Saul J. Adelman

STELLAR KINEMATIC GROUPS. II. A REEXAMINATION OF THE MEMBERSHIP, ACTIVITY, AND AGE OF THE URSA MAJOR GROUP

Utilizing Hipparcos parallaxes, original radial velocities and recent literature values, new Ca ii H and K emission measurements, literature-based abundance estimates, and updated photometry (including recent resolved measurements of close doubles), we revisit the Ursa Major moving group membership status of some 220 stars to produce a final clean list of nearly 60 assured members, based on kinematic and photometric criteria. Scatter in the velocity dispersions and H-R diagram is correlated with trial activity-based membership assignments, indicating the usefulness of criteria based on photometric and chromospheric emission to examine membership. Closer inspection, however, shows that activity is considerably more robust at excluding membership, failing to do so only for � 15% of objects, perhaps considerably less. Our UMa members demonstrate nonzero vertex deviation in the Bottlinger diagram, behavior seen in older and recent studies of nearby young disk stars and perhaps related to Galactic spiral structure. Comparison of isochrones and our final UMa group members indicates an age of 500 � 100 Myr, some 200 Myr older than the canonically quoted UMa age. Our UMa kinematic=photometric members’ mean chromospheric emission levels, rotational velocities, and scatter therein are indistinguishable from values in the Hyades and smaller than those evinced by members of the younger Pleiades and M34 clusters, suggesting these characteristics decline rapidly with age over 200–500 Myr. None of our UMa members demonstrate inordinately low absolute values of chromospheric emission, but several may show residual fluxes a factor of � 2 below a Hyades-defined lower envelope. If one defines a Maunder-like minimum in a relative sense, then the UMa results may suggest that solar-type stars spend 10% of their entire main-sequence lives in periods of precipitously low activity, which is consistent with estimates from older field stars. As related asides, we note six evolved stars (among our UMa nonmembers) with distinctive kinematics that lie along a 2 Gyr isochrone and appear to be late-type counterparts to disk F stars defining intermediate-age star streams in previous studies, identify a small number of potentially very young but isolated field stars, note that active stars (whether UMa members or not) in our sample lie very close to the solar composition zero-age main sequence, unlike Hipparcos-based positions in the H-R diagram of Pleiades dwarfs, and argue that some extant transformations of activity indices are not adequate for cool dwarfs, for which Ca ii infrared triplet emission seems to be a better proxy than H� -based values for Ca ii H and K indices.

VEGA : A RAPIDLY ROTATING POLE-ON STAR

High-dispersion (2.4 A/mm), ultrahigh signal-to-noise ratio (3000:1) Reticon spectra of Vega revealed two distinct types of profiles. The strong lines exhibit classical rotational profiles with enhanced wings, but the weak lines have distinctly different, flat-bottomed profiles. Using ATLAS9 model atmopheres and SYNTHE synthetic spectra, Vega has been modeled as a rapidly rotating, pole-on star with a gradient in temperature and gravity over the photosphere. By fitting to the flat-bottomed line profiles of Fe 1 lambda 4528 and Ti 2 lambda 4529, we find least-squares fit values of V sin i = 21.8 plus or minus 0.2 km/sec polar T(sub eff) = 9695 plus or minus 25 K, polar log(base 10)g = 3.75 plus or minus 0.02 dex, V(sub eq) = 245 plus or minus 15 km/sec, and inclination 5 deg .1 plus or minus 0 deg .3. The variations in T(sub eff) and log(base 10)g over the photosphere total 390 K and 0.08 dex, respectively. Assuming V sin i = 21.8 km/sec, an independent fit to the observed continuous flux from 1200 to 10,500 A produced a similar set of values with polar T(sub eff) = 9595 plus or minus 20 K, polar log(base 10)g = 3.80 plus or minus 0.03 dex, and inclination 6 deg .0 plus or minus 0 deg .7.

The Variability of the Hg II λ3984 Line of the Mercury-Manganese Star α Andromedae

The variability of the Hg ii � 3984 line in the primary of the binary starAnd was discovered through the examination of high-dispersion spectra with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 500. This first definitively identified spectrum variation in any mercury-manganese star is not due to the orbital motion of the compan- ion. Rather, the variation is produced by the combination of the 2.38236 day period of rotation of the pri- mary that we determined and a nonuniform surface distribution of mercury that is concentrated in its equatorial region. If the surface mercury distribution exhibits long-term stability, then it is likely that a weak magnetic field operates in its atmosphere, but if changes are observed in the line profile over a period of a few years, then these would constitute direct evidence for diffusion. Subject headings: binaries: general — binaries: spectroscopic — stars: chemically peculiar — stars: individual (� Andromedae)

An elemental abundance analysis of the superficially normal A star Vega

An elemental abundance analysis of Vega has been performed using high-signal-to-noise 2.4 A/mm Reticon observations of the region 4313-4809 A. Vega is found to be a metal-poor star with a mean underabundance of 0.60 dex. The He/H ratio of 0.03 as derived from He I 4472 A suggests that the superficial helium convection zone has disappeared and that radiative diffusion is producing the photospheric abundance anomalies. 45 refs.

Weather in stellar atmosphere revealed by the dynamics of mercury clouds in α Andromedae

The formation of long-lasting structures at the surfaces of stars is commonly ascribed to the action of strong magnetic fields. This paradigm is supported by observations of evolving cool spots in the Sun and active late-type stars, and stationary chemical spots in the early-type magnetic stars. However, results of our seven-year monitoring of mercury spots in non-magnetic early-type star alpha Andromedae show that the picture of magnetically-driven structure formation is fundamentally incomplete. Using an indirect stellar surface mapping technique, we construct a series of 2-D images of starspots and discover a secular evolution of the mercury cloud cover in this star. This remarkable structure formation process, observed for the first time in any star, is plausibly attributed to a non-equilibrium, dynamical evolution of the heavy-element clouds created by atomic diffusion and may have the same underlying physics as the weather patterns on terrestrial and giant planets.

A STUDY OF VEGA: A RAPIDLY ROTATING POLE-ON STAR

Ultra-high signal-to-noise, high dispersion spectroscopy over the wavelength range λλ4519-4535 shows Vega to be a rapidly rotating star with V eq of 211 km s–1 seen almost pole-on. The analysis of five independent series of spectroscopic data is combined with analyses of the hydrogen lines, Hγ, Hβ, and Hα, and the latest absolute continuum flux for Vega to yield the following results: Vsin i = 20.8 ± 0.2 km s–1, polar Teff = 10, 000 ± 30 K, polar log g = 4.04 ± 0.01 dex, V eq = 211 ± 4 km s–1, breakup fraction = 0.81 ± 0.02, microturbulence (ξ T ) = 1.0 ± 0.1 km s–1, macroturbulence (ζ) = 7.4 ± 0.5 km s–1, and an inclination i = 57 ± 01. The variations in Teff and log g over the photosphere total 1410 K and 0.26 dex, respectively, while the mean temperature is 9560 ± 30 K and log g is 3.95 ± 0.01 dex. Low level variations in the Ti II 4529 A profile are also illustrated.

On the effective temperatures and surface gravities of superficially normal main sequence band B and A stars

Eective temperatures and surface gravities for 48 main sequence band B and A stars were found by matching optical region spectrophotometry and H profiles with the predictions of ATLAS9 solar composition model atmospheres. When these values were compared with those found using Stromgren uvby photometry based on ATLAS6 model atmospheres, we found a dierence (photometry-spectrophotometry) of 25118 K for 29 stars with 8000 K Te 10 050 K compared to 76 105 K for 14 stars with 10 050 K Te 17 000 K. The surface gravity scales are in agreement. These stars are suciently hot that their eective temperatures and surface gravity determinations are unaected by discrepancies due to the choice of Mixing-Length or Canuto-Mazzitelli convection theories.

On the rotation of the chemically peculiar magnetic star 56 Arietis

This study used extensive sets of phase resolved photometric and spectroscopic data obtained by the authors and supplemented by that from the literature to investigate the light and equivalent width variations of the mCP star 56 Ari. Its rotational period is found to be increasing at a rate of about 2 s per 100 years. In addition there is evidence for a second period whose length is about 5 years which is attributed to the precession of the axis of rotation.

Heavy Element Abundances in Late-B and Early-A Stars. I. Co-Added IUE Spectra of HgMn Stars

Very heavy elements (Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, and Bi) are found to be enhanced inthe atmospheres of the chemically peculiar stars of the upper mainsequence by up to a million times the solar system levels. Suchenhancements are believed to result from atmospheric dynamics (i.e.,diffusion) rather than scenarios that dredge up nuclear-processedmaterial to the surface or transfer processed material between binarycompanions. However, the theoretical framework needs to be furtherconstrained by observations beyond the realm of the spectral types forwhich such abundance enhancements are observed at optical wavelengths.The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite collected spectraof bright stars for which chemical peculiarities have been derived fromground-based data. For several elements the abundance enhancements haveonly been recently measured using Hubble Space Telescope data and havetherefore not yet been exploited in the IUE data. We have initiated aprogram to analyze IUE high-dispersion spectra to more fullycharacterize the pattern of very heavy element enhancement for manymercury-manganese (HgMn) stars and to potentially extend the spectralclass (effective temperature) boundaries over which these abundanceanomalies are known to exist. The abundances of very heavy elements inchemically normal B and A-type stars provide a base level that may becompared with the solar system abundances. These early spectral typestars may therefore reveal clues for galactic chemical evolution studiessince they were formed at a later epoch than the Sun in the history ofthe Galaxy. This first paper presents the motivation for the analyses tofollow, outlines our spectral co-addition technique for IUE spectra, anddiscusses the choice of model atmospheres and the synthetic spectrumprocedures, while initiating the study by highlighting the abundance ofgold in several HgMn stars.

Elemental abundance studies of CP stars - III. The magnetic CP stars

Fine analyses of the magnetic CP stars α Scl and HD 170973 are presented using ATLAS9 model atmospheres which have same bulk metallicity as the deduced abundances. The light elements are mostly solar except for silicon, and all the heavier elements except nickel in HD 170973, which is solar, are greatly overabundant. The iron peak elements are typically 10 times overabundant, Sr is of order of 1000 times solar, Y and Zr are of order of 100 times solar. The rare earths are 1000 or more times overabundant.