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E. Niemczura

Publications and source records attributed to E. Niemczura.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2017

UVSat: a concept of an ultraviolet/optical photometric satellite

Time-series photometry from space in the ultraviolet can be presently done with only a few platforms, none of which is able to provide wide-field long-term high-cadence photometry. We present a concept of UVSat, a twin space telescope which will be capable to perform this kind of photometry, filling an observational niche. The satellite will host two telescopes, one for observations in the ultraviolet, the other for observations in the optical band. We also briefly show what science can be done with UVSat.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2017

Spectroscopic survey of Kepler stars. II. FIES/NOT observations of A- and F-type stars

We have analysed high-resolution spectra of 28 A and 22 F stars in the Kepler field, observed with the FIES spectrograph at the Nordic Optical Telescope. We provide spectral types, atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances for 50 stars. Balmer, Fe I, and Fe II lines were used to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and microturbulent velocities. We determined chemical abundances and projected rotational velocities using a spectrum synthesis technique. Effective temperatures calculated by spectral energy distribution fitting are in good agreement with those determined from the spectral line analysis. The stars analysed include chemically peculiar stars of the Am and Lambda Boo types, as well as stars with approximately solar chemical abundances. The wide distribution of projected rotational velocity, Vsini, is typical for A and F stars. The microturbulence velocities obtained are typical for stars in the observed temperature and surface gravity ranges. Moreover, we affirm the results of Niemczura et al., that Am stars do not have systematically higher microturbulent velocities than normal stars of the same temperature.

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arXiv2017

An astrometric and spectroscopic study of the $δ$ Scuti variable HD21190 and its wide companion CPD -83$^{\circ}$ 64B

Although pulsations of $δ$ Scuti type are not expected among Ap stars from a theoretical point of view, previous observations of the known $δ$ Scuti star HD21190 indicated a spectral classification F2 III SrEuSi:, making it the most evolved Ap star known. Our atmospheric chemical analysis based on recent HARPS observations confirms the presence of chemical peculiarities in HD21190. This star is also the only target known to host a magnetic field along with its $δ$ Scuti pulsation properties. Using an astrometric analysis, we show that HD21190 forms a physical binary system with the companion CPD -83$^{\circ}$ 64B. The presented astrometric and spectroscopic study of the binary components is important to understand the complex interplay between stellar pulsations, magnetic fields, and chemical composition.

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arXiv2017

High-resolution spectroscopy and abundance analysis of Delta Scuti stars near the Gamma Doradus instability strip

$δ$ Scuti stars are remarkable objects for asteroseismology. In spite of decades of investigations, there are still important questions about these pulsating stars to be answered, such as their positions in $\log$$T_{\rm eff}$ $-$ $\log g$ diagram, or the dependence of the pulsation modes on atmospheric parameters and rotation. Therefore, we performed a detailed spectroscopic study of $41$ $δ$ Scuti stars. The selected objects are located near the $γ$ Doradus instability strip to make a reliable comparison between both types of variables. Spectral classification, stellar atmospheric parameters ($T_{\rm eff}$, $\log g$, $ξ$) and $v \sin i$ values were determined. The spectral types and luminosity classes of stars were found to be A1$-$F5 and III$-$V, respectively. The $T_{\rm eff}$ ranges from $6600$ to $9400$ K, whereas the obtained $\log g$ values are from $3.4$ to $4.3$. The $v \sin i$ values were found between $10$ and $222$ km s$^{-1}$. The derived chemical abundances of $δ$ Scuti stars were compared to those of the non-pulsating stars and $γ$ Doradus variables. It turned out that both $δ$ Scuti and $γ$ Doradus variables have similar abundance patterns, which are slightly different from the non-pulsating stars. These chemical differences can help us to understand why there are non-pulsating stars in classical instability strip. Effects of the obtained parameters on pulsation period and amplitude were examined. It appears that the pulsation period decreases with increasing $T_{\rm eff}$. No significant correlations were found between pulsation period, amplitude and $v \sin i$.

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arXiv2016

Signatures of internal rotation discovered in the Kepler data of five slowly pulsating B stars

Massive stars are important building blocks of the Universe, and their stellar structure and evolution models are fundamental cornerstones of various fields in modern astrophysics. The precision of these models is limited by our lack of understanding of various internal mixing processes that significantly influence the lifetime of these objects (e.g. core overshoot, chemical mixing, or the internal differential rotation). Our goal is to calibrate models by extending the sample of available seismic studies of slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars, providing input for theoretical modelling efforts that will deliver precise constraints on the parameters describing the internal mixing processes in these objects. We used spectral synthesis and disentangling techniques to derive fundamental parameters and to determine precise orbital parameters from high-resolution spectra. We employed custom masks to construct light curves from the Kepler pixel data and used standard time-series analysis tools to construct a set of significant frequencies for each target. These sets were first filtered from combination frequencies, and then screened for period spacing patterns. We detect gravity mode period series of modes of the same degree l with consecutive radial order n in four new and one revisited SPB star. These predominantly prograde dipole series (covering ~10-40 radial orders) are influenced by rotation and carry signatures of chemical mixing processes. Our spectroscopic analysis, in addition to placing each object inside the SPB instability strip and identifying KIC 4930889 as an SB2 binary, reveals that KIC 11971405 is a fast rotator that shows very weak Be signatures. Together with the observed photometric outbursts this illustrates that this Be star is a fast rotating SPB star. We hypothesise that the outbursts might be connected to its very densely compressed oscillation spectrum.

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arXiv2016

Spectroscopic Survey of γ Doradus Stars I. Comprehensive atmospheric parameters and abundance analysis of γ Doradus stars

We present a spectroscopic survey of known and candidate $γ$\,Doradus stars. The high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra of 52 objects were collected by five different spectrographs. The spectral classification, atmospheric parameters (\teff, $\log g$, $ξ$), $v\sin i$ and chemical composition of the stars were derived. The stellar spectral and luminosity classes were found between G0-A7 and IV-V, respectively. The initial values for \teff\ and \logg\ were determined from the photometric indices and spectral energy distribution. Those parameters were improved by the analysis of hydrogen lines. The final values of \teff, \logg\ and $ξ$ were derived from the iron lines analysis. The \teff\ values were found between 6000\,K and 7900\,K, while \logg\,values range from 3.8 to 4.5\,dex. Chemical abundances and $v\sin i$ values were derived by the spectrum synthesis method. The $v\sin i$ values were found between 5 and 240\,km\,s$^{-1}$. The chemical abundance pattern of $γ$\,Doradus stars were compared with the pattern of non-pulsating stars. It turned out that there is no significant difference in abundance patterns between these two groups. Additionally, the relations between the atmospheric parameters and the pulsation quantities were checked. A strong correlation between the $v\sin i$ and the pulsation periods of $γ$\,Doradus variables was obtained. The accurate positions of the analysed stars in the H-R diagram have been shown. Most of our objects are located inside or close to the blue edge of the theoretical instability strip of $γ$\,Doradus.

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arXiv2015

LAMOST observations in the Kepler field. Database of low-resolution spectra

The nearly continuous light curves with micromagnitude precision provided by the space mission Kepler are revolutionising our view of pulsating stars. They have revealed a vast sea of low-amplitude pulsation modes that were undetectable from Earth. The long time base of Kepler light curves allows an accurate determination of frequencies and amplitudes of pulsation modes needed for in-depth asteroseismic modeling. However, for an asteroseismic study to be successful, the first estimates of stellar parameters need to be known and they can not be derived from the Kepler photometry itself. The Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) provides values for the effective temperature, the surface gravity and the metallicity, but not always with a sufficient accuracy. Moreover, information on the chemical composition and rotation rate is lacking. We are collecting low-resolution spectra for objects in the Kepler field of view with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST, Xinglong observatory, China). All of the requested fields have now been observed at least once. In this paper we describe those observations and provide a database of use to the whole astronomical community.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2015

Interplay between pulsations and mass loss in the blue supergiant 55 Cygnus = HD 198478

Blue supergiant stars are known to display photometric and spectroscopic variability that is suggested to be linked to stellar pulsations. Pulsational activity in massive stars strongly depends on the star's evolutionary stage and is assumed to be connected with mass-loss episodes, the appearance of macroturbulent line broadening, and the formation of clumps in the wind. To investigate a possible interplay between pulsations and mass-loss, we carried out an observational campaign of the supergiant 55 Cyg over a period of five years to search for photospheric activity and cyclic mass-loss variability in the stellar wind. We modeled the H, He I, Si II and Si III lines using the nonlocal thermal equilibrium atmosphere code FASTWIND and derived the photospheric and wind parameters. In addition, we searched for variability in the intensity and radial velocity of photospheric lines and performed a moment analysis of the line profiles to derive frequencies and amplitudes of the variations. The Halpha line varies with time in both intensity and shape, displaying various types of profiles: P Cygni, pure emission, almost complete absence, and double or multiple peaked. The star undergoes episodes of variable mass-loss rates that change by a factor of 1.7-2 on different timescales. We also observe changes in the ionization rate of Si II and determine a multiperiodic oscillation in the He I absorption lines, with periods ranging from a few hours to 22.5 days. We interpret the photospheric line variations in terms of oscillations in p-, g-, and strange modes. We suggest that these pulsations can lead to phases of enhanced mass loss. Furthermore, they can mislead the determination of the stellar rotation. We classify the star as a post-red supergiant, belonging to the group of alpha Cyg variables.

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arXiv2015

KIC 4768731: a bright long-period roAp star in the Kepler Field

We report the identification of 61.45 d^-1 (711.2 mu Hz) oscillations, with amplitudes of 62.6-mu mag, in KIC 4768731 (HD 225914) using Kepler photometry. This relatively bright (V=9.17) chemically peculiar star with spectral type A5 Vp SrCr(Eu) has previously been found to exhibit rotational modulation with a period of 5.21 d. Fourier analysis reveals a simple dipole pulsator with an amplitude that has remained stable over a 4-yr time span, but with a frequency that is variable. Analysis of high-resolution spectra yields stellar parameters of T_eff = 8100 +/- 200 K, log g = 4.0 +/- 0.2, [Fe/H] = +0.31 +/- 0.24 and v sin i = 14.8 +/- 1.6 km/s. Line profile variations caused by rotation are also evident. Lines of Sr, Cr, Eu, Mg and Si are strongest when the star is brightest, while Y and Ba vary in anti-phase with the other elements. The abundances of rare earth elements are only modestly enhanced compared to other roAp stars of similar T_eff and log g. Radial velocities in the literature suggest a significant change over the past 30 yr, but the radial velocities presented here show no significant change over a period of 4 yr.

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arXiv2015

Spectroscopic survey of Kepler stars. I. HERMES/Mercator observations of A- and F-type stars

The Kepler space mission provided near-continuous and high-precision photometry of about 207,000 stars, which can be used for asteroseismology. However, for successful seismic modelling it is equally important to have accurate stellar physical parameters. Therefore, supplementary ground-based data are needed. We report the results of the analysis of high-resolution spectroscopic data of A- and F-type stars from the Kepler field, which were obtained with the HERMES spectrograph on the Mercator telescope. We determined spectral types, atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances for a sample of 117 stars. Hydrogen Balmer, Fe I, and Fe II lines were used to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and microturbulent velocities. We determined chemical abundances and projected rotational velocities using a spectrum synthesis technique. The atmospheric parameters obtained were compared with those from the Kepler Input Catalogue (KIC), confirming that the KIC effective temperatures are underestimated for A stars. Effective temperatures calculated by spectral energy distribution fitting are in good agreement with those determined from the spectral line analysis. The analysed sample comprises stars with approximately solar chemical abundances, as well as chemically peculiar stars of the Am, Ap, and Lambda Boo types. The distribution of the projected rotational velocity, Vsini, is typical for A and F stars and ranges from 8 to about 280 km/s, with a mean of 134 km/s.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2015

Fundamental parameters of the close interacting binary HD170582 and its luminous accretion disc

We present a spectroscopic and photometric study of the Double Period Variable HD170582. Based on the study of the ASAS V-band light curve we determine an improved orbital period of 16.87177 $\pm$ 0.02084 days and a long period of 587 days. We disentangled the light curve into an orbital part, determining ephemerides and revealing orbital ellipsoidal variability with unequal maxima, and a long cycle, showing quasi-sinusoidal changes with amplitude $ΔV$= 0.1 mag. Assuming synchronous rotation for the cool stellar component and semi-detached configuration we find a cool evolved star of $M_{2}$ = 1.9 $\pm$ 0.1 $M_{\odot}$, $T_{2}$ = 8000 $\pm$ 100 $K$ and $R_{2}$ = 15.6 $\pm$ 0.2 $R_{\odot}$, and an early B-type dwarf of $M_{1}$ = 9.0 $\pm$ 0.2 $M_{\odot}$. The B-type star is surrounded by a geometrically and optically thick accretion disc of radial extension 20.8 $\pm$ 0.3 $R_{\odot}$ contributing about 35% to the system luminosity at the $V$ band. Two extended regions located at opposite sides of the disc rim, and hotter than the disc by 67% and 46%, fit the light curve asymmetries. The system is seen under inclination 67.4 $\pm$ 0.4 degree and it is found at a distance of 238 $\pm$ 10 pc. Specially interesting is the double line nature of HeI 5875; two absorption components move in anti-phase during the orbital cycle; they can be associated with the shock regions revealed by the photometry. The radial velocity of one of the HeI 5875 components closely follows the donor radial velocity, suggesting that the line is formed in a wind emerging near the stream-disc interacting region.

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arXiv2013

A search for pulsations in the HgMn star HD 45975 with CoRoT photometry and ground-based spectroscopy

The existence of pulsations in HgMn stars is still being debated. To provide the first unambiguous observational detection of pulsations in this class of chemically peculiar objects, the bright star HD 45975 was monitored for nearly two months by the CoRoT satellite. Independent analyses of the light curve provides evidence of monoperiodic variations with a frequency of 0.7572 c/d and a peak-to-peak amplitude of ~2800 ppm. Multisite, ground-based spectroscopic observations overlapping the CoRoT observations show the star to be a long-period, single-lined binary. Furthermore, with the notable exception of mercury, they reveal the same periodicity as in photometry in the line moments of chemical species exhibiting strong overabundances (e.g., Mn and Y). In contrast, lines of other elements do not show significant variations. As found in other HgMn stars, the pattern of variability consists in an absorption bump moving redwards across the line profiles. We argue that the photometric and spectroscopic changes are more consistent with an interpretation in terms of rotational modulation of spots at the stellar surface. In this framework, the existence of pulsations producing photometric variations above the ~50 ppm level is unlikely in HD 45975. This provides strong constraints on the excitation/damping of pulsation modes in this HgMn star.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2013

Atmospheric Parameters of 169 F, G, K and M-type Stars in the Kepler Field

The asteroseismic and planetary studies, like all research related to stars, need precise and accurate stellar atmospheric parameters as input. We aim at deriving the effective temperature (Teff), the surface gravity (log g), the metallicity ([Fe/H]), the projected rotational velocity (v sin i) and the MK type for 169 F, G, K, and M-type Kepler targets which were observed spectroscopically from the ground with five different instruments. We use two different spectroscopic methods to analyse 189 high-resolution, high-signal-to-noise spectra acquired for the 169 stars. For 67 stars, the spectroscopic atmospheric parameters are derived for the first time. KIC 9693187 and 11179629 are discovered to be double-lined spectroscopic binary systems. The results obtained for those stars for which independent determinations of the atmospheric parameters are available in the literature are used for a comparative analysis. As a result, we show that for solar-type stars the accuracy of present determinations of atmospheric parameters is +/- 150 K in Teff, +/- 0.15 dex in [Fe/H], and +/-? 0.3 dex in log g. Finally, we confirm that the curve-of-growth analysis and the method of spectral synthesis yield systematically different atmospheric parameters when they are applied to stars hotter than 6,000 K.

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arXiv2013

Two new SB2 binaries with main sequence B-type pulsators in the Kepler field

Context: OB stars are important in the chemistry and evolution of the Universe, but the sample of targets well understood from an asteroseismological point of view is still too limited to provide feedback on the current evolutionary models. Our study extends this sample with two spectroscopic binary systems. AIMS. Our goal is to provide orbital solutions, fundamental parameters and abundances from disentangled high-resolution high signal-to-noise spectra, as well as to analyse and interpret the variations in the Kepler light curve of these carefully selected targets. This way we continue our efforts to map the instability strips of beta Cep and SPB stars using the combination of high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy and uninterrupted space-based photometry. Methods: We fit Keplerian orbits to radial velocities measured from selected absorption lines of high-resolution spectroscopy using synthetic composite spectra to obtain orbital solutions. We use revised masks to obtain optimal light curves from the original pixel-data from the Kepler satellite, which provided better long term stability compared to the pipeline processed light curves. We use various time-series analysis tools to explore and describe the nature of variations present in the light curve. Results: We find two eccentric double-lined spectroscopic binary systems containing a total of three main sequence B-type stars (and one F-type component) of which at least one in each system exhibits light variations. The light curve analysis (combined with spectroscopy) of the system of two B stars points towards the presence of tidally excited g modes in the primary component. We interpret the variations seen in the second system as classical g mode pulsations driven by the kappa mechanism in the B type primary, and explain the unexpected power in the p mode region as a result of nonlinear resonant mode excitation.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2013

mu Eridani from MOST and from the ground: an orbit, the SPB component's fundamental parameters, and the SPB frequencies

MOST time-series photometry of mu Eri, an SB1 eclipsing binary with a rapidly-rotating SPB primary, is reported and analyzed. The analysis yields a number of sinusoidal terms, mainly due to the intrinsic variation of the primary, and the eclipse light-curve. New radial-velocity observations are presented and used to compute parameters of a spectroscopic orbit. Frequency analysis of the radial-velocity residuals from the spectroscopic orbital solution fails to uncover periodic variations with amplitudes greater than 2 km/s. A Rossiter-McLaughlin anomaly is detected from observations covering ingress. From archival photometric indices and the revised Hipparcos parallax we derive the primary's effective temperature, surface gravity, bolometric correction, and the luminosity. An analysis of a high signal-to-noise spectrogram yields the effective temperature and surface gravity in good agreement with the photometric values. From the same spectrogram, we determine the abundance of He, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, and Fe. The eclipse light-curve is solved by means of EBOP. For a range of mass of the primary, a value of mean density, very nearly independent of assumed mass, is computed from the parameters of the system. Contrary to a recent report, this value is approximately equal to the mean density obtained from the star's effective temperature and luminosity. Despite limited frequency resolution of the MOST data, we were able to recover the closely-spaced SPB frequency quadruplet discovered from the ground in 2002-2004. The other two SPB terms seen from the ground were also recovered. Moreover, our analysis of the MOST data adds 15 low-amplitude SPB terms with frequencies ranging from 0.109 c/d to 2.786 c/d.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2013

Fundamental stellar and accretion disc parameters of the eclipsing binary DQ Velorum

To add to the growing collection of well-studied double periodic variables (DPVs) we have carried out the first spectroscopic and photometric analysis of the eclipsing binary DQ Velorum to obtain its main physical stellar and orbital parameters. Combining spectroscopic and photometric observations that cover several orbital cycles allows us to estimate the stellar properties of the binary components and the orbital parameters. We also searched for circumstellar material around the more massive star. We separated DQ Velorum composite spectra and measured radial velocities with an iterative method for double spectroscopic binaries. We obtained the radial velocity curves and calculated the spectroscopic mass ratio. We compared our single-lined spectra with a grid of synthetic spectra and estimated the temperature of the stars. We modeled the V-band light curve with a fitting method based on the simplex algorithm, which includes an accretion disc. To constrain the main stellar parameters we fixed the mass ratio and donor temperature to the values obtained by our spectroscopic analysis. We obtain donor and gainer masses, the radii, and temperatures for the stellar components. We find that DQ Vel is a semi-detached system consisting of a B3V gainer and an A1III donor star plus an extended accretion disc around the gainer. The disc is filling 89% of the gainer Roche lobe and it has a concave shape that is thicker at its edge than at its centre. We find a significant sub-orbital frequency of 0.19 d^{-1} in the residuals of the V-band light curve, which we interpret as a pulsation of an slowly pulsating B-type (SPB) of a gainer star. We also estimate the distance to the binary (3.1 kpc) using the absolute radii, apparent magnitudes, and effective temperatures of the components found in our study.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2013

New β Cephei variable in the Southern open cluster NGC 6200: ALS 3728

We report the evidence of a new $β$ Cephei type variable located in the Southern open cluster \astrobj{NGC 6200}: \astrobj{ALS 3728}. Spectroscopic and photometric observations of NGC\,6200 stars were carried out at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in 2011. It was found that \astrobj{ALS 3728} has a frequency of about 4.95 d$^{-1}$ with highest amplitude. The star also shows a remarkable stillstand phase just before its light maxima which is a typical characteristic occurring among these type of stars. Furthermore, a mode identification is applied for the dominant frequency that is calculated from the Fourier analysis.

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