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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.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Imaging laser analysis of building materials - practical examples

The Laser induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is supplement and extension of standard chemical methods and SEM- or Micro-RFA-applications for the evaluation of building materials. As a laboratory method LIBS is used to gain color coded images representing composition, distribution of characteristic ions and/or ingress characteristic of damaging substances. To create a depth profile of element concentration a core has to be taken and split along the core axis. LIBS was proven to be able to detect all important elements in concrete, e. g. Chlorine, Sodium or Sulfur, which are responsible for certain degradation mechanisms and also light elements like lithium or hydrogen. Practical examples are given and a mobile system for on-site measurements is presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Characterization of Structural and Pigmentary Colors in Common Emigrant (Catopsilia Pomona) Butterfly

Study of structural colors in case of insects and butterflies is important for their biomimic and biophotonics applications. Structural color is the color which is produced by physical structures and their interaction with light while pigmentary color is produced by absorption of light by pigments. Common Emigrant butterfly is widely distributed in India. It is of moderate size with wing span of about 60-80 mm. The wings are broadly white with yellow or sulphur yellow coloration at places as well as few dark black patches. It belongs to family Pieridae. A study of structural color in case of Common Emigrant butterfly has been carried out in the present work. The characterization of wing color was performed using absorption spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopic study of the wings of Common Emigrant butterfly showed that three different types of scales are present on the wing surface dorsally. Diffracting structures are present in certain parts of the surfaces of the various scales. Bead like structures are embedded in the intricate structures of the scales. Absorption spectra revealed that a strong absorption peak is seen in the UV-range. Crystalline structure of beads was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction analysis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Color Anodizing of Titanium Coated Rolled Carbon Steel Plate

As an important kind of structural materials, the titanium cladded steel plates have the advantages of both metals and have been applied in aviation, spaceflight, chemical and nuclear industries. In this study, the specimens which were prepared under soldering mechanism during rolling were anodized by electrochemical process under a given conditions. The color anodizing takes place by physical phenomenon of color interference. Part of incident light on the titanium oxide is reflected and the other part reflects inside coated titanium layer. Major part of the light which reflects from titanium-oxide interface, reflects again inside of the oxide layer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

BVRI SURFACE PHOTOMETRY OF ISOLATED GALAXY TRIPLETS

Optical broadband BVRI observations of 54 galaxies selected from the Catalog of Isolated Triplets of Galaxies in the Northern Hemisphere have been carried out at San Pedro Martir National Observatory to evaluate their photometric and morphological properties. We complement our analysis with Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images and look for signatures likely related to interactions/mergers. We report apparent/absolute BVRI magnitudes and colors for the 54 galaxies. The membership of these galaxies is re-evaluated by imposing a reasonable condition of concordant redshifts upon the original selection criteria, rendering a final sample of 34 galaxies in 13 triplets, 12 galaxies in close pairs, and 8 galaxy outliers. The triplets are spiral-dominated systems in different dynamical stages from loosely interacting to almost merged objects. The incidence fraction of features likely associated with interactions is {approx}56%, similar to those found in northern and southern compact groups. The average fraction of bars is 35% with a mean value of maximum bar ellipticity {epsilon}{sub max} {approx} 0.4. Bars are hosted in the late-type triplet spirals, almost twice more than in early-type spirals. The global fraction of rings is 20%, all in the late-type components. The overdensity of triplets with respect to the background and their current dynamical status, as devised from our estimate of their dynamical parameters, namely the harmonic radius R{sub H} , velocity dispersion {sigma}, dimensionless crossing time H{sub 0{tau}c}, and virial mass M{sub V} , appear to be sufficient to favor galaxy transformations similar to those seen in dense groups and clusters. By contrast, the lower fraction of bonafide ellipticals and the relatively higher fraction of late-type spirals make these triplets essentially different from the Hickson Compact Groups and more representative of the field. A modest 1.6 enhancement factor in the optical luminosity of the late-type triplet components relative to an isolated galaxy control sample is also interpreted as consistent with interactions in physically bounded aggregates. Our results lead us to suggest that non-negligible populations of physical triplets might be found in complete and well-observed samples. We provide individual mosaics for the 54 galaxies containing (1) logarithmic-scaled R-band images, (2) R-band sharp/filtered images, (3) (B - I) color index maps, (4) RGB images from the SDSS database, (5) co-added J + H + K images generated from the 2MASS archives that were also sharp/filtered, and (6) {epsilon}, position angle radial profiles from a surface photometry analysis of (a) the R band and (b) the co-added near-infrared images, all used for the present analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

LOW-MASS ECLIPSING BINARIES IN THE INITIAL KEPLER DATA RELEASE

We identify 231 objects in the newly released Cycle 0 data set from the Kepler Mission as double-eclipse, detached eclipsing binary systems with T{sub eff} < 5500 K and orbital periods shorter than {approx}32 days. We model each light curve using the JKTEBOP code with a genetic algorithm to obtain precise values for each system. We identify 95 new systems with both components below 1.0 M{sub sun} and eclipses of at least 0.1 mag, suitable for ground-based follow-up. Of these, 14 have periods less than 1.0 day, 52 have periods between 1.0 and 10.0 days, and 29 have periods greater than 10.0 days. This new sample of main-sequence, low-mass, double-eclipse, detached eclipsing binary candidates more than doubles the number of previously known systems and extends the sample into the completely heretofore unexplored P > 10.0 day period regime. We find preliminary evidence from these systems that the radii of low-mass stars in binary systems decrease with period. This supports the theory that binary spin-up is the primary cause of inflated radii in low-mass binary systems, although a full analysis of each system with radial-velocity and multi-color light curves is needed to fully explore this hypothesis. Also, we present seven new transiting planet candidates that do not appear among the list of 706 candidates recently released by the Kepler team, or in the Kepler False Positive Catalog, along with several other new and interesting systems. We also present novel techniques for the identification, period analysis, and modeling of eclipsing binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

OPTIMAL TIME-SERIES SELECTION OF QUASARS

We present a novel method for the optimal selection of quasars using time-series observations in a single photometric bandpass. Utilizing the damped random walk model of Kelly et al., we parameterize the ensemble quasar structure function in Sloan Stripe 82 as a function of observed brightness. The ensemble model fit can then be evaluated rigorously for and calibrated with individual light curves with no parameter fitting. This yields a classification in two statistics-one describing the fit confidence and the other describing the probability of a false alarm-which can be tuned, a priori, to achieve high quasar detection fractions (99% completeness with default cuts), given an acceptable rate of false alarms. We establish the typical rate of false alarms due to known variable stars as {approx}<3% (high purity). Applying the classification, we increase the sample of potential quasars relative to those known in Stripe 82 by as much as 29%, and by nearly a factor of two in the redshift range 2.5 < z < 3, where selection by color is extremely inefficient. This represents 1875 new quasars in a 290 deg{sup 2} field. The observed rates of both quasars and stars agree well with the model predictions, with >99% of quasars exhibiting the expected variability profile. We discuss the utility of the method at high redshift and in the regime of noisy and sparse data. Our time-series selection complements well-independent selection based on quasar colors and has strong potential for identifying high-redshift quasars for Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and other cosmology studies in the LSST era.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE RED-SEQUENCE CLUSTER SURVEY-2 (RCS-2): SURVEY DETAILS AND PHOTOMETRIC CATALOG CONSTRUCTION

The second Red-sequence Cluster Survey (RCS-2) is a {approx}1000 deg{sup 2}, multi-color imaging survey using the square-degree imager, MegaCam, on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. It is designed to detect clusters of galaxies over the redshift range 0.1 {approx}< z {approx}< 1. The primary aim is to build a statistically complete, large ({approx}10{sup 4}) sample of clusters, covering a sufficiently long redshift baseline to be able to place constraints on cosmological parameters via the evolution of the cluster mass function. Other main science goals include building a large sample of high surface brightness, strongly gravitationally lensed arcs associated with these clusters, and an unprecedented sample of several tens of thousands of galaxy clusters and groups, spanning a large range of halo mass, with which to study the properties and evolution of their member galaxies. This paper describes the design of the survey and the methodology for acquiring, reducing, and calibrating the data for the production of high-precision photometric catalogs. We describe the method for calibrating our griz imaging data using the colors of the stellar locus and overlapping Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry. This yields an absolute accuracy of <0.03 mag on any color and {approx}0.05 mag in the r-band magnitude, verified with respect to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our astrometric calibration is accurate to <<0.''3 from comparison with SDSS positions. RCS-2 reaches average 5{sigma} point-source limiting magnitudes of griz = [24.4, 24.3, 23.7, 22.8], approximately 1-2 mag deeper than the SDSS. Due to the queue-scheduled nature of the observations, the data are highly uniform and taken in excellent seeing, mostly FWHM {approx}< 0.''7 in the r band. In addition to the main science goals just described, these data form the basis for a number of other planned and ongoing projects (including the WiggleZ survey), making RCS-2 an important next-generation imaging survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION OF UV-BRIGHT WHITE DWARFS FROM THE SANDAGE TWO-COLOR SURVEY OF THE GALACTIC PLANE

We present spectroscopic observations confirming the identification of hot white dwarfs among UV-bright sources from the Sandage Two-color Survey of the Galactic Plane and listed in the Lanning (Lan) catalog of such sources. A subsample of 213 UV-bright Lan sources have been identified as candidate white dwarfs based on the detection of a significant proper motion. Spectroscopic observations of 46 candidates with the KPNO 2.1 m telescope confirm 30 sources to be hydrogen white dwarfs with subtypes in the DA1-DA6 range, and with one of the stars (Lan 161) having an unresolved M dwarf as a companion. Five more sources are confirmed to be helium white dwarfs, with subtypes from DB3 to DB6. One source (Lan 364) is identified as a DZ 3 white dwarf, with strong lines of calcium. Three more stars are found to have featureless spectra (to within detection limits) and are thus classified as DC white dwarfs. In addition, three sources are found to be hot subdwarfs: Lan 20 and Lan 480 are classified as sdOB, and Lan 432 is classified sdB. The remaining four objects are found to be field F star interlopers. Physical parameters of the DA and DB white dwarfs are derived from model fits.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DATA RELEASE 7 SPECTROSCOPIC M DWARF CATALOG. II. STATISTICAL PARALLAX ANALYSIS

We present a statistical parallax analysis of low-mass dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We calculate absolute r-band magnitudes (M{sub r} ) as a function of color and spectral type and investigate changes in M{sub r} with location in the Milky Way. We find that magnetically active M dwarfs are intrinsically brighter in M{sub r} than their inactive counterparts at the same color or spectral type. Metallicity, as traced by the proxy {zeta}, also affects M{sub r} , with metal-poor stars having fainter absolute magnitudes than higher metallicity M dwarfs at the same color or spectral type. Additionally, we measure the velocity ellipsoid and solar reflex motion for each subsample of M dwarfs. We find good agreement between our measured solar peculiar motion and previous results for similar populations, as well as some evidence for differing motions of early and late M-type populations in U and W velocities that cannot be attributed to asymmetric drift. The reflex solar motion and the velocity dispersions both show that younger populations, as traced by magnetic activity and location near the Galactic plane, have experienced less dynamical heating. We introduce a new parameter, the independent position altitude (IPA), to investigate populations as a function of vertical height from the Galactic plane. M dwarfs at all types exhibit an increase in velocity dispersion when analyzed in comparable IPA subgroups.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A MULTICOLOR PHOTOMETRIC STUDY OF THE GALAXY CLUSTER A2589: DYNAMICS, LUMINOSITY FUNCTION, AND STAR FORMATION HISTORY

Smooth X-ray morphology and non-detection of a radio source at the center of A2589 indicate that it is a typical case of a well-relaxed regular galaxy cluster. In this paper, we present a multicolor photometry for A2589 (z = 0.0414) with 15 intermediate bands in the Beijing-Arizona-Taiwan-Connecticut (BATC) system which covers an optical wavelength range from 3000 A to 10000 A. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for more than 5000 sources are achieved down to V {approx} 20 mag in about a 1 deg{sup 2} field. A2589 has also been covered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in photometric mode only. A cross-identification of the BATC-detected galaxies with the SDSS photometric catalog yields 1199 galaxies brighter than i = 19.5 mag, among which 68 member galaxies with known spectroscopic redshifts are found. After combining the SDSS five-band photometric data and the BATC SEDs, photometric redshift is applied to these galaxies to select faint member galaxies. The color-magnitude relation is taken as a further restriction of early-type cluster galaxies. As a result, 106 galaxies are newly selected as member galaxies. Spatial distribution of member galaxies shows a north-south elongation which agrees with the X-ray brightness profile and the orientation of central cD galaxy, NGC 7647. No substructures are detected on the basis of positions and radial velocities of cluster galaxies, indicating that A2589 is a well-relaxed system. The luminosity function of A2589 exhibits a peak at M{sub R} {approx} -20 mag and a dip at M{sub R} {approx} -19 mag. The low-density outer regions are the preferred habitat of faint galaxies. With the evolutionary population synthesis model, PEGASE, the environmental effect on the star formation properties for 68 spectroscopically confirmed member galaxies is studied. The outlier faint galaxies tend to have longer timescales of star formation, shorter mean stellar ages, and lower metallicities in the interstellar medium, which can be interpreted in the context of a hierarchical cosmological scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF 130,000 QUASARS: AN SDSS-UKIDSS-MATCHED CATALOG

We present a catalog of over 130,000 quasar candidates with near-infrared (NIR) photometric properties, with an areal coverage of approximately 1200 deg{sup 2}. This is achieved by matching the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the optical ugriz bands to the UKIRT Infrared Digital Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS) in the NIR YJHK bands. We match the {approx}1 million SDSS DR6 Photometric Quasar catalog to Data Release 3 of the UKIDSS LAS (ULAS) and produce a catalog with 130,827 objects with detections in one or more NIR bands, of which 74,351 objects have optical and K-band detections and 42,133 objects have the full nine-band photometry. The majority ({approx}85%) of the SDSS objects were not matched simply because these were not covered by the ULAS. The positional standard deviation of the SDSS Quasar to ULAS matches is {delta}{sub R.A.} = 0.''1370 and {delta}{sub decl.} = 0.''1314. We find an absolute systematic astrometric offset between the SDSS Quasar catalog and the UKIDSS LAS, of |R.A.{sub offset}| = 0.''025 and |decl.{sub offset}| = 0.''040; we suggest the nature of this offset to be due to the matching of catalog, rather than image, level data. Our matched catalog has a surface density of {approx}53 deg{sup -2} for K {<=} 18.27 objects; tests using our matched catalog, along with data from the UKIDSS Deep Extragalactic Survey, imply that our limiting magnitude is i {approx} 20.6. Color-redshift diagrams, for the optical and NIR, show a close agreement between our matched catalog and recent quasar color models at redshift z {approx}< 2.0, while at higher redshifts, the models generally appear to be bluer than the mean observed quasar colors. The gJK and giK color spaces are used to examine methods of differentiating between stars and (mid-redshift) quasars, the key to currently ongoing quasar surveys. Finally, we report on the NIR photometric properties of high, z > 4.6, and very high, z > 5.7, redshift previously discovered quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE STAR FORMATION HISTORY OF ISOLATED DWARF UGC 4879

Recent observations of UGC 4879 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope confirm that it is a nearby isolated dwarf irregular galaxy. We measure a distance of 1.36 {+-} 0.03 Mpc using the tip of the red giant branch method. This distance puts UGC 4879 beyond the radius of first turnaround of the Local Group and {approx}700 kpc from its nearest neighbor Leo A. This isolation makes this galaxy an ideal laboratory for studying pristine star formation uncomplicated by interactions with other galaxies. We present the star formation history of UGC 4879 derived from simulated color-magnitude diagrams.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

DEEP, WIDE-FIELD CCD PHOTOMETRY FOR THE OPEN CLUSTER NGC 3532

We present the results of a deep, wide-field CCD survey for the open cluster NGC 3532. Our new BV(RI){sub c} photometry effectively covers a one square degree area and reaches an unprecedented depth of V {approx} 21 to reveal that NGC 3532 is a rich open cluster that harbors a large number of faint, low-mass stars. We employ a number of methods to reduce the impact of field star contamination in the cluster color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), including supplementing our photometry with JHK{sub s} data from the 2MASS catalog. These efforts allow us to define a robust sample of candidate main-sequence stars suitable for a purely empirical determination of the cluster's parameters by comparing them to the well-established Hyades main sequence. Our results confirm previous findings that NGC 3532 lies fairly near to the Sun [(m - M){sub 0} = 8.46 {+-} 0.05; 492{sup +12}{sub -11} pc] and has an extremely low reddening for its location near the Galactic plane [E(B - V) = 0.028 {+-} 0.006]. Moreover, an age of {approx}300 Myr has been derived for the cluster by fitting a set of overshooting isochrones to the well-populated upper main sequence. This new photometry also extends faint enough to reach the cluster white dwarf sequence, as confirmed by our photometric recovery of eight spectroscopically identified members of the cluster. Using the location of these eight members, along with the latest theoretical cooling tracks, we have identified {approx}30 additional white dwarf stars in the [V, (B - V)] CMD that have a high probability of belonging to NGC 3532. Reassuringly, the age we derive from fitting white dwarf isochrones to the locus of these stars, 300 {+-} 100 Myr, is consistent with the age derived from the turnoff. Our analysis of the photometry also includes an estimation of the binary star fraction as well as a determination of the cluster's luminosity and mass functions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A METHOD FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS USING THE PHOTOMETRIC INDICES IN THE uvby COLOR SYSTEM

A new method was developed to estimate the effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity of cool stars using only photometric indices in the uvby color system. In a graphical method, T{sub eff} and log g were determined for all of the different values of [Fe/H] using model atmosphere grids with respect to (b - y):c{sub 1} and (b - y):m{sub 1} pair indices. Then, a three-dimensional figure where X-, Y-, and Z-axes correspond to T{sub eff}, log g, and [Fe/H] was produced. By reading an intersection of two curves formed by a connection of three parameters obtained from the (b - y):c{sub 1} and (b - y):m{sub 1} pair indices on each of the three projected planes, T{sub eff}, log g, and [Fe/H] were determined simultaneously. In addition, an analytical method was devised based on the same algorithm developed for the graphical method. The new method was applied to a number of field dwarfs and giants, and the results were compared with those from a spectroscopic method and other photometric calibrations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE 100 Myr STAR FORMATION HISTORY OF NGC 5471 FROM CLUSTER AND RESOLVED STELLAR PHOTOMETRY

We show that star formation in the giant H II region NGC 5471 has been ongoing during the past 100 Myr. Using Hubble Space Telescope/Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 F547M and F675W, ground-based JHK{sub s} , and GALEX FUV and NUV images, we have conducted a photometric study of the star formation history (SFH) in the massive giant extragalactic H II region NGC 5471 in M101. We perform a photometric study of the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of the resolved stars and an integrated analysis of the main individual star-forming clusters and of NGC 5471 as a whole. The integrated UV-optical-NIR photometry for the whole region provides two different reference ages, 8 Myr and 60 Myr, revealing a complex SFH, clearly confirmed by the CMD-resolved stellar photometry analysis. The spatial distribution of the stars shows that the star formation in NGC 5471 has proceeded along the whole region during, at least, the last 100 Myr. The current ionizing clusters are enclosed within a large bubble, which is likely to have been produced by the stars that formed in a major event {approx}20 Myr ago.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

MAPPING THE ASYMMETRIC THICK DISK. II. DISTANCE, SIZE, AND MASS OF THE HERCULES THICK DISK CLOUD

The Hercules Thick Disk Cloud was initially discovered as an excess in the number of faint blue stars between Quadrants 1 and 4 of the Galaxy. The origin of the Cloud could be an interaction with the disk bar, a triaxial Thick Disk, or a merger remnant or stream. To better map the spatial extent of the Cloud along the line of sight, we have obtained multi-color UBVR photometry for 1.2 million stars in 63 fields each of approximately 1 deg{sup 2}. Our analysis of the fields beyond the apparent boundaries of the excess has already ruled out a triaxial Thick Disk as a likely explanation. In this paper, we present our results for the star counts over all of our fields, determine the spatial extent of the overdensity across and along the line of sight, and estimate the size and mass of the Cloud. Using photometric parallaxes, the stars responsible for the excess are between 1 and 6 kpc from the Sun, 0.5-4 kpc above the Galactic plane, and extend approximately 3-4 kpc across our line of sight. The Cloud is thus a major substructure in the Galaxy. The distribution of the excess along our sight lines corresponds with the density contours of the bar in the Disk, and its most distant stars are directly over the bar. We also see through the Cloud to its far side. Over the entire 500 deg{sup 2} of the sky containing the Cloud, we estimate more than 5.6 million stars and 1.9 million solar masses of material. If the overdensity is associated with the bar, it would exceed 1.4 billion stars and more than 50 million solar masses. Finally, we argue that the Hercules-Aquila Cloud is actually the Hercules Thick Disk Cloud.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

MAPPING DIFFERENTIAL REDDENING IN THE INNER GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTER SYSTEM

A serious limitation in the study of many globular clusters-especially those located near the Galactic center-has been the existence of large and differential extinction by foreground dust. In a series of papers, we intend to map the differential extinction and remove its effects, using a new dereddening technique, in a sample of clusters in the direction of the inner Galaxy, observed using the Magellan 6.5 m telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. These observations and their analysis will let us produce high-quality color-magnitude diagrams of these poorly studied clusters that will allow us to determine these clusters' relative ages, distances, and chemistry and to address important questions about the formation and the evolution of the inner Galaxy. We also intend to use the maps of the differential extinction to sample and characterize the interstellar medium along the numerous low-latitude lines of sight where the clusters in our sample lie. In this first paper, we describe in detail our dereddening method along with the powerful statistics tools that allow us to apply it, and we show the kind of results that we can expect, applying the method to M62, one of the clusters in our sample. The width of the main sequence and lower red giant branch narrows by a factor of two after applying our dereddening technique, which will significantly help to constrain the age, distance, and metallicity of the cluster.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

PERIOD CHANGES AND FOUR-COLOR LIGHT CURVES OF ACTIVE CONTACT BINARY VW BOOTIS

The secured four-color light curves of VW Boo were analyzed with the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney code. It is confirmed that VW Boo is a shallow W-type contact binary system with a degree of contact factor f = 10.8%({+-} 0.5%). Two dark spots were found on the massive cool component this time. They cause an unequal depth of the two maxima. A period investigation based on all available visual, photographic, CCD, and photoelectric data shows that the period of the system includes a long-term decrease (dP/dt = -1.454 x 10{sup -7} days yr{sup -1}) and an oscillation (A{sub 3} = 0.0059 days; T{sub 3} = 25.96 years). These may be caused by mass transfer, angular momentum loss, and cyclic magnetic activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗