N. Nardetto

Calibrating the Cepheid period-luminosity relation from the infrared surface brightness technique I. The p-factor, the Milky Way relations, and a universal K-band relation

Aims. We determine period-luminosity relations for Milky Way Cepheids in the optical and near-IR bands. These relations can be used directly as reference for extra-galactic distance determination to Cepheid populations with solar metallicity, and they form the basis for a direct comparison with relations obtained in exactly the same manner for stars in the Magellanic Clouds, presented in an accompanying paper. In that paper we show that the metallicity effect is very small and consistent with a null effect, particularly in the near-IR bands, and we combine here all 111 Cepheids from the Milky Way, the LMC and SMC to form a best relation. Methods. We employ the near-IR surface brightness (IRSB) method to determine direct distances to the individual Cepheids after we have recalibrated the projection factor using the recent parallax measurements to ten Galactic Cepheids and the constraint that Cepheid distances to the LMC should be independent of pulsation period. Results. We confirm our earlier finding that the projection factor for converting radial velocity to pulsational velocity depends quite steeply on pulsation period, p = 1.550− 0.186 log(P) in disagrement with recent theoretical predictions. We find PL relations based on 70 Milky Way fundamental mode Cepheids of MK = −3.33(±0.09)(log(P) − 1.0) − 5.66(±0.03), WVI = −3.26(±0.11)(log(P) − 1.0) − 5.96(±0.04). Combining the 70 Cepheids presented here with the results for 41 Magellanic Cloud Cepheids which are presented in an accompanying paper, we find MK = −3.30(±0.06)(log(P) − 1.0) − 5.65(±0.02), WVI = −3.32(±0.08)(log(P) − 1.0) − 5.92(±0.03). Conclusions. We delineate the Cepheid PL relation using 111 Cepheids with direct distances from the IRSB analysis. The relations are by construction in agreement with the recent HST parallax distances to Cepheids and slopes are in excellent agreement with the slopes of apparent magnitudes versus period observed in the LMC.

Calibrating the Cepheid period-luminosity relation from the infrared surface brightness technique - II. The effect of metallicity and the distance to the LMC,

Context. The extragalactic distance scale builds directly on the Cepheid period-luminosity (PL) relation as delineated by the sample of Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). However, the LMC is a dwarf irregular galaxy, quite different from the massive spiral galaxies used for calibrating the extragalactic distance scale. Recent investigations suggest that not only the zero-point but also the slope of the Milky Way PL relation differ significantly from that of the LMC, casting doubts on the universality of the Cepheid PL relation. Aims. We want to make a differential comparison of the PL relations in the two galaxies by delineating the PL relations using the same method, the infrared surface brightness method (IRSB), and the same precepts. We furthermore extend the metallicity baseline for investigating the zero-point dependence, by applying the method to five SMC Cepheids as well. Methods. The IRSB method is a Baade-Wesselink type method to determine individual distances to Cepheids. We apply a newly revised calibration of the method as described in an accompanying paper (Paper I) to 36 LMC and five SMC Cepheids and delineate new PL relations in the V,I, J, & K bands as well as in the Wesenheit indices in the optical and near-IR. Results. We present 509 new and accurate radial velocity measurements for a sample of 22 LMC Cepheids, enlarging our earlier sample of 14 stars to include 36 LMC Cepheids. The new calibration of the IRSB method is directly tied to the recent HST parallax measurements to ten Milky Way Cepheids, and we find a LMC barycenter distance modulus of 18.45 ± 0.04 (random error only) from the 36 individual LMC Cepheid distances. In the J,K bands we find identical slopes for the LMC and Milky Way PL relations and only a weak letallicity effect on the zero points (consistent with a zero effect), metal poor stars being fainter. In the optical we find the Milky Way slopes are slightly shallower than the LMC slopes (but again consistent with no difference in the slopes) and small effects on the zero points. However, the important Wesenheit index in V, (V − I) shows a metallicity effect on the slope and on the zero point which is likely to be significant. Conclusions. We find a significant metallicity effect on the WVI index γ(WVI ) = −0.23 ± 0.10 mag dex −1 as well as an effect on the slope. The K-band PL relation on the other hand is found to be an excellent extragalactic standard candle being metallicity insensitive in both slope and zero-point and at the same time being reddening insensitive and showing the least internal dispersion.

Cepheid distances from infrared long-baseline interferometry III. Calibration of the surface brightness-color relations

The recent VINCI/VLTI observations presented in Paper I have nearly doubled the total number of available angular diameter measurements of Cepheids. Taking advantage of the significantly larger color range covered by these ob- servations, we derive in the present paper high precision calibrations of the surface brightness-color relations using exclu- sively Cepheid observations. These empirical laws make it possible to determine the distance to Cepheids through a Baade- Wesselink type technique. The least dispersed relations are based on visible-infrared colors, for instance FV (V − K) = −0.1336±0.0008 (V − K) + 3.9530±0.0006. The convergence of the Cepheid (this work) and dwarf star (Kervella et al. 2004c) visible-infrared surface brightness-color relations is strikingly good. The astrophysical dispersion of these relations appears to be very small, and below the present detection sensitivity.

Cepheid distances from infrared long-baseline interferometry I. VINCI/VLTI observations of seven Galactic Cepheids

We report the angular diameter measurements of seven classical Cepheids, X Sgr, η Aql, W Sgr, ζ Gem, β Dor, Y Oph andCar that we have obtained with the VINCI instrument, installed at ESOs VLT Interferometer (VLTI). We also present reprocessed archive data obtained with the FLUOR/IOTA instrument on ζ Gem, in order to improve the phase coverage of our observations. We obtain average limb darkened angular diameter values of θLD(X Sgr) = 1.471 ± 0.033 mas, θLD(η Aql) = 1.839 ± 0.028 mas, θLD(W Sgr) = 1.312 ± 0.029 mas, θLD(β Dor) = 1.891 ± 0.024 mas, θLD(ζ Gem) = 1.747 ± 0.061 mas, θLD(Y Oph) = 1.437 ± 0.040 mas, and θLD(� Car) = 2.988 ± 0.012 mas. For four of these stars, η Aql, W Sgr, β Dor, andCar, we detect the pulsational variation of their angular diameter. This enables us to compute directly their distances, using a modified version of the Baade-Wesselink method: d(η Aql) = 276 +55

Self consistent modelling of the projection factor for interferometric distance determination

The distance of galactic Cepheids can be derived through the interferometric Baade-Wesselink method. The interfer- ometric measurements lead to angular diameter estimations over the whole pulsation period, while the stellar radius variations can be deduced from the integration of the pulsation velocity. The latter is linked to the observational velocity deduced from line profiles by the so-called projection factor p. The knowledge of p is currently an important limiting factor for this method of distance determination. A self-consistent and time-dependent model of the star δ Cep is computed in order to study the dynamical structure of its atmosphere together with the induced line profile. Different kinds of radial and pulsation velocities are then derived. In particular, we compile a suitable average value for the projection factor related to different observational techniques, such as spectrometry, and spectral-line or wide-band interferometry. We show that the impact on the average pro- jection factor and consequently on the final distance deduced from this method is of the order of 6%. We also study the impact of a constant or variable p-factor on the Cepheid distance determination. We conclude on this last point that if the average value of the projection factor is correct, then the influence of the time dependence is not significant as the error in the final distance is of the order of 0.2%.

Line-profile variations in radial-velocity measurements - Two alternative indicators for planetary searches

Aims. We introduce two methods to identify false-positive planetary signals in the context of radial-velocity exoplanet searches. The first is the bi-Gaussian cross-correlation function fitting (and monitoring of the parameters derived from it), and the second is the measurement of asymmetry in radial-velocity spectral line information content, Vasy. We assess the usefulness of each of these methods by comparing their results with those delivered by current indicators. Methods. We make a systematic analysis of the most used common line profile diagnosis, Bisector Inverse Slope and Velocity Span, along with the two proposed ones. We evaluate all these diagnosis methods following a set of well-defined common criteria and using both simulated and real data. We apply them to simulated cross-correlation functions that are created with the program SOAP and which are a ected by the presence of stellar spots. We consider di erent spot properties on stars with di erent rotation profiles and simulate observations as obtained with high-resolution spectrographs. We then apply our methodology to real cross-correlation functions, which are computed from HARPS spectra, for stars with a signal originating in activity (thus spots) and for those with a signal rooted on a planet. Results. We demonstrate that the bi-Gaussian method allows a more precise characterization of the deformation of line profiles than the standard bisector inverse slope. The calculation of the deformation indicator is simpler and its interpretation more straightforward. More importantly, its amplitude can be up to 30% larger than that of the bisector span, allowing the detection of smaller-amplitude correlations with radial-velocity variations. However, a particular parametrization of the bisector inverse slope is shown to be more e cient on high-signal-to-noise data than both the standard bisector and the bi-Gaussian. The results of the Vasy method show that this indicator is more e ective than any of the previous ones, being correlated with the radial-velocity with more significance for signals resulting from a line deformation. Moreover, it provides a qualitative advantage over the bisector, showing significant correlations with RV for active stars for which bisector analysis is inconclusive. Conclusions. We show that the two indicators discussed here should be considered as standard tests to check for the planetary nature of a radial-velocity signal. We encourage the usage of di erent diagnosis as a way of characterizing the often elusive line profile deformations.

The Angular Size of the Cepheid ℓ Carinae: A Comparison of the Interferometric and Surface Brightness Techniques

Recent interferometric observations of the brightest and angularly largest classical Cepheid, l Carinae, with ESOs Very Large Telescope Interferometer have resolved with high precision the variation of its angular diameter with phase. We compare the measured angular diameter curve to the one that we derive by an application of the Baade-Wesselink-type infrared surface brightness technique and find a near-perfect agreement between the two curves. The mean angular diameters of l Car from the two techniques agree very well within their total error bars (1.5%), as do the derived distances (4%). This result is an indication that the calibration of the surface brightness relations used in the distance determination of far-away Cepheids is not affected by large biases.

The 2011 outburst of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis. Evidence for a face-on bipolar ejection

We report on near-IR interferometric observations of the outburst of the recurrent nova T Pyx. We obtained near-IR observations of T Pyx at dates ranging from t=2.37d to t=48.2d after the outburst, with the CLASSIC recombiner, located at the CHARA array, and with the PIONIER and AMBER recombiners, located at the VLTI array. These data are supplemented with near-IR photometry and spectra obtained at Mount Abu, India. Slow expansion velocities were measured (<300km/s) before t=20d (assuming D=3.5kpc). From t=28d on, the AMBER and PIONIER continuum visibilities (K and H band, respectively) are best simulated with a two component model consisting of an unresolved source plus an extended source whose expansion velocity onto the sky plane is lower than 700km/s. The expansion of the Brgamma line forming region, as inferred at t=28d and t=35d is slightly larger, implying velocities in the range 500-800km/s, still strikingly lower than the velocities of 1300-1600km/s inferred from the Doppler width of the line. Moreover, a remarkable pattern was observed in the Brgamma differential phases. A semi-quantitative model using a bipolar flow with a contrast of 2 between the pole and equator velocities, an inclination of i=15° and a position angle P.A.=110° provides a good match to the AMBER observables (spectra, differential visibilities and phases). At t=48d, a PIONIER dataset confirms the two component nature of the H band emission, consisting of an unresolved stellar source and an extended region whose appearance is circular and symmetric within error bars.These observations are most simply interpreted within the frame of a bipolar model, oriented nearly face-on. This finding has profound implications for the interpretation of past, current and future observations of the expanding nebula.

The Araucaria Project. Accurate determination of the dynamical mass of the classical Cepheid in the eclipsing system OGLE-LMC-CEP-1812

We have analyzed the double-lined eclipsing binary system OGLE-LMC-CEP-1812 in the LMC and demonstrate that it contains a classical fundamental mode Cepheid pulsating with a period of 1.31 days. The secondary star is a stable giant. We derive the dynamical masses for both stars with an accuracy of 1.5%, making the Cepheid in this system the second classical Cepheid with a very accurate dynamical mass determination, following the OGLE-LMC-CEP-0227 system studied by Pietrzynski et al. The measured dynamical mass agrees very well with that predicted by pulsation models. We also derive the radii of both components and accurate orbital parameters for the binary system. This new, very accurate dynamical mass for a classical Cepheid will greatly contribute to the solution of the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem, and to our understanding of the structure and evolution of classical Cepheids.

A new interferometric study of four exoplanet host stars: θ Cygni, 14 Andromedae, υ Andromedae and 42 Draconis

Context. Since the discovery of the first exoplanet in 1995 around a solar-type star, the interest in exoplanetary systems has kept increasing. Studying exoplanet host stars is of the utmost importance to establish the link between the presence of exoplanets around various types of stars and to understand the respective evolution of stars and exoplanets. Aims. Using the limb-darkened diameter (LDD) obtained from interferometric data, we determine the fundamental parameters of four exoplanet host stars. We are particularly interested in the F4 main-sequence star, θ Cyg, for which Kepler has recently revealed solar-like oscillations that are unexpected for this type of star. Furthermore, recent photometric and spectroscopic measurements with SOPHIE and ELODIE (OHP) show evidence of a quasi-periodic radial velocity of ∼150 days. Models of this periodic change in radial velocity predict either a complex planetary system orbiting the star, or a new and unidentified stellar pulsation mode. Methods. We performed interferometric observations of θ Cyg, 14 Andromedae, υ Andromedae and 42 Draconis for two years with VEGA/CHARA (Mount Wilson, California) in several three-telescope configurations. We measured accurate limb darkened diameters and derived their radius, mass and temperature using empirical laws. Results. We obtain new accurate fundamental parameters for stars 14 And, υ And and 42 Dra. We also obtained limb darkened diameters with a minimum precision of ∼1.3%, leading to minimum planet masses of M sini = 5.33 ± 0.57, 0.62 ± 0.09 and 3.79 ± 0.29 MJup for 14 And b, υ And b and 42 Dra b, respectively. The interferometric measurements of θ Cyg show a significant diameter variability that remains unexplained up to now. We propose that the presence of these discrepancies in the interferometric data is caused either by an intrinsic variation of the star or an unknown close companion orbiting around it.