A systematic study of variability among OB-stars based on HIPPARCOS photometry
Context: Variability is a key factor for understanding the nature of themost massive stars, the OB stars. Such stars lie closest to the unstableupper limit of star formation. Aims: In terms of statistics, thedata from the HIPPARCOS satellite are unique because of time coverageand uniformity. They are ideal to study variability in this large,uniform sample of OB stars. Methods: We used statisticaltechniques to determine an independant threshold of variabilitycorresponding to our sample of OB stars, and then applied an automaticalgorithm to search for periods in the data of stars that are locatedabove this threshold. We separated the sample stars into 4 maincategories of variability: 3 intrinsic and 1 extrinsic. The intrinsiccategories are: OB main sequence stars (~2/3 of the sample), OBe stars(~10%) and OB Supergiant stars (~1/4).The extrinsic category refers toeclipsing binaries. Results: We classified about 30% of the wholesample as variable, although the fraction depends on magnitude level dueto instrumental limitations. OBe stars tend to be much more variable(≈80%) than the average sample star, while OBMS stars are belowaverage and OBSG stars are average. Types of variables include αCyg, β Cep, slowly pulsating stars and other types from the generalcatalog of variable stars. As for eclipsing binaries, there arerelatively more contact than detached systems among the OBMS and OBestars, and about equal numbers among OBSG stars.
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Statistical properties of a sample of periodically variable B-type supergiants. Evidence for opacity-driven gravity-mode oscillations
Aims.We have studied a sample of 28 periodically variable B-typesupergiants selected from the HIPPARCOS mission and 12 comparison starscovering the whole B-type spectral range. Our goal is to test if theirvariability is compatible with opacity-driven non-radialoscillations. Methods: .We have used the NLTE atmosphere codeFASTWIND to derive the atmospheric and wind parameters of the completesample through line profile fitting. We applied the method to selectedH, He, and Si line profiles, measured with the high resolution CESspectrograph attached to the ESO CAT telescope in La Silla, Chile.Results: .From the location of the stars in the (log T_eff, log g)diagram, we suggest that variability of our sample supergiants is indeeddue to the gravity modes resulting from the opacity mechanism. We findnine of the comparison stars to be periodically variable as well, andsuggest them to be new α Cyg variables. We find marginal evidenceof a correlation between the amplitude of the photometric variabilityand the wind density. We investigate the wind momentum-luminosityrelation for the whole range of B spectral type supergiants, and findthat the later types (>B5) perfectly follow the relation for Asupergiants. Additionally, we provide a new spectral type - T_effcalibration for B supergiants. Conclusions: .Our results imply thepossibility of probing internal structure models of massive stars ofspectral type B through seismic tuning of gravity modes.Figures of the spectral line fits and discussion of the individualobjects, Appendices A, B and Table 6 are only available in electronicform at http://www.aanda.org
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New Estimates of the Solar-Neighborhood Massive Star Birthrate and the Galactic Supernova Rate
The birthrate of stars of masses >=10 Msolar is estimatedfrom a sample of just over 400 O3-B2 dwarfs within 1.5 kpc of the Sunand the result extrapolated to estimate the Galactic supernova ratecontributed by such stars. The solar-neighborhood Galactic-plane massivestar birthrate is estimated at ~176 stars kpc-3Myr-1. On the basis of a model in which the Galactic stellardensity distribution comprises a ``disk+central hole'' like that of thedust infrared emission (as proposed by Drimmel and Spergel), theGalactic supernova rate is estimated at probably not less than ~1 normore than ~2 per century and the number of O3-B2 dwarfs within the solarcircle at ~200,000.
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The Carina Spiral Feature: Strömgren-Hβ photometry approach. I. The photometric data-base
A data-base collating all uvbybeta photometry available at present forO-B9 stars brighter than 10th visual magnitude in the field of theCarina Spiral Feature is presented. The completeness and homogeneity ofthe data-base are discussed.Based on CDS data.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/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/410/523
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A Method for Simultaneous Determination of AV and R and Applications
A method for the simultaneous determination of the interstellarextinction (AV) and of the ratio of total to selectiveextinction (R), derived from the 1989 Cardelli, Clayton, & Mathisfitting of the interstellar extinction law, is presented and applied toa set of 1900 color excesses derived from observations of stars inUBVRIJHKL. The method is used to study the stability of AVand R within selected regions in Perseus, Scorpius, Monoceros, Orion,Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, Carina, and Serpens. Analysis shows that R isapproximately constant and peculiar to each sector, with mean valuesthat vary from 3.2 in Perseus to 5.6 in Ophiuchus. These results aresimilar to published values by Aiello et al., He et al., Vrba &Rydgren, O'Donnell, and Cardelli, Clayton, & Mathis.
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Catalog of Galactic OB Stars
An all-sky catalog of Galactic OB stars has been created by extendingthe Case-Hamburg Galactic plane luminous-stars surveys to include 5500additional objects drawn from the literature. This work brings the totalnumber of known or reasonably suspected OB stars to over 16,000.Companion databases of UBVβ photometry and MK classifications forthese objects include nearly 30,000 and 20,000 entries, respectively.
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New periodic variables from the Hipparcos epoch photometry
Two selection statistics are used to extract new candidate periodicvariables from the epoch photometry of the Hipparcos catalogue. Theprimary selection criterion is a signal-to-noise ratio. The dependenceof this statistic on the number of observations is calibrated usingabout 30000 randomly permuted Hipparcos data sets. A significance levelof 0.1 per cent is used to extract a first batch of candidate variables.The second criterion requires that the optimal frequency be unaffectedif the data are de-trended by low-order polynomials. We find 2675 newcandidate periodic variables, of which the majority (2082) are from theHipparcos`unsolved' variables. Potential problems with theinterpretation of the data (e.g. aliasing) are discussed.
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Absolute proper motions of open clusters. I. Observational data
Mean proper motions and parallaxes of 205 open clusters were determinedfrom their member stars found in the Hipparcos Catalogue. 360 clusterswere searched for possible members, excluding nearby clusters withdistances D < 200 pc. Members were selected using ground basedinformation (photometry, radial velocity, proper motion, distance fromthe cluster centre) and information provided by Hipparcos (propermotion, parallax). Altogether 630 certain and 100 possible members werefound. A comparison of the Hipparcos parallaxes with photometricdistances of open clusters shows good agreement. The Hipparcos dataconfirm or reject the membership of several Cepheids in the studiedclusters. Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
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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.
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Study of an unbiased sample of B stars observed with Hipparcos: the discovery of a large amount of new slowly pulsating B stars
We present a classification of 267 new variable B-type stars discoveredby Hipparcos. We have used two different classification schemes and theyboth result in only a few new beta Cephei stars, a huge number of newslowly pulsating B stars, quite some supergiants with alpha Cyg-typevariations and variable CP stars, and further some new periodic Be starsand eclipsing binaries. Our results clearly point out the biased naturetowards short-period variables of earlier, ground-based surveys ofvariable stars. The position of the new beta Cephei stars and slowlypulsating B stars in the HR diagram is determined by means of Genevaphotometry and is confronted with the most recent calculations of theinstability strips for both groups of variables. We find that the newbeta Cephei stars are situated in the blue part of the instability stripand that the new slowly pulsating B stars almost fully cover thetheoretical instability domain determined for such stars. Thesupergiants with alpha Cyg-type variations are situated between theinstability strips of the beta Cephei and the slowly pulsating B starson the one hand and previously known supergiants that exhibitmicrovariations on the other hand. This suggests some connection betweenthe variability caused by the kappa mechanism acting in a zone ofpartially ionised metals and the unknown cause of the variations insupergiants.
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A Radial Velocity Database for Stephenson-Sanduleak Southern Luminous Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....113..823R&db_key=AST
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Interstellar Extinction from 0.35 to 2.2 Microns: A Study Based on Luminous Southern Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995ApJS..101..335H&db_key=AST
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A spectroscopic database for Stephenson-Sanduleak Southern Luminous Stars
A database of published spectral classifications for objects in theStepenson-Sanduleak Luminous Stars in the Southern Milky Way catalog hasbeen compiled from the literature. A total of 6182 classifications for2562 stars from 139 sources are incorporated.
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Stromgren and H-Beta Photometry of OB Associations and Open Clusters - Part Two - TRIANGULUM:16 and CARINA:OB2
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1993MNRAS.261..847K&db_key=AST
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A study of reddened luminous stars in the southern Milky Way. IV. JHK photometry.
Not Available
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A study of reddened luminous stars in the southern Milky Way. III. VRI photometry.
Not Available
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A study of reddened luminous stars in the southern Milky Way. II. H-beta photometry, reddening and distances.
Not Available
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A study of reddened luminous stars in the southern Milky Way. UVBY photometry.
Not Available
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UBV photometry of OB+ stars in the southern Milky Way
One thousand two hundred and twenty six new observations are combinedwith previously published results of the author to yield an internalyconsistent set of magnitudes and colors on the international UBV systemfor 666 stars classified as OB+ in the Stephenson-Sanduleak OB starsurvey. The U - B, B - V diagram indicates that these stars consistprimarily of O-type stars and early B-type supergiants, reddened by upto E(B - V) = 2.1 mag.
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DDO Observations of Southern Stars
Not Available
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Infrared photometry of southern early-type stars
The paper presents infrared photometry tied to the JHKL (1.2-3.5microns) broadband photometric system for 229 southern early-type stars.To determine data for stars of low reddening intrinsic visual-IR colorindices were used; the E(V-K)/E(B-V) diagram was applied to evaluate theratio of total selective extinction. A mean value of R = 3.12 plus orminus 0.05 was found for stars close to the galactic plane, but a highervalue of R (about 4.0) applies to the Orion and Sco-Oph regions.Infrared two-color diagrams were used to investigate the occurrence ofinfrared excess emission in different classes of shell star; no excesseswere found for supergiants or Of stars. It is concluded that theanomalous position HD 164740 in the two-color diagrams is produced bystrong infrared excess and not by a peculiar extinction law.
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Studies of luminous stars in nearby galaxies. I. Supergiants and O stars in the Milky Way.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1978ApJS...38..309H&db_key=AST
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Observations in linearly polarized light of the intensity of the diffuse lam 6180 absorption band in 56 southern O, B and A stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1978A&A....70..195G&db_key=AST
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O stars and supergiants south of declination -53 0.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1976AJ.....81..116H&db_key=AST
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A velocity separation of stars and gas in Carina
In the Carina spiral feature near galactic longitude of 290 deg, asignificant difference of 10-20 km/sec is observed between the motionsof the young stars and neutral hydrogen gas. The region of theseanomalous motions may extend from 3 to 7 kpc from the sun and is only 2deg wide in longitude. This region may best be described as a narrowsheet, particularly since the extent in latitude is uncertain. Twopossible interpretations of the optical and radio evidence for spiralstructure would place this peculiar region either on the inner side ofthe spiral feature or along the central axis of the optical spiral arm.The observed velocity anomaly has the right sign and a reasonableamplitude for a shock-front effect, and the applicability of Roberts'sshock-wave model of spiral structure to this anomalous region isdiscussed.
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Structure and motions in the CAR spiral feature.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1972A&A....20...29H&db_key=AST
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The space distribution and kinematics of supergiants
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1970AJ.....75..602H&db_key=AST
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The OB stars in Carina-Centaurus
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1969MNRAS.143..273F&db_key=AST
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Interstellar Polarization in the Southern Milky way.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1956ApJ...124...43V&db_key=AST
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Studies in Galactic STRUCTURE.II.LUMINOSITY Classification for 1270 Blue Giant Stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1955ApJS....2...41M&db_key=AST
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INHABITED SKY
