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Karine Perraut

Publications and source records attributed to Karine Perraut.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Interferometric Survey of Stellar Parameters: Towards homogeneous FGK stars parameters and surface-brightness color relation in the context of PLATO space mission

The estimation of stellar angular diameters can be performed from the surface brightness - color relation (SBCR) and photometry. The SBCR have been considered by the PLATO space mission as an independent empirical alternative for estimating stellar radii of FGK stars. In this context, we have implemented an homogeneous approach not only for calibrating the SBCR for FGK-IV/V stars but, also for determining their fundamental parameters in order to place the stars reliably on the HR diagram and to study their impact on the SBCR. We have performed interferometric observations of 18 quiescent FGK-IV/V stars in the Gaia color range of $3.088 \leq G \leq 5.498$. For the first time, we used 3 different interferometers operating in the $R$, $H$ , and $K$ bands to measure polychromatic limb-darkened angular diameters (LDAD). In parallel, by using public domain spectra we have estimated the stellar parameters ($T_{eff}$, $log g$ and Z) by using the open python tool iSpec. We achieved an average accuracy of 2.3% for the LDAD based on polychromatic observations. However, we have observed that our SBCR does not follow the calibration of the relation between surface brightness and color in Gaia found in the literature. Furthermore, we found that $log g$ and $Z$ have no impact on the SBC relation; given the characteristics of our sample of quiescent stars, it constitutes an ideal set of targets for conducting a new SBCR calibration within the framework of the PLATO space mission. In this context, we reported a SBCR calibration with $\sigma_{RMS} = $ 0.012, 0.009, 0.009 in the $G, G_{BP}$ and $G_{RP}$ Gaia bands, respectively. This article is part of a series of papers reporting the first results obtained using a polychromatic approach to measure LDAD, employing a fully homogeneous methodology for both determining the fundamental parameters of stars and measuring the LDAD, $\theta_{LD}$.

astro-ph.SR

Using VLTI/GRAVITY+ to determine the identity of a third planet candidate in the PDS 70 system

Detections of protoplanets are rare and protoplanetary disk features mischaracterized as planets are common. PDS 70 is one of only two stars known to host multiple confirmed protoplanets, PDS 70 b and c, and repeat detections of a third point-like source in the system suggest the presence of third inner planet. However, previous observations of this third source are insufficient to distinguish whether it is a planet or a concentrated dust clump in Keplerian motion. Our observations with VLTI/GRAVITY+ did not re-detect this point-like source, suggesting that it is, in fact, a dust clump and not a planet. These observations demonstrate how the angular resolving power of VLTI/GRAVITY+ can be used to distinguish between protoplanets and protoplanetary disk features.

astro-ph.EP

First Resolution of Microlensed Images of a Binary-Lens Event

We resolve the multiple images of the binary-lens microlensing event ASASSN-22av using the GRAVITY instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The light curves show weak binary-lens perturbations, complicating the analysis, but the joint modeling with the VLTI data breaks several degeneracies, arriving at a strongly favored solution. Thanks to precise measurements of angular Einstein radius θ_E = 0.724 +/- 0.002 mas and microlens parallax, we determine that the lens system consists of two M dwarfs with masses of M_1 = 0.258 +/- 0.008 M_sun and M_2 = 0.130 +/- 0.007 M_sun, a projected separation of r_\perp = 6.83 +/- 0.31 au and a distance of D_L = 2.29 +/- 0.08 kpc. The successful VLTI observations of ASASSN-22av open up a new path for studying intermediate-separation (i.e., a few astronomical units) stellar-mass binaries, including those containing dark compact objects such as neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes.

astro-ph.SR

Improving constraints on the extended mass distribution in the Galactic Center with stellar orbits

Studying the orbital motion of stars around Sagittarius A* in the Galactic Center provides a unique opportunity to probe the gravitational potential near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Galaxy. Interferometric data obtained with the GRAVITY instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) since 2016 has allowed us to achieve unprecedented precision in tracking the orbits of these stars. GRAVITY data have been key to detecting the in-plane, prograde Schwarzschild precession of the orbit of the star S2, as predicted by General Relativity. By combining astrometric and spectroscopic data from multiple stars, including S2, S29, S38, and S55 - for which we have data around their time of pericenter passage with GRAVITY - we can now strengthen the significance of this detection to an approximately $10 σ$ confidence level. The prograde precession of S2's orbit provides valuable insights into the potential presence of an extended mass distribution surrounding Sagittarius A*, which could consist of a dynamically relaxed stellar cusp comprised of old stars and stellar remnants, along with a possible dark matter spike. Our analysis, based on two plausible density profiles - a power-law and a Plummer profile - constrains the enclosed mass within the orbit of S2 to be consistent with zero, establishing an upper limit of approximately $1200 \, M_\odot$ with a $1 σ$ confidence level. This significantly improves our constraints on the mass distribution in the Galactic Center. Our upper limit is very close to the expected value from numerical simulations for a stellar cusp in the Galactic Center, leaving little room for a significant enhancement of dark matter density near Sagittarius A*.

astro-ph.GA

MINDS. A multi-instrument investigation into the molecule-rich JWST-MIRI spectrum of the DF Tau binary system

Most stars form in multiple systems whose properties can significantly impact circumstellar disk evolution. We investigate the physical and chemical properties of the equal-mass, small separation (~66 mas, ~9 au) DF Tau binary system. Previous observations indicated that only DF Tau A has a circumstellar disk. We present JWST-MIRI MRS observations of DF Tau. The MIRI spectrum shows a forest of H2O lines and emission from CO, C2H2, HCN, CO2, and OH. LTE slab models are used to determine the properties of the gas, and we analyze high angular spatial and spectral resolution data from ALMA, VLTI-GRAVITY, and IRTF-iSHELL to aid in the interpretation of the JWST data. The 1.3 mm ALMA continuum data show two equal-brightness sources of compact (R<3 au) emission, with separations and movement consistent with astrometry from VLTI-GRAVITY and the known orbit. This is interpreted as a robust detection of a disk around DF Tau B, which we suggest may host a small (~1 au) cavity to reconcile all observations. The disk around DF Tau A is expected to be a full disk, and spatially and spectrally resolved dust and gas emission points to hot, close-in (<0.2 au) material. Hot (~500-1000 K) H2O, HCN, and C2H2 emission in the MIRI data likely originate in the DF Tau A disk, while a cold (<200 K) H2O component with an extended emitting area is consistent with an origin from both disks. Despite the very compact outer disks, the inner disk composition and conditions are similar to isolated systems, suggesting that the close binary nature is not a driving factor in setting the inner disk chemistry. However, constraining the geometry of the disks, for instance, via higher resolution ALMA observations, would provide additional insight into the mid-infrared gas emission. JWST observations of spatially resolved binaries will be important for understanding the impact of binarity on inner disk chemistry more generally.

astro-ph.EP

2023 Astrophotonics Roadmap: pathways to realizing multi-functional integrated astrophotonic instruments

Photonics offer numerous functionalities that can be used to realize astrophotonic instruments. The most spectacular example to date is the ESO Gravity instrument at the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Integrated astrophotonic devices stand to offer critical advantages for instrument development, including extreme miniaturization, as well as integration, superior thermal and mechanical stabilization owing to the small footprint, and high replicability offering cost savings. Numerous astrophotonic technologies have been developed to address shortcomings of conventional instruments to date, including for example the development of photonic lanterns, complex aperiodic fiber Bragg gratings, complex beam combiners to enable long baseline interferometry, and laser frequency combs for high precision spectral calibration of spectrometers. Despite these successes, the facility implementation of photonic solutions in astronomical instrumentation is currently limited because of (1) low throughputs from coupling to fibers, coupling fibers to chips, propagation and bend losses, device losses, etc, (2) difficulties with scaling to large channel count devices needed for large bandwidths and high resolutions, and (3) efficient integration of photonics with detectors, to name a few. In this roadmap, we identify 24 areas that need further development. We outline the challenges and advances needed across those areas covering design tools, simulation capabilities, fabrication processes, the need for entirely new components, integration and hybridization and the characterization of devices. To realize these advances the astrophotonics community will have to work cooperatively with industrial partners who have more advanced manufacturing capabilities. With the advances described herein, multi-functional instruments will be realized leading to novel observing capabilities for both ground and space platforms.

astro-ph.IM

Multiplicity of northern bright O-type stars with optical long baseline interferometry

The study of the multiplicity of massive stars gives hints on their formation processes and their evolutionary paths, which are still not fully understood. Large separation binaries (>50 milliseconds of arc, mas) can be probed by adaptive-optics-assisted direct imaging and sparse aperture masking, while close binaries can be resolved by photometry and spectroscopy. However, optical long baseline interferometry is mandatory to establish the multiplicity of Galactic massive stars at the separation gap between 1 and 50 mas. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate the capability of the new interferometric instrument MIRC-X, located at the CHARA Array, to study the multiplicity of O-type stars and therefore probe the full range of separation for more than 120 massive stars (H<7.5 mag). We initiated a pilot survey of bright O-type stars (H<6.5mag) observable with MIRC-X. We observed 29 O-type stars, including two systems in average atmospheric conditions around a magnitude of H=7.5 mag. We systematically reduced the obtained data with the public reduction pipeline of the instrument. We analyzed the reduced data using the dedicated python software CANDID to detect companions. Out of these 29 systems, we resolved 19 companions in 17 different systems with angular separations between ~0.5 and 50 mas. This results in a multiplicity fraction fm=17/29=0.59+/-0.09, and an average number of companions fc=19/29=0.66+/-0.13. Those results are in agreement with the results of the SMASH+ survey in the Southern Hemisphere. Thirteen of these companions have been resolved for the first time, including the companion responsible for the nonthermal emission in Cyg OB2-5 A and the confirmation of the candidate companion of HD 47129 suggested by SMASH+. A large survey on more than 120 northern O-type stars (H<7.5) is possible with MIRC-X and will be fruitful.

astro-ph.SR

The GRAVITY+ Project: Towards All-sky, Faint-Science, High-Contrast Near-Infrared Interferometry at the VLTI

The GRAVITY instrument has been revolutionary for near-infrared interferometry by pushing sensitivity and precision to previously unknown limits. With the upgrade of GRAVITY and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in GRAVITY+, these limits will be pushed even further, with vastly improved sky coverage, as well as faint-science and high-contrast capabilities. This upgrade includes the implementation of wide-field off-axis fringe-tracking, new adaptive optics systems on all Unit Telescopes, and laser guide stars in an upgraded facility. GRAVITY+ will open up the sky to the measurement of black hole masses across cosmic time in hundreds of active galactic nuclei, use the faint stars in the Galactic centre to probe General Relativity, and enable the characterisation of dozens of young exoplanets to study their formation, bearing the promise of another scientific revolution to come at the VLTI.

astro-ph.IM

CHARA/SPICA: a 6-telescope visible instrument for the CHARA Array

With a possible angular resolution down to 0.1-0.2 millisecond of arc using the 330 m baselines and the access to the 600-900 nm spectral domain, the CHARA Array is ideally configured for focusing on precise and accurate fundamental parameters of stars. CHARA/SPICA (Stellar Parameters and Images with a Cophased Array) aims at performing a large survey of stars all over the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This survey will also study the effects of the different kinds of variability and surface structure on the reliability of the extracted fundamental parameters. New surface-brightness-colour relations will be extracted from this survey, for general purposes on distance determination and the characterization of faint stars. SPICA is made of a visible 6T fibered instrument and of a near-infrared fringe sensor. In this paper, we detail the science program and the main characteristics of SPICA-VIS. We present finally the initial performance obtained during the commissioning.

astro-ph.IM

SPICA-FT: The new fringe tracker of the CHARA array

SPICA-FT is part of the CHARA/SPICA instrument which combines a visible 6T fibered instrument (SPICAVIS) with a H-band 6T fringe sensor. SPICA-FT is a pairwise ABCD integrated optics combiner. The chip is installed in the MIRC-X instrument. The MIRC-X spectrograph could be fed either by the classical 6T fibered combiner or by the SPICA-FT integrated optics combiner. SPICA-FT also integrates a dedicated fringe tracking software, called the opd-controller communicating with the main delay line through a dedicated channel. We present the design of the integrated optics chip, its implementation in MIRC-X and the software architecture of the group-delay and phase-delay control loops. The final integrated optics chip and the software have been fully characterized in the laboratory. First on-sky tests of the integrated optics combiner began in 2020. We continue the on-sky tests of the whole system (combiner + software) in Spring and Summer 2022. We present the main results, and we deduce the preliminary performance of SPICA-FT.

astro-ph.IM

Impact of local turbulence on high-order adaptive optics

We present an experiment set to address a standard specification aiming at avoiding local turbulence inside the Coudé train of telescopes. Namely, every optical surface should be kept within a 1.5$^\circ$ range around ambient temperature. Such a specification represents an important concern and constraint when developing optical systems for astronomy. Our aim was to test its criticality in the context of the development of the VLTI/NAOMI and VLTI/GRAVITY+ adaptive optics. This experiment has been conducted using the hardware of the future Corrective Optics (CO) of GRAVITY+. Optical measurements were performed in order to observe the evolution of turbulence in front of a flat mirror for which the surface temperature was controlled in a range of $22^\circ$ above ambient temperature. A time-dependent analysis of the turbulence was led along with a spatial analysis. This experiment shows no influence of temperature on local turbulence. It should be noted however that this result is only applicable to the very specific geometry described in this paper, which is representative of an adaptive optics (AO) system located inside the Coudé train (facing-down mirror heated on its backface).

astro-ph.IM

Progress on the calibration of surface brightness-color relations for early- and late-type stars

Surface brightness-color relations (SBCRs) are used for estimating angular diameters and deriving stellar properties. They are critical to derive extragalactic distances of early-type and late-type eclipsing binaries or, potentially, for extracting planetary parameters of late-type stars hosting planets. Various SBCRs have been implemented so far, but strong discrepancies in terms of precision and accuracy still exist in the literature. We aim to develop a precise SBCR for early-type B and A stars using selection criteria, based on stellar characteristics, and combined with homogeneous interferometric angular diameter measurements. We also improve SBCRs for late-type stars, in particular in the Gaia photometric band. We observed 18 early-type stars with the VEGA interferometric instrument, installed on the CHARA array. We then applied additional criteria on the photometric measurements, together with stellar characteristics diagnostics in order to build the SBCRs. We calibrated a SBCR for subgiant and dwarf early-type stars. The RMS of the relation is $σ_{F_{V_{0}}} = 0.0051\,$mag, leading to an average precision of 2.3% on the estimation of angular diameters, with 3.1% for $V-K < -0.2\,$mag and 1.8% for $V-K > -0.2\,$mag. We found that the conversion between Johnson-$K$ and 2MASS-$K_s$ photometries is a key issue for early-type stars. Following this result, we have revisited our previous SBCRs for late-type stars by calibrating them with either converted Johnson-$K$ or 2MASS-$K_s$ photometries. We also improve the calibration of these SBCRs based on the Gaia photometry. The expected precision on the angular diameter using our SBCRs for late-type stars ranges from 1.0% to 2.7%. By reaching a precision of 2.3% on the estimation of angular diameters for early-type stars, significant progress has been made to determine extragalactic distances using early-type eclipsing binaries.

astro-ph.SR

GRAVITY acquisition camera: characterization results

GRAVITY acquisition camera implements four optical functions to track multiple beams of Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI): a) pupil tracker: a $2 \times 2$ lenslet images four pupil reference lasers mounted on the spiders of telescope secondary mirror; b) field tracker: images science object; c) pupil imager: reimages telescope pupil; d) aberration tracker: images a Shack-Hartmann. The estimation of beam stabilization parameters from the acquisition camera detector image is carried out, for every 0.7 s, with a dedicated data reduction software. The measured parameters are used in: a) alignment of GRAVITY with the VLTI; b) active pupil and field stabilization; c) defocus correction and engineering purposes. The instrument is now successfully operational on-sky in closed loop. The relevant data reduction and on-sky characterization results are reported.

astro-ph.IM

The inner disk of RY Tau: evidence of stellar occultation by the disk atmosphere at the sublimation rim from K-band continuum interferometry

We present models of the inner region of the circumstellar disk of RY Tau which aim to explain our near-infrared ($K$-band: $2.1\,μ$m) interferometric observations while remaining consistent with the optical to near-infrared portions of the spectral energy distribution. Our sub-milliarcsecond resolution CHARA Array observations are supplemented with shorter baseline, archival data from PTI, KI and VLTI/GRAVITY and modeled using an axisymmetric Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. The $K$-band visibilities are well-fit by models incorporating a central star illuminating a disk with an inner edge shaped by dust sublimation at $0.210\pm0.005\,$au, assuming a viewing geometry adopted from millimeter interferometry ($65^{\circ}$ inclined with a disk major axis position angle of $23^{\circ}$). This sublimation radius is consistent with that expected of Silicate grains with a maximum size of $0.36-0.40\,μ$m contributing to the opacity and is an order of magnitude further from the star than the theoretical magnetospheric truncation radius. The visibilities on the longest baselines probed by CHARA indicate that we lack a clear line-of-sight to the stellar photosphere. Instead, our analysis shows that the central star is occulted by the disk surface layers close to the sublimation rim. While we do not see direct evidence of temporal variability in our multi-epoch CHARA observations, we suggest the aperiodic photometric variability of RY~Tau is likely related temporal and/or azimuthal variations in the structure of the disk surface layers.

astro-ph.SR

Scalar field effects on the orbit of S2 star

Precise measurements of the S-stars orbiting SgrA* have set strong constraints on the nature of the compact object at the centre of the Milky Way. The presence of a black hole in that region is well established, but its neighboring environment is still an open debate. In that respect, the existence of dark matter in that central region may be detectable due to its strong signatures on the orbits of stars: the main effect is a Newtonian precession which will affect the overall pericentre shift of S2, the latter being a target measurement of the GRAVITY instrument. The exact nature of this dark matter (e.g., stellar dark remnants or diffuse dark matter) is unknown. This article assumes it to be an scalar field of toroidal distribution, associated with ultra-light dark matter particles, surrounding the Kerr black hole. Such a field is a form of "hair" expected in the context of superradiance, a mechanism that extracts rotational energy from the black hole. Orbital signatures for the S2 star are computed and shown to be detectable by GRAVITY. The scalar field can be constrained because the variation of orbital elements depends both on the relative mass of the scalar field to the black hole and on the field mass coupling parameter.

astro-ph.GA

Super-Keplerian Equatorial Outflows in SS 433. Centrifugal Ejection of the Circumbinary Disk

The microquasar SS 433 is the only known steady supercritical accretor in the Galaxy. It is well-known for its relativistic baryonic jets, but the system also drives equatorial outflows. These have been routinely detected in radio images, and components associated with a circumbinary disk have also been suggested in optical emission lines. We wish to spatially resolve the regions producing the stationary emission lines of SS 433 to shed light on its circumbinary structure and outflows. With an estimated binary orbit size $\lesssim 0.1 \text{ mas}$, this requires optical interferometry. We use the optical interferometer VLTI+GRAVITY to spatially resolve SS 433 in the near-infrared K band at high spectral resolution ($R\approx 4000$) on three nights in July 2017. The stationary Br$γ$ line is clearly dominated by an extended $\sim 1 \text{ mas} \sim 5 \text{ AU}$ circumbinary structure perpendicular to the jets and with a strong rotation component. The rotation direction is retrograde relative to the jet precession, in accordance with the slaved disk precession model. The structure has a very high specific angular momentum and is too extended to be a stable circumbinary disk in Keplerian rotation; interpreting it as such leads to a very high enclosed mass $M \gtrsim 400 M_{\odot}$. We instead interpret it as the centrifugal ejection of the circumbinary disk, with the implication that there must be an efficient transfer of specific angular momentum from the binary to the disk. We suggest that the equatorial outflows sometimes seen in radio images result from similar episodes of circumbinary disk centrifugal ejection. In addition to the equatorial structure, we find a very extended $\sim 6 \text{ mas} \sim 30 \text{ AU}$ spherical wind component to the Br$γ$ line: the entire binary is engulfed in an optically thin spherical line emission envelope.

astro-ph.SR

The Collimated Radiation in SS 433. Constraints from Spatially Resolved Optical Jets and $\texttt{Cloudy}$ Modeling of the Optical Bullets

The microquasar SS 433 is well-known for its precessing, relativistic baryonic jets. Depending on their heating mechanism, the optical jet bullets may serve as a probe of the collimated radiation coming from the inner region close to the compact object. The optical interferometer VLTI/GRAVITY has allowed to spatially resolved the optical jets in SS 433 for the first time. We present here the second such observation taken over three nights in July 2017. In addition, we use the multi-wavelength XSHOOTER spectrograph at VLT to study the optical bullets in SS 433 in detail. GRAVITY reveals elongated exponential-like spatial profiles for the optical jets, suggestive of a heating mechanism acting throughout a long portion of the jet and naturally explained by photoionization by the collimated radiation. We also spatially resolve the movement of the optical bullets for the first time, detecting extended jet components corresponding to previous ejections. \texttt{Cloudy} photoionization models explain both the spatial intensity profiles measured with GRAVITY and the line ratios from XSHOOTER, and constrain the properties of the optical bullets and the ionizing radiation. We find that the latter must peak in the UV with an isotropic luminosity (as inferred by a face on observer) $\approx 10^{41}$ erg/s. Provided that the X-ray SED is sufficiently hard, the collimated X-ray luminosity could still be high enough so that the face on observer would see SS 433 as an ULX ($L_X \lesssim 10^{40}$ erg/s) and it would still be compatible with the H/He/He+ ionization balance of the optical bullets. The kinetic power in the optical jets is constrained to $3-20 \times 10^{38}$ erg/s, and the extinction in the optical jets to $A_V = 6.7 \pm 0.1$. We suggest there may be substantial $A_V \gtrsim 1$ and structured circumstellar extinction in SS 433, likely arising from dust formed in equatorial outflows.

astro-ph.HE

Perspectives of a visible instrument on the VLTI

In this paper we present the most promising science cases for a new generation visible instrument on the VLTI and the conceptual idea for the instrumental configuration. We also present a statistical study of the potential targets that may be accessible for the different classes of objects and for the required spectral resolutions.

astro-ph.IM