arXiv subjects

L. Eyer

Publications and source records attributed to L. Eyer.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Gaia Data Release 1: Catalogue validation

Before the publication of the Gaia Catalogue, the contents of the first data release have undergone multiple dedicated validation tests. These tests aim at analysing in-depth the Catalogue content to detect anomalies, individual problems in specific objects or in overall statistical properties, either to filter them before the public release, or to describe the different caveats of the release for an optimal exploitation of the data. Dedicated methods using either Gaia internal data, external catalogues or models have been developed for the validation processes. They are testing normal stars as well as various populations like open or globular clusters, double stars, variable stars, quasars. Properties of coverage, accuracy and precision of the data are provided by the numerous tests presented here and jointly analysed to assess the data release content. This independent validation confirms the quality of the published data, Gaia DR1 being the most precise all-sky astrometric and photometric catalogue to-date. However, several limitations in terms of completeness, astrometric and photometric quality are identified and described. Figures describing the relevant properties of the release are shown and the testing activities carried out validating the user interfaces are also described. A particular emphasis is made on the statistical use of the data in scientific exploitation.

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arXiv2016

Asteroseismic versus Gaia distances: a first comparison

Context. The Kepler space mission led to a large amount of high-precision time series of solar-like oscillators. Using a Bayesian analysis that combines asteroseismic techniques and additional ground-based observations, the mass, radius, luminosity, and distance of those stars can be estimated with good precision. This has given a new impetus to the research field of galactic archeology. Aims. The first data release of the Gaia space mission contains the TGAS catalog with parallax estimates for more than 2 million stars, including many of the Kepler targets. Our goal is to make a first proper comparison of asteroseismic and astrometric parallaxes of a selection of dwarfs, subgiants, and red giants observed by Kepler for which asteroseismic distances were published. Methods. We compare asteroseismic and astrometric distances of solar-like pulsators using an appropriate statistical errors-in- variables model on a linear as well as on a logarithmic scale. Results. For a sample of 22 dwarf and subgiant solar-like oscillators, the TGAS parallaxes considerably improved the Hipparcos ones, yet the excellent agreement between asteroseismic and astrometric distances still holds. For a sample of 938 Kepler pulsating red giants, the TGAS parallaxes are much more uncertain than the asteroseismic ones, making it worthwhile to validate the former with the latter. From errors-in-variables modelling we find a significant discrepancy between the TGAS parallaxes and the asteroseismic ones. Conclusions. For the sample of dwarfs and subgiants, the comparison between astrometric and asteroseismic parallaxes does not require a revision of the stellar models on the basis of TGAS. For the sample of red giants, we identify possible causes of the discrepancy, which we will likely be able to resolve with the more precise Gaia parallaxes of the upcoming releases.

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arXiv2016

Gaia Data Release 1 - The Cepheid & RR Lyrae star pipeline and its application to the south ecliptic pole region

We present an overview of the Specific Objects Study (SOS) pipeline developed within the Coordination Unit 7 (CU7) of the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC), the coordination unit charged with the processing and analysis of variable sources observed by Gaia, to validate and fully characterise Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars observed by the spacecraft. We describe how the SOS for Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars (SOS Cep&RRL) was specifically tailored to analyse Gaia's G-band photometric time-series with a South Ecliptic Pole (SEP) footprint, which covers an external region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). G-band time-series photometry and characterization by the SOS Cep&RRL pipeline (mean magnitude and pulsation characteristics) are published in Gaia Data Release 1 (Gaia DR1) for a total sample of 3,194 variable stars, 599 Cepheids and 2,595 RR Lyrae stars, of which 386 (43 Cepheids and 343 RR Lyrae stars) are new discoveries by Gaia. All 3,194 stars are distributed over an area extending 38 degrees on either side from a point offset from the centre of the LMC by about 3 degrees to the north and 4 degrees to the east. The vast majority, but not all, are located within the LMC. The published sample also includes a few bright RR Lyrae stars that trace the outer halo of the Milky Way in front of the LMC.

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arXiv2016

Stellar variability in open clusters. II. Discovery of a new period-luminosity relation in a class of fast-rotating pulsating stars in NGC 3766

$Context.$ Pulsating stars are windows to the physics of stars enabling us to see glimpses of their interior. Not all stars pulsate, however. On the main sequence, pulsating stars form an almost continuous sequence in brightness, except for a magnitude range between $δ$ Scuti and slowly pulsating B stars. Against all expectations, 36 periodic variables were discovered in 2013 in this luminosity range in the open cluster NGC 3766, the origins of which was a mystery. $Aims.$ We investigate the properties of those new variability class candidates in relation to their stellar rotation rates and stellar multiplicity. $Methods.$ We took multi-epoch spectra over three consecutive nights using ESO's Very Large Telescope. $Results.$ We find that the majority of the new variability class candidates are fast-rotating pulsators that obey a new period-luminosity relation. We argue that the new relation discovered here has a different physical origin to the period-luminosity relations observed for Cepheids. $Conclusions.$ We anticipate that our discovery will boost the relatively new field of stellar pulsation in fast-rotating stars, will open new doors for asteroseismology, and will potentially offer a new tool to estimate stellar ages or cosmic distances.

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arXiv2016

Vetting Galactic Leavitt Law Calibrators using Radial Velocities: On the Variability, Binarity, and Possible Parallax Error of 19 Long-period Cepheids

We investigate the radial velocity (RV) variability and spectroscopic binarity of 19 Galactic long-period ($P_{\rm{puls}} \gtrsim 10$ d) classical Cepheid variable stars whose trigonometric parallaxes are being measured using the Hubble Space Telescope and Gaia. Our primary objective is to constrain possible parallax error due to undetected orbital motion. Using $>1600$ high-precision RVs measured between 2011 and 2016, we find no indication of orbital motion on $\lesssim 5$ yr timescales for 18 Cepheids and determine upper limits on allowed configurations for a range of input orbital periods. The results constrain the unsigned parallax error due to orbital motion to $< 2 \%$ for 16 stars, and $< 4 \%$ for 18. We improve the orbital solution of the known binary YZ Carinae and show that the astrometric model must take into account orbital motion to avoid significant error ($\sim \pm 100 μ$arcsec). We further investigate long-timescale ($P_{\rm{orb}} > 10$ yr) variations in pulsation-averaged velocity $v_γ$ via a template fitting approach using both new and literature RVs. We discover the spectroscopic binarity of XZ Car and CD Cyg, find first tentative evidence for AQ Car, and reveal KN Cen's orbital signature. Further (mostly tentative) evidence of time-variable $v_γ$ is found for SS CMa, VY Car, SZ Cyg, and X Pup. We briefly discuss considerations regarding a vetting process of Galactic Leavitt law calibrators and show that light contributions by companions are insignificant for most distance scale applications.

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arXiv2015

Investigating Cepheid $\ell$ Carinae's Cycle-to-cycle Variations via Contemporaneous Velocimetry and Interferometry

Baade-Wesselink-type (BW) techniques enable geometric distance measurements of Cepheid variable stars in the Galaxy and the Magellanic clouds. The leading uncertainties involved concern projection factors required to translate observed radial velocities (RVs) to pulsational velocities and recently discovered modulated variability. We carried out an unprecedented observational campaign involving long-baseline interferometry (VLTI/PIONIER) and spectroscopy (Euler/Coralie) to search for modulated variability in the long-period (P $\sim$ 35.5 d) Cepheid Carinae. We determine highly precise angular diameters from squared visibilities and investigate possible differences between two consecutive maximal diameters, $Δ_{\rm{max}} Θ$. We characterize the modulated variability along the line-of-sight using 360 high-precision RVs. Here we report tentative evidence for modulated angular variability and confirm cycle-to-cycle differences of $\ell$ Carinae's RV variability. Two successive maxima yield $Δ_{\rm{max}} Θ$ = 13.1 $\pm$ 0.7 (stat.) μas for uniform disk models and 22.5 $\pm$ 1.4 (stat.) μas (4% of the total angular variation) for limb-darkened models. By comparing new RVs with 2014 RVs we show modulation to vary in strength. Barring confirmation, our results suggest the optical continuum (traced by interferometry) to be differently affected by modulation than gas motions (traced by spectroscopy). This implies a previously unknown time-dependence of projection factors, which can vary by 5% between consecutive cycles of expansion and contraction. Additional interferometric data are required to confirm modulated angular diameter variations. By understanding the origin of modulated variability and monitoring its long-term behavior, we aim to improve the accuracy of BW distances and further the understanding of stellar pulsations.

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arXiv2015

The astrometric Gaia-FUN-SSO observation campaign of 99 942 Apophis

Astrometric observations performed by the Gaia Follow-Up Network for Solar System Objects (Gaia-FUN-SSO) play a key role in ensuring that moving objects first detected by ESA's Gaia mission remain recoverable after their discovery. An observation campaign on the potentially hazardous asteroid (99 942) Apophis was conducted during the asteroid's latest period of visibility, from 12/21/2012 to 5/2/2013, to test the coordination and evaluate the overall performance of the Gaia-FUN-SSO . The 2732 high quality astrometric observations acquired during the Gaia-FUN-SSO campaign were reduced with the Platform for Reduction of Astronomical Images Automatically (PRAIA), using the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalogue 4 (UCAC4) as a reference. The astrometric reduction process and the precision of the newly obtained measurements are discussed. We compare the residuals of astrometric observations that we obtained using this reduction process to data sets that were individually reduced by observers and accepted by the Minor Planet Center. We obtained 2103 previously unpublished astrometric positions and provide these to the scientific community. Using these data we show that our reduction of this astrometric campaign with a reliable stellar catalog substantially improves the quality of the astrometric results. We present evidence that the new data will help to reduce the orbit uncertainty of Apophis during its close approach in 2029. We show that uncertainties due to geolocations of observing stations, as well as rounding of astrometric data can introduce an unnecessary degradation in the quality of the resulting astrometric positions. Finally, we discuss the impact of our campaign reduction on the recovery process of newly discovered asteroids.

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arXiv2015

Total eclipse of the heart: The AM CVn Gaia14aae / ASSASN-14cn

We report the discovery and characterisation of a deeply eclipsing AM CVn-system, Gaia14aae (= ASSASN-14cn). Gaia14aae was identified independently by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN; Shappee et al. 2014) and by the Gaia Science Alerts project, during two separate outbursts. A third outburst is seen in archival Pan-STARRS-1 (PS1; Schlafly et al. 2012; Tonry et al. 2012; Magnier et al. 2013) and ASAS-SN data. Spectroscopy reveals a hot, hydrogen-deficient spectrum with clear double-peaked emission lines, consistent with an accreting double degenerate classification. We use follow-up photometry to constrain the orbital parameters of the system. We find an orbital period of 49.71 min, which places Gaia14aae at the long period extremum of the outbursting AM CVn period distribution. Gaia14aae is dominated by the light from its accreting white dwarf. Assuming an orbital inclination of 90 degrees for the binary system, the contact phases of the white dwarf lead to lower limits of 0.78 M solar and 0.015 M solar on the masses of the accretor and donor respectively and a lower limit on the mass ratio of 0.019. Gaia14aae is only the third eclipsing AM CVn star known, and the first in which the WD is totally eclipsed. Using a helium WD model, we estimate the accretor's effective temperature to be 12900+-200 K. The three out-burst events occurred within 4 months of each other, while no other outburst activity is seen in the previous 8 years of Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS; Drake et al. 2009), Pan-STARRS-1 and ASAS-SN data. This suggests that these events might be rebrightenings of the first outburst rather than individual events.

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arXiv2015

Spectroscopic survey of Kepler stars. I. HERMES/Mercator observations of A- and F-type stars

The Kepler space mission provided near-continuous and high-precision photometry of about 207,000 stars, which can be used for asteroseismology. However, for successful seismic modelling it is equally important to have accurate stellar physical parameters. Therefore, supplementary ground-based data are needed. We report the results of the analysis of high-resolution spectroscopic data of A- and F-type stars from the Kepler field, which were obtained with the HERMES spectrograph on the Mercator telescope. We determined spectral types, atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances for a sample of 117 stars. Hydrogen Balmer, Fe I, and Fe II lines were used to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and microturbulent velocities. We determined chemical abundances and projected rotational velocities using a spectrum synthesis technique. The atmospheric parameters obtained were compared with those from the Kepler Input Catalogue (KIC), confirming that the KIC effective temperatures are underestimated for A stars. Effective temperatures calculated by spectral energy distribution fitting are in good agreement with those determined from the spectral line analysis. The analysed sample comprises stars with approximately solar chemical abundances, as well as chemically peculiar stars of the Am, Ap, and Lambda Boo types. The distribution of the projected rotational velocity, Vsini, is typical for A and F stars and ranges from 8 to about 280 km/s, with a mean of 134 km/s.

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arXiv2014

On the effect of rotation on populations of classical Cepheids I. Predictions at solar metallicity

[Abridged] We aim to improve the understanding of Cepheids from an evolutionary perspective and establish the role of rotation in the Cepheid paradigm. In particular, we are interested in the contribution of rotation to the problem of Cepheid masses, and explore testable predictions of quantities that can be confronted with observations. Evolutionary models including a homogeneous and self-consistent treatment of rotation are studied in detail during the crossings of the classical instability strip (IS). The dependence of several parameters on initial rotation is studied. These parameters include mass, luminosity, temperature, lifetimes, equatorial velocity, surface abundances, and rates of period change. Several key results are obtained: i) mass-luminosity (M-L) relations depend on rotation, particularly during the blue loop phase; ii) luminosity increases between crossings of the IS. Hence, Cepheid M-L relations at fixed initial rotation rate depend on crossing number (faster rotation yields greater luminosity difference between crossings); iii) the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem vanishes when rotation and crossing number are taken into account, without a need for high core overshooting values or enhanced mass loss; iv) rotation creates dispersion around average parameters predicted at fixed mass and metallicity. This is of particular importance for the period-luminosity-relation, for which rotation is a source of intrinsic dispersion; v) enhanced surface abundances do not unambiguously distinguish Cepheids occupying the Hertzsprung gap from ones on blue loops (after dredge-up), since rotational mixing can lead to significantly enhanced Main Sequence (MS) abundances; vi) rotating models predict greater Cepheid ages than non-rotating models due to longer MS lifetimes. Rotation has a significant evolutionary impact on classical Cepheids and should no longer be neglected in their study.

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arXiv2013

On the interpretation of new late B- and early A-type periodic variable stars in NGC 3766

We investigate possible interpretations of the new periodic B- and A-type variable stars discovered in NGC 3766. They lie in the region of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram between slowly pulsating B and delta Sct stars, a region where no pulsation is predicted by standard models of pulsating stars. We show that the two other possible causes of periodic light curve variations, rotational modulation and binarity, cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for all the properties observed in those stars either. The question of their origin is thus currently an open issue.

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arXiv2013

Stellar variability in open clusters. I. A new class of variable stars in NGC 3766

Aims. We analyze the population of periodic variable stars in the open cluster NGC 3766 based on a 7-year multi-band monitoring campaign conducted on the 1.2 m Swiss Euler telescope at La Silla, Chili. Methods. The data reduction, light curve cleaning and period search procedures, combined with the long observation time line, allow us to detect variability amplitudes down to the milli-magnitude level. The variability properties are complemented with the positions in the color-magnitude and color-color diagrams to classify periodic variable stars into distinct variability types. Results. We find a large population (36 stars) of new variable stars between the red edge of slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars and the blue edge of delta Sct stars, a region in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram where no pulsation is predicted to occur based on standard stellar models. The bulk of their periods ranges from 0.1 to 0.7 d, with amplitudes between 1 and 4 mmag for the majority of them. About 20% of stars in that region of the HR diagram are found to be variable, but the number of members of this new group is expected to be higher, with amplitudes below our milli-magnitude detection limit. The properties of this new group of variable stars are summarized, and arguments set forth in favor of a pulsation origin of the variability, with g-modes sustained by stellar rotation. Potential members of this new class of low-amplitude periodic (most probably pulsating) A and late-B variables in the literature are discussed. We additionally identify 16 eclipsing binary, 13 SPB, 14 delta Sct and 12 gamma Dor candidates, as well as 72 fainter periodic variables. All are new discoveries. Conclusions. We encourage to search for the existence of this new class of variables in other young open clusters, especially in those hosting a rich population of Be stars.

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arXiv2013

The Gaia mission

Gaia is a very ambitious mission of the European Space Agency. At the heart of Gaia lie the measurements of the positions, distances, space motions, brightnesses and astrophysical parameters of stars, which represent fundamental pillars of modern astronomical knowledge. We provide a brief description of the Gaia mission with an emphasis on binary stars. In particular, we summarize results of simulations, which estimate the number of binary stars to be processed to several tens of millions. We also report on the catalogue release scenarios. In the current proposal, the first results for binary stars will be available in 2017 (for a launch in 2013).

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arXiv2013

Automated classification of Hipparcos unsolved variables

We present an automated classification of stars exhibiting periodic, non-periodic and irregular light variations. The Hipparcos catalogue of unsolved variables is employed to complement the training set of periodic variables of Dubath et al. with irregular and non-periodic representatives, leading to 3881 sources in total which describe 24 variability types. The attributes employed to characterize light-curve features are selected according to their relevance for classification. Classifier models are produced with random forests and a multistage methodology based on Bayesian networks, achieving overall misclassification rates under 12 per cent. Both classifiers are applied to predict variability types for 6051 Hipparcos variables associated with uncertain or missing types in the literature.

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arXiv2012

Search for high-amplitude Delta Scuti and RR Lyrae stars in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 using principal component analysis

We propose a robust principal component analysis (PCA) framework for the exploitation of multi-band photometric measurements in large surveys. Period search results are improved using the time series of the first principal component due to its optimized signal-to-noise ratio.The presence of correlated excess variations in the multivariate time series enables the detection of weaker variability. Furthermore, the direction of the largest variance differs for certain types of variable stars. This can be used as an efficient attribute for classification. The application of the method to a subsample of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 data yielded 132 high-amplitude Delta Scuti variables. We found also 129 new RR Lyrae variables, complementary to the catalogue of Sesar et al., 2010, extending the halo area mapped by Stripe 82 RR Lyrae stars towards the Galactic bulge. The sample comprises also 25 multiperiodic or Blazhko RR Lyrae stars.

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arXiv2012

From Hipparcos to Gaia

The measurement of the positions, distances, motions and luminosities of stars represents the foundations of modern astronomical knowledge. Launched at the end of the eighties, the ESA Hipparcos satellite was the first space mission dedicated to such measurements. Hipparcos improved position accuracies by a factor of 100 compared to typical ground-based results and provided astrometric and photometric multi-epoch observations of 118,000 stars over the entire sky. The impact of Hipparcos on astrophysics has been extremely valuable and diverse. Building on this important European success, the ESA Gaia cornerstone mission promises an even more impressive advance. Compared to Hipparcos, it will bring a gain of a factor 50 to 100 in position accuracy and of a factor of 10,000 in star number, collecting photometric, spectrophotometric and spectroscopic data for one billion celestial objects. During its 5-year flight, Gaia will measure objects repeatedly, up to a few hundred times, providing an unprecedented database to study the variability of all types of celestial objects. Gaia will bring outstanding contributions, directly or indirectly, to most fields of research in astrophysics, such as the study of our Galaxy and of its stellar constituents, the search for planets outside the solar system.

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arXiv2012

The impact of Gaia and LSST on binary stars and exo-planets

Two upcoming large scale surveys, the ESA Gaia and LSST projects, will bring a new era in astronomy. The number of binary systems that will be observed and detected by these projects is enormous, estimations range from millions for Gaia to several tens of millions for LSST. We review some tools that should be developed and also what can be gained from these missions on the subject of binaries and exoplanets from the astrometry, photometry, radial velocity and their alert systems.

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arXiv2012

Stellar mass and age determinations - I. Grids of stellar models from Z=0.006 to 0.04 and M=0.5 to 3.5 Msun

We present dense grids of stellar models suitable for comparison with observable quantities measured with great precision, such as those derived from binary systems or planet-hosting stars. We computed new Geneva models without rotation at metallicities Z=0.006, 0.01, 0.014, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04 (i.e. [Fe/H] from -0.33 to +0.54) and with mass in small steps from 0.5 to 3.5 Msun. Great care was taken in the procedure for interpolating between tracks in order to compute isochrones. Several properties of our grids are presented as a function of stellar mass and metallicity. Those include surface properties in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, internal properties including mean stellar density, sizes of the convective cores, and global asteroseismic properties. We checked our interpolation procedure and compared interpolated tracks with computed tracks. The deviations are less than 1% in radius and effective temperatures for most of the cases considered. We also checked that the present isochrones provide nice fits to four couples of observed detached binaries and to the observed sequences of the open clusters NGC 3532 and M67. Including atomic diffusion in our models with M<1.1 Msun leads to variations in the surface abundances that should be taken into account when comparing with observational data of stars with measured metallicities. For that purpose, iso-Zsurf lines are computed. These can be requested for download from a dedicated web page together with tracks at masses and metallicities within the limits covered by the grids. The validity of the relations linking Z and FeH is also re-assessed in light of the surface abundance variations in low-mass stars.

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