Stars In Young Associations Research Articles

Constraining Young Hot Jupiter Occurrence Rate in Stellar Associations Using 2-min Cadence TESS Data

The characterization of young planet distribution is essential for our understanding of the early evolution of exoplanets. Here we conduct a systematic search for young planets from young open clusters and associations using the 2-min cadence TESS survey data. We obtain TESS light curves for a total of 1075 young stars, which are selected with the aid of Gaia data. There are a total of 16 possible transiting signals. After a thorough vetting process, some have been confirmed as planets, and others are likely caused by eclipsing binaries. The final sample contains six confirmed planets, of which one is a hot Jupiter. After accounting for survey completeness using a Monte Carlo simulation, we can put a 95% confidence level upper limit on the hot Jupiter (P < 10 days, Rp = 0.7–2.9 RJup) occurrence rate orbiting stars in young associations at <5.1% and a 68% confidence level upper limit at <2.5%. We estimate that a sample size of ∼5000 dwarf stars with 2-min cadence data will be needed to reach a 0.5% upper limit on the hot Jupiter occurrence rate, which is the typical hot Jupiter occurrence rate around main sequence stars. Thus, future studies with larger sample sizes are required to put more constraints on planet formation and evolution theories.

Stellar population astrophysics (SPA) with the TNG

Context. The Perseus complex in the outer disk of the Galaxy hosts a number of clusters and associations of young stars. Gaia is providing a detailed characterization of their kinematic structure and evolutionary properties. Aims. Within the SPA Large Program at the TNG, we secured HARPS-N and GIANO-B high-resolution optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectra of the young red supergiant (RSG) stars in the Perseus complex in order to obtain accurate radial velocities, stellar parameters, and detailed chemical abundances. Methods. We used spectral synthesis to best fit hundreds of atomic and molecular lines in the spectra of the observed 27 RSGs. We obtained accurate estimates of the stellar temperature, gravity, micro- and macroturbulence velocities, and chemical abundances for 25 different elements. We also measured the 12C/13C abundance ratio. Results. Our combined optical and NIR chemical study provides homogeneous half-solar iron with a low dispersion, about solar-scaled abundance ratios for the iron-peak, alpha-, and other light elements, and a low enhancement of Na, K, and neutron-capture elements. This is consistent with the thin-disk chemistry traced by older stellar populations at a similar galactocentric distance of about 10 kpc. We inferred an enhancement of N and a depletion of C and of the 12C/13C isotopic abundance ratio that are consistent with mixing processes in the stellar interiors during the RSG evolution.

Studies of Magnetic Chemically Peculiar Stars Using the 6-m Telescope at SAO RAS

We present a survey of the most important results obtained in observations with the 6-m telescope in the studies of magnetic fields of chemically peculiar stars. It is shown that we have found more than 200 new magnetic chemically peculiar stars, which is more than 30% of their total known number. Observations of ultra-slow rotators (stars with rotation periods of years and decades) have shown that there are objects with strong fields among them, several kG in magnitude. In the association of young stars in Orion, it has been found that the occurrence and strength of magnetic fields of chemically peculiar stars decrease sharply with age in the interval from 2 to 10 Myr. These data indicate the fossil nature of magnetic fields of chemically peculiar stars. About 10 magnetic stars were found based on ultra-accurate photometry data obtained from the Kepler and TESS satellites. A new effective method of searching for magnetic stars was developed. In addition, the exact rotation periods make it possible to build reliable curves of the longitudinal field component variability with the phase of the star’s rotation period, and hence to create its magnetic model. The survey is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Yuri Nikolaevich Gnedin.

Very regular high-frequency pulsation modes in young intermediate-mass stars.

Asteroseismology probes the internal structures of stars by using their natural pulsation frequencies1. It relies on identifying sequences of pulsation modes that can be compared with theoretical models, which has been done successfully for many classes of pulsators, including low-mass solar-type stars2, red giants3, high-mass stars4 and white dwarfs5. However, a large group of pulsating stars of intermediate mass-the so-called δ Scuti stars-have rich pulsation spectra for which systematic mode identification has not hitherto been possible6,7. This arises because only a seemingly random subset of possible modes are excited and because rapid rotation tends to spoil regular patterns8-10. Here we report the detection of remarkably regular sequences of high-frequency pulsation modes in 60 intermediate-mass main-sequence stars, which enables definitive mode identification. The space motions of some of these stars indicate that they are members of known associations of young stars, as confirmed by modelling of their pulsation spectra.

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME): A Planet in the 45 Myr Tucana–Horologium Association

Abstract Young exoplanets are snapshots of the planetary evolution process. Planets that orbit stars in young associations are particularly important because the age of the planetary system is well constrained. We present the discovery of a transiting planet larger than Neptune but smaller than Saturn in the 45 Myr Tucana–Horologium young moving group. The host star is a visual binary, and our follow-up observations demonstrate that the planet orbits the G6V primary component, DS Tuc A (HD 222259A, TIC 410214986). We first identified transits using photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS; alerted as TOI 200.01). We validated the planet and improved the stellar parameters using a suite of new and archival data, including spectra from Southern Astrophysical Research/Goodman, South African Extremely Large Telescope/High Resolution Spectrograph and Las Cumbres Observatories/Network of Robotic Echelle Spectrographs; transit photometry from Spitzer; and deep adaptive optics imaging from Gemini/Gemini Planet Imager. No additional stellar or planetary signals are seen in the data. We measured the planetary parameters by simultaneously modeling the photometry with a transit model and a Gaussian process to account for stellar variability. We determined that the planetary radius is 5.70 ± 0.17 R ⊕ and that the orbital period is 8.1 days. The inclination angles of the host star’s spin axis, the planet’s orbital axis, and the visual binary’s orbital axis are aligned within 15° to within the uncertainties of the relevant data. DS Tuc Ab is bright enough (V = 8.5) for detailed characterization using radial velocities and transmission spectroscopy.

Accretion-induced luminosity spreads in young clusters: evidence from stellar rotation

Abstract We present an analysis of the rotation of young stars in the associations Cepheus OB3b, NGC 2264, 2362 and the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We discover a correlation between rotation rate and position in a colour–magnitude diagram (CMD) such that stars which lie above an empirically determined median pre-main sequence rotate more rapidly than stars which lie below this sequence. The same correlation is seen, with a high degree of statistical significance, in each association studied here. If position within the CMD is interpreted as being due to genuine age spreads within a cluster, then the stars above the median pre-main sequence would be the youngest stars. This would in turn imply that the most rapidly rotating stars in an association are the youngest, and hence those with the largest moments of inertia and highest likelihood of ongoing accretion. Such a result does not fit naturally into the existing picture of angular momentum evolution in young stars, where the stars are braked effectively by their accretion discs until the disc disperses. Instead, we argue that, for a given association of young stars, position within the CMD is not primarily a function of age, but of accretion history. We show that this hypothesis could explain the correlation we observe between rotation rate and position within the CMD.

Flare stars in the TW Hydrae association: the HIP 57269 system

AbstractWe discuss a new member candidate of the TW Hydrae association (TWA) among the stars of the Gershberg et al. (1999) flare star catalog. TWA is one of the closest known associations of young stars at about 60 pc. Three supposedly young flare stars are located in the same region of the sky as TWA. One of them (HIP 57269) shows strong lithium absorption with spectral type K1/K2V and a high level of chromospheric and coronal activity. It is located at a distance of 48.7 ± 6.3 pc in common with the five TWA members observed with Hipparcos (46.7 to 103.9 pc). HIP 57268 A has a wide companion C which also shows lithium absorption at 6707 Å and which has common proper motion with HIP 57269, as well as a close companion resolved visually by Tycho. HIP 57269 A&C lie above the main sequence and are clearly pre‐main‐sequence stars. The UVW‐space velocity is more consistent with the star system being a Pleiades super cluster member. The two other flare stars in the TWA sky region do not show lithium at all and are, hence, unrelated. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Radio‐Optical Alignment and Recent Star Formation Associated with Ionized Filaments in the Halo of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)

We used a direct CCD camera at the Magellan I telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and the Focal Reducer/Low Dispersion Spectrograph (FORS1) at the Antu Very Large Telescope (VLT) ESO Paranal Observatory to image fields centered on the inner and outer optical filaments in the halo of NGC 5128. In the V versus U-V color-magnitude diagrams we have identified young blue supergiants associated with these line-emitting filaments located between the inner radio lobe and the northern middle lobe. Around the outer filament, stars as young as 10 Myr were detected. They are principally aligned with the direction of the radio jet, but a vertical north-south alignment along the edge of the H I cloud is also present. Young stars in the inner filament field are found inside the bright knots of photoionized gas and are strongly aligned in the direction of the center of the galaxy at the same position angle as the inner radio jet. Fitting the Padova isochrones on UV color-magnitude diagrams, we find that blue stars around the inner filaments have ages similar to the ones around the outer filaments ~10-15 Myr and the same abundance of Z = 0.004. The presence of young blue supergiants clearly shows that the bright blue knots in the northeastern halo of NGC 5128 are associations of young stars with photoionized gas. The temperature of the brightest stars is T~12,000-16,000 K, insufficient to account alone for the high excitation lines observed in the surrounding ionized gas. Thus, the optical emission jet is principally seen due to its alignment with the radio structure of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The highly collimated star formation is present only in the northeastern halo of the galaxy, suggesting interaction of the jet with the gas clouds deposited during the last accretion event as the preferred triggering mechanism. From these observations, we infer a lower limit for the age of the NGC 5128 jet at 107 yr. The triggering of the star formation in the dense clouds in the halo of the galaxy by the jet supports the alignment effect observed in high-redshift radio galaxies. It also suggests that radio galaxies should have higher than normal star formation rates.

High-resolution X-ray imaging of M33

The nearby spiral galaxy M33 was observed for 35 ks with the high-resolution imager on ROSAT in 1992 January and August. We find 27 X-ray sources more luminous than 6 x 10(exp 36) ergs/s within 17.5 arcmin of the nucleus, of which 12 were discovered by the Einstein Observatory. Three of the ROSAT sources are coincident with giant H II regions, and seven are coincident or nearly coincident with supernova remnants. There is evidence for long-term variability between the Einstein and ROSAT observations in three sources, one of which was not detected in the ROSAT observations. Aside from an eclipsing binary X-ray source discovered by the Einstein Observatory, there is no evidence for variability within the ROSAT observations. Of the 120 cataloged holes in the H I layer in the field of view, two have significant X-ray emission. One is coincident with the giant H II region IC 133 while the other appears to be due to the chance superposition of a strong X-ray point source. Such holes are thought to be created by energetic stellar winds and supernovae from massive stars in young associations. We detect diffuse X-ray emission with a luminosity of about 10(exp 39) ergs/s, which may trace the spiral arms within 10 arcmin of the nucleus.

Hubble Space Telescope Planetary Camera observations of ARP 220

Planetary Camera images of peculiar galaxy Arp 220 taken with V, R, and I band filters reveal a very luminous object near the position of the western radio continuum source, assumed to be the major nucleus, ans seven lesser objects within 2 sec of this position. The most luminous object is formally coincident with the radio source to within the errors of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) pointing accuracy, but we have found an alternate, more compelling alignment of maps in which the eastern radio source coincides with one of the lesser objects and the OH radio sources reside near the surfaces of other optical objects. The proposed centering places the most luminous object 150 pc (0.4 sec) away from the western radio source. We explore the possibilities that the objects are either holes in the dense dust distribution, dusty clouds reflecting a hidden bright nucleus, or associations of bright young stars. We favor the interpretation that at least the brightest two objects are massive young star associations with luminosities 10(exp 9) to 10(exp 11) solar luminosity, but highly extinguished by intervening dust. These massive associations should fall into the nucleus on a time scale of 10(exp 8) yr. About 10% of the enigmatic far-IR flux arises from the observed objects. In addition, if the diffuse starlight out to a radius of 8 sec is dominated by stars with typical ages of order 10(exp 8) yr (the time since the alleged merger of two galaxies), as indicated by the blue colors at larger radius, then the lower limit to the reradiation of diffuse starlight contributes 3 x 10(exp 11) solar luminosity to the far-infrared flux, or greater than or equal to 25% of the total far-IR flux. Three additional bright objects (M(sub V) approximately equals -13) located about 6 sec from the core are likely young globular clusters, but any of these could be recently exploded supernovae instead. The expected supernovae rate, if the dominant energy source is young stars, is about one per month for the region where the intense far-infrared flux originates. Also, individual giant dust clouds are visible in these images. Their typical size is 300 pc (1 sec).

Oxygen, sulfur, argon, and the chemical evolution of the galactic disk

A sample of 122 southern planetary nebulae is analyzed. The sample merges the LNA survey and that by Koppen et al. Average oxygen sulfur, and argon abundances are derived from different age groups of the progenitors. Sulfur and argon have increasing abundances following the metallicity. However, the oxygen abundance seems to be 0.2 dex lower than the solar value of type I planetaries, whose progenitors are not older than 1-2 Gyr. This oxygen deficiency in type I nebulae agrees with abundance determinations in H II regions, intermediate-mass supergiants, and B stars in young associations

O, S, Ar from Planetary Nebulae Data and the Chemical Evolution of the Galactic Disk

The O, S, Ar abundances for a sample of 122 planetary nebulae (merging LNA data and those by Köppen, Acker and Stenholm 1991) were analysed. Average abundances were calculated for progenitors having different metallicities (ages). Our study suggests that type I planetaries, whose progenitors are not older than 1–2 Gyr, have average oxygen abundances 0.2 dex lower than the solar value. This agrees with O-abundance determinations in HII regions, intermediate mass supergiants and B stars in young associations. S and Ar show a different behaviour. We suggest that such a paucity of O in the ISM is produced by recent infalling gas from the halo, having abundance ratios similar to those expected from type Ia supernovae.

The role of orbital dynamics and cloud-cloud collisions in the formation of giant molecular clouds in global spiral structures

The role of orbit crowding and cloud-cloud collisions in the formation of GMCs and their organization in global spiral structure is investigated. Both N-body simulations of the cloud system and a detailed analysis of individual particle orbits are used to develop a conceptual understanding of how individual clouds participate in the collective density response. Detailed comparisons are made between a representative cloud-particle simulation in which the cloud particles collide inelastically with one another and give birth to and subsequently interact with young star associations and stripped down simulations in which the cloud particles are allowed to follow ballistic orbits in the absence of cloud-cloud collisions or any star formation processes. Orbit crowding is then related to the behavior of individual particle trajectories in the galactic potential field. The conceptual picture of how GMCs are formed in the clumpy ISMs of spiral galaxies is formulated, and the results are compared in detail with those published by other authors.

Spiral structure and star formation. II - Stellar lifetimes and cloud kinematics

The reliability studies using continuum gas dynamical calculations becomes questionable in connection with the apparent clumpiness of the Galaxy's interstellar medium (ISM). Roberts and Hausman (1984) have, therefore, presented a detailed model of a disk galaxy in which the ISM consists entirely of 'cloud particles', which orbit ballistically in the galaxy's gravitational field, collide inelastically with one another, and give birth to and subsequently interact with young star associations. The effects of changing the clouds's collisional mean free path have been examined, and the variations in the young star system's spiral morphology have been explored. The present investigation is concerned with a further study of this clumpy, cloudy ISM model, taking into account longer mean free path models likely to be appropriate for systems of molecular clouds. Attention is also given to the kinematics of clouds as they orbit under the influence of galactic gravity, collisions, and supernova remnants.