arXiv subjects

E. Paunzen

Publications and source records attributed to E. Paunzen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

An analysis of four stellar rings

About 50 years ago, one thousand ring-like structures (called stellar-rings) were discovered by Isserstedt (1968). They were believed to be groups of young stars formed by shell-like triggered star formation, which would make them excellent tracers of spiral arms, for example. Neglected for 40 years, we used highly accurate kinematic, astrometric, and photometric data to investigate the four most prominent stellar rings. The aim is to investigate if those structures are indeed physically related groups of stars. We used proper motions and parallaxes from the Gaia DR2 to calculate distances and to search for common properties. Color-magnitude diagrams using BVJHKs measurements were investigated and isochrones fitted. None of the four stellar rings consists of a physically related group of young stars. The location of stars in the line-of-sight mimics a ring-like structure on the sky. The color-magnitude diagrams are typical for an integrated field population and not for a young star cluster, for example. The currently available data are sufficient to analyze ring-like structures with a high statistical significance. This allows a new search for such structures in the Milky Way.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Exoplanets in star clusters

The field of exoplanetary research is rapidly evolving, thanks to TESS and Kepler/K2. With the latest data release, Gaia DR3, Gaia has transformed the study of star clusters. By combining the known properties of exoplanets and those of star clusters, in which they are found, it is possible to study the planets in greater detail and test theories of planetary evolution. We aim to create a catalogue of Gaia IDs for known exoplanets and use it to link the planets to a catalogue of star clusters. We utilised the NASA Exoplanet Archive and the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia to compile a catalogue of known exoplanets. We then cross-matched the data with Gaia DR3 sources to obtain the Gaia IDs of the exoplanets. Using this information, we inferred the potential association of these exoplanets with star clusters. We described the statistical properties of these exoplanets. We compiled a catalogue of Gaia IDs for known exoplanets and identified those associated with star clusters. This resource facilitates detailed studies of exoplanet properties and their evolutionary contexts within stellar clusters.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Cluster characteristics of Galactic open clusters

Star clusters are perfectly suited for studying the formation, evolution, and dynamics of stars and their host galaxies. For this, we need to estimate total masses, radii and shapes of star clusters. These parameters strongly influence their fates in the host galaxies. However, there is no agreement about these characteristics in the literature. The published values widely disagree. We estimated total masses and cluster radii using a very conservative approach: calculating member masses and summing them. Furthermore, we investigated the three-dimensional characteristics of open clusters and their limitations. We used a commonly used grid of evolutionary tracks for different photometric sources, including 2MASS, Gaia, and Pan-STARRS. The interpolation method was tested using synthetic clusters built with ASteCA. To estimate three-dimensional shapes, we used the distribution of the well-known Galactic coordinates and inverse parallaxes. We estimated the total masses and radii of about 7000 open clusters and observed traces of tidal tails. Individual values can be used in future $Gaia$ data releases to obtain even more precise values. The current DR3 allows the study of only three-dimensional shapes up to 500 pc. Beyond this distance, we find a significant needle-like shape due to uncertainties in observed parallaxes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Lightcurves of stars in the Chamaeleon I Association

Star-forming regions are essential for studying very young stellar objects of various masses. They still contain a significant amount of dust and gas. We present a study of light curves of stars in the field of the Chamaeleon I association. We use automatic spectral classification with MKCLASS to identify the spectral types of the stars in the field with a light curve from the NEOWISE and Gaia surveys. The light curves are analysed using the software Peranso and astropy. We also used VSX to identify the variability type. Based on astrometry, we have identified 92 stars, 73 of which are members of the association. We received light curves for 55 stars from the Gaia survey and for 69 stars from the ALLWISE/NEOWISE survey. For 28 of them, it was possible to determine the types of variables, mostly T Tauri and Orion variables. The spectral types of the members are mostly cooler M-type stars, with one being a possible chemically peculiar (CP) star. The non-members associated with light curve measurements include spectral types A-G with one CP candidate.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

A new sample of super-slowly rotating Ap (ssrAp) stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility survey

The magnetic chemically peculiar Ap stars exhibit an extreme spread of rotational velocities, the reason of which is not well understood. Ap stars with rotational periods of 50 days or longer are know as super-slowly rotating Ap (ssrAp) stars. Photometrically variable Ap stars are commonly termed alpha2 Canum Venaticorum (ACV) variables. Our study aims at enlarging the sample of known ssrAp stars using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey to enable more robust and significant statistical studies of these objects. Using selection criteria based on the known characteristics of ACV variables, candidate stars were gleaned from the ZTF catalogues of periodic and suspected variable stars and from ZTF raw data. ssrAp stars were identified from this list via their characteristic photometric properties, Delta a photometry, and spectral classification. The final sample consists of 70 new ssrAp stars, which mostly exhibit rotational periods between 50 and 200 days. The object with the longest period has a rotational period of 2551.7 days. We present astrophysical parameters and a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the complete sample of known ssrAp stars. With very few exceptions, the ssrAp stars are grouped in the middle of the main sequence with ages in excess of 150 Myr. ZTF J021309.72+582827.7 was identified as a possible binary star harbouring an Ap star and a cool component, possibly shrouded in dust. With our study, we enlarge the sample of known ssrAp stars by about 150%, paving the way for more in-depth statistical studies.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

An all-sky catalogue of stellar reddening values

When observing astronomical objects, we must deal with extinction (i.e. the absorption and scattering of the emitted radiation by dust and gas between the source and the observer). Interstellar extinction depends on the location of the object and the wavelength. The different extinction laws describing these effects are difficult to estimate for a small sample of stars. Many sophisticated and automatic methods have recently been developed for estimating astrophysical parameters (age and metallicity, for example) depending on the reddening, which is usually treated as a free parameter within the corresponding estimations. However, many reddening values for stars have been published over the last few decades, most of which include observations in the ultraviolet, which are essential for a good estimation but are essentially no longer considered. We searched the literature through the end of 2022 for published independent reddening values of stellar objects based on various methods that exclude estimates from reddening maps. In addition, we present new reddening estimates based on the classical photometric indices in the Geneva, Johnson, and Stromgren-Crawford systems. These are based on well-established and reliable calibrations. After a careful identification procedure and quality assessment of the data, we calculated the mean reddening values of 157 631 individual available measurements for 97 826 objects. We find several statistically significant offsets and trends within the different references and discuss possible explanations for them.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Apparent non-variable stars from the Kepler mission

The analysis of non-variable stars is generally neglected in the literature. However, such objects are needed for many calibration processes and for testing pulsational models. The photometric time series of the Kepler satellite mission still stand as the most accurate data available today and are excellently suited to the search for non-variable stars. We analysed all long-cadence light curves for stars not reported as a variable so far from the Kepler satellite mission. Using the known characteristics and flaws of these data sets, we defined three different frequency ranges where we searched for non-variability. We used the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and the false-alarm probability (FAP) to analyse the cleaned data sets of 138 451 light curves. We then used log FAP > -2 to define a star as "non-variable" in the ranges below 0.1 c/d, 0.1 to 2.0 c/d, and 2.0 to 25.0 c/d, respectively. Furthermore, we also calculated the standard deviation of the mean light curve to obtain another parameter. In total, we found 14 154 stars that fulfil the set

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

New ACV variables discovered in the Zwicky Transient Facility survey

The manifestation of surface spots on magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars is most commonly explained by the atomic diffusion theory, which requires a calm stellar atmosphere and only moderate rotation. While very successful and well described, this theory still needs to be revised and fine-tuned to the observations. Our study aims to enlarge the sample of known photometrically variable mCP stars (ACV variables) to pave the way for more robust and significant statistical studies. We derive accurate physical parameters for these objects and discuss our results in the framework of the atomic diffusion theory. We studied 1314 candidate ACV variables that were selected from the Zwicky Transient Factory catalogue of periodic variables based on light curve characteristics. We investigated these objects using photometric criteria, a colour-magnitude diagram, and spectroscopic data from the LAMOST and Gaia missions to confirm their status as ACV variables. We present a sample of 1232 new ACV variables, including information on distance from the Sun, mass, fractional age on the main sequence, fraction of the radius between the zero-age and terminal-age main sequence, and the equatorial velocity and its ratio to the critical velocity. Our results confirm that the employed selection process is highly effcient for detecting ACV variables. We have identified 38 stars with v(equ) in excess of 150 km/s (with extreme values up to 260 km/s). This challenges current theories that cannot explain the occurrence of such fast-rotating mCP stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Chemically peculiar stars on the pre-main sequence

Context. The chemically peculiar (CP) stars of the upper main sequence are defined by spectral peculiarities that indicate unusual elemental abundance patterns in the presence of diffusion in the calm, stellar atmospheres. Some of them have a stable local magnetic field of up to several kiloGauss. The pre-main-sequence evolution of these objects is still a mystery and contains many open questions. Aims. We identify CP stars on the pre-main sequence to determine possible mechanisms that lead to the occurrence of chemical peculiarities in the (very) early stages of stellar evolution. Methods. We identified likely pre-main-sequence stars by fitting the spectral energy distributions. The subsequent analysis using stellar spectra and photometric time series helped us to distinguish between CP and non-CP stars. Additionally, we compared our results to the literature to provide the best possible quality assessment. Results. Out of 45 candidates, about 70 % seem to be true CP stars or CP candidates. Furthermore, 9 sources appear to be CP stars on the pre-main sequence, and all are magnetic. We finally report a possible CP2 star that is also a pre-main-sequence star and was not previously in the literature. Conclusions. The evolution of the peculiarities seems to be related to the (strong) magnetic fields in these CP2 stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Science with a small two-band UV-photometry mission II: Observations of stars and stellar systems

We outline the impact of a small two-band UV-photometry satellite mission on the field of stellar physics, magnetospheres of stars, binaries, stellar clusters, interstellar matter, and exoplanets. On specific examples of different types of stars and stellar systems, we discuss particular requirements for such satellite missions in terms of specific mission parameters such as bandpass, precision, cadence, and mission duration. We show that such a mission may provide crucial data not only for hot stars that emit most of their light in UV, but also for cool stars, where UV traces their activity. This is important, for instance, for exoplanetary studies, because the level of stellar activity influences habitability. While the main asset of the two-band UV mission rests in time-domain astronomy, an example of open clusters proves that such a mission would be important also for the study of stellar populations. Properties of the interstellar dust are best explored when combining optical and IR information with observations in UV. It is well known that dust absorbs UV radiation efficiently. Consequently, we outline how such a UV mission can be used to detect eclipses of sufficiently hot stars by various dusty objects and study disks, rings, clouds, disintegrating exoplanets or exoasteroids. Furthermore, UV radiation can be used to study the cooling of neutron stars providing information about the extreme states of matter in the interiors of neutron stars and used for mapping heated spots on their surfaces.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

The nature of medium-period variables on the extreme horizontal branch I. X-shooter study of variable stars in the globular cluster $ω$ Cen

A fraction of the extreme horizontal branch stars of globular clusters exhibit a periodic light variability that has been attributed to rotational modulation caused by surface spots. These spots are believed to be connected to inhomogeneous surface distribution of elements. However, the presence of such spots has not been tested against spectroscopic data. We analyzed the phase-resolved ESO X-shooter spectroscopy of three extreme horizontal branch stars that are members of the globular cluster $ω$ Cen and also display periodic light variations. The aim of our study is to understand the nature of the light variability of these stars and to test whether the spots can reproduce the observed variability. Our spectroscopic analysis of these stars did not detect any phase-locked abundance variations that are able to reproduce the light variability. Instead, we revealed the phase variability of effective temperature and surface gravity. In particular, the stars show the highest temperature around the light maximum. This points to pulsations as a possible cause of the observed spectroscopic and photometric variations. However, such an interpretation is in a strong conflict with Ritter's law, which relates the pulsational period to the mean stellar density. The location of the $ω$ Cen variable extreme horizontal branch stars in HR diagram corresponds to an extension of PG 1716 stars toward lower temperatures or blue, low-gravity, large-amplitude pulsators toward lower luminosities, albeit with much longer periods. Other models of light variability, namely, related to temperature spots, should also be tested further. The estimated masses of these stars in the range of $0.2-0.3\,M_\odot$ are too low for helium-burning objects.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

TESS Cycle 2 observations of roAp stars with 2-min cadence data

We present the results of a systematic search of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) 2-min cadence data for new rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars observed during the Cycle 2 phase of its mission. We find seven new roAp stars previously unreported as such and present the analysis of a further 25 roAp stars that are already known. Three of the new stars show multiperiodic pulsations, while all new members are rotationally variable stars, leading to almost 70 per cent (22) of the roAp stars presented being $α^2$ CVn-type variable stars. We show that targeted observations of known chemically peculiar stars are likely to overlook many new roAp stars, and demonstrate that multi-epoch observations are necessary to see pulsational behaviour changes. We find a lack of roAp stars close to the blue edge of the theoretical roAp instability strip, and reaffirm that mode instability is observed more frequently with precise, space-based observations. In addition to the Cycle 2 observations, we analyse TESS data for all known roAp stars. This amounts to 18 further roAp stars observed by TESS. Finally, we list six known roAp stars that TESS is yet to observe. We deduce that the incidence of roAp stars amongst the Ap star population is just 5.5 per cent, raising fundamental questions about the conditions required to excite pulsations in Ap stars. This work, coupled with our previous work on roAp stars in Cycle 1 observations, presents the most comprehensive, homogeneous study of the roAp stars in the TESS nominal mission, with a collection of 112 confirmed roAp stars in total.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

PM 1-322: new variable planetary nebula

Spectra of planetary nebulae (PNe) are characterised by strong forbidden emission lines and often also by an infrared (IR) excess. A few PNe show dust obscuration events and/or harbour long-period binaries. Some post-asymptotic giant branch stars, symbiotic stars, or B[e] stars may feature similar characteristics. Recently, dust clouds eclipsing white dwarfs were also detected. We report the discovery of an object with a very peculiar variability pattern that bears signatures compatible with the above-mentioned classes of objects. The object is ZTFJ201451.59+120353.4 and identifies with PM 1-322. The object was discovered in Zwicky Transient Facility archival data and investigated with historical and newly obtained photometric and spectroscopic observations. The ZTF r and g data show a one magnitude deep, eclipse-like event with a duration of about half a year that occurred in 2022. The variability pattern of the star is further characterised by several dimming events in the optical region that are accompanied by simultaneous brightenings in the red and IR regions. Apart from that, two fast eruption-like events were recorded in ZTF r data. Archival data from WISE indicate long-term variability with a possible period of 6 or 12 yr. Our follow-up time series photometry reveals a stochastic short-term variability with an amplitude of about 0.1 mag on a timescale of about one hour. The spectral energy distribution is dominated by IR radiation. Our high-resolution spectroscopy shows strong forbidden emission lines from highly ionised species and symmetric double-peaked emission in Halpha, which is very different from what is seen in earlier spectra obtained in 2007. Several explanatory scenarios are presented. Our most likely interpretation is that our target object involves a hot central star surrounded by gaseous and dusty disks, an extended nebula, and a possible companion star.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Discovery of extraordinary X-ray emission from magnetospheric interaction in the unique binary stellar system $ε$ Lupi

We report detailed X-ray observations of the unique binary system $ε$ Lupi, the only known short-period binary consisting of two magnetic early-type stars. The components have comparably strong, but anti-aligned magnetic fields. The orbital and magnetic properties of the system imply that the magnetospheres overlap at all orbital phases, suggesting the possibility of variable inter-star magnetospheric interaction due to the non-negligible eccentricity of the orbit. To investigate this effect, we observed the X-ray emission from $ε$ Lupi both near and away from periastron passage, using the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer mission (NICER) X-ray Telescope. We find that the system produces excess X-ray emission at the periastron phase, suggesting the presence of variable inter-star magnetospheric interaction. We also discover that the enhancement at periastron is confined to a very narrow orbital phase range ($\approx 5\%$ of the orbital period), but the X-ray properties close to periastron phase are similar to those observed away from periastron. From these observations, we infer that the underlying cause is magnetic reconnection heating the stellar wind plasma, rather than shocks produced by wind-wind collision. Finally, by comparing the behavior of $ε$ Lupi with that observed for cooler magnetic binary systems, we propose that elevated X-ray flux at periastron phase is likely a general characteristic of interacting magnetospheres irrespective of the spectral types of the constituent stars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Photometric variability of the LAMOST sample of magnetic chemically peculiar stars as seen by TESS

High-quality light curves from space missions have opened up a new window on the rotational and pulsational properties of magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars and have fuelled asteroseismic studies. They allow the internal effects of surface magnetic fields to be probed and numerous astrophysical parameters to be derived with great precision. We present an investigation of the photometric variability of a sample of 1002 mCP stars discovered in the LAMOST archival spectra with the aims of measuring their rotational periods and identifying interesting objects for follow-up studies. TESS photometry was available for 782 mCP stars and was analysed using a Fourier two-term frequency fit to determine the stars' rotational periods. The rotational signal was then subtracted from the light curve to identify non-rotational variability. A pixel-level blending analysis was performed to check whether the variability originates in the target star or a nearby blended neighbour. We investigated correlations between the rotational periods, fractional age on the main sequence, mass, and several other observables. We present rotational periods and period estimates for 720 mCP stars. In addition, we identified four eclipsing binary systems that likely host an mCP star, as well as 25 stars with additional signals consistent with pulsation (12 stars with frequencies above 10 d$^{-1}$ and 13 stars with frequencies below 10 $^{-1}$). We find that more evolved stars have longer rotation periods, in agreement with the assumption of the conservation of angular momentum during main-sequence evolution. With our work, we increase the sample size of mCP stars with known rotation periods and identify prime candidates for detailed follow-up studies. This enables two paths towards future investigations: population studies of even larger samples of mCP stars and the detailed characterisation of high-value targets.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

EPIC 206197016: A very hot white dwarf orbited by a strongly irradiated red dwarf

Very precise satellite photometry has revealed a large number of variable stars whose variability is caused either by surface spots or by binarity. Detailed studies of such variables provide insights into the physics of these objects. We study the nature of the periodic light variability of the white dwarf EPIC 206197016 that was observed by the K2 mission. We obtain phase-resolved medium-resolution spectroscopy of EPIC 206197016 using XSHOOTER spectrograph at VLT to understand the nature of the white dwarf variability. We use NLTE model atmospheres to determine stellar parameters at individual phases. EPIC 206197016 is a hot DA white dwarf with $T_\text{eff}=78\,$kK. The analysis of the spectra reveals periodic radial velocity variations that can result from gravitational interaction with an invisible secondary whose mass corresponds to a red dwarf. The close proximity of the two stars where the semimajor axis is about $3\,R_\odot$ results in the irradiation of the companion with temperatures more than twice as high on the illuminated side compared to the nonilluminated hemisphere. This effect can explain the observed light variations. The spectra of the white dwarf show a particular feature of the Balmer lines called the Balmer line problem, where the observed cores of the lower Balmer lines are deeper than predicted. This can be attributed to either weak pollution of hydrogen in the white dwarf atmosphere by heavy elements or to the presence of a circumstellar cloud or disk.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Searching for shell stars in LAMOST DR4 by probing the Fe 42 multiplet lines

Shell stars, in particular the cooler ones, often do not show conspicuous Balmer-line emission and may consequently be missed in surveys that specifically search for emission signatures in the Halpha line. The present work is aimed at identifying stars with shell-signatures via a search for strong FeII multiplet 42 lines at 4924, 5018, 5169A in archival LAMOST spectra. Candidates were selected by probing the FeII 42 lines in the spectra of a sample of colour-preselected early-type stars using a modified version of the MKCLASS code and then categorised by visual inspection of their spectra. We identified 75 stars showing conspicuous shell features, 43 Am/CP1 stars, 12 Ap/CP2 stars, and three objects with composite spectra. Spectral types and equivalent width measurements of the FeII 42 lines are presented for the sample of shell stars. Except for three objects, all shell stars appear significantly removed from the ZAMS in the colour-magnitude diagram, which is likely due to extinction by circumstellar material. We find a correlation between the equivalent width of the 5169A line and the distance to the locus of the main-sequence stars (the larger the IR-excess, the stronger the 5169A line) and studied the variability of the shell star sample using TESS data, identifying a very high proportion of double stars. All but 14 shell stars are new discoveries, which highlights the efficiency of the here presented novel approach to identify stars with subtle shell features. This study may be used as a blueprint for discovering these objects in massive spectral databases.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

The detection of magnetic chemically peculiar stars using Gaia BP/RP spectra

The magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars of the upper main sequence are perfectly suited to studying the effects of rotation, diffusion, mass-loss, accretion, and pulsation in the presence of an organized stellar magnetic field. Therefore, many important models can only be tested with this star group. In this case study we investigate the possibility of detecting the characteristic 520 nm flux depression of mCP stars using low-resolution BP/RP spectra of the Gaia mission. This would enable us to effectively search for these objects in the ever-increasing database. We employed the tool of Delta a photometry to trace the 520 nm flux depression for 1240 known mCP and 387 normal-type objects including binaries. To this end, we folded the filter curves with the BP/RP spectra and generated the well-established color-color diagram. It is clearly possible to distinguish mCP stars from normal-type objects. The detection rate is almost 95\% for B- and A-type objects. It then drops for cooler-type stars, which is in line with models of the 520 nm flux depression. The BP/RP spectra are clearly qualified to efficiently search for and detect mCP stars.

astro-ph.SR↗