation.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/635/A161
- Title:
- Measured atmospheric parameters of NGC6397 stars
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/635/A161
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Recent work has used spectra of ~5000 stars in NGC 6397 that were extracted from a MUSE mosaic to determine the atmospheric parameters for these stars by fitting the spectra against the Goettingen Spectral Library. A significant change in metallicity between the turn off and the red giant branch was found and was discussed as a possible manifestation of predicted effects of atomic diffusion. However, the small amplitude of the effect and inconsistency with earlier measurements call for more attention before this result is interpreted. Systematic effects due to the interpolation or to the synthetic spectra cannot be ruled out at this level of precision. We reanalyze the data with : the ELODIE and MILES reference libraries in order to assess the robustness of the result. These empirical libraries have a finer metallicity coverage down to approximately the cluster metallicity turn-off. Methods. We used the ULySS full-spectrum fitting package, together with the library interpolators to remeasure the three atmospheric parameters effective temperature, surface gravity, and [Fe/H] metallicity. We find a very low [Fe/H] dispersion along the isochrone (0.07dex), consistent with our error estimate (0.05dex). However, the [Fe/H] trend is not reproducible. This shows that the data have the potential to reveal patterns of the magnitude of the expected physical effects, but the analysis methods need to be refined to cull systematic effects that currently dominate the patterns.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/572/A88
- Title:
- Measured equivalent widths for Fornax RGB stars
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/572/A88
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Fornax is one of the most massive dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Local Group. The Fornax field star population is dominated by intermediate age stars but star formation was going on over almost its entire history. It has been proposed that Fornax experienced a minor merger event. Despite recent progress, only the high metallicity end of Fornax field stars ([Fe/H]>-1.2dex) has been sampled in larger number via high resolution spectroscopy. We want to better understand the full chemical evolution of this galaxy by better sampling the whole metallicity range, including more metal poor stars. We use the VLT-FLAMES multi-fibre spectrograph in high-resolution mode to determine the abundances of several alpha, iron-peak and neutron-capture elements in a sample of 47 individual Red Giant Branch stars in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. We combine these abundances with accurate age estimates derived from the age probability distribution from the colour-magnitude diagram of Fornax. Similar to other dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the old, metal-poor stars of Fornax are typically alpha-rich while the young metal-rich stars are alpha-poor. In the classical scenario of the time delay between Type II (SNe II) and Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia), we confirm that SNe Ia started to contribute to the chemical enrichment at [Fe/H] between -2.0 and -1.8dex. We find that the onset of SNe Ia took place between 12-10Gyrs ago. The high values of [Ba/Fe], [La/Fe] reflect the influence of SNe Ia and AGB stars in the abundance pattern of the younger stellar population of Fornax. Our findings of low [alpha/Fe] and enhanced [Eu/Mg] are compatible with an initial mass function that lacks the most massive stars and with star formation that kept going on throughout the whole history of Fornax. We find that massive stars kept enriching the interstellar medium in alpha-elements, although they were not the main contributor to the iron enrichment.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/434/966
- Title:
- Measurements of Li in T-Tauri stars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/434/966
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have used medium-resolution spectra to search for evidence that proto-stellar objects accrete at high rates during their early 'assembly phase'. Models predict that depleted lithium and reduced luminosity in T-Tauri stars are key signatures of 'cold' high-rate accretion occurring early in a star's evolution. We found no evidence in 168 stars in NGC 2264 and the Orion nebula cluster for strong lithium depletion through analysis of veiling-corrected 6708{AA} lithium spectral line strengths. This suggests that 'cold' accretion at high rates (dM/dt>=5x10^-4^M_{sun}_/yr) occurs in the assembly phase of fewer than 0.5 percent of 0.3<=M*<=1.9M_{sun}_ stars. We also find that the dispersion in the strength of the 6708{AA} lithium line might imply an age spread that is similar in magnitude to the apparent age spread implied by the luminosity dispersion seen in colour-magnitude diagrams. Evidence for weak lithium depletion (<10% in equivalent width) that is correlated with luminosity is also apparent, but we are unable to determine whether age spreads or accretion at rates less than 5x10^-4^M_{sun}_/yr are responsible.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/643/A71
- Title:
- Members for 20 open clusters
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/643/A71
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Previous studies of open clusters have shown that lithium depletion is not only strongly age dependent but also shows a complex pattern with other parameters that is not yet understood. For pre- and main-sequence late-type stars, these parameters include metallicity, mixing mechanisms, convection structure, rotation, and magnetic activity. We perform a thorough membership analysis for a large number of stars observed within the Gaia-ESO survey (GES) in the field of 20 open clusters, ranging in age from young clusters and associations, to intermediate-age and old open clusters. Based on the parameters derived from the GES spectroscopic observations, we obtained lists of candidate members for each of the clusters in the sample by deriving RV distributions and studying the position of the kinematic selections in the EW(Li) versus Teff plane to obtain lithium members. We used gravity indicators to discard field contaminants and studied [Fe/H] metallicity to further confirm the membership of the candidates. We also made use of studies using recent data from the Gaia DR1 and DR2 releases to assess our member selections. We identified likely member candidates for the sample of 20 clusters observed in GES (iDR4) with UVES and GIRAFFE, and conducted a comparative study that allowed us to characterize the properties of these members, as well as identify field contaminant stars, both lithium-rich giants and non-giant outliers. This work is the first step towards the calibration of the lithium-age relation and its dependence on other GES parameters. During this project we aim to use this relation to infer the ages of GES field stars, and identify their potential membership to young associations and stellar kinematic groups of different ages.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/659/A85
- Title:
- Membership and lithium of young clusters
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/659/A85
- Date:
- 10 Mar 2022 07:23:16
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- It is now well known that pre-main sequence models with inflated radii should be taken into account to simultaneously reproduce the colour-magnitude diagram and the lithium depletion pattern observed in young open star clusters. We test a new set of pre-main sequence models including radius inflation due to the presence of starspots or to magnetic inhibition of convection, using five clusters observed by the Gaia-ESO Survey, spanning the age range ~10-100Myr where such effects could be important. The Gaia-ESO Survey radial velocities are combined with astrometry from Gaia EDR3 to obtain clean lists of high-probability members for the five clusters. A Bayesian maximum likelihood method is adopted to fit the observed cluster sequences to theoretical predictions to derive the best model parameters and the cluster reddening and age. Models are calculated with different values of the mixing length parameter ({alpha}_ML_=2.0, 1.5 and 1.0), for the cases with no spots or with effective spot coverage {beta}_spot_=0.2 and 0.4. The models are also compared with the observed lithium depletion patterns. To reproduce the colour-magnitude diagram and the observed lithium depletion pattern in Gamma Vel A and B and in 25 Ori one needs to assume both a reduced convection efficiency, with {alpha}_ML_=1.0, and an effective surface spot coverage of about 20%. We obtained ages of 18^+1.5^_-4.0_ Myr and 21^+3.5^_-3.0_ Myr for Gamma Vel A and B, respectively, and 19^+1.5^_-7.0_ Myr for 25 Ori. However, a single isochrone is not sufficient to account for the lithium dispersion, and an increasing level of spot coverage as mass decreases seems to be required. On the other hand, the older clusters (NGC 2451B at 30^+3.0^_-5.0_Myr, NGC 2547 at 35^+4.0^_-4.0_Myr, and NGC 2516 at 138^+48^_-42_Myr) are consistent with standard models, with {alpha}_ML_=2.0 and no spots, except at low masses: a 20% spot coverage appears to better reproduce the sequence of M-type stars and might explain the observed spread in lithium abundances. The quality of Gaia-ESO data combined with Gaia allows us to gain important insights on pre-main sequence evolution. Models including starspots can provide a consistent explanation of the cluster sequences and lithium abundances observed in young clusters, although a range of starspot coverage is required to fully reproduce the data.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/461/509
- Title:
- Membership and spectroscopy of IC 2391
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/461/509
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Young open clusters provide important clues to the interface between the main sequence and pre-main-sequence phases of stellar evolution. The young and nearby open cluster IC 2391 is well-suited to studies of these two evolutionary phases. We establish a bona fide set of cluster members and then analyze this set in terms of binary frequency, projected rotational velocities, [Fe/H], and lithium abundance. In the wake of the Hipparcos distance controversy for the Pleiades, we compare the main-sequence fitting distance modulus to the Hipparcos mean parallax for IC 2391.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/130/1065
- Title:
- Members of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/130/1065
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The results of a wide-field survey of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy are presented. Our aims were to obtain an accurate map of the outer structure of Sculptor and to determine the level of interaction between this system and the Galaxy. Photometry was obtained in two colors down to the magnitude limits of V=20 and I=19, covering a 3.1{deg}x3.1{deg} area centered on Sculptor.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/838/11
- Title:
- Member stars in the MW satellite Tucana III
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/838/11
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy of the recently discovered Milky Way satellite Tucana III (Tuc III). We identify 26 member stars in Tuc III from which we measure a mean radial velocity of v_hel_=-102.3+/-0.4(stat.)+/-2.0(sys.)km/s, a velocity dispersion of 0.1_-0.1_^+0.7^km/s, and a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]=-2.42_-0.08_^+0.07^. The upper limit on the velocity dispersion is {sigma}<1.5km/s at 95.5% confidence, and the corresponding upper limit on the mass within the half-light radius of Tuc III is 9.0x10^4^M_{sun}_. We cannot rule out mass-to-light ratios as large as 240M_{sun}_/L_{sun}_ for Tuc III, but much lower mass-to-light ratios that would leave the system baryon-dominated are also allowed. We measure an upper limit on the metallicity spread of the stars in Tuc III of 0.19dex at 95.5% confidence. Tuc III has a smaller metallicity dispersion and likely a smaller velocity dispersion than any known dwarf galaxy, but a larger size and lower surface brightness than any known globular cluster. Its metallicity is also much lower than those of the clusters with similar luminosity. We therefore tentatively suggest that Tuc III is the tidally stripped remnant of a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy, but additional precise velocity and metallicity measurements will be necessary for a definitive classification. If Tuc III is indeed a dwarf galaxy, it is one of the closest external galaxies to the Sun. Because of its proximity, the most luminous stars in Tuc III are quite bright, including one star at V=15.7 that is the brightest known member star of an ultra-faint satellite.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/877/13
- Title:
- Member stars of the GD-1 tidal stream
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/877/13
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- With the photometric data from the SDSS survey, the spectroscopic data from the SDSS/SEGUE and the LAMOST surveys, and the astrometric data from the Gaia DR2, we have identified 67 highly probable member stars of the GD-1 cold stellar stream spread along almost its entire length (i.e., from 126{deg} to 203{deg} in R.A.). With the accurate spectroscopic (i.e., metallicity and line-of-sight velocity) and astrometric (i.e., proper motions) information, the position-velocity diagrams, i.e., {phi}_1_-{mu}_{alpha}_, {phi}_1_-{mu}_{delta}_, and {phi}_1_-v_gsr_, of the GD-1 stream are well mapped. The stream has an average metallicity [Fe/H]=-1.96. The rich information of member stars of the stream now available allow one not only to model its origin, but also to place strong constraints on the mass distribution and the gravitational potential of the Milky Way.
