arXiv subjects

Andreas Quirrenbach

Publications and source records attributed to Andreas Quirrenbach.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

High precision astrometry mission for the detection and characterization of nearby habitable planetary systems with the Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope (NEAT)

(abridged) A complete census of planetary systems around a volume-limited sample of solar-type stars (FGK dwarfs) in the Solar neighborhood with uniform sensitivity down to Earth-mass planets within their Habitable Zones out to several AUs would be a major milestone in extrasolar planets astrophysics. This fundamental goal can be achieved with a mission concept such as NEAT - the Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope. NEAT is designed to carry out space-borne extremely-high-precision astrometric measurements sufficient to detect dynamical effects due to orbiting planets of mass even lower than Earth's around the nearest stars. Such a survey mission would provide the actual planetary masses and the full orbital geometry for all the components of the detected planetary systems down to the Earth-mass limit. The NEAT performance limits can be achieved by carrying out differential astrometry between the targets and a set of suitable reference stars in the field. The NEAT instrument design consists of an off-axis parabola single-mirror telescope, a detector with a large field of view made of small movable CCDs located around a fixed central CCD, and an interferometric calibration system originating from metrology fibers located at the primary mirror. The proposed mission architecture relies on the use of two satellites operating at L2 for 5 years, flying in formation and offering a capability of more than 20,000 reconfigurations (alternative option uses deployable boom). The NEAT primary science program will encompass an astrometric survey of our 200 closest F-, G- and K-type stellar neighbors, with an average of 50 visits. The remaining time might be allocated to improve the characterization of the architecture of selected planetary systems around nearby targets of specific interest (low-mass stars, young stars, etc.) discovered by Gaia, ground-based high-precision radial-velocity surveys.

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arXiv2011

First spectroscopic measurements of [OIII] emission from Lyman-alpha selected field galaxies at z ~ 3.1

We present the first spectroscopic measurements of the [OIII] 5007 A line in two z ~ 3.1 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) using the new near-infrared instrument LUCIFER1 on the 8.4m Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). We also describe the optical imaging and spectroscopic observations used to identify these Lya emitting galaxies. Using the [OIII] line we have measured accurate systemic redshifts for these two galaxies, and discovered a velocity offset between the [OIII] and Ly-alpha lines in both, with the Lya line peaking 342 and 125 km/s redward of the systemic velocity. These velocity offsets imply that there are powerful outflows in high-redshift LAEs. They also ease the transmission of Lya photons through the interstellar medium and intergalactic medium around the galaxies. By measuring these offsets directly, we can refine both Lya-based tests for reionization, and Lya luminosity function measurements where the Lya forest affects the blue wing of the line. Our work also provides the first direct constraints on the strength of the [OIII] line in high-redshift LAEs. We find [OIII] fluxes of 7 and 36 x 10^-17 erg s^-1 cm^-2 in two z ~ 3.1 LAEs. These lines are strong enough to dominate broad-band flux measurements that include the line (in thiscase, K_s band photometry). Spectral energy distribution fits that do not account for the lines would therefore overestimate the 4000 A (and/or Balmer) break strength in such galaxies, and hence also the ages and stellar masses of such high-z galaxies.

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arXiv2011

Mass constraints on substellar companion candidates from the re-reduced Hipparcos intermediate astrometric data: Nine confirmed planets and two confirmed brown dwarfs

We search for the astrometric signatures of planets and brown dwarfs known from radial velocity surveys in the improved Hipparcos intermediate astrometric data provided by van Leeuwen (2007a). Our aim is to put more significant constraints on the inclination and the longitude of the ascending node than was possible before, resulting in unambiguous companion masses. We fitted the astrometric orbits of 310 substellar companions around 258 stars to the Hipparcos intermediate astrometric data. Even though the astrometric signatures of the companions cannot be detected in most cases, the Hipparcos data still provide lower limits on the inclination for all but 67 of the investigated companions, which translates into upper limits on the masses of the unseen companions. For nine companions the derived upper mass limit lies in the planetary and for 75 companions in the brown dwarf mass regime, proving the substellar nature of those objects. Two of those objects have minimum masses also in the brown dwarf regime and are thus proven to be brown dwarfs. The confirmed planets are the ones around Pollux (beta Gem b), epsilon Eri b, epsilon Ret b, mu Ara b, upsilon And c and d, 47 UMa b, HD 10647 b and HD 147513 b. The confirmed brown dwarfs are HD 137510 b and HD 168443 c. In 20 cases, the astrometric signature of the substellar companion was detected in the Hipparcos data. Of these 20 companions, three are confirmed as planets or lightweight brown dwarfs (HD 87833 b, iota Dra b, and gamma Cep b), two as brown dwarfs (HD 106252 b and HD 168443 b), and four are low-mass stars (BD -04 782 b, HD 112758 b, rho CrB b, and HD169822 b). Of the others, many are either brown dwarfs or very low mass stars. For epsilon Eri, we derive a solution which is very similar to the one obtained using Hubble Space Telescope data.

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arXiv2010

Co-evolution of atmospheres, life, and climate

After Earth's origin, our host star, the Sun, was shining 20 to 25 percent less brightly than today. Without greenhouse-like conditions to warm the atmosphere, our early planet would have been an ice ball and life may never have evolved. But life did evolve, which indicates that greenhouse gases must have been present on early Earth to warm the planet. Evidence from the geologic record indicates an abundance of the greenhouse gas CO2. CH4 was probably present as well, and in this regard methanogenic bacteria, which belong to a diverse group of anaerobic procaryotes that ferment CO 2 plus H2 to CH4, may have contributed to modification of the early atmosphere. Molecular oxygen was not present, as is indicated by the study of rocks from that era, which contain iron carbonate rather than iron oxide. Multicellular organisms originated as cells within colonies that became increasingly specialized. The development of photosynthesis allowed the Sun's energy to be harvested directly by life forms. The resultant oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere and formed the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. Aided by the absorption of harmful UV radiation in the ozone layer, life colonized Earth's surface. Our own planet is a very good example of how life forms modified the atmosphere over the planets' life time. We show that these facts have to be taken into account when we discover and characterize atmospheres of Earth-like exoplanets. If life has originated and evolved on a planet, then it should be expected that a strong co-evolution occurred between life and the atmosphere, the result of which is the planets' climate.

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arXiv2009

The far future of exoplanet direct characterization

In this outlook we describe what could be the next steps of the direct characterization of habitable exoplanets after first the medium and large mission projects and investigate the benefits of the spectroscopic and direct imaging approaches. We show that after third and fourth generation missions foreseeable for the next 100 years, we will face a very long era before being able to see directly the morphology of extrasolar organisms.

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arXiv2009

Optical Astrometry of Accreting Black Holes and Neutron Stars: Scientific Opportunities

The extreme conditions found near black holes and neutron stars provide a unique opportunity for testing physical theories. Observations of both types of compact objects can be used to probe regions of strong gravity, allowing for tests of General Relativity. Furthermore, a determination of the properties of matter at the remarkably high densities that exist within neutron stars would have important implications for nuclear and particle physics. While many of these objects are in binary systems ("X-ray binaries"), where accreting matter from the stellar companion provides a probe of the compact object, a main difficulty in making measurements that lead to definitive tests has been uncertainty about basic information such as distances to sources, orientation of their binary orbits, and masses of the compact objects. Optical astrometry at the microarcsecond level will allow for accurate determinations of distances and proper motions with precisions of a few percent and will provide an opportunity to directly map X-ray binary orbits, leading to measurements of orbital inclination and compact object masses accurate to better than 4%. Using astrometry at this unprecedented accuracy, which would be enabled by the Space Interferometry Mission ("SIM Lite"), will lead to breakthroughs in the investigations of the physics of black holes and neutron stars

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arXiv2008

The Discovery of Stellar Oscillations in the K Giant $ι$ Dra

$ι$ Dra (HIP 75458) is a well-known example for a K giant hosting a substellar companion since its discovery by Frink et al. (2002). We present radial velocity measurements of this star from observations taken with three different instruments spanning nearly 8 years. They show more clearly that the RV period is long-lived and coherent thus supporting the companion hypothesis. The longer time baseline now allows for a more accurate determination of the orbit with a revised period of P=511 d and an additional small linear trend, indicative of another companion in a wide orbit. Moreover we show that the star exhibits low amplitude, solar like oscillations with frequencies around 3-4 d$^{-1}$ (34.7-46.3 $μ$Hz).

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arXiv2008

The close circumstellar environment of the semi-regular S-type star Pi^1 Gruis

We study the close circumstellar environment of the nearby S-type star Pi^1 Gruis using high spatial-resolution, mid-infrared observations from the ESO/VLTI. Spectra and visibilities were obtained with the MIDI interferometer on the VLT Auxiliary Telescopes. The cool M5III giant Beta Gruis was used as bright primary calibrator, and a dedicated spectro-interferometric study was undertaken to determine its angular diameter accurately. The MIDI measurements were fitted with the 1D numerical radiative transfer code DUSTY to determine the dust shell parameters of Pi^1 Gruis. Taking into account the low spatial extension of the model in the 8-9 $μ$m spectral band for the smallest projected baselines, we consider the possibility of a supplementary molecular shell. The MIDI visibility and phase data are mostly dominated by the spherical 21 mas (694 Rsol) central star, while the extended dusty environment is over-resolved even with the shortest baselines. No obvious departure from spherical symmetry is found on the milliarcsecond scale. The spectro-interferometric observations are well-fitted by an optically thin (tau(dust)<0.01 in the band) dust shell that is located at about 14 stellar radii with a typical temperature of 700 K and composed of 70% silicate and 30% of amorphous alumina grains. An optically thin (tau(mol)<0.1 in the N band) H2O+SiO molecular shell extending from the photosphere of the star up to 4.4 stellar radii with a typical temperature of 1000 K is added to the model to improve the fit in the 8-9 $μ$m spectral band. We discuss the probable binary origin of asymmetries as revealed by millimetric observations.

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arXiv2007

Taking the Measure of the Universe: Precision Astrometry with SIM PlanetQuest

Precision astrometry at microarcsecond accuracy has application to a wide range of astrophysical problems. This paper is a study of the science questions that can be addressed using an instrument that delivers parallaxes at about 4 microarcsec on targets as faint as V = 20, differential accuracy of 0.6 microarcsec on bright targets, and with flexible scheduling. The science topics are drawn primarily from the Team Key Projects, selected in 2000, for the Space Interferometry Mission PlanetQuest (SIM PlanetQuest). We use the capabilities of this mission to illustrate the importance of the next level of astrometric precision in modern astrophysics. SIM PlanetQuest is currently in the detailed design phase, having completed all of the enabling technologies needed for the flight instrument in 2005. It will be the first space-based long baseline Michelson interferometer designed for precision astrometry. SIM will contribute strongly to many astronomical fields including stellar and galactic astrophysics, planetary systems around nearby stars, and the study of quasar and AGN nuclei. SIM will search for planets with masses as small as an Earth orbiting in the `habitable zone' around the nearest stars using differential astrometry, and could discover many dozen if Earth-like planets are common. It will be the most capable instrument for detecting planets around young stars, thereby providing insights into how planetary systems are born and how they evolve with time. SIM will observe significant numbers of very high- and low-mass stars, providing stellar masses to 1%, the accuracy needed to challenge physical models. Using precision proper motion measurements, SIM will probe the galactic mass distribution and the formation and evolution of the Galactic halo. (abridged)

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arXiv2006

Binary Stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster

We report on a high-spatial-resolution survey for binary stars in the periphery of the Orion Nebula Cluster, at 5 - 15 arcmin (0.65 - 2 pc) from the cluster center. We observed 228 stars with adaptive optics systems, in order to find companions at separations of 0.13" - 1.12" (60 - 500 AU), and detected 13 new binaries. Combined with the results of Petr (1998), we have a sample of 275 objects, about half of which have masses from the literature and high probabilities to be cluster members. We used an improved method to derive the completeness limits of the observations, which takes into account the elongated point spread function of stars at relatively large distances from the adaptive optics guide star. The multiplicity of stars with masses >2 M_sun is found to be significantly larger than that of low-mass stars. The companion star frequency of low-mass stars is comparable to that of main-sequence M-dwarfs, less than half that of solar-type main-sequence stars, and 3.5 to 5 times lower than in the Taurus-Auriga and Scorpius-Centaurus star-forming regions. We find the binary frequency of low-mass stars in the periphery of the cluster to be the same or only slightly higher than for stars in the cluster core (<3 arcmin from theta1C Ori). This is in contrast to the prediction of the theory that the low binary frequency in the cluster is caused by the disruption of binaries due to dynamical interactions. There are two ways out of this dilemma: Either the initial binary frequency in the Orion Nebula Cluster was lower than in Taurus-Auriga, or the Orion Nebula Cluster was originally much denser and dynamically more active.

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arXiv2006

Precise Radial Velocities of Giant Stars II. Pollux and its Planetary Companion

It has long been speculated that the observed periodic radial velocity pattern for the K giant Pollux might be explained in terms of an orbiting planetary companion. We have collected 80 high-resolution spectra for Pollux at Lick Observatory yielding precise radial velocities with a mean error of 3.8 m/s, providing the most comprehensive and precise data set available for this star. Our data confirm the periodicity previously seen in the radial velocities. We derive a period of 589.7+/-3.5 days and, assuming a primary mass of 1.86 M_Sun, a minimum companion mass of 2.9+/-0.3 M_Jup, consistent with earlier determinations. No evidence for any periodicities is visible in our analysis of the shapes of the spectral lines via the bisector method, so that we conclude that evidence is accumulating and compelling for a planet around Pollux. However, some last doubt remains about this interpretation, because non-radial pulsations which might be present in giant stars could in principle also explain the observed radial velocities, while the accompanying bisector variations might be too small to be detectable with current data.

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arXiv2006

Comparative Planetology and the Search for Life Beyond the Solar System

The study of planets beyond the solar system and the search for other habitable planets and life is just beginning. Ground-based (radial velocity and transits) and space-based surveys (transits and astrometry) will identify planets spanning a wide range of size and orbital location, from Earth-sized objects within 1 AU to giant planets beyond 5 AU, orbiting stars as near as a few parsec and as far as a kiloparsec. After this initial reconnaissance, the next generation of space observatories will directly detect photons from planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. The synergistic combination of measurements of mass from astrometry and radial velocity, of radius and composition from transits, and the wealth of information from the direct detection of visible and mid-IR photons will create a rich field of comparative planetology. Information on proto-planetary and debris disks will complete our understanding of the evolution of habitable environments from the earliest stages of planet-formation through to the transport into the inner solar system of the volatiles necessary for life. The suite of missions necessary to carry out the search for nearby, habitable planets and life requires a ``Great Observatories'' program for planet finding (SIM PlanetQuest, Terrestrial Planet Finder-Coronagraph, and Terrestrial Planet Finder-Interferometer/Darwin), analogous to the highly successful ``Great Observatories Program'' for astrophysics. With these new Great Observatories, plus the James Webb Space Telescope, we will extend planetology far beyond the solar system, and possibly even begin the new field of comparative evolutionary biology with the discovery of life itself in different astronomical settings.

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arXiv2005

Trends in Space Astronomy and Cosmic Vision 2015-2025

As a short introduction to the astronomy session, the response of the community to the Call for Themes issued by ESA and the specific themes selected by the Astronomy Working Group are briefly presented in connection with the four grand themes finally selected for the ESA Science Programme. They are placed in the context of the main discoveries of the past decade and the astronomy projects currently in their development or definition phase. Finally, possible strategies for their implementation are summarised.

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arXiv2005

Radial Velocity Variations in K Giants: Planets or Pulsations?

Radial velocity observations of K giants have revealed periodic variations for some of the stars. The periods range from approximately 180 to 1000 or more days with velocity amplitudes ranging from approximately 50 m/s to 500 m/s. Except for Iota Draconis (Frink et al. (2002)), all variations are nearly sinusoidal. Companions with zero orbital eccentricity as well as pulsations may cause these radial velocity variations. Additional high resolution spectra were taken in order to reveal which of these mechanisms is at work. No conclusions can be drawn from this work yet, although it seems likely that at least for some stars pulsations are the best explanation. A theoretical study is performed to investigate what kind of pulsations could cause these long period radial velocity variations.

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arXiv2004

Towards characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres with the VLT Interferometer

The direct observation of extrasolar planets and their spectra is coming into reach with the new generation of ground-based near-IR interferometers, like the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The high contrast between star and planet requires an excellent calibration of atmospheric distortions. Proposed techniques are the observation of color-differential or closure phases. The differential phase, however, is only in a first order approximation independent of atmospheric influences because of dispersion effects. This might prevent differential phase observations of extrasolar planets. The closure phase, on the other hand, is immune to atmospheric phase errors and is therefore a promising alternative. We have modeled the response of the closure phase instrument AMBER at the VLTI to realistic models of known extrasolar planetary systems taking into account their theoretical spectra as well as the geometry of the VLTI. We present a strategy to determine the geometry of the planetary system and the spectrum of the extrasolar planet from closure phase observations in a deterministic way without any a priori assumptions. We show that the nulls in the closure phase do only depend on the system geometry but not on the planetary or stellar spectra. Therefore, the geometry of the system can be determined by measuring the nulls in the closure phase and braking the remaining ambiguity due to the unknown system orientation by means of observations at different hour angles. Based on the known geometry, the planet spectrum can be directly synthesized from the closure phases.

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arXiv2004

Modeling of Closure Phase Measurements with AMBER/VLTI - Towards Characterization of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

Differential phase observations with a near-IR interferometer offer a way to obtain spectra of extrasolar planets. The method makes use of the wavelength dependence of the interferometer phase of the planet/star system, which depends both on the interferometer geometry and on the brightness ratio between the planet and the star. The differential phase is strongly affected by instrumental and atmospheric dispersion effects. Difficulties in calibrating these effects might prevent the application of the differential phase method to systems with a very high contrast, such as extrasolar planets. A promising alternative is the use of spectrally resolved closure phases, which are immune to many of the systematic and random errors affecting the single-baseline phases. We have modeled the response of the AMBER instrument at the VLTI to realistic models of known extrasolar planetary systems, taking into account their theoretical spectra as well as the geometry of the VLTI. We present a strategy to determine the geometry of the planetary system and the spectrum of the extrasolar planet from closure phase observations in two steps. We show that there is a close relation between the nulls in the closure phase and the nulls in the corresponding single-baseline phases: every second null of a single-baseline phase is also a null in the closure phase. In particular, the nulls in the closure phase do not depend on the spectrum but only on the geometry. Therefore the geometry of the system can be determined by measuring the nulls in the closure phase, and braking the remaining ambiguity due to the unknown system orientation by means of observations at different hour angles. Based on the known geometry, the planet spectrum can then be directly synthesized from the closure phases.

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arXiv2002

Galaxies Associated with z~4 Damped Lya Systems: I. Imaging and Photometric Selection

This paper describes the acquisition and analysis of imaging data for the identification of galaxies associated with z~4 damped Lya systems. We present deep BRI images of three fields known to contain four z~4 damped systems. We discuss the reduction and calibration of the data, detail the color criteria used to identify z~4 galaxies, and present a photometric redshift analysis to complement the color selection. We have found no galaxy candidates closer to the QSO than 7'' which could be responsible for the damped Lya systems. Assuming that at least one of the galaxies is not directly beneath the QSO, we set an upper limit on this damped Lya system of L < L*/4. Finally, we have established a web site to release these imaging data to the public.

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arXiv2001

The Distance to SN 1999em in NGC 1637 from the Expanding Photosphere Method

We present 30 optical spectra and 49 photometric epochs sampling the first 517 days after discovery of supernova (SN) 1999em, and derive its distance through the expanding photosphere method (EPM). SN 1999em is shown to be a Type II-plateau (II-P) event, with a photometric plateau lasting until about 100 days after explosion. We identify the dominant ions responsible for most of the absorption features seen in the optical portion of the spectrum during the plateau phase. We find the distance to SN 1999em to be D = 8.2 +/- 0.6 Mpc, with an explosion date of 5.3 +/- 1.4 days before discovery. We examine potential sources of systematic error in EPM-derived distances, and find the most significant to result from uncertainty in the theoretical modeling of the flux distribution emitted by the SN photosphere (i.e., the ``flux dilution factor''). We compare previously derived EPM distances to 5 SNe II in galaxies for which a recently revised Cepheid distance exists from the HST Key Project and find D(Cepheids) / D(EPM) = 0.96 +/- 0.09. Finally, we investigate the possible use of SNe II-P as standard candles and find that for 8 photometrically confirmed SNe II-P with previously derived EPM distances and SN 1999em, the mean plateau absolute brightness is M_V(plateau) = -16.4 +/- 0.6 mag, implying that distances good to ~30% (1-sigma) may be possible without the need for a complete EPM analysis. At M_V(plateau) = -15.9 +/- 0.2 mag, SN 1999em is somewhat fainter than the average SN II-P. The general consistency of absolute SNe II-P brightness during the plateau suggests that the standard candle assumption may allow SNe II-P to be viable cosmological beacons at z > 2.

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