SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline Research Articles

The SDSS-Gaia View of the Color–Magnitude Relation for Blue Horizontal-branch Stars

We present an updated sample of blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars selected from the photometric and spectroscopic data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey and its associated project Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). With these data, we selected candidates for A-type stars in the color–color space and then a mixture modeling technique was implemented in order to distinguish between BHB and main-sequence/blue-straggler stars based on their surface gravity values () estimated by the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. Our robust approach allows us to attribute individual probabilities of each star truly being in the BHB stage. Hence, our method is advantageous in comparison to previous SEGUE BHB selections that adopted simple cuts. We also revisit the color–magnitude relation for these stars and propose two calibrations, based on updated distances for Galactic globular clusters, to estimate absolute magnitudes with (g − r)0 and (u − r)0 colors.

SEGUE-2: Old Milky Way Stars Near and Far

Abstract The Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration 2 (SEGUE-2) obtained 128,288 low-resolution spectra (R ∼ 1800) of 118,958 unique stars in the first year of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (2008–2009). SEGUE-2 targeted prioritized distant halo tracers (blue horizontal-branch stars, K giants, and M giants) and metal-poor or kinematically hot populations. The main goal of SEGUE-2 was to target stars in the distant halo and measure their kinematics and chemical abundances to learn about the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. We present the SEGUE-2 field placement and target selection strategies. We discuss the success rate of the targeting based on the SEGUE-2 spectra and other spectroscopic and astrometric surveys. We describe the final SEGUE-2/SDSS-III improvements to the stellar parameter determinations based on the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. We report a (g − i) color−effective temperature relation calibrated to the IRFM. We evaluate the accuracy and uncertainties associated with these stellar parameters by comparing with fundamental parameters, a sample of high-resolution spectra of SEGUE stars analyzed homogeneously, stars in well-studied clusters, and stars observed in common by the APOGEE survey. The final SEGUE spectra, calibration data, and derived parameters described here were released in SDSS-III Data Release 9 and continue to be included in all subsequent SDSS Data Releases. Because of its faint limiting magnitude and emphasis on the distant halo, the public SEGUE-2 data remain an important resource for the spectroscopy of stars in the Milky Way.

J-PLUS: Searching for very metal-poor star candidates using the SPEEM pipeline

Context. We explore the stellar content of the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) Data Release 2 and show its potential for identifying low-metallicity stars using the Stellar Parameters Estimation based on Ensemble Methods (SPEEM) pipeline. Aims. SPEEM is a tool used to provide determinations of atmospheric parameters for stars and separate stellar sources from quasars based on the unique J-PLUS photometric system. The adoption of adequate selection criteria allows for the identification of metal-poor star candidates that are suitable for spectroscopic follow-up investigations. Methods. SPEEM consists of a series of machine-learning models that use a training sample observed by both J-PLUS and the SEGUE spectroscopic survey. The training sample has temperatures, Teff, between 4800 K and 9000 K, values of log g between 1.0 and 4.5, as well as −3.1 < [Fe/H] < +0.5. The performance of the pipeline was tested with a sample of stars observed by the LAMOST survey within the same parameter range. Results. The average differences between the parameters of a sample of stars observed with SEGUE and J-PLUS, obtained with the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline and SPEEM, respectively, are ΔTeff ~ 41 K, Δlog g ~ 0.11 dex, and Δ[Fe/H] ~ 0.09 dex. We define a sample of 177 stars that have been identified as new candidates with [Fe/H] < −2.5, with 11 of them having been observed with the ISIS spectrograph at the William Herschel Telescope. The spectroscopic analysis confirms that 64% of stars have [Fe/H] < −2.5, including one new star with [Fe/H] < −3.0. Conclusions. Using SPEEM in combination with the J-PLUS filter system has demonstrated their potential in estimating the stellar atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g, and [Fe/H]). The spectroscopic validation of the candidates shows that SPEEM yields a success rate of 64% on the identification of very metal-poor star candidates with [Fe/H] < −2.5.

Deep SDSS optical spectroscopy of distant halo stars

Aims. We present the results of an analysis for 107 extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars with metallicities less than [Fe/H] = −3.0, identified from medium-resolution spectra in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our analysis provides estimates of the stellar effective temperatures and surface gravities, as well as iron, calcium, and magnesium abundances. Methods. We follow the same methodology as in previous papers of this series, based on comparisons of the observed spectra with synthetic spectra. The abundances of Fe, Ca, and Mg are determined by fitting spectral regions dominated by lines of each element. In addition, we present a technique to determine upper limits for elements whose features are not detected in a given spectrum. We also analyse our sample with the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline, in order to obtain additional determinations of the atmospheric parameters, iron and alpha-element abundances, to compare with ours, and to infer [C/Fe] ratios. Results. We find that, in these moderate to low signal-to-noise and medium-resolution spectra in this metallicity regime, Ca is usually the only element that exhibits lines that are sufficiently strong to reliably measure its abundance. Fe and Mg exhibit weaker features that, in most cases, only provide upper limits. We measure [Ca/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] for EMP stars in the SDSS spectra, and conclude that most of the stars exhibit the usual level of enhancement for α-elements, ∼+0.4, although a number of stars for which only [Fe/H] upper limits could be estimated point to higher [α/Fe] ratios. We also find that 26% of the stars in our sample can be classified as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, and that the frequency of CEMP stars also increases with decreasing metallicity, as has been reported for previous samples. We identity a rare, bright (g = 11.90) EMP star, SDSS J134144.61+474128.6, with [Fe/H] = −3.27, [C/Fe] = +0.95, and elevated magnesium ([Mg/Fe] = +0.62), an abundance pattern typical of CEMP-no stars.

ELM: AN ALGORITHM TO ESTIMATE THE ALPHA ABUNDANCE FROM LOW-RESOLUTION SPECTRA

ABSTRACT We have investigated a novel methodology using the extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm to determine the α abundance of stars. Applying two methods based on the ELM algorithm—ELM+spectra and ELM+Lick indices—to the stellar spectra from the ELODIE database, we measured the α abundance with a precision better than 0.065 dex. By applying these two methods to the spectra with different signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) and different resolutions, we found that ELM+spectra is more robust against degraded resolution and ELM+Lick indices is more robust against variation in S/N. To further validate the performance of ELM, we applied ELM+spectra and ELM+Lick indices to SDSS spectra and estimated α abundances with a precision around 0.10 dex, which is comparable to the results given by the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. We further applied ELM to the spectra of stars in Galactic globular clusters (M15, M13, M71) and open clusters (NGC 2420, M67, NGC 6791), and results show good agreement with previous studies (within 1σ). A comparison of the ELM with other widely used methods including support vector machine, Gaussian process regression, artificial neural networks, and linear least-squares regression shows that ELM is efficient with computational resources and more accurate than other methods.

THE VERTICAL METALLICITY GRADIENT OF THE MILKY WAY DISK: TRANSITIONS IN [α/Fe] POPULATIONS

Using G dwarfs from the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) survey, we have determined a vertical metallicity gradient over a large volume of the Milky Way's disk, and examined how this gradient varies for different [a/Fe] subsamples. This sample contains over 40,000 stars with low-resolution spectroscopy over 144 lines of sight. We employ the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP) to obtain estimates of effective temperature, surface gravity, [Fe/H], and [a/Fe] for each star and extract multiple volume-complete subsamples of approximately 1000 stars each. Based on the survey's consistent target-selection algorithm, we adjust each subsample to determine an unbiased picture of the disk in [Fe/H] and [a/Fe]; consequently, each individual star represents the properties of many. The SEGUE sample allows us to constrain the vertical metallicity gradient for a large number of stars over a significant volume of the disk, between ~0.3 and 1.6 kpc from the Galactic plane, and examine the in situ structure, in contrast to previous analyses which are more limited in scope. This work does not pre-suppose a disk structure, whether composed of a single complex population or a distinct thin and thick disk component. The metallicity gradient is -0.243 +0.039 -0.053 dex/kpc for the sample as a whole, which we compare to various literature results. Each [a/Fe] subsample dominates at a different range of heights above the plane of the Galaxy, which is exhibited in the gradient found in the sample as a whole. Stars over a limited range in [a/Fe] show little change in median [Fe/H] with height. If we associate [a/Fe] with age, our consistent vertical metallicity gradients with [a/Fe] suggest that stars formed in different epochs exhibit comparable vertical structure, implying similar star-formation processes and evolution.

Deep SDSS optical spectroscopy of distant halo stars

We analyze a sample of tens of thousands of spectra of halo turnoff stars, obtained with the optical spectrographs of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), to characterize the stellar halo population "in situ" out to a distance of a few tens of kpc from the Sun. In this paper we describe the derivation of atmospheric parameters. We also derive the overall stellar metallicity distribution based on F-type stars observed as flux calibrators for the Baryonic Oscillations Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Our analysis is based on an automated method that determines the set of parameters of a model atmosphere that reproduces each observed spectrum best. We used an optimization algorithm and evaluate model fluxes by means of interpolation in a precomputed grid. In our analysis, we account for the spectrograph's varying resolution as a function of fiber and wavelength. Our results for early SDSS (pre-BOSS upgrade) data compare well with those from the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP), except for stars with logg (cgs units) lower than 2.5. An analysis of stars in the globular cluster M13 reveals a dependence of the inferred metallicity on surface gravity for stars with logg < 2.5, confirming the systematics identified in the comparison with the SSPP. We find that our metallicity estimates are significantly more precise than the SSPP results. We obtain a halo metallicity distribution that is narrower and more asymmetric than in previous studies. The lowest gravity stars in our sample, at tens of kpc from the Sun, indicate a shift of the metallicity distribution to lower abundances, consistent with what is expected from a dual halo system in the Milky Way.

HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS FROM SDSS/SEGUE. I. ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS

Chemical compositions are determined based on high-resolution spectroscopy for 137 candidate extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and its first stellar extension, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). High-resolution spectra with moderate signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios were obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph of the Subaru Telescope. Most of the sample (approximately 80%) are main-sequence turn-off stars, including dwarfs and subgiants. Four cool main-sequence stars, the most metal-deficient such stars known, are included in the remaining sample. Good agreement is found between effective temperatures estimated by the SEGUE stellar parameter pipeline, based on the SDSS/SEGUE medium-resolution spectra, and those estimated from the broadband $(V-K)_0$ and $(g-r)_0$ colors. Our abundance measurements reveal that 70 stars in our sample have [Fe/H] $ < -3$, adding a significant number of EMP stars to the currently known sample. Our analyses determine the abundances of eight elements (C, Na, Mg, Ca, Ti, Cr, Sr, and Ba) in addition to Fe. The fraction of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars ([C/Fe]$> +0.7$) among the 25 giants in our sample is as high as 36%, while only a lower limit on the fraction (9%) is estimated for turn-off stars. This paper is the first of a series of papers based on these observational results. The following papers in this series will discuss the higher-resolution and higher-S/N observations of a subset of this sample, the metallicity distribution function, binarity, and correlations between the chemical composition and kinematics of extremely metal-poor stars.

MEASURING REDDENING WITH SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY STELLAR SPECTRA AND RECALIBRATING SFD

We present measurements of dust reddening using the colors of stars with spectra in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We measure reddening as the difference between the measured and predicted colors of a star, as derived from stellar parameters from the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (Lee et al. 2008a). We achieve uncertainties of 56, 34, 25, and 29 mmag in the colors u-g, g-r, r-i, and i-z, per star, though the uncertainty varies depending on the stellar type and the magnitude of the star. The spectrum-based reddening measurements confirm our earlier "blue tip" reddening measurements (Schlafly et al. 2010, S10), finding reddening coefficients different by -3%, 1%, 1%, and 2% in u-g, g-r, r-i, and i-z from those found by the blue tip method, after removing a 4% normalization difference. These results prefer an R_V=3.1 Fitzpatrick (1999) reddening law to O'Donnell (1994) or Cardelli et al. (1989) reddening laws. We provide a table of conversion coefficients from the Schlegel et al. (1998) maps of E(B-V) to extinction in 88 bandpasses for 4 values of R_V, using this reddening law and the 14% recalibration of SFD first reported by S10 and confirmed in this work.

Metallicity calibration for solar type stars based on red spectra

Based on a high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectral analysis of 90 solar-type stars, we have established several new metallicity calibrations in the Teff range [5600, 6500] K based on red spectra with the wavelength range of 560–880 nm. The new metallicity calibrations are applied to determine the metallicity of solar analogs selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectra. There is a good consistent result with the adopted value presented in SDSS-DR7 and a small scatter of 0.26 dex for stars with S/N > 50 being obtained. This study provides a new reliable way to derive the metallicity for solar-like stars with low resolution spectra. In particular, our calibrations are useful for finding metal-rich stars, which are missing in the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline.

THE SEGUE STELLAR PARAMETER PIPELINE. IV. VALIDATION WITH AN EXTENDED SAMPLE OF GALACTIC GLOBULAR AND OPEN CLUSTERS

Spectroscopic and photometric data for likely member stars of five Galactic globular clusters (M3, M53, M71, M92, and NGC 5053) and three open clusters (M35, NGC 2158, and NGC 6791) are processed by the current version of the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP), in order to determine estimates of metallicities and radial velocities for the clusters. These results are then compared to values from the literature. We find that the mean metallicity (<[Fe/H]>) and mean radial velocity (<RV>) estimates for each cluster are almost all within 2{\sigma} of the adopted literature values; most are within 1{\sigma}. We also demonstrate that the new version of the SSPP achieves small, but noteworthy, improvements in <[Fe/H]> estimates at the extrema of the cluster metallicity range, as compared to a previous version of the pipeline software. These results provide additional confidence in the application of the SSPP for studies of the abundances and kinematics of stellar populations in the Galaxy.

BINARY CONTAMINATION IN THE SEGUE SAMPLE: EFFECTS ON SSPP DETERMINATIONS OF STELLAR ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS

Using numerical modeling and a grid of synthetic spectra, we examine the effects that unresolved binaries have on the determination of various stellar atmospheric parameters for SEGUE targets measured using the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP). To model undetected binaries that may be in the SEGUE sample, we use a variety of mass distributions for the primary and secondary stars in conjunction with empirically determined relationships for orbital parameters to determine the fraction of G-K dwarf stars, as defined by SDSS color cuts, that will be blended with a secondary companion. We focus on the G-K dwarf sample in SEGUE as it records the history of chemical enrichment in our galaxy. To determine the effect of the secondary on the spectroscopic parameters, we synthesize a grid of model spectra from 3275 to 7850 K (~0.1 to 1.0 \msun) and [Fe/H]=-0.5 to -2.5 from MARCS model atmospheres using TurboSpectrum. We analyze both "infinite" signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) models and degraded versions, at median S/N of 50, 25 and 10. By running individual and combined spectra (representing the binaries) through the SSPP, we determine that ~10% of the blended G-K dwarf pairs with S/N>=25 will have their atmospheric parameter determinations, in particular temperature and metallicity, noticeably affected by the presence of an undetected secondary. To account for the additional uncertainty from binary contamination at a S/N~10, uncertainties of ~140 K and ~0.17 dex in [Fe/H] must be added in quadrature to the published uncertainties of the SSPP. (Abridged)

THE LICK/SDSS LIBRARY. I. SYNTHETIC INDEX DEFINITION AND CALIBRATION

A new synthetic library of spectral feature indices, Lick/Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), for stellar population studies is presented. Lick/SDSS is computed from synthetic spectra with resolving power R = 1800 to fully exploit the content of the spectroscopic SDSS-DR7 stellar database. The Lick/SDSS system is based on the Lick/IDS one complemented with a UV index in the wavelength region of Ca II H and K lines. The system is well suited to study {alpha}-element abundances in F, G, and K stars. The reliability of synthetic indices in reproducing the behaviors of observational ones with effective temperature, surface gravity, overall metallicity, and {alpha}-element abundances is tested by using empirical stellar libraries (ELODIE, INDO-U.S., and MILES) and the SDSS-DR7 spectroscopic database. The importance of using the same temperature scale in comparing theoretical and observational indices is discussed. The full consistency between Lick/SDSS and observational indices derived from the above mentioned stellar libraries is assessed. The comparison with indices computed from SDSS-DR7 spectra evidences good consistency for 'dwarf' stars and significant disagreement for 'giant' stars due to systematic overestimation of the stellar T {sub eff} by the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline.

THE SEGUE STELLAR PARAMETER PIPELINE. III. COMPARISON WITH HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF SDSS/SEGUE FIELD STARS

We report high-resolution spectroscopy of 125 field stars previously observed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and its program for Galactic studies, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). These spectra are used to measure radial velocities and to derive atmospheric parameters, which we compare with those reported by the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP). The SSPP obtains estimates of these quantities based on SDSS ugriz photometry and low-resolution (R ∼ 2000) spectroscopy. For F- and G-type stars observed with high signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns), we empirically determine the typical random uncertainties in the radial velocities, effective temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities delivered by the SSPP to be 2.4 km s−1, 130 K (2.2 %), 0.21 dex, and 0.11 dex, respectively, with systematic uncertainties of a similar magnitude in the effective temperatures and metallicities. We estimate random errors for lower S/N based on numerical simulations.

THE SEGUE STELLAR PARAMETER PIPELINE. II. VALIDATION WITH GALACTIC GLOBULAR AND OPEN CLUSTERS

We validate the accuracy and precision of the current SEGUE (Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration) Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP), which determines stellar atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity) and radial velocities (RVs), by comparing these estimates for selected members of three globular clusters (M 13, M 15, and M 2) and two open clusters (NGC 2420 and M 67) to the literature values. Spectroscopic and photometric data obtained during the course of the original Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I) and its first extension (SDSS-II/SEGUE) are used to determine atmospheric parameter and RV estimates for stars in these clusters. Based on the scatter in the metallicities derived for the members of each cluster, we quantify the typical uncertainty of the SSPP values, σ ([Fe/H]) = 0.13 dex for stars in the range of –0.3 ≤ g – r ≤ 1.3 and 2.0 ≤ log g ≤ 5.0, at least over the metallicity interval spanned by the clusters studied (–2.3 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0). The surface gravities and effective temperatures derived by the SSPP are also compared with those estimated from the comparison of color-magnitude diagrams with stellar evolution models; we find satisfactory agreement (σ(T eff)< 200 K and σ(log g) ≤ 0.4 dex).