Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “MAIN SEQUENCE STAR”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7

The threshold for stellar winds in hot main-sequence stars

The profiles of ultraviolet resonance lines of C IV were surveyed in a sample of 29 cluster and association members in the spectral type range O9-B2 III-V, together with a few field stars of interest. The temperatures and gravities of the stars were taken from the model atmosphere analysis by Grigsby, Morrison, & Anderson (1992), and the luminosities were estimated on the basis of cluster and association distances from the recent literature. A parameter P(sub w) was defined in order to describe the degree and assymetry of the C IV profile. This parameter, together with total C IV equivalent width, was found to be well correlated with stellar luminosity and temperature. A few anomalous stars were noted: tau Sco, HD 66665, HD 13621, and the ON stars HD12323 and HD 201345. The results suggest a sudden onset of observable mass loss at T(effective) = 27,500 +/- 500 K, log (L/solar luminosity) = 4.4 +/- 0.12, in agreement with the previous study by Prinja (1989). At T(effective) = 28,000 K and log g = 4, our non-LTE model atmospheres show an enhancement in the ground-state population of C(+3) in their topmost layer, which could be responsible for initiation of the winds via radiation pressure on the C(+3) ions, or for the onset of visibility of C(+3) ions in the wind because of an increase in the optical depth in the C IV lines in the outermost layers.

Grigsby, James A.↗

X-Ray Emission from Pre-Main-Sequence Stars - Testing the Solar Analogy

This LTSA award funds my research on the origin of stellar X-ray emission and the solar-stellar analogy. The focus during most of this reporting period continued to be on the reduction and analysis of data acquired with the ASCA observatory (Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics). During the last few months of this reporting period, considerable time and effort was also devoted to the submission of AXAF observing proposals in preparation for the upcoming AXAF launch. During this reporting period, five papers appeared in refereed journals for which I was either author or co-author, and two additional papers have recently been submitted to ApJ. Also, three conference proceedings papers were submitted. These publications are listed in the attached bibliography.

Skinner, Stephen L.↗

Coronal Activity in Low-Mass Pre-Main Sequence Stars: NGC 2264

We present the preliminary results of an analysis of ROSAT images in the region of the populous young (age approx. 3 Myr) star-forming region NGC 2264. The cluster was imaged with the ROSAT HRI in two sets of pointings -- one set near the central region of the cluster, centered on the star LW Mon, and the other set in the southern part of the cluster, centered near the star V428 Mon, just south of the Cone Nebula. In total 113 unique X-ray sources have been identified in the ROSAT images with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 3. The limiting luminosities (log Lx(ergs/sec)) for 3-sigma detections are estimated to be 30.18, 30.23, and 30.08 for the northern field, southern field, and overlap region between the two fields respectively. Extensive optical photometry, classification spectroscopy, and proper motions, obtained from recent ground-based surveys of this region, were used to identify the most likely optical counterpart to each X-ray source. Although most of our X-ray selected sample appears to be associated with NGC 2264 members, we find that the vast majority of the cluster membership was undetected in the ROSAT HRI survey. The X-ray cumulative luminosity function for solar-mass stars in NGC 2264 shows that most of the low-mass members probably have X-ray luminosities similar to those seen for the X-ray brightest members of older clusters such as IC 2391/IC 2602 (age approx. 50 Myr) and the Pleiades (age approx. 100 Myr). This research was funded in part by the SAO Summer Intern Program and NASA grant NAG5-8120.

Tebbe, H. J.↗

Effects of Rotation on Internal Structure and Dynamics of Main-Sequence Stars

Current state-of-the-art computer simulations allow us to build 3D dynamical and radiative models of stars from physical first principles with a high degree of realism. The radiative 3D dynamical stellar models obtained with the StellarBox code take into account the effects of turbulence, stellar abundances, a realistic equation of state, and radiative energy transport. In this talk, I will discuss the effects of rotation on the turbulent dynamics and surface structure for a 1.47Msun star for rotational periods of 1 and 14 days. The simulations are performed with the computational domain at various latitudes. The models reproduce stellar granulation, the subsurface shear layer, structural changes in convection, and the tachocline, which is the interface between the inner radiative zone and the outer convection zone and plays a crucial role in stellar variability. In particular, the model results reveal the formation of differential rotation and meridional circulation.

SMD↗

The luminosity functions of embedded stellar clusters. 1: Method of solution and analytic results

We describe a method for computing the history of the luminosity function in a young cluster still forming within a molecular cloud complex. Our method, which utilizes detailed results from stellar evolution theory, assumes that clusters arise from the continuous collapse of dense cloud cores over a protracted period of time. It is also assumed that stars reaching the main sequence are distributed in mass according to a prescribed initial mass function (IMF). We keep track separately of the contributions to the luminosity function from the populations of protostars, pre-main-sequence stars, and main-sequence stars. We derive expressions for the fractional contribution of these populations to both the total number of stars produced and the total cluster luminosity. In our model, the number of protostars rises quickly at first, but then levels off to a nearly constant value, which it maintains until the dispersal of the cloud complex. The number fraction of protostars always decreases with time. Averaged over the life of the parent cloud, this fraction is typically a few percent. The protostar mass distribution can be expressed as an integral over the IMF.

Fletcher, Andre B.↗

X-ray sources in regions of star formation. II - The pre-main-sequence G star HDE 283572

This paper reports the detection of HDE 283572, a ninth-magnitude G star 8 arcmin south of RY Tau, as a bright X-ray source. The observations reveal this object to be a fairly massive (about 2 solar masses) pre-main-sequence star associated with the Taurus-Auriga star formation complex. It exhibits few of the characteristics of the classical T Tauri stars and is a good example of a 'naked' T Tauri star. The star is a mid-G subgiant, of about three solar radii and rotates with a period of 1.5 d. The coronal and chromospheric surface fluxes are similar to those of the most active late type stars (excluding T Tauri stars). The X-ray and UV lines most likely arise in different atmospheric structures. Radiative losses are some 1000 times the quiet solar value and compare favorably with those of T Tauri stars.

Walter, F. M.↗

CCD photometry in the globular cluster NGC 288. I - Blue stragglers and main-sequence binary stars

Photometry based on a mosaic of CCD images in B and V is presented for the globular cluster NGC 288. The spatial coverage ranges from the cluster core to about 6 core radii, and stars have been measured over the absolute visual magnitude range -1.2 to 8.4. The cluster is shown to contain a significant number of blue straggler stars in the central regions, and there is an excess of objects brighter and redder than the single-star main-sequence in the color-magnitude plane. These objects are interpreted as a population of main-sequence binary stars. With this interpretation, the explicity measured fraction of binary stars is 10 percent, which sets a lower limit for the total binary population.

Bolte, Michael↗