Bayesian inference of stellar parameters and interstellar extinction using parallaxes and multiband photometry
Astrometric surveys provide the opportunity to measure the absolutemagnitudes of large numbers of stars, but only if the individualline-of-sight extinctions are known. Unfortunately, extinction is highlydegenerate with stellar effective temperature when estimated frombroad-band optical/infrared photometry. To address this problem, Iintroduce a Bayesian method for estimating the intrinsic parameters of astar and its line-of-sight extinction. It uses both photometry andparallaxes in a self-consistent manner in order to provide anon-parametric posterior probability distribution over the parameters.The method makes explicit use of domain knowledge by employing theHertzsprung-Russell Diagram (HRD) to constrain solutions and to ensurethat they respect stellar physics. I first demonstrate this method byusing it to estimate effective temperature and extinction from BVJHKdata for a set of artificially reddened Hipparcos stars, for whichaccurate effective temperatures have been estimated from high-resolutionspectroscopy. Using just the four colours, we see the expected strongdegeneracy (positive correlation) between the temperature andextinction. Introducing the parallax, apparent magnitude and the HRDreduces this degeneracy and improves both the precision (reduces theerror bars) and the accuracy of the parameter estimates, the latter byabout 35 per cent. The resulting accuracy is about 200 K in temperatureand 0.2 mag in extinction. I then apply the method to estimate theseparameters and absolute magnitudes for some 47 000 F, G, K Hipparcosstars which have been cross-matched with Two-Micron All-Sky Survey(2MASS). The method can easily be extended to incorporate the estimationof other parameters, in particular metallicity and surface gravity,making it particularly suitable for the analysis of the 109stars from Gaia.
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The effect of activity on stellar temperatures and radii
Context: Recent analyses of low-mass eclipsing binary stars haveunveiled a significant disagreement between the observations andpredictions of stellar structure models. Results show that theoreticalmodels underestimate the radii and overestimate the effectivetemperatures of low-mass stars but yield luminosities that accord withobservations. A hypothesis based upon the effects of stellar activitywas put forward to explain the discrepancies. Aims: In this paper westudy the existence of the same trend in single active stars and providea consistent scenario to explain systematic differences between activeand inactive stars in the H-R diagram reported earlier. Methods: Theanalysis is done using single field stars of spectral types late-K and Mand computing their bolometric magnitudes and temperatures throughinfrared colours and spectral indices. The properties of the stars insamples of active and inactive stars are compared statistically toreveal systematic differences. Results: After accounting for a numberof possible bias effects, active stars are shown to be cooler thaninactive stars of similar luminosity therefore implying a larger radiusas well, in proportions that are in excellent agreement with those foundfrom eclipsing binaries. Conclusions: The present results generalisethe existence of strong radius and temperature dependences on stellaractivity to the entire population of low-mass stars, regardless of theirmembership in close binary systems.Tables 1 and 2 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/478/507
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The Distance of the First Overtone RR Lyrae Variables in the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud Database: a New Method to Correct for the Effects of Crowding
Previous studies have indicated that many of the RR Lyrae variables inthe LMC have properties similar to those in the Galactic globularcluster M3. Assuming that the M3 RR Lyrae variables follow the samerelationships among period, temperature, amplitude, and Fourier phaseparameter phi31 as their LMC counterparts, we have used theM3 phi31-log P relation to identify the M3-like unevolvedfirst overtone RR Lyrae variables in 16 MACHO fields near the LMC bar.The temperatures of these variables were calculated from the M3 logP-log T eff relation so that the extinction could be derivedfor each star separately. Since blended stars have lower amplitudes fora given period, the period-amplitude relation should be a useful toolfor determining which stars are affected by crowding. We find that thelow-amplitude LMC RR1 stars are brighter than the stars that fit the M3period-amplitude relation and we estimate that at least 40% of the starsare blended. Simulated data for three of the crowded stars illustratethat an unresolved companion with V ~ 20.5 could account for theobserved amplitude and magnitude. We derive a corrected mean apparentmagnitude langV0rang = 19.01 ± 0.10 (extinction)±0.02 (calibration) for the 51 uncrowded unevolved M3-like RR1variables. Assuming that the unevolved RR1 variables in M3 have a meanabsolute magnitude MV = 0.52 ± 0.02 leads to an LMCdistance modulus μ = 18.49 ± 0.11.
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Pulkovo compilation of radial velocities for 35495 stars in a common system.
Not Available
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Meeting the Cool Neighbors. VIII. A Preliminary 20 Parsec Census from the NLTT Catalogue
Continuing our census of late-type dwarfs in the solar neighborhood, wepresent BVRI photometry and optical spectroscopy of 800 mid-type Mdwarfs drawn from the NLTT proper-motion catalog. The targets are takenboth from our own cross-referencing of the NLTT Catalogue and the 2MASSSecond Incremental Data Release, and from the revised NLTT compiledrecently by Salim & Gould. All are identified as nearby-starcandidates based on their location in the(mr,mr-Ks) diagram. Three hundred starsdiscussed here have previous astrometric, photometric, or spectroscopicobservations. We present new BVRI photometry for 101 stars, togetherwith low-resolution spectroscopy of a further 400 dwarfs. In total, wefind that 241 stars are within 20 pc of the Sun, while a further 70 liewithin 1 σ of our distance limit. Combining the present resultswith previous analyses, we have quantitative observations for 1910 ofthe 1913 candidates in our NLTT nearby-star samples. Eight hundredfifteen of those stars have distance estimates of 20 pc or less,including 312 additions to the local census. With our NLTT follow-upobservations essentially complete, we have searched the literature for Kand early-type M dwarfs within the sampling volume covered by the 2MASSsecond release. Comparing the resultant 20 pc census against predictednumbers, derived from the 8 pc luminosity function, shows an overalldeficit of ~20% for stellar systems and ~35% for individual stars.Almost all are likely to be fainter than MJ=7, and at leasthalf are probably as yet undiscovered companions of known nearby stars.Our results suggest that there are relatively few missing systems at thelowest luminosities, MJ>8.5. We discuss possible means ofidentifying the missing stars.
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Improved Astrometry and Photometry for the Luyten Catalog. II. Faint Stars and the Revised Catalog
We complete construction of a catalog containing improved astrometry andnew optical/infrared photometry for the vast majority of NLTT starslying in the overlap of regions covered by POSS I and by the secondincremental Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) release, approximately 44%of the sky. The epoch 2000 positions are typically accurate to 130 mas,the proper motions to 5.5 mas yr-1, and the V-J colors to0.25 mag. Relative proper motions of binary components are measured to 3mas yr-1. The false-identification rate is ~1% for11<~V<~18 and substantially less at brighter magnitudes. Theseimprovements permit the construction of a reduced proper-motion diagramthat, for the first time, allows one to classify NLTT stars intomain-sequence (MS) stars, subdwarfs (SDs), and white dwarfs (WDs). We inturn use this diagram to analyze the properties of both our catalog andthe NLTT catalog on which it is based. In sharp contrast to popularbelief, we find that NLTT incompleteness in the plane is almostcompletely concentrated in MS stars, and that SDs and WDs are detectedalmost uniformly over the sky δ>-33deg. Our catalogwill therefore provide a powerful tool to probe these populationsstatistically, as well as to reliably identify individual SDs and WDs.
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The Palomar/MSU Nearby Star Spectroscopic Survey.II.The Southern M Dwarfs and Investigation of Magnetic Activity
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....112.2799H&db_key=AST
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Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
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The Palomar/MSU Nearby-Star Spectroscopic Survey. I. The Northern M Dwarfs -Bandstrengths and Kinematics
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995AJ....110.1838R&db_key=AST
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The general catalogue of trigonometric [stellar] paralaxes
Not Available
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Preliminary Version of the Third Catalogue of Nearby Stars
Not Available
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Space motions of low-mass stars.
Radial-velocity measures are presented for 225 stars, most of which aredwarf K and M stars. The data were obtained with the CfA digitalspeedometer, whose uncertainty is less than 1 km/s. Calibrations ofthree earlier radial-velocity studies and comparisons with three othercontemporary ones lead to the evaluation of the standard error for anindividual star as determined in each investigation. The data from twomasks, matching solar type and M type stars, form a ratio that measuresstellar surface temperature quite closely and appear to be useful indetecting the presence of unseen companions. A few previouslyunrecognized binaries have been detected; those with most certaintyinclude stars nos. 366B, 453, and 46A of the McCormick lists of dwarfstars.
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Parallaxes and proper motions. XVI
Parallaxes and proper motions are presented for 30 stars, most of whichare dK-M stars in 20 star fields. Seven of the target stars as well asten other stars have no previous parallax determinations. Six of the 20target stars are actually resolved binaries for which both componentswere measured separately; two of the six are not physical pairs. As inthe previous lists in this series, reductions have been made usinglinear plate constants and results are given to the nearestten-thousandth of a second of arc and separately in x and y coordinatesalong with a combined solution. This list is the first in the serieswhich makes full use of the prior selection of parallax stars to achievethe primary goal of the Van Vleck parallax program. This is to determineaccurate physical properties and space motions of a large and unbiasedsample of unevolved nearby stars of the lower main sequence.
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Catalogue of stars with CaII H and K emissions
Not Available
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Spectral Types of M Dwarf Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1974ApJS...28....1J&db_key=AST
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The luminosity law for late-type main-sequence stars in the solar neighborhood
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1974PASP...86..697E&db_key=AST
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Dwarf K and M stars in the southern hemisphere.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1972AJ.....77..486U&db_key=AST
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Calcium emission intensities as indicators of stellar age.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1970MNRAS.148..463W&db_key=AST
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Radial velocities of dK and dM stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1967AJ.....72..905W&db_key=AST
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Trigonometric parallaxes determined by photography with the McCormick 26-inch refractor.
Not Available
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The radial velocities of 166 red dwarf stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1954AJ.....59..218D&db_key=AST
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Dwarf M Stars Found Spectrophotometrically. Second List.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1946ApJ...104..234V&db_key=AST
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INHABITED SKY
