arXiv subjects

K. Butler

Publications and source records attributed to K. Butler.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Statistical equilibrium of silicon in the solar atmosphere

The statistical equilibrium of neutral and ionised silicon in the solar photosphere is investigated. Line formation is discussed and the solar silicon abundance determined. High-resolution solar spectra were used to determine solar $\log gfε_{\rm Si}$ values by comparison with Si line synthesis based on LTE and NLTE level populations. The results will be used in a forthcoming paper for differential abundance analyses of metal-poor stars. A detailed analysis of silicon line spectra leads to setting up realistic model atoms, which are exposed to interactions in plane-parallel solar atmospheric models. The resulting departure coefficients are entered into a line-by-line analysis of the visible and near-infrared solar silicon spectrum. The statistical equilibrium of \ion{Si}{i} turns out to depend marginally on bound-free interaction processes, both radiative and collisional. Bound-bound interaction processes do not play a significant role either, except for hydrogen collisions, which have to be chosen adequately for fitting the cores of the near-infrared lines. Except for some near-infrared lines, the NLTE influence on the abundances is weak. Taking the deviations from LTE in silicon into account, it is possible to calculate the ionisation equilibrium from neutral and ionised lines. The solar abundance based on the experimental $f$-values of Garz corrected for the Becker et al.'s measurement is $7.52 \pm 0.05$. Combined with an extended line sample with selected NIST $f$-values, the solar abundance is $7.52 \pm 0.06$, with a nearly perfect ionisation equilibrium of $Δ\logε_\odot(\ion{Si}{ii}/\ion{Si}{i}) = -0.01$.

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arXiv2008

LMC origin of the hyper-velocity star HE 0437-5439. Beyond the supermassive black hole paradigm

Context: Hyper-velocity stars move so fast that only a supermassive black hole (SMBH) seems to be capable to accelerate them. Hence the Galactic centre (GC) is their only suggested place of origin. Edelmann et al. (2005) found the early B-star HE0437-5439 to be too short-lived to have reached its current position in the Galactic halo if ejected from the GC, except if being a blue straggler. Its proximity to the LMC suggested an origin from this galaxy. Aims: The chemical signatures of stars at the GC are significantly different from those in the LMC. Hence, an accurate measurement of the abundance pattern of HE0437-5439 will yield a new tight constraint on the place of birth of this star. Methods: High-resolution spectra obtained with UVES on the VLT are analysed using state-of-the-art non-LTE modelling techniques. Results: We measured abundances of individual elements to very high accuracy in HE0437-5439 as well as in two reference stars, from the LMC and the solar neighbourhood. The abundance pattern is not consistent at all with that observed in stars near the GC, ruling our an origin from the GC. However, there is a high degree of consistency with the LMC abundance pattern. Our abundance results cannot rule out an origin in the outskirts of the Galactic disk. However, we find the life time of HE0437-5439 to be more than 3 times shorter than the time of flight to the edge of the disk, rendering a Galactic origin unlikely. Conclusions: Only one SMBH is known to be present in Galaxy and none in the LMC. Hence the exclusion of an GC origin challenges the SMBH paradigm. We conclude that there must be other mechanism(s) to accelerate stars to hyper-velocity speed than the SMBH. We draw attention to dynamical ejection from dense massive clusters, that has recently been proposed by Gvaramadze et al. (2008).

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arXiv2007

Extragalactic Stellar Astronomy with Blue Supergiants

The present generation of large telescopes facilitates spectroscopy of blue supergiants in galaxies out to distances beyond the Local Group. Recent developments in NLTE spectrum synthesis techniques allow for an accurate determination of stellar parameters and chemical abundances. Quantitative analyses of blue supergiants in different galactic environments can provide tight observational constraints on: I) the evolution of massive stars over a wide range of metallicities, II) the chemical evolution of different galaxy types, using stars as tracers of abundance gradients, III) the extragalactic distance scale. The current status of the field is summarised.

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arXiv2006

Abundance analysis of prime B-type targets for asteroseismology I. Nitrogen excess in slowly-rotating beta Cephei stars

We present the results of a detailed NLTE abundance study of nine beta Cephei stars, all of them being prime targets for theoretical modelling: gamma Peg, delta Cet, nu Eri, beta CMa, xi1 CMa, V836 Cen, V2052 Oph, beta Cep and DD (12) Lac. The following chemical elements are considered: He, C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, S and Fe. Our abundance analysis is based on a large number of time-resolved, high-resolution optical spectra covering in most cases the entire oscillation cycle of the stars. Nitrogen is found to be enhanced by up to 0.6 dex in four stars, three of which have severe constraints on their equatorial rotational velocity, ΩR, from seismic or line-profile variation studies: beta Cep (ΩR~26 km/s), V2052 Oph (ΩR~56 km/s), delta Cet (ΩR < 28 km/s) and xi1 CMa (ΩR sin i < 10 km/s). The existence of core-processed material at the surface of such largely unevolved, slowly-rotating objects is not predicted by current evolutionary models including rotation. We draw attention to the fact that three stars in this subsample have a detected magnetic field and briefly discuss recent theoretical work pointing to the occurrence of diffusion effects in beta Cephei stars possibly capable of altering the nitrogen surface abundance. On the other hand, the abundances of all the other chemical elements considered are, within the errors, indistinguishable from the values found for OB dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood. Despite the mild nitrogen excess observed in some objects, we thus find no evidence for a significantly higher photospheric metal content in the studied beta Cephei stars compared to non-pulsating B-type stars of similar characteristics.

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arXiv2005

Improved helium line formation for EHe stars

Quantitative analyses of extreme helium stars to date face the difficulty that theory fails to reproduce the observed helium lines in their entirety, wings and line cores. Here, we demonstrate how the issues can be resolved using state-of-the-art non-LTE line formation for these chemically peculiar objects. Two unique B-type objects are discussed in detail, the pulsating variable V652 Her and the metal-poor star HD144941. The improved non-LTE computations for helium show that analyses assuming LTE or based on older non-LTE model atoms can predict equivalent widths, for the HeI 10830A transition in particular, in error by up to a factor ~3. Our modelling approach also succeeds in largely resolving the general mismatch for effective temperatures of EHe stars derived from ionization equilibria and from spectral energy distributions.

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arXiv2005

Extreme helium stars: non-LTE matters Helium and hydrogen spectra of the unique objects V652 Her and HD144941

Quantitative analyses of low-mass hydrogen-deficient (super-)giant stars - so-called extreme helium stars - to date face two major difficulties. First, theory fails to reproduce the observed helium lines in their entirety, wings and line cores. Second, a general mismatch exists for effective temperatures derived from ionization equilibria and from spectral energy distributions. Here, we demonstrate how the issue can be resolved using state-of-the-art non-LTE line-formation for these chemically peculiar objects. Two unique high-gravity B-type objects are discussed in detail, the pulsating variable V652 Her and the metal-poor star HD144941. In the first case atmospheric parameters from published LTE analyses are largely recovered, in the other a systematic offset is found. Hydrogen abundances are systematically smaller than previously reported, by up to a factor ~2. Extreme helium stars turn out to be important testbeds for non-LTE model atoms for helium. Improved non-LTE computations show that analyses assuming LTE or based on older non-LTE model atoms can predict equivalent widths, for the HeI 10830A transition in particular, in error by up to a factor ~3.

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arXiv2005

Quantitative Spectroscopy of BA-type Supergiants

Luminous BA-SGs allow topics ranging from NLTE physics and the evolution of massive stars to the chemical evolution of galaxies and cosmology to be addressed. A hybrid NLTE technique for the quantitative spectroscopy of BA-SGs is discussed. Thorough tests and first applications of the spectrum synthesis method are presented for four bright Galactic objects. Stellar parameters are derived from spectroscopic indicators. The internal accuracy of the method allows the 1sigma-uncertainties to be reduced to <1-2% in Teff and to 0.05-0.10dex in log g. Elemental abundances are determined for over 20 chemical species, with many of the astrophysically most interesting in NLTE. The NLTE computations reduce random errors and remove systematic trends in the analysis. Inappropriate LTE analyses tend to systematically underestimate iron group abundances and overestimate the light and alpha-process element abundances by up to factors of 2-3 on the mean. Contrary to common assumptions, significant NLTE abundance corrections of ~0.3dex can be found even for the weakest lines. NLTE abundance uncertainties amount to typically 0.05-0.10dex (random) and \~0.10dex (systematic 1sigma-errors). Near-solar abundances are derived for the heavier elements, and patterns indicative of mixing with nuclear-processed matter for the light elements. These imply a blue-loop scenario for Eta Leo, while the other three objects appear to have evolved directly from the main sequence. In the most ambitious computations several ten-thousand spectral lines are accounted for, permitting the accurate reproduction of the entire observed spectra from the visual to NIR. This prerequisite for the quantitative interpretation of medium-resolution spectra opens up BA-SGs as versatile tools for extragalactic stellar astronomy beyond the Local Group. (abridged)

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arXiv2004

Up-dated opacities from the Opacity Project

Using the code AUTOSTRUCTURE, extensive calculations of inner-shell atomic data have been made for the chemical elements He, C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe and Ni. The results are used to obtain up-dated opacities from the Opacity Project, OP. A number of other improvements on earlier work have also been included. Rosseland-mean opacities from OP are compared with those from OPAL. Differences of 5 to 10% occur. OP gives the `Z-bump', at log(T)=5.2, to be shifted to slightly higher temperatures. The opacities from OP, as functions of temperature and density, are smoother than those from OPAL. Extensive tests show that the numerical accuracy of the OP opacities following integration over frequency mesh and interpolation on temperature-density mesh is better than 1%. Prior to a number of recent investigations which have indicated a need for a downward revision in the solar abundances of oxygen and other elements, there was good agreement between properties of the sun deduced from helioseismology and from stellar evolution models calculated using OPAL opacities. The revisions in abundances destroy that agreement. In a recent paper Bahcall et al argue that the agreement would be restored if opacities for the regions of the sun between 0.7 and 0.4 solar radii were larger than those given by OPAL by about 10%. In the region concerned, the present results from OP do not differ from those of OPAL by more than 2.5%.

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arXiv2004

A Supergiants

A-type supergiants are primary targets for quantitative spectroscopy of individual stars in nearby galaxies because of their intrinsic brightness. An overview is given on the non-LTE techniques required for their analysis. Applications concentrate on placing observational constraints on evolutionary models for massive stars and their host galaxies by detailed abundance analyses. Results from high-resolution studies of A-type supergiants in Local Group galaxies and from intermediate-resolution multi-object spectroscopy of supergiants far beyond the Local Group are summarised.

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arXiv2002

Non-LTE Abundances of Magnesium, Aluminum and Sulfur in OB Stars Near the Solar Circle

Non-LTE abundances of magnesium, aluminum and sulfur are derived for a sample of 23 low-v \sin i stars belonging to six northern OB associations of the Galactic disk within 1 kpc of the Sun. The abundances are obtained from the fitting of synthetic line profiles to high resolution spectra. A comparison of our results with HII region abundances indicates good agreement for sulfur while the cepheid abundances are higher. The derived abundances of Mg show good overlap with the cepheid results. The aluminum abundances for OB stars are significantly below the cepheid values. But, the OB star results show a dependence with effective temperature and need further investigation. The high Al abundances in the cepheids could be the result of mixing. A discussion of the oxygen abundance in objects near the solar circle suggests that the current mean galactic oxygen abundance in this region is 8.6-8.7 and in agreement with the recently revised oxygen abundance in the solar photosphere. Meaningful comparisons of the absolute S, Al and Mg abundances in OB stars with the Sun must await a reinvestigation of these elements, as well as the meteoritic reference element Si, with 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres for the Sun. No abundance gradients are found within the limited range in galactocentric distances in the present study. Such variations would be expected only if there were large metallicity gradients in the disk.

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arXiv2002

Chemical composition of Galactic OB stars I. CNO abundances in O9 stars

We present NLTE abundances of CNO for a sample of four O9 stars in the Galaxy, together with new determinations of their stellar parameters, $T_{\rm eff}$, $\log g$, $ε$(He) and microturbulence. These new analyses take into account the effect of {\it line--blocking} in the spectral synthesis with our classical NLTE, plane--parallel and hydrostatic model atmospheres. The sample includes three O9 He normal stars: two dwarfs, HD 214680 and HD 34078, and one supergiant, HD 209975, and one fast rotating giant with a preliminary high He overabundance, HD 191423 with $ε$(He)=0.20. We find first that the consideration of microturbulence in the spectral synthesis for the fast rotator leads to a considerably lower He abundance, $ε$(He)=0.12. The CNO abundances of the three He normal stars are in good agreement with the values in the literature for Galactic B dwarfs with no evidence of mixing, and show that they all have the same chemical composition. We also discuss however the possible CNO contamination of the supergiant HD 209975. For the fast rotator we find that the abundances show the trend of the CNO contamination: a N overabundance together with C and O depletion. The N/C and N/O ratios of our stars as a function of their projected rotational velocities are consistent with the predictions of the recent evolutionary models of Meynet & Maeder [Mey&Mae00].

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