The transition from early Of stars to WN type objects is poorly understood. O-type supergiants with emission lines (OIf+) are considered to be intermediate between these two classes. The scope of this paper is to investigate the spectral variability of three Of+ supergiants. We constituted spectral time series of unprecedented quality for our targets (~ 200 spectra in total), essentially in the blue domain, covering time-scales from a few hours up to a few years. Time Variance Spectrum (TVS) and Fourier analyses were performed in order to characterize their spectral variability. We report on a correlated significant line profile variability in the prominent He II λ4686 and Hβlines most likely related to the strong stellar winds. The variability pattern is similar for the three stars investigated (HD14947, HD15570 and HD16691), and the main differences are more quantitative than qualitative. However, the reported time-scales are somewhat different, and the most striking variability pattern is reported for HD16691. We did not find any clear evidence for binarity, and we focus mainly on an interpretation based on a single star scenario. We show that the behaviour of the three stars investigated in this study present strong similarities, pointing to a putative common scenario, even though a few differences should be noted. Our preferred interpretation scheme is that of Large Scale Corotating Structures modulating the profile of the lines that are produced in the strong stellar wind.
Cool red giants and supergiants are among the most complex and fascinating stars in the Universe. They are bright and large, and thus can be observed to enormous distances allowing us to study the properties of their host galaxies, such as dynamics and chemical abundances. This review lecture addresses various problems related to observations and modelling spectra of red giants and supergiants.
We present the IACOB spectroscopic database, an homogeneous set of high quality, high resolution spectra of Galactic O- and B-type stars obtained with the FIES spectrograph attached to the Nordic Optical Telescope. We also present some results from ongoing projects using the IACOB database.
B[e] supergiants (B[e]SGs) are emission-line objects, presumably in a short-lived phase in the post-main sequence evolution of massive stars. Their intense infrared excess emission indicates large amounts of warm circumstellar dust, and the stars were longtime assumed to possess an aspherical wind consisting of a classical line-driven wind in polar direction and a dense, slow equatorial wind dubbed outflowing disk. The general properties obtained for these disks are in line with this scenario, although current theories have considerable difficulties reproducing the observed quantities. Therefo…
Deneb is often considered the prototypical A-type supergiant, and is one of the visually most luminous stars in the Galaxy. A-type supergiants are potential extragalactic distance indicators, but the variability of these stars needs to be better characterized before this technique can be considered reliable. We analyzed 339 high resolution echelle spectra of Deneb obtained over the five-year span of 1997 through 2001 as well as 370 Stromgren photometric measurements obtained during the same time frame. Our spectroscopic analysis included dynamical spectra of the H-alpha profile, H-alpha equiva…
In this series of papers we have presented the results of a spectroscopic survey of luminous and variable stars in the nearby spirals M31 and M33. In this paper, we present spectroscopy of 132 additional luminous stars, variables, and emission line objects. Most of the stars have emission line spectra, including LBVs and candidate LBVs, Fe II emission line stars and the B[e] supergiants, and the warm hypergiants. Many of these objects are spectroscopically similar and are often confused with each other. With this large spectroscopic data set including various types of emission line stars, we e…
The scope of this paper is to perform a detailed spectroscopic study of the northern O-type supergiant HD 195592. We use a large sample of high quality spectra in order to investigate its multiplicity, and to probe the line profile variability. Our analysis reveals a clear spectroscopic binary signature in the profile of the He {\sc i} $λ$ 6678 line, pointing to a probable O + B system. We report on low amplitude radial velocity variations in every strong absorption line in the blue spectrum of HD 195592. These variations are ruled by two time-scales respectively of 5.063 and about 20 days. Th…
We present K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS) observations of 18 Red Supergiant (RSG) stars in the Sculptor Group galaxy NGC 55. Radial velocities are calculated and are shown to be in good agreement with previous estimates, confirming the supergiant nature of the targets and providing the first spectroscopically confirmed RSGs in NGC 55. Stellar parameters are estimated for 14 targets using the $J$-band analysis technique, making use of state-of-the-art stellar model atmospheres. The metallicities estimated confirm the low-metallicity nature of NGC 55, in good agreement with previous stu…
We present a study of the extreme O-type supergiant He 3-759 using new high-resolution FEROS data, revealing that it is a near spectroscopic twin of HD 151804 (O8 Iaf). We investigate the extinction towards He 3-759 using a variety of methods, revealing A_V ~ 4.7 mag. If we assume He 3-759 has an identical absolute K-band magnitude to HD 151804 we find that it lies in the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm at a distance of ~6.5 kpc. We derive the physical and wind properties for He 3-759, revealing T* = 30.5 kK, log L/L(sun) = 5.9 and dM/dt = 10^-5.17 M(sun)/yr for a clumped wind whose terminal vel…
Massive, eclipsing, double-lined, spectroscopic binaries are not common but are necessary to understand the evolution of massive stars as they are the only direct way to determine stellar masses. They are also the progenitors of energetic phenomena such as X-ray binaries and gamma-ray bursts. We present a photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the candidate binary system Cyg OB2-B17 to show that it is indeed a massive evolved binary. We utilise V band and white-light photometry to obtain a light curve and period of the system, and spectra at different resolutions to calculate preliminary or…
We demonstrate how the metallicities of red supergiant (RSG) stars can be measured from quantitative spectroscopy down to resolutions of ~3000 in the J-band. We have obtained high resolution spectra on a sample of the RSG population of h and chi Persei, a double cluster in the solar neighborhood. We show that careful application of the MARCS model atmospheres returns measurements of Z consistent with solar metallicity. Using two grids of synthetic spectra--one in pure LTE and one with NLTE calculations for the most important diagnostic lines--we measure Z = +0.04 +/- 0.10 (LTE) and Z = -0.04 +…
We present a spectroscopic catalog of the 1,564 brightest (J<9) M dwarf candidates in the northern sky, as selected from the SUPERBLINK proper motion catalog. Observations confirm 1,408 of the candidates to be late-K and M dwarfs with spectral subtypes K7-M6. From the low μ>40 mas/yr proper motion limit and high level of completeness of the SUPERBLINK catalog in that magnitude range, we estimate that our spectroscopic census most likely includes >90% of all existing, northern-sky M dwarfs with apparent magnitude J<9. Only 682 stars in our sample are listed in the Third Catalog of Nearby Stars …
Photometric and spectroscopic variability of the blue supergiant rho Leo
Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu（塔尔图大学塔尔图天文台）；Centro Multidisciplinario de Física, Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Universidad Mayor（主教授大学跨学科物理中心与科研副校长办公室）；Instituto de Estadística, Universidad de Valparaiso（瓦尔帕莱索大学统计研究所）；Graduate School of Science, Art and Technology, Khazar University（哈扎尔大学科学技术研究生院）；Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de São Paulo（圣保罗联邦大学物理系）；Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata, CCT La Plata, CONICET-UNLP（拉普拉塔天体物理研究所，拉普拉塔综合技术中心，阿根廷国家科学研究委员会-拉普拉塔国立大学）；Division of Physics of stellar atmospheres and magnetism, Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory（沙马基天文台恒星大气与磁物理学部）
Betelgeuse is a pulsating red supergiant whose brightness is semi periodically variable and in February 2020 reached a historical minimum, the Great Dimming. The aims of this study are to characterize Betelgeuse's variability based on available archival data and to study possible causes of light variability. Many spectra, from ultraviolet and optical regions, were evaluated for spectral analysis. The spectra were used primarily to determine radial velocities from different layers of atmosphere and their long{-}term evolution. Additionally, photometric data were analyzed in different filters as…
Red supergiants are cool massive stars and are the largest and the most luminous stars in the universe. They are characterized by irregular or semi-regular photometric variations, the physics of which is not clearly understood. The paper aims at deriving the velocity field in the red supergiant star $μ$ Cep and relating it to the photometric variability with the help of the tomographic method. The tomographic method allows to recover the line-of-sight velocity distribution over the stellar disk and within different optical-depth slices. The method is applied to a series of high-resolution spec…
Our recent search for the presence of a magnetic field in the bright early A-type supergiant HD92207 using FORS2 in spectropolarimetric mode revealed the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a few hundred Gauss. However, the definite confirmation of the magnetic nature of this object remained pending due to the detection of short-term spectral variability probably affecting the position of line profiles in left- and right-hand polarized spectra. We present new magnetic field measurements of HD92207 obtained on three different epochs in 2013 and 2014 using FORS2 in spectrop…
Massive stars play a significant role in the chemical and dynamical evolution of galaxies. However, much of their variability, particularly during their evolved supergiant stage, is poorly understood. To understand the variability of evolved massive stars in more detail, we present a study of the O9.2Ib supergiant $ζ$ Ori Aa, the only currently confirmed supergiant to host a magnetic field. We have obtained two-color space-based BRIght Target Explorer photometry (BRITE) for $ζ$ Ori Aa during two observing campaigns, as well as simultaneous ground-based, high-resolution optical CHIRON spectrosc…
Extended spectroscopic datasets of several late-B stars of luminosity class Ia revealed the presence of similar peculiarities in their H alpha profiles, which might be interpreted as indications of deviation from spherically symmetric, smooth wind approximation. Surface structures due to non-radial pulsations or weak, large-scale, dipole magnetic fields might be responsible for creating wind structure in the envelopes of these stars.
Two new ON supergiant spectra (bringing the total known to seven) and one new ONn giant (total of this class now eight) are presented; they have been discovered by the Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey. These rare objects represent extremes in the mixing of CNO-cycled material to the surfaces of evolved, late-O stars, by uncertain mechanisms in the first category but likely by rotation in the second. The two supergiants are at the hot edge of the class, which is a selection effect from the behavior of defining N III and C III absorption blends, related to the tendency toward emission (Of ef…
We present the results of our $UBV$ and $JHKLM$-photometry for the semiregular pulsating variable V1027~Cyg, a supergiant with an infrared excess, over the period from 1991 to 2015. Our search for a periodicity in the $UBV$ brightness variations has led to several periods from $P=212^{d}$ to $P=320^{d}$ in different time intervals. We have found the period $P=237^{d}$ based on our infrared photometry. The variability amplitude, the light-curve shape, and the magnitude of V1027~Cyg at maximum light change noticeably from cycle to cycle. An ambiguous correlation of the $B-V$ and $U-B$ colors wit…
Yellow Hypergiants (YHGs) and B[e] supergiants (B[e]SGs), though in different phases in their evolution, display many features in common. This is partly due to the fact that both types of objects undergo strong, often asymmetric mass loss, and the ejected material accumulates in shells, rings, or disk-like structures, giving rise to emission from warm molecules and dust. We performed an optical spectroscopic survey of northern Galactic emission-line stars aimed at identifying tracers for the structure and kinematics of circumstellar environments. We identified two sets of lines, [O I] and [Ca …
Multi epoch spectroscopic variability of the B supergiant HD75149
Universidad de Antofagasta（安托法加斯塔大学）；Universidad de Valparaíso（瓦尔帕莱索大学）；Universidad Católica del Maule（马乌莱天主教大学）；Universidad Nacional de La Plata（拉普拉塔国立大学）；CONICET-UNLP（阿根廷国家科学研究委员会-拉普拉塔国立大学）；Universidad Mayor（麦斯特大学）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）
It is now well established that the majority of massive stars reside in multiple systems. However, the effect of multiplicity is not sufficiently understood, resulting in a plethora of uncertainties about the end stages of massive-star evolution. In order to investigate these uncertainties, it is useful to study massive stars just before their demise. Classical Wolf-Rayet stars represent the final end stages of stars at the upper-mass end. The multiplicity fraction of these stars was reported to be ${\sim}0.4$ in the Galaxy but no correction for observational biases has been attempted. The aim…
Abundances of lithium, carbon, and oxygen have been derived using spectral synthesis for a sample of 249 bright F, G, and K Northern Hemisphere dwarf stars from the high-resolution spectra acquired with the VUES spectrograph at the Moletai Astronomical Observatory of Vilnius University. The sample stars have metallicities, effective temperatures, and ages between -0.7 and 0.4 dex; 5000 and 6900 K; 1 and 12 Gyr, accordingly. We confirm a so far unexplained lithium abundance decrease at supersolar metallicities - $A$(Li) in our sample stars, which drop by 0.7 dex in the [Fe/H] range from +0.10 t…
There are several ongoing massive-star (mostly of spectral type O) surveys that are significantly increasing the quality and quantity of the spectroscopic information about these objects. Here we discuss and present results for two of them, GOSSS and NoMaDS. We also discuss recent and future developments on the Galactic O-Star Catalog and announce the upcoming availability of Marxist Ghost Buster, an IDL code that attacks spectral classification (hence the name) by using an interactive comparison with spectral libraries.
We present moderate-resolution spectroscopic observations of red supergiants (RSGs) in the low-metallicity Local Group galaxies NGC 6822 (Z = 0.4Zsun) and Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte (WLM; Z = 0.1Zsun). By combining these observations with reduction techniques for multislit data reduction and flux calibration, we are able to analyze spectroscopic data of 16 RSGs in NGC 6822 and spectrophotometric data of 11 RSGs in WLM. Using these observations we determine spectral types for these massive stars, comparing them to Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds RSGs and thus extending observational evidence of the …
We describe recent panchromatic imaging and spectroscopic studies of the supergiant, mass-transferring, binary star RY Scuti, which is in a brief transitional phase to become a Wolf-Rayet star and a stripped-envelope supernova.
Some O and B stars show unusually strong or weak lines of carbon and/or nitrogen. These objects are classified as OBN or OBC stars. It has recently been shown that nitrogen enrichment and carbon depletion are the most likely explanations for the existence of the ON class. We investigate OC stars (all being supergiants) to check that surface abundances are responsible for the observed anomalous line strengths. We perform a spectroscopic analysis of three OC supergiants using atmosphere models. A fourth star was previously studied by us. Our sample thus comprises all OC stars known to date in th…
From photoelectric $uvbyβ$ data and recent accurate synthetic and spectroscopic values of $T_{\rm eff}$ and log~$g$ for 50 F-G supergiants, we have calculated functional relationships that lead to initial estimates of effective temperature and gravities for these types of stars. It is shown that while the $T_{\rm eff}$ relationships are calculated using the data on young massive supergiants, they are also valid for evolved stars of similar temperatures like post-AGB and RV Tau stars. The gravity can also be predicted from the $Δ[c_1]$ index with an uncertainty of about 0.26 dex. Although a cle…
We report the results of our search for pulsating subdwarf B stars in Full Frame Images collected during Year 2 of the TESS mission and covering the northern ecliptic hemisphere. This is a continuation of our effort we presented in Paper I. We found 13 likely new pulsating subdwarf B stars, 10 pulsating candidates that are identified as other hot subdwarfs, and 30 spectroscopically unclassified objects that show amplitude spectra typical of pulsating subdwarf B stars. We found 506 variable objects, most of them spectroscopically unclassified, hence their specific variability class yet to be co…
Aims. In this work we derive new precise and homogeneous parameters for 37 stars with planets. For this purpose, we analyze high resolution spectra obtained by the NARVAL spectrograph for a sample composed of bright planet host stars in the northern hemisphere. The new parameters are included in the SWEET-Cat online catalogue. Methods. To ensure that the catalogue is homogeneous, we use our standard spectroscopic analysis procedure, ARES+MOOG, to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities. These spectroscopic stellar parameters are then used as input to compute the ste…
We present the discovery of three new B[e] supergiants (sgB[e] stars) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). All three stars (R15, R38, and R48) were identified in the course of our Runaways and Isolated O Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4). The stars show optical spectra that closely resemble those of previously known B[e] stars, presenting numerous low-ionization forbidden and permitted emission lines such as [Fe II] and Fe II. Furthermore, our stars have luminosities of log(L/L_sun) > 4, demonstrating that they are supergiants. However, we find lower infrared excesses and weak…
We aim to interpret the photometric and spectroscopic variability of the luminous blue variable supergiant HD\,50064 ($V=8.21$).CoRoT space photometry and follow-up high-resolution spectroscopy, with a time base of 137\,d and 169\,d, respectively, was gathered, analysed and interpreted using standard time series analysis and light curve modelling methods as well as spectral line diagnostics.The space photometry reveals one period of 37\,d, which undergoes a sudden amplitude change with a factor 1.6. The pulsation period is confirmed in the spectroscopy, which additionally reveals metal line ra…
The spectra of O and B supergiants are known to be affected by a significant form of extra line broadening (usually referred to as macroturbulence) in addition to that produced by stellar rotation. Recent analyses of high resolution spectra have shown that the interpretation of this line broadening as a consequence of large scale turbulent motions would imply highly supersonic velocity fields in photospheric regions, making this scenario quite improbable. Stellar oscillations have been proposed as a likely alternative explanation. As part of a long term observational project, we are investigat…
Stellar evolution theory is most uncertain for massive stars. For reliable predictions of the evolution of massive stars and their final fate, solid constraints on the physical parameters, and their changes along the evolution and in different environments, are required. Massive stars evolve through a variety of short transition phases, in which they can experience large mass-loss either in the form of dense winds or via sudden eruptions. The B[e] supergiants comprise one such group of massive transition objects. They are characterized by dense, dusty disks of yet unknown origin. In the Milky …
We describe recent work focused towards a better understanding of red supergiant stars using 3D radiative-hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations with CO5BOLD. A small number of simulations now exist that span up to seven years of stellar time, at various numerical resolutions. Our discussion concentrates on interferometric and spectroscopic observations. We point out a number of problems, in particular the line depth and line width that are not well reproduced by simulations. The most recent introduction of a non-grey treatment of the radiation field dramatically improved the match with observations,…
We present the updates of the Galactic O-Star Catalog (GOSC) that we have undertaken in the last two years: new spectral types, more objects, additional information, and coordination with CDS. We also present updates for the Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey (GOSSS). A new paper (GOSSS-III) has been published and ~1000 targets have been observed since 2014. Four new setups have been added to our lineup and for two of them we have already obtained over 100 spectra: with OSIRIS at the 10.4 m GTC we are observing northern dim stars and with FRODOspec at the 2.0 m Liverpool Telescope we are obs…
The spectrum of O and B Supergiants is known to be affected by an important extra line-broadening (usually called macroturbulence) that adds to stellar rotation. Recent analysis of high resolution spectra has shown that the interpretation of this line-broadening as a consequence of large-scale turbulent motions would imply highly super-sonic velocity fields, making this scenario quite improbable. Stellar oscillations have been proposed as a likely alternative explanation. We present first encouraging results of an observational project aimed at investigating the $macroturbulent$ broadening in …
We present the first installment of a massive spectroscopic survey of Galactic O stars, based on new, high signal-to-noise ratio, R~2500 digital observations from both hemispheres selected from the Galactic O-Star Catalog of Maíz Apellániz et al. (2004) and Sota et al. (2008). The spectral classification system is rediscussed and a new atlas is presented, which supersedes previous versions. Extensive sequences of exceptional objects are given, including types Ofc, ON/OC, Onfp, Of?p, Oe, and double-lined spectroscopic binaries. The remaining normal spectra bring this first sample to 184 stars, …
We present Grantecan 10 m telescope (GTC) spectroscopic confirmations of 55 faint Planetary Nebulae (PNe) candidates discovered largely in the INT Photometric H$_α$ Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS) by our pro-am collaboration. We confirm 46 of them as 'True' (T), 4 as 'Likely' (L) and 5 as 'Possible' (P) PNe and including 5 new PNe central star (CSPN) discoveries. This was from observations of 62 new candidates yielding a maximum PN discovery success rate of 89%. The sensitivity and longer wavelength coverage of IPHAS allows PNe to be found in regions of greater extinction and at …
Despite the important advances in space asteroseismology during the last decade, the early phases of evolution of stars with masses above $\sim$15 M$_{\odot}$ have been only vaguely explored up to now. Our goal is to detect, analyze and interpret variability in the early-B type supergiant HD\,2905 using long-term, ground based, high resolution spectroscopy. We gather a total of 1141 high-resolution spectra covering some 2900 days. We complement these observations with the $Hipparcos$ light curve, which includes 160 data points obtained during a time span of $\sim$1200 days. We investigate spec…
[ABRIDGED] AIMS. MONOS is collecting information and studying O-type spectroscopic binaries with delta > -20 deg. In this 1st paper we describe the sample and provide spectral classifications and additional information for objects with previous SB or EB orbits. In the future we will test the validity of previous solutions and calculate new SB orbits. METHODS.The spectra in this paper have 2 sources: GOSSS, which is obtaining blue-violet R~2500 spectroscopy of thousands of massive stars, and LiLiMaRlin, a library of libraries of high-resolution spectroscopy of massive stars obtained from 4 diff…
HD 179821 is classified as G5 Ia star. From the IRAS colors and spectral energy distributions it was classified as a post-AGB star. But some studies classify it as a massive (30 to 19 Msun ) post-red supergiant evolving to become a Type II supernova. Its mass and evolutionary status remained a hotly debated question even after several detailed spectroscopic studies as the distance was not known. We use the parallax of HD 179821 from the second Gaia data release, and deduce its distance 2959 +/- 409 pc and its absolute magnitude MV = -5.7 +/- 0.3. Using the absolute magnitude determined in this…
The quantitative study of the physical properties and chemical abundances of large samples of massive blue stars at different metallicities is a powerful tool to understand the nature and evolution of these objects. Their analysis beyond the Milky Way is challenging, nonetheless it is doable and the best way to investigate their behavior in different environments. Fulfilling this task in an objective way requires the implementation of automatic analysis techniques that can perform the analyses systematically, minimizing at the same time any possible bias. As part of the ARAUCARIA project we ca…
With new data from the Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey, we confirm and expand the ONn category of late-O, nitrogen-enriched (N), rapidly rotating (n) giants. In particular, we have discovered two "clones" (HD 102415 and HD 117490) of one of the most rapidly rotating O stars previously known (HD 191423, "Howarth's Star"). We compare the locations of these objects in the theoretical HR Diagram to those of slowly rotating ON dwarfs and supergiants. All ON giants known to date are rapid rotators, whereas no ON dwarf or supergiant is; but all ON stars are small fractions of their respective sp…
Since its launch, the X-ray and gamma-ray observatory INTEGRAL satellite has revealed a new class of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB) displaying fast flares and hosting supergiant companion stars. Optical and infrared (OIR) observations in a multi-wavelength context are essential to understand the nature and evolution of these newly discovered celestial objects. The goal of this multiwavelength study (from ultraviolet to infrared) is to characterise the properties of IGR J16465-4507, to confirm its HMXB nature and that it hosts a supergiant star. We analysed all OIR, photometric and spectroscop…
New space missions, such as NASA TESS or ESA PLATO, will focus on bright stars, which have been largely ignored by modern large surveys, especially in the northern sky. Spectroscopic information is of paramount importance in characterising the stars and analysing planets possibly orbiting them, and in studying the Galactic disc evolution. The aim of this work was to analyse all bright (V < 8 mag) F, G, and K dwarf stars using high-resolution spectra in the selected sky fields near the northern celestial pole. The observations were carried out with the 1.65 m diameter telescope at the Molėtai A…
Clear identifications of Galactic young stellar clusters farther than a few kpc from the Sun are rare, despite the large number of candidate clusters. We aim to improve the selection of candidate clusters rich in massive stars with a multiwavelength analysis of photometric Galactic data that range from optical to mid-infrared wavelengths. We present a photometric and spectroscopic analysis of five candidate stellar clusters, which were selected as overdensities with bright stars (Ks < 7 mag) in GLIMPSE and 2MASS images. A total of 48 infrared spectra were obtained. The combination of photometr…
We present high spectral resolution (R = 30000) spectroscopic observations of the SiO fundamental lines near 8.1 micron in 16 bright red giants and red supergiants using VLT/VISIR. Our sample consists of seven normal K--M giants, three Mira stars, three optically bright red supergiants, two dusty red supergiants, and the enigmatic object GCIRS3 near the Galactic center. We detected SiO fundamental lines in all of our program stars except for GCIRS3. The SiO lines in normal K and M giants as well as optically bright red supergiants do not show P-Cyg profiles or blueshifts, which means the absen…
In recent years, temperature scales in cool supergiants (CSGs) have been disputed, and the possibility that spectral types (SpTs) do not depend primarily on temperature has been raised. We explore the relations between different observed parameters and the capability of deriving accurate intrinsic stellar parameters from them through the analysis of the largest spectroscopic sample of CSGs to date from SMC and LMC. We explore possible correlations between different observational parameters, also making use of near- and mid-infrared colours and literature on photometric variability. Direct comp…
We present the IACOB spectroscopic database, the largest homogeneous database of high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of Northern Galactic OB-type stars compiled up to date. The spectra were obtained with the FIES spectrograph attached to the Nordic Optical Telescope. We briefly summarize the main characeristics and present status of the IACOB, first scientific results, and some future plans for its extension and scientific exploitation.
With the exception of a few well-known and studied systems, the binary population of red supergiants (RSGs) remains relatively uncharacterized. Famous systems such as VV Cep, 31 Cyg and zeta Aur contain RSG + B star binaries and here we explore whether B stars are the main type of companion we expect from an evolutionary point of view. Using the Geneva evolutionary models we find that this is indeed the case. However, few such systems are known, and we use model spectra to determine how easy such binaries would be to detect observationally. We find that it should be quite difficult to hide a B…
{We aim to detect and interpret photometric and spectroscopic variability of the bright CoRoT B-type supergiant target HD\,46769 ($V=5.79$). We also attempt to detect a magnetic field in the target.} {We analyse a 23-day oversampled CoRoT light curve after detrending, as well as spectroscopic follow-up data, by using standard Fourier analysis and Phase Dispersion Minimization methods. We determine the fundamental parameters of the star, as well as its abundances from the most prominent spectral lines. We perform a Monte Carlo analysis of spectropolarimetric data to obtain an upper limit of the…
