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V. Castellani

Publications and source records attributed to V. Castellani.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Helioseismology, solar models and neutrino fluxes

We present our results concerning a systematical analysis of helioseismic implications on solar structure and neutrino production. We find Y$_{ph}=0.238-0.259$, $R_b/R_\odot=0.708-0.714$ and $ρ_b=(0.185-0.199)$ gr/cm$^3$. In the interval $0.2<R/R_\odot<0.65$, the quantity $U=P/ρ$ is determined with and accuracy of $\pm 5$\permille~or better. At the solar center still one has remarkable accuracy, $ΔU/U <4%$. We compare the predictions of recent solar models (standard and non-standard) with the helioseismic results. By constructing helioseismically constrained solar models, the central solar temperature is found to be $T=1.58 \times 10^7$K with a conservatively estimated accuracy of 1.4%, so that the major unceratainty on neutrino fluxes is due to nuclear cross section and not to solar inputs.

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Stars as galactic neutrino sources

Theoretical expectations concerning stars as neutrino sources are presented according to detailed evaluations of the stellar evolutionary histories for an extended grid of stellar masses. Neutrino fluxes and cumulative neutrino yields are given for both `thermo-nuclear' and `cooling' neutrinos all over the nuclear life of the stars and along the final cooling as White Dwarfs. Predictions concerning the galactic and the cosmic neutrino background are presented and discussed.

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A photometric study of the field RR Lyrae stars AW Dra, AQ Lyr and CN Lyr

We present CCD lightcurves for the three field RR Lyrae AQ Lyr, CN Lyr and AW Dra observed at the Teramo TNT telescope. Stellar temperatures have been derived from the observed mean colors, allowing a comparison with recent theoretical predictions on RR Lyrae lightcurves. As for the two metal rich pulsators in the sample we suggest that CN Lyr has been possibly misclassified, being a c-type pulsator. This gives a warning against the possible contamination with first overtone (FO) pulsators of observational samples of field ab type stars. On the other hand, if CN Lyr belongs to the low amplitude, b-type fundamental pulsators, it shows a lightcurve with a slow risetime not jet predicted by theory. AQ Lyrae appears as a metal rich ab type pulsator, with the expected luminosity but with amplitude lower than predicted by theory. Finally, we find that AW Dra behaves as a metal poor fundamental (F) pulsator, crossing the instability strip well above the corresponding Zero Age Horizontal Branch (ZAHB) luminosity level.

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Stellar models for very low mass main sequence stars: the role of model atmospheres

We present Very Low Mass stellar models as computed including non-grey model atmospheres for selected assumptions about the star metallicities. The role of atmospheres is discussed and the models are compared with models based on the Eddington approximation and with similar models appeared in the recent literature. Theoretical predictions concerning both the HR diagram location and the mass-luminosity relation are presented and discussed in terms of expectations in selected photometric bands. Comparison with available observational data concerning both galactic globular clusters and dwarfs in the solar neighborhood reveals a satisfactory agreement together with the existence of some residual mismatches.

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Un updated theoretical scenario for globular cluster stars

In the first part of this paper we revisit the history of theoretical predictions for HB luminosities in old Population II stellar clusters, starting from the results of `old' evolutionary computations to introduce in various steps all the available `new' physics. We discuss the influence of physical ingredients on selected evolutionary parameters, finally presenting models which incorporate all the most recent updating of the relevant physics. The evolutionary behavior of such models is extensively investigated for selected choices about the cluster metallicity, discussing theoretical predictions concerning both cluster isochrones and the calibration of the parameter R in terms of the original amount of He in stellar matter. One finds that the `new' physics has a relevant influence on both these parameters, moving in particular cluster ages to a much better agreement with current cosmological evaluations. This scenario is implemented by a further set of stellar models where element diffusion is taken into account. The comparison between theoretical scenarios with or without diffusion is presented and discussed. A discussion of current observational constraints to the light of the updated theory closes the paper.

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Heavy element diffusion and globular cluster ages

This paper discusses low mass, metal poor stars, presenting new evolutionary computations which take into account the inward diffusion of both He and heavy elements during the H burning phase. The investigation has been extended to He burning models, discussing the luminosity of the Zero Age Horizontal Branch (ZAHB) models originated from progenitors with efficient element diffusion. We find that diffusion of heavy elements plays a non-negligible role in the evolutionary paths of the model. One finds that element diffusion has a sensitive influence on evolutionary models, a less significant effect on the isochrone turn off and, finally, a rather marginal impact on the difference in luminosity between the ZAHB and the isochrone Turn-Off (TO). The consequences of these results on current evaluations of globular cluster ages are discussed in connection with possible sources of errors.

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Very Low Mass Stars: From Observations to Theory and back

We briefly review the observational and theoretical investigations on Very Low Mass (VLM) stars. New evolutionary computations, extending toward the lower main sequence previous computations already given for globular cluster stars, are presented. Comparisons with updated observational data both for globular cluster stars and VLM stars with known parallaxes are also shown. We discuss observational evidences supporting theoretical predictions concerning the Color - Magnitude (C-M) location of faint Main Sequence stars as far as concern the dependence of the lower main sequence on the metallicity.

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Solar neutrinos: beyond standard solar models

After a short survey of the physics of solar neutrinos, giving an overview of hydrogen burning reactions, predictions of standard solar models and results of solar neutrino experiments, we discuss the solar-model-independent indications in favour of non-standard neutrino properties. The experimental results look to be in contradiction with each other, even disregarding some experiment: unless electron neutrinos disappear in their trip from the sun to the earth, the fluxes of intermediate energy neutrinos (those from 7Be electron capture and from the CNO cycle) result to be unphysically negative, or anyway extremely reduced with respect to standard solar model predictions. Next we review extensively non-standard solar models built as attempts to solve the solar neutrino puzzle. The dependence of the central solar temperature on chemical composition, opacity, age and on the values of the astrophysical S-factors for hydrogen-burning reactions is carefully investigated. Also, possible modifications of the branching among the various pp-chains in view of nuclear physics uncertainties are examined. Assuming standard neutrinos, all solar models examined fail in reconciling theory with experiments, even when the physical and chemical inputs are radically changed with respect to present knowledge and even if some of the experimental results are discarded.

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Nonlinear Investigation of the Pulsational Properties of RR Lyrae Variables

We present a theoretical investigation on periods and amplitudes of RR Lyrae pulsators by adopting stellar parameters which cover the range of theoretical evolutionary expectations. Extensive grids of nonlinear, nonlocal and time-dependent convective RR Lyrae envelope models have been computed to investigate the pulsational behavior in both fundamental and first overtone modes at selected luminosity levels and over an effective temperature range which covers the whole instability region. Blue and red boundaries for pulsational instability into the HR diagram are presented for three different mass values M=0.75, 0.65 and 0.58 solar masses, together with an atlas of full amplitude theoretical light curves for both fundamental and first overtone pulsators. Theoretical periods have been combined with theoretical amplitudes in order to predict the location of the pulsators in the amplitude-period diagram. Comparison with observational data brings to light what we regard as a clear indication that the region where both fundamental and first overtone show a stable limit cycle, is populated by fundamental or first overtone pulsators in Oosterhoff I and Oosterhoff II clusters respectively. Some evident mismatches between theory and observation have also been found, and they are presented and discussed.

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"Not too old" metal deficient stellar populations: the case of metallicity Z=0.00001

We investigate the evolution of metal deficient stellar structures, presenting H-burning isochrones covering cluster ages from 800 Myr to 7 Gyr. Evolutionary evidences for selection effects in the metallicity distribution of very metal poor H-burning red giants are reported. The evolution of stars during central and shell He burning is further investigated, discussing the occurrence of He burning pulsators as a function of cluster age.

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Mass loss in metal deficient Red Giants

We investigate the final fate of metal deficient (MD) H burning Red Giants under various assumptions about the amount of mass loss. Adopting a metallicity Z= 10^(-8), we follow the evolution of 0.8 Mo models from the Main Sequence phase till the onset of the He flash or the final cooling as a He White Dwarf, according to the amount of mass loss. We show that MD Red Giants require peculiarly large H-rich envelopes to support the H-shell burning and to allow the final ignition of He, thus favouring the occurrence of He degenerate dwarfs either as the result of single star evolution or in MD binary systems. The evolution of our models along the He burning phase or as cooling White Dwarf is briefly discussed.

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Star luminosity function as an age indicator for the Dwarf spheroidal Leo I

Star luminosity function, already recognized as an age indicator for old galactic globular clusters, can be used to contrains the age of younger stellar systems like the nearby dwarfs spheroidal Leo I. We compare the observed luminosity function of Leo I, presented by Lee et al. 1993, with theoretical expectations for three selected ages, 1, 1.5 and 2 billion years, deriving an age of about 1.5 Gyr. This result does not appear critically affected by assumptions about the cluster distance modulus or the Initial Mass Function.

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RR LYRAE VARIABLE STARS: PULSATIONAL CONSTRAINTS RELEVANT TO THE OOSTERHOFF CONTROVERSY

A solution to the old Oosterhoff controversy is proposed on the basis of a new theoretical pulsational scenario concerning RR Lyrae cluster variables (Bono and coworkers). We show that the observed constancy of the lowest pulsation period in both Oosterhoff type I (OoI) and Oosterhoff type II (OoII) prototypes (M3, M15) can be easily reproduced only by assuming the canonical evolutionary horizontal-branch luminosity levels of these Galactic globular clusters and therefore by rejecting the Sandage period shift effect (SPSE).

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The fate of Li and Be in stars and in the laboratory

We connect the observed under-abundances of Li and Be in dwarfs, with recent results on nuclear cross sections at low energies: for collisions of protons with atomic or molecular targets, the measured cross sections seem too high with respect to extrapolations for bare nuclei. Phenomenologically, these anomalous nuclear interactions can be described in terms of an effective screening potential $U_{lab}$ in the range of few hundred eV: in the presence of the electron cloud, nuclei become more transparent to each other as if the effective collision energy is aumented by $U_{lab}$. This implies that fusion cross sections are enlarged and at the same time elastic cross sections are lowered. If something similar occurs in stellar plasma, the nuclear burning temperatures are lowered, whereas diffusion processes are enhanced. We find that the observed Li and Be abundances in the Hyades and in the Sun can be reproduced for effective screening potentials of the plasma in the range of 600-700 eV, close to that found by experiments in the lab.

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CCD PHOTOMETRY OF RR LYRAE STARS IN M5 AS A TEST FOR THE PULSATIONAL SCENARIO

In this paper we present new CCD investigations of RR Lyrae pulsators in the Oo.I globular cluster M5. B V curves of light for 15 RR Lyrae are presented. With the addition of further 11 curves of light by Storm, Carney and Beck (1991) one is dealing with a sample of 26 well studied cluster pulsators whose properties have been implemented with similar data for RR Lyrae in clusters M3, M15, M68 to allow a comparison with the theoretical scenario recently presented by Bono and Stellingwerf (1994). On this basis, we discuss the distribution of stars in the period amplitude diagram, disclosing a substantial reduction of Sandage's period shift. We suggest that theoretical constraints concerning periods and amplitudes could allow information on masses and luminosity of the pulsators directly from Bailey's diagram only. Static temperatures have been derived for all stars in the sample, discussing the dependence on the temperature of the observed pulsational properties.

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The age of old Magelanic Cloud clusters. I: NGC 2257.

Deep CCD photometry down to V=24.5 is presented for the old Magellanic Globular cluster NGC 2257. The main result cna be summarized as follows: i) the RGB Bump has been detected at V=18.7+-0.1, and is compatible with determination of this feature in GGCs; ii) NGC 2257 seems to be 2-3 Gyrs younger than a typical GGC; iii) the helium abundance has been estimated to be Y=0.21+-0.03, using the R- method as calibrated by Buzzoni et al., 1983.

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The Hot End of Evolutionary Horizontal Branches

In this paper we investigate the hot end of the HB, presenting evolutionary constraints concerning the CM diagram location and the gravity of hot HB stars. According to the adopted evolutionary scenario, we predict an upper limit for HB temperatures of about logTe = 4.45, remarkably cooler than previous estimates. We find that such a theoretical prescription appears in good agreement with available observational data concerning both stellar temperatures and gravities.

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Bright Stars in the Galactic Globular M5

We present a CCD investigation of the galactic globular M5 aimed to increase the statistical relevance of the available sample of evolving bright stars. Previous investigations, limited to the outer cluster region, have been extended toward the cluster center, more than doubling the number of observed luminous stars. On this basis, we discuss a statistically relevant sample, rich of 415 HB stars. The occurrence of a gap in the blue side of the HB is suggested. Comparison to the current evolutionary scenario discloses a good agreement concerning both the C-M diagram location and the relative abundance of stars in the advanced evolutionary phases, supporting our present knowledge of the evolution of low mass stars. Determination of the amount of the original helium content through the ratio R N(HB)/N(RGB) gives $Y = 0.22 \pm 0.02$.

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