arXiv subjects

Andreas Korn

Publications and source records attributed to Andreas Korn.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

4MOST - 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope

The 4MOST consortium is currently halfway through a Conceptual Design study for ESO with the aim to develop a wide-field (>3 square degree, goal >5 square degree), high-multiplex (>1500 fibres, goal 3000 fibres) spectroscopic survey facility for an ESO 4m-class telescope (VISTA). 4MOST will run permanently on the telescope to perform a 5 year public survey yielding more than 20 million spectra at resolution R~5000 (λ=390-1000 nm) and more than 2 million spectra at R~20,000 (395-456.5 nm & 587-673 nm). The 4MOST design is especially intended to complement three key all-sky, space-based observatories of prime European interest: Gaia, eROSITA and Euclid. Initial design and performance estimates for the wide-field corrector concepts are presented. We consider two fibre positioner concepts, a well-known Phi-Theta system and a new R-Theta concept with a large patrol area. The spectrographs are fixed configuration two-arm spectrographs, with dedicated spectrographs for the high- and low-resolution. A full facility simulator is being developed to guide trade-off decisions regarding the optimal field-of-view, number of fibres needed, and the relative fraction of high-to-low resolution fibres. Mock catalogues with template spectra from seven Design Reference Surveys are simulated to verify the science requirements of 4MOST. The 4MOST consortium aims to deliver the full 4MOST facility by the end of 2018 and start delivering high-level data products for both consortium and ESO community targets a year later with yearly increments.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

M67-1194, an unusually Sun-like solar twin in M67

The rich open cluster M67 is known to have a chemical composition close to solar, and an age around 4Gyr. It thus offers the opportunity to check our understanding of the physics and the evolution of solar-type stars in a cluster environment. We present the first spectroscopic study at high resolution, R~50,000, of the potentially best solar twin, M67-1194, identified among solar-like stars in M67. Based on a pre-selection of solar-twin candidates performed at medium resolution by Pasquini et al. (2008), we explore the chemical-abundance similarities and differences between M67-1194 and the Sun, using VLT/FLAMES-UVES. Working with a solar twin in the framework of a differential analysis, we minimize systematic model errors in the abundance analysis compared to previous studies which utilized more evolved stars to determine the metallicity of M67. We find M67-1194 to have stellar parameters indistinguishable from the solar values, with the exception of the overall metallicity which is slightly super-solar ([Fe/H]=0.023 +/- 0.015). An age determination based on evolutionary tracks yields 4.2 +/- 1.6Gyr. Most surprisingly, we find the chemical abundance pattern to closely resemble the solar one, in contrast to most known solar twins in the solar neighbourhood. We confirm the solar-twin nature of M67-1194, the first solar twin known to belong to a stellar association. This fact allows us to put some constraints on the physical reasons for the seemingly systematic departure of M67-1194 and the Sun from most known solar twins regarding chemical composition. We find that radiative dust cleansing by nearby luminous stars may be the explanation for the peculiar composition of both the Sun and M67-1194, but alternative explanations are also possible. The chemical similarity between the Sun and M67-1194 also suggests that the Sun once formed in a cluster like M67.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

Fe I/Fe II ionization equilibrium in cool stars: NLTE versus LTE

Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation for neutral and singly-ionized iron is considered through a range of stellar parameters characteristic of cool stars. A comprehensive model atom for Fe I and Fe II is presented. Our NLTE calculations support the earlier conclusions that the statistical equilibrium (SE) of Fe I shows an underpopulation of Fe I terms. However, the inclusion of the predicted high-excitation levels of Fe I in our model atom leads to a substantial decrease in the departures from LTE. As a test and first application of the Fe I/II model atom, iron abundances are determined for the Sun and four selected stars with well determined stellar parameters and high-quality observed spectra. Within the error bars, lines of Fe I and Fe II give consistent abundances for the Sun and two metal-poor stars when inelastic collisions with hydrogen atoms are taken into account in the SE calculations. For the close-to-solar metallicity stars Procyon and $β$ Vir, the difference (Fe II - Fe I) is about 0.1 dex independent of the line formation model, either NLTE or LTE. We evaluate the influence of departures from LTE on Fe abundance and surface gravity determination for cool stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2007

Ciao? Adios!

At the "New Horizons in Globular Cluster Astronomy" conference (Padova, June 2002), two members of the VLT globular cluster team presented different views on the importance of heavy-element sedimentation in Population II stars: "The lack of evidence for depletion of Fe and Li in the atmospheres of globular cluster subgiants led some people to suspect that, for unknown reasons, Population II stars are not affected by this mechanism." (Castellani 2003) and "There should be some mechanism that prevents sedimentation." (Gratton 2003). In this review, I will argue that the scepticism behind both these statements is justified. We recently revisited the results on sedimentation in NGC 6397 stars presented by Gratton et al. (2001) using higher-quality VLT/FLAMES-UVES data (Korn et al. 2006, 2007). Element-specific abundance trends were identified which agree with atomic-diffusion predictions, if turbulent mixing below the convective envelope is accounted for in a parametrized way. Have we thus detected signatures of Atomic Diffusion in Old Stars (ADiOS)? Or are these trends mere artefacts of Conspiring Inaccuracies in Abundance Observations (CIAO)?

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The Zeeman-sensitive emission lines of Mg I at 12 micron in Procyon

Emission-lines of magnesium at 12 microns have been observed in the spectrum of Procyon. We reproduce the observed, disk-averaged line flux from Procyon (as well as the observed intensity profiles from the Sun) by calculating the line formation, relaxing the assumption of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium. We find that the lines in Procyon are formed in the photosphere in the same manner as the solar lines. We discuss our modeling of these Rydberg lines and evaluate, among other things, the importance of the ionizing flux and updated model-atom parameters. The lines are of large diagnostic value for measurements of stellar magnetic-fields through their Zeeman splitting. We have not, however, detected splitting of the MgI lines in Procyon. Using simple arguments, we believe we would have detected a magnetic field, had it been of a strength larger than approximately 800 Gauss covering more than a quarter of the surface. We discuss the prospects for future use of the Zeeman-sensitive, mid-infrared, MgI emission lines as a diagnostic tool for stellar magnetic fields.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Higher-order Balmer line indices in alpha/Fe-enhanced stellar population models

We have computed the higher-order Balmer absorption line indices Hgamma and Hdelta (Worthey & Ottaviani 1997) for stellar population models with variable element ratios. The response of these indices to abundance ratio variations is taken from detailed line formation and model atmosphere calculations. We find that Hgamma and Hdelta, unlike Hbeta, are very sensitive to alpha/Fe ratio changes at super-solar metallicities. Both line indices increase significantly with increasing alpha/Fe ratio. This effect cannot be neglected when these line indices are used to derive the ages of metal-rich, unresolved stellar populations like early-type galaxies. We re-analyze the elliptical galaxy sample of Kuntschner (2000), and show that consistent age estimates from Hbeta and Hgamma are obtained, only if the effect of alpha/Fe enhancement on Hgamma is taken into account in the models. This result rectifies a problem currently present in the literature, namely that Hgamma and Hdelta have up to now led to significantly younger ages for early-type galaxies than Hbeta. Our work particularly impacts on the interpretation of intermediate to high-redshift data, for which only the higher-order Balmer lines are accessible observationally.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

A stellar relic from the early Milky Way

The chemical composition of the most metal-deficient stars reflects the composition of the gas from which they formed. These old stars provide crucial clues to the star formation history and the synthesis of chemical elements in the early Universe. They are the local relics of epochs otherwise observable only at very high redshifts; if totally metal-free (``population III'') stars could be found, this would allow the direct study of the pristine gas from the Big Bang. Earlier searches for such stars found none with an iron abundance less than 1/10,000 that of the Sun, leading to the suggestion that low-mass stars could only form from clouds above a critical iron abundance. Here we report the discovery of a low-mass star with an iron abundance as low as 1/200,000 of the solar value. This discovery suggests that population III stars could still exist, that is, that the first generation of stars also contained long-lived low-mass objects. The previous failure to find them may be an observational selection effect.

astro-ph↗