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An Extended FUSE Survey of Diffuse O VI Emission in the Interstellar Medium
We present a survey of diffuse O VI emission in the interstellar medium(ISM) obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE).Spanning 5.5 yr of FUSE observations, from launch through 2004 December,our data set consists of 2925 exposures along 183 sight lines, includingall of those with previously published O VI detections. The data wereprocessed using an implementation of CalFUSE version 3.1 modified tooptimize the signal-to-noise ratio and velocity scale of spectra from anaperture-filling source. Of our 183 sight lines, 73 show O VIλ1032 emission, 29 at >3 σ significance. Six of the 3σ features have velocities |vLSR|>120 kms-1, while the others have |vLSR|<=50 kms-1. Measured intensities range from 1800 to 9100 LU (lineunit; 1 photon cm-2 s-1 sr-1), with amedian of 3300 LU. Combining our results with published O VI absorptiondata, we find that an O VI-bearing interface in the local ISM yields anelectron density ne=0.2-0.3 cm-3 and a path lengthof 0.1 pc, while O VI-emitting regions associated with high-velocityclouds in the Galactic halo have densities an order of magnitude lowerand path lengths 2 orders of magnitude longer. Although the O VIintensities along these sight lines are similar, the emission isproduced by gas with very different properties.Based on observations made with the NASA-CNES-CSA Far UltravioletSpectroscopic Explorer. FUSE is operated for NASA by Johns HopkinsUniversity under NASA contract NAS5-32985.
| The Homogeneity of Interstellar Elemental Abundances in the Galactic Disk
We present interstellar elemental abundance measurements derived fromSpace Telescope Imaging Spectrograph echelle observations of 47 sightlines extending up to 6.5 kpc through the Galactic disk. These pathsprobe a variety of interstellar environments, covering ranges of nearly4 orders of magnitude in molecular hydrogen fraction f(H2)and more than 2 in mean hydrogen sight-line density. Coupling the current data with Goddard HighResolution Spectrograph data from 17 additional sight lines and thecorresponding Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer and Copernicusobservations of H2 absorption features, we explore magnesium,phosphorus, manganese, nickel, copper, and germanium gas-phase abundancevariations as a function of : density-dependentdepletion is noted for each element, consistent with a smooth transitionbetween two abundance plateaus identified with warm and cold neutralinterstellar medium depletion levels. The observed scatter with respectto an analytic description of these transitions implies that totalelemental abundances are homogeneous on length scales of hundreds ofparsecs, to the limits of abundance measurement uncertainty. Theprobable upper limit we determine for intrinsic variability at any is 0.04 dex, aside from an apparent 0.10 dexdeficit in copper (and oxygen) abundances within 800 pc of the Sun.Magnesium dust abundances are shown to scale with the amount of siliconin dust, and in combination with a similar relationship between iron andsilicon, these data appear to favor the young F and G star values ofSofia & Meyer as an elemental abundance standard for the Galaxy.Based on observations with the NASA/ESA.
| The Discordance of Mass-Loss Estimates for Galactic O-Type Stars
We have determined accurate values of the product of the mass-loss rateand the ion fraction of P+4, M˙q(P+4), for asample of 40 Galactic O-type stars by fitting stellar wind profiles toobservations of the P V resonance doublet obtained with FUSE, ORFEUSBEFS, and Copernicus. When P+4 is the dominant ion in thewind [i.e., 0.5<~q(P+4)<=1], M˙q(P+4)approximates the mass-loss rate to within a factor of <~2. Theorypredicts that P+4 is the dominant ion in the winds of O7-O9.7stars, although an empirical estimator suggests that the range O4-O7 maybe more appropriate. However, we find that the mass-loss rates obtainedfrom P V wind profiles are systematically smaller than those obtainedfrom fits to Hα emission profiles or radio free-free emission bymedian factors of ~130 (if P+4 is dominant between O7 andO9.7) or ~20 (if P+4 is dominant between O4 and O7). Thesediscordant measurements can be reconciled if the winds of O stars in therelevant temperature range are strongly clumped on small spatial scales.We use a simplified two-component model to investigate the volumefilling factors of the denser regions. This clumping implies thatmass-loss rates determined from ``ρ2'' diagnostics havebeen systematically overestimated by factors of 10 or more, at least fora subset of O stars. Reductions in the mass-loss rates of this size haveimportant implications for the evolution of massive stars andquantitative estimates of the feedback that hot-star winds provide totheir interstellar environments.
| A Medium Resolution Near-Infrared Spectral Atlas of O and Early-B Stars
We present intermediate-resolution (R~8000-12,000) high signal-to-noise(S/N) H- and K-band spectroscopy of a sample of 37 optically visiblestars, ranging in spectral type from O3 to B3 and representing mostluminosity classes. Spectra of this quality can be used to constrain thetemperature, luminosity, and general wind properties of OB stars, whenused in conjunction with sophisticated atmospheric model codes. Mostimportant is the need for moderately high resolutions (R>=5000) andvery high signal-to-noise (S/N>=150) spectra for a meaningful profileanalysis. When using near-infrared spectra for a classification system,moderately high signal-to-noise (S/N~100) is still required, though theresolution can be relaxed to just a thousand or two. In the Appendix weprovide a set of very high-quality near-infrared spectra of Brackettlines in six early-A dwarfs. These can be used to aid in the modelingand removal of such lines when early-A dwarfs are used for telluricspectroscopic standards.
| Quantitative H and K band spectroscopy of Galactic OB-stars at medium resolution
In this paper we have analyzed 25 Galactic O and early B-stars by meansof H and K band spectroscopy, with the primary goal to investigate towhat extent a lone near-IR spectroscopy is able to recover stellar andwind parameters derived in the optical. Most of the spectra have beentaken with subaru-ircs, at an intermediate resolution of 12 000, andwith a very high S/N, mostly on the order of 200 or better. In order tosynthesize the strategic H/He lines, we have used our recent,line-blanketed version of fastwind (Puls et al. 2005, A&A, 435,669). In total, seven lines have been investigated, where for two starswe could make additional use of the Hei2.05 singlet which has beenobserved with irtf-cshell. Apart from Brγ and Heii2.18, the otherlines are predominately formed in the stellar photosphere, and thusremain fairly uncontaminated from more complex physical processes,particularly clumping. First we investigated the predicted behaviour ofthe strategic lines. In contradiction to what one expects from theoptical in the O-star regime, almost all photospheric H/Hei/Heii H/Kband lines become stronger if the gravity decreases. Concerning H andHeii, this finding is related to the behaviour of Stark broadening as afunction of electron density, which in the line cores is different formembers of lower (optical) and higher (IR) series. Regarding Hei, thepredicted behaviour is due to some subtle NLTE effects resulting in astronger overpopulation of the lower level when the gravity decreases.We have compared our calculations with results from the alternative NLTEmodel atmosphere code cmfgen (Hillier & Miller 1998, ApJ, 496, 407).In most cases, we found reasonable or nearly perfect agreement. Only theHei2.05 singlet for mid O-types suffers from some discrepancy, analogouswith findings for the optical Hei singlets. For most of our objects, weobtained good fits, except for the line cores of Brγ in earlyO-stars with significant mass-loss. Whereas the observations showBrγ mostly as rather symmetric emission lines, the models predicta P Cygni type profile with strong absorption. This discrepancy (whichalso appears in lines synthesized by cmfgen) might be an indirect effectof clumping. After having derived the stellar and wind parameters fromthe IR, we have compared them to results from previous optical analyses.Overall, the IR results coincide in most cases with the optical oneswithin the typical errors usually quoted for the correspondingparameters, i.e., an uncertainty in T_eff of 5%, in log g of 0.1 dex andin {dot M} of 0.2 dex, with lower errors at higher wind densities.Outliers above the 1-σ level where found in four cases withrespect to log g and in two cases for {dot M}.
| Effects of Metallicity on the Rotational Velocities of Massive Stars
Recent theoretical predictions for low-metallicity massive stars predictthat these stars should have drastically reduced equatorial winds (massloss) while on the main sequence, and so should retain most of theirangular momentum. Observations of both the Be/(B+Be) ratio and theblue-to-red supergiant ratio appear to have a metallicity dependencethat may be caused by high rotational velocities. We have analyzed 39archival Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS),high-resolution, ultraviolet spectra of O-type stars in the MagellanicClouds to determine their projected rotational velocities Vsini. Ourmethodology is based on a previous study of the projected rotationalvelocities of Galactic O-type stars using International UltravioletExplorer (IUE) short-wavelength prime (SWP) camera high-dispersionspectra, which resulted in a catalog of Vsini values for 177 O-typestars. Here we present complementary Vsini values for 21 LargeMagellanic Cloud and 22 Small Magellanic Cloud O-type stars based onSTIS and IUE UV spectroscopy. The distribution of Vsini values forO-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds is compared to that of GalacticO-type stars. Despite the theoretical predictions and indirectobservational evidence for high rotation, the O-type stars in theMagellanic Clouds do not appear to rotate faster than their Galacticcounterparts.
| Observations of the Diffuse Far-Ultraviolet Background with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
We have used observations taken under the Far Ultraviolet SpectroscopicExplorer (FUSE) S405/505 channel realignment program to explore thediffuse far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1000-1200 Å) radiation field. Of the71 independent locations in that program, we have observed a diffusesignal in 32, ranging in brightness from 1600 to a maximum of2.9×105 photons cm-2 sr-1s-1 Å-1 in Orion. The FUSE data confirm thatthe diffuse FUV sky is patchy with regions of intense emission, usuallynear bright stars, but also with dark regions, even at low Galacticlatitudes. We find a weak correlation between the FUV flux and the 100μm ratio but with wide variations, perhaps due to differences in thelocal radiation field.Based on observations made with the NASA-CNES-CSA Far UltravioletSpectroscopic Explorer. FUSE is operated for NASA by The Johns HopkinsUniversity under NASA contract NAS5-32985.
| The Homogeneity of Interstellar Oxygen in the Galactic Disk
We present an analysis of high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST)Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) observations of O Iλ1356 and H I Lyα absorption in 36 sight lines that probe avariety of Galactic disk environments and include paths that range overnearly 4 orders of magnitude in f(H2), over 2 orders ofmagnitude in , and that extend up to 6.5 kpc inlength. Since the majority of these sight lines have also been observedby the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), we have undertakenthe study of gas-phase O/H abundance ratio homogeneity using the currentsample and previously published Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph(GHRS) results. Two distinct trends are identified in the 56 sight linesample: an apparent decrease in gas-phase oxygen abundance withincreasing mean sight-line density () and a gapbetween the mean O/H ratio for sight lines shorter and longer than about800 pc. The first effect is a smooth transition between two depletionlevels associated with large mean density intervals; it is centered near=1.5cm-3 and is similar to trendsevident in gas-phase abundances of other elements. Paths less dense thanthe central value exhibit a mean O/H ratio of log10(O/H)=-3.41+/-0.01 (or 390+/-10ppm), which is consistent with averages determined for several longlow-density paths observed by STIS (André et al. 2003) and shortlow-density paths observed by FUSE (Moos et al. 2002). Sight lines ofhigher mean density exhibit an average O/H value of log10(O/H)=-3.55+/-0.02 (284+/-12ppm). The data points for low- paths are scatteredmore widely than those for denser sight lines, because O/H ratios forsuch paths shorter than 800 pc are generally about 0.10 dex lower thanthe values for longer ones. Scenarios that would be consistent withthese results include a recent infall of metal-poor gas onto the localGalactic disk and an interstellar environment toward Orion that isconducive to reducing the apparent gas-phase oxygen abundance.Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) andthe NASA-CNES-CSA Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). HSTspectra were obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which isoperated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555 FUSE is operated for NASA by theJohns Hopkins University under NASA contract NAS5-32985.
| Stellar and wind parameters of Galactic O-stars. The influence of line-blocking/blanketing
We have re-analyzed the Galactic O-star sample from \citet{puls96} bymeans of line-blanketed NLTE model atmospheres in order to investigatethe influence of line-blocking/blanketing on the derived parameters. Theanalysis has been carried out by fitting the photospheric and wind linesfrom H and He. In most cases we obtained a good fit, but we have alsofound certain inconsistencies which are probably related to a stillinadequate treatment of the wind structure. These inconsistenciescomprise the line cores of Hγ and Hβ insupergiants (the synthetic profiles are too weak when the mass-loss rateis determined by matching Hα) and the ``generalizeddilution effect'' (cf. \citealt{vo89}) which is still present in He I4471 of cooler supergiants and giants.Compared to pure H/He plane-parallel models we found a decrease ineffective temperatures which is largest at earliest spectral types andfor supergiants (with a maximum shift of roughly 8000 K). This findingis explained by the fact that line-blanketed models of hot stars havephotospheric He ionization fractions similar to those from unblanketedmodels at higher Teff and higher log g. Consequently, anyline-blanketed analysis based on the He ionization equilibrium resultsin lower Teff-values along with a reduction of either log gor helium abundance (if the reduction of log g is prohibited by theBalmer line wings). Stellar radii and mass-loss rates, on the otherhand, remain more or less unaffected by line-blanketing.We have calculated ``new'' spectroscopic masses and compared them withprevious results. Although the former mass discrepancy \citep{h92}becomes significantly reduced, a systematic trend for masses below 50Msun seems to remain: The spectroscopically derived valuesare smaller than the ``evolutionary masses'' by roughly 10Msun. Additionally, a significant fraction of our samplestars stays over-abundant in He, although the actual values were foundto be lower than previously determined.Also the wind-momentum luminosity relation (WLR) changes because oflower luminosities and almost unmodified wind-momentum rates. Comparedto previous results, the separation of the WLR as a function ofluminosity class is still present but now the WLR for giants/dwarfs isconsistent with theoretical predictions.We argue that the derived mass-loss rates of stars withHα in emission are affected by clumping in the lowerwind region. If the predictions from different and independenttheoretical simulations (\citealt {Vink00, Paul03, puls03a}) that theWLR should be independent of luminosity class were correct, a typicalclumping factor <ρ2>/<ρ>2 ≈5 should be derived by ``unifying'' the different WLRs.Based upon observations obtained at the INT and the European SouthernObservatory, La Silla, Chile. The INT is operated on the island of LaPalma by the ING in the Spanish Observatorio de El Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.Appendix A in only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org
| On the Absolute Magnitudes of the O Stars
The conclusion published in 1992 by Garmany & Stencel from a studyof northern OB associations, that the absolute magnitudes of the O starsshow ``a large scatter ... intrinsic to the classification system,'' iscritically examined. It is found that the differences between theirderived absolute magnitudes of O stars and this author's 1973calibration exhibit large systematic effects in several associations,ranging from -0.74 to +1.02 mag with substantially smaller dispersions.Of course, when these results are combined, the scatter equals the fullrange of the systematic effects. To investigate the possibility ofdistance errors, the Garmany & Stencel B0-B2.5 stars in the sameassociations are subjected to the same analysis. The results for the Bstars show no significant systematic differences, eliminating errors inthe association distances derived by Garmany & Stencel from the Bstars as the source of the differences found for the O stars. It isnoteworthy that the dispersions in the absolute magnitudes of the Bstars within a given association are similar to or larger than those ofthe O stars. An examination of the distribution on the sky of the starsshows that the O and B stars in the discrepant associations aregenerally not colocated; such was already known to be the case for theimportant Perseus OB1 association. It is suggested that despite theirefforts to improve them, significant problems remain with theassociation memberships adopted by Garmany & Stencel; the relativelysmall dispersions of the O star absolute magnitudes even in thediscrepant cases indicate that they belong to different, usually moredistant associations near the lines of sight to the B associations withwhich they have been mistakenly connected. Several individual cases ofunrecognized multiple systems and classification errors are also foundin the Garmany & Stencel sample. It is concluded that the scatter inthe absolute magnitudes of the O stars is not as large as found byGarmany & Stencel, and not larger than that of the B stars.
| Cometary molecular clouds around RNO 6. On-going star formation near the double cluster h and chi Persei
We present molecular line observations of the star-forming cloud aroundRNO 6 along with a newly discovered nearby molecular cloud that we nameRNO 6 NW. Both clouds display striking similarities in their cometarystructures and overall kinematics. By using 13CO lineobservations, we estimate that these clouds have similar sizes ( ~ 4.5pc) and masses ( ~ 200 Msun). Both molecular clouds RNO 6 andRNO 6 NW are active in star formation. From new high resolution near-IRnarrowband images, we confirm that RNO 6 hosts an embedded IR clusterthat includes a Herbig Be star. A conspicuous H_2 filament is found todelineate the dense cometary head of the globule. RNO 6 NW hosts atleast two IR sources and a bipolar molecular outflow of ~ 0.9 pc oflength and ~ 0.5 Msun of mass. We show that the cometarystructure of both clouds has been created by the UV radiation fromnumerous OB stars lying ~ 1.5{o} to the north. Such OB starsare associated with the double cluster h and chi Persei, and areprobably members of the Per OB1 association. Thus star formation insidethese clouds has been very likely triggered by the Radiation DrivenImplosion (RDI) mechanism. From comparison to RDI theoretical models, wefind that the similar kinematics and morphology of both clouds is wellexplained if they are at a re-expansion phase. Triggered sequential starformation also explains the observed spatial distribution of the membersof the near-IR cluster inside the RNO 6 cloud, and the morphology of theH_2 filament. We conclude that the RNO 6 and RNO 6 NW clouds arehigh-mass counterparts to the cometary globules of smaller masses whichhave been studied up to now. Thus our observations demonstrate that theRDI mechanism can produce, not only low mass stars in small globules,but also intermediate mass stars and clusters in massive clouds.
| Rotational mixing in early-type main-sequence stars
We present quantitative observational investigations into the importanceof rotationally induced mixing in late-O stars. First, we conductnon-LTE, hydrostatic, plane-parallel H/He model-atmosphere analyses ofthe optical spectra of three of the most rapidly rotating late-Onear-main-sequence stars known: HD 93521 (O9.5 V), HD 149757 (ζOphiuchi; O9.5 V), and HD 191423 (ON9 III: n), all of which haveequatorial rotation velocities of ~430kms-1 and[formmu8]ωe/ωe(crit)~=0.9. Theanalysis allows for the expected (von Zeipel) variation ofTeff and logg with latitude. These three stars are found toshare very similar characteristics, including substantially enhancedsurface-helium abundances [formmu9](y~=0.2). Secondly, we compare thedistribution of projected rotational velocities for ON andmorphologically normal dwarf O stars, and demonstrate that the ON starsare drawn from a population with more rapid rotation. The resultsprovide qualitative support for rotationally induced mixing, althoughthere remain discrepancies between atmospheric and evolutionary models(which we show employ inappropriate mass-loss rates for late-Omain-sequence stars). We show that the most rapid rotator known, HD191423, is an ON star, and note the implied disparity between O/ONmorphology and surface helium abundance; we discuss consequences for theinterpretation of spectral morphology in O-type main-sequence stars. Wedemonstrate a new, purely spectroscopic, method of distancedetermination for rapid rotators, and thereby confirm that HD 93521 liesat ~2kpc, and is not, as previously suggested, a low-mass Population IIstar. Finally, our models contradict earlier claims of stronglydifferential surface rotation, and are consistent with uniform angularvelocity at the surface.
| Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statistics
The Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521
| A Search for Interstellar Bubbles surrounding Massive Stars in Perseus OB1
We have examined the interstellar medium in the vicinity of massivestars belonging to the Per OB1 association based on neutral hydrogen 21cm observations obtained with the 100 m radio telescope at Effelsberg(HPBW=8.4′) and complementary data from the Leiden-Dwingeloo H ISurvey (HPBW=36'). The higher angular resolution H I observationsallowed us to discover probable wind-blown bubbles related to fourmassive stars in the association, namely, HD 14442 [O5n(f)p], HD 14947[O5If+], HD 13022 [O9.5II-III((n))], and HD 13338 [O9.5V], while thedetection of a wind-blown bubble associated with HD 16691 [O5If+] isless conclusive. A clear H I shell coincident in position with two B1IIIstars (HD 15233 and Hilt 311) was also detected. Some of these featuresalso have infrared and/or molecular counterparts. The energetics of thestructures related to each massive star is analyzed. The new H Iinterstellar bubbles appear to be similar to the ones found surroundingWolf-Rayet stars and other Of stars. The large-scale maps obtained usingthe lower angular resolution H I data show that most of the early-typestars belonging to Per OB1 are placed in a region of low H I emission.The association could have blown a H I shell of about 350×550 pcin size. This large H I shell has an infrared counterpart.
| On the Correlation between CO Absorption and Far-Ultraviolet Nonlinear Extinction toward Galactic OB Stars
A sample of 59 sight lines to reddened Galactic OB stars was examinedfor correlations of the strength of the CO Fourth Positive(A1Π-X1Σ+) absorption bandsystem with the ultraviolet interstellar extinction curve parameters. Weused archival high-dispersion NEWSIPS IUE spectra to measure the COabsorption for comparison with parametric fits of the extinction curvesfrom the literature. A strong correlation with the nonlinear far-UVcurvature term was found with greater absorption, normalized to E(B-V),being associated with more curvature. A weaker trend with the linearextinction term was also found. Mechanisms for enhancing CO in dustenvironments exhibiting high nonlinear curvature are discussed.
| High resolution spectroscopy over lambda lambda 8500-8750 Å for GAIA. I. Mapping the MKK classification system
We present an Echelle+CCD high resolution spectroscopic atlas (0.25Ä/pix dispersion, 0.43 Ä FWHM resolution and 20 000 resolvingpower) mapping the MKK classification system over the interval lambdalambda 8500-8750 Ä. The wavelength interval is remarkably free fromtelluric lines and it is centered on the near-IR triplet of Ca II, thehead of hydrogen Paschen series and several strong metallic lines. Thespectra of 131 stars of types between O4 and M8 and luminosity classes Ithrough V are included in the atlas. Special care was put in maintainingthe highest instrumental homogeneity over the whole set of data. Thecapability to derive accurate MKK spectral types from high resolutionobservations over the interval lambda lambda 8500-8750 Ä isdiscussed. The observations have been performed as part of an evaluationstudy of possible spectroscopic performances for the astrometric missionGAIA planned by ESA. Tables~3 and 4 are only available in electronicform at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5)or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/ Abstract.html}\fnmsep\thanks{ Thespectra of the stars listed in Table~2 are also available in electronicform at the CDS or via the personal HomePagehttp://ulisse.pd.astro.it/Astro/Atlases/}\fnmsep\thanks{ Figures 3--28are only available in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.com
| UBV beta Database for Case-Hamburg Northern and Southern Luminous Stars
A database of photoelectric UBV beta photometry for stars listed in theCase-Hamburg northern and southern Milky Way luminous stars surveys hasbeen compiled from the original research literature. Consisting of over16,000 observations of some 7300 stars from over 500 sources, thisdatabase constitutes the most complete compilation of such photometryavailable for intrinsically luminous stars around the Galactic plane.Over 5000 stars listed in the Case-Hamburg surveys still lackfundamental photometric data.
| Wolf-Rayet stars and O-star runaways with HIPPARCOS. I. Kinematics
Reliable systemic radial velocities are almost impossible to secure forWolf-Rayet stars, difficult for O stars. Therefore, to study the motions- both systematic in the Galaxy and peculiar - of these two relatedtypes of hot, luminous star, we have examined the Hipparcos propermotions of some 70 stars of each type. We find that (a) both groupsfollow Galactic rotation in the same way, (b) both have a similarfraction of ``runaways'', (c) mean kinetic ages based on displacementand motion away from the Galactic plane tend to slightly favour thecluster ejection over the the binary supernova hypothesis for theirformation, and (d) those with significant peculiar supersonic motionrelative to the ambient ISM, tend to form bow shocks in the direction ofthe motion. Based on data from the ESA Hipparcos astrometry satellite.Table~1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| On the wind momentum problem of O-type stars in the galaxy
We have examined the wind momentum problem of O-type stars in theGalaxy. It is shown that the discrepancy between theoretical andempirical mass loss rates and terminal velocities can be reversed byusing recently updated values of force multiplier parameters. With thesenew values, the momentum problem found by former investigators isreversed so that there now appears to be more than enough radiationforce in order to accelerate the stellar winds of a sample of GalacticO-type stars.
| Cross-correlation characteristics of OB stars from IUE spectroscopy
We present a catalogue of homogeneous measures of the linewidthparameter, v_esin i, for 373 O-type stars and early B supergiants(including the separate components of 25 binary and three triplesystems), produced by cross-correlating high-resolution,short-wavelength IUE spectra against a `template' spectrum of tauSco. Wealso tabulate terminal velocities. There are no O supergiants in oursample with v_esin i<65 km s^-1, and only one supergiant earlier thanB5 has v_esin i<50 km s^-1, confirming that an important linebroadening mechanism in addition to rotation must be present in theseobjects. A calibration of the area under the cross-correlation peakagainst spectral type is used to obtain estimates of continuum intensityratios of the components in 28 spectroscopically binary or multiplesystems. At least seven SB2 systems show evidence for the `Struve-Sahadeeffect', a systematic variation in relative line strength as a functionof orbital phase. The stellar wind profiles of the most rapid rotator inour sample, the O9III:n* star HD 191423 (v_esin i=436km s^-1), show itto have a `wind-compressed disc' similar to that of HD 93521; this starand other rapid rotators are good candidates for studies of non-radialpulsation.
| A Spectral Atlas of Hot, Luminous Stars at 2 Microns
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJS..107..281H&db_key=AST
| Projected Rotational Velocities of O-Type Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...463..737P&db_key=AST
| Metal line strengths of blue stragglers towards the young galactic association Perseus OB1.
We present equivalent width measurements of lines of HeI, CIII, NIII,OII, MgII and SiIV from high resolution optical spectra of eight bluestragglers towards the young galactic association Perseus OB1, togetherwith similar data from ultraviolet spectra. We have carried outintercomparisons of the observed line strengths between target stars ofsimilar effective temperatures, and comparisons between the target starsand data for other O-type stars, in order to search for possibleabundance anomalies in our target stars. We find firm evidence that twostars, HD 12323 and HD 13268, exhibit CNO bicycle processed material attheir surfaces, and we outline evolutionary scenarios to explain thisphenomenon. One further star, HD 12993, also shows marginal evidence forprocessed material at its surface. There is no evidence for abundanceanomalies in the five remaining stars, and we consider that they may notbe association members. Hence their identification as blue stragglers isin doubt.
| A Search for Pulsar Companions to OB Runaway Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...461..357S&db_key=AST
| The Lyman-Continuum Fluxes and Stellar Parameters of O and Early B-Type Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...460..914V&db_key=AST
| O-star mass-loss and wind momentum rates in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds Observations and theoretical predictions.
A new, very fast approximate method is presented to determine mass-lossrates of O-stars from Halpha_ line profiles. The method usesH and HeII departure coefficients from unified model atmospheresparametrized in a simple way as function of wind velocity together withphotospheric NLTE line profiles as the inner boundary condition for anumerically exact radiative transfer solution to derive a windcontaminated Halpha_-profile. The method is also applied toHgamma_ to determine stellar gravities corrected for windemission. A detailed analytical discussion of Halpha_ lineformation in O-star winds is given and it is demonstrated that formervery simple approaches considering only optically thin wind emissionlead to significant systematic errors. Scaling relations and generalizedcurves of growth are presented that connect mass-loss rate, terminalvelocity, stellar parameters and Halpha_ equivalent width.The method is applied to samples of O-stars in the Galaxy, LMC and SMCand mass-loss rates are derived from Halpha_ in combinationwith terminal velocities measured from IUE and HST spectra. The resultsreveal that a tight empirical relation exists between the radiusmodified stellar wind momentum rate˙(M)vinfinity_R_*_^0.5^ and the stellar luminosity. Thevariations of this relationship between the Galaxy, LMC and SMC areexplained in terms of different abundances. Furthermore, for almost allobjects with dense winds (mostly supergiants), the commonly usedvelocity field exponent β could be derived, indicating a typicalvalue of β=~1. A comparison with the improved theory of radiationdriven winds (as presented recently by Pauldrach et al. 1994) shows thatthe observed wind momentum-luminosity relationship can be understoodqualitatively in terms of the theory. However, there exist significantsystematic discrepancies as a function of effective temperature,luminosity class and wind performance numberη=˙(M)vinfinity_c/L. We stress that thesediscrepancies would not have been detected with previous simplifiedHalpha_ -approaches. The deficiencies of the theory arediscussed and suggestions for future improvements are made.
| Blue stragglers in the young galactic association Perseus OB1.
Moderate spectral resolution, very high signal-to-noise optical spectrahave been obtained for eight blue stragglers towards the youngassociation Per OB1. These have been used to estimate projectedrotational and radial velocities. The line profiles of hydrogen andneutral and ionized helium have been analysed using non-LTE modelatmosphere calculations to deduce effective temperatures and logarithmicsurface gravities. Helium abundances have also been derived, althoughfor some targets this quantity was not well constrained. In addition,stellar radii, luminosities, and masses have been estimated both byspectroscopic methods and by comparison with evolutionary tracks. Thespectroscopic estimates were based on absolute magnitudes deduced fromeither assuming a unique distance modulus, or from a spectraltype-absolute magnitude calibration; the latter leads to a range ofdistance moduli of 1.4 magnitudes. Both sets of spectroscopic masseswere systematically smaller than the evolutionary masses, butluminosities deduced from spectral types gave a smaller and lessscattered set of mass discrepancies. None of these stars is definitelygenerically related to Per OB1 and they may therefore represent a moreheterogeneous group than has previously been thought, containingpossibly one helium and nitrogen enriched spectroscopic binary, twostars belonging to other associations/clusters, two runaway stars(nitrogen enhanced and possibly helium rich), and a group of O-typestars beyond Per OB1 containing two very fast rotators which may behelium enriched.
| An IUE survey of interstellar H I LY alpha absorption. 1: Column densities
We measure Galactic interstellar neutral hydrogen column densities byanalyzing archival interstellar Ly alpha absorption line data toward 554B2 and hotter stars observed at high resolution with the IUE satellite.This study more than doubles the number of lines of sight with measuresof N(H I) based on Ly alpha. We have included the scattered lightbackground correction algorithm of Bianchi and Bohlin in our datareduction. We use the correlation between the Balmer discontinuity(c1) index and the stellar Ly alpha absorption in order toassess the effects of stellar Ly alpha contamination. Approximately 40%of the B stars with measured (c1) index, exhibit seriousstellar Ly alpha contamination. One table contains the derived values ofthe interstellar N(H I) for 393 stars with at most small amounts ofstellar contamination. Another lists the observed values of total N(H I)for 161 stars with suspected stellar Ly alpha contamination and/oruncertain stellar parameters.
| Very-broadband-structure and the linear rise in the extinction curve
Measurements of the very broadband structure in the visual part of theextinction curve are compared to IUE extinction curve parameters in thescheme of Fitzpatrick and Massa. The correlation ofVery-broadband-structure (VBS) depth with FUV rise found by Reimann& Friedemann (1991) is shown to be a correlation with linear riseand not with far UV non-linear rise. The correlation with linear risesuggests that the VBS is due to an onset of extinction at about1.8/micrometer, rather than what has previously been suggested: due toluminescence or the presence of two extinction components longward andshortward of the VBS. The optical properties inferred for the linearrise carrier are consistent with some amorphous solid with a largeoptical gap. Small carbonaceous grains may be the carrier of the linearrise in extinction, because the erosion of core-mantle particles isexpected to produce many of such small grains and offers a naturalmechanism for the existence of the inferred two populations of big (aapproximately 0.13 micrometer) and small (a approximately 0.005micrometer) grains.
| Evolution of initially mixed massive main sequence stars
The main sequence evolution of massive stars is calculated under theassumption that an unspecified mixing process were able to keep themodels homogeneous during some fraction of the core hydrogen burningphase. The mixing could be due to rotation. The results are used todiscuss discrepancies in stellar parameters between recent spectralanalyses of OB stars and standard stellar evolution theory. The observedsurface helium abundances serve as input to determine the duration ofthe mixing. It is shown that mixing on the main sequence alone cannotexpain the derived values. although the agreement becomes much betterwhen using the tracks presented here.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Perseus |
| Right ascension: | 02h11m29.70s |
| Declination: | +56°09'31.7" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 8.181 |
| Distance: | 2941.176 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | 0.9 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -4.7 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.282 |
| V-T magnitude: | 8.19 |
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INHABITED SKY
