To broaden the understanding of classical Cepheid structure, evolution and atmospheres, we have extended our continuing secret lives of Cepheids program by obtaining XMM/Chandra X-ray observations, and Hubble space telescope (HST) / cosmic origins spectrograph (COS) FUV-UV spectra of the bright, nearby Cepheids Polaris, δ Cep and β Dor. Previous studies made with the international ultraviolet explorer (IUE) showed a limited number of UV emission lines in Cepheids. The well-known problem presented by scattered light contamination in IUE spectra for bright stars, along with the excellent sensitivity & resolution combination offered by HST/COS, motivated this study, and the spectra obtained were much more rich and complex than we had ever anticipated. Numerous emission lines, indicating 10^4 K up to ~3 x 10^5 K plasmas, have been observed, showing Cepheids to have complex, dynamic outer atmospheres that also vary with the photospheric pulsation period. The FUV line emissions peak in the phase range ϕ ~ 0.8-1.0 and vary by factors as large as 10x. A more complete picture of Cepheid outer atmospheres is accomplished when the HST/COS results are combined with X-ray observations that we have obtained of the same stars with XMM-Newton & Chandra. The Cepheids detected to date have X-ray luminosities of log Lx ~ 28.5-29.1 ergs/sec, and plasma temperatures in the 2-8 x 10^6 K range. Given the phase-timing of the enhanced emissions, the most plausible explanation is the formation of a pulsation-induced shocks that excite (and heat) the atmospheric plasmas surrounding the photosphere. A pulsation-driven α^2 equivalent dynamo mechanism is also a viable and interesting alternative. However, the tight phase-space of enhanced emission (peaking near 0.8-1.0 ϕ) favor the shock heating mechanism hypothesis.
Oxygen abundance measurements are important for understanding stellar structure and evolution. Measured in Cepheids, they further provide clues on the metallicity gradient and chemo-dynamical evolution in the Galaxy. However, most of the abundance analyses of Cepheids to date have been based on one-dimensional (1D) hydrostatic model atmospheres. Here, we test the validity of this approach for the key oxygen abundance diagnostic, the \ion{O}{I} $777\,\mathrm{nm}$~triplet lines. We carry out 2D non-LTE radiative transfer clculations across two different 2D radiation hydrodynamics simulations of …
X-ray bursts have recently been discovered in the Cepheids $δ$ Cep and $β$ Dor modulated by the pulsation cycle. We have obtained an observation of the Cepheid $η$ Aql with the XMM-Newton satellite at the phase of maximum radius, the phase at which there is a burst of X-rays in $δ$ Cep. No X-rays were seen from the Cepheid $η$ Aql at this phase, and the implications for Cepheid upper atmospheres are discussed. We have also used the combination of X-ray sources and Gaia and 2MASS data to search for a possible grouping around the young intermediate mass Cepheid. No indication of such a group was…
We present IRAM 30~m Telescope observations of the CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) emission lines in a sample of eight Cepheid variable stars. The CO(1-0) line is detected in four of the eight targets at a signal-to-noise of $>$3.5 confirming the presence of CO in Cepheid atmospheres. Two sources show strong absorption in both CO lines; this is likely related to contamination by cold molecular gas clouds along or close to the line of sight. The remaining two targets showed no strong features related to either CO line. These detections represent the first direct evidence for the presence of CO in Cepheid a…
Parker (1983) suggested a mechanism for the formation of current sheets (CSs) in the solar atmosphere. His main idea was that the tangling of coronal magnetic field lines by photospheric random flows facilitates the continuous formation of CSs in the solar atmosphere. This part of his idea represents one of the many ways by which the turbulent convection zone drives the formation of coherent structures and CSs in the solar atmosphere. Other mechanisms include emerging magnetic flux, interaction of current filaments, and explosive magnetic structures. However, there are two unproven assumptions…
Multi-chromatic observations of classical Cepheids using the CHARA Array interferometer: Surface brightness-colour relation, projection factor, and limb-darkening
Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange(蔚蓝海岸大学,蔚蓝海岸天文台);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台);LIRA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS(巴黎天文台 LIRA 实验室,巴黎文理研究大学,索邦大学,巴黎西岱大学,CY 塞尔吉巴黎大学);French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy, IRL 3386, CNRS(中智天文学联合实验室);Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá(塔拉帕卡大学高等研究院);Astronomy Department, University of Michigan(密歇根大学天文学系)
Aims: We investigate the atmospheric response to coronal heating driven by random flows with different characteristic time scales and amplitudes. Methods: We conducted a series of 3D MHD simulations of random driving imposed on a gravitationally stratified model of the solar atmosphere. In order to understand differences between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) heating, we considered the effects of changing the characteristic time scales of the imposed velocities. We also investigated the effects of the magnitude of the velocity driving. Results: Complex foot point motions lead…
The infrared Mg I lines near 12 microns are a pair of emission lines which are magnetically sensitive and have been used to measure solar magnetic fields. Here we calculate the response of the Mg I 12.32 $μ$m line during a flare and find that in our modeling this line has a complicated behavior. At the beginning of the flare heating, this line shows an intensity dimming at the line center. The intensity then increases when heating continues, with increasing contributions from the heated layers in the chromosphere. The line formation height and the line width also increase as a result. As for t…
It is extremely difficult to simulate the details of coronal heating and also make meaningful predictions of the emitted radiation. Thus, testing realistic models with observations is a major challenge. Observational signatures of coronal heating depend crucially on radiation, thermal conduction, and the exchange of mass and energy with the transition region and chromosphere below. Many magnetohydrodynamic simulation studies do not include these effects, opting instead to devote computational resources to the magnetic aspects of the problem. We have developed a simple method of accounting appr…
Non-LTE Calculations of the Fe I 6173 Å Line in a Flaring Atmosphere
Fe I 6173超导线被广泛用于包括日震和磁成像仪(HMI)在内的仪器对矢量磁场的测量。我们进行非本地热力学平衡计算的基础上,在一个燃烧的大气中的辐射流体动力学模拟这条线。我们采用了安静的太阳大气和半影大气作为我们的模拟初始之一。我们发现,在宁静的太阳大气中,线中心在中间耀斑期间有明显的增强。增强的发射是由光球层的辐射回暖和色球层下部的粒子束加热共同作用的结果。蓝色的不对称的线轮廓也出现由于在较低的色球层向上的质量运动。如果初始大气为半影大气,谱线对耀斑加热的响应更为显著,表现为中心发射和明显的不对称性。HMI的低光谱分辨率将指示一些信息损失,但增强和线不对称性仍然保持。通过计算偏振线轮廓,我们发现Stokes I和V轮廓可以作为耀斑加热的结果而改变。因此,这条线的畸变对从这条线测量的磁场有着至关重要的影响,在解释太阳耀斑中经常观测到的磁瞬变现象时应谨慎。
GIARPS simultaneous optical and infrared high-spectral-resolution observations of Cepheids I. Limb darkening from cross-correlated radial velocities
Université Côte d’Azur(蔚蓝海岸大学);Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CY Cergy Paris Université(巴黎天文台,巴黎文理研究大学,索邦大学,巴黎西岱大学,塞吉-蓬图瓦兹大学);French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy, IRL 3386, CNRS and U. de Chile(中法天文学联合实验室);Universidad de Concepción(康塞普西翁大学);Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics(莱布尼茨天体物理研究所);Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences(波兰科学院尼古拉·哥白尼天文学中心);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台)
We report on observations of a solar jet propagating along coronal loops taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Interface Region Imaging Spectragraph (IRIS) and 1-m New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST). The ejecta of the jet consist of multi-thermal components and propagate with a speed greater than 100 km/s. Brightenings are found in the remote footpoints of the coronal loops having compact and round-shape in the Halpha images. The emission peak of the remote brightening in the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) 94 Åpassband lags 60 s behind that in the jet base. The brightenings in …
Coronal loops are the basic building block of the upper solar atmosphere. Comprehending how these are energized, structured, and evolve is key to understanding stellar coronae. Here we investigate how the energy to heat the loop is generated by photospheric magneto-convection, transported into the upper atmosphere, and how the internal structure of a coronal loop forms. In a 3D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model, we study an isolated coronal loop rooted with both footpoints in a shallow layer within the convection zone using the MURaM code. To resolve its internal structure, we limited the compu…
We perform an analysis of the line-of-sight (LOS) observables of the SDO/HMI for models of the solar atmosphere heated by precipitating high-energy electrons during solar flares. The radiative hydrodynamic (RADYN) flare models are obtained from the F-CHROMA database. The Stokes profiles for the Fe 6173 A line observed by SDO/HMI are calculated using the radiative transfer code RH1.5D assuming statistical equilibrium for atomic level populations and imposing uniform background vertical magnetic field of various strength. The SDO/HMI observing sequence and LOS data processing pipeline algorithm …
It remains unclear which physical processes are responsible for the dramatic increase with height of the temperature in stellar atmospheres, known as the chromospheric ($\sim$10,000 K) and coronal (several million K) heating problems. Statistical studies of sun-like stars reveal that chromospheric and coronal emissions are correlated on a global scale, constraining, in principle, theoretical models of potential heating mechanisms. However, so far, spatially resolved observations of the Sun have surprisingly failed to show a similar correlation on small spatial scales, leaving models poorly con…
Spicules are rapidly evolving fine-scale jets of magnetized plasma in the solar chromosphere. It remains unclear how these prevalent jets originate from the solar surface and what role they play in heating the solar atmosphere. Using the Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, we observed spicules emerging within minutes of the appearance of opposite-polarity magnetic flux around dominant-polarity magnetic field concentrations. Data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory showed subsequent heating of the adjacent corona. The dynamic interaction of magnetic fields (likely due to ma…
The importance of the chromosphere in the mass and energy transport within the solar atmosphere is now widely recognised. This review discusses the physics of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and instabilities in large-scale chromospheric structures as well as in magnetic flux tubes. We highlight a number of key observational aspects that have helped our understanding of the role of the solar chromosphere in various dynamic processes and wave phenomena, and the heating scenario of the solar chromosphere is also discussed. The review focuses on the physics of waves and invokes the basics of plas…
Superflares on the solar type stars observed by \textit{Kepler} demonstrate the contrast in the optical continuum of the order 0.1--1 per cent. The mechanism of formation of this radiation is not firmly established. We consider a model where the stellar atmosphere is irradiated by the soft X rays emitted from the flaring loop filled with the hot plasma. This radiation heats a large area beneath the loop. Subsequent cooling due to {\sc h$^{-}$} and hydrogen free-bound emission can contribute to the observed enhanced continuum. We solve the equations of radiative transfer, statistical equilibriu…
Toward a Comprehensive Grid of Cepheid Models with MESA II. Impact of Physical and Numerical Assumptions on Elemental Abundances
Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences(波兰科学院尼古拉·哥白尼天文学中心);Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research (STAR) Institute, Université de Liège(列日大学空间科学、技术与天体物理研究(STAR)研究所)
Atmospheric escape is an important process that controls the long-term evolution of close-in planets. We perform radiation hydrodynamics simulations of photo-evaporation of exoplanets' atmospheres to study the effect of photoelectric heating by far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation. Specifically, we consider a close-in hot Jupiter around a hot A-star. Hot main-sequence stars emit not only extreme ultraviolet radiation but also FUV radiation, and thus can drive strong atmospheric escape by photoelectric heating. We show that the planetary atmosphere escapes at a rate as large as $\dot{M}\sim10^{14}\,…