arXiv subjects

Noriyuki Matsunaga

Publications and source records attributed to Noriyuki Matsunaga.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

GREX-PLUS Science Book v2

GREX-PLUS (Galaxy Reionization EXplorer and PLanetary Universe Spectrometer) is a mission candidate for a JAXA strategic L-class mission to be launched in the 2030s. Its primary science goals are two-fold: galaxy formation and evolution, and planetary system formation and evolution. The GREX-PLUS spacecraft will carry a telescope with a 1 m primary mirror aperture cooled down to 50 K. The two science instruments will be onboard: a wide-field camera in the 2--8 $μ$m wavelength band and a high-resolution spectrometer with a wavelength resolution of 30,000 in the 10--18 $μ$m band. The GREX-PLUS wide-field camera aims to detect the first generation of galaxies at redshift $z>15$. The GREX-PLUS high-resolution spectrometer aims to identify the location of the water ``snowline'' in protoplanetary disks. Both instruments will provide unique datasets for a broad range of scientific topics, including galaxy mass assembly, the origin of supermassive blackholes, infrared background radiation, molecular spectroscopy in the interstellar medium, transit spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres, planetary atmospheres in the Solar System, and so on. This document is the second version of a collection of scientific themes that can be achieved with GREX-PLUS. Each section in Chapters~2 and 3 is based on presentations at several GREX-PLUS Science Workshops.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

CHASE Spectral Survey I: Measuring Contamination in the Color-selected J-region Asymptotic Giant Branch Distance Indicator

The J-region asymptotic giant branch (JAGB) method for distance measurements uses the near uniform luminosity of carbon-rich AGB stars as a standard candle. Its application rests on an assumed but rarely examined premise: the stars contained in the JAGB color-magnitude selection box are primarily carbon-rich AGB stars. We investigate the purity of the photometric selection in the Milky Way with an optical spectroscopic survey (~3590-7150 $\mathring{A}$) called CHASE (Carbon stars, Hubble tension, And Spectroscopic Exploration of JAGB populations) using the Shane 3 m telescope at Lick Observatory. These stars are classified using molecular bandhead step indices, which recover 100% of known classifications. We report the observations of 76 stars (54 within the standard JAGB selection box of 1.5 < J - K < 2.0 mag) and find only 13 of 54 stars are carbon-rich, a 76$\pm$6 oxygen-rich contamination under blind photometric selection. This contamination remains high (71%) even within $\pm$0.4 mag of the JAGB peak itself, showing it is not confined to the edges of the selection box. This inhomogeneity may explain why recent literature find field-to-field and methodological variations of 0.1-0.2 mag that now dominate its systematic error budget. These variations could be caused, in part, by inhomogeneous stellar populations that consist of differing spectral types, and hence differing mean magnitudes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

High-Precision Near-Infrared Abundances of Solar Analogs in the YJ Bands

We present a near-infrared abundance analysis of 46 solar analogs with known ages, observed with the WINERED WIDE-mode spectrograph at a resolution of $λ/Δλ= 28,000$. Using an empirically calibrated, line-by-line approach in the $YJ$ bands (0.976--1.089 and 1.182--1.319~{$μ$}m), we derive abundances for 16 elements. Despite the intrinsic weakness of near-infrared phosphorus diagnostics, the combination of five P\,{\sc i} lines yields a typical uncertainty half-width of $\sim$0.04~dex, providing an estimate of the internal precision over the solar-analog sample. For other elements, the internal precision ranges from $\sim$0.01~dex for Fe and Si to over 0.05--0.14~dex for elements with only a couple of lines available. The resulting per-object abundances for various elements are consistent with previous measurements using high-precision optical spectra with residuals of 0.03--0.2~dex depending on the element. The inferred age--[X/Fe] relations reproduce known trends for the thin disk, while extending them to elements difficult to access in the optical, including P and K. We find the slope of the age--[P/Fe] relation is steeper than that for $α$ elements, which provides an empirical constraint for future modeling of Galactic phosphorus evolution. In addition, we publish a high signal-to-noise (S/N 500--1000) reference spectrum constructed by combining solar-analog spectra, together with the spectra of individual stars, and an empirically calibrated line list with per-line zero-point corrections, for future near-infrared spectroscopic studies.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Kinematical and dynamical properties of recently discovered bulge and disc star clusters with WINERED

Context. Galactic globular clusters are a very important tool in explaining the characteristics of the Milky Way. Therefore it is essential to determine the kinematical and dynamical properties of the new star cluster candidates, especially at the low-latitude regions that suffer from heavy extinction and crowding. Aims. In this work, we report the first spectroscopic analysis for seven recently identified star cluster candidates: CWNU 4193, FSR 1700, Garro 02, Patchick 98, FSR 1767, Mercer 08, and BH 140. Our aim is to determine the kinematical properties, such as the mean cluster radial velocity, and the dynamical properties, such as the orbital parameters and the global dynamical mass, of these clusters in order to spectroscopically confirm the nature of these seven stellar systems. Methods. We collected the high-resolution infrared spectra of 33 candidate members of these clusters using the WINERED spectrograph mounted on the Magellan Clay 6.5 m telescope. Using the WINERED spectra, we measured the radial velocity of each individual star to confirm its membership in the clusters. From the confirmed members, we derived the mean cluster radial velocity of each cluster. In addition, for these clusters, we computed the orbital elements using the GravPot16 model and estimated their global dynamical masses based on the virial theorem. Results. As a result, we confirmed enough member stars (from three to seven stars per cluster) to reliably derive the mean cluster radial velocity and compute the orbital parameters of the clusters CWNU 4193, FSR 1700, Garro 02, and BH 140. For clusters CWNU 4193, FSR 1700, and BH 140, the number of confirmed members also allowed us to estimate their global dynamical masses. Therefore, we successfully derived key kinematical and dynamical properties for four of the most obscured star clusters in the Milky Way.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Classical Cepheids in the Galactic thin disk I. Abundance gradients via non-local thermodynamic equilibrium spectral analysis

Classical Cepheids (CCs) have long been considered excellent tracers of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way's young disk. We present a homogeneous, NLTE spectroscopic analysis of 401 Galactic CCs, based on 1,351 high-resolution optical spectra, spanning Galactocentric distances from 4.6 to 29.3 kpc. Using PySME with MARCS atmospheres and state-of-the-art grids of NLTE departure coefficients, we derive atmospheric parameters and abundances for key species tracing multiple nucleosynthetic channels. Our sample-the largest CC NLTE dataset to date-achieves high internal precision and enables robust modeling of present-day thin-disk abundance patterns and radial gradients. We estimate abundance gradients using three analytic prescriptions (linear, logarithmic, bilinear with a break) within a Bayesian, outlier-robust framework, and we also apply Gaussian Process Regression to capture non-parametric variations. We find that NLTE atmospheric parameters differ systematically from LTE determinations. Moreover, iron and most elemental abundance profiles are better described by non-linear behavior rather than by single-slope linear models: logarithmic fits generally outperform simple linear models, while bilinear fits yield inconsistent break radii across elements. Gaussian Process models reveal a consistent outer-disk flattening of [X/H] for nearly all studied elements. The [X/Fe] ratios are largely flat with Galactocentric radius, indicating coherent chemical scaling with iron across the thin disk, with modest positive offsets for Na and Al and mild declines for Mn and Cu. Comparison with recent literature shows overall agreement but highlights NLTE-driven differences, especially in outer-disk abundances. These results provide tighter empirical constraints for chemo-dynamical models of the Milky Way and set the stage for future NLTE mapping with upcoming large spectroscopic surveys.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

The Prime Focus Infrared Microlensing Experiment (PRIME): First Results

We present the description of the instruments and the first results of the PRime-focus Infrared Microlensing Experiment (PRIME). PRIME is the first dedicated near-infrared (NIR) microlensing survey telescope located at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Sutherland, South Africa. Among its class, it offers one of the widest fields of view in the NIR regime. PRIME's main goals are (1) To study planetary formation by measuring the frequency and mass function of planets. In particular, we compare results from the central Galactic bulge (GB), accessible only in the NIR by PRIME, with those from the outer GB by optical surveys. (2) To conduct concurrent observations with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space telescope. Due to the different lines of sight between the ground and space, we detect slight variations in light curves, known as ``Space-based parallax." This effect allows us to measure the mass of lens systems and their distance from the Earth. It is the only method to measure the mass of the free-floating planets down to Earth-mass. We began the GB survey in February 2024 and analyzed images through June 1, 2025, identifying 486 microlensing candidates and over a thousand variable stars, including Mira variables, which are useful to study the Galactic structure. We issue real-time alerts for follow-up observations, supporting exoplanet searches, and the chemical evolution studies in the GB. During the off-bulge season, we conduct an all-sky grid survey and Target of Opportunity (ToO) observations of transients, including gravitational wave events, gamma-ray bursts, and other science.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Stellar population astrophysics (SPA) with the TNG. The Phosphorus abundance on the young side of MilkyWay

We present phosphorus abundance measurements for a total of 102 giant stars, including 82 stars in 24 open clusters and 20 Cepheids, based on high-resolution near-infrared spectra obtained with GIANO-B. Evolution of phosphorus abundance, despite its astrophysical and biological significance, remains poorly understood due to a scarcity of observational data. By combining precise stellar parameters from the optical, a robust line selection and measurement method, we measure phosphorus abundances using available P I lines. Our analysis confirms a declining trend in [P/Fe] with increasing [Fe/H] around solar metallicity for clusters and Cepheids, consistent with previous studies. We also report a [P/Fe]-age relation among open clusters older than 1 Gyr, indicating a time-dependent enrichment pattern. Such pattern can be explained by the different stellar formation history of their parental gas, with more efficient stellar formation in the gas of older clusters (thus with higher phosphorus abundances). [P/Fe] shows a flat trend among cepheids and clusters younger than 1 Gyr (along with three Cepheids inside open clusters), possibly hinting at the phosphorus contribution from the previous-generation low-mass stars. Such trend suggests that the young clusters share a nearly common chemical history, with a mild increase in phosphorus production by low-mass stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Absolute Calibration of Cluster Mira Variables to Provide a New Anchor for the Hubble Constant Determination

Mira variables in globular clusters can provide an accurate and precise absolute calibration of their period-luminosity relations (PLRs) to independently anchor the cosmic distance scale and determine the Hubble constant. We present homogeneous near-infrared ($JHK_s$) time-series photometric observations of a sample of 55 candidate long-period variables in 18 globular clusters covering a wide metallicity range ($-1.7 < \textrm{[Fe/H]} < -0.1$ dex). The Gaia proper motions, long-period variability information, and optical-infrared colors are used to identify 41 oxygen-rich Miras as members of the globular clusters. Mean luminosities of Miras in the $JHK_s$ bands are independently calibrated using the recommended distances and mean parallaxes to their host clusters. Cluster Mira PLRs exhibit scatter comparable to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) variables and do not show any dependence on iron abundance for a wide range of metallicities. We establish the accuracy of cluster Miras as independent anchors by determining a distance modulus to the LMC, $18.45 \pm 0.04$ mag, in agreement with the 1.2\% precise geometric distance. Our $H$-band photometry is transformed to derive Hubble Space Telescope F160W PLR for cluster Miras providing a three-anchor baseline with the LMC and NGC 4258. We employ three-anchor solution to determine distances to two type Ia supernovae host galaxies, NGC 1559 ($31.39\pm0.05$ mag) and M101 ($29.07\pm0.04$ mag), and provide a $3.7\%$ measurement of the Hubble constant, $H_0 = 73.06\pm 2.67$ km~s$^{-1}$~Mpc$^{-1}$. Similar to Cepheids, our independent baseline solution results in a local $H_0$ determination that is systematically larger than its inference from the early universe probes, further supporting the ongoing Hubble tension.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Assessing robustness and bias in 1D retrievals of 3D Global Circulation Models at high spectral resolution: a WASP-76 b simulation case study in emission

High-resolution spectroscopy (HRS) of exoplanet atmospheres has successfully detected many chemical species and is quickly moving toward detailed characterization of the chemical abundances and dynamics. HRS is highly sensitive to the line shape and position, thus, it can detect three-dimensional (3D) effects such as winds, rotation, and spatial variation of atmospheric conditions. At the same time, retrieval frameworks are increasingly deployed to constrain chemical abundances, pressure-temperature (P-T) structures, orbital parameters, and rotational broadening. To explore the multidimensional parameter space, they need computationally fast models that are consequently mostly one-dimensional (1D). However, this approach risks introducing interpretation bias since the planet's true nature is 3D. We investigate the robustness of this methodology at high spectral resolution by running 1D retrievals on simulated observations in emission within an observational framework using 3D Global Circulation Models of the quintessential HJ WASP-76 b. We find that the retrieval broadly recovers conditions present in the atmosphere, but that the retrieved P-T and chemical profiles are not a homogeneous average of all spatial and phase-dependent information. Instead, they are most sensitive to spatial regions with large thermal gradients, which do not necessarily coincide with the strongest emitting regions. Our results further suggest that the choice of parameterization for the P-T and chemical profiles, as well as Doppler offsets among opacity sources, impact retrieval results. These factors should be carefully considered in future retrieval analyses.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Discovery of WINERED-HVS1: A metal-rich hyper-velocity star candidate ejected from the Galactic center

We report the discovery of a metal-rich red giant star, WINERED-HVS1, which is a candidate for a hyper-velocity star (HVS). Its past trajectory suggests that this star may have been ejected by the Galactic supermassive black hole (SMBH; Sgr A*), with a modest ejection velocity of at least $500\; \mathrm{km\;s^{-1}}$. Since WINERED-HVS1 is gravitationally bound to the Milky Way and is not necessarily young, it is not an unambiguous HVS candidate from a kinematic perspective, unlike the previously confirmed A-type main-sequence HVS known as S5-HVS1. Therefore, the chemical characterization of this star is essential for understanding its origin. Through a spectroscopic follow-up observation with Magellan/WINERED, we determined its metallicity $\mathrm{[Fe/H]}=-0.147^{+0.046}_{-0.045}$, as well as the abundances for Na, Mg, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Ni, and Sr. The high metallicity value suggests that this star was ejected from the Galactic center and is unlikely to be a halo star with a radial orbit. The abundance pattern of this star -- including the pattern of [$α$/Fe], [Mg/Fe], [Si/Mg], and [Ca/Mg] -- is consistent with that of the nuclear star cluster surrounding the SMBH, further supporting our view. This discovery opens a new window to look through the Galactic center environment without the hindrance of dust extinction, by using the HVSs moving in the halo region where dust extinction is minimal.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

The dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822. II. Young, intermediate and old stellar populations: comparison between theory and observations

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the stellar content in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822 by comparing stellar evolution models and observations in color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and color-color diagrams (CC-Ds). Our analysis is based on optical ground-based g,r,i photometry, and deep archive HST photometry of two fields in the galaxy disk. We compared young, intermediate-age, and old stellar populations with isochrones from the BaSTI-IAC library and found that NGC 6822 hosts a quite metal-rich ([Fe/H] = -0.7 to -0.4) young component with an age ranging from 20 to 100 Myr. The intermediate-age population experienced a modest chemical enrichment between 4 and 8 Gyr ago while stars older than 11 Gyr have a low metal abundance ([Fe/H] ~ -1.70). We also identified the AGB clump population with a luminosity peak at i ~ 23.35 mag. Our analysis of both the CMD and the optical-NIR-MIR CC-Ds of AGB oxygen- and carbon-rich stars, using the PARSEC+COLIBRI isochrones with and without circumstellar dust, reveal that this stellar component exhibits a spread in age from 1 to 2 Gyr and in metallicity between [Fe/H]=-1.30 and -1.70. The stellar models we used reproduce very well the two distinct color sequences defined by AGB O- and C-rich stars in the various optical-NIR-MIR CC-Ds, suggesting that they are reliable diagnostics to identify and characterise intermediate-age stellar populations. However, we also find that evolutionary prescriptions in the optical i-(r-i) CMDs predict, at fixed color, systematically lower luminosities than observed AGB stars.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

First Result for Dark Matter Search by WINERED

The identity of dark matter has been a mystery in astronomy, cosmology, and particle theory for about a century. Bessho, Ikeda, and Yin (2022), three of the current authors, proposed using the state-of-the-art infrared spectrographs, including WINERED at $6.5$m Magellan Clay telescope and NIRSpec at James Webb Space Telescope, as efficient detectors for the indirect detection of dark matter with the mass around eV by measuring the line photons from the dark matter two body decays. Applying this concept, we have performed spectrographic observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) Leo V and Tucana II using WINERED by utilizing an object-sky-object nodding observation technique for background subtraction. We present the first result from this dark matter search. Employing zero consistent flux data after the sky subtraction, we have established one of the most stringent limits to date on dark matter decaying into line photons in the mass range of $1.8-2.7\,$eV. Our data can also be applied to constrain other spectra of photons from the dSphs.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

MAGIS (Measuring Abundances of red super Giants with Infrared Spectroscopy) project I. Establishment of an abundance analysis procedure for red supergiants and its evaluation with nearby stars

[Abbreviated] Context. Given their high luminosities (L>~10^4Lsun), red supergiants (RSGs) are good tracers of the chemical abundances of the young stellar population in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. However, previous abundance analyses tailored to RSGs suffer some systematic uncertainties originating in, most notably, the synthesized molecular spectral lines for RSGs. Aims. We establish a new abundance analysis procedure for RSGs that circumvents difficulties faced in previous works, and test the procedure with ten nearby RSGs observed with the near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph WINERED (0.97--1.32 micron, R=28,000). Results. We determined the [X/Fe] of ten elements (Na I, Mg I, Al I, Si I, K I, Ca I, Ti I, Cr I, Ni I, and Y II). We estimated the relative precision in the derived abundances to be 0.04--0.12 dex for elements with more than two lines analyzed (e.g., Fe I and Mg I) and up to 0.18 dex for the other elements (e.g., Y II). We compared the resultant abundances of RSGs with the well-established abundances of another type of young star, namely the Cepheids, in order to evaluate the potential systematic bias in our abundance measurements, assuming that the young stars (i.e., both RSGs and Cepheids) in the solar neighborhood have common chemical abundances. We find that the determined RSG abundances are highly consistent with those of Cepheids within <~0.1 dex for some elements (notably [Fe/H] and [Mg/Fe]), which means the bias in the abundance determination for these elements is likely to be small. In contrast, the consistency is worse for some other elements (e.g., [Si/Fe] and [Y/Fe]). Nevertheless, the dispersion of the chemical abundances among our target RSGs is comparable with the individual statistical errors on the abundances. Hence, the procedure is likely to be useful to evaluate the relative difference in chemical abundances among RSGs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

The elderly among the oldest: new evidence for extremely metal-poor RR Lyrae stars

We performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of three extremely metal-poor RR Lyrae stars, exploring uncharted territories at these low metallicities for this class of stars. Using high-resolution spectra acquired with HARPS-N at TNG, UVES at VLT, and PEPSI at LBT, and employing Non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (NLTE) spectral synthesis calculations, we provide abundance measurements for Fe, Al, Mg, Ca, Ti, Mn, and Sr. Our findings indicate that the stars have metallicities of [Fe/H] = -3.40 \pm 0.05, -3.28 \pm 0.02, and -2.77 \pm 0.05 for HD 331986, DO Hya, and BPS CS 30317-056, respectively. Additionally, we derived their kinematic and dynamical properties to gain insights into their origins. Interestingly, the kinematics of one star (HD 331986) is consistent with the Galactic disc, while the others exhibit Galactic halo kinematics, albeit with distinct chemical signatures. We compared the [Al/Fe] and [Mg/Mn] ratios of the current targets with recent literature estimates to determine whether these stars were either accreted or formed in situ, finding that the adopted chemical diagnostics are ineffective at low metallicities ([Fe/H] $\lesssim -$1.5). Finally, the established horizontal branch evolutionary models, indicating that these stars arrive at hotter temperatures on the Zero-Age Horizontal Branch (ZAHB) and then transition into RR Lyrae stars as they evolve, fully support the existence of such low-metallicity RR Lyrae stars. As a consequence, we can anticipate detecting more of them when larger samples of spectra become available from upcoming extensive observational campaigns.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Clues to growth and disruption of two neighbouring spiral arms of the Milky Way

Studying the nature of spiral arms is essential for understanding the formation of the intricate disc structure of the Milky Way. The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has provided revolutionary observational data that have uncovered detailed kinematical features of stars in the Milky Way. However, so far the nature of spiral arms continues to remain a mystery. Here we present that the stellar kinematics traced by the classical Cepheids around the Perseus and Outer spiral arms in the Milky Way shows strikingly different kinematical properties from each other: the radial and azimuthal velocities of Cepheids with respect to the Galactic centre show positive and negative correlations in the Perseus and Outer arms, respectively. We also found that the dynamic spiral arms commonly seen in an N-body/hydrodynamics simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy can naturally explain the observed kinematic trends. Furthermore, a comparison with such a simulation suggests that the Perseus arm is being disrupted while the Outer arm is growing. Our findings suggest that two neighbouring spiral arms in distinct evolutionary phases - growing and disrupting phases - coexist in the Milky Way.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The GALAH survey: Tracing the Milky Way's formation and evolution through RR Lyrae stars

Stellar mergers and accretion events have been crucial in shaping the evolution of the Milky Way (MW). These events have been dynamically identified and chemically characterised using red giants and main-sequence stars. RR Lyrae (RRL) variables can play a crucial role in tracing the early formation of the MW since they are ubiquitous, old (t$\ge$10 Gyr) low-mass stars and accurate distance indicators. We exploited Data Release 3 of the GALAH survey to identify 78 field RRLs suitable for chemical analysis. Using synthetic spectra calculations, we determined atmospheric parameters and abundances of Fe, Mg, Ca, Y, and Ba. Most of our stars exhibit halo-like chemical compositions, with an iron peak around [Fe/H]$\approx -$1.40, and enhanced Ca and Mg content. Notably, we discovered a metal-rich tail, with [Fe/H] values ranging from $-$1 to approximately solar metallicity. This sub-group includes almost ~1/4 of the sample, it is characterised by thin disc kinematics and displays sub-solar $α$-element abundances, marginally consistent with the majority of the MW stars. Surprisingly, they differ distinctly from typical MW disc stars in terms of the s-process elements Y and Ba. We took advantage of similar data available in the literature and built a total sample of 535 field RRLs for which we estimated kinematical and dynamical properties. We found that metal-rich RRLs (1/3 of the sample) likely represent an old component of the MW thin disc. We also detected RRLs with retrograde orbits and provided preliminary associations with the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, Helmi, Sequoia, Sagittarius, and Thamnos stellar streams.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Stellar population astrophysics (SPA) with the TNG: Measurement of the He I 10830Å line in the open cluster Stock 2

The precise measurement of stellar abundances plays a pivotal role in providing constraints on the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. However, before spectral lines can be employed as reliable abundance indicators, particularly for challenging elements such as helium, they must undergo thorough scrutiny. Galactic open clusters, representing well-defined single stellar populations, offer an ideal setting for unfolding the information stored in the helium spectral line feature. In this study, we characterize the profile and strength of the helium transition at around 10830Å (He 10830) in nine giant stars in the Galactic open cluster Stock 2. To remove the influence of weak blending lines near the helium feature, we calibrated their oscillator strengths ($\log gf$) by employing corresponding abundances obtained from simultaneously observed optical spectra. Our observations reveal that He 10830 in all the targets is observed in absorption, with line strengths categorized into two groups. Three stars exhibit strong absorption, including a discernible secondary component, while the remaining stars exhibit weaker absorption. The lines are in symmetry and align with or around their rest wavelengths, suggesting a stable upper chromosphere without a significant systematic mass motion. We found a correlation between He 10830 strength and Ca II $\log{R'_\mathrm{HK}}$ index, with a slope similar to that reported in previous studies on dwarf stars. This correlation underscores the necessity of accounting for stellar chromosphere structure when employing He 10830 as a probe for stellar helium abundance. The procedure of measuring the He 10830 we developed in this study is applicable not only to other Galactic open clusters but also to field stars, with the aim of mapping helium abundance across various types of stars in the future.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

[N I] 10400/10410 Å Lines as Possible Disk Wind Tracers in a Young Intermediate-Mass Star

In this study, we performed high-resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy (R = 28,000; $λ = 0.90$-1.35 $μ$m) with a high signal-to-noise ratio on HD 200775, a very young (${\sim}$0.1 Myr old) and massive intermediate-mass star (a binary star with a mass of about 10 $M_{\odot}$ each) with a protoplanetary disk. The obtained spectra show eight forbidden lines of three elements: two of [S II] (10289 and 10323 Å), two of [N I] (10400 and 10410 Å), and four of [Fe II] (12570, 12946, 12981, and 13209 Å). This is the first time that the [N I] lines are detected in a young stellar object with a doublet deblended. Gaussian fitting of the spectra indicates that all line profiles have low-velocity components and exhibit blueshifted features, suggesting that all lines originate from the disk winds (magnetohydrodynamic disk wind and/or photoevaporative wind). Based on the fit, the [N I] and [Fe II] lines are categorized into narrow components, while the [S II] lines are at the boundary between broad and narrow components. These forbidden lines are suggested to be very promising disk wind tracers among the existing ones because they are in the NIR-wavelength range, which can be observed from early stages with high sensitivities. Among these lines, [N I] lines would be a rather powerful probe for deriving the basic physical parameters of disk wind gases. However, the study of these lines herein is limited to one object; thus, further studies are needed to examine their properties.

astro-ph.EP↗