arXiv subjects

G. R. Knapp

Publications and source records attributed to G. R. Knapp.

108 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Infrared Observations and Modeling of one of the Coolest T Dwarfs, Gl 570D

We have obtained a good quality R$\sim$400 0.8-2.5 $μ$m spectrum and accurate photometry of Gl 570D, one of the coolest and least luminous brown dwarfs currently known. The spectrum shows that Gl 570D has deeper absorptions in the strong water and methane bands at 1.12-1.17 $μ$m, 1.33-1.45 $μ$m, 1.62-1.88 $μ$m, and 2.20-2.45 $μ$m and is both bluer at J-K and redder at $K-L^{\prime}$ than previously observed T dwarfs. Data analysis using model spectra coupled with knowledge of the well-understood primary implies that for the same surface gravity, Gl 570D is about 160 K cooler than Gl 229B. For an age range of 2-5 Gyr Gl 570D has an effective temperature in the range 784-824 K, a log gravity in the range 5.00-5.27 cm s$^{-2}$, and a luminosity in the range 2.88-2.98 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ L$_\odot$.

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arXiv2001

Reprocessing the Hipparcos data for evolved giant stars II. Absolute magnitudes for the R-type carbon stars

The Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data for carbon stars have been reprocessed using an algorithm which provides an objective criterion for rejecting anomalous data points and constrains the parallax to be positive. New parallax solutions have been derived for 317 cool carbon stars, mostly of types R and N. In this paper we discuss the results for the R stars. The most important result is that the early R stars (i.e., R0 - R3) have absolute magnitudes and V-K colors locating them among red clump giants in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Stars with subtypes R4 - R9 tend to be cooler and have similar luminosity to the N-type carbon stars, as confirmed by their position in the (J-H, H-K) color-color diagram. The sample of early R-type stars selected from the Hipparcos Catalogue appears to be approximately complete to magnitude K_0 ~ 7, translating into a completeness distance of 600 pc if all R stars had M_K= -2 (400 pc if M_K= -1). With about 30 early R-type stars in that volume, they comprise about 0.04% (0.14% for M_K= -1) of the red clump stars in the solar neighborhood. Identification with the red clump locates these stars at the helium core burning stage of stellar evolution, while the N stars are on the asymptotic giant branch, where helium shell burning occurs. The present analysis suggests that for a small fraction of the helium core burning stars (far lower than the fraction of helium shell-burning stars), carbon produced in the interior is mixed to the atmosphere in sufficient quantities to form a carbon star.

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arXiv2001

100-year Mass Loss Modulations on the Asymptotic Giant Branch

We analyze the differences in infrared circumstellar dust emission between oxygen rich Mira and non-Mira stars, and find that they are statistically significant. In particular, we find that these stars segregate in the K-[12] vs. [12]-[25] color-color diagram, and have distinct properties of the IRAS LRS spectra, including the peak position of the silicate emission feature. We show that the infrared emission from the majority of non-Mira stars cannot be explained within the context of standard steady-state outflow models. The models can be altered to fit the data for non-Mira stars by postulating non-standard optical properties for silicate grains, or by assuming that the dust temperature at the inner envelope radius is significantly lower (300-400 K) than typical silicate grain condensation temperatures (800-1000 K). We argue that the latter is more probable and provide detailed model fits to the IRAS LRS spectra for 342 stars. These fits imply that 2/3 of non-Mira stars and 1/3 of Mira stars do not have hot dust ($>$ 500 K) in their envelopes. The absence of hot dust can be interpreted as a recent (order of 100 yr) decrease in the mass-loss rate. The distribution of best-fit model parameters agrees with this interpretation and strongly suggests that the mass loss resumes on similar time scales. Such a possibility appears to be supported by a number of spatially resolved observations (e.g. recent HST images of the multiple shells in the Egg Nebula) and is consistent with new dynamical models for mass loss on the Asymptotic Giant Branch.

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arXiv2001

Analysis of Stars Common to the IRAS and HIPPARCOS Surveys

For about 11,000 stars observed in the HIPPARCOS Survey and detected by IRAS we calculate bolometric luminosities by integrating their spectral energy distributions from the B band to far-IR wavelengths. We present an analysis of the dependence of dust emission on spectral type and correlations between the luminosity and dust emission for about 1000 sources with the best data (parallax error less than 30%, error in luminosity of about 50% or better). This subsample includes stars of all spectral types and is dominated by K and M giants. We use the IRAS [25]-[12] color to select stars with emission from circumstellar dust and show that they are found throughout the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, including on the main sequence. Clear evidence is found that M giants with dust emission have luminosities about 3 times larger (about 3000 Lsun) than their counterparts without dust, and that mass loss on the asymptotic giant branch for both M and C stars requires a minimum luminosity of order 2000 Lsun. Above this threshold the mass-loss rate seems to be independent of, or only weakly dependent on, luminosity. We also show that the mass-loss rate for these stars is larger than the core mass growth rate, indicating that their evolution is dominated by mass loss.

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arXiv2001

Infrared Spectroscopy of Brown Dwarfs: the onset of methane absorption in L dwarfs and the L/T transition

We present infrared spectra of brown dwarfs with spectral types from mid-L to T. The 0.9-2.5 $μ$m spectra of three dwarfs found by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey contain absorption bands of both methane and carbon monoxide and bridge the gap between late L and previously observed T dwarfs. These dwarfs form a clear spectral sequence, with CH$_{4}$ absorption increasing as the CO absorption decreases. Water vapor band strengths increase in parallel with the methane bands and thus also link the L and T types. We suggest that objects with detectable CO and CH$_{4}$ in the H and K bands should define the earliest T subclasses. From observations of bright (K~$\leq$~13 mag) L dwarfs found by 2MASS, we find that the onset of detectable amounts of CH$_{4}$ occurs near spectral type L5. For this spectral type methane is observable in the 3.3~$μ$m $ν$$_{3}$ band only, and not in the overtone and combination bands at H and K.

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arXiv2001

A New Very Cool White Dwarf Discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Early data taken during commissioning of the SDSS have resulted in the discovery of a very cool white dwarf. It appears to have stronger collision induced absorption from molecular hydrogen than any other known white dwarf, suggesting it has a cooler temperature than any other. While its distance is presently unknown, it has a surprisingly small proper motion, making it unlikely to be a halo star. An analysis of white dwarf cooling times suggests that this object may be a low-mass star with a helium core. The SDSS imaging and spectroscopy also recovered LHS 3250, the coolest previously known white dwarf, indicating that the SDSS will be an effective tool for identifying these extreme objects.

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arXiv2000

Discovery of a Close Pair of z = 4.25 Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We report the discovery of a pair of z = 4.25 quasars with a separation of 33 arcseconds. The brighter of the two objects was identified as a high-redshift quasar candidate from Sloan Digital Sky Survey multicolor imaging data, and the redshift was measured from a spectrum obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The slit orientation of this observation {\it by chance} included another quasar, approximately one magnitude fainter and having the same redshift as the target. This is the third serendipitous discovery of a z > 4 quasar. The differences in the relative strengths and profiles of the emission lines suggest that this is a quasar pair and not a gravitational lens. The two objects are likely to be physically associated; the projected physical separation is approximately 210 $h_{50}^{-1}$ kpc and the redshifts are identical to $\approx$ 0.01, implying a radial physical separation of 950 $h_{50}^{-1}$ kpc or less. The existence of this pair is strong circumstantial evidence that $z \sim 4$ quasars are clustered.

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arXiv2000

The Discovery of a Luminous z=5.80 Quasar from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present observations of SDSSp J104433.04--012502.2, a luminous quasar at z=5.80 discovered from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) multicolor imaging data. This object was selected as an i'-band dropout object, with i*=21.8 +/- 0.2, z*=19.2 +/- 0.1. It has an absolute magnitude M1450 = -27.2 (H_0 =50 km/s/Mpc, q0 = 0.5). The spectrum shows a strong and broad Ly alpha emission line, strong Ly alpha forest absorption lines with a mean continuum decrement D_A = 0.91, and a Lyman Limit System at z=5.72. The spectrum also shows strong OI and SiIV emission lines similar to those of quasars at z<= 5, suggesting that these metals were produced at redshift beyond six. The lack of a Gunn-Peterson trough in the spectrum indicates that the universe is already highly ionized at z ~ 5.8. Using a high-resolution spectrum in the Ly alpha forest region, we place a conservative upper limit of the optical depth due to the Gunn-Peterson effect of tau < 0.5 in regions of minimum absorption. The Ly alpha forest absorption in this object is much stronger than that in quasars at z<= 5. The object is unresolved in a deep image with excellent seeing, implying that it is unlensed. The black hole mass of this quasar is ~3 x 10^9 M_solar if we assume that it is radiating at the Eddington luminosity and no lensing amplification, implying that it resides in a very massive dark matter halo. The discovery of one quasar at M_1450 < -27 in a survey area of 600 deg^2 is consistent with an extrapolation of the observed luminosity function at lower redshift. The abundance and evolution of such quasars can provide sensitive tests of models of quasar and galaxy formation.

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arXiv2000

Five High-Redshift Quasars Discovered in Commissioning Imaging Data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We report the discovery of five quasars with redshifts of 4.67 - 5.27 and z'-band magnitudes of 19.5-20.7 M_B ~ -27. All were originally selected as distant quasar candidates in optical/near-infrared photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and most were confirmed as probable high-redshift quasars by supplementing the SDSS data with J and K measurements. The quasars possess strong, broad Lyman-alpha emission lines, with the characteristic sharp cutoff on the blue side produced by Lyman-alpha forest absorption. Three quasars contain strong, broad absorption features, and one of them exhibits very strong N V emission. The amount of absorption produced by the Lyman-alpha forest increases toward higher redshift, and that in the z=5.27 object (D_A ~ 0.7) is consistent with a smooth extrapolation of the absorption seen in lower redshift quasars. The high luminosity of these objects relative to most other known objects at z >~ 5 makes them potentially valuable as probes of early quasar properties and of the intervening intergalactic medium.

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arXiv2000

Identification of A-colored Stars and Structure in the Halo of the Milky Way from SDSS Commissioning Data

A sample of 4208 objects with magnitude 15 < g* < 22 and colors of main sequence A stars has been selected from 370 square degrees of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) commissioning observations. The data is from two long, narrow stripes, each with an opening angle of greater than 60 deg, at Galactic latitudes 36 < abs(b) < 63 on the celestial equator. An examination of the sample's distribution shows that these stars trace considerable substructure in the halo. Large overdensities of A-colored stars in the North at (l,b,R) = (350, 50, 46 kpc) and in the South at (157, -58, 33 kpc) and extending over tens of degrees are present in the halo of the Milky Way. Using photometry to separate the stars by surface gravity, both structures are shown to contain a sequence of low surface gravity stars consistent with identification as a blue horizontal branch (BHB). Both structures also contain a population of high surface gravity stars two magnitudes fainter than the BHB stars, consistent with their identification as blue stragglers (BSs). From the numbers of detected BHB stars, lower limits to the implied mass of the structures are 6x10^6 M_sun and 2x10^6 M_sun. The fact that two such large clumps have been detected in a survey of only 1% of the sky indicates that such structures are not uncommon in the halo. Simple spheroidal parameters are fit to a complete sample of the remaining unclumped BHB stars and yield (at r < 40 kpc) a fit to a halo distribution with flattening (c/a = 0.65+/-0.2) and a density falloff exponent of alpha = -3.2+/-0.3.

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arXiv1999

Atomic Carbon in the Envelopes of Carbon-Rich Post-AGB Stars

Atomic carbon has been detected in the envelopes of three carbon-rich evolved stars: HD 44179 (=AFGL 915, the `Red Rectangle'); HD 56126; and, tentatively, the carbon star V Hya. This brings to seven the number of evolved star envelopes in which CI has been detected. Upper limits were found for several other stars, including R CrB. CI was not detected in several oxygen rich post asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars (OH231.8+4.2, for example), although it is detected in their carbon-rich analogues. Two trends are evident in the data. First, circumstellar envelopes with detectable CI are overwhelmingly carbon rich, suggesting that much of the CI is produced by the dissociation of molecules other than CO. Second, the more evolved the envelope away from the AGB, the higher is the CI/CO ratio. The oxygen-rich supergiant star Alpha Ori remains the only oxygen rich star with a wind containing detectable CI. These data suggest an evolutionary sequence for the CI/CO ratio in cool circumstellar envelopes. This ratio is small (a few %) while the star is on the AGB, and the CI is located in the outer envelope and produced by photodissociation. The ratio increases to about 0.5 as the star evolves away from the AGB because of the dissociation of CO and other carbon-bearing molecules by shocks caused by the fast winds which appear at the end of evolution on the AGB. Finally, the ratio becomes >> 1 as the central star becomes hot enough to photodissociate CO.

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arXiv1999

The Light Curve and Evolutionary Status of the Carbon Star V Hya

V Hya, an evolved carbon star with a complex circumstellar envelope, has two variability periods, 530d and 6000d (17 years). We analyze recent light curve data and show that both variations have benn present for at least 100 years and have been regular over this time. The 530d period and its 1.5 - 2 magnitude amplitude show that V Hya is a Mira variable. We suggest that the star is in a binary system (as also suspected from the structure of the circumstellar envelope) and that the 17-year variation is due to extinction by circumstellar dust orbiting with the companion. The properties of the envelope found from molecular line observations: the fast molecular wind, the relatively small size of the dense circumstellar envelope, and the high mass loss rate, all suggest that V Hya has entered its `superwind' phase. However, its spectral type, period, colors, and lack of ionizing radiation show that the star is still on the AGB. These properties add to the evidence that the complex structures of many planetary planetary nebulae, including fast stellar winds, originate during the final phases of mass loss on the AGB.

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arXiv1999

The Circumstellar Envelope of pi Gru

CO(J = 2-1) and SiO(J = 5-4) emission has been observed from the molecular envelope around the nearby S star pi Gru. The CO line profile differs from the usual parabolic shape seen in uniformly expanding envelopes; it has a Voigt-like profile and two horns. A model for line formation in the envelope shows that a tilted, expanding disk reproduces the observations well. The star also has a fast molecular wind, with a projected outflow speed of at least 70 and perhaps as high as 90 km/s. The fast wind is presumably ejected from the poles of the disk. These observations show that the complex structure seen in many planetary nebulae, including quadrupolar structure and fast winds, may largely evolve from structure formed while the progenitor star is in the last stages of evolution on the AGB.

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arXiv1998

Cold Gas and Star Formation in Elliptical Galaxies

Elliptical galaxies outside dense clusters are observed to contain small amounts (relative to spiral galaxies) of cold interstellar gas. This review discusses the atomic gas, the molecular gas, and the dust in elliptical galaxies. Field elliptical galaxies contain about 0.01 to 0.1 of the cold interstellar matter content of spiral galaxies of similar luminosity, and support a low level of star formation. The surface densities of cold gas clouds in the centers of some elliptical galaxies are comparable to those in the densest regions of the Galactic disk. These observations suggest that elliptical galaxies in the field, like spiral galaxies, have a long-lived interstellar medium which evolves with the galaxy. The timescale for star formation, however, appears to be much shorter, leaving these systems with little gas at the present epoch.

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arXiv1998

Stellar Outflows Driven by Radiation Pressure

We present a detailed, self-consistent model of radiatively driven stellar outflows which couples the radiative transfer and hydrodynamics equations. The circumstellar envelope, which consists of gas and dust, is described as a two-component fluid to account for relative drifts. Our results agree with both molecular line observations and infrared continuum spectra, and show that steady-state outflows driven by radiation pressure on dust grains adequately describe the surroundings of the majority of cool luminous evolved stars.

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arXiv1997

Multiple Molecular Winds in Evolved Stars I. A Survey of CO(2-1) and CO(3-2) Emission from 45 Nearby AGB Stars

This paper describes observations of a new phenomenon in evolved mass-losing AGB stars: the presence of two winds with different expansion velocities. CO(2-1) and CO(3-2) line emission was observed for 45 AGB stars at high velocity resolution and double winds found in 20% of the sample. Highly asymmetric lines were found in six other stars. The data tentatively suggest that double winds occur when the star undergoes a change (pulsational mode, chemical composition) and that the very narrow components represent the onset of a new phase of mass loss.

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arXiv1997

Circumstellar shells and mass loss rates: Clues to the evolution of S stars

It is the purpose of this paper to rediscuss the circumstellar properties of S stars and to put these properties in perspective with our current understanding of the evolutionary status of S stars, in particular the intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy. Accordingly, an extensive data set probing the circumstellar environment of S stars (IRAS flux densities, maser emission, CO rotational lines) has been collected and critically evaluated. This data set combines new observations (9 stars have been observed in the CO J=2-1 line and 3 in the CO J=3-2 line, with four new detections) with existing material (all CO and maser observations of S stars published in the literature). The IRAS flux densities of S stars have been re-evaluated by co-adding the individual scans, in order to better handle the intrinsic variability of these stars in the IRAS bands, and possible contamination by Galactic cirrus. Mass loss rates or upper limits have been derived for all S stars observed in the CO rotational lines, and range from < 2 10^{-8} Msun y^{-1} for extrinsic S stars to 10^{-5} Msun y^{-1}. These mass-loss rates correlate well with the K - [12] color index, which probes the dust loss rate, provided that the mass loss rate be larger than 10^{-8} Msun~y^{-1}. Small mass-loss rates are found for extrinsic S stars, consistent with their not being so evolved (RGB or Early-AGB) as the Tc-rich S stars. This result does not support the claim often made in relation with symbiotic stars that binarity strongly enhances the mass-loss rate.

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arXiv1994

Maps of the Molecular Emission Around 18 Evolved Stars

We present maps at $20''$ resolution of the molecular emission around 18 evolved stars (14~asymptotic giant branch stars, one supergiant, two proto-planetary nebulae and one planetary nebula), mostly in the $^{12}$CO(3-2) line. Almost all molecular envelopes appear to be at least marginally resolved at this resolution. A substantial fraction of the molecular envelopes show clear deviations from spherical symmetry in the form of elliptical or bipolar envelopes. This indicates that there is a need to implement non-spherical mass loss in current scenarios of the late stages of stellar evolution, in particular on the asymptotic giant branch.

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