arXiv subjects

R. Neuhaeuser

Publications and source records attributed to R. Neuhaeuser.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

The Magnificent Seven in the dusty prairie -- The role of interstellar absorption on the observed neutron star population

The Magnificent Seven have all been discovered by their exceptional soft X-ray spectra and high ratios of X-ray to optical flux. They all are considered to be nearby sources. Searching for similar neutron stars with larger distances, one expects larger interstellar absorption resulting in harder X-ray counterparts. Current interstellar absorption treatment depends on chosen abundances and scattering cross-sections of the elements as well as on the 3D distribution of the interstellar medium. After a discussion of these factors we use the comprehensive 3D measurements of the Local Bubble by Lallement et al. 2003 to construct two simple models of the 3D distribution of the hydrogen column density. We test these models by using a set of soft X-ray sources with known distances. Finally, we discuss possible applications for distance estimations and population synthesis studies.

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arXiv2006

HD3651B: the first directly imaged brown dwarf companion of an exoplanet host star

In the course of our ongoing multiplicity study of exoplanet host stars we detected a faint companion located at ~43arcsec (480AU physical projected separation) north-west of its primary -- the exoplanet host star HD3651 at 11pc. The companion, HD3651B, clearly shares the proper motion of the exoplanet host star in our four images, obtained with ESO/NTT and UKIRT, spanning three years in epoch difference. The magnitude of the companion is H=16.75+-0.16mag, the faintest co-moving companion of an exoplanet host star imaged directly. HD3651B is not detected in the POSS-II B-, R- and I-band images, indicating that this object is fainter than ~20mag in the B- and R-band and fainter than \~19mag in the I-band. With the Hipparcos distance of HD3651 of 11pc, the absolute magnitude of HD3651B is about 16.5mag in the H band. Our H-band photometry and the Baraffe et al. (2003) evolutionary models yield a mass of HD3651B to be 20 to 60MJup for assumed ages between 1 and 10Gyr. The effective temperature ranges between 800 and 900K, consistent with a spectral type of T7 to T8. We conclude that HD3651B is a brown-dwarf companion, the first of its kind directly imaged as a companion of an exoplanet host star, and one of the faintest T dwarfs found in the solar vicinity (within 11pc).

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arXiv2006

A Search for wide visual companions of exoplanet host stars - The Calar Alto Survey

We have carried out a search for co-moving stellar and substellar companions around 18 exoplanet host stars with the infrared camera MAGIC at the 2.2m Calar Alto telescope, by comparing our images with images from the all sky surveys 2MASS, POSS I and II. Four stars of the sample namely HD80606, 55Cnc, HD46375 and BD-103166, are listed as binaries in the Washington Visual Double Star Catalogue (WDS). The binary nature of HD80606, 55Cnc, and HD46375 is confirmed with both astrometry as well as photometry, thereby the proper motion of the companion of HD46375 was determined here for the first time. We derived the companion masses as well as the longterm stability regions for additional companions in these three binary systems. We can rule out further stellar companions around all stars in the sample with projected separations between 270AU and 2500AU, being sensitive to substellar companions with masses down to \~60MJup (S/N=3). Furthermore we present evidence that the two components of the WDS binary BD-103166 are unrelated stars, i.e this system is a visual pair. The spectrophotometric distance of the primary (a K0 dwarf) is ~67pc, whereas the presumable secondary BD-103166B (a M4 to M5 dwarf) is located at a distance of 13pc in the foreground.

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arXiv2005

X-ray emission of brown dwarfs: Towards constraining the dependence on age, luminosity, and temperature

Three brown dwarfs in different evolutionary stages have been observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Combining the new observations with previous studies presented in the literature yields a brown dwarf sample that reaches well down into the cooling phase of brown dwarfs, allowing to investigate the possible influence of effective temperature on X-ray activity. Combining our results with published data allows us to consider a subsample of high-mass brown dwarfs (with 0.05-0.07 Msun), and another one characterized by similar effective temperature (with 2400-2800 K). Our findings support the idea that effective temperature plays a critical role for the X-ray activity in brown dwarfs. This underlines an earlier suggestion based on observations of chromospheric Ha emission in ultracool dwarfs that the low ionization fraction in the cool brown dwarf atmospheres may suppress magnetic activity.

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arXiv2005

The low-mass companion of GQ Lup

Using NACO on the VLT in the imaging mode we have detected an object at a distance of only 0.7 arcsec from GQ Lup. The object turns out to be co-moving. We have taken two K-band spectra with a resolution of lambda /Delta lambda=700. In here, we analyze the spectra in detail. We show that the shape of spectrum is not spoiled by differences in the Strehl ratio in the blue and in the red part, as well as differential refraction. We reanalyze the spectra and derive the spectral type of the companion using classical methods. We find that the object has a spectral type between M9V and L4V, which corresponds to a Teff between 1600 and 2500 K. Using GAIA-dusty models, we find that the spectral type derivation is robust against different log(g)-values. The Teff derived from the models is again in the range between 1800 and 2400 K. While the models reproduce nicely the general shape of the spectrum, the 12CO-lines in the spectrum have about half the depth as those in the model. We speculate that this difference might be caused by veiling, like in other objects of similar age, and spectral class. We also find that the absolute brightness of the companion matches that of other low-mass free-floating objects of similar age and spectral type. A comparison with the objects in USco observed by Mohanty et al. (2004) shows that the companion of GQ Lup has a lower mass than any of these, as it is of later spectral type, and younger. The same is as true, for the companion of AB Pic. To have a first estimate of the mass of the object we compare the derived Teff and luminosity with those calculated from evolutionary tracks. We also point out that future instruments, like NAHUAL, will finally allow us to derive the masses of such objects more precisely.

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arXiv2005

GQ Lup and its common proper motion companion

Recently, Neuhaeuser et al. (2005) presented evidence for a sub-stellar, common proper motion companion to GQ Lup. With two theoretical mass estimates, both below the Deuterium burning minimum mass limit, the companion is probably a planet imaged directly. We present here a more detailed astrometric analysis of the GQ Lup system, using all the (different) proper motions published for the primary. The common proper motion is significant in all cases, also when taking into account the error in parallax or distance (140 +- 50 pc). When using the weighted mean, the significance for common proper motion of GQ Lup and its companion is 7 + 4 sigma for no change in separation plus 8 sigma for no change in position angle. We also discuss the question, whether GQ Lup and its common-proper motion companion are not bound, but share the same or similar proper motion as two independent members of the Lupus T association, which is a moving group, where most members should have the same motion anyway. Given our discussion, this hypothesis can be rejected by several sigma: The probability to find by chance an L-dwarf fainter than Ks = 14 mag within 0.7325 arcsec with (almost) the same proper motion of GQ Lup is only < 3 10^{-10}. The orbital motion of the system is not yet detected (1.4 +- 2.2 mas/yr), but is probably smaller than the escape velocity (5.3 +- 2.1 mas/yr), so that the system may well be gravitationally bound and stable. This is different for the 2MASSWJ1207334-393254 system, as we also show.

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arXiv2005

Four new wide binaries among exoplanet host stars

In our ongoing survey for wide (sub)stellar companions of exoplanet host stars we have found 4 new co-moving stellar companions of the stars HD114729, HD16141, HD196050 and HD213240 with projected separations from 223 up to 3898AU. The companionship of HD114729B, HD196050B and HD213240C is confirmed by photometry and spectroscopy, all being early M dwarfs. The masses of the detected companions are derived from their infrared JHK magnitudes and range between 0.146 and 0.363 Msun. Our first and second epoch observations can rule out additional stellar companions around the primaries from ~200 up to ~2400 AU (S/N=10). In our survey we have found so far 6 new binaries among the exoplanet host stars. According to these new detections, the reported differences between single-star and binary-star planets with orbital periods short than 40 days remain significant in both the mass-period and eccentricity-period distribution. In contrast, all exoplanets with orbital periods longer than 100 days tend to display similar distributions.

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arXiv2005

What are the temperatures of T Tauri stars? - Constraints from coeval formation of young eclipsing binaries

We show how the assumption of coeval formation can be used to constrain the effective temperatures of the components of young eclipsing double-lined spectroscopic binaries. Our method extends the approach of White et al. (1999) to a two-step analysis. The first step compares evolutionary models to the observed masses and radii and selects those models that predict ages that are consistent with coeval formation. The second step then uses these models to constrain the effective temperatures. We applied the method on literature values of the stellar parameters of the eclipsing binaries RX J0529.4+0041 A and V1174 Ori and confirm that V1174 Ori A has dwarf-like temperatures at an age of 9 Myrs, while we cannot draw any conclusions for RX J0529.4+0041 A and V1174 Ori B. Considering these binaries, we find that none of the evolutionary models gives coeval solutions simultaneously in mass, radius and effective temperature.

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arXiv2005

Gl86B: a white dwarf orbits an exoplanet host star

In this letter we present our first high contrast NACO/SDI observations of the exoplanet host star Gl86 and results from NACO spectroscopy. Els et al. (2001) found a faint co-moving companion located only ~2arcsec east of the exoplanet host star Gl86A. Our high contrast SDI observations rule out additional stellar companions from 1AU up to 23AU, and are sensitive for faint T dwarf companions down to 35MJup. We present evidence for orbital motion of Gl86B around the exoplanet host star Gl86A, which finally confirms that this is a bound binary system. With the given photometry from Els et al. (2001) and the obtained NACO spectroscopy we prove that the companion Gl86B is a cool white dwarf with an effective temperature of 5000+-500K. This is the first confirmed white dwarf companion to an exoplanet host star and the first observational confirmation that planets survive the post main sequence evolution of a star from which they are separated by only one to two dozen astronomical units (giant phase and planetary nebula) as expected from theory.

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arXiv2005

Evidence for a co-moving sub-stellar companion of GQ Lup

We present a companion of the \le 2 Myr young classical T Tauri star GQ Lup in the Lupus star forming region at 140 \pm 50 pc from imaging, astrometry, and spectroscopy. With direct K-band imaging using VLT/NACO, we detected an object 6 mag fainter than GQ Lup located 0.7 arc sec west of it. Compared to images obtained 2 to 5 years earlier with Subaru/CIAO and HST/PC, this object shares the proper motion of GQ Lup by 5 and 7 sigma, respectively, hence it is a co-moving companion. Its K-L' color is consistent with a spectral type early to mid L. Our NACO K-band spectrum yields spectral type M9-L4 with H2O and CO absorption, consistent with the new GAIA-Dusty template spectrum for log g = 2 to 3 and Teff = 2000 K with ~2 Rjup radius at ~140 pc, hence few Jupiter masses. Using the theoretical models from Wuchterl & Tscharnuter (2003), Burrows et al. (1997), and Baraffe et al. (2002), the mass lies between 1 and 42 Jupiter masses.

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arXiv2004

High Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy of Pre-Main-Sequence Stars: TWA 5 and PZ Tel

We report on the analysis of high resolution X-ray spectra of two pre-main-sequence stars: TWA 5 (observed with XMM-Newton) and PZ Telescopii (observed with Chandra/HETGS). TWA 5 is a classical T Tauri star in the TW Hydrae association while PZ Tel is a rapidly rotating weak-lined T Tauri star in the beta-Pictoris moving group. For both stars we have reconstructed the emission measure distribution and derived the coronal abundances to check for possible patterns of the abundances related to the first ionization potential of the various elements. We have also derived estimates of the plasma density from the analysis of the He-like triplets. We compare the characteristics of our targets with those of other pre-main sequence stars previously analyzed by other authors: TW Hya, HD 98800 and HD 283572. Our findings suggest that X-ray emission from classical T Tauri and weak-lined T Tauri stars is produced in all cases by magnetically-heated coronae, except for TW Hya which has unique plasma temperatures and densities. Moreover we derive that TWA 5 has the same peculiar Ne/Fe abundance ratio as TW Hya.

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arXiv2004

A low-mass stellar companion of the planet host star HD75289

We report on the detection of a new low-mass stellar companion of HD75289, a G0V star that harbors one known radial-velocity planet (Udry et al. 2000). Comparing an image of 2MASS with an image we obtained with SofI at the ESO 3.58m NTT three years later, we detected a co-moving companion located 21.465+-0.023arcsecs (621+-10AU at 29pc) east of HD75289. A second SofI image taken 10 months later confirmed the common proper motion of HD75289B with its host star. The infrared spectrum and colors of the companion are consistent with an M2 to M5 main-sequence star at the distance of HD75289. No further (sub)stellar companion down to H = 19mag could be detected. With the SofI detection limit we can rule out additional stellar companions beyond 140AU and substellar companions with masses m > 0.050Msun from 400AU up to 2000AU.

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arXiv2004

XMM-Newton probes the stellar population in Cha I South

We report on a 30ksec XMM-Newton observation of the central region of the Cha I star forming cloud. Virtually all known T Tauri star members and most of the very-low mass objects including two bona-fide brown dwarfs (spectral types M7.5 and M8) are detected. We identify several new candidate members in the X-ray image. Spectral analysis of the X-ray bright stars shows that previous X-ray studies in Cha I have underestimated the X-ray luminosities, as a result of simplified assumptions on the spectral shape. No dramatic changes in the correlations of X-ray luminosity with age, effective temperature and mass are seen at the substellar boundary, and the lowest-mass objects behave similar to the higher-mass T Tauri stars in terms of variability. Thus the same dynamo mechanism seems to operate in both low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, at least at young ages. On the other hand, the only two A-type stars in the field show very different X-ray properties, suggesting that various emission mechanisms may be at work in intermediate-mass stars.

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arXiv2002

Spatial study with the VLT of a new resolved edge-on circumstellar dust disk discovered at the periphery of the rho Ophiuchi dark cloud

We report the discovery in NIR with SofI at the NTT of a resolved circumstellar dust disk around a 2MASS source at the periphery of the rho Ophiuchi dark cloud. We present follow-up observations in J, H, and Ks-band obtained with ISAAC at the VLT, under 0.4"-seeing conditions, which unveil a dark dust lane oriented East-West between two characteristic northern and southern reflection nebulae. This new circumstellar dust disk has a radius of 2.15" (300 AU at 140 pc), and a width of 1.2" (170 AU at 140 pc). Thanks to its location at the periphery of the dense cores, it suffers small foreground visual extinction (Av=2.1\pm2.6 mag). Although this disk is seen close to edge-on, the two reflection nebulae display very different colors. We introduce a new NIR data visualization called ``Pixel NIR Color Mapping'', which allows to visualize directly the NIR colors of the nebula pixels. Thanks to this method we identify a ridge, 0.3" (40 AU at 140 pc) to the north of the dark lane and parallel to it, which displays a NIR color excess. This ridge corresponds to an unusual increase of brightness from J to Ks, which is also visible in the NTT observation obtained 130 days before the VLT one. We also find that the northern nebula shows ~3 mag more extinction than the southern nebula. We compute axisymmetric disk models to reproduce the VLT scattered light images and the spectral energy distribution from optical to NIR. Our best model, with a disk inclination i=86\pm1 deg, correctly reproduces the extension of the southern reflection nebula, but it is not able to reproduce either the observed NIR color excess in the northern nebula or the extinction difference between the two reflection nebulae. We discuss the possible origin of the peculiar asymmetrical NIR color properties of this object.

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arXiv2002

The thermal radiation of the isolated neutron star RX J1856.5-3754 observed with Chandra and XMM-Newton

We present results of the analysis of data collected in 57-ks XMM-Newton and 505-ks Chandra observations of the nearby ~= 120 pc isolated neutron star RX J1856.5-3754. We confirm most of the statements made by Burwitz et al. (2001) who discussed the original 55-ks Chandra data. Detailed spectral analysis of the combined X-ray and optical data rules out the currently available nonmagnetic light and heavy element neutron star atmosphere (LTE) models with hydrogen, helium, iron and solar compositions. We find that strongly magnetized atmosphere models also are unable to represent the data. The X-ray and optical data show no spectral features and are best fitted with a two-component blackbody model with kT_{bb,X}^{\infty} ~= 63.5 eV and R_{bb,X}^{\infty} ~= 4.4(d/120 pc) km for the hot X-ray emitting region, and kT_{bb,opt}^{\infty}<33 eV and R_{bb,opt}^{\infty}>17(d/120 pc) km for the rest of the neutron star surface responsible for the optical flux. The large number of counts collected with XMM-Newton allows us to reduce the upper limit on periodic variation in the X-ray range down to 1.3% (at a 2σconfidence level) in the 10^{-3}-50 Hz frequency range. In an attempt to explain this small variability, we discuss an one-component model with kT_{bb}^{\infty} ~= 63 eV and R_{bb}^{\infty} ~= 12.3(d/120 pc) km. This model requires a low radiative efficiency in the X-ray domain, which may be expected if the neutron star has a condensed matter surface.

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arXiv2002

Direct Detection of the Companion of Chi 1 Orionis

We present an H-band image of the companion of Chi 1 Orionis taken with the Keck adaptive optic system and NIRC2 camera equipped with a 300mas-diameter coronographic mask. The direct detection of this companion star enables us to calculate dynamical masses using only Kepler's laws M_A = 1.01 +/- 0.13 M_Sun, M_B = 0.15 +/- 0.02 M_Sun, and to study stellar evolutionary models at a wide spread of masses. The application of Baraffe et al. (1998) pre-main-sequence models implies an age of 70-130 Myrs. This is in conflict to the age of the primary, a confirmed member of the Ursa Major Cluster with a canonical age of 300 Myrs. As a consequence, either the models at low masses underestimate the age or the Ursa Major Cluster is considerably younger than assumed.

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arXiv2002

Simultaneous X-ray spectroscopy of YY Gem with Chandra and XMM-Newton

We report on a detailed study of the X-ray spectrum of the nearby eclipsing spectroscopic binary YY Gem. Observations were obtained simultaneously with both large X-ray observatories, XMM-Newton and Chandra. We compare the high-resolution spectra acquired with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer onboard XMM-Newton and with the Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer onboard Chandra, and evidence in direct comparison the good performance of both instruments in terms of wavelength and flux calibration. The strongest lines in the X-ray spectrum of YY Gem are from oxygen. Oxygen line ratios indicate the presence of a low-temperature component (1-4 MK) with density n_e < 2 10^{10} cm^-3. The X-ray lightcurve reveals two flares and a dip corresponding to the secondary eclipse. An increase of the density during phases of high activity is suggested from time-resolved spectroscopy. Time-resolved global fitting of the European Photon Imaging Camera CCD spectrum traces the evolution of temperature and emission measure during the flares. These medium-resolution spectra show that temperatures > 10^7 K are relevant in the corona of YY Gem although not as dominant as the lower temperatures represented by the strongest lines in the high-resolution spectrum. Magnetic loops with length on the order of 10^9 cm, i.e., about 5 % of the radius of each star, are inferred from a comparison with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model. This suggests that the flares did not erupt in the (presumably more extended) inter-binary magnetosphere but are related to one of the components of the binary.

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arXiv2002

X-ray emission from old and intermediate age brown dwarfs

According to the paradigm of solar-type dynamo action brown dwarfs should not exhibit magnetic activity as they are fully convective. Indeed, Halpha observations of ultracool field dwarfs indicate a decline of activity setting in near the substellar limit. X-ray emission traditionally serves as another means to examine magnetic activity on stars. The substellar regime can now be accessed with the new generation of X-ray instruments onboard XMM-Newton and Chandra. We report on two recent XMM-Newton observations of brown dwarfs in the Pleiades cluster and in the field aiming to constrain the age and effective temperature dependence of X-ray emission from substellar objects.

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