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A multiwavelength investigation of the temperature of the cold neutral medium
We present measurements of the HI spin temperatures (Ts) ofthe cold neutral medium (CNM) towards radio sources that are closelyaligned with stars for which published H2 ortho-paratemperatures (T01) are available from ultraviolet (UV)observations. Our sample consists of 18 radio sources close to 16 nearbystars. The transverse separation of the lines of sight of thecorresponding UV and radio observations varies from 0.1 to 12.0 pc atthe distance of the star. The UV measurements do not have velocityinformation, so we use the velocities of low ionization species (e.g.NaI/KI/CI) observed towards these same stars to make a plausibleidentification of the CNM corresponding to the H2 absorption.We then find that T01 and Ts match withinobservational uncertainties for lines of sight with H2 columndensity above 1015.8cm-2, but deviate from eachother below this threshold. This is consistent with the expectation thatin the CNM Ts tracks the kinetic temperature due tocollisions and that T01 is driven towards the kinetictemperature by proton exchange reactions.
| Evolution of magnetic fields in stars across the upper main sequence: I. Catalogue of magnetic field measurements with FORS 1 at the VLT
To properly understand the physics of Ap and Bp stars it is particularlyimportant to identify the origin of their magnetic fields. For that, anaccurate knowledge of the evolutionary state of stars that have ameasured magnetic field is an important diagnostic. Previous resultsbased on a small and possibly biased sample suggest that thedistribution of magnetic stars with mass below 3 M_ȯ in the H-Rdiagram differs from that of normal stars in the same mass range (Hubriget al. 2000). In contrast, higher mass magnetic Bp stars may well occupythe whole main-sequence width (Hubrig, Schöller & North 2005b).In order to rediscuss the evolutionary state of upper main sequencemagnetic stars, we define a larger and bias-free sample of Ap and Bpstars with accurate Hipparcos parallaxes and reliably determinedlongitudinal magnetic fields. We used FORS 1 at the VLT in itsspectropolarimetric mode to measure the magnetic field in chemicallypeculiar stars where it was unknown or poorly known as yet. In thisfirst paper we present our results of the mean longitudinal magneticfield measurements in 136 stars. Our sample consists of 105 Ap and Bpstars, two PGa stars, 17 HgMn stars, three normal stars, and nine SPBstars. A magnetic field was for the first time detected in 57 Ap and Bpstars, in four HgMn stars, one PGa star, one normal B-type star and fourSPB stars.
| Evolutionary state of magnetic chemically peculiar stars
Context: .The photospheres of about 5-10% of the upper main sequencestars exhibit remarkable chemical anomalies. Many of these chemicallypeculiar (CP) stars have a global magnetic field, the origin of which isstill a matter of debate. Aims: .We present a comprehensivestatistical investigation of the evolution of magnetic CP stars, aimedat providing constraints to the theories that deal with the origin ofthe magnetic field in these stars. Methods: .We have collectedfrom the literature data for 150 magnetic CP stars with accurateHipparcos parallaxes. We have retrieved from the ESO archive 142 FORS1observations of circularly polarized spectra for 100 stars. From thesespectra we have measured the mean longitudinal magnetic field, anddiscovered 48 new magnetic CP stars (five of which belonging to the rareclass of rapidly oscillating Ap stars). We have determined effectivetemperature and luminosity, then mass and position in the H-R diagramfor a final sample of 194 magnetic CP stars. Results: .We foundthat magnetic stars with M > 3 ~M_ȯ are homogeneouslydistributed along the main sequence. Instead, there are statisticalindications that lower mass stars (especially those with M ≤2~M_ȯ) tend to concentrate in the centre of the main sequence band.We show that this inhomogeneous age distribution cannot be attributed tothe effects of random errors and small number statistics. Our datasuggest also that the surface magnetic flux of CP stars increases withstellar age and mass, and correlates with the rotation period. For starswith M > 3~M_ȯ, rotation periods decrease with age in a wayconsistent with the conservation of the angular momentum, while for lessmassive magnetic CP stars an angular momentum loss cannot be ruledout. Conclusions: .The mechanism that originates and sustains themagnetic field in the upper main sequence stars may be different in CPstars of different mass.
| Forty Years of Spectroscopic Stellar Astrophysics in Japan
The development of Japanese spectroscopic stellar astrophysics in therecent 40 years is reviewed from an observational point of view. In thisarticle, the research activities are provisionally divided into fourfields: hot stars, hot emission-line (Be) stars, cool stars, and otherstars. Historical developments of the observational facilities atOkayama Astrophysical Observatory (spectrographs and detectors) are alsosummarized in connection with the progress in scientific researchactivities.
| Kappa-mechanism excitation of retrograde mixed modes in rotating B-type stars
I examine the stability of retrograde mixed modes in rotating B-typestars. These modes can be regarded as a hybrid between the Rossby modesthat arise from conservation of vorticity, and the Poincaré modesthat are gravity waves modified by the Coriolis force. Using anon-adiabatic pulsation code based around the traditional approximation,I find that the modes are unstable in mid- to late-B-type stars, as aresult of the same iron-bump opacity mechanism that is usuallyassociated with SPB and β Cep stars. At one-half of the criticalrotation rate, the instability for the modes with azimuthal orders m= 1to 4spans the spectral types B4 to A0. Inertial-frame periods of theunstable modes range from 100 days down to a fraction of a day, whilenormalized growth rates can reach in excess of 10-5.I discuss the relevance of these findings to SPB and pulsating Be stars,and to the putative Maia class of variable star. I also outline some ofthe questions raised by this discovery of a wholly new class ofpulsational instability in early-type stars.
| Interstellar 12C/13C ratios through CH^+λλ 3957,4232 absorption in local clouds: incomplete mixing in the ISM
The 12C/13C isotope ratio is a tracer of stellaryields and the efficiency of mixing in the ISM.12CH+/13CH+ is not affectedby interstellar chemistry, and is the most secure way of measuring12C/13C in the diffuse ISM.R=12C/13C is 90 in the solar system. Previousmeasurements of 12CH+λλ3957.7,4232.3and 13CH+λλ3958.2,4232.0 absorptiontoward nearby stars indicate some variations in12C/13C, with values ranging from 40 to 90suggesting inefficient mixing. Except for the cloud toward ζOph,these R values are strongly affected by noise. With UVES on the VLT wehave improved on the previous interstellar 12C/13Cmeasurements. The weighted 12C/13C ratio in thelocal ISM is 78.27 ± 1.83, while the weighted dispersion of ourmeasurements is 12.7, giving a 6.9σ scatter. Thus we report on a6.9σ detection of 16.2% root-mean-square variations in the carbonisotopic ratio on scales of ~100 pc: R= 74.7 ± 2.3 in theζOph cloud, while R = 88.6 ± 3.0 toward HD 152235 in theLupus clouds, R = 62.2 ± 5.3 towards HD 110432 in the Coalsack,and R = 98.9 ± 10.1 toward HD 170740. The observed variations in13C/12C are the first significant detection ofchemical heterogeneity in the local ISM.
| CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
We present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the 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/431/773
| Early-type stars in the Galactic halo from the Palomar-Green survey-III. Completion of a magnitude range limited sample
High-resolution (R~ 40000) echelle spectroscopic observations of 13high-latitude early-type stars are presented. These stars comprise thefinal part of a complete magnitude range limited sample based onlow-resolution spectroscopy of targets drawn from the Palomar-Greensurvey. The magnitude range under consideration is 13<=BPG<= 14.6, corresponding to an approximate distancelimit for main-sequence B-type objects of 5 <=d<= 40 kpc. Threestars are found to be apparently normal, young stars, based on theirpositions on the (Teff, log g) diagram, normal abundancepatterns and relatively large projected rotational velocities. A furtherstar, PG 1209+263, was found to belong to the chemically peculiar (CP)silicon star class of objects. The remainder are evolved subluminousstars lying on post-horizontal branch (post-HB) tracks, with theexception of PG 2120+062, which appears to be in a post-asymptotic giantbranch evolutionary stage. For the young stars in the sample, we havederived distance and age estimates through comparison of the atmosphericparameters with recent theoretical evolutionary models. We discussformation scenarios by comparing times-of-flight and evolutionarytime-scales. It is found that all stars could have formed in theGalactic disc and been ejected from there soon after their birth, withthe exception of PG 1209+263. The adopted proper motion is found to be acrucial factor in the kinematical analysis. We also present some numberdensities for young B-type halo stars, which indicate that they areextremely scarce objects.
| Reanalysis of Copernicus Measurements of Interstellar Carbon Monoxide
We used archival data acquired with Copernicus to reexamine CO columndensities, as self-consistent oscillator strengths are now available.Our focus is on lines of sight containing modest amounts of molecularspecies. Our resulting column densities are small enough thatself-shielding from photodissociation does not occur in the cloudsprobed by the observations. While our sample shows that the columndensities of CO and H2 are related, no correspondence withthe CH column density is evident. The case for the CH+ columndensity is less clear. Recent chemical models for these sight linessuggest that CH is mainly a by-product of CH+ synthesis inlow-density gas. The models are most successful in reproducing theamounts of CO in the densest sight lines. Thus, much of the COabsorption must arise from denser clumps along the line of sight toaccount for the trend with H2.
| Interstellar Matter near the Pleiades. VI. Evidence for an Interstellar Three-Body Encounter
This paper seeks a comprehensive interpretation of new data on Na Iabsorption toward stars in and near the Pleiades, together with existingvisible and infrared data on the distribution of dust and with radiodata on H I and CO in the cluster vicinity. The use of dust and gasmorphology to constrain tangential motions in connection with themeasured radial velocities yields estimates for the space motion of gasnear the Pleiades. Much of the kinematic complexity in the interstellarabsorption toward the Pleiades, including the presence of stronglyblueshifted components that arise in shocked gas, finds explanation inthe interaction between the cluster and foreground gas withVr(LSR)~7 km s-1 associated with the Taurus dustclouds. Taurus gas, however, cannot readily account for an absorptioncomponent having Vr(LSR)~10 km s-1 with a wide,but not continuous distribution and 21 cm emission from gas in thecluster having Vr(LSR)~0 km s-1 associated witheast-west dust filaments. Successive hypotheses for the origin of theseadditional features include Taurus gas at a higher velocity than thepervasive foreground component, additional gas at a radial velocityintermediate between that of the Taurus component and the cluster, and acloud having Vr(LSR)~10 km s-1 approaching thePleiades from the west. A satisfactory account of the full complexity ofthe interstellar medium near the Pleiades requires the last feature andthe Taurus gas, both interacting with the Pleiades and also with eachother.
| The Pleiades Reflection Nebula. II. Simple Model Constraints on Dust Properties and Scattering Geometry
We have used wide-field ultraviolet, optical, and far-infraredphotometric images of Pleiades reflection nebulosity to analyze dustproperties and the three-dimensional nebular geometry. Scattered lightdata were taken from 1650 and 2200 Å Wide-Field Imaging SurveyPolarimeter images and a large 4400 Å mosaic of Burrell SchmidtCCD frames. Dust thermal emission maps were extracted from IRAS data.The scattering geometry analysis is complicated by the blending of lightfrom many stars and the likely presence of more than one scatteringlayer. Despite these complications, we conclude that most of thescattered light comes from dust in front of the stars in at least twoscattering layers, one far in front and extensive, the other nearer thestars and confined to areas of heavy nebulosity. The first layer can beapproximated as an optically thin, foreground slab whose line-of-sightseparation from the stars averages ~0.7 pc. The second layer is alsooptically thin in most locations and may lie at less than half theseparation of the first layer, perhaps with some material among orbehind the stars. The association of nebulosities peripheral to the maincondensation around the brightest stars is not clear. Models withstandard grain properties cannot account for the faintness of thescattered UV light relative to the optical. Some combination ofsignificant changes in grain model albedo and phase function asymmetryvalues is required. Our best-performing model has a UV albedo of0.22+/-0.07 and a scattering asymmetry of 0.74+/-0.06. Hypotheticaloptically thick dust clumps missed by interstellar sight linemeasurements have little effect on the nebular colors but might shiftthe interpretation of our derived scattering properties from individualgrains to the bulk medium.
| The Pleiades Reflection Nebula. I. Ultraviolet, Optical, and Far-Infrared Imaging Photometry
We present new wide-field optical and ultraviolet images of the Pleiadesreflection nebula that allow a more thorough evaluation of the dustscattering than any prior data set. Vacuum-UV images were taken at 1650and 2200 Å during the first flight of the Wide-Field ImagingSurvey Polarimeter (WISP), a sounding rocket-borne telescope. WISPcaptured the brighter parts of the nebula at both wavelengths, with 3σ sensitivities of 22.5 and 23.4 UV mag arcsec-2,respectively. The 5.0d×1.7d WISP field was also mapped at 4400Å with a mosaic of 40 Burrell Schmidt CCD frames using a broadbandBJ filter. The Schmidt mosaic shows extensive and intricatenebulosity down to a 5 σ sensitivity limit of 27.6 B magarcsec-2, including features undetected by photographicsurveys. We explore the intensity and color behavior of the nebula inour UV and optical images and far-infrared IRAS data. We find that thephotometric structure near bright stars is more complex than previousstudies have implied, but general trends are still apparent. The colorgradients around the stars are caused by phase function effects ratherthan internal reddening. The greater concentration of scattered lightversus thermal emission indicates that most of the observed scatteringis from foreground dust. A somewhat greater concentration of UV versusoptical light suggests grain scattering is more forward-directed atshorter wavelengths. The UV nebula is much fainter than expected fromthe stellar photometry and interstellar reddening. Explaining this UVfaintness requires either more reddening than is measured or significantalterations to current dust property estimates.
| Observations of Star-Forming Regions with the Midcourse Space Experiment
We have imaged seven nearby star-forming regions, the Rosette Nebula,the Orion Nebula, W3, the Pleiades, G300.2-16.8, S263, and G159.6-18.5,with the Spatial Infrared Imaging Telescope on the Midcourse SpaceExperiment (MSX) satellite at 18" resolution at 8.3, 12.1, 14.7, and21.3 μm. The large angular scale of the regions imaged (~7.2-50deg2) makes these data unique in terms of the combination ofsize and resolution. In addition to the star-forming regions, twocirrus-free fields (MSXBG 160 and MSXBG 161) and a field near the southGalactic pole (MSXBG 239) were also imaged. Point sources have beenextracted from each region, resulting in the identification over 500 newsources (i.e., no identified counterparts at other wavelengths), as wellas over 1300 with prior identifications. The extended emission from thestar-forming regions is described, and prominent structures areidentified, particularly in W3 and Orion. The Rosette Nebula isdiscussed in detail. The bulk of the mid-infrared emission is consistentwith that of photon-dominated regions, including the elephant trunkcomplex. The central clump, however, and a line of site toward thenorthern edge of the cavity show significantly redder colors than therest of the Rosette complex.
| Catalogue of averaged stellar effective magnetic fields. I. Chemically peculiar A and B type stars
This paper presents the catalogue and the method of determination ofaveraged quadratic effective magnetic fields < B_e > for 596 mainsequence and giant stars. The catalogue is based on measurements of thestellar effective (or mean longitudinal) magnetic field strengths B_e,which were compiled from the existing literature.We analysed the properties of 352 chemically peculiar A and B stars inthe catalogue, including Am, ApSi, He-weak, He-rich, HgMn, ApSrCrEu, andall ApSr type stars. We have found that the number distribution of allchemically peculiar (CP) stars vs. averaged magnetic field strength isdescribed by a decreasing exponential function. Relations of this typehold also for stars of all the analysed subclasses of chemicalpeculiarity. The exponential form of the above distribution function canbreak down below about 100 G, the latter value representingapproximately the resolution of our analysis for A type stars.Table A.1 and its references are only available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/407/631 and Tables 3 to 9are only available in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org
| Radial velocities of early-type stars in the Perseus OB2 association
We present radial velocities for 29 B- and A-type stars in the field ofthe nearby association Perseus OB2. The velocities are derived fromspectra obtained with AURELIE, via cross correlation with radialvelocity standards matched as closely as possible in spectral type. Theresulting accuracy is ~ 2-3 km s-1. We use thesemeasurements, together with published values for a few other early-typestars, to study membership of the association. The mean radial velocity(and measured velocity dispersion) of Per OB2 is 23.5 +/- 3.9 kms-1, and lies ~ 15 km s-1 away from the meanvelocity of the local disk field stars. We identify a number ofinterlopers in the list of possible late-B- and A-type members which wasbased on Hipparcos parallaxes and proper motions, and discuss thecolour-magnitude diagram of the association.Based on observations made at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (CNRS),France.
| Merged catalogue of reflection nebulae
Several catalogues of reflection nebulae are merged to create a uniformcatalogue of 913 objects. It contains revised coordinates,cross-identifications of nebulae and stars, as well as identificationswith IRAS point sources.The catalogue is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/399/141
| On the behavior of the Cii 4267.261, 6578.052 and 6582.882 Å lines in chemically peculiar and standard stars
With the aim of investigating the possible particular behavior of carbonin a sample of chemically peculiar stars of the main sequence withoutturning to modeling, we performed spectroscopic observations of threeimportant and usually prominent single ionized carbon lines: 4267.261,6578.052 and 6582.882 Å. In addition, we observed a large numberof standard stars in order to define a kind of normality strip, usefulfor comparing the observed trend for the peculiar stars. We paidparticular attention to the problem of the determination of fundamentalatmospheric parameters, especially for the chemically peculiar stars forwhich the abundance anomalies change the flux distribution in such a waythat the classical photometric methods to infer effective temperaturesand gravities parameter cannot be applied. Regarding CP stars, we founda normal carbon abundance in Hg-Mn, Si (with some exceptions) and Hestrong stars. He weak stars are normal too, but with a large spread outof the data around the mean value. A more complicated behavior has beennoted in the group of SrCrEu stars: four out of seven show a strongoverabundance, being the others normal.
| Rotational Velocities of B Stars
We measured the projected rotational velocities of 1092 northern B starslisted in the Bright Star Catalogue (BSC) and calibrated them againstthe 1975 Slettebak et al. system. We found that the published values ofB dwarfs in the BSC average 27% higher than those standards. Only 0.3%of the stars have rotational velocities in excess of two-thirds of thebreakup velocities, and the mean velocity is only 25% of breakup,implying that impending breakup is not a significant factor in reducingrotational velocities. For the B8-B9.5 III-V stars the bimodaldistribution in V can be explained by a set of slowly rotating Ap starsand a set of rapidly rotating normal stars. For the B0-B5 III-V starsthat include very few peculiar stars, the distributions in V are notbimodal. Are the low rotational velocities of B stars due to theoccurrence of frequent low-mass companions, planets, or disks? Therotational velocities of giants originating from late B dwarfs areconsistent with their conservation of angular momentum in shells.However, we are puzzled by why the giants that originate from the earlyB dwarfs, despite having 3 times greater radii, have nearly the samerotational velocities. We find that all B-type primaries in binarieswith periods less than 2.4 days have synchronized rotational and orbitalmotions; those with periods between 2.4 and 5.0 days are rotating withina factor 2 of synchronization or are ``nearly synchronized.'' Thecorresponding period ranges for A-type stars are 4.9 and 10.5 days, ortwice as large. We found that the rotational velocities of the primariesare synchronized earlier than their orbits are circularized. The maximumorbital period for circularized B binaries is 1.5 days and for Abinaries is 2.5 days. For stars of various ages from 107.5 to1010.2 yr the maximum circularized periods are a smoothexponential function of age.
| Investigation of Weakly Magnetic CP Stars. I
The magnetic fields of a sample of chemically peculiar stars, in whichthey had not been detected earlier, are reinvestigated on the basis ofour own measurements and literature data. Despite the considerablyhigher measurement accuracy, again no magnetic fields were detected inany of them. An upper limit on the field of HD 10221 of 40 G wasobtained. Despite the weakness of the fields, the parameterscharacterizing an anomaly in chemical composition correspond to thosefor strong fields. The same parameters in stars with strong fieldsgenerally correspond in value, although they are lower than expected inthe case of HD 47152.
| Computing the Parallax of the Pleiades from the Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometry Data: An Alternative Approach
The inconsistency between the mean parallax of the Pleidaes open clusterfrom the Hipparcos catalog and that obtained from the stellar evolutiontheory and photometric measurements is probed by recomputing theHipparcos data in a different way that reduces the propagation of thealong-scan attitude errors. This is achieved by coupling observations ofstars made nearly simultaneously in the two separate fields of view ofthe telescope. A direct calculation of astrometric quantities of 54Pleiades members by the new method, based on the Intermediate AstrometryData, provides a correction of -0.71+/-0.14 mas to the weighted meanparallax of the cluster. The mean corrected parallax of the Pleiades is7.75+/-0.20 mas.
| Rotational velocities of A-type stars in the northern hemisphere. II. Measurement of v sin i
This work is the second part of the set of measurements of v sin i forA-type stars, begun by Royer et al. (\cite{Ror_02a}). Spectra of 249 B8to F2-type stars brighter than V=7 have been collected at Observatoirede Haute-Provence (OHP). Fourier transforms of several line profiles inthe range 4200-4600 Å are used to derive v sin i from thefrequency of the first zero. Statistical analysis of the sampleindicates that measurement error mainly depends on v sin i and thisrelative error of the rotational velocity is found to be about 5% onaverage. The systematic shift with respect to standard values fromSlettebak et al. (\cite{Slk_75}), previously found in the first paper,is here confirmed. Comparisons with data from the literature agree withour findings: v sin i values from Slettebak et al. are underestimatedand the relation between both scales follows a linear law ensuremath vsin inew = 1.03 v sin iold+7.7. Finally, thesedata are combined with those from the previous paper (Royer et al.\cite{Ror_02a}), together with the catalogue of Abt & Morrell(\cite{AbtMol95}). The resulting sample includes some 2150 stars withhomogenized rotational velocities. Based on observations made atObservatoire de Haute Provence (CNRS), France. Tables \ref{results} and\ref{merging} are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.125.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/393/897
| The MAIA candidate star HD 208727
HD 208727 is a suspected member of the enigmatic MAIA variables andshows the largest yet observed amplitude in light variation for any ofthe potential members. Proven beyond doubt pulsation would pose aserious problem for stellar modelling and opacities, because eitheropacity source for driving pulsation has to be a different or newidentified, yet unkown, pulsation mechanism. We conclude from ourinvestigation that rotation is a more likely explanation for the lightvariability of HD 208727.
| CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
The Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.
| Astrometric radial velocities. III. Hipparcos measurements of nearby star clusters and associations
Radial motions of stars in nearby moving clusters are determined fromaccurate proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes, without any use ofspectroscopy. Assuming that cluster members share the same velocityvector (apart from a random dispersion), we apply a maximum-likelihoodmethod on astrometric data from Hipparcos to compute radial and spacevelocities (and their dispersions) in the Ursa Major, Hyades, ComaBerenices, Pleiades, and Praesepe clusters, and for theScorpius-Centaurus, alpha Persei, and ``HIP 98321'' associations. Theradial motion of the Hyades cluster is determined to within 0.4 kms-1 (standard error), and that of its individual stars towithin 0.6 km s-1. For other clusters, Hipparcos data yieldastrometric radial velocities with typical accuracies of a few kms-1. A comparison of these astrometric values withspectroscopic radial velocities in the literature shows a good generalagreement and, in the case of the best-determined Hyades cluster, alsopermits searches for subtle astrophysical differences, such as evidencefor enhanced convective blueshifts of F-dwarf spectra, and decreasedgravitational redshifts in giants. Similar comparisons for the ScorpiusOB2 complex indicate some expansion of its associations, albeit slowerthan expected from their ages. As a by-product from the radial-velocitysolutions, kinematically improved parallaxes for individual stars areobtained, enabling Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams with unprecedentedaccuracy in luminosity. For the Hyades (parallax accuracy 0.3 mas), itsmain sequence resembles a thin line, possibly with wiggles in it.Although this main sequence has underpopulated regions at certaincolours (previously suggested to be ``Böhm-Vitense gaps''), suchare not visible for other clusters, and are probably spurious. Futurespace astrometry missions carry a great potential for absoluteradial-velocity determinations, insensitive to the complexities ofstellar spectra. Based on observations by the ESA Hipparcos satellite.Extended versions of Tables \ref{tab1} and \ref{tab2} are available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.125.8) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/381/446
| Interstellar Matter Near the Pleiades. V. Observations of NA I toward 36 Stars
This paper reports high-resolution, moderate to high signal-to-noiseratio observations of 23 certain Pleiades members, four possiblemembers, and nine nonmembers in the Na I D lines, as well asobservations of 12 of the stars in the Na I ultraviolet doublet. Inspite of the relative proximity of the stars to the sun (even most ofthe nonmembers lie within 200 pc), the line profiles exhibit remarkablecomplexity, with up to five absorption components and equally remarkablestar-to-star variation. The velocity range, 2-20 km s-1,conforms well to the range expected for gas deflected by the passage ofthe cluster. The paper includes a careful discussion of uncertainties inthe data, the most important conclusions of which are that the velocityscatter is consistent with that expected from random errors in thewavelength calibration and that systematic errors probably are <~0.1km s-1. Appendices detail the choice of stellar data and theprocedure adopted for removing telluric absorption lines. Analysisfollows in a separate paper.
| GasDust Shells around Some Early-Type Stars with an IR Excess (of Emission)
The results of an investigation of IR (IRAS) observations of 58OBAF stars of different luminosity classes, whichare mainly members of various associations, are presented. The colorindices of these stars are determined and two-color diagrams areconstructed. The emission excesses at 12 and 25 mm (E 12 and E 25) arealso compared with the absorption A1640 of UV radiation. It is concludedthat 24 stars (of the 58 investigated) are disk systems of the Vegatype, to which Vega = N 53 also belongs. Eight known stars of the Vegatype are also given in the figures for comparison. The remaining 34stars may have gasdust shells and/or shelldisks. The IRemission excesses of the 34 investigated stars and 11 comparison stars(eight of them are Be-Ae stars) are evidently due both to thermalemission from grains and to the emission from freefreetransitions of electrons in the gasdust shells of these stars.
| Barnard's Merope Nebula Revisited: New Observational Results
IC 349 is a small, fan-shaped reflection nebula located only 30" from 23Tau; its nucleus is, by a factor 15, the brightest area of the Pleiadesnebulosity. We propose that IC 349 is a fragment of the Taurus-Aurigamolecular cloud that has been encountered by the Pleiades in thatcluster's southward motion and is being illuminated and shaped by theradiation field of 23 Tau. New Hubble Space Telescope multicolor imageryand the structure, colors, and surface brightness of IC 349 arediscussed in terms of that hypothesis. What is known of the propermotion of the nebula, what can be inferred of the properties of thenebula from its color, and what is expected from radiation pressuretheory appear to be compatible with this cloudlet-encounter hypothesis.
| Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statistics
The Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521
| Another Search for Maia Variable Stars
We have used the Hipparcos epoch photometry database, andautocorrelation analysis, to search for the elusive Maiavariables-short-period B7-A3 near-main-sequence pulsating variablestars. Of several hundred stars considered, and several dozen starsstudied in detail, only a handful are possible variables: three arepossible shallow eclipsing variables; three have possible periods in therange 0.25-0.5 day, but their amplitudes are so low that they areprobably nonvariable. The most promising are HD 29573, with a period of1.6 days (but possibly a rotating variable), and γ CrB, with aperiod of 0.9 day-a period also found spectroscopically by Lehmann andcoworkers. Sirius shows variations which are probably instrumental. Twopreviously suspected Maia stars-Maia and γ UMi-are photometricallyconstant. The Maia variables-if they exist-are very rare and veryelusive.
| The UV spectrum of nebulae
This paper presents an analysis of the UV spectrum of some nebulae withclearly identified illuminating stars, all observed by the IUEsatellite.The data show remarkable properties of the UV spectrum of thenebulae. Each spectrum is the product of the star spectrum and a linearfunction of 1/lambda. There is no peculiar behaviour in the spectrums at2200 A: no bump created in the spectrum of a nebula and no excess ofscattering. When moving away from the star, the surface brightness of anebula decreases as the inverse of the square of the angular distance tothe star.These results can logically be interpreted in terms ofscattering of starlight. They imply constant properties of theinterstellar grains in the UV and in the directions of space sampled bythe nebulae, and probably a strong forward scattering phase function.There is no evidence for any particular type of grain which wouldspecifically extinguish starlight at 2200 A. Concerning the UV spectrumof a star, this may imply a revisal of the traditional interpretation ofthe 2200 A bump.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Taurus |
| Right ascension: | 03h45m49.60s |
| Declination: | +24°22'04.0" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 3.87 |
| Distance: | 110.375 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 21.5 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -43.9 |
| B-T magnitude: | 3.775 |
| V-T magnitude: | 3.849 |
Catalogs and designations:
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