Star Candidates Research Articles

Machine-learning Morphological Classification of TESS Light Curves of T Tauri Stars

We present a variability and morphological classification study of TESS light curves for T Tauri star candidates in the Orion, IC 348, γ Velorum, Upper Scorpius, Corona Australis, and Perseus OB2 regions. We propose 11 morphological classes linking brightness variation behaviors with possible physical or geometric phenomena present in T Tauri stars, and develop a supervised machine-learning algorithm to automate the classification among these. Our algorithm optimizes and compares the true positive rate (recall) among k-nearest neighbors, classification trees, random forests, and support vector machines. This is done characterizing light curves with features depending on time, periodicity, and magnitude distribution. Binary and multiclass classifiers are trained and interpreted in a way that allows our final algorithm to have single or mixed classes. In the testing sample, the algorithm assigns mixed classes to 27% of the stars, reaching up to five simultaneous classes. A catalog of 3672 T Tauri star candidates is presented, along with their possible period estimations, predicted morphological classes, and visually revised ones. The cross-validation estimated performance of the final classifiers is reported. Binary classifiers surpass multiclass recall values for classes with less representation in the training sample. Support vector machines and random forest classifiers obtain better recalls. For comparison, another performance estimation of the final classifiers is calculated using the revised classes of our testing sample, indicating that this performance excels in singled classed stars, which happens in about 75% of the testing sample.

Supernovae Origin for the Low-latitude Intermediate-velocity Arch and the North Celestial Pole Loop

Supernova explosions attributed to the unseen companion in several binary systems identified by the Third Gaia Data Release (Gaia DR3) may be responsible for a number of well-known and well-studied features in the radio sky, including the low-latitude intermediate-velocity (LLIV) arch and the north celestial pole (NCP) loop. Slices from the longitude–latitude–velocity data cube of the λ-21 cm Galactic neutral hydrogen HI4PI survey show multiple signatures of an expanding shell. The source of this expansion, which includes the LLIV arch on the approaching side, may be the neutron star candidate in the Gaia DR3 1093757200530267520 binary. If we make the simplifying assumptions that the expansion of the cavity is uniform and spherically symmetric, then the explosion took place about 700,000 yr ago. The momentum is in reasonable agreement with recent model estimates for a supernova this old. The H i on the receding side of this cavity is interacting with the gas approaching us on the near side of a second cavity. The NCP loop appears to be located at the intersection of these two expanding features. The neutron star candidate in the Gaia DR3 1144019690966028928 binary may be (in part) responsible for this cavity. Explosions from other candidates may account for the observed elongation along the line of sight of this second cavity. We can use the primary star in these binaries to anchor the distances to the LLIV arch and NCP loop, which are ∼167 and ∼220 pc, respectively.

A and F spectral type runaway star candidates in the 30 Doradus region

The relative proper motions of eight A–F type runaway candidate stars, from the eleven cataloged stars by Platais et al. (2018) in the 30 Doradus (30 Dor) region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are investigated using Gaia DR3 data. We cross-matched the coordinates presented by the authors with Gaia DR3 coordinates, and we took only eight stars that match Gaia DR3 coordinates within a 0.01 arcsec radius. From the relative proper motions of the target stars with respect to the field stars and the distance to 30 Dor, we estimated the relative tangential velocities of our target stars. We use the astrometric excess noise information to filter the field stars from star like objects, such as unresolved binaries. To eliminate foreground contamination of the field stars used to figure out the relative proper motions of the target stars, we made a parallax cut and a Color Magnitude Diagram (CMD) cut.Three stars, ID 204988, ID 271782, and ID 358858, are fast runaways, and two stars, ID 325244 and ID 373715, are slow runaways in the tangential plane of the 30 Dor region with relative proper motions of μ≤3.92masyr−1 with respect to their neighbors and μ≤4.05masyr−1 with respect to the central cluster R136, which correspond to a tangential velocity of 920.58 km s−1, and 951.30 km s−1, respectively. The remaining three sources ID 223800, ID 346142, and ID 371614, could be unresolved binaries because their astrometric excess noise values are different from zero and need further study to decide. The flight times of the target stars to the young, massive cluster R136 (kinematic ages) are calculated using angular separations from the cluster and their relative proper motions with respect to the cluster.Based on the calculated values of the flight time and relative proper motions, the stars ID 204988, ID 325244, ID 358858, and ID 373715 have proper motions and positions consistent with the runaway scenario from R136. The stars ID 204988, ID 325244, and ID 373715 have flight times from R136 agreed with ejection from the cluster more or less during the last half of the age of the cluster, whereas the star ID 358858 has flight times from R136 agree with ejection from the cluster during or shortly after the cluster is formed. The origin of the remaining one star, ID 271782, could not be R136 as it has a direction of motion different from the runaway scenario from R136, although its flight time to R136 agreed with ejection from the cluster.

101 eclipsing quadruple star candidates discovered in TESS full frame images

ABSTRACT We present our second catalogue of quadruple star candidates, containing 101 systems discovered in TESS Full-Frame Image data. The targets were initially detected as eclipsing binary stars with the help of supervised machine learning methods applied to sectors (Sectors 1 through 54). A dedicated team of citizen scientists subsequently identified through visual inspection two sets of eclipses following two different periods. All 101 systems presented here pass comprehensive photocenter motion tests confirming that both sets of eclipses originate from the target star. Some of the systems exhibit prominent eclipse time variations suggesting dynamical interactions between the two component binary stars. One target is an eclipsing quintuple candidate with a (2 + 1) + 2 hierarchical configuration, such that the (2 + 1) subsystem produces eclipses on the triple orbit as well. Another has recently been confirmed as the second shortest period quadruple reported to date. This catalogue provides ephemerides, eclipse depths and durations, sample statistics, and highlights potentially interesting targets for future studies.

Structural properties of a new class of stellar structures in modified teleparallel gravity

This paper explores new neutron star models based on spherically symmetric space–time. We take into account the gravitational effects of f(T,T) gravity, in which T is the torsion and T is the trace of the energy–momentum tensor. Field equations are evaluated by incorporating the off-diagonal tetrad. In this paper, we discuss the detailed properties of compact star candidates 4U1538–52, J0437–4,715, J0030 + 0451, and 4U1820–30, like energy density, pressure profiles, gradients, anisotropy, energy conditions, equation of state, speeds of sound, TOV equation, and compactification parameters. We discuss all these characteristics using the quadratic cosmological model of f(T,T) gravity. We use the well-famed junction equations to evaluate the unknown parameters. Our detailed and comprehensive graphical analysis ensures that the model containing the anisotropic nature of stellar structures is physically acceptable, regular, and stable.

Light elements Na and Al in 58 bulge spheroid stars from APOGEE

ABSTRACT We identified a sample of 58 candidate stars with metallicity [Fe/H] ≲ −0.8 that likely belong to the old bulge spheroid stellar population, and analyse their Na and Al abundances from Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) spectra. In a previous work, we inspected APOGEE-Stellar Parameter and Chemical Abundance Pipeline abundances of C, N, O, Mg, Al, Ca, Si, and Ce in this sample. Regarding Na lines, one of them appears very strong in about 20 per cent of the sample stars, but it is not confirmed by other Na lines, and can be explained by sky lines, which affect the reduced spectra of stars in a certain radial velocity range. The Na abundances for 15 more reliable cases were taken into account. Al lines in the H band instead appear to be very reliable. Na and Al exhibit a spread in abundances, whereas no spread in N abundances is found, and we found no correlation between them, indicating that these stars could not be identified as second-generation stars that originated in globular clusters. We carry out the study of the behaviour of Na and Al in our sample of bulge stars and literature data by comparing them with chemodynamical evolution model suitable for the Galactic bulge. The Na abundances show a large spread, and the chemodynamical models follow the main data, whereas for aluminum instead, the models reproduce very satisfactorily the nearly secondary-element behaviour of aluminum in the metallicity range below [Fe/H] ≲ −1.0. For the lower-metallicity end ([Fe/H < −2.5), hypernovae are assumed to be the main contributor to yields.

Isotropic Durgapal IV fluid sphere in bigravity

We analyze an isotropic uncharged fluid sphere model within bigravity considering the Durgapal IV metric (M.C. Durgapal, J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 15, 2637 (1982)). In this work, we investigate the effects of the scale parameter k on the local matter distribution. Here, we have chosen the compact star candidate SMC X-1 with observed values of mass = (1.29 ± 0.05) M⊙ and radius [Formula: see text] km, respectively, to analyze our results analytically as well as graphically. For smaller values of k, we get the stiff (or hard) equation of state (EoS). Here, we solve the modified Einstein field equations in the presence of the background metric γμν. Due to this constant curvature background, the density and pressure terms are modified by adding an extra term, which affects the EoS. For r ≪ k, the background de Sitter space–time reduces into Minkowski form, and the coupling vanishes. We discuss certain physical quantities of our obtained solution, such as density, isotropic pressure, sound speed, pressure-density gradients, compactness, and surface redshift, to claim the physical viability of our model. It is found that our model clearly satisfies all the energy conditions, the causality condition, and the dynamical equilibrium via a modified Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkov equation. Finally, we can conclude that our proposed model is physically realistic and well behaved.

Identifying Symbiotic Stars with Machine Learning

Symbiotic stars are interacting binary systems, making them valuable for studying various astronomical phenomena, such as stellar evolution, mass transfer, and accretion processes. Despite recent progress in the discovery of symbiotic stars, a significant discrepancy between the observed population of symbiotic stars and the number predicted by theoretical models. To bridge this gap, this study utilized machine learning techniques to efficiently identify new symbiotic star candidates. Three algorithms (XGBoost, LightGBM, and Decision Tree) were applied to a data set of 198 confirmed symbiotic stars and the resulting model was then used to analyze data from the LAMOST survey, leading to the identification of 11,709 potential symbiotic star candidates. Out of these potential symbiotic star candidates listed in the catalog, 15 have spectra available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) survey. Among these 15 candidates, two candidates, namely V* V603 Ori and V* GN Tau, have been confirmed as symbiotic stars. The remaining 11 candidates have been classified as accreting-only symbiotic star candidates. The other two candidates, one of which has been identified as a galaxy by both SDSS and LAMOST surveys, and the other identified as a quasar by SDSS survey and as a galaxy by LAMOST survey.

Quintessence anisotropic stellar models in quadratic and Born–Infeld modified teleparallel Rastall gravity

This study aims to discuss anisotropic solutions that are spherically symmetric in the quintessence field, which describe compact stellar objects in the modified Rastall teleparallel theory of gravity. To achieve this goal, the Krori and Barua arrangement for spherically symmetric components of the line element is incorporated. We explore the field equations by selecting appropriate off-diagonal tetrad fields. Born–Infeld function of torsion f(T)=βλT+1−1 and power law form h(T) = δTn are used. The Born–Infeld gravity was the first modified teleparallel gravity to discuss inflation. We use the linear equation of state pr = ξρ to separate the quintessence density. After obtaining the field equations, we investigate different physical parameters that demonstrate the stability and physical acceptability of the stellar models. We use observational data, such as the mass and radius of the compact star candidates PSRJ 1416-2230, Cen X-3, & 4U 1820-30, to ensure the physical plausibility of our findings.

A search for magnetic δ Scuti stars in Kepler hybrid candidates

ABSTRACT Numerous candidate hybrid stars of type δ Scuti–γ Doradus have been identified with the Kepler satellite. However, many of them lie outside the theoretically expected instability strip for hybrid pulsation, where δ Sct and γ Dor pulsations can be simultaneously excited. We postulate that some of these pulsating stars may not be genuine hybrid pulsators but rather magnetic δ Sct stars, for which the rotational modulation from spots on the surface associated with the magnetic field produces frequencies in the same domain as γ Dor pulsations. We search for the presence of a magnetic field in a small sample of selected hybrid δ Sct–γ Dor stars using spectropolarimetry. At the time of observations, the only δ Sct star known to have a magnetic field was HD 188774 with a field strength of a few hundred Gauss. Our observations were thus tailored to detect fields of this typical strength. We find no magnetic field in the hybrid candidate stars we observed. However, two of the three other magnetic δ Sct stars discovered since these observations have much weaker fields than HD 188774, and are of dynamo origin rather than fossil fields. It is likely that our observations are not sensitive enough to detect such dynamo magnetic fields in the cooler stars of our sample if they are present. This work nevertheless provides reliable upper limits on possible fossil fields in the hotter stars, pointing towards typically weaker fields in δ Sct stars than in OBA stars in general.

Charged anisotropic tolman IV solution in matter-geometry coupled theory

This paper discusses the interior distribution of several anisotropic star models coupled with an electromagnetic field in the context of gravity, where . In this regard, a standard model of this modified gravity is taken as , where ν 3 symbolizes an arbitrary coupling constant. We assume a charged spherically symmetric metric that represents the interior geometry of compact quark stars and develop the corresponding modified field equations. These equations are then solved with the help of metric potentials of Tolman IV spacetime and a linear bag model equation of state. We consider the experimental data (i.e. radii and masses) of different quark models such as SMC X-4, SAX J 1808.4-3658, Her X-I and 4U 1820-30 to analyze how the charge and modified corrections affect their physical characteristics. The viability and stability of the resulting model is also checked for the considered star candidates with two different values of ν 3. We conclude that only two models, Her X-I and 4U 1820-30 show stable behavior in this modified framework for both values of the coupling constant.

Relativistic isotropic stellar model in [formula omitted] gravity with Durgapal- IV metric

In this work, a new static, non-singular, spherically symmetric fluid model has been obtained in the background of f(R,T) gravity. Here we consider the isotropic metric potentials of Durgapal-IV (Durgapal, 1982) solution as input to handle the Einstein field equations in f(R,T) environment. For different coupling parameter values of χ, graphical representations of the physical parameters have been demonstrated to describe the analytical results more clearly. It should be highlighted that the results of General Relativity (GR) are given by χ=0. With the use of both analytical discussion and graphical illustrations, a thorough comparison of our results with the GR outcomes is also covered. The numerical values of the various physical attributes have been given for various coupling parameter χ values in order to discuss the impact of this parameter. Here we apply our solution by considering the compact star candidate LMC X-4 (Rawls et al., 2011) with mass =(1.04±0.09)M⊙ and radius =8.301−0.2+0.2 km. respectively, to analyze both analytically and graphically. To confirm the physical acceptance of our model, we discuss certain physical properties of our obtained solution such as energy conditions, causality, hydrostatic equilibrium through a modified Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff (TOV) conservation equation, pressure–density ratio, etc. Also, our solution is well-behaved and free from any singularity at the center. From our present study, it is observed that all of our obtained results fall within the physically admissible regime, indicating the viability of our model.

Correction to: Spectroscopic follow-up of black hole and neutron star candidates in ellipsoidal variables from Gaia DR3

Correction to: Spectroscopic follow-up of black hole and neutron star candidates in ellipsoidal variables from <i>Gaia</i> DR3

Study of charged celestial objects in modified gravity

In this paper, we assess different charged self-gravitating stellar models possessing anisotropic matter source in the background of f(G,T) gravity. For this purpose, we choose a well-known model of this gravity, i.e., f(G,T)=G2+ϱT, where ϱ stands for the coupling constant. The modified field equations are developed using MIT bag model equation of state, and their solution is found with the help of Tolman IV ansatz which contains three unknown constants. This solution is further exploited to examine the graphical behavior of Her X-I, PSR J1614-2230, 4U1820-30 and LMC X-4 celestial objects. We assume two different values of charge to figure out the pressure constituents, energy density, anisotropy and energy constraints graphically. We also discuss compactness, mass and redshift parameters. Finally, we explore stability of the considered stars through two different methods. It is concluded that all the star candidates are viable as well as stable for Q=0.1. For the larger charge, the viable behavior is also observed for all stars but PSR J1614-2230 shows unstable trend.

Study of structural parameters and systemic proper motion of Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy with Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam data

ABSTRACT We use the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) data to study structural parameters and systemic proper motion of the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy at the heliocentric distance of 86 kpc, which is one of the most important targets for studies of dark matter nature and galaxy formation physics. Thanks to the superb image quality and wide area coverage, the HSC data enable a secure selection of member star candidates based on the colour–magnitude cut, yielding about 10 000 member candidates at magnitudes down to i ∼ 24. We use a likelihood analysis of the two-dimensional distribution of stars to estimate the structural parameters of Sextans taking into account the contamination of foreground halo stars in the Milky Way, and find that the member star distribution is well fitted by an elliptical King profile with ellipticity ϵ ≃ 0.25 and the core and tidal radii of Rc = (368.4 ± 8.5) pc and Rt = (2.54 ± 0.046) kpc, respectively. Then using the two HSC data sets of 2.66 yr time baseline on average, we find the systemic proper motions of Sextans to be (μα, μδ) = (−0.448 ± 0.075, 0.058 ± 0.078) mas yr−1, which are consistent with some of the previous works using the Gaia data of relatively bright member stars in Sextans. Thus, our results give a demonstration that ground-based, large-aperture telescope data that cover a wide solid angle of the sky and have a long time baseline, such as the upcoming data from Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), can be used to study systemic proper motions of dwarf galaxies.

Study of a sample of faint Be stars in the exofield of CoRoT

Context. The search and interpretation of non-radial pulsations from Be star light curves observed with the CoRoT satellite requires high-quality stellar astrophysical parameters. Aims. The present work is devoted to the spectroscopic study of a sample of faint Be stars observed by CoRoT in the fourth long run (LRA02). Methods. The astrophysical parameters were determined from the spectra in the λλ4000–4500 Å wavelength domain observed with the VLT/FLAMES instruments at ESO. Spectra were fitted with models of stellar atmospheres using our GIRFIT package. Spectra obtained in the λλ6400–7200 Å wavelength domain enabled the confirmation or, otherwise, a first identification of Be star candidates. Results. The apparent parameters (Teff, log g, Vsin i) for a set of 19 B and Be stars were corrected for the effects induced by the rapid rotation. These allowed us to determine: (1) stellar masses that are in agreement with those measured for detached binary systems; (2) spectroscopic distances that agree with the Gaia parallaxes; and (3) centrifugal/gravity equatorial force ratios of ~0.6–0.7, which indicate that our Be stars are subcritical rotators. A study of the Balmer Hα, Hγ and Hδ emission lines produced: (1) extents of the circumstellar disk (CD) emitting regions that agree with the interferometric inferences in other Be stars; (2) R– dependent exponents n(R) = ln[ρ(R)/ρo]/ln(Ro/R) of the CD radial density distributions; and (3) CD base densities ρo similar to those inferred in other recent works. Conclusions. The Hγ and Hδ emission lines are formed in CD layers close to the central star. These lines produced a different value of the exponent n(R) than assumed for Hα. Further detailed studies of Hγ and Hδ emission lines could reveal the physical properties of regions where the viscous transport of angular momentum to the remaining CD regions is likely to originate from. The subcritical rotation of Be stars suggests that their huge discrete mass-ejections and concomitant non-radial pulsations might have a common origin in stellar envelope regions that become unstable to convection due to rotation. If it is proven that the studied Be stars are products of binary mass transfer phases, the errors induced on the estimated Teff by the presence of stripped sub-dwarf O/B companions are not likely to exceed their present uncertainties.

VarIabiLity seLection of AstrophysIcal sources iN PTF (VILLAIN)

Context. Light-curve variability is well-suited to characterising objects in surveys with high cadence and a long baseline. This is especially relevant in view of the large datasets to be produced by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Aims. We aim to determine variability parameters for objects in the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) and explore differences between quasars (QSOs), stars, and galaxies. We relate variability and colour information in preparation for future surveys. Methods. We fit joint likelihoods to structure functions (SFs) of 71 million PTF light curves with a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. For each object, we assume a power-law SF and extract two parameters: the amplitude on timescales of one year, A, and a power-law index, γ. With these parameters and colours in the optical (Pan-STARRS1) and mid-infrared (WISE), we identify regions of parameter space dominated by different types of spectroscopically confirmed objects from SDSS. Candidate QSOs, stars, and galaxies are selected to show their parameter distributions. Results. QSOs show high-amplitude variations in the R band, and the highest γ values. Galaxies have a broader range of amplitudes and their variability shows relatively little dependency on timescale. With variability and colours, we achieve a photometric selection purity of 99.3% for QSOs. Even though hard cuts in monochromatic variability alone are not as effective as seven-band magnitude cuts, variability is useful in characterising object subclasses. Through variability, we also find QSOs that were erroneously classified as stars in the SDSS. We discuss perspectives and computational solutions in view of the upcoming LSST.

Survey for Distant Stellar Aggregates in the Galactic Disk: Detecting 2000 Star Clusters and Candidates, along with the Dwarf Galaxy IC 10

Despite having data for over 109 stars from Gaia, less than 104 star clusters and candidates have been discovered. In particular, distant star clusters are rarely identified, due to the challenges posed by heavy extinction and great distance. However, Gaia data has continued to improve, enabling even fainter cluster members to be distinguished from field stars. In this work, we introduce a star-cluster search method based on the DBSCAN algorithm; we have made improvements to make it better suited for identifying clusters on dimmer and more distant stars. After having removed member stars of known Gaia-based clusters, we identified 2086 objects with ∣b∣ < 10°, of which 1488 are highly reliable open star clusters, along with 569 candidates, 28 globular cluster candidates, and one irregular galaxy (IC 10) at low Galactic latitudes. We found that the proper motion of IC 10 is similar to, yet slightly different from, the water maser observations, which is an important result for the comparison with Gaia and the Very Long Baseline Array. When compared with the star clusters appearing in Gaia Data Release (DR) 2/EDR3, we found nearly 3 times as many new objects above a distance of 5 kpc, including hundreds of them above A v > 5 mag. This has enabled us to detect a higher number of old clusters, over a billion years old, that are difficult to detect due to observational limitations. Our findings significantly expand the remote cluster sample and enhance our understanding of the limits of Gaia DR3 data in stellar aggregates research.

Signal Synchronization Strategies and Time Domain SETI with Gaia DR3

Spatiotemporal techniques for signal coordination with actively transmitting extraterrestrial civilizations, without the need for prior communication, can constrain technosignature searches to a significantly smaller coordinate space. With the variable star catalog from Gaia Data Release 3, we explore two related signaling strategies: the SETI Ellipsoid, and that proposed by Seto, which are both based on the synchronization of transmissions with a conspicuous astrophysical event. This data set contains more than 10 million variable star candidates with light curves from the first three years of Gaia’s operational phase, between 2014 and 2017. Using four different historical supernovae as source events, we find that less than 0.01% of stars in the sample have crossing times, the times at which we would expect to receive synchronized signals on Earth, within the date range of available Gaia observations. For these stars, we present a framework for technosignature analysis that searches for modulations in the variability parameters by splitting the stellar light curve at the crossing time.

Testing ultralow amplitude Cepheid candidates in the Galactic disk by TESS and Gaia

Ultralow amplitude (ULA) and strange mode Cepheids are thought to be pulsating variable stars that are near to or are at the edges of the classical instability strip. Until now, a few dozen such variable star candidates have been found both in the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way. For the present work, we studied six ULA Cepheid candidates in the Milky Way, identified by using CoRoT and 2MASS data. In order to identify their positions in the period–luminosity and color–magnitude diagrams, we used the Gaia DR3 parallax and brightness data of each star to calculate their reddening-free absolute magnitudes and distances. Furthermore, we calculated the Fourier parameters (e.g., period and amplitude) of the light variations based on CoRoT and TESS measurements, and established the long-term phase shifts for four out of six stars. Based on the results, we conclude that none of the six ULA Cepheid candidates are pulsating variable stars, but rather rotation-induced variable stars (rotational spotted and α2 Canum Venaticorum variables) that are either bluer or fainter than Cepheids would be.