arXiv subjects

David R. Ardila

Publications and source records attributed to David R. Ardila.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

The Spitzer Atlas of Stellar Spectra

We present the Spitzer Atlas of Stellar Spectra (SASS), which includes 159 stellar spectra (5 to 32 mic; R~100) taken with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. This Atlas gathers representative spectra of a broad section of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, intended to serve as a general stellar spectral reference in the mid-infrared. It includes stars from all luminosity classes, as well as Wolf-Rayet (WR) objects. Furthermore, it includes some objects of intrinsic interest, like blue stragglers and certain pulsating variables. All the spectra have been uniformly reduced, and all are available online. For dwarfs and giants, the spectra of early-type objects are relatively featureless, dominated by Hydrogen lines around A spectral types. Besides these, the most noticeable photospheric features correspond to water vapor and silicon monoxide in late-type objects and methane and ammonia features at the latest spectral types. Most supergiant spectra in the Atlas present evidence of circumstellar gas. The sample includes five M supergiant spectra, which show strong dust excesses and in some cases PAH features. Sequences of WR stars present the well-known pattern of lines of HeI and HeII, as well as forbidden lines of ionized metals. The characteristic flat-top shape of the [Ne III] line is evident even at these low spectral resolutions. Several Luminous Blue Variables and other transition stars are present in the Atlas and show very diverse spectra, dominated by circumstellar gas and dust features. We show that the [8]-[24] Spitzer colors (IRAC and MIPS) are poor predictors of spectral type for most luminosity classes.

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arXiv2009

On the Relationship Between Debris Disks and Planets

Dust in debris disks is generated by collisions among planetesimals. The existence of these planetesimals is a consequence of the planet formation process, but the relationship between debris disks and planets has not been clearly established. Here we analyze Spitzer/MIPS 24 and 70 micrometer data for 150 planet-bearing stars, and compare the incidence of debris disks around these stars with a sample of 118 stars around which planets have been searched for, but not found. Together they comprise the largest sample ever assembled to deal with this question. The use of survival analysis techniques allows us to account for the large number of non-detections at 70 micrometer. We discovered 10 new debris disks around stars with planets and one around a star without known planets. We found that the incidence of debris disks is marginally higher among stars with planets, than among those without, and that the brightness of the average debris disk is not significantly different in the two samples. We conclude that the presence of a planet that has been detected via current radial velocity techniques is not a good predictor of the presence of a debris disk detected at infrared wavelengths.

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arXiv2008

The HD 163296 Circumstellar Disk in Scattered Light: Evidence of Time-Variable Self-Shadowing

We present the first multi-color view of the scattered light disk of the Herbig Ae star HD 163296, based on coronagraphic observations from the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Radial profile fits of the surface brightness along the disk's semi-major axis indicates that the disk is not continuously flared, and extends to 540 AU. The disk's color (V-I)=1.1 at a radial distance of 3.5 arcseconds is redder than the observed stellar color (V-I)=0.15. This red disk color might be indicative of either an evolution in the grain size distribution (i.e. grain growth) and/or composition, both of which would be consistent with the observed non-flared geometry of the outer disk. We also identify a single ansa morphological structure in our F435W ACS data, which is absent from earlier epoch F606W and F814W ACS data, but corresponds to one of the two ansa observed in archival HST STIS coronagraphic data. Following transformation to similar band-passes, we find that the scattered light disk of HD 163296 is 1 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ fainter at 3.5 arcseconds in the STIS data than in the ACS data. Moreover, variations are seen in (i) the visibility of the ansa(e) structures, in (ii) the relative surface brightness of the ansa(e) structures, and in (iii) the (known) intrinsic polarization of the system. These results indicate that the scattered light from the HD 163296 disk is variable. We speculate that the inner disk wall, which Sitko et al. suggests has a variable scale height as diagnosed by near-IR SED variability, induces variable self-shadowing of the outer disk. We further speculate that the observed surface brightness variability of the ansa(e) structures may indicate that the inner disk wall is azimuthally asymmetric.

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arXiv2007

A Search for Planets Transiting the M Dwarf Debris Disk Host, AU Microscopii

We present high cadence, high precision multi-band photometry of the young, M1Ve, debris disk star, AU Microscopii. The data were obtained in three continuum filters spanning a wavelength range from 4500Åto 6600Å, plus H$α$, over 28 nights in 2005. The lightcurves show intrinsic stellar variability due to starspots with an amplitude in the blue band of 0.051 magnitudes and a period of 4.847 days. In addition, three large flares were detected in the data which all occur near the minimum brightness of the star. We remove the intrinsic stellar variability and combine the lightcurves of all the filters in order to search for transits by possible planetary companions orbiting in the plane of the nearly edge-on debris disk. The combined final lightcurve has a sampling of 0.35 minutes and a standard deviation of 6.8 millimags (mmag). We performed Monte Carlo simulations by adding fake transits to the observed lightcurve and find with 95% significance that there are no Jupiter mass planets orbiting in the plane of the debris disk on circular orbits with periods, P $\le 5$ days. In addition, there are no young Neptune-like planets (with radii 2.5$\times$ smaller than the young Jupiter) on circular orbits with periods, P $\le 3$ days.

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arXiv2004

X-ray Properties of Pre--Main-Sequence Stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster with Known Rotation Periods

We re-analyze all archival Chandra/ACIS observations of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) to study the X-ray properties of a large sample of pre--main-sequence (PMS) stars with optically determined rotation periods. Our goal is to elucidate the origins of X-rays in PMS stars by seeking out connections between the X-rays and the mechanisms most likely driving their production--rotation and accretion. In our sample X-ray luminosity is significantly correlated with stellar rotation, in the sense of decreasing Lx/Lbol with more rapid rotation, suggesting that these stars are in the "super-saturated" regime of the rotation-activity relationship. However, we also find that stars with optical rotation periods are significantly biased to high Lx. This is not the result of magnitude bias in the optical rotation-period sample but rather to the diminishingly small amplitude of optical variations in stars with low Lx. Evidently, there exists in the ONC a population of stars whose rotation periods are unknown and that possess lower average X-ray luminosities than those of stars with known rotation periods. These stars may sample the linear regime of the rotation-activity relationship. Accretion also manifests itself in X-rays, though in a somewhat counterintuitive fashion: While stars with spectroscopic signatures of accretion show harder X-ray spectra than non-accretors, they show lower X-ray luminosities and no enhancement of X-ray variability. We interpret these findings in terms of a common origin for the X-ray emission observed from both accreting and non-accreting stars, with the X-rays from accreting stars simply being attenuated by magnetospheric accretion columns. This suggests that X-rays from PMS stars have their origins primarily in chromospheres, not accretion.

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arXiv2003

Mapping the Circumstellar Environment of T Tauri with Fluorescent H_2 Emission

We have obtained three long-slit, far UV spectra of the pre-main sequence system T Tauri. These HST/STIS spectra show a strong and variable on-source spectrum composed of both fluoresced H_2 and stellar chromospheric lines. Extended H_2 emission is seen up to 10" from the T Tau system. The on-source and extended H_2 are both pumped by H I Lyman alpha. The on-source H_2 is pumped by the red wing of a broad, self-absorbed Ly-alpha line, while the progressions seen in the extended gas are pumped from near line center. This suggests that the extended H_2 is pumped locally, and not by the stellar Ly-alpha line. The H_2 to the north and west coincides with the evacuated cavity bounded by the optical reflection nebulosity; to the south the extended H_2 coincides with the HH 255 outflow from the embedded infrared companion T Tau S. The spatial profile of the extended gas shows a prominent dip coincident with the position of T Tau S. This may be absorption by a disk associated with T Tau S. There is no evidence for absorption by a disk surrounding T Tau N large enough to obscure T Tau S.

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arXiv2003

Observational Clues to Brown Dwarf Origins

Over the past year, we have conducted a multi-faceted program to investigate the origin and early evolution of brown dwarfs. Using high-resolution Keck optical spectra of ~30 objects near and below the sub-stellar boundary in several star-forming regions, we present compelling evidence for a T Tauri-like accretion phase in young brown dwarfs. Our systematic study of infrared L'-band (3.8-micron) disk excess in ~50 spectroscopically confirmed young very low mass objects reveal that a significant fraction of brown dwarfs harbor disks at a very young age. Their inner disk lifetimes do not appear to be vastly different from those of disks around T Tauri stars. Taken together, our findings are consistent with a common origin for most low-mass stars, brown dwarfs and isolated planetary mass objects.

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arXiv2003

A Disk Census for Young Brown Dwarfs

Recent surveys have identified sub-stellar objects down to planetary masses in nearby star-forming regions. Reliable determination of the disk frequency in young brown dwarfs is of paramount importance to understanding their origin. Here we report the results of a systematic study of infrared L'-band (3.8-micron) disk excess in ~50 spectroscopically confirmed objects near and below the sub-stellar boundary in several young clusters. Our observations, using the ESO Very Large Telescope, Keck I and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, reveal that a significant fraction of brown dwarfs harbor disks at a very young age. Their inner disk lifetimes do not appear to be vastly different from those of disks around T Tauri stars. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that sub-stellar objects form via a mechanism similar to solar-mass stars.

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arXiv2002

A Search for Disk Emission in Young Brown Dwarfs: L'-band Observations of sigma Orionis and TW Hydrae

Studies of disks around young brown dwarfs are of paramount importance to our understanding of the origin, diversity and early evolution of sub-stellar objects. Here we present first results from a systematic search for disk emission in a spectroscopically confirmed sample of young objects near or below the sub-stellar boundary in a variety of star-forming regions. Our VLT and Keck L'-band observations of the sigma Orionis and TW Hydrae associations suggest that if a majority of brown dwarfs are born with disks, at least the inner regions of those disks evolve rapidly, possibly clearing out within a few million years.

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arXiv2001

Observations of T-Tauri Stars using HST-GHRS: II. Optical and Near UV lines

We have analyzed GHRS data of eight Classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) and one Weak T Tauri star (WTTS). The GHRS data consist of an spectral range 40 A wide centered on 2800 A. For 4 of the CTTS we have nearly simultaneous optical observations which contain Halpha, Hbeta, HeI, NaD, and the CaII infrared triplet. The MgII resonance doublet is the strongest feature in the 2800 A range. This line has a fairly wide and symmetric emission component (~200 to \~300 km/s for the CTTSs), with a narrow central absorption and a wide blueshifted absorption superimposed to it. The narrow central absorption width and equivalent width are inconsistent with being due only to ISM clouds described in the literature, which lead us to conclude that it is partially due to non-LTE processes in the emission line region itself. The emission profile closely follows Halpha. Its large width in CTTS cannot be due to the Stark effect and we suggest that it is due to supersonic turbulence. All the stars show blueshifted absorptions that are evidence of outflows (terminal velocities \~300 km/s), with multiple flows observed in two stars. We show evidence that the wind is not spherical, with wind signatures being stronger for lower inclinations at a given accretion rate. We briefly compare other optical lines with the hot transition region lines observed in CTTS.

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arXiv2001

Is it Round? Spectropolarimetry of the Type II-P Supernova 1999em

We present the first multi-epoch spectropolarimetry of a type II plateau supernova (SN II-P), with optical observations of SN 1999em on days 7, 40, 49, 159, and 163 after discovery. These data are used to probe the geometry of the electron-scattering atmosphere before, during, and after the plateau phase, which ended roughly 90 days after discovery. Weak continuum polarization with an unchanging polarization angle (theta ~ 160 deg) is detected at all epochs, with p ~ 0.2% on day 7, p ~ 0.3% on days 40 and 49, and p ~ 0.5% in the final observations. Distinct polarization modulations across strong line features are present on days 40, 49, 159, and 163. Uncorrected for interstellar polarization (which is believed to be quite small), polarization peaks are associated with strong P Cygni absorption troughs and nearly complete depolarization is seen across the H-alpha emission profile. The temporal evolution of the continuum polarization and sharp changes across lines indicate polarization intrinsic to SN 1999em. When modeled in terms of the oblate, electron-scattering atmospheres of Hoeflich, the observed polarization implies anasphericity of at least 7% during the period studied. The temporal polarization increase may indicate greater asphericity deeper into the ejecta. We discuss the implications of asphericity on the use of type II-P supernovae as primary extragalactic distance indicators through the expanding photosphere method (EPM). If asphericity produces directionally dependant flux and peculiar galaxy motions are characterized by sigma_v_rec = 300 km/s, it is shown that the agreement between previous EPM measurements of SNe II and distances to the host galaxies predicted by a linear Hubble law restrict mean SN II asphericity to values less than 30% (3-sigma) during the photospheric phase.

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arXiv2000

A Survey for Low-mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in the Upper-Scorpius OB Association

The Upper-Scorpius association is the OB association nearest to the Sun (145 pc). Its young age (5 Myr) makes it an ideal place to search for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, as these objects should be relatively bright. We have performed a photometric search for the low-mass members of the association, using the R, I, and Z filters. The completeness limit is I=18.5 and the saturation limit is I=13. We obtain 138 candidate members, covering nearly the entire M spectral type range. We find an excess of brown dwarf candidates over the number predicted by a Miller-Scalo Initial Mass Function. In addition, we have performed infrared imaging and low resolution optical spectroscopy of selected candidates. We find that the infrared observations confirm the spectral types obtained with the optical photometry. Furthermore, we find H_alpha in emission in 20 of the 22 objects observed spectroscopically. As H_alpha is an indicator of youth, we believe that these 20 objects may belong to the association. One of them, UScoCTIO 128 has a very strong and constant H_alpha line (equivalent width: -130 A), and its position in the color magnitude diagram suggests that it is a brown dwarf with mass equal to 0.02 msun. Confirmation of this and the other candidates will have to wait for higher resolution observations that can reveal spectroscopic mass indicators like Li I and gravity indicators, such as K I and the subordinate lines of Na I.

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arXiv2000

The Balmer Wavelength Range of BP Tauri

We have analyzed all the observations of BP Tauri taken by the International Ultraviolet Explorer in the low resolution (6 A), long wavelength (from 1850 to 3350 A) range. This dataset contains 61 spectra. These spectra do not show any correlation between the continuum flux and the MgII line flux, thus resolving a standing controversy in the literature concerning the origin of the MgII line flux. There is no correlation between the color temperature of the UV continuum and the average value of its flux. Using models of the accretion process developed by Calvet & Gullbring (1998), we obtain energy fluxes, accretion spot sizes, and accretion rates from the IUE observations of BP Tauri. We find average energy fluxes of 5.0 10^11 ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1}, average spot sizes of 4.4 10^{-3} times the stellar surface, and average accretion rates of 1.6 10^-8 msun/yr. Our analysis shows that the particle energy flux and the UV flux in the stellar surface are proportional to each other. Most strikingly, we observe a correlation between accretion rate and spot size, with the spot size increasing as the square of the accretion rate. Based on the results of a simulation, we conclude that geometrical effects are not enough to account for this effect. Current models of the accretion process fail to reproduce such an effect, suggesting the need of using more realistic descriptions of the stellar field when treating magnetospheric accretion. There may also be an unmodelled efficiency factor that determines how matter is loaded into the field lines.

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