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Spitzer Mid-IR Spectra of Dust Debris Around A and Late B Type Stars: Asteroid Belt Analogs and Power-Law Dust Distributions
Using the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) low-resolution modulescovering wavelengths from 5 to 35 ?m, we observed 52 main-sequence Aand late B type stars previously seen using Spitzer/Multiband ImagingPhotometer (MIPS) to have excess infrared emission at 24 ?m abovethat expected from the stellar photosphere. The mid-IR excess isconfirmed in all cases but two. While prominent spectral features arenot evident in any of the spectra, we observed a striking diversity inthe overall shape of the spectral energy distributions. Most of the IRSexcess spectra are consistent with single-temperature blackbodyemission, suggestive of dust located at a single orbital radius—anarrow ring. Assuming the excess emission originates from a populationof large blackbody grains, dust temperatures range from 70 to 324 K,with a median of 190 K corresponding to a distance of 10 AU. Thirteenstars however, have dust emission that follows a power-law distribution,F ? = F 0??, withexponent ? ranging from 1.0 to 2.9. The warm dust in these systemsmust span a greater range of orbital locations—an extended disk.All of the stars have also been observed with Spitzer/MIPS at 70 ?m,with 27 of the 50 excess sources detected (signal-to-noise ratio >3). Most 70 ?m fluxes are suggestive of a cooler, Kuiper Belt-likecomponent that may be completely independent of the asteroid belt-likewarm emission detected at the IRS wavelengths. Fourteen of 37 sourceswith blackbody-like fits are detected at 70 ?m. The 13 objects withIRS excess emission fit by a power-law disk model, however, are alldetected at 70 ?m (four above, three on, and six below theextrapolated power law), suggesting that the mid-IR IRS emission andfar-IR 70 ?m emission may be related for these sources. Overall, theobserved blackbody and power-law thermal profiles reveal debrisdistributed in a wide variety of radial structures that do not appear tobe correlated with spectral type or stellar age. An additional 43fainter A and late B type stars without 70 ?m photometry were alsoobserved with Spitzer/IRS; results are summarized in Appendix B.
| Spectroscopic metallicities of Vega-like stars
Aims. We aim to determine the metallicities of 113 Southern HemisphereVega-like candidate stars in relation to the giant exoplanet host groupand field stars. Methods: We applied two spectroscopic methods ofabundance determinations: equivalent width measurements together withthe ATLAS9 model atmospheres and the WIDTH9 program, and a comparison ofobserved spectra with a grid of synthetic spectra. Results: For theVega-like group, the metallicities are indistinguishable from those offield stars not known to be associated with planets or disks. Thisresult is quite different from the metallicities of giant exoplanet hoststars, which are metal-rich in comparison to field stars.Tables 1-4 are only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org
| Steady State Evolution of Debris Disks around A Stars
This paper confronts a simple analytical model for the steady stateevolution of debris disks due to collisions with Spitzer observations ofdust around main-sequence A stars. It is assumed that every star has aplanetesimal belt, the initial mass and radius of which are drawn fromdistributions. In the model disk mass is constant until the largestplanetesimals reach collisional equilibrium, whereupon mass falls~t-1age. We find that the detection statistics andtrends seen at 24 and 70 μm can be fitted well by the model. Whilethere is no need to invoke stochastic evolution or delayed stirring toexplain the statistics, a moderate rate of stochastic events is notruled out. Potentially anomalous systems are identified by a high dustluminosity compared with the maximum permissible in the model (HD 3003,HD 38678, HD 115892, HD 172555); their planetesimals may have unusualproperties (high strength or low eccentricity), or this dust could betransient. The overall success of our model, which assumes planetesimalsin all belts have the same strength, eccentricity, and maximum size,suggests the outcome of planet formation is reasonably uniform. Thedistribution of planetesimal belt radii, once corrected for detectionbias, follows N(r)~r-0.8+/-0.3 for 3-120 AU. Since beltboundaries may be attributed to unseen planets, this provides a uniqueconstraint on A star planetary systems. It is also shown that P-R dragmay sculpt the inner edges of A star disks close to the Spitzerdetection threshold (HD 2262, HD 19356, HD 106591, HD 115892). Thismodel can be readily applied to the interpretation of future surveys,and predictions for the upcoming SCUBA-2 survey include that 17% of Astar disks should be detectable at 850 μm.
| Debris Disk Evolution around A Stars
We report 24 and/or 70 μm measurements of ~160 A-type main-sequencestars using the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS). Theirages range from 5 to 850 Myr, based on estimates from the literature(cluster or moving group associations) or from the H-R diagram andisochrones. The thermal infrared excess is identified by comparing thedeviation (~3% and ~15% at the 1 σ level at 24 and 70 μm,respectively) between the measurements and the synthetic Kuruczphotospheric predictions. Stars showing excess infrared emission due tostrong emission lines or extended nebulosity seen at 24 μm areexcluded from our sample; therefore, the remaining infrared excesses arelikely to arise from circumstellar debris disks. At the 3 σconfidence level, the excess rate at 24 and 70 μm is 32% and >=33%(with an uncertainty of 5%), considerably higher than what has beenfound for old solar analogs and M dwarfs. Our measurements placeconstraints on the fractional dust luminosities and temperatures in thedisks. We find that older stars tend to have lower fractional dustluminosity than younger ones. While the fractional luminosity from theexcess infrared emission follows a general 1/t relationship, the valuesat a given stellar age vary by at least 2 orders of magnitude. We alsofind that (1) older stars possess a narrow range of temperaturedistribution peaking at colder temperatures, and (2) the disk emissionat 70 μm persists longer than that at 24 μm. Both results suggestthat the debris disk clearing process is more effective in the innerregions.
| Decay of Planetary Debris Disks
We report new Spitzer 24 μm photometry of 76 main-sequence A-typestars. We combine these results with previously reported Spitzer 24μm data and 24 and 25 μm photometry from the Infrared SpaceObservatory and the Infrared Astronomy Satellite. The result is a sampleof 266 stars with mass close to 2.5 Msolar, all detected toat least the ~7 σ level relative to their photospheric emission.We culled ages for the entire sample from the literature and/orestimated them using the H-R diagram and isochrones; they range from 5to 850 Myr. We identified excess thermal emission using an internallyderived K-24 (or 25) μm photospheric color and then compared allstars in the sample to that color. Because we have excluded stars withstrong emission lines or extended emission (associated with nearbyinterstellar gas), these excesses are likely to be generated by debrisdisks. Younger stars in the sample exhibit excess thermal emission morefrequently and with higher fractional excess than do the older stars.However, as many as 50% of the younger stars do not show excessemission. The decline in the magnitude of excess emission, for thosestars that show it, has a roughly t0/time dependence, witht0~150 Myr. If anything, stars in binary systems (includingAlgol-type stars) and λ Boo stars show less excess emission thanthe other members of the sample. Our results indicate that (1) there issubstantial variety among debris disks, including that a significantnumber of stars emerge from the protoplanetary stage of evolution withlittle remaining disk in the 10-60 AU region and (2) in addition, it islikely that much of the dust we detect is generated episodically bycollisions of large planetesimals during the planet accretion end game,and that individual events often dominate the radiometric properties ofa debris system. This latter behavior agrees generally with what we knowabout the evolution of the solar system, and also with theoreticalmodels of planetary system formation.
| The primordial binary population. I. A near-infrared adaptive optics search for close visual companions to A star members of Scorpius OB2
We present the results of a near-infrared adaptive optics survey withthe aim to detect close companions to Hipparcos members in the threesubgroups of the nearby OB association Sco OB2: Upper Scorpius (US),Upper Centaurus Lupus (UCL) and Lower Centaurus Crux (LCC). We havetargeted 199 A-type and late B-type stars in the KS band, anda subset also in the J and H band. We find 151 stellar components otherthan the target stars. A brightness criterion is used to separate thesecomponents into 77 background stars and 74 candidate physical companionstars. Out of these 74 candidate companions, 41 have not been reportedbefore (14 in US; 13 in UCL; 14 in LCC). The angular separation betweenprimaries and observed companion stars ranges from 0.22'' to 12.4''. Atthe mean distance of Sco OB2 (130 pc) this corresponds to a projectedseparation of 28.6 AU to 1612 AU. Absolute magnitudes are derived forall primaries and observed companions using the parallax andinterstellar extinction for each star individually. For each object wederive the mass from KS, assuming an age of 5 Myr for the USsubgroup, and 20 Myr for the UCL and LCC subgroups. Companion starmasses range from 0.10 Mȯ to 3.0 Mȯ. Themass ratio distribution follows f(q) = q-Γ withΓ=0.33, which excludes random pairing. No close (ρ ≤3.75'') companion stars or background stars are found in the magnituderange 12 mag≤ KS ≤ 14 mag. The lack of stars withthese properties cannot be explained by low-number statistics, and mayimply a lower limit on the companion mass of 0.1Mȯ. Close stellar components with KS >14mag are observed. If these components are very low-mass companion stars,a gap in the companion mass distribution might be present. The smallnumber of close low-mass companion stars could support theembryo-ejection formation scenario for brown dwarfs. Our findings arecompared with and complementary to visual, spectroscopic, andastrometric data on binarity in Sco OB2. We find an overall companionstar fraction of 0.52 in this association. This is a lower limit sincethe data from the observations and from literature are hampered byobservational biases and selection effects. This paper is the first steptoward our goal to derive the primordial binary population in Sco OB2.Full Table 1 is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.orgBased on observations collected with the ADONIS instrument at theEuropean Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile (65.H-0568(A) and67.D-0220(A)).
| Formation scenarios for the young stellar associations between galactic longitudes l = 280degr - 360degr
We investigate the spatial distribution, the space velocities and agedistribution of the pre-main sequence (PMS) stars belonging toOphiuchus, Lupus and Chamaeleon star-forming regions (SFRs), and of theyoung early-type star members of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association.These young stellar associations extend over the galactic longituderange from 280degr to 360degr , and are at a distance interval ofaround 100 and 200 pc. This study is based on a compilation ofdistances, proper motions and radial velocities from the literature forthe kinematic properties, and of basic stellar data for the constructionof Hertzsprung-Russel diagrams. Although there was no well-known OBassociation in Chamaeleon, the distances and the proper motions of agroup of 21 B- and A-type stars, taken from the Hipparcos Catalogue,lead us to propose that they form a young association. We show that theyoung early-type stars of the OB associations and the PMS stars of theSFRs follow a similar spatial distribution, i.e., there is no separationbetween the low and the high-mass young stars. We find no difference inthe kinematics nor in the ages of these two populations studied.Considering not only the stars selected by kinematic criteria but thewhole sample of young early-type stars, the scattering of their propermotions is similar to that of the PMS stars and all the young starsexhibit a common direction of motion. The space velocities of theHipparcos PMS stars of each SFR are compatible with the mean values ofthe OB associations. The PMS stars in each SFR span a wide range of ages(from 1 to 20 Myr). The ages of the OB subgroups are 8-10 Myr for UpperScorpius (US), and 16-20 Myr for Upper Centaurus Lupus (UCL) and forLower Centaurus Crux (LCC). Thus, our results do not confirm that UCL isolder than the LCC association. Based on these results and theuncertainties associated with the age determination, we cannot say thatthere is indeed a difference in the age of the two populations. Weanalyze the different scenarios for the triggering of large-scalestar-formation that have been proposed up to now, and argue that mostprobably we are observing a spiral arm that passes close to the Sun. Thealignment of young stars and molecular clouds and the average velocityof the stars in the opposite direction to the Galactic rotation agreewith the expected behavior of star formation in nearby spiral arms.Tables 1 to 4 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/404/913
| Astrometric radial velocities. III. Hipparcos measurements of nearby star clusters and associations
Radial motions of stars in nearby moving clusters are determined fromaccurate proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes, without any use ofspectroscopy. Assuming that cluster members share the same velocityvector (apart from a random dispersion), we apply a maximum-likelihoodmethod on astrometric data from Hipparcos to compute radial and spacevelocities (and their dispersions) in the Ursa Major, Hyades, ComaBerenices, Pleiades, and Praesepe clusters, and for theScorpius-Centaurus, alpha Persei, and ``HIP 98321'' associations. Theradial motion of the Hyades cluster is determined to within 0.4 kms-1 (standard error), and that of its individual stars towithin 0.6 km s-1. For other clusters, Hipparcos data yieldastrometric radial velocities with typical accuracies of a few kms-1. A comparison of these astrometric values withspectroscopic radial velocities in the literature shows a good generalagreement and, in the case of the best-determined Hyades cluster, alsopermits searches for subtle astrophysical differences, such as evidencefor enhanced convective blueshifts of F-dwarf spectra, and decreasedgravitational redshifts in giants. Similar comparisons for the ScorpiusOB2 complex indicate some expansion of its associations, albeit slowerthan expected from their ages. As a by-product from the radial-velocitysolutions, kinematically improved parallaxes for individual stars areobtained, enabling Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams with unprecedentedaccuracy in luminosity. For the Hyades (parallax accuracy 0.3 mas), itsmain sequence resembles a thin line, possibly with wiggles in it.Although this main sequence has underpopulated regions at certaincolours (previously suggested to be ``Böhm-Vitense gaps''), suchare not visible for other clusters, and are probably spurious. Futurespace astrometry missions carry a great potential for absoluteradial-velocity determinations, insensitive to the complexities ofstellar spectra. Based on observations by the ESA Hipparcos satellite.Extended versions of Tables \ref{tab1} and \ref{tab2} are available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.125.8) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/381/446
| A HIPPARCOS Census of the Nearby OB Associations
A comprehensive census of the stellar content of the OB associationswithin 1 kpc from the Sun is presented, based on Hipparcos positions,proper motions, and parallaxes. It is a key part of a long-term projectto study the formation, structure, and evolution of nearby young stellargroups and related star-forming regions. OB associations are unbound``moving groups,'' which can be detected kinematically because of theirsmall internal velocity dispersion. The nearby associations have a largeextent on the sky, which traditionally has limited astrometricmembership determination to bright stars (V<~6 mag), with spectraltypes earlier than ~B5. The Hipparcos measurements allow a majorimprovement in this situation. Moving groups are identified in theHipparcos Catalog by combining de Bruijne's refurbished convergent pointmethod with the ``Spaghetti method'' of Hoogerwerf & Aguilar.Astrometric members are listed for 12 young stellar groups, out to adistance of ~650 pc. These are the three subgroups Upper Scorpius, UpperCentaurus Lupus, and Lower Centaurus Crux of Sco OB2, as well as VelOB2, Tr 10, Col 121, Per OB2, alpha Persei (Per OB3), Cas-Tau, Lac OB1,Cep OB2, and a new group in Cepheus, designated as Cep OB6. Theselection procedure corrects the list of previously known astrometricand photometric B- and A-type members in these groups and identifiesmany new members, including a significant number of F stars, as well asevolved stars, e.g., the Wolf-Rayet stars gamma^2 Vel (WR 11) in Vel OB2and EZ CMa (WR 6) in Col 121, and the classical Cepheid delta Cep in CepOB6. Membership probabilities are given for all selected stars. MonteCarlo simulations are used to estimate the expected number of interloperfield stars. In the nearest associations, notably in Sco OB2, thelater-type members include T Tauri objects and other stars in the finalpre-main-sequence phase. This provides a firm link between the classicalhigh-mass stellar content and ongoing low-mass star formation. Detailedstudies of these 12 groups, and their relation to the surroundinginterstellar medium, will be presented elsewhere. Astrometric evidencefor moving groups in the fields of R CrA, CMa OB1, Mon OB1, Ori OB1, CamOB1, Cep OB3, Cep OB4, Cyg OB4, Cyg OB7, and Sct OB2, is inconclusive.OB associations do exist in many of these regions, but they are eitherat distances beyond ~500 pc where the Hipparcos parallaxes are oflimited use, or they have unfavorable kinematics, so that the groupproper motion does not distinguish it from the field stars in theGalactic disk. The mean distances of the well-established groups aresystematically smaller than the pre-Hipparcos photometric estimates.While part of this may be caused by the improved membership lists, arecalibration of the upper main sequence in the Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram may be called for. The mean motions display a systematicpattern, which is discussed in relation to the Gould Belt. Six of the 12detected moving groups do not appear in the classical list of nearby OBassociations. This is sometimes caused by the absence of O stars, but inother cases a previously known open cluster turns out to be (part of) anextended OB association. The number of unbound young stellar groups inthe solar neighborhood may be significantly larger than thoughtpreviously.
| A homogeneous catalog of new UBV and H-beta photometry of B- and A-type stars in and around the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association
B- and A-type stars in and near the Sco-Cen OB association areinvestigated with UBV and H-beta photometry to acquire data relevant tothe luminosity function of Sco-Cen. The measurements generally consistof two 10-s integrations of U, B, V, (W, N) filters, and theobservations are corrected iteratively for atmospheric extinction andinstrumental response. The data presented give the mean V magnitude,mean B-V, mean U-B, and the estimated uncertainties for these values.The catalog provides a homogeneous catalog of data for a large fieldwith stellar objects delineating membership to the association Sco-Cenand that affect the luminosity function of the aggregate.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Libra |
| Right ascension: | 15h20m31.42s |
| Declination: | -28°17'13.6" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.167 |
| Distance: | 143.472 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -24.8 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -29.7 |
| B-T magnitude: | 7.286 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.177 |
Catalogs and designations:
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INHABITED SKY
