M. Brunner

ALMA observations of the variable 12CO/13CO ratio around the asymptotic giant branch star R Sculptoris

The 12CO/13CO ratio is often used as a measure of the 12C/13C ratio in the circumstellar environment, carrying important information about the stellar nucleosynthesis. External processes can change the 12CO and 13CO abundances, and spatially resolved studies of the 12CO/13CO ratio are needed to quantify the effect of these processes on the globally determined values. Additionally, such studies provide important information on the conditions in the circumstellar environment. The detached-shell source R Scl, displaying CO emission from recent mass loss, in a binary-induced spiral structure as well as in a clumpy shell produced during a thermal pulse, provides a unique laboratory for studying the differences in CO isotope abundances throughout its recent evolution. We observed both the 12CO(J = 3 → 2) and the 13CO(J = 3 → 2) line using ALMA. We find significant variations in the 12CO/13CO intensity ratios and consequently in the abundance ratios. The average CO isotope abundance ratio is at least a factor three lower in the shell (~19) than that in the present-day (≤300 years) mass loss (>60). Additionally, variations in the ratio of more than an order of magnitude are found in the shell itself. We attribute these variations to the competition between selective dissociation and isotope fractionation in the shell, of which large parts cannot be warmer than ~35 K. However, we also find that the 12CO/13CO ratio in the present-day mass loss is significantly higher than the 12C/13C ratio determined in the stellar photosphere from molecular tracers (~19). The origin of this discrepancy is still unclear, but we speculate that it is due to an embedded source of UV-radiation that is primarily photo-dissociating 13CO. This radiation source could be the hitherto hidden companion. Alternatively, the UV-radiation could originate from an active chromosphere of R Scl itself. Our results indicate that caution should be taken when directly relating the 12CO/13CO intensity and 12C/13C abundance ratios for specific asymptotic giant branch stars, in particular binaries or stars that display signs of chromospheric stellar activity.

Aperture synthesis imaging of the carbon AGB star R Sculptoris - Detection of a complex structure and a dominating spot on the stellar disk

Aims. We present near-infrared interferometry of the carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star R Sculptoris (R Scl). Methods. We employ medium spectral resolution K-band interferometry obtained with the instrument AMBER at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and H-band low spectral resolution interferometric imaging observations obtained with the VLTI instrument PIONIER. We compare our data to a recent grid of dynamic atmosphere and wind models. We compare derived fundamental parameters to stellar evolution models. Results. The visibility data indicate a broadly circular resolved stellar disk with a complex substructure. The observed AMBER squared visibility values show drops at the positions of CO and CN bands, indicating that these lines form in extended layers above the photosphere. The AMBER visibility values are best fit by a model without a wind. The PIONIER data are consistent with the same model. We obtain a Rosseland angular diameter of 8.9 ± 0.3 mas, corresponding to a Rosseland radius of 355 ± 55 R?, an effective temperature of 2640 ± 80 K, and a luminosity of log L/L? = 3.74 ± 0.18. These parameters match evolutionary tracks of initial mass 1.5 ± 0.5 M? and current mass 1.3 ± 0.7 M?. The reconstructed PIONIER images exhibit a complex structure within the stellar disk including a dominant bright spot located at the western part of the stellar disk. The spot has an H-band peak intensity of 40% to 60% above the average intensity of the limb-darkening-corrected stellar disk. The contrast between the minimum and maximum intensity on the stellar disk is about 1:2.5. Conclusions. Our observations are broadly consistent with predictions by dynamic atmosphere and wind models, although models with wind appear to have a circumstellar envelope that is too extended compared to our observations. The detected complex structure within the stellar disk is most likely caused by giant convection cells, resulting in large-scale shock fronts, and their effects on clumpy molecule and dust formation seen against the photosphere at distances of 2-3 stellar radii.

The circumstellar envelope around the S-type AGB star W Aql - Effects of an eccentric binary orbit

Context Recent observations at subarcsecond resolution, now possible also at submillimeter wavelengths, have shown intricate circumstellar structures around asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, mostly attributed to binary interaction. The results presented here are part of a larger project aimed at investigating the effects of a binary companion on the morphology of circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of AGB stars. Aims AGB stars are characterized by intense stellar winds that build CSEs around the stars. Here, the CO(J = 3→2) emission from the CSE of the binary S-type AGB star W Aql has been observed at subarcsecond resolution using ALMA. The aim of this paper is to investigate the wind properties of the AGB star and to analyse how the known companion has shaped the CSE. Methods The average mass-loss rate during the creation of the detected CSE is estimated through modelling, using the ALMA brightness distribution and previously published single-dish measurements as observational constraints. The ALMA observations are presented and compared to the results from a 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) binary interaction model with the same properties as the W Aql system and with two different orbital eccentricities. Three-dimensional radiative transfer modelling is performed and the response of the interferometer is modelled and discussed. Results The estimated average mass-loss rate of W Aql is Ṁ = 3.0×10-6 M⊙ yr-1 and agrees with previous results based on single-dish CO line emission observations. The size of the emitting region is consistent with photodissociation models. The inner 10″ of the CSE is asymmetric with arc-like structures at separations of 2-3″ scattered across the denser sections. Further out, weaker spiral structures at greater separations are found, but this is at the limit of the sensitivity and field of view of the ALMA observations. Conclusions The CO(J = 3→2) emission is dominated by a smooth component overlayed with two weak arc patterns with different separations. The larger pattern is predicted by the binary interaction model with separations of ~10″ and therefore likely due to the known companion. It is consistent with a binary orbit with low eccentricity. The smaller separation pattern is asymmetric and coincides with the dust distribution, but the separation timescale (200 yrs) is not consistent with any known process of the system. The separation of the known companions of the system is large enough to not have a very strong effect on the circumstellar morphology. The density contrast across the envelope of a binary with an even larger separation will not be easily detectable, even with ALMA, unless the orbit is strongly asymmetric or the AGB star has a much larger mass-loss rate.

Single-Photon Technique for the Detection of Periodic Extraterrestrial Laser Pulses

To draw humankinds attention to its existence, an extraterrestrial civilization could well direct periodic laser pulses toward Earth. We developed a technique capable of detecting a quasi-periodic light signal with an average of less than one photon per pulse within a measurement time of a few tens of milliseconds in the presence of the radiation emitted by an exoplanets host star. Each of the electronic events produced by one or more single-photon avalanche detectors is tagged with precise time-of-arrival information and stored. From this we compute a histogram displaying the frequency of event-time differences in classes with bin widths on the order of a nanosecond. The existence of periodic laser pulses manifests itself in histogram peaks regularly spaced at multiples of the-a priori unknown-pulse repetition frequency. With laser sources simulating both the pulse source and the background radiation, we tested a detection system in the laboratory at a wavelength of 850 nm. We present histograms obtained from various recorded data sequences with the number of photons per pulse, the background photons per pulse period, and the recording time as main parameters. We then simulated a periodic signal hypothetically generated on a planet orbiting a G2V-type star (distance to Earth 500 light-years) and show that the technique is capable of detecting the signal even if the received pulses carry as little as one photon on average on top of the stars background light.

Molecular line study of the S-type AGB star W Aquilae: ALMA observations of CS, SiS, SiO and HCN

Context. With the outstanding spatial resolution and sensitivity of the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), molecular gas other than the abundant CO can be observed and resolved in circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) around evolved stars, such as the binary S-type Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star W Aquilae. Aims. We aim to constrain the chemical composition of the CSE and determine the radial abundance distribution, the photospheric peak abundance, and isotopic ratios of a selection of chemically important molecular species in the innermost CSE of W Aql. The derived parameters are put into the context of the chemical evolution of AGB stars and are compared with theoretical models. Methods. We employ one-dimensional radiative transfer modeling - with the accelerated lambda iteration (ALI) radiative transfer code - of the radial abundance distribution of a total of five molecular species (CS, SiS, 30SiS, 29SiO and H13CN) and determine the best fitting model parameters based on high-resolution ALMA observations as well as archival single-dish observations. The additional advantage of the spatially resolved ALMA observations is that we can directly constrain the radial profile of the observed line transitions from the observations. Results. We derive abundances and e-folding radii for CS, SiS, 30SiS, 29SiO and H13CN and compare them to previous studies, which are based only on unresolved single-dish spectra. Our results are in line with previous results and are more accurate due to resolution of the emission regions.

Modelling the carbon AGB star R Sculptoris: Constraining the dust properties in the detached shell based on far-infrared and sub-millimeter observations

Context. On the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), Sun-like stars lose a large portion of their mass in an intensive wind and enrich the surrounding interstellar medium with nuclear processed stellar material in the form of molecular gas and dust. For a number of carbon-rich AGB stars, thin detached shells of gas and dust have been observed. These shells are formed during brief periods of increased mass loss and expansion velocity during a thermal pulse, and open up the possibility to study the mass-loss history of thermally pulsing AGB stars. Aims. We study the properties of dust grains in the detached shell around the carbon AGB star R Scl and aim to quantify the influence of the dust grain properties on the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED) and the derived dust shell mass. Methods. We modelled the SED of the circumstellar dust emission and compared the models to observations, including new observations of Herschel/PACS and SPIRE (infrared) and APEX/LABOCA (sub-millimeter). We derived present-day mass-loss rates and detached shell masses for a variation of dust grain properties (opacities, chemical composition, grain size, and grain geometry) to quantify the influence of changing dust properties to the derived shell mass. Results. The best-fitting mass-loss parameters are a present-day dust mass-loss rate of 2 × 10-10M⊙yr-1and a detached shell dust mass of (2.9 ± 0.3) × 10-5M⊙. Compared to similar studies, the uncertainty on the dust mass is reduced by a factor of 4. We find that the size of the grains dominates the shape of the SED, while the estimated dust shell mass is most strongly affected by the geometry of the dust grains. Additionally, we find a significant sub-millimeter excess that cannot be reproduced by any of the models, but is most likely not of thermal origin.

An independent distance estimate to the AGB star R Sculptoris

Context. Distance measurements to astronomical objects are essential for understanding their intrinsic properties. For asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars it is particularly difficult to derive accurate distance estimates. Period-luminosity relationships rely on the correlation of different physical properties of the stars, while the angular sizes and variability of AGB stars make parallax measurements inherently inaccurate. For the carbon AGB star R Sculptoris, the uncertain distance significantly affects the interpretation of observations regarding the evolution of the stellar mass loss during and after the most recent thermal pulse. Aim. We aim to provide a new, independent measurement of the distance to R Sculptoris, reducing the absolute uncertainty of the distance estimate to this source. Methods. R Scl is a semi-regular pulsating star, surrounded by a thin shell of dust and gas created during a thermal pulse ≈ 2000 years ago. The stellar light is scattered by the dust particles in the shell at a radius of ≈ 19″. The variation in the stellar light affects the amount of dust-scattered light with the same period and amplitude ratio, but with a phase lag that depends on the absolute size of the shell. We measured this phase lag by observing the star R Scl and the dust-scattered stellar light from the shell at five epochs between June-December 2016. By observing in polarised light, we imaged the shell in the plane of the sky, removing any uncertainty due to geometrical effects. The phase lag gives the absolute size of the shell, and together with the angular size of the shell directly gives the absolute distance to R Sculptoris. Results. We measured a phase lag between the stellar variations and the variation in the shell of 40.0 ± 4.0 days. The angular size of the shell is measured to be 19.″1 ± 0.″7. Combined, this gives an absolute distance to R Sculptoris of 361 ± 44 pc. Conclusions. We independently determined the absolute distance to R Scl with an uncertainty of 12%. The estimated distance is consistent with previous estimates, but is one of the most accurate distances to the source to date. In the future, using the variations in polarised, dust-scattered stellar light, may offer an independent possibility to measure reliable distances to AGB stars.

Properties of dust in the detached shells around U Antilae, DR Serpentis, and V644 Scorpii

Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars experience strong mass loss driven by dust particles formed in the upper atmospheres. The dust is released into the interstellar medium, and replenishes galaxies with synthesised material from the star. The dust grains further act as seeds for continued dust growth in the diffuse medium of galaxies. As such, understanding the properties of dust produced during the asymptotic giant branch phase of stellar evolution is important for understanding the evolution of stars and galaxies. Recent observations of the carbon AGB star R Scl have shown that observations at far-infrared and submillimetre wavelengths can effectively constrain the grain sizes in the shell, while the total mass depends on the structure of the grains (solid vs. hollow or fluffy). Aims. We aim to constrain the properties of the dust observed in the submillimetre in the detached shells around the three carbon AGB stars U Ant, DR Ser, and V644 Sco, and to investigate the constraints on the dust masses and grain sizes provided by far-infrared and submm observations. Methods. We observed the carbon AGB stars U Ant, DR Ser, and V644 Sco at 870 μm using LABOCA on APEX. Combined with observations from the optical to far-infrared, we produced dust radiative transfer models of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with contributions from the stars, present-day mass-loss and detached shells. We assume spherical, solid dust grains, and test the effect of different total dust masses and grain sizes on the SED, and attempted to consistently reproduce the SEDs from the optical to the submm. Results. We derive dust masses in the shells of a few 10-5Mâ. The best-fit grain radii are comparatively large, and indicate the presence of grains between 0.1 μm and 2 μm. The LABOCA observations suffer from contamination from 12CO (3-2), and hence gives fluxes that are higher than the predicted dust emission at submm wavelengths. We investigate the effect on the best-fitting models by assuming different degrees of contamination and show that far-infrared and submillimetre observations are important to constrain the dust mass and grain sizes in the shells. Conclusions. Spatially resolved observations of the detached shells in the far-infrared and submillimetre effectively constrain the temperatures in the shells, and hence the grain sizes. The dust mass is also constrained by the observations, but additional observations are needed to constrain the structure of the grains.

Simulated low-intensity optical pulsar observation with single-photon detector

Context. Optical radiation of pulsars offers valuable clues to the physics of neutron stars, which are our only probes of the most extreme states of matter in the present-day universe. Still, only about 1% of all cataloged pulsars have known optical counterparts. Aims. The goal of this work is to develop an observational method optimized for discovering faint optical pulsars. Methods. A single-photon detector transforms the signal received by the telescope into a pulse sequence. The events obtained are time tagged and transformed into a histogram of event time differences. The histogram envelope presents the autocorrelation of the recorded optical signal and thus displays any periodicity of the input signal. Results. Simulations show that faint pulsars radiating in the optical regime can be detected in a straightforward way. As an example, a fictitious pulsar with a V-magnitude of 24.6 mag and a signature like the Crab pulsar can be discovered within one minute using an 8-m class telescope. At the detector’s peak sensitivity the average optical flux density would then amount to Fν = 0.63 μJy. With a 40-m class telescope, such as the forthcoming European ELT, the detection of optical pulsars with magnitudes V < 30 mag is within reach for a measurement time of one minute. A two-hour “blind search” with the ELT could reach V ∼ 31.3 mag. Conclusions. This method allows detecting faint periodic optical radiation with simple equipment and easy signal processing.