arXiv subjects

Fabio Bresolin

Publications and source records attributed to Fabio Bresolin.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

The Araucaria Project: The effect of blending on the Cepheid distance to NGC 300 from Advanced Camera for Surveys images

We have used the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain F435W, F555W and F814W single-epoch images of six fields in the spiral galaxy NGC 300. Taking advantage of the superb spatial resolution of these images, we have tested the effect that blending of the Cepheid variables studied from the ground with close stellar neighbors, unresolved on the ground-based images, has on the distance determination to NGC 300. Out of the 16 Cepheids included in this study, only three are significantly affected by nearby stellar objects. After correcting the ground-based magnitudes for the contribution by these projected companions to the observed flux, we find that the corresponding Period-Luminosity relations in V, I and the Wesenheit magnitude W_I are not significantly different from the relations obtained without corrections. We fix an upper limit of 0.04 magnitudes to the systematic effect of blending on the distance modulus to NGC 300. As part of our HST imaging program, we present improved photometry for 40 blue supergiants in NGC 300.

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arXiv2005

A VLT study of metal-rich extragalactic H II regions. I. Observations and empirical abundances

We have obtained spectroscopic observations from 3600 Angstrom to 9200 Angstrom with FORS at the Very Large Telescope for approximately 70 H II regions located in the spiral galaxies NGC 1232, NGC 1365, NGC 2903, NGC 2997 and NGC 5236. These data are part of a project aiming at measuring the chemical abundances and characterizing the massive stellar content of metal-rich extragalactic H II regions. In this paper we describe our dataset, and present emission line fluxes for the whole sample. In 32 H II regions we measure at least one of the following auroral lines: [S II]4072, [N II]5755, [S III]6312 and [O II]7325. From these we derive electron temperatures, as well as oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur abundances, using classical empirical methods (both so-called "Te-based methods" and "strong line methods"). Under the assumption that the temperature gradient does not introduce severe biases, we find that the most metal-rich nebulae with detected auroral lines are found at 12+log(O/H)~8.9, i.e. about 60% larger than the adopted solar value. However, classical abundance determinations in metal-rich H II regions may be severely biased and must be tested with realistic photoionization models. The spectroscopic observations presented in this paper will serve as a homogeneous and high-quality database for such purpose.

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arXiv2005

The near-IR luminosity-metallicity relation of dwarf irregular galaxies

We report on the recent developments of our long-term investigation of the near-IR luminosity-metallicity relation for dwarf irregular galaxies in nearby groups. A very well-defined relation is emerging from our observational database, and a preliminary discussion of its implications is given.

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arXiv2005

The Physical Properties and Effective Temperature Scale of O-type Stars as a Function of Metallicity. II. Analysis of 20 More Magellanic Cloud Stars, and Results from the Complete Sample

We analyze the optical and UV spectra of an additional sample of 20 Magellanic Cloud O stars, and draw conclusions from the complete sample of 40 stars. We find (1) The SMC O3-7 dwarfs are about 4000 K cooler than their Galactic counterparts; this is in the sense expected from the decreased signficiance of line-blanketing and wind-blanketing at lower metallicities. The difference decreases with later types, becoming negligible by B0 V. A similar difference is found for the supergiants. (2) The wind momentum of these stars scales with luminosity and metallicty in the ways predicted by radiatively-driven wind theory. (3) A comparison of the masses derived from spectroscopy with those derived from stellar evolutionary theory shows a significant discrepancy for stars hotter than 45000, although good agreement is found for cooler stars. (4) For the hottest O stars (O2-3.5) neither the NIII/NIV ratio, nor even the HeI/HeII ratio, does a good job of predicting the effective temperature by itself. Instead, a full analysis is needed to derive physical parameters. Thus there are O3.5V stars which are as hot or hotter than stars classified as O2V. (5) The two stars with the most discordant radial velocities in our sample happen to be O3 "field stars". This provides the first compelling observational evidence that the "field" O stars in the Magellanic Clouds may be runaway OB stars, ejected from their birth place.

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arXiv2005

Metal abundances in extremely distant Galactic old open clusters. II. Berkeley 22 and Berkeley 66

We report on high resolution spectroscopy of four giant stars in the Galactic old open clusters Berkeley~22 and Berkeley~66 obtained with HIRES at the Keck telescope. We find that $[Fe/H]=-0.32\pm0.19$ and $[Fe/H]=-0.48\pm0.24$ for Berkeley~22 and Berkeley~66, respectively. Based on these data, we first revise the fundamental parameters of the clusters, and then discuss them in the context of the Galactic disk radial abundance gradient. We found that both clusters nicely obey the most updated estimate of the slope of the gradient from \citet{fri02} and are genuine Galactic disk objects.

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arXiv2004

The massive star IMF at high metallicity

The question of the variation of the upper IMF at high metallicity is briefly reviewed. I show recent results suggesting a revision in the definition of `high metallicity' in extragalactic H II regions. I present preliminary results concerning constraints on the upper mass limit in metal-rich spiral galaxies derived from the detection of Wolf-Rayet stars in the spectra of their H II regions. The current evidence is in support of an IMF extending up to at least 60-70 solar masses at an oxygen abundance 1-1.5 times the solar value.

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arXiv2004

Spectral Modelling of Star-Forming Regions in the Ultraviolet: Stellar Metallicity Diagnostics for High Redshift Galaxies

The chemical composition of high redshift galaxies is an important property which gives clues to their past history and future evolution and yet is difficult to measure with current techniques. In this paper we investigate new metallicity indicators, based upon the strengths of stellar photospheric features at rest-frame ultraviolet wavelengths. By combining the evolutionary spectral synthesis code Starburst99 with the output from the non-LTE model atmosphere code WM-basic, we have developed a code that can model the integrated ultraviolet stellar spectra of star-forming regions at metallicities between 1/20 and twice solar. We use our models to explore a number of spectral regions that are sensitive to metallicity and clean of other spectral features. The most promising metallicity indicator is an absorption feature between 1935 A and 2020 A, which arises from the blending of numerous Fe III transitions. We compare our model spectra to observations of two well studied high redshift star-forming galaxies, MS1512-cB58 (a Lyman break galaxy at z = 2.7276), and Q1307-BM1163 (a UV-bright galaxy at z = 1.411). The profiles of the photospheric absorption features observed in these galaxies are well reproduced by the models. In addition, the metallicities inferred from their equivalent widths are in good agreement with previous determinations based on interstellar absorption and nebular emission lines. Our new technique appears to be a promising alternative, or complement, to established methods which have only a limited applicability at high redshifts.

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arXiv2004

Abundances of metal-rich H II regions in M51

We have obtained multi-object spectroscopy of H II regions in the spiral galaxy M51 with the Keck I telescope and the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. For 10 objects we have detected the auroral line [N II] 5755, while [S III] 6312 has been measured in 7 of these. This has allowed us to measure the electron temperature of the gas and to derive O, S and N abundances for the 10 H II regions. Contrary to the expectations from previous photoionization models of a few H II regions in M51 and from strong-line abundance indicators, the O/H abundance is below the solar value for most objects, with the most metal-rich H II regions, P 203 and CCM 72, having log(O/H) = -3.16 and log(O/H) = -3.29, respectively. The reduction of O/H by factors up to two or three with respect to previous indirect determinations has important consequences for the calibration of empirical abundance indicators, such as R23, in the abundance and excitation range found in the central regions of spiral galaxies. Based on our new abundances we revise the effective yield for M51, now found to be almost four times lower than previous estimates, and we discuss this result within the context of chemical evolution in galactic disks. Features from Wolf-Rayet stars are detected in a large number of H II regions in M51, with the C III 5696 line found preferentially in the central, most metal-rich objects. (abridged)

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arXiv2004

Metal abundances in extremely distant Galactic old open clusters. I. Berkeley 29 and Saurer 1

We report on high resolution spectroscopy of four giant stars in the Galactic old open clusters Berkeley~29 and Saurer~1 obtained with HIRES at the Keck telescope. These two clusters possess the largest galactocentric distances insofar known for open star clusters, and therefore are crucial objects to probe the chemical pattern and evolution of the outskirts of the Galactic disk. We find that $[Fe/H]=-0.38\pm0.14$ and $[Fe/H]=-0.44\pm0.18$ for Saurer 1 and Berkeley~29, respectively. Based on these data, we first revise the fundamental parameters of the clusters, and then discuss them in the context of the Galactic disk radial abundance gradients. Both clusters seem to significantly deviate from the general trend, suggesting that the outer part of the Galactic disk underwent a completely different evolution compared to the inner disk. In particular Berkeley~29 is clearly associated with the Monoceros stream, while Saurer~1 exhibits very different properties. The abundance ratios suggest that the chemical evolution of the outer disk was dominated by the Galactic halo.

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arXiv2004

The Physical Properties and Effective Temperature Scale of O-type Stars as a Function of Metallicity. I. A Sample of 20 Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

We have obtained HST and ground-based observations of a sample of 20 O-type stars in the LMC and SMC, including six of the hottest massive stars known (subtypes O2-3) in the R136 cluster. In general, these data include (a) the HST UV spectra in order to measure the terminal velocities of the stellar winds, (b) high signal-to-noise, blue-optical data where the primary temperature- and gravity-sensitive photospheric lines are found, and (c) nebular-free H-alpha profiles, which provide the mass-loss rates. The line-blanketed non-LTE atmosphere code FASTWIND was then used to determine the physical parameters of this sample of stars. We find good agreement between the synthetic line profiles for the hydrogen, He I, and He II lines in the majority of the stars we analyzed; the three exceptions show evidence of being incipiently resolved spectroscopic binaries or otherwise spectral composites. One such system is apparently an O3 V+O3 V eclipsing binary, and a follow-up radial velocity study is planned to obtain Keplerian masses. Although we did not use them to constrain the fits, good agreement is also found for the He I $λ3187$ and He II $λ3203$ lines in the near-UV, which we plan to exploit in future studies. Our effective temperatures are compared to those recently obtained by Repolust, Puls & Herrero for a sample of Galactic stars using the same techniques. We find that the Magellanic Cloud sample is 3,000-4,000$^\circ$K hotter than their Galactic counterparts for the early through mid-O's. These higher temperatures are the consequence of a decreased importance of wind emission, wind blanketing, and metal-line blanketing at lower metallicities.

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arXiv2003

On the photometric variability of blue supergiants in NGC 300 and its impact on the Flux-weighted Gravity-Luminosity Relationship

We present a study of the photometric variability of spectroscopically confirmed supergiants in NGC 300, comprising 28 epochs extending over a period of five months. We find 15 clearly photometrically variable blue supergiants in a sample of nearly 70 such stars, showing maximum light amplitudes ranging from 0.08 to 0.23 magnitudes in the V band, and one variable red supergiant. We show their light curves, and determine semi-periods for two A2 Ia stars. Assuming that the observed changes correspond to similar variations in the bolometric luminosity, we test for the influence of this variability on the Flux-weighted Gravity--Luminosity Relationship and find a negligible effect, showing that the calibration of this relationship, which has the potential to measure extragalactic distances at the Cepheid accuracy level, is not affected by the stellar photometric variability in any significant way.

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arXiv2003

Stellar Winds of Hot Massive Stars Nearby and Beyond the Local Group

Photospheric radiation momentum is efficiently transferred by absorption through metal lines to the gaseous matter in the atmospheres of massive stars, sustaining strong winds and mass loss rates. Not only is this critical for the evolution of such stars, it also provides us with diagnostic UV/optical spectral lines for the determination of mass loss rates, chemical abundances and absolute stellar luminosities. We review the mechanisms which render the wind parameters sensitive to the chemical composition, through the statistics of the wind-driving lines. Observational evidence in support of the radiation driven wind theory is presented, with special regard to the Wind Momentum-Luminosity Relationship and the blue supergiant work carried out by our team in galaxies outside of the Local Group.

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arXiv2003

The Composition Gradient in M101 Revisited. II. Electron Temperatures and Implications for the Nebular Abundance Scale

(Abridged) We use high S/N spectra of 20 HII regions in the giant spiral galaxy M101 to derive electron temperatures for the HII regions and robust metal abundances over radii R = 0.19-1.25 Ro (6-41 kpc). We compare the consistency of electron temperatures measured from the [O III]4363, [N II]5755, [S III]6312, and [O II]7325 auroral lines. Temperatures from [O III], [S III], and [N II] are correlated with relative offsets that are consistent with expectations from nebular photoionization models. However, the temperatures derived from the [O II]7325 line show a large scatter and are nearly uncorrelated with temperatures derived from other ions. Our derived oxygen abundances O/H are well fitted by an exponential distribution over six disk scale lengths, from approximately 1.3 solar in the center to 1/15 solar in the outermost region studied (for solar 12 + log (O/H)=8.7). We measure significant radial gradients in N/O and He/H abundance ratios, but relatively constant S/O and Ar/O. Our abundances are systematically lower by 0.2-0.5 dex than those derived from the most widely used strong-line "empirical" abundance indicators. We suspect that most of the disagreement with the strong-line abundances arises from uncertainties in the nebular models that are used to calibrate the "empirical" scale, and that strong-line abundances derived for HII regions and emission-line galaxies are as much as a factor of two higher than the actual oxygen abundances. However other explanations, such as the effects of temperature fluctuations on the auroral line based abundances cannot be completely ruled out. These results point to the need for direct abundance determinations of a larger sample of extragalactic HII regions, especially for objects more metal-rich than solar.

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arXiv2003

Blue Supergiants as a Tool for Extragalactic Distances - Empirical Diagnostics

Blue supergiant stars can be exceptionally bright objects in the optical, making them prime targets for the determination of extragalactic distances. I describe how their photometric and spectroscopic properties can be calibrated to provide a measurement of their luminosity. I first review two well-known techniques, the luminosity of the brightest blue supergiants and, with the aid of recent spectroscopic data, the equivalent width of the Balmer lines. Next I discuss some recent developments concerning the luminosity dependence of the wind momentum and of the flux-weighted gravity, which can provide, if properly calibrated, powerful diagnostics for the determination of the distance to the parent galaxies.

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arXiv2003

Quantitative spectral analysis of early B-type supergiants in the Sculptor galaxy NGC 300

The spectra of two early B-type supergiant stars in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300 are analysed by means of non-LTE line blanketed unified model atmospheres, aimed at determining their chemical composition and the fundamental stellar and wind parameters. For the first time a detailed chemical abundance pattern (He, C, N, O, Mg and Si) is obtained for a B-type supergiant beyond the Local Group. The derived stellar properties are consistent with those of other Local Group B-type supergiants of similar types and metallicities. One of the stars shows a near solar metallicity while the other one resembles more a SMC B supergiant. The effects of the lower metallicity can be detected in the derived wind momentum.

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arXiv2002

A new extragalactic distance determination method using the flux-weighted gravity of late B and early A supergiants

Stellar evolution calculations predict the flux-weighted gravity g/Teff^4 and absolute bolometric magnitude of blue supergiants to be strongly correlated. We use medium resolution multi-object spectroscopy of late B and early A supergiants in two spiral galaxies, NGC 300 and NGC 3621, to demonstrate the existence of such a relationship, which proves to be surprisingly tight. An analysis of high resolution spectra of blue supergiants in Local Group galaxies confirms this detection. We discuss the application of the relationship for extragalactic distance determinations and conservatively conclude that once properly calibrated it has the potential to allow for measurements of distance moduli out to 30.5 mag with an accuracy of 0.1 mag or better.

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arXiv2002

Discovery and quantitative spectral analysis of an Ofpe/WN9 (WN11) star in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300

We have discovered an Ofpe/WN9 (WN11 following Smith et al.) star in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300, the first object of this class found outside the Local Group, during a recent spectroscopic survey of blue supergiant stars obtained at the ESO VLT. The light curve over a five-month period in late 1999 displays a variability at the 0.1 mag level. The intermediate resolution spectra (3800-7200 A) show a very close resemblance to the Galactic LBV AG Car during minimum. We have performed a detailed non-LTE analysis of the stellar spectrum, and have derived a chemical abundance pattern which includes H, He, C, N, O, Al, Si and Fe, in addition to the stellar and wind parameters. The derived stellar properties and the He and N surface enrichments are consistent with those of other Local Group WN11 stars in the literature, suggesting a similar quiescent or post-LBV evolutionary status.

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arXiv2002

STIS UV spectroscopy of early B supergiants in M31

We analyze STIS spectra in the 1150-1700 Angstrom wavelength range obtained for six early B supergiants in the neighboring galaxy M31. Because of their likely high (nearly solar) abundance, these stars were originally chosen to be directly comparable to their Galactic counterparts, and represent a much-needed addition to our current sample of B-type supergiants, in our efforts to study the dependence of the Wind Momentum-Luminosity Relationship on spectral type and metallicity. As a first step to determine wind momenta we fit the P-Cygni profiles of the resonance lines of N V, Si IV and C IV with standard methods, and derive terminal velocities for all of the STIS targets. From these lines we also derive ionic stellar wind column densities. Our results are compared with those obtained previously in Galactic supergiants, and confirm earlier claims of `normal' wind line intensities and terminal velocities in M31. For half of the sample we find evidence for an enhanced maximum turbulent velocity when compared to Galactic counterparts.

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