early-F Stars Research Articles

A large sample of metallic-line star candidates from LAMOST Data Release 1

We present a sample of metallic-line star (Am) candidates from the Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope Data Release one (LAMOST DR1). According to the characteristic of under-abundance of calcium and overabundance of iron element of Am stars, we propose an empirical separation curve derived from line indices of Ca II K-line and iron lines we choose for low resolution spectra. 3537 Am candidates are ultimately selected from more than 30,000 stars which are classified as A-type or early-F stars by both LAMOST pipeline and visual inspection. Then we make some analysis on this sample and finally provide a list of these Am candidates with 10 relevant parameters. Comparing with other catalogues, Am candidates selected from LAMOST DR1 are much fainter on the whole. Obviously, our list is an important complementary to already known bright Am catalogues, and it offers valuable material for the research on this type of chemically peculiar stars.

HR 8257: A THREE-DIMENSIONAL ORBIT AND BASIC PROPERTIES

We have used interferometric and spectroscopic observations of HR 8257 to determine a three-dimensional orbit of the system. The orbit has a period of 12.21345 days and an eccentricity of 0.2895. The masses of the F0 and F2 dwarf components are 1.56 and 1.38 M☉ , respectively, with fractional errors of 1.4%. Our orbital parallax of 13.632 ± 0.095 mas, corresponding to a distance of 73.4 ± 0.6 pc, differs from the Hipparcos result by just 2% and has a significantly smaller uncertainty. From our spectroscopic observations and spectral energy distribution modeling we determine the component effective temperatures and luminosities to be T_eff(A) = 7030 ± 200 K and T_(eff)(B) = 6560 ± 200 K and L_A = 9.4 ± 0.3 L☉ and L_B = 4.7 ± 0.2 L☉ . The primary rotates pseudosynchronously, while the secondary is not far from its pseudosynchronous rotational velocity. Although both early-F stars are slowly rotating, neither component of this close binary is an Am star. A comparison with evolutionary tracks indicates that the stars are slightly metal poor, and although the components have evolved away from the zero-age main sequence, they are both still dwarfs.

Rotational Velocities of B, A, and Early-F Stars

Projected rotational velocities for 67 B, A, and early-F stars have been determined. Some of these stars are early-type, radial-velocity standard candidates. The spectra of seven stars show metallic lines with composite profiles that consist of a narrow component near the center of a broad component, suggesting that they may be shell stars or binaries.

CHALLENGES TO UNDERSTAND STELLAR CHROMOSPHERES AND STELLAR ACTIVITY: THE LIMIT CASE OF LATE-A AND EARLY-F STARS

The onset of chromospheric activity appears at late-A and early-F stars where theories predict atmospheres in radiative equilibrium and shallow or non-existent convective zones. The detection of Ly-α emission cores in several A and F stars, first with the IUE satellite and then with the HST, gives evidence for the presence of chromospheric layers in these stars up to B-V=0.m19 (Catalano et al. 1986). Semiempirical chromospheric models for Altair allowed us (Freire et al. 1995) to explain the observed emission profiles taking into account normal HI IS absorption. However, due to the very high rotational velocity we analyzed alternative hypotheses like the formation of Ly-α emissions into a corotating expanding wind, but we ruled out this alternative because we obtained inconsistent results. In addition, X-ray emission (originated surely in a corona) strengthen the presence of a chromosphere. Here we place the problem of chromospheric activity of late-A and early-F stars in the general context of the formation of over-photospheric stellar layers, comparing them with late-type star and solar cases.

The Relationship Between the BÖöhm-Vitense Gap and Stellar Activity in Open Clusters

Using published UBV photometry of nine open clusters and chromospheric activity data in five clusters, we have performed the most complete study to date of the supposed Böhm-Vitense gap in main-sequence late-A and early-F stars. Using the χ2 test on the distribution of B-V colors of the main-sequence stars of these clusters, we located gaps at the 0.90 probability level or greater in eight out of the nine clusters. Six of the nine clusters show a gap near B-V = 0.35 at this level. In four nearby clusters, Alpha Persei, Pleiades, Coma, and Praesepe, we compare the gaps with measurements of chromospheric activity via the He I λ5876 (D3) line. If the Böhm-Vitense gap is related to the onset of surface convection zones, as has been suggested, we would expect to find a direct relationship between the onset of activity and the gaps. However, in all four cases we find stars on both sides of the gap showing strong activity. The observed gaps do not appear to correlate directly with any known physical mechanism and thus either point to an unknown mechanism or a statistical anomaly.

New insights on late-A and early-F star activity

Abstract The onset of chromospheric activity in late-A and early-F stars is here discussed. The detection of Ly-α emission core in several A and F atars with the IUE satellite, gives evidence for the presence of chromospheric layers in these stars up to B—V = 0m.19 (Marilli et al., 1996). Semiempirical chromospheric models for Altair allowed us (Freire Ferrero et al., 1995) to explain the observed emission profiles taking into account normal H I interstellar (IS) absorption. However, due to the very high rotational velocity, we analysed alternative hypotheses to explain the observed emissions: (1) circumstellar or shell matter; (2) co-rotating expanding optically thin wind. We ruled out these hypotheses because their effects are negligible and as a consequence, this result reinforces the chromospheric origin of the observed Ly-α core in Altair. The stars of our sample, having observed Ly-α profilies similar to Altair's and similar stellar and IS properties, should reproduce similar chromospheric behaviour...

Convection, Thermal Bifurcation, and the Colors of A Stars

Broadband ultraviolet photometry from the TD-1 satellite and low-dispersion spectra from the short wavelength camera of IUE have been used to investigate a long-standing proposal of Bohm-Vitense that the normal main-sequence A and early-F stars may divide into two different temperature sequences: (1) a high-temperature branch (and plateau) comprised of slowly rotating convective stars, and (2) a low-temperature branch populated by rapidly rotating radiative stars. We find no evidence from either data set to support such a claim, or to confirm the existence of an A-star gap in the B-V color range 0.22 ≤ B-V ≤ 0.28 due to the sudden onset of convection. We do observe, nonetheless, a large scatter in the 1800-2000 A colors of the A-F stars, which amounts to ~0.65 mag at a given B-V color index. The scatter is not caused by interstellar or circumstellar reddening. A convincing case can also be made against binarity and intrinsic variability due to pulsations of δ Sct origin. We find no correlation with established chromospheric and coronal proxies of convection, and thus no demonstrable link to the possible onset of convection among the A-F stars. The scatter is not instrumental. Approximately 0.4 mag of the scatter is shown to arise from individual differences in surface gravity as well as a moderate spread (factor of ~3) in heavy metal abundance and UV line blanketing. A dispersion of ~0.25 mag remains, which has no clear and obvious explanation. The most likely cause, we believe, is a residual imprecision in our correction for the spread in metal abundances. However, the existing data do not rule out possible contributions from intrinsic stellar variability or from differential UV line blanketing effects owing to a dispersion in microturbulent velocity.

Astrophysical Applications of Delta Scuti Stars

AbstractThe δ Scuti stars pulsate with a large number of low-order radial and nonradial p-modes. There also exists some evidence for the presence of g-modes.The pulsational variability outside the classical δ Scuti star instability strip (A1V - F0V on the main sequence) is examined. New measurements do not confirm the short-period variability of the hot B9p star ET And. However, a number of cool, early-F stars shows variability around one day: the γ Dor variables. An explanation involving nonradial g modes appears the most promising.An examination of available information on the multi-periodicity of δ Scuti stars shows no systematic behaviour in which pulsation modes axe excited to an observable level with luminosity and temperature. The asteroseismological potential of δ Scuti vaxiables is briefly examined.So far, the period changes of five luminous Pop. I δ Scuti variables have been studied. While stellar evolution predicts period increases, decreases have been observed and reported for all five stars. The statistical significance of this result and alternative explanations axe briefly examined.

The coronae of main-sequence A stars

We have undertaken a deep X-ray imaging survey of single, normal, mid-to-late-A- and early-F-type main-sequence stars using the ROSA T PSPC. Eight of the nine such stars in our fields went undetected at very weak emission levels, with upper limits on the normalized X-ray flux in each case of better than log R(x) below -6.3. The only A-F star we detected was 83 Tau, a member of the Hyades that we now belatedly recognize as a possible binary star, whose emission may come from an unidentified companion. Our observations reveal a systematic decline in coronal X-ray brightness with increasing effective temperature, which we attribute to the presence of strong coronal winds. These new results add further weight to earlier suggestions that single A and early-F stars in the field and in nearby older open clusters generally have intrinsically faint coronae.

A catalog of stellar Lyman-alpha fluxes

We present a catalog of stellar Ly-alpha emission fluxes, based on new and archival images obtained with the IUE spacecraft. The catalog includes 227 stars with detectable Ly-alpha emission fluxes, and upper limits on the Ly-alpha emission flux for another 48 stars. Multiple flux measurements are given for 52 stars. We present a model for correcting the observed Ly-alpha flux for attenuation by the local interstellar medium, and we apply this model to derive intrinsic Ly-alpha fluxes for 149 catalog stars which are located in low H I column density directions of the local interstellar medium. In our catalog, there are 14 late-A and early-F stars at B-V = 0.29 or less that show detectable emission at Ly-alpha. We find a linear correlation between the intrinsic Ly-alpha flux and C II 1335 A flux for stars with B-V greater than 0.60, but the A and F stars deviate from this relation in the sense that their Ly-alpha flux is too low. We also find a good correlation between Ly-alpha strength and coronal X-ray emission. This correlation holds over most of the H-R diagram, even for the F stars, where an X-ray deficit has previously been found relative to the transition region lines of C II and C IV.

A Theoretical Period-Luminosity Relation of Dwarf Cepheids

Dwarf Cepheids (large-amplitude δ Sct variables and SXPhe variables in the GCVS) are late A-type stars near light maximum and early-F stars near light minimum. In the lower part of the instability strip where these stars are found the pulsation constant Q varies only slightly. As pointed out by Andreasen, Hejlesen, and Petersen (1983) this makes it easy to transform a theoretical HR or alternatively a (logTe, logg) diagram to a theoretical logTe, logP0) diagram by the use of the relation. This follows from the equations:where P0 is the fundamental period of pulsation. The periods, of course, can be determined with very high accuracy.