arXiv subjects

A. Y. Kniazev

Publications and source records attributed to A. Y. Kniazev.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Discovery of a new Wolf-Rayet star using SAGE-LMC

We report the first-ever discovery of an extragalactic Wolf-Rayet (WR)star with Spitzer. A new WR star in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was revealed via detection of its circumstellar shell using 24 μm images obtained in the framework of the Spitzer Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (SAGE-LMC). Subsequent spectroscopic bservations with the Gemini South resolved the central star in two components, one of which is a WN3b+abs star, while the second one is a B0V star. We consider the lopsided brightness distribution over the circumstellar shell as an indication that the WR star is a runaway and use this interpretation to identify a possible parent cluster of the star.

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arXiv2011

Search for OB stars running away from young star clusters. II. The NGC 6357 star-forming region

Dynamical few-body encounters in the dense cores of young massive star clusters are responsible for the loss of a significant fraction of their massive stellar content. Some of the escaping (runaway) stars move through the ambient medium supersonically and can be revealed via detection of their bow shocks (visible in the infrared, optical or radio). In this paper, which is the second of a series of papers devoted to the search for OB stars running away from young (several Myr) Galactic clusters and OB associations, we present the results of the search for bow shocks around the star-forming region NGC 6357. Using the archival data of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite and the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the preliminary data release of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we discovered seven bow shocks, whose geometry is consistent with the possibility that they are generated by stars expelled from the young star clusters, Pismis 24 and AH03 J1725-34.4, associated with NGC 6357. Two of the seven bow shocks are driven by the already known O stars. Follow-up spectroscopy of three other bow shock-producing stars showed that they are O-type stars as well, while the 2MASS photometry of the remaining two stars suggests that they could be B0 V stars, provided that both are located at the same distance as NGC 6357. Detection of numerous massive stars ejected from the very young clusters is consistent with the theoretical expectation that star clusters can effectively lose massive stars at the very beginning of their dynamical evolution and lends strong support to the idea that probably all field OB stars have been dynamically ejected from their birth clusters. A by-product of our search for bow shocks around NGC 6357 is the detection of three circular shells typical of luminous blue variable and late WN-type Wolf-Rayet stars.

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arXiv2011

Study of galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void. -- III. New extreme LSB dwarf galaxies

(Abridged) We present the results of the complex study of the low surface brightness dwarf (LSBD) gas-rich galaxies J0723+3621, J0737+4724 and J0852+1350, which reside in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. Their ratios M(HI)/L_B, according to HI data obtained with the NRT, are respectively ~3.9, ~2, ~2.6. For the two latter galaxies, we derived oxygen abundance corresponding to the value of 12+log(O/H) <~7.3, using spectra from the Russian 6m telescope and from the SDSS database. We found two additional blue LSB dwarfs, J0723+3622 and J0852+1351, which appear to be physical companions of J0723+3621 and J0852+1350 situated at the projected distances of ~12--13 kpc. The companion relative velocities, derived from the BTA spectra, are dV = +89 km/s and +30 km/s respectively. The geometry and the relative orientation of orbits and spins in these pairs indicate, respectively, prograde and polar encounters for J0723+3621 and J0852+1350. The NRT HI profiles of J0723+3621 and J0723+3622 indicate a sizable gas flow in this system. The SDSS u,g,r,i images of the five dwarfs are used to derive the photometric parameters and the exponential or Sersic disc model fits. For three of them, the (u-g),(g-r),(r-i) colours of the outer parts, being compared with the PEGASE evolutionary tracks, evidence for the dominance of the old stellar populations with ages of T ~(8-10)+-3 Gyr. For J0723+3622 and J0737+4724, the outer region colours appear rather blue, implying the ages of the oldest visible stars of T <~1-3 Gyr. The new LSB galaxies complement the list of the known most metal-poor and `unevolved' dwarfs in this void, including DDO 68, SDSS J0926+3343 and others. This unique concentration of 'unevolved' dwarf galaxies in a small cell of the nearby Universe implies a physical relationship between the slow galaxy evolution and the void-type global environment.

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arXiv2011

Study of galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void. II. The element abundances

In the framework of the study of the evolutionary status of galaxies in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void, we present the results of the SAO RAS 6-m telescope spectroscopy for 20 objects in this region. The principal faint line [OIII]4363A, used to determine the electron temperature and oxygen abundance (O/H) by the classical method, is clearly detected in only about 2/3 of the studied objects. For the remaining galaxies this line is either faint or undetected. To obtain the oxygen abundances in these galaxies we as well apply the semi-empirical method by Izotov and Thuan, and/or the empirical methods of Pilyugin et al., which are only employing the intensities of sufficiently strong lines. We also present our O/H measurements for 22 Lynx-Cancer void galaxies, for which the suitable Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectra are available. In total, we present the combined O/H data for 48 Lynx-Cancer void galaxies, including the data adopted from the literature and our own earlier results. We make a comparison of their locations on the (O/H)-M_B diagram with those of the dwarf galaxies of the Local Volume in the regions with denser environment. We infer that the majority of galaxies from this void on the average reveal an about 30% lower metallicity. In addition, a substantial fraction (not less than 10%) of the void dwarf galaxies have a much larger O/H deficiency (up to a factor of 5). Most of them belong to the tiny group of objects with the gas metallicity Z < Zo/20 or 12+log(O/H) <~7.35. The surface density of very metal-poor galaxies (Z < Zo/10} in this region of the sky is 2--2.5 times higher than that, derived from the emission-line galaxy samples in the Hamburg-SAO and the SDSS surveys. We discuss possible implications of these results for the galaxy evolution models.

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arXiv2010

Very metal-poor galaxies: ionized gas kinematics in nine objects

The study of ionized gas morphology and kinematics in nine eXtremely Metal-Deficient (XMD) galaxies with the scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer on the SAO 6-m telescope is presented. Some of these very rare objects (with currently known range of O/H of 7.12 < 12+log(O/H) < 7.65, or Zo/35 < Z < Zo/10) are believed to be the best proxies of `young' low-mass galaxies in the high-redshift Universe. One of the main goals of this study is to look for possible evidence of star formation (SF) activity induced by external perturbations. Recent results from HI mapping of a small subsample of XMD star-forming galaxies provided confident evidence for the important role of interaction-induced SF. Our observations provide complementary or new information that the great majority of the studied XMD dwarfs have strongly disturbed gas morphology and kinematics or the presence of detached components. We approximate the observed velocity fields by simple models of a rotating tilted thin disc, which allow us the robust detection of non-circular gas motions. These data, in turn, indicate the important role of current/recent interactions and mergers in the observed enhanced star formation. As a by-product of our observations, we obtained data for two LSB dwarf galaxies: Anon J012544+075957 that is a companion of the merger system UGC 993, and SAO 0822+3545 which shows off-centre, asymmetric, low SFR star-forming regions, likely induced by the interaction with the companion XMD dwarf HS 0822+3542.

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arXiv2010

Revealing evolved massive stars with Spitzer

Massive evolved stars loss a large fraction of their mass via copious stellar wind or instant outbursts and during certain evolutionary phases they can be identified via the presence of their circumstellar nebulae. In this paper, we present the results of search for compact nebulae (reminiscent of circumstellar nebulae around evolved massive stars) using archival 24 $μ$m data obtained with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer. We discovered 115 nebulae, most of which bear a striking resemblance to the circumstellar nebulae associated with Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) and late WN-type (WNL) Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We interpret this similarity as an indication that the central stars of detected nebulae are either LBVs or related evolved massive stars. Our interpretation is supported by follow-up spectroscopy of two dozens of these central stars, most of which turns out to be either candidate LBVs (cLBVs), blue supergiants or WNL stars. We expect that the forthcoming spectroscopy of the remaining objects from our list, accompanied by the spectrophotometric monitoring of the already discovered cLBVs, will further increase the known population of Galactic LBVs, which in turn would have profound consequences for better understanding the LBV phenomenon and its role in the transition between hydrogen burning O stars and helium burning WR stars. We also report the detection of an arc-like structure attached to the cLBV HD326823 and an arc associated with the LBV R99 (HD269445) in the LMC.

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arXiv2010

MN112: a new Galactic candidate Luminous Blue Variable

We report the discovery of a new Galactic candidate Luminous Blue Variable (cLBV) via detection of an infrared circular nebula and follow-up spectroscopy of its central star. The nebula, MN112, is one of many dozens of circular nebulae detected at $24 μ$m in the {\it Spitzer Space Telescope} archival data, whose morphology is similar to that of nebulae associated with known (c)LBVs and related evolved massive stars. Specifically, the core-halo morphology of MN112 bears a striking resemblance to the circumstellar nebula associated with the Galactic cLBV GAL 079.29+00.46, which suggests that both nebulae might have a similar origin and that the central star of MN112 is a LBV. The spectroscopy of the central star showed that its spectrum is almost identical to that of the bona fide LBV P Cygni, which also supports the LBV classification of the object. To further constrain the nature of MN112, we searched for signatures of possible high-amplitude ($\ga 1$ mag) photometric variability of the central star using archival and newly obtained photometric data covering a 45 year period. We found that the B magnitude of the star was constant ($\simeq$ 17.1$\pm$0.3 mag) over this period, while in the I band the star brightened by $\simeq 0.4$ mag during the last 17 years. Although the non-detection of large photometric variability leads us to use the prefix `candidate' in the classification of MN112, we remind that the long-term photometric stability is not unusual for genuine LBVs and that the brightness of P Cygni remains relatively stable during the last three centuries.

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arXiv2009

New Wolf-Rayet star and its circumstellar nebula in Aquila

We report the discovery of a new Wolf-Rayet star in Aquila via detection of its circumstellar nebula (reminiscent of ring nebulae associated with late WN stars) using the Spitzer Space Telescope archival data. Our spectroscopic follow-up of the central point source associated with the nebula showed that it is a WN7h star (we named it WR121b). We analyzed the spectrum of WR121b by using the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres, obtaining a stellar temperature of ~ 50 kK. The stellar wind composition is dominated by helium with ~ 20 per cent of hydrogen. The stellar spectrum is highly reddened (E_{B-V} = 2.85 mag). Adopting an absolute magnitude of M_v = -5.7, the star has a luminosity of log L/Lsun = 5.75 and a mass-loss rate of 10^{-4.7} Msun/yr, and resides in a distance of 6.3 kpc. We searched for a possible parent cluster of WR121b and found that this star is located at ~ 1 degree from the young star cluster embedded in the giant HII region W43 (containing a WN7+a/OB? star -- WR121a). We also discovered a bow shock around the O9.5III star ALS9956, located at ~ 0.5 degree from the cluster. We discuss the possibility that WR121b and ALS9956 are runaway stars ejected from the cluster in W43.

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arXiv2009

SDSS J092609.45+334304.1: a nearby unevolved galaxy

We present the results of observations of the very low surface brightness (VLSB) dwarf galaxy SDSS J092609.45+334304.1 with extreme parameters which indicate its unevolved status. Namely, its value of O/H, derived as an average of that in two adjacent HII regions at the NE edge of the disc, corresponds to the parameter 12+log(O/H)=7.12+-0.02, which is amongst two lowest known. The total HI flux measurement obtained with the Nancay Radio Telescope and the photometric results imply that the galaxy ratio M(HI)/L_B ~3.0, is among the top known in the Local Volume. The galaxy is situated in the region of a nearby underdense region known as the Lynx-Cancer void, where other, unevolved galaxies, including DDO 68, HS 0832+3542 and SAO 0822+3545, are known to be present. The total mass of this almost edge-on VLSB galaxy is ~8.3 times larger than its baryonic mass, implying the dynamical dominance of Dark Matter (DM) halo. The (u-g), (g-r) colours of outer parts of this galaxy are consistent with the ages of its main stellar population of 1--3 Gyr. Thanks to the galaxy isolation, the small effect of current or recent star formation (SF), its proximity and rather large HI flux (~2.5 Jy km/s), this VLSB dwarf is a good laboratory for the detailed study of DM halo properties through HI kinematics and the star formation processes in very metal-poor low surface density environment. This finding, along with the discovery of other unusual dwarf galaxies in this void, provides evidence for the relation between galaxy evolution and its very low-density environment for the baryonic mass range of 10^{8} to 10^{9} Mo. This relation seems to be consistent with that expected in the LambdaCDM models of galaxy and structure formation.

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arXiv2008

Discovery of a massive variable star with Z=Zo/36 in the galaxy DDO 68

The Local Volume dwarf galaxy DDO 68, from the spectroscopy of its two brightest HII regions (Knots 1 and 2) was designated as the second most metal-poor star-forming galaxy [12+log(O/H)=7.14]. In the repeated spectral observations in 2008 January with the 6-m telescope (BTA) of the HII region Knot 3 [having 12+log(O/H)=7.10+-0.06], we find a strong evidence of a transient event related to a massive star evolution. From the follow-up observation with the higher spectral resolution in 2008 February, we confirm this phenomenon, and give parameters of its emission-line spectrum comprising of Balmer HI and HeI lines. The luminosities of the strongest transient lines (Ha, Hb) are of a few 10^36 erg s^-1. We also detected an additional continuum component in the new spectrum of Knot 3, which displays the spectral energy distribution raising to ultraviolet. The estimate of the flux of this continuum leads us to its absolute V-band magnitude of ~-7.1. Based on the spectral properties of this transient component, we suggest that it is related to an evolved massive star of luminous blue variable type with Z=Zo/36. We briefly discuss observational constraints on parameters of this unique (in the aspect of the record low metallicity of the progenitor massive star) event and propose several lines of its study.

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arXiv2008

Andromeda IV: a new Local Volume very metal-poor galaxy

And IV is a low-surface brightness (LSB) dwarf galaxy at the distance of 6.1 Mpc, projecting close to M 31. In this paper the results of spectroscopy of And IV the two brightest HII regions with the SAO 6-m telescope (BTA) are presented. In both of them the faint line [OIII]4363 was detected that allowed us to determine their O/H by the classical T_e method. Their values of 12+log(O/H) are equal to 7.49+-0.06 and 7.55+-0.23, respectively. The comparison of these direct O/H determinations with the two most reliable semi-empirical and empirical methods shows their good consistency. For And IV absolute blue magnitude of M_B=-12.6, our value of O/H corresponds well to the `standard' relation between O/H and L_B for dwarf irregular galaxies (DIGs). And IV appears to be a new representative of the extremely metal-deficient gas-rich galaxies in the Local Volume. The very large range of M(HI) for LSB galaxies with close metallicities and luminosities indicates that the simple models of LSBG chemical evolution are too limited to predict such striking diversity.

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arXiv2007

Study DDO 68: new evidences for galaxy youth

DDO 68 is the second most metal-poor star-forming galaxy (12+log(O/H)=7.14). Its peculiar optical morphology and the data on its HI distribution and kinematics indicate the merger origin. We use the photometry of the SDSS u,g,r,i images of DDO 68 to estimate its stellar population ages. The available H-alpha-images of DDO 68 were used to select several representative regions without nebular emission. The analysis of obtained colours was performed via comparison with the PEGASE2 evolutionary tracks for various star formation (SF) laws, including the two extremes: instantaneous SF and continuous SF with constant SF rate. The (u-g), (g-r) colours derived for all selected regions, are consistent with a few `instantaneous' SF episodes with ages from ~0.05 to ~1Gyr. Combining the fluxes and colours of visible stellar subsystems with PEGASE2 models, we have estimated the total mass of visible stars in DDO 68 of ~2.4x10^7 Mo. This comprises only ~6% of the total galaxy baryonic mass. All available data do not contradict to the option that DDO 68 is a kind of very rare candidate `young' galaxy, whose dominant stellar build-up took place in course of the recent (with the first encounter ~1 Gyr ago) merger of two very gas-rich disks. DDO 68 best approximates on its properties cosmologically young low-mass galaxies.

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arXiv2007

Spectroscopy of two PN candidates in IC10

We present the results of the first spectroscopic observations of two planetary nebula (PN) candidates in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy IC10. Using several spectral classification diagrams we show that the brightest PN candidate (PN7) is not a PN, but rather a compact HII region consisting of two components with low electron number densities. After the rejection of this PN candidate, the IC10 planetary nebula luminosity function cutoff becomes very close to the standard value. With the compiled spectroscopic data for a large number of extragalactic PNe, we analyse a series of diagnostic diagrams to generate quantitative criteria for separating PNe from unresolved HII regions. We show that, with the help of the diagnostic diagrams and the derived set of criteria, PNe can be distinguished from HII regions with an efficiency of ~99.6%. With the obtained spectroscopic data we confirm that another, 1.7 mag fainter PN candidate (PN9) is a genuine PN. We argue that, based on all currently available PNe data, IC10 is located at a distance 725+63-33 kpc (distance modulus (m-M) = 24.30+0.18-0.10).

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arXiv2007

High-quality Spectrophotometry of the Planetary Nebula in the Fornax dSph

We present results of NTT spectroscopy of the one known planetary nebula (PN) in the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Fornax, a gas-deficient Local Group galaxy that stopped its star formation activity a few hundred million years ago. We detected the [OIII] 4363 line with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~22. For the first time we detected the weak [SII] 6717,6731 lines (I(6717+6731) ~0.01 I(Hbeta)), determined the electron number density (Ne(SII) = 750 cm^-3), and calculated O, N, Ne, Ar, S, Cl, Fe, He and C abundances. The abundance analysis presented here is based on the direct calculation of the electron temperature Te and yields an oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H) = 8.28+/-0.02. The analysis of the O, Ne, Ar and S abundances shows that the original ISM oxygen abundance was 0.27+/-0.10 dex lower and that third-dredge-up self-pollution in oxygen took place. The blue spectrum shows weak Wolf-Rayet features, and the progenitor star is classified as a weak emission-line star. Four of the five PNe in dwarf spheroidal galaxies are now known to show WR wind features. Overall, the metallicity of the progenitor of the PN fits in well with stellar spectroscopic abundances derived in previous studies as well as with the stellar age-metallicity relation of Fornax.

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arXiv2006

HI in XMD Galaxies III. GMRT observations of BCG HS0822+3542

We present Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) HI 21-cm line data for the smallest known eXtremely Metal Deficient (XMD) blue compact galaxy (BCG) HS0822+3542. From HST imaging it has been suggested that HS0822+3542 actually consists of two still smaller (~ 100pc sized) ultra-compact dwarfs that are in the process of merging. The brighter of these two putative ultra compact dwarfs has an ocular appearance, similar to that seen in galaxies that have suffered a penetrating encounter with a smaller companion. From our HI imaging we find that the gas distribution and kinematics in this object are similar to that of other low mass galaxies, albeit with some evidence for tidal disturbance. On the other hand, the HI emission has an angular size ~25 times larger than that of the putative ultra-compact dwarfs. The optical emission is also offset from the centre of the HI emission. HS0822+3542 is located in the Lynx-Cancer void, but has a nearby companion LSB dwarf galaxy SAO0822+3545. In light of all this we also consider a scenario where the optical emission from HS0822+3542 comes not from two merging ultra-compact dwarfs but from multiple star forming regions in a tidally disturbed galaxy. In this model, the ocular appearance of the brighter star forming region could be the result of triggered star formation.

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arXiv2006

A Curious New Milky Way Satellite in Ursa Major

In this Letter, we study a localized stellar overdensity in the constellation of Ursa Major, first identified in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data and subsequently followed up with Subaru imaging. Its color-magnitude diagram (CMD) shows a well-defined sub-giant branch, main sequence and turn-off, from which we estimate a distance of ~30 kpc and a projected size of ~250 x 125 pc. The CMD suggests a composite population with some range in metallicity and/or age. Based on its extent and stellar population, we argue that this is a previously unknown satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, hereby named Ursa Major II (UMa II) after its constellation. Using SDSS data, we find an absolute magnitude of M_V \~ -3.8, which would make it the faintest known satellite galaxy. UMa II's isophotes are irregular and distorted with evidence for multiple concentrations; this suggests that the satellite is in the process of disruption.

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arXiv2005

HS 2134+0400 - new very metal-poor galaxy, a representative of void population?

We present the SAO 6m telescope spectroscopy of a blue compact galaxy (BCG) HS 2134+0400 discovered in frame of the dedicated Hamburg/SAO survey for Low Metallicity BCGs (HSS-LM). Its very low abundance of oxygen (12+log(O/H) = 7.44), as well as other heavy elements (S, N, Ne, Ar), assigns this dwarf galaxy to the group of BCGs with the lowest metal content. There are only eight that low metallicity among several thousand known BCGs in the nearby Universe. The abundance ratios for the heavy elements (S/O, Ne/O, N/O, and Ar/O) are well consistent with the typical values of other very metal-poor BCGs. The global environment of HS 2134+0400 is atypical of the majority of BCGs. The object falls within the Pegasus void, the large volume with the very low density of galaxies with the normal (M_B* = -19.6) or high luminosity. Since we found in voids a dozen more the very metal-poor galaxies, we discuss the hypothesis that such objects can be representative of a substantial fraction of the void dwarf galaxy population.

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arXiv2005

Study of DDO 68: nearest candidate for a young galaxy?

We present the results of optical spectroscopy and imaging with the SAO 6m telescope for the dwarf galaxy DDO 68 (UGC 5340 = VV 542), falling into the region of very low density of luminous (L > L*) galaxies (Lynx-Cancer void). Its deep images in V,R bands and in the narrow H-alpha-filter show that the galaxy has the very irregular morphology, with a long curved tail on the South and a ring-like structure at the Northern edge. The latter consists of 5 separate regions, in three of which we could measure O/H by the classical T_e method. Their weighted mean oxygen abundance corresponds to 12+log(O/H)=7.21+-0.03, coincident within uncertainties with those for IZw18. The (V-R) colour of DDO 68 is rather blue all over the galaxy, indicating the youth of its stellar populations. Comparing the (V-R)_0 colour of the underlying exponential disk of 0.12+-0.04 with the PEGASE.2 models for the evolving stellar clusters, we give the first estimate of the ages of the oldest stellar population, which needs confirmation by the other colours and the photometry of resolved stars. These ages are in the range of 200-900 Myr for continuous star formation law, and 100-115 Myr for the instantaneous starburst. We discuss the properties and the possible youth of this nearby object (2.3 times closer than the famous young galaxy IZw18) in the context of its atypical environment.

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