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P. Skoda

Publications and source records attributed to P. Skoda.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Time-dependent spectral-feature variations of stars displaying the B[e] phenomenon; I. V2028 Cyg

We present results of nearly six years of spectroscopic observations of the B[e] star V2028 Cyg. The presence of the cold-type absorption lines combined with a hot-type spectrum indicate the binarity of this object. Since B[e] stars are embedded in an extended envelope, the usage of common stellar atmosphere models for the analysis is quite inappropriate. Therefore, we focus on the analysis of the long-term spectral line variations in order to determine the nature of this object. We present the time dependences of the equivalent width and radial velocities of the H alpha line, [O I] 6300 A, Fe II 6427, 6433, and 6456 A lines. The bisector variations and line intensities are shown for the H alpha line. The radial velocities are also measured for the absorption lines of the K component. No periodic variation is found. The observed data show correlations between the measured quantities, which can be used in future modelling.

astro-ph.SR

Spectra disentangling applied to the Hyades binary Theta^2 Tau AB: new orbit, orbital parallax and component properties

Theta^2 Tauri is a detached and single-lined interferometric-spectroscopic binary as well as the most massive binary system of the Hyades cluster. The system revolves in an eccentric orbit with a periodicity of 140.7 days. The secondary has a similar temperature but is less evolved and fainter than the primary. It is also rotating more rapidly. Since the composite spectra are heavily blended, the direct extraction of radial velocities over the orbit of component B was hitherto unsuccessful. Using high-resolution spectroscopic data recently obtained with the Elodie (OHP, France) and Hermes (ORM, La Palma, Spain) spectrographs, and applying a spectra disentangling algorithm to three independent data sets including spectra from the Oak Ridge Observatory (USA), we derived an improved spectroscopic orbit and refined the solution by performing a combined astrometric-spectroscopic analysis based on the new spectroscopy and the long-baseline data from the Mark III optical interferometer. As a result, the velocity amplitude of the fainter component is obtained in a direct and objective way. Major progress based on this new determination includes an improved computation of the orbital parallax. Our mass ratio is in good agreement with the older estimates of Peterson et al. (1991, 1993), but the mass of the primary is 15-25% higher than the more recent estimates by Torres et al. (1997) and Armstrong et al. (2006). Due to the strategic position of the components in the turnoff region of the cluster, these new determinations imply stricter constraints for the age and the metallicity of the Hyades cluster. The location of component B can be explained by current evolutionary models, but the location of the more evolved component A is not trivially explained and requires a detailed abundance analysis of its disentangled spectrum.

astro-ph.SR

Fourier Disentangling Using the Technology of Virtual Observatory

The Virtual Observatory is a new technology of the astronomical research allowing the seamless processing and analysis of a heterogeneous data obtained from a number of distributed data archives. It may also provide astronomical community with powerful computational and data processing on-line services replacing the custom scientific code run on user's computers. Despite its benefits the VO technology has been still little exploited in stellar spectroscopy. As an example of possible evolution in this field we present an experimental web-based service for disentangling of spectra based on code KOREL. This code developed by P. Hadrava enables Fourier disentangling and line-strength photometry, i.e. simultaneous decomposition of spectra of multiple stars and solving for orbital parameters, line-profile variability or other physical parameters of observed objects. We discuss the benefits of the service-oriented approach from the point of view of both developers and users and give examples of possible user-friendly implementation of spectra disentangling methods as a standard tools of Virtual Observatory.

astro-ph.IM

Notes on disentangling of spectra II. Intrinsic line-profile variability due to Cepheid pulsations

The determination of pulsation velocities from observed spectra of Cepheids is needed for the Baade-Wesselink calibration of these primary distance markers. The applicability of the Fourier-disentangling technique for the determination of pulsation velocities of Cepheids and other pulsating stars is studied. The KOREL-code was modified to enable fitting of free parameters of a prescribed line-profile broadening function corresponding to the radial pulsations of the stellar atmosphere. It was applied to spectra of delta Cep in the H-alpha region observed with the Ondrejov 2-m telescope. The telluric lines were removed using template-constrained disentangling, phase-locked variations of line-strengths were measured and the curves of pulsational velocities obtained for several spectral lines. It is shown that the amplitude and phase of the velocities and line-strength variations depend on the depth of line formation and the excitation potential. The disentangling of pulsations in the Cepheid spectra may be used for distance determination.

astro-ph.SR

The H-alpha stellar and interstellar emission in the open cluster NGC 6910

We verify the nature of emission-line stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 6910. % Spectroscopy in the H-alpha region was obtained. Raw CCD frames of spectra of all stars fainter than V = 9 mag observed by us are significantly affected by nebular emission originating in the surrounding HII region IC 1318. After careful data reduction and subtraction of the nebular radiation we succeeded in obtaining reliable stellar spectra. We confirm that the star NGC 6910 37 is a Be star, and we have corrected the classification of V1973 Cyg from an Ae star to a normal A type star. Since the diffuse interstellar bands do not appear in the spectrum of this star while being present in the other stars we observed, we confirm that V1973 Cyg is a foreground object with respect to IC 1318 and NGC 6910. We also find that the H-alpha line in HD 194279 has a P Cygni profile and the H-alpha line profile is variable in HD 229196.

astro-ph

Properties and nature of Be stars XXIII. Long-term variations and physical properties of kappa Dra

We present an analysis of new spectroscopic observations of the bright Be star kappa Dra obtained at the Ondrejov observatory during 1992 - 2003 and UBV photometric observations secured at several observatories. The fundamental stellar parameters have been obtained from a comparison with a grid of NLTE model atmospheres. The best fit was found for Teff=14000K, log g = 3.5, and v sin i = 170km/s. These values together with a Hipparcos parallax lead to a stellar mass M=4.8+-0.8 M_solar and radius R=6.4+-0.5 R_solar. Long-term variations of kappa Dra were analysed using measurements of equivalent widths, central intensities, peak intensities of emission lines and emission peak velocity differences for H-alpha, H-beta, H-gamma, H-delta, and some helium, silicon, and iron lines. It turned out that the previously reported period of 23 years in the variation of the emission strength is probably a cyclic, not a strictly periodic phenomenon. An attempt to find out a period from all available records of the H-beta emission strength led to a value of 8044+-167 days (22.0 years) but the phase plots show that each cycle has a different shape and length. For the moment, the nature and origin of the disk around kappa Dra still remains unknown. From the comparison of the electronic spectra obtained at different phases of the long-term cycle and synthetic spectra it appears that there are no detectable changes in the photospheric part of the Balmer lines related to variations in the Balmer emission strength which could be attributed to an extended photosphere corresponding to inner parts of the disk, optically thick in continuum.

astro-ph

Properties and nature of Be stars. XX. Binary nature and orbital elements of gamma Cas

An analysis of accurate radial velocities (RVs) of the Be star gamma Cas from 295 Reticon spectrograms secured between October 1993 and May 2000 allowed us to prewhiten the RVs for the long-term changes and to obtain the first orbital RV curve of this star. The orbital period is 203d59 and the orbit has an eccentricity of 0.26. The orbital motion is detectable even in the published velocities, based on photographic spectra. This implies that gamma Cas is a primary component of a spectroscopic binary. The secondary has a mass of about 1 solar mass, appropriate for a white dwarf or a neutron star, but it could also be a normal late-type dwarf. The ultimate solution of the dispute whether the observed X-ray emission is associated with the secondary or with the primary will need further dedicated studies.

astro-ph