arXiv subjects

Sz. Meszaros

Publications and source records attributed to Sz. Meszaros.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Spectroscopic confirmation of the binary nature of the hybrid pulsator KIC 5709664 found with the frequency modulation method

We started a program to search for companions around hybrid $δ$ Sct/$γ$ Dor stars with the frequency modulation method using Kepler data. Our best candidate was KIC 5709664, where we could identify Fourier peaks with sidelobes, suggesting binary orbital motion. We determined the orbital parameters with the phase modulation method and took spectroscopic measurements to confirm unambiguously the binary nature with radial velocities. The spectra show that the object is a double-lined spectroscopic binary, and we determined the orbital solutions from the radial velocity curve fit. The parameters from the phase modulation method and the radial velocity fits are in good agreement. We combined a radial velocity and phase modulation approach to determine the orbital parameters as accurately as possible. We determined that the pulsator is a hybrid $δ$ Sct/$γ$ Dor star in an eccentric binary system with an orbital period of ~95 d and an eccentricity of 0.55. The measured mass ratio is 0.67. We analysed the pulsation content and extracted 38 frequencies with amplitudes greater than 20 $μ$mag. At low frequencies, we found broad power excesses which are likely attributed to spots on the rotating surface of the lower-mass component. We inferred rotation periods of 0.56 and 2.53 d for the primary and secondary, respectively.

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arXiv2017

Target Selection for the SDSS-IV APOGEE-2 Survey

APOGEE-2 is a high-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopic survey observing roughly 300,000 stars across the entire sky. It is the successor to APOGEE and is part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV). APOGEE-2 is expanding upon APOGEE's goals of addressing critical questions of stellar astrophysics, stellar populations, and Galactic chemodynamical evolution using (1) an enhanced set of target types and (2) a second spectrograph at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. APOGEE-2 is targeting red giant branch (RGB) and red clump (RC) stars, RR Lyrae, low-mass dwarf stars, young stellar objects, and numerous other Milky Way and Local Group sources across the entire sky from both hemispheres. In this paper, we describe the APOGEE-2 observational design, target selection catalogs and algorithms, and the targeting-related documentation included in the SDSS data releases.

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arXiv2017

Atypical Mg-poor Milky Way field stars with globular cluster second-generation like chemical patterns

We report the peculiar chemical abundance patterns of eleven atypical Milky Way (MW) field red giant stars observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). These atypical giants exhibit strong Al and N enhancements accompanied by C and Mg depletions, strikingly similar to those observed in the so-called second-generation (SG) stars of globular clusters (GCs). Remarkably, we find low-Mg abundances ([Mg/Fe]$<$0.0) together with strong Al and N overabundances in the majority (5/7) of the metal-rich ([Fe/H]$\gtrsim - 1.0$) sample stars, which is at odds with actual observations of SG stars in Galactic CGs of similar metallicities. This chemical pattern is unique and unprecedented among MW stars, posing urgent questions about its origin. These atypical stars could be former SG stars of dissolved GCs formed with intrinsically lower abundances of Mg and enriched Al (subsequently self-polluted by massive AGB stars) or the result of exotic binary systems. We speculate that the stars Mg-deficiency as well as the orbital properties suggest that they could have an extragalactic origin. This discovery should guide future dedicated spectroscopic searches of atypical stellar chemical patterns in our Galaxy; a fundamental step forward to understand the Galactic formation and evolution.

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arXiv2016

Evidence of AGB pollution in Galactic globular clusters from the Mg-Al anticorrelations observed by the APOGEE survey

We study the formation of multiple populations in globular clusters (GC), under the hypothesis that stars in the second generation formed from the winds of intermediate-mass stars, ejected during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, possibly diluted with pristine gas, sharing the same chemical composition of first-generation stars. To this aim, we use the recent APOGEE data, which provide the surface chemistry of a large sample of giant stars, belonging to clusters that span a wide metallicity range. The APOGEE data set is particularly suitable to discriminate among the various pollution scenarios proposed so far, as it provides the surface abundances of Mg and Al, the two elements involved in a nuclear channel extremely sensitive to the temperature, hence to the metallicity of the polluters. The present analysis shows a remarkable agreement between the observations and the theoretical yields from massive AGB stars. In particular, the observed extension of the depletion of Mg and O and the increase in Al is well reproduced by the models and the trend with the metallicity is also fully accounted for. This study further supports the idea that AGB stars were the key players in the pollution of the intra-cluster medium, from which additional generations of stars formed in GC.

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arXiv2015

Clear evidence for the presence of second-generation asymptotic giant branch stars in metal-poor Galactic globular clusters

Galactic globular clusters (GCs) are known to host multiple stellar populations: a first generation with a chemical pattern typical of halo field stars and a second generation (SG) enriched in Na and Al and depleted in O and Mg. Both stellar generations are found at different evolutionary stages (e.g., the main-sequence turnoff, the subgiant branch, and the red giant branch). The non detection of SG asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in several metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1) GCs suggests that not all SG stars ascend the AGB phase, and that failed AGB stars may be very common in metal-poor GCs. This observation represents a serious problem for stellar evolution and GC formation/evolution theories. We report fourteen SG-AGB stars in four metal-poor GCs (M 13, M 5, M 3, and M 2) with different observational properties: horizontal branch (HB) morphology, metallicity, and age. By combining the H-band Al abundances obtained by the APOGEE survey with ground-based optical photometry, we identify SG Al-rich AGB stars in these four GCs and show that Al-rich RGB/AGB GC stars should be Na-rich. Our observations provide strong support for present, standard stellar models, i.e., without including a strong mass-loss efficiency, for low-mass HB stars. In fact, current empirical evidence is in agreement with the predicted distribution of FG and and SG stars during the He-burning stages based on these standard stellar models.

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arXiv2015

New H-band Stellar Spectral Libraries for the SDSS-III/APOGEE survey

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey--III (SDSS--III) Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) has obtained high resolution (R $\sim$ 22,500), high signal-to-noise ratio ($>$ 100) spectra in the H$-$band ($\sim$1.5$-$1.7 $μ$m) for about 146,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy. We have computed spectral libraries with effective temperature ($T\rm{_{eff}}$) ranging from 3500 to 8000 K for the automated chemical analy\-sis of the survey data. The libraries, used to derive stellar parameters and abundances from the APOGEE spectra in the SDSS--III data release 12 (DR12), are based on ATLAS9 model atmospheres and the ASS$ε$T spectral synthesis code. We present a second set of libraries based on MARCS model atmospheres and the spectral synthesis code Turbospectrum. The ATLAS9/ASS$ε$T ($T\rm{_{eff}}$ = 3500$-$8000 K) and MARCS/Turbospectrum ($T\rm{_{eff}}$ = 3500$-$5500 K) grids cover a wide range of metallicity ($-$2.5 $\leq$ [M/H] $\leq$ $+$0.5 dex), surface gravity (0 $\leq$ log $g$ $\leq$ 5 dex), microturbulence (0.5 $\leq$ $ξ$ $\leq$ 8 km~s$^{-1}$), carbon ($-$1 $\leq$ [C/M] $\leq$ $+$1 dex), nitrogen ($-$1 $\leq$ [N/M] $\leq$ $+$1 dex), and $α$-element ($-$1 $\leq$ [$α$/M] $\leq$ $+$1 dex) variations, having thus seven dimensions. We compare the ATLAS9/ASS$ε$T and MARCS/Turbospectrum libraries and apply both of them to the analysis of the observed H$-$band spectra of the Sun and the K2 giant Arcturus, as well as to a selected sample of well-known giant stars observed at very high-resolution. The new APOGEE libraries are publicly available and can be employed for chemical studies in the H$-$band using other high-resolution spectrographs.

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arXiv2015

Young [$α$/Fe]-enhanced stars discovered by CoRoT and APOGEE: What is their origin?

We report the discovery of a group of apparently young CoRoT red-giant stars exhibiting enhanced [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios (as determined from APOGEE spectra) with respect to Solar values. Their existence is not explained by standard chemical evolution models of the Milky Way, and shows that the chemical-enrichment history of the Galactic disc is more complex. We find similar stars in previously published samples for which isochrone-ages could be robustly obtained, although in smaller relative numbers, which could explain why these stars have not received prior attention. The young [alpha/Fe]-rich stars are much more numerous in the CoRoT-APOGEE (CoRoGEE) inner-field sample than in any other high-resolution sample available at present, as only CoRoGEE can explore the inner-disc regions and provide ages for its field stars. The kinematic properties of the young [$α$/Fe]-rich stars are not clearly thick-disc like, despite their rather large distances from the Galactic mid-plane. Our tentative interpretation of these and previous intriguing observations in the Milky Way is that these stars were formed close to the end of the Galactic bar, near corotation -- a region where gas can be kept inert for longer times, compared to other regions shocked more frequently by the passage of spiral arms. Moreover, that is where the mass return from older inner-disc stellar generations should be maximal (according to an inside-out disc-formation scenario), further diluting the in-situ gas. Other possibilities to explain these observations (e.g., a recent gas-accretion event) are also discussed.

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arXiv2014

Discovery of Two Rare Rigidly-Rotating Magnetosphere Stars in the APOGEE Survey

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) - one of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III programs -- is using near-infrared spectra of $\sim 100,000$ red giant branch star candidates to study the structure of the Milky Way. In the course of the survey, APOGEE also acquires spectra of hot field stars to serve as telluric calibrators for the primary science targets. We report the serendipitous discovery of two rare, fast-rotating B stars of the $σ$ Ori E type among those blue field stars observed during the first year of APOGEE operations. Both of the discovered stars display the spectroscopic signatures of the rigidly rotating magnetospheres (RRM) common to this class of highly-magnetized ($B \sim 10$ kiloGauss) stars, increasing the number of known RRM stars by $\sim 10 \%$. One (HD 345439) is a main-sequence B star with unusually strong He absorption (similar to $σ$ Ori E), while the other (HD 23478) fits a "He-normal" B3IV classification. We combine the APOGEE discovery spectra with other optical and near-infrared spectra of these two stars, and of $σ$ Ori E itself, to show how near-infrared spectroscopy can be a uniquely powerful tool for discovering more of these rare objects, which may show little/no RRM signatures in their optical spectra. We discuss the potential for further discovery of $σ$ Ori E type stars, as well as the implications of our discoveries for the population of these objects and insights into their origin and evolution.

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arXiv2013

Target Selection for the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) is a high-resolution infrared spectroscopic survey spanning all Galactic environments (i.e., bulge, disk, and halo), with the principal goal of constraining dynamical and chemical evolution models of the Milky Way. APOGEE takes advantage of the reduced effects of extinction at infrared wavelengths to observe the inner Galaxy and bulge at an unprecedented level of detail. The survey's broad spatial and wavelength coverage enables users of APOGEE data to address numerous Galactic structure and stellar populations issues. In this paper we describe the APOGEE targeting scheme and document its various target classes to provide the necessary background and reference information to analyze samples of APOGEE data with awareness of the imposed selection criteria and resulting sample properties. APOGEE's primary sample consists of ~100,000 red giant stars, selected to minimize observational biases in age and metallicity. We present the methodology and considerations that drive the selection of this sample and evaluate the accuracy, efficiency, and caveats of the selection and sampling algorithms. We also describe additional target classes that contribute to the APOGEE sample, including numerous ancillary science programs, and we outline the targeting data that will be included in the public data releases.

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arXiv2008

Binarity and multiperiodicity in high-amplitude delta Scuti stars

We have carried out a photometric and spectroscopic survey of bright high-amplitude delta Scuti (HADS) stars. The aim was to detect binarity and multiperiodicity (or both) in order to explore the possibility of combining binary star astrophysics with stellar oscillations. Here we present the first results for ten, predominantly southern, HADS variables. We detected the orbital motion of RS Gru with a semi-amplitude of ~6.5 km/s and 11.5 days period. The companion is inferred to be a low-mass dwarf star in a close orbit around RS Gru. We found multiperiodicity in RY Lep both from photometric and radial velocity data and detected orbital motion in the radial velocities with hints of a possible period of 500--700 days. The data also revealed that the amplitude of the secondary frequency is variable on the time-scale of a few years, whereas the dominant mode is stable. Radial velocities of AD CMi revealed cycle-to-cycle variations which might be due to non-radial pulsations. We confirmed the multiperiodic nature of BQ Ind, while we obtained the first radial velocity curves of ZZ Mic and BE Lyn. The radial velocity curve and the O-C diagram of CY Aqr are consistent with the long-period binary hypothesis. We took new time series photometry on XX Cyg, DY Her and DY Peg, with which we updated their O-C diagrams.

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arXiv2008

Mass Outflow and Chromospheric Activity of Red Giant Stars in Globular Clusters I: M15

High resolution spectra of 110 selected red giant stars in the globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078) were obtained with Hectochelle at the MMT telescope in 2005 May, 2006 May, and 2006 October. Echelle orders containing Halpha and Ca H & K are used to identify emission and line asymmetries characterizing motions in the extended atmospheres. Emission in Halpha is detected to a luminosity of log (L/L_sun)=2.36, in this very metal deficient cluster, comparable to other studies, suggesting that appearance of emission wings is independent of stellar metallicity. The faintest stars showing Halpha emission appear to lie on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) in M15. A line-bisector technique for Halpha reveals outflowing velocities in all stars brighter than log (L/L_sun)=2.5, and this outflow velocity increases with stellar luminosity, indicating the mass outflow increases smoothly with luminosity. Many stars lying low on the AGB show exceptionally high outflow velocities (up to 10-15 km s^{-1}) and more velocity variability (up to 6-8 km s^{-1}), than red giant branch (RGB) stars of similar apparent magnitude. High velocities in M15 may be related to the low cluster metallicity. Dusty stars identified from Spitzer Space Telescope infrared photometry as AGB stars are confirmed as cluster members by radial velocity measurements, yet their Halpha profiles are similar to those of RGB stars without dust. If substantial mass loss creates the circumstellar shell responsible for infrared emission, such mass loss must be episodic.

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arXiv2007

Physical parameters and multiplicity of five southern close eclipsing binaries

Aims: Detect tertiary components of close binaries from spectroscopy and light curve modelling; investigate light-travel time effect and the possibility of magnetic activity cycles; measure mass-ratios for unstudied systems and derive absolute parameters. Methods: We carried out new photometric and spectroscopic observations of five bright (V<10.5 mag) close eclipsing binaries, predominantly in the southern skies. We obtained full Johnson BV light curves, which were modelled with the Wilson-Devinney code. Radial velocities were measured with the cross-correlation method using IAU radial velocity standards as spectral templates. Period changes were studied with the O-C method, utilising published epochs of minimum light (XY Leo) and ASAS photometry (VZ Lib). Results: For three objects (DX Tuc, QY Hya, V870 Ara), absolute parameters have been determined for the first time. We detect spectroscopically the tertiary components in XY Leo, VZ Lib and discover one in QY Hya. For XY Leo we update the light-time effect parameters and detect a secondary periodicity of about 5100 d in the O$-$C diagram that may hint about the existence of short-period magnetic cycles. A combination of recent photometric data shows that the orbital period of the tertiary star in VZ Lib is likely to be over 1500 d. QY Hya is a semi-detached X-ray active binary in a triple system with K and M-type components, while V870 Ara is a contact binary with the third smallest spectroscopic mass-ratio for a W UMa star to date (q=0.082+/-0.030). This small mass-ratio, being close to the theoretical minimum for contact binaries, suggests that V870 Ara has the potential of constraining evolutionary scenarios of binary mergers. The inferred distances to these systems are compatible with the Hipparcos parallaxes.

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arXiv2006

The first year of SN 2004dj in NGC 2403

New BVRI photometry and optical spectroscopy of the Type IIp supernova 2004dj in NGC 2403, obtained during the first year since discovery, are presented. The progenitor cluster, Sandage 96, is also detected on pre-explosion frames. The light curve indicates that the explosion occured about 30 days before discovery, and the plateau phase lasted about +110 \pm 20 days after that. The plateau-phase spectra have been modelled with the SYNOW spectral synthesis code using H, NaI, TiII, ScII, FeII and BaII lines. The SN distance is inferred from the Expanding Photosphere Method and the Standard Candle Method applicable for SNe IIp. They resulted in distances that are consistent with each other as well as earlier Cepheid- and Tully-Fisher distances. The average distance, D = 3.47 \pm 0.29 Mpc is proposed for SN 2004dj and NGC 2403. The nickel mass produced by the explosion is estimated as 0.02 \pm 0.01 M_o. The SED of the progenitor cluster is reanalysed by fitting population synthesis models to our observed BVRI data supplemented by U and JKH magnitudes from the literature. The chi^2-minimization revealed a possible "young" solution with cluster age T_{cl} = 8 Myr, and an "old" solution with T_{cl} = 20 - 30 Myr. The "young" solution would imply a progenitor mass M > 20 M_o, which is higher than the previously detected progenitor masses for Type II SNe.

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arXiv2005

Binarity and multiperiodicity in high-amplitude delta Scuti stars

We present our first results for a sample of southern high-amplitude delta Scuti stars (HADS), based on a spectrophotometric survey started in 2003. For CY Aqr and AD CMi, we found very stable light and radial velocity curves; we confirmed the double-mode nature of ZZ Mic, BQ Ind and RY Lep. Finally, we detected gamma-velocity changes in RS Gru and RY Lep

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arXiv2005

New clues on outburst mechanisms and improved spectroscopic elements of the black-hole binary V4641 Sagittarii

We present spectroscopic observations of the black-hole binary V4641 Sagittarii, obtained between 4th July 2004 and 28th March 2005, which cover the minor outburst of the star in early July 2004 and quiescence variations on 19 nights scattered over six months. During the outburst, the star peaked approximately 3 magnitudes brighter than usual, and our spectra were dominated by broad hydrogen, helium and iron emission lines. The very first spectra showed P Cygni profiles, which disappeared within a few hours, indicating rapid changes in matter ejection. The H-alpha line had multiple components, one being a broad blue-shifted wing exceeding 5000 km/s. During a simultaneously observed 10-min photometric flare-up, the equivalent width of the H-alpha line temporarily decreased, implying that it was a flare of the continuum. The overall spectral appearance was similar to that observed in the 1999 September active phase, which suggests that similar mass-ejection processes were associated with both eruptions. In quiescence, the spectra were those of the early-type secondary star showing its orbital motion around the primary. By measuring cross-correlation radial velocities, we give an improved set of spectroscopic elements. Whereas we measure the same velocity amplitude (K_2=211.3+/-1.0 km/s), within errors, as Orosz et al. (2001), our centre-of-mass velocity (v_gamma=72.7+/-3.3 km/s) differs significantly from the previously published value (107.4+/-m2.9 km/s). However, we find evidence that the difference is caused by a systematic error in data reduction in the previous study, rather than by gravitational effects of an invisible third component.

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arXiv2003

Photometry of SN 2002bo with template image subtraction

VRI photometry of the type Ia supernova 2002bo is presented. This SN exploded in a dusty region of the host galaxy NGC 3190, thus, subtraction of a template frame was necessary to obtain reliable photometry. We used a template frame of NGC 3190 taken during the course of our galaxy imaging project, fortunately, just a few days before SN 2002bo was discovered. The aim of this project is to collect template frames of nearby galaxies that are potential hosts of bright SNe. Subtraction of pre-SN images helped us to exclude the background light contamination of the host galaxy. The maximum occurred at JD 2452346, with maximal V brightness of 13.58. MLCS analysis led to T0(B)=JD 2452346.1 pm 0.8 (fiducial B-maximum), E(B-V)=0.24 pm 0.02, mu0=32.46 pm 0.06, Delta=-0.14 pm 0.04. E(B-V)=0.24(2) indicates a significant extinction in the host galaxy as the galactic reddening is negligible toward NGC 3190. The accepted value of Delta indicates that SN 2002bo was a slightly overluminous SN by about 0.14 relative to fiducial SN Type Ia. The distance turned out to be 31.0 pm 3 Mpc. In addition, the heavily obscured SN 2002cv was also detected on the I frame taken on JD 2452434 (June 8, 2002), and a variable star is found in the field, very close to the host galaxy.

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arXiv2003

A photometric monitoring of bright high-amplitude delta Scuti stars. II. Period updates for seven stars

We present new photometric data for seven high-amplitude delta Scuti stars. The observations were acquired between 1996 and 2002, mostly in the Johnson photometric system. For one star (GW UMa), our observations are the first since the discovery of its pulsational nature from the Hipparcos data.The primary goal of this project was to update our knowledge on the period variations of the target stars. For this, we have collected all available photometric observations from the literature and constructed decades-long O-C diagrams of the stars. This traditional method is useful because of the single-periodic nature of the light variations. Text-book examples of slow period evolution (XX Cyg, DY Her, DY Peg) and cyclic period changes due to light-time effect (LITE) in a binary system (SZ Lyn) are updated with the new observations. For YZ Boo, we find a period decrease instead of increase. The previously suggested LITE-solution of BE Lyn (Kiss & Szatmary 1995) is not supported with the new O-C diagram. Instead of that, we suspect the presence of transient light curve shape variations mimicking small period changes.

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arXiv2002

A photometric monitoring of bright high-amplitude delta Scuti stars. I. The double-mode pulsation of V567 Ophiuchi

We present the first results of an observational project, which addresses the period changing behaviour of a sample of high-amplitude delta Scuti stars. In this paper we discuss the double-mode nature of V567 Ophiuchi. It was observed on 15 nights in two consecutive years in order to resolve the long-standing ambiguity related to its secondary period. A frequency analysis of almost 5000 individual single-filtered CCD V measurements resulted in two independent frequencies (f_1=6.6879 c/d and f_2=11.8266 c/d) with a ratio of f_1/f_2=0.565. Earlier data taken from the literature were used to refine the dominant period, and the re-analysis supports the existence of the secondary period. Possible asteroseismological implications are briefly discussed.

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