Metallicities for six nearby open clusters from high-resolution spectra of giant stars [Fe/H] values for a planet search sample

We present a study of the stellar parameters and iron abundances of 18 giant stars in six open clusters. The analysis was based on high-resolution and high-S/N spectra obtained with the UVES spectrograph (VLT-UT2). The results complement our previous study where 13 clusters were already analyzed. The total sample of 18 clusters is part of a program to search for planets around giant stars. The results show that the 18 clusters cover a metallicity range between -0.23 and +0.23 dex. Together with the derivation of the stellar masses, these metallicities will allow the metallicity and mass effects to be disentangled when analyzing the frequency of planets as a function of these stellar parameters.

Elemental abundances and classification of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars

We present a detailed study of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, based on high-resolution spectroscopic observations of a sample of 18 stars. The stellar spectra for this sample were obtained at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope in 2001 and 2002, using the Utrecht Echelle Spectrograph, at a resolving power R similar to 52 000 and S/N similar to 40, covering the wavelength range lambda lambda 3700-5700 angstrom. The atmospheric parameters determined for this sample indicate temperatures ranging from 4750 K to 7100 K, log g from 1.5 to 4.3, and metallicities -3.0 <= [Fe/H]<=-1.7. Elemental abundances for C, Na, Mg, Sc, Ti, Cr, Cu, Zn, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy are determined. Abundances for an additional 109 stars were taken from the literature and combined with the data of our sample. The literature sample reveals a lack of reliable abundance estimates for species that might be associated with the r-process elements for about 67% of CEMP stars, preventing a complete understanding of this class of stars, since [Ba/Eu] ratios are used to classify them. Although eight stars in our observed sample are also found in the literature sample, Eu abundances or limits are determined for four of these stars for the first time. From the observed correlations between C, Ba, and Eu, we argue that the CEMP-r/s class has the same astronomical origin as CEMP-s stars, highlighting the need for a more complete understanding of Eu production.

Entropy, complexity and disequilibrium in compact stars

We used the statistical measurements of information entropy, disequilibrium and complexity to infer a hierarchy of equations of state for two types of compact stars from the broad class of neutron stars, namely, with hadronic composition and with strange quark composition. Our results show that, since order costs energy. Nature would favor the exotic strange stars even though the question of how to form the strange stars cannot be answered within this approach. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OXYGEN ABUNDANCES IN LOW- AND HIGH-alpha FIELD HALO STARS AND THE DISCOVERY OF TWO FIELD STARS BORN IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

Oxygen abundances of 67 dwarf stars in the metallicity range -1.6 < [Fe/H] < -0.4 are derived from a non-LTE analysis of the 777 nm O I triplet lines. These stars have precise atmospheric parameters measured by Nissen and Schuster, who find that they separate into three groups based on their kinematics and alpha-element (Mg, Si, Ca, Ti) abundances: thick disk, high-alpha halo, and low-alpha halo. We find the oxygen abundance trends of thick-disk and high-alpha halo stars very similar. The low-alpha stars show a larger star-to-star scatter in [O/Fe] at a given [Fe/H] and have systematically lower oxygen abundances compared to the other two groups. Thus, we find the behavior of oxygen abundances in these groups of stars similar to that of the a elements. We use previously published oxygen abundance data of disk and very metal-poor halo stars to present an overall view (-2.3 < [Fe/H] < +0.3) of oxygen abundance trends of stars in the solar neighborhood. Two field halo dwarf stars stand out in their O and Na abundances. Both G53-41 and G150-40 have very low oxygen and very high sodium abundances, which are key signatures of the abundance anomalies observed in globular cluster (GC) stars. Therefore, they are likely field halo stars born in GCs. If true, we estimate that at least 3% +/- 2% of the local field metal-poor star population was born in GCs.

DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF VISCOUS DISKS AROUND Be STARS. I. PHOTOMETRY

Be stars possess gaseous circumstellar disks that modify in many ways the spectrum of the central B star. Furthermore, they exhibit variability at several timescales and for a large number of observables. Putting the pieces together of this dynamical behavior is not an easy task and requires a detailed understanding of the physical processes that control the temporal evolution of the observables. There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that Be disks are well described by standard alpha-disk theory. This paper is the first of a series that aims at studying the possibility of inferring several disk and stellar parameters through the follow-up of various observables. Here we study the temporal evolution of the disk density for different dynamical scenarios, including the disk buildup as a result of a long and steady mass injection from the star, the disk dissipation that occurs after mass injection is turned off, as well as scenarios in which active periods are followed by periods of quiescence. For those scenarios, we investigate the temporal evolution of continuum photometric observables using a three-dimensional non-LTE radiative transfer code. We show that light curves for different wavelengths are specific of a mass loss history, inclination angle, and alpha viscosity parameter. The diagnostic potential of those light curves is also discussed.

Searching for the first stars with the Gaia mission

Aims. We construct a theoretical model to predict the number of orphan afterglows (OA) from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) triggered by primordial metal-free (Pop III) stars expected to be observed by the Gaia mission. In particular, we consider primordial metal-free stars that were affected by radiation from other stars (Pop III. 2) as a possible target. Methods. We use a semi-analytical approach that includes all relevant feedback effects to construct cosmic star formation history and its connection with the cumulative number of GRBs. The OA events are generated using the Monte Carlo method, and realistic simulations of Gaia's scanning law are performed to derive the observation probability expectation. Results. We show that Gaia can observe up to 2.28 +/- 0.88 off-axis afterglows and 2.78 +/- 1.41 on-axis during the five-year nominal mission. This implies that a nonnegligible percentage of afterglows that may be observed by Gaia (similar to 10%) could have Pop III stars as progenitors.

Self-bound interacting QCD matter in compact stars

The quark gluon plasma (QGP) at zero temperature and high baryon number is a system that may be present inside compact stars. It is quite possible that this cold QGP shares some relevant features with the hot QGP observed in heavy ion collisions, being also a strongly interacting system. In a previous work we have derived from the QCD Lagrangian an equation of state (EOS) for the cold QGP, which can be considered an improved version of the MIT bag-model EOS. Compared to the latter, our EOS reaches higher values of the pressure at comparable baryon densities. This feature is due to perturbative corrections and also to nonperturbative effects. Here we apply this EOS to the study of neutron stars, discussing the absolute stability of quark matter and computing the mass-radius relation for self-bound (strange) stars. The maximum masses of the sequences exceed two solar masses, in agreement with the recently measured values of the mass of the pulsar PSR J1614-2230, and the corresponding radii of around 10-11 km.

Magnetic color-flavor-locked stars

Using the solutions of the gap equations of the magnetic-color-flavor-locked (MCFL) phase of paired quark matter in a magnetic field, and taking into consideration the separation between the longitudinal and transverse pressures due to the field-induced breaking of the spatial rotational symmetry, the equation of state (EoS) of the MCFL phase is self-consistently determined. Implications for stellar models of magnetized (self-bound) strange stars and hybrid (MCFL core) stars are discussed.

Kinematic distances of pre-main-sequence stars in the Lupus star-forming region

To reliably determine the main physical parameters (masses and ages) of young stars, we must know their distances. While the average distance to nearby star-forming regions (<300 pc) is often known, the distances to individual stars are usually unknown. Individual distances to members of young moving groups can be derived from their radial velocities and proper motions using the convergent-point strategy. We investigate the kinematic properties of the Lupus moving group with the primary objective of deriving individual distances to all group members.

Observational effects of stellar rotation on Be stars' disks

Be stars are known to be fast rotators. At high rotation rates a profound modification of the radiation field reaching the circumstellar environment is expected. The origin of this modification is the decrease of the effective gravity on stellar surface leading to the stellar geometrical flattening and the gravity darkening effect predicted by Von Zeipel. Making use of the radiative transfer code HDUST we discuss the consequences of such stellar rotation on the structure of Be star disks based on the Viscous Decretion Disk model. Observational predictions are also made, as SED, IR-excess and Hydrogen line profiles. The modified illumination of the circumstellar disk generates significant changes in these quantities. Ascertaining these changes is useful to set some of the fundamental parameters of the Be system and to unveil the role of stellar rotation over the stellar evolution.

The Gemini planet-finding campaign: the frequency of giant planets aroud debris disk stars

We have completed a high-contrast direct imaging survey for giant planets around 57 debris disk stars as part of the Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign. We achieved median H-band contrasts of 12.4 mag at 0.''5 and 14.1 mag at 1'' separation. Follow-up observations of the 66 candidates with projected separation <500 AU show that all of them are background objects. To establish statistical constraints on the underlying giant planet population based on our imaging data, we have developed a new Bayesian formalism that incorporates (1) non-detections, (2) single-epoch candidates, (3) astrometric and (4) photometric information, and (5) the possibility of multiple planets per star to constrain the planet population. Our formalism allows us to include in our analysis the previously known β Pictoris and the HR 8799 planets. Our results show at 95% confidence that <13% of debris disk stars have a ≥5 M Jup planet beyond 80 AU, and <21% of debris disk stars have a ≥3 M Jup planet outside of 40 AU, based on hot-start evolutionary models. We model the population of directly imaged planets as d 2 N/dMdavpropm α a β, where m is planet mass and a is orbital semi-major axis (with a maximum value of a max). We find that β < –0.8 and/or α > 1.7. Likewise, we find that β < –0.8 and/or a max < 200 AU. For the case where the planet frequency rises sharply with mass (α > 1.7), this occurs because all the planets detected to date have masses above 5 M Jup, but planets of lower mass could easily have been detected by our search. If we ignore the β Pic and HR 8799 planets (should they belong to a rare and distinct group), we find that <20% of debris disk stars have a ≥3 M Jup planet beyond 10 AU, and β < –0.8 and/or α < –1.5. Likewise, β < –0.8 and/or a max < 125 AU. Our Bayesian constraints are not strong enough to reveal any dependence of the planet frequency on stellar host mass. Studies of transition disks have suggested that about 20% of stars are undergoing planet formation; our non-detections at large separations show that planets with orbital separation >40 AU and planet masses >3 M Jup do not carve the central holes in these disks.

The Gemini NICI planet-finding campaign: the frequency of giant planets around young B and A stars

We have carried out high contrast imaging of 70 young, nearby B and A stars to search for brown dwarf and planetary companions as part of the Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign. Our survey represents the largest, deepest survey for planets around high-mass stars (≈1.5-2.5 M ☉) conducted to date and includes the planet hosts β Pic and Fomalhaut. We obtained follow-up astrometry of all candidate companions within 400 AU projected separation for stars in uncrowded fields and identified new low-mass companions to HD 1160 and HIP 79797. We have found that the previously known young brown dwarf companion to HIP 79797 is itself a tight (3 AU) binary, composed of brown dwarfs with masses 58$^{+21}_{-20}$ M Jup and 55$^{+20}_{-19}$ M Jup, making this system one of the rare substellar binaries in orbit around a star. Considering the contrast limits of our NICI data and the fact that we did not detect any planets, we use high-fidelity Monte Carlo simulations to show that fewer than 20% of 2 M ☉ stars can have giant planets greater than 4 M Jup between 59 and 460 AU at 95% confidence, and fewer than 10% of these stars can have a planet more massive than 10 M Jup between 38 and 650 AU. Overall, we find that large-separation giant planets are not common around B and A stars: fewer than 10% of B and A stars can have an analog to the HR 8799 b (7 M Jup, 68 AU) planet at 95% confidence. We also describe a new Bayesian technique for determining the ages of field B and A stars from photometry and theoretical isochrones. Our method produces more plausible ages for high-mass stars than previous age-dating techniques, which tend to underestimate stellar ages and their uncertainties.

Laser guide stars wavefront sensors for the EELT

The Adaptive Optics is the measurement and correction in real time of the wavefront aberration of the star light caused by the atmospheric turbulence, that limits the angular resolution of ground based telescopes and thus their capabilities to deep explore faint and crowded astronomical objects. The lack of natural stars enough bright to be used as reference sources for the Adaptive Optics, over a relevant fraction of the sky, led to the introduction of artificial reference stars. The so-called Laser Guide Stars are produced by exciting the Sodium atoms in a layer laying at 90km of altitude, by a powerful laser beam projected toward the sky. The possibility to turn on a reference star close to the scientific targets of interest has the drawback in an increased difficulty in the wavefront measuring, mainly due to the time instability of the Sodium layer density. These issues are increased with the telescope diameter. In view of the construction of the 42m diameter European Extremely Large Telescope a detailed investigation of the achievable performances of Adaptive Optics becomes mandatory to exploit its unique angular resolution . The goal of this Thesis was to present a complete description of a laboratory Prototype development simulating a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor using Laser Guide Stars as references, in the expected conditions for a 42m telescope. From the conceptual design, through the opto-mechanical design, to the Assembly, Integration and Test, all the phases of the Prototype construction are explained. The tests carried out shown the reliability of the images produced by the Prototype that agreed with the numerical simulations. For this reason some possible upgrades regarding the opto-mechanical design are presented, to extend the system functionalities and let the Prototype become a more complete test bench to simulate the performances and drive the future Adaptive Optics modules design.