Lower Main Sequence Research Articles

An empirical isochrone archive for nearby open clusters

Context. The ages of star clusters and co-moving stellar groups contain essential information about the Milky Way. Their special properties and placement throughout the galactic disk make them excellent tracers of galactic structure and key components to unlocking its star formation history. Yet, even though the importance of stellar population ages has been widely recognized, their determination remains a challenging task often associated with highly model-dependent and uncertain results. Aims. We propose a new approach to this long-standing problem, which relies on empirical isochrones of known clusters extracted from high-quality observational data. These purely observation-based data products open up the possibility of relative age determination, free of stellar evolution model assumptions. Methods. For the derivation of the empirical isochrones, we used a combination of the statistical analysis tool principal component analysis for preprocessing and the supervised machine learning method support vector regression for curve extraction. To improve the statistical reliability of our result, we defined the empirical isochrone of a color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of a cluster as the median calculated from a set of nboot = 1000 curves derived from bootstrapped data. The algorithm requires no physical priors, is computationally fast, and can easily be generalized over a large range of CMD combinations and evolutionary stages of clusters. Results. We provide empirical isochrones in all Gaia DR2 and DR3 color combinations for 83 nearby clusters (d < 500 pc), which cover an estimated age range of 7 Myr to 3 Gyr. In doing so, we pave the way for a relative comparison between individual stellar populations based on an age-scaling ladder of empirical isochrones of known clusters. Furthermore, due to the exceptional precision of the available observational data, we report accurate lower main sequence empirical isochrones for many clusters in our sample, which are of special interest as this region is known to be especially complex to model. We validate our method and results by comparing the extracted empirical isochrones to cluster ages in the literature. We also investigate the added information that empirical isochrones covering the lower main sequence can provide on case studies of the IC 4665 cluster and the Meingast 1 stream. Conclusions. The archive of empirical isochrones offers a novel approach to validating age estimates and can be used as an age-scaling ladder or age brackets for new populations and serve as calibration data for further constraining stellar evolution models.

Impact of main sequence mass loss on the appearance, structure, and evolution of Wolf-Rayet stars

Context. Stellar winds are one of the most important drivers of massive star evolution and are a vital source of chemical, mechanical, and radiative feedback on the galactic scale. Despite its significance, mass loss remains a major uncertainty in stellar evolution models. In particular, the interdependencies between the different approaches and the subsequent evolutionary stages and predicted observable phenomena are far from being systematically understood. Aims. In this study, we examine the impact of main sequence mass loss on the structure of massive stars throughout their entire evolution. Particular focus is placed on the consequences in terms of entrance into the Wolf-Rayet (WR) regime and the subsequent evolution. Methods. Using the Geneva stellar evolution code (GENEC), we computed grids of single, nonrotating stellar models at solar and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) metallicities of initial masses between 20 and 120 solar masses, with two representative prescriptions for high and low main sequence mass loss. Results. We obtain detailed numerical predictions regarding the structure and evolution of massive stars, and infer the role of main sequence mass loss by comparison of the mass-loss rate prescriptions. We present implications for the overall evolutionary trajectory, including the evolution of WR stars, as well as the effect on stellar yields and stellar populations. Conclusions. Mass loss during the main sequence plays an important role because of its ability to affect the sequence and duration of all subsequent phases. We identify several distinct evolutionary paths for massive stars, which are significantly influenced by the chosen main sequence mass-loss description. We also discuss the impact of uncertainties – other than that regarding mass loss – on the evolution, in particular those relating to convection. We further demonstrate that not only the total mass loss but also the specific mass-loss history throughout a star’s life is a crucial determinant of many aspects, such as the resulting stellar yields.

Origin of extended main-sequence turn-off in open cluster NGC 2355

ABSTRACT The presence of extended Main-Sequence Turn-Off (eMSTO) in the open clusters has been attributed to various factors, such as spread in rotation rates, binary stars, and dust-like extinction from stellar excretion discs. We present a comprehensive analysis of the eMSTO in the open cluster NGC 2355. Using spectra from the Gaia–European Southern Observatory (ESO) archives, we find that the stars in the red part of the eMSTO have a higher mean v sin i value of 135.3 $\pm$ 4.6 km s$^{-1}$ compared to the stars in the blue part that have an average v sin i equal to 81.3 $\pm$ 5.6 km s$^{-1}$. This suggests that the eMSTO in NGC 2355 is possibly caused by the spread in rotation rates of stars. We do not find any substantial evidence of the dust-like extinction from the eMSTO stars using ultraviolet data from the Swift survey. The estimated synchronization time for low-mass ratio close binaries in the blue part of the eMSTO suggests that they would be mostly slow-rotating if present. However, the stars in the blue part of the eMSTO are preferentially located in the outer region of the cluster indicating that they may lack low-mass ratio close binaries. The spread in rotation rates of eMSTO stars in NGC 2355 is most likely caused by the star-disc interaction mechanism. The stars in the lower main sequence beyond the eMSTO region of NGC 2355 are slow rotating (mean v sin i = 26.5 $\pm$ 1.3 km s$^{-1}$) possibly due to the magnetic braking of their rotations.

Exploring the Chemistry and Mass Function of the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae with New Theoretical Color–Magnitude Diagrams

Despite their shared origin, members of globular clusters display star-to-star variations in composition. The observed pattern of element abundances is unique to these stellar environments and cannot be fully explained by any proposed mechanism. It remains unclear whether stars form with chemical heterogeneity or inherit it from interactions with other members. These scenarios may be differentiated by the dependence of chemical spread on stellar mass; however, obtaining a sufficiently large mass baseline requires abundance measurements on the lower main sequence, which is too faint for spectroscopy even in the nearest globular clusters. We developed a stellar modeling method to obtain precise chemical abundances for stars near the end of the main sequence from multiband photometry, and we applied it to the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. The computational efficiency is attained by matching chemical elements to the model components that are most sensitive to their abundance. We determined [O/Fe] for ∼5000 members below the main-sequence knee at the level of accuracy, comparable to the spectroscopic measurements of evolved members in the literature. The inferred distribution disfavors stellar interactions as the origin of chemical spread; however, an accurate theory of accretion is required to draw a more definitive conclusion. We anticipate that future observations of 47 Tucanae with the James Webb Space Telescope will extend the mass baseline of our analysis into the substellar regime. Therefore, we present predicted color–magnitude diagrams and mass–magnitude relations for the brown dwarf members of 47 Tucanae.

Seven classes of rotational variables from a study of 50 000 spotted stars with ASAS-SN, Gaia, and APOGEE

ABSTRACT We examine the properties of ∼50 000 rotational variables from the ASAS-SN survey using distances, stellar properties, and probes of binarity from Gaia DR3 and the SDSS APOGEE survey. They have higher amplitudes and span a broader period range than previously studied Kepler rotators. We find they divide into three groups of main sequence stars (MS1, MS2s, MS2b) and four of giants (G1/3, G2, G4s, and G4b). MS1 stars are slowly rotating (10–30 d), likely single stars with a limited range of temperatures. MS2s stars are more rapidly rotating (days) single stars spanning the lower main sequence up to the Kraft break. There is a clear period gap (or minimum) between MS1 and MS2s, similar to that seen for lower temperatures in the Kepler samples. MS2b stars are tidally locked binaries with periods of days. G1/3 stars are heavily spotted, tidally locked RS CVn stars with periods of 10s of days. G2 stars are less luminous, heavily spotted, tidally locked sub-subgiants with periods of ∼10 d. G4s stars have intermediate luminosities to G1/3 and G2, slow rotation periods (approaching 100 d), and are almost certainly all merger remnants. G4b stars have similar rotation periods and luminosities to G4s, but consist of sub-synchronously rotating binaries. We see no difference in indicators for the presence of very wide binary companions between any of these groups and control samples of photometric twin stars built for each group.

JWST uncovers helium and water abundance variations in the bulge globular cluster NGC 6440

We used ultra-deep observations obtained with the NIRCam aboard the James Webb Space Telescope to explore the stellar population of NGC 6440: a typical massive, obscured, and contaminated globular cluster formed and orbiting within the Galactic bulge. Leveraging the exceptional capabilities of this camera, we sampled the cluster down to about five magnitudes below the main sequence turn-off in the (mF115W, mF115W − mF200W) colour–magnitude diagram. After carefully accounting for differential extinction and contamination by field interlopers, we find that the main sequence splits into two branches, each above and below the characteristic knee. By comparing the morphology of the colour–magnitude diagram with a suitable set of isochrones, we argue that the upper main sequence bi-modality is likely due to the presence of a He-enriched stellar population with a helium spread of ΔY = 0.04. The lower main sequence bi-modality can be attributed to variations in the abundance of water (i.e., oxygen) with Δ[O/Fe] ∼ −0.4. This is the first evidence of both helium and oxygen abundance variations in a globular cluster purely based on JWST observations. These results open the window for future in-depth investigations of the multiple population phenomenon in clusters located in the Galactic bulge, which were previously unfeasible with near-UV observations, due to prohibitive reddening and crowding conditions.

Tidal Angular Momentum in Close Binary Systems in presence of Wind Driven Non-conservative Mass Transfer with Uniform Mass Accretion Rate

A very well-known property of close binary stars is that they usually rotate slowly than a similar type single star. Massive stars in close binary systems are supposed to experience an exchange of mass and angular momentum via mass transfer and tidal interaction, and thus the evolution of binary stars becomes more complex than that of individual stars. In recent times, it has become clear that a large number of massive stars interact with binary companions before they die. The observation also reveals that in close pairs the rotation tends to be synchronized with the orbital motion and the companions are naturally tempted to invoke tidal friction. We here introduce the effect of tidal angular momentum in the model of wind driven non-conservative mass transfer taking mass accretion rate as uniform with respect to time. To model the angular momentum evolution of a low mass main sequence companion star can be a challenging task. So, to make the present study more interesting, we have considered initial masses of the donor and gainer stars at the proximity of bottom-line main sequence stars and they are taken with lower angular momentum. We have produced a graphical profile of the rate of change of tidal angular momentum and the variation of tidal angular momentum with respect to time under the present consideration.

The broadening of the main sequence in the open cluster M38

Abstract Our recent multi-band photometric study of the colour width of the lower main sequence of the open cluster M37 has revealed the presence of a sizeable initial chemical composition spread in the cluster. If initial chemical composition spreads are common amongst open clusters, this would have major implications for cluster formation models and the foundation of the chemical tagging technique. Here we present a study of the unevolved main sequence of the open cluster M38, employing Gaia DR3 photometry and astrometry, together with newly acquired Sloan photometry. We have analysed the distribution of the cluster’s lower main sequence stars with a differential colour-colour diagram made of combinations of Gaia and Sloan magnitudes, like in the study of M37. We employed synthetic stellar populations to reproduce the observed trend of M38 stars in this diagram, and found that the observed colour spreads can be explained simply by the combined effect of differential reddening across the face of the cluster and the presence of unresolved binaries. There is no need to include in the synthetic sample a spread of initial chemical composition as instead necessary to explain the main sequence of M37. Further photometric investigations like ours, as well as accurate differential spectroscopic analyses on large samples of open clusters, are necessary to understand whether chemical abundance spreads are common among the open cluster population.

The value-added catalogue of ASAS-SN eclipsing binaries – III. Masses and radii of Gaia spectroscopic binaries

ABSTRACT Masses and radii of stars can be derived by combining eclipsing binary light curves with spectroscopic orbits. In our previous work, we modelled the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) light curves of more than 30 000 detached eclipsing binaries using phoebe. Here, we combine our results with 128 double-lined spectroscopic orbits from Gaia Data Release 3. We also visually inspect ASAS-SN light curves of the Gaia double-lined spectroscopic binaries on the lower main sequence and the giant branch, adding 11 binaries to our sample. We find that only 50 per cent of systems have Gaia periods and eccentricities consistent with the ASAS-SN values. We use emcee and phoebe to determine masses and radii for a total of 122 stars with median fractional uncertainties of 7.9 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively.

The GAPS programme at TNG

Context. Active-region evolution plays an important role in the generation and variability of magnetic fields on the surface of lower main sequence stars. However, determining the lifetime of active-region growth and decay as well as their evolution is a complex task. Most previous studies of this phenomenon are based on optical light curves, while little is known about the chromosphere and the transition region. Aims. We aim to test whether or not the lifetime of active-region evolution shows any dependency on stellar parameters, particularly stellar age. Methods. We identified a sample of stars with well-defined ages via their kinematics and membership to young stellar associations and moving groups. We made use of high-resolution échelle spectra from HARPS at La Silla 3.6m-telescope and HARPS-N at TNG to compute rotational velocities, activity levels, and emission excesses. We used these data to revisit the activity-rotation-age relationship. The time-series of the main optical activity indicators, namely Ca II H and K, Balmer lines, Na I D1, D2, and He I D3, were analysed together with the available photometry using state-of-the-art Gaussian processes to model the stellar activity of these stars. Autocorrelation functions of the available photometry were also analysed. We used the derived lifetimes of active-region evolution to search for correlations with stellar age, spectral type, and activity level. We also used the pooled variance technique to characterise the activity behaviour of our targets. Results. Our analysis confirms the decline of activity and rotation as a star ages. We also confirm that the rotation rate decays with age more slowly for cooler stars and that, for a given age, cooler stars show higher levels of activity. We show that F- and G-type young stars also depart from the inactive stars in the flux–flux relationship. The Gaussian process analysis of the different activity indicators does not seem to provide any useful information on the lifetime and evolution of active regions. On the other hand, the lifetimes of active regions derived from the light-curve analysis might correlate with stellar age and temperature. Conclusions. Although we suggest caution because of small number statistics, our results suggest that active regions seem to live longer on younger, cooler, and more active stars.

The LHS 1678 System: Two Earth-sized Transiting Planets and an Astrometric Companion Orbiting an M Dwarf Near the Convective Boundary at 20 pc

We present the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of the LHS 1678 (TOI-696) exoplanet system, comprised of two approximately Earth-sized transiting planets and a likely astrometric brown dwarf orbiting a bright (V J = 12.5, K s = 8.3) M2 dwarf at 19.9 pc. The two TESS-detected planets are of radius 0.70 ± 0.04 R ⊕ and 0.98 ± 0.06 R ⊕ in 0.86 day and 3.69 day orbits, respectively. Both planets are validated and characterized via ground-based follow-up observations. High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher RV monitoring yields 97.7 percentile mass upper limits of 0.35 M ⊕ and 1.4 M ⊕ for planets b and c, respectively. The astrometric companion detected by the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory/Small and Moderate Aperture Telescope System 0.9 m has an orbital period on the order of decades and is undetected by other means. Additional ground-based observations constrain the companion to being a high-mass brown dwarf or smaller. Each planet is of unique interest; the inner planet has an ultra-short period, and the outer planet is in the Venus zone. Both are promising targets for atmospheric characterization with the James Webb Space Telescope and mass measurements via extreme-precision radial velocity. A third planet candidate of radius 0.9 ± 0.1 R ⊕ in a 4.97 day orbit is also identified in multicycle TESS data for validation in future work. The host star is associated with an observed gap in the lower main sequence of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. This gap is tied to the transition from partially to fully convective interiors in M dwarfs, and the effect of the associated stellar astrophysics on exoplanet evolution is currently unknown. The culmination of these system properties makes LHS 1678 a unique, compelling playground for comparative exoplanet science and understanding the formation and evolution of small, short-period exoplanets orbiting low-mass stars.

Dissecting theGaiaHR diagram within 200 pc

ABSTRACTWe analyse the high-quality Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (HRD) derived from Gaia data release 2 for the Solar Neighbourhood. We start building an almost complete sample within 200 pc and for |b| > 25○, so as to limit the impact of known errors and artefacts in the Gaia catalogue. Particular effort is then put into improving the modelling of population of binaries, which produce two marked features in the HRD: the sequence of near-equal mass binaries along the lower main sequence, and the isolated group of hot subdwarfs. We describe a new tool, BinaPSE, to follow the evolution of interacting binaries in a way that improves the consistency with PARSEC evolutionary tracks for single stars. BinaPSE is implemented into the TRILEGAL code for the generation of ‘partial models’ for both single and binary stellar populations, taking into account the presence of resolved and unresolved binaries. We then fit the Gaia HRD via Markov chain Monte Carlo methods that search for the star formation history and an initial binary fraction (by mass) that maximize the likelihood. The main results are (i) the binary fraction derived from the lower MS is close to 0.4, while twice larger values are favoured when the upper part of the HRD is fitted; (ii) present models predict the observed numbers of hot subdwarfs to within a factor of 2; and (iii) irrespective of the prescription for the binaries, the star formation rate peaks at values $\sim \!1.5\times 10^{-4}{\rm{M}_{\odot }}\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ at ages slightly above 2 Gyr, and then decreases to $\sim \!0.8\times 10^{-4}{\rm{M}_{\odot }}\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ at very old ages.

Fine Structures in the Main Sequence Revealed by Gaia Data Release 2

Abstract The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (HRD) is fully examined using the Fourier analysis. This work shows more stars are above the gap in the lower main sequence than below it, and this implies that stars spend more time above the gap while they undergo variability associated with the 3He instability. The enhanced HRD also shows the width of the gap is not linear and depends on the color up until . Beyond this color limit, the gap is hardly seen. Besides, a new low density region is revealed for the first time centered at M G ≈ 10.7 and G BP − G RP ≈ 2.8, which is below the lower right corner of the gap. This work also shows that the main sequence appears to have fine stripes where stellar densities are relatively low or high compared to their adjacent regions on the main sequence. These stripes can be seen throughout the main sequence of stars redder than G BP − G RP = 0.8 and are not limited to any specific color or spectral type. Slopes of these features are different from the main sequence, but are pretty consistent throughout the main sequence, with a few exceptions. We are perplexed by these new features, but the complexities of stellar atmospheric features and opacities of dwarfs may have caused these patterns.

TESS observations of southern ultrafast rotating low-mass stars

ABSTRACT In our previous study of low-mass stars using TESS, we found a handful that show a periodic modulation on a period <1 d but also displayed no flaring activity. Here we present the results of a systematic search for ultrafast rotators (UFRs) in the Southern ecliptic hemisphere, which were observed in 2-min cadence with TESS. Using data from Gaia DR2, we obtain a sample of over 13 000 stars close to the lower main sequence. Of these, we identify 609 stars that lie on the lower main sequence and have a periodic modulation <1 d. The fraction of stars that show flares appears to drop significantly at periods <0.2 d. If the periods are a signature of the rotation rate, this would be a surprise, since faster rotators would be expected to have a stronger magnetic field and, therefore, produce more flares. We explore possible reasons for our finding: The flare inactive stars are members of binaries, in which case the stars rotation rate could have increased as the binary orbital separation reduced due to angular momentum loss over time, or that enhanced emission occurs at blue wavelengths beyond the pass band of TESS. Follow-up spectroscopy and flare monitoring at blue/ultraviolet wavelengths of these flare inactive stars are required to resolve this question.

Rapid Rotation of Kepler Field Dwarfs and Subgiants: Spectroscopic v sin i from APOGEE

Abstract We use 5337 spectroscopic measurements of Kepler dwarfs and subgiants from the APOGEE survey to study stellar rotation trends. We find a detection threshold of 10 km s−1, which allows us to explore the spindown of intermediate-mass stars leaving the main sequence, merger products, young stars, and tidally synchronized binaries. We see a clear distinction between blue stragglers and the field turnoff in α-rich stars, with a sharp rapid rotation cutoff for blue stragglers consistent with the Kraft break. We also find rapid rotation and radial velocity variability in a sample of red straggler stars, considerably cooler than the giant branch, lending credence to the hypothesis that these are active, tidally synchronized binaries. We see clear evidence for a transition between rapid and slow rotation on the subgiant branch in the domain predicted by modern angular momentum evolution models. We find substantial agreement between the spectroscopic and photometric properties of KIC targets added by Huber et al. based on Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry. For the unevolved lower main sequence, we see the same concentration toward rapid rotation in photometric binaries as that observed in rotation period data, but at an enhanced rate. We attribute this difference to unresolved near-equal-luminosity spectroscopic binaries with velocity displacements on the order of the APOGEE resolution. Among cool unevolved stars we find an excess rapid rotator fraction of 4% caused by pipeline issues with photometric binaries.

APOGEE Net: Improving the Derived Spectral Parameters for Young Stars through Deep Learning

Abstract Machine learning allows for efficient extraction of physical properties from stellar spectra that have been obtained by large surveys. The viability of machine-learning approaches has been demonstrated for spectra covering a variety of wavelengths and spectral resolutions, but most often for main-sequence (MS) or evolved stars, where reliable synthetic spectra provide labels and data for training. Spectral models of young stellar objects (YSOs) and low-mass MS stars are less well-matched to their empirical counterparts, however, posing barriers to previous approaches to classify spectra of such stars. In this work, we generate labels for YSOs and low-mass MS stars through their photometry. We then use these labels to train a deep convolutional neural network to predict , T eff, and Fe/H for stars with Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) spectra in the DR14 data set. This “APOGEE Net” has produced reliable predictions of for YSOs, with uncertainties of within 0.1 dex and a good agreement with the structure indicated by pre-MS evolutionary tracks, and it correlates well with independently derived stellar radii. These values will be useful for studying pre-MS stellar populations to accurately diagnose membership and ages.

Type IIb supernova progenitors by fatal common envelope evolution

Abstract From stellar evolution simulations (using mesa) we conclude that the fatal common envelope evolution (CEE) channel for the formation of Type IIb core collapse supernova (SN IIb) progenitors can indeed account for some SNe IIb. In the fatal CEE channel for SNe IIb a low mass main sequence secondary star inspirals inside the giant envelope of the massive primary star and removes most of the giant envelope before it merges with the giant core. The key ingredient of the scenario studied here is that the tidally destroyed secondary star forms a new giant envelope. The mass-loss process in a wind during the evolution from the merger process until core collapse, i.e., until the explosion, leaves little hydrogen mass at explosion as inferred from observations of SNe IIb. In the case of a massive primary star with a zero age main sequence mass of MZAMS = 16M⊙ that during its giant phase swallows a main sequence star of mass M2 = 0.5M⊙, we find at explosion a hydrogen mass of MH ≃ 0.02–0.09M⊙, depending on the rotation we assume. We find similar values for MZAMS = 12M⊙.

The CEMP star SDSS J0222–0313: the first evidence of proton ingestion in very low-metallicity AGB stars?

Context. Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars are common objects in the metal-poor regime. The lower the metallicity we look at, the larger the fraction of CEMP stars with respect to metal-poor stars with no enhancement in carbon. The chemical pattern of CEMP stars is diversified, strongly suggesting a different origin of the C enhancement in the different types of CEMP stars. Aims. We selected a CEMP star, SDSS J0222–0313, with a known high carbon abundance and, from a low-resolution analysis, a strong enhancement in neutron-capture elements of the first peak (Sr and Y) and of the second peak (Ba). The peculiarity of this object is a greater overabundance (with respect to iron) of the first s-process peak than the second s-process peak. Methods. We analysed a high-resolution spectrum obtained with the Mike spectrograph at the Clay Magellan 6.5 m telescope in order to derive the detailed chemical composition of this star. Results. We confirmed the chemical pattern we expected; we derived abundances for a total of 18 elements and significant upper limits. Conclusions. We conclude that this star is a carbon-enhanced metal-poor star enriched in elements produced by s-process (CEMP-s), whose enhancement in heavy elements is due to mass transfer from the more evolved companion in its asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. The abundances imply that the evolved companion had a low main sequence mass and it suggests that it experienced a proton ingestion episode at the beginning of its AGB phase.

Rapid Rotation in the Kepler Field: Not a Single Star Phenomenon

Abstract Tens of thousands of rotation periods have been measured in the Kepler fields, including a substantial fraction of rapid rotators. We use Gaia parallaxes to distinguish photometric binaries (PBs; from single stars on the unevolved lower main sequence, and compare their distribution of rotation properties to those of single stars both with and without Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment spectroscopic characterization. We find that 59% of stars with 1.5 day < P < 7 day lie 0.3 mag above the main sequence, compared with 28% of the full rotation sample. The fraction of stars in the same period range is 1.7 ± 0.1% of the total sample analyzed for rotation periods. Both the PB fraction and the fraction of rapid rotators are consistent with a population of non-eclipsing short-period binaries inferred from Kepler eclipsing binary data after correcting for inclination. This suggests that the rapid rotators are dominated by tidally synchronized binaries rather than single stars obeying traditional angular momentum evolution. We caution against interpreting rapid rotation in the Kepler field as a signature of youth. Following up on this new sample of 217 candidate tidally synchronized binaries will help further understand tidal processes in stars.

Local disc model in view of Gaia DR1 and RAVE data

Aims. We test the performance of the semi-analytic self-consistent Just-Jahreiß disc model (JJ model) with the astrometric data from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) sub-catalogue of the first Gaia data release (Gaia DR1), as well as the radial velocities from the fifth data release of the Radial Velocity Experiment survey (RAVE DR5). Methods. We used a sample of 19 746 thin-disc stars from the TGAS×RAVE cross-match selected in a local solar cylinder of 300 pc radius and 1 kpc height below the Galactic plane. Based on the JJ model, we simulated this sample via the forward modelling technique. First, we converted the predicted vertical density laws of the thin-disc populations into a mock sample. For this we used the Modules and Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST), a star formation rate (SFR) that decreased after a peak at 10 Gyr ago, and a three-slope broken power-law initial mass function (IMF). Then the obtained mock populations were reddened with a 3D dust map and were subjected to the selection criteria corresponding to the RAVE and TGAS observational limitations as well as to additional cuts applied to the data sample. We calculated the quantities of interest separately at different heights above the Galactic plane, taking the distance error effects in horizontal and vertical directions into account separately. Results. The simulated vertical number density profile agrees well with the data. An underestimation of the stellar numbers begins at ∼800 pc from the Galactic plane, which is expected as the possible influence of populations from |z| > 1 kpc is ignored during the modelling. The lower main sequence (LMS) is found to be thinner and under-populated by 3.6% relative to the observations. The corresponding deficits for the upper main sequence (UMS) and red giant branch (RGB) are 6% and 34.7%, respectively. However, the intrinsic uncertainty related to the choice of stellar isochrones is ∼10% in the total stellar number. The vertical velocity distribution function f(|W|) simulated for the whole cylinder agrees to within 1σ with the data. This marginal agreement arises because the dynamically cold populations at heights < 200 pc from the Galactic plane are underestimated. We also find that the model gives a fully realistic representation of the vertical gradient in stellar populations when studying the Hess diagrams for different horizontal slices. We also checked and confirm the consistency of our results with the newly available second Gaia data release (DR2). Conclusions. Based on these results and considering the uncertainties in the data selection as well as the sensitivity of the simulations to the sample selection function, we conclude that the fiducial JJ model confidently reproduces the vertical trends in the thin-disc stellar population properties. Thus, it can serve as a starting point for the future extension of the JJ model to other Galactocentric distances.