Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution Data Research Articles

The White Dwarf Binary Pathways Survey. V. The Gaia White Dwarf Plus AFGK Binary Sample and the Identification of 23 Close Binaries

Abstract Close white dwarf binaries consisting of a white dwarf and an A-, F-, G-, or K-type main-sequence star, henceforth close WD+AFGK binaries, are ideal systems to understand the nature of type Ia supernovae progenitors and to test binary evolution models. In this work we identify 775 WD+AFGK candidates from TGAS (The Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution) and Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2), a well-defined sample of stars with available parallaxes, and we measure radial velocities (RVs) for 275 of them with the aim of identifying close binaries. The RVs have been measured from high-resolution spectra obtained at the Xinglong 2.16 m Telescope and the San Pedro Mártir 2.12 m Telescope and/or from available LAMOST DR6 (low-resolution) and RAVE DR5 (medium-resolution) spectra. We identify 23 WD+AFGK systems displaying more than 3σ RV variation among 151 systems for which the measured values are obtained from different nights. Our WD+AFGK binary sample contains both AFGK dwarfs and giants, with a giant fraction ∼43%. The close binary fractions we determine for the WD+AFGK dwarf and giant samples are ≃24% and ≃15%, respectively. We also determine the stellar parameters (i.e., effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, mass, and radius) of the AFGK companions with available high-resolution spectra. The stellar parameter distributions of the AFGK companions that are members of close and wide binary candidates do not show statistically significant differences.

A New Look at an Old Cluster: The Membership, Rotation, and Magnetic Activity of Low-mass Stars in the 1.3 Gyr Old Open Cluster NGC 752

Abstract The nearby open cluster NGC 752 presents a rare opportunity to study stellar properties at ages >1 Gyr. However, constructing a membership catalog for it is challenging; most surveys have been limited to identifying its giants and dwarf members earlier than mid-K. We supplement past membership catalogs with candidates selected with updated photometric and proper-motion criteria, generating a list of 258 members, a >50% increase over previous catalogs. Using a Bayesian framework to fit MESA Isochrones & Stellar Tracks evolutionary models to literature photometry and the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution data available for 59 cluster members, we infer the age of and distance to NGC 752: 1.34 ± 0.06 Gyr and pc. We also report the results of our optical monitoring of the cluster using the Palomar Transient Factory. We obtain rotation periods for 12 K and M cluster members, the first periods measured for such low-mass stars with a well-constrained age >1 Gyr. We compare these new periods to data from the younger clusters Praesepe and NGC 6811, and to a theoretical model for angular momentum loss, to examine stellar spin-down for low-mass stars over their first 1.3 Gyr. While on average NGC 752 stars are rotating more slowly than their younger counterparts, the difference is not significant. Finally, we use our spectroscopic observations to measure Hα for cluster stars, finding that members earlier than ≈M2 are magnetically inactive, as expected at this age. Forthcoming Gaia data should solidify and extend the membership of NGC 752 to lower masses, thereby increasing its importance for studies of low-mass stars.

Characterising open clusters in the solar neighbourhood with the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution

Context. The Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) subset of the first Gaia catalogue contains an unprecedented sample of proper motions and parallaxes for two million stars brighter than G ~ 12 mag. Aims. We take advantage of the full astrometric solution available for those stars to identify the members of known open clusters and compute mean cluster parameters using either TGAS or the fourth U.S. Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC4) proper motions, and TGAS parallaxes. Methods. We apply an unsupervised membership assignment procedure to select high probability cluster members, we use a Bayesian/Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique to fit stellar isochrones to the observed 2MASS JHKS magnitudes of the member stars and derive cluster parameters (age, metallicity, extinction, distance modulus), and we combine TGAS data with spectroscopic radial velocities to compute full Galactic orbits. Results. We obtain mean astrometric parameters (proper motions and parallaxes) for 128 clusters closer than about 2 kpc, and cluster parameters from isochrone fitting for 26 of them located within a distance of 1 kpc from the Sun. We show the orbital parameters obtained from integrating 36 orbits in a Galactic potential.

A method to calculate the local density distribution of the Galaxy from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution data

New and more reliable distances and proper motions of a large number of stars in the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) catalogue allow to calculate the local matter density distribution more precisely than earlier. We devised a method to calculate the stationary gravitational potential distribution perpendicular to the Galactic plane by comparing the vertical probability density distribution of a sample of observed stars with the theoretical probability density distribution computed from their vertical coordinates and velocities. We applied the model to idealised test stars and to the real observational samples. Tests with two mock datasets proved that the method is viable and provides reasonable results. Applying the method to TGAS data we derived that the total matter density in the Solar neighbourhood is $0.09\pm 0.02 \text{M}_\odot\text{pc}^{-3}$ being consistent with the results from literature. The matter surface density within $|z|\le 0.75 \text{kpc}$ is $42\pm 4 \text{M}_\odot\text{pc}^{-2}$. This is slightly less than the results derived by other authors but within errors is consistent with previous estimates. Our results show no firm evidence for significant amount of dark matter in the Solar neighbourhood. However, we caution that our calculations at $|z| \leq 0.75$ kpc rely on an extrapolation from the velocity distribution function calculated at $|z| \leq 25$ pc. This extrapolation can be very sensitive to our assumption that the stellar motions are perfectly decoupled in R and z, and to our assumption of equilibrium. Indeed, we find that $\rho (z)$ within $|z|\le 0.75$ kpc is asymmetric with respect to the Galactic plane at distances $|z| = 0.1-0.4$ kpc indicating that the density distribution may be influenced by density perturbations.

Gaia Data Release 1

Context. The first Gaia Data Release contains the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS). This is a subset of about 2 million stars for which, besides the position and photometry, the proper motion and parallax are calculated using Hipparcos and Tycho-2 positions in 1991.25 as prior information. Aims. We investigate the scientific potential and limitations of the TGAS component by means of the astrometric data for open clusters. Methods. Mean cluster parallax and proper motion values are derived taking into account the error correlations within the astrometric solutions for individual stars, an estimate of the internal velocity dispersion in the cluster, and, where relevant, the effects of the depth of the cluster along the line of sight. Internal consistency of the TGAS data is assessed. Results. Values given for standard uncertainties are still inaccurate and may lead to unrealistic unit-weight standard deviations of least squares solutions for cluster parameters. Reconstructed mean cluster parallax and proper motion values are generally in very good agreement with earlier Hipparcos-based determination, although the Gaia mean parallax for the Pleiades is a significant exception. We have no current explanation for that discrepancy. Most clusters are observed to extend to nearly 15 pc from the cluster centre, and it will be up to future Gaia releases to establish whether those potential cluster-member stars are still dynamically bound to the clusters. Conclusions. The Gaia DR1 provides the means to examine open clusters far beyond their more easily visible cores, and can provide membership assessments based on proper motions and parallaxes. A combined HR diagram shows the same features as observed before using the Hipparcos data, with clearly increased luminosities for older A and F dwarfs.

Stars with fast Galactic rotation observed in Gaia TGAS: a signature driven by the Perseus arm?

Abstract We report on the detection of a small overdensity of stars in velocity space with systematically higher Galactocentric rotation velocity than the Sun by about 20 km s−1 in the Gaia Data Release 1 Tycho–Gaia astrometric solution data. We find these fast Galactic rotators more clearly outside of the Solar radius, compared to inside of the Solar radius. In addition, the velocity of the fast Galactic rotators is independent of the Galactocentric distance up to R − R0 ∼ 0.6 kpc. Comparing with numerical models, we qualitatively discuss that a possible cause of this feature is the co-rotation resonance of the Perseus spiral arm, where the stars in the peri-centre phase in the trailing side of the Perseus spiral arm experience an extended period of acceleration owing to the torque from the Perseus arm.

The rotation-metallicity relation for the Galactic disk as measured in theGaiaDR1 TGAS and APOGEE data

Previous studies have found that the Galactic rotation velocity-metallicity (V-[Fe/H]) relations for the thin and thick disk populations show negative and positive slopes, respectively. The first Gaia Data Release includes the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) information, which we use to analyze the V-[Fe/H] relation for a strictly selected sample with high enough astrometric accuracy. We aim to arrive at an explanation for the slopes of the V-[Fe/H] relationship. We measure the V-[Fe/H] relation for thin and thick disk stars classified on the basis of their [$\alpha$/Fe] and [Fe/H] abundances. We find dV/d[Fe/H]= -18 +/- 2 km/s/dex for stars in the thin disk and dV/d[Fe/H]= +23 +/- 10 km/s/dex for thick disk stars, so we confirm the different signs for the slopes. The negative value of dV/d[Fe/H] for thick disk stars is consistent with previous studies, but the combination of TGAS and APOGEE data provide higher precision, even though systematic errors could exceed +/-5 km/s/dex . Our average measurement of dV/d[Fe/H] for local thick disk stars shows a somewhat flatter slope than the previous studies, but we confirm a significant spread and a dependence of the slope on the [alpha/Fe] ratio of the stars. Using a simple N-body model, we demonstrate that the observed trend for the thick and thin disk can be explained by the observed radial metallicity gradients and the correlation between orbital eccentricity and metallicity in the thick disk.