We present template radial velocity curves of $ab$-type RR Lyrae stars constructed from high-precision measurements of ${\rm Hα}$, ${\rm Hβ}$, and ${\rm Hγ}$ lines. Amplitude correlations between the Balmer line velocity curves, Johnson $V$-band, and SDSS $g$- and $r$-band light curves are also derived. Compared to previous methods, these templates and derived correlations reduce the uncertainty in measured systemic (center-of-mass) velocities of RR Lyrae stars by up to 15 {\kms}, and will be of particular interest to wide-area spectroscopic surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE).
Aims: To try and clarify whether there are stars in the neighbourhood of $β$ Lyrae which are physically connected to the famous prototype eclipsing binary. Methods: Scrutinize the astrometric and photometric data (from Hipparcos and Gaia DR2) of stars in a limited sky field around $β$~Lyrae. Results: A star cluster of about 100 members is discovered, nicely centered on $β$~Lyrae in 5 dimensions. There are clear indications that the newly discovered cluster belongs to a larger old (extinct) star formation complex, including two already known star clusters and an extended strewn field of stars a…
The BTr and UBr satellites observed $β$ Lyrae from May to October 2016 to continuously monitor light-curve instabilities with the time resolution of about 100 mins. An instrumental problem affecting localized patches on the BTr CCD detector has been discovered by comparison with partly simultaneous UBr observations; the origin of the problem is being investigated. A zero-point offset permits utilization of the BTr data for a time-series characterization of deviations from the mean light curve defined to $\simeq 0.0025$ mag.
We collected the largest spectroscopic catalog of RR Lyrae (RRLs) including $\approx$20,000 high-, medium- and low-resolution spectra for $\approx$10,000 RRLs. We provide the analytical forms of radial velocity curve (RVC) templates. These were built using 36 RRLs (31 fundamental -- split into three period bins -- and 5 first overtone pulsators) with well-sampled RVCs based on three groups of metallic lines (Fe, Mg, Na) and four Balmer lines (H$_α$, H$_β$, H$_γ$, H$_δ$). We tackled the long-standing problem of the reference epoch to anchor light curve and RVC templates. For the $V$-band, we fo…
We present a group of 3740 previously identified RR Lyrae variables well-observed with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We explore how the shape of the generic RR Lyrae mid-infrared light curve evolves in period-space, comparing light curves in mid-infrared and optical bands. We find that optical light curves exhibit high amplitudes and a large spectrum of light curve shapes, while mid-infrared light curves have low amplitudes and uniform light curve shapes. From the period-space analysis, we hope to improve the classification methods of RR Lyrae variables and enable reliable di…
Beta Lyrae is an eclipsing, semi-detached binary system whose state of active mass transfer can reveal details of the nonconservative evolution of binary stars. Roche lobe overflow has caused the system to evolve to a complex state. A thick accretion disk almost completely obscures the secondary, mass-gaining star while the rapid mass transfer likely drives mass loss through the system's bipolar outflows. Polarimetry can provide important information about the physical structure of complex systems; in fact, the discovery of bipolar outflows in beta Lyrae was confirmed through polarimetry. Here…
We modeled the V-band light curve of beta Lyrae with two stellar components plus an optically thick accretion disc around the gainer assuming a semidetached configuration. We present the results of this calculation, giving physical parameters for the stars and the disc, along with general system dimensions. We discuss the evolutionary stage of the system finding the best match with one of the evolutionary models of Van Rensbergen et al. According to this model, the system is found at age 2.30E7 years, in the phase of rapid mass transfer, the second one in the life of this binary, in a Case-B m…
We present results from six years of recalibrated and new spectropolarimetric data taken with the University of Wisconsin's Half-Wave Spectropolarimeter (HPOL) and six years of new data taken with the photoelastic modulating polarimeter (PEMP) at the Flower and Cook Observatory. Combining these data with polarimetric data from the literature allows us to characterize the intrinsic BVRI polarized light curves. A repeatable discrepancy of 0.245 days (approximately 6 hours) between the secondary minima in the total light curve and the polarization curve in the V band, with similar behavior in the…
Spatial gaseous structures in the Beta Lyrae system have been studied with the fact of change in the longitudinal component of the donor's magnetic field during the orbital period in mind. The investigation was based primarily on the study of the dynamics of the circumstellar structures surrounding the binary system as a whole. The special emphasis was placed on the study of complex helium lines, in particular those arising from metastable levels. A number of different observable facts from the ultraviolet to the red spectral region were analyzed. The configuration of the donor magnetic field …
Observations of Beta Lyr in four months of 2018 by three BRITE Constellation satellites (the red-filter BTr and BHr, and the blue-filter BLb) permitted a first, limited look into the light-curve variability in two spectral bands. The variations were found to be well correlated outside the innermost primary minima with the blue variations appearing to have smaller amplitudes than the red; this reduction may reflect their presumed origin in the cooler, outer parts of the accretion disk. This result must be confirmed with more extensive material as the current conclusions are based on observation…
The JWST Resolved Stellar Populations Early Release Science Program. IX. The RR Lyrae Population in WLM with HST and JWST
Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota（明尼苏达大学天体物理研究所）；Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校天文学系）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey（新泽西州立大学罗格斯大学物理与天文系）
We provide homogeneous optical (UBVRI) and near-infrared (JHK) time series photometry for 254 cluster (omega Cen, M4) and field RR Lyrae (RRL) variables. We ended up with more than 551,000 measurements. For 94 fundamental (RRab) and 51 first overtones (RRc) we provide a complete optical/NIR characterization (mean magnitudes, luminosity amplitudes, epoch of the anchor point). The NIR light curves of these variables were adopted to provide new and accurate light-curve templates for both RRc (single period bin) and RRab (three period bins) variables. The templates for the J and the H band are new…
We present a catalog of 5,290 RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) with metallicities estimated from spectra of the LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE) and the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) surveys. Nearly 70 per cent of them (3,642 objects) also have systemic radial velocities measured. Given the pulsating nature of RRLs, metallicity estimates are based on spectra of individual exposures, by matching them with the synthetic templates. The systemic radial velocities are measured by fitting the observed velocity as a function of phase assum…
Many studies have shown that RR Lyrae variable stars (RRL) are powerful stellar tracers of Galactic halo structure and satellite galaxies. The Dark Energy Survey (DES), with its deep and wide coverage (g ~ 23.5 mag) in a single exposure; over 5000 deg$^{2}$) provides a rich opportunity to search for substructures out to the edge of the Milky Way halo. However, the sparse and unevenly sampled multiband light curves from the DES wide-field survey (median 4 observations in each of grizY over the first three years) pose a challenge for traditional techniques used to detect RRL. We present an empir…
The discovery of the donor magnetic field has repeatedly posed the task of a thorough study of the phenomenon, which is based on the concept of the influence of the magnetic field on the processes of the formation of gaseous structures and mass transfer in the Beta Lyrae system. This article provides an overview, analysis, and synthesis of the results of a variety of long-term observations as a necessary basis for further clarification of issues aimed primarily at the study of magnetized gaseous structures. As a part of such a study, it was found that the structure of the gaseous flows between…
This article proposes a picture of magnetized accretion structures formed during the mass transfer in the Beta Lyrae system. It is shown that the structure of the gaseous flows between the donor and the gainer is due to the spatial configuration of the donor magnetic field. Its dipole axis is deviated substantially from the line joining the centers of the components and is inclined to the orbital plane of the binary system; the center of the magnetic dipole is displaced from the donor center toward the gainer. The surface around the donor magnetic pole, which is close to the gainer, is a regio…
Exploring RR Lyrae Variable Stars in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Data Preview 1
National Central University（中央大学）；Taiwan Astronomical Research Alliance (TARA)（台湾天文研究联盟）；Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（天文学与天体物理学大学间中心）
We present photometry of 30 Galactic RR Lyrae variables taken with HST WFC3/IR for the Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program. These measurements form the base of the distance ladder measurements that comprise a pure Population II base to a measurement of Ho at an accuracy of 3%. These data are taken with the same instrument and filter (F160W) as our observations of RR Lyrae stars in external galaxies so as to to minimize sources of systematic error in our calibration of the extragalactic distance scale. We calculate mean magnitudes based on one to three measurements for each RR Lyrae star using star…
Messier 15 (NGC 7078) is an old and metal-poor post core-collapse globular cluster which hosts a rich population of variable stars. We report new optical ($gi$) and near-infrared (NIR, $JK_s$) multi-epoch observations for 129 RR Lyrae, 4 Population II Cepheids (3 BL Herculis, 1 W Virginis), and 1 anomalous Cepheid variable candidate in M15 obtained using the MegaCam and the WIRCam instruments on the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Multi-band data are used to improve the periods and classification of variable stars, and determine accurate mean magnitudes and pulsational amplitudes from th…
The period changes of 86 M5 RR Lyrae stars have been investigated on a one-hundred-year time base. The published observations have been supplemented by archival Asiago, Konkoly and Las Campanas photographic observations obtained between 1952 and 1993. About two thirds of the O-C diagrams could be fitted by a straight line or a parabola. 21 RR Lyrae stars have increasing, 18 decreasing and 16 constant period. The mean rates of period change of these variables are: <beta> = <\dot{P}> = -0.006\pm0.162 d Myr^{-1}, <alpha> = <P^{-1}\dot{P}> = -0.021 \pm0.308 Myr^{-1}. Ten RR Lyrae stars show fast p…
We present a detailed spectroscopic analysis of horizontal branch stars in the globular cluster NGC 3201. We collected optical (4580-5330 A), high resolution (~34,000), high signal-to-noise ratio (~200) spectra for eleven RR Lyrae stars and one red horizontal branch star with the multifiber spectrograph M2FS at the 6.5m Magellan telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory. From measured equivalent widths we derived atmospheric parameters and abundance ratios for α (Mg, Ca, Ti), iron peak (Sc, Cr, Ni, Zn) and s-process (Y) elements. We found that NGC 3201 is a homogeneous, mono-metallic ([Fe/H]=-…
Photometric instabilities of $β$ Lyr were observed in 2016 by two red-filter BRITE satellites over more than 10 revolutions of the binary, with $\sim$100-minute sampling. Analysis of the time series shows that flares or fading events take place typically 3 to 5 times per binary orbit. The amplitudes of the disturbances (relative to the mean light curve, in units of the maximum out-of-eclipse light-flux, f.u.) are characterized by a Gaussian distribution with $σ=0.0130\pm0.0004$ f.u. Most of the disturbances appear to be random, with a tendency to remain for one or a few orbital revolutions, so…
Strömgren uvby-beta photometry is reported for the RR Lyrae stars AE, RS, ST, TV, TW, UU, and XX in Bootes. The physical parameters M/Mo, log (L/Lo), M_V, log T_eff and [Fe/H], have been estimated from the Fourier decomposition of the light curves and the empirical calibrations developed for this type of stars. Detailed behavior of the stars along the cycle of pulsation has been determined from the observed photometric indices and the synthetic indices from atmospheric models. The reddening of the zone is found to be negligible, as estimated from the reddening of several objects in the same re…
We present the first detailed study of the RR Lyrae variable population in the Local Group dSph/dIrr transition galaxy, Phoenix, using previously obtained HST/WFPC2 observations of the galaxy. We utilize template light curve fitting routines to obtain best fit light curves for RR Lyrae variables in Phoenix. Our technique has identified 78 highly probable RR Lyrae stars (54 ab-type; 24 c-type) with about 40 additional candidates. We find mean periods for the two populations of $\langle P_{ab}\rangle = 0.60 \pm 0.03$ days and $\langle P_{c}\rangle = 0.353 \pm 0.002$ days. We use the properties o…
Among the tens of thousands of known RR Lyrae stars there are only a handful that show indications of possible binarity. The question why this is the case is still unsolved, and has recently sparked several studies dedicated to the search for additional RR Lyraes in binary systems. Such systems are particularly valuable because they might allow to constrain the stellar mass. Most of the recent studies, however, are based on photometry by finding a light time effect in the timings of maximum light. This approach is a very promising and successful one, but it has a major drawback: by itself, it …
A Multiband Photometric Study of RR Lyrae Stars in M53 (NGC 5024)
Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences（海豚（研究生）生物医学与自然科学学院）；University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES)（石油与能源大学）；Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（大学间天文学与天体物理中心）
We report 272 radial velocities for 19 RR Lyrae variables. For most of the stars we have radial velocities for the complete pulsation cycle. These data are used to determine robust center--of--mass radial velocities that have been compared to values from the literature in a search for evidence of binary systems. Center--of--mass velocities were determined for each star using Fourier Series and Template fits to the radial velocities. Our center--of--mass velocities have uncertainties from $\pm0.16$ km s$^{-1}$ to $\pm$2.5 km s$^{-1}$, with a mean uncertainty of $\pm$0.92 km s$^{-1}$. We combine…
We present a search for RR Lyrae stars using the full six-year data set from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) covering ~5,000 sq. deg. of the southern sky. Using a multi-stage multi-variate classification and light curve template-fitting scheme, we identify RR Lyrae candidates with a median of 35 observations per candidate. We detect 6,971 RR Lyrae candidates out to ~335 kpc, and we estimate that our sample is >70% complete at ~150 kpc. We find excellent agreement with other wide-area RR Lyrae catalogs and RR Lyrae studies targeting the Magellanic Clouds and other Milky Way satellite galaxies. We …
Some close binaries of the beta Lyrae type show photometric cycles longer than the orbital one, which are possibly related to changes in their accretion disks. We aim to understand the short- and long-scale changes observed in the light curve of the eclipsing system OGLE-BLG-ECL-157529. In particular, we want to shed light on the contribution of the disk to these changes, especially those related to the long cycle, occurring on timescales of hundreds of days. We studied I-band OGLE photometric times series spanning 18.5 years, constructing disk models by analyzing the orbital light curve at 52…
We present a radial velocity analysis of 20 solar neighborhood RR Lyrae and 3 Population II Cepheids variables. We obtained high-resolution, moderate-to-high signal-to-noise ratio spectra for most stars and obtained spectra were covering different pulsation phases for each star. To estimate the gamma (center-of-mass) velocities of the program stars, we use two independent methods. The first, `classic' method is based on RR Lyrae radial velocity curve templates. The second method is based on the analysis of absorption line profile asymmetry to determine both the pulsational and the gamma veloci…
Neutrinos are guaranteed to be observable from the next galactic supernova (SN). Optical light and gravitational waves are also observable, but may be difficult to observe if the location of the SN in the galaxy or the details of the explosion are unsuitable. The key to observing the next supernova is to first use neutrinos to understand various physical quantities and then link them to other signals. In this paper, we present Monte Carlo sampling calculations of neutrino events from galactic supernova explosions observed with Super-Kamiokande. The analytical solution of neutrino emission, whi…
