We report the discovery of a circular mid-infrared shell around the emission-line star Wray 16-137 using archival data of the Spitzer Space Telescope. Follow-up optical spectroscopy of Wray 16-137 with the Southern African Large Telescope revealed a rich emission spectrum typical of the classical luminous blue variables (LBVs) like P Cygni. Subsequent spectroscopic and photometric observations showed drastic changes in the spectrum and brightness during the last three years, meaning that Wray 16-137 currently undergoes an S Dor-like outburst. Namely, we found that the star has brightened by \approx 1 mag in the V and I_c bands, while its spectrum became dominated by Fe ii lines. Taken together, our observations unambiguously show that Wray 16-137 is a new member of the family of Galactic bona fide LBVs.
In this paper, we report the results of spectroscopic and photometric observations of the candidate evolved massive star MN48 disclosed via detection of a mid-infrared circular shell around it with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Follow-up optical spectroscopy of MN48 with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) carried out in 2011--2015 revealed significant changes in the spectrum of this star, which are typical of luminous blue variables (LBVs). The LBV status of MN48 was further supported by photometric monitoring which shows that in 2009--2011 this star has brightened by approx 0.9 and 1 …
In this Letter, we report the results of spectroscopic and photometric monitoring of the candidate luminous blue variable (LBV) WS1, which was discovered in 2011 through the detection of a mid-infrared circular shell and follow-up optical spectroscopy of its central star. Our monitoring showed that WS1 brightened in the B, V and I bands by more than 1 mag during the last three years, while its spectrum revealed dramatic changes during the same time period, indicating that the star became much cooler. The light curve of WS1 demonstrates that the brightness of this star has reached maximum in 20…
We present the results of optical spectroscopic observations of 54 candidate evolved massive stars revealed through the detection of mid-infrared nebulae of various shapes surrounding them with the {\it Spitzer Space Telescope} and {\it Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer}. These observations, carried out with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in 2010-2015, led to the discovery of about two dozens emission-line stars, of which 15 stars we classify as candidate luminous blue variables (cLBVs). Spectroscopic and photometric monitoring revealed significant changes in the spectra and bri…
We report the results of optical spectroscopy of the candidate evolved massive star MN44 revealed via detection of a circular shell with the Spitzer Space Telescope. First spectra taken in 2009 May--June showed the Balmer lines in emission as well as numerous emission lines of iron, which is typical of luminous blue variables (LBVs) near the visual maximum. New observations carried out in 2015 May--September detected significant changes in the spectrum, indicating that the star became hotter. We found that these changes are accompanied by significant brightness variability of MN44. In particul…
We have conducted a homogenous near-IR spectroscopic survey of 33 objects with varying degrees of similarity to FU~Orionis. Common spectroscopic features that are characteristic of the three classical FUors FU Ori, V1057 Cyg, and V1515 Cyg are: strong CO absorption, weak metal absorption, strong water bands, low gravity, strong blue shifted He I absorption, and few (if any) emission lines. Based on these criteria, we classify the 33 objects as either bona fide FUors (eruption observed), FUor-like objects (eruption not observed), or peculiar objects with some FUor-like characteristics, and pres…
If Gamma Dor-type pulsations are driven by the convective blocking mechanism, a convective envelope at a sufficient depth is essential. There are several hot Gamma Dor and hybrid star candidates in which there should not be an adequate convective envelope to excite theγDor-type oscillations. The existence of these hot objects needs an explanation. Therefore, we selected, observed and studied 24 hotγDor and hybrid candidates to investigate their properties. The atmospheric parameters, chemical abundances and vsini values of the candidates were obtained using medium-resolution (R= 46 000)spectra…
We present a new radial velocity measurement that, together with a trigonometric parallax, proper motion and signs of low gravity from the literature, confirms that SDSS J111010.01+011613.1 is a new T5.5 bona fide member of AB Doradus. Fitting $λ/Δλ$ $\approx$ 6000 FIRE spectroscopy in the 1.20-1.33 $μ$m region to BT-Settl atmosphere models yielded a radial velocity of $7.5 \pm 3.8$ km s$^{-1}$. At such a young age (110-130 Myr), current evolution models predict a mass of $\sim$ 10-12 $M_{\mathrm{Jup}}$, thus placing SDSS J1110+0116 well into the planetary-mass regime. We compare the fundament…
We report optical observations of the Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) HR Carinae which show that the star has reached a visual minimum phase in 2009. More importantly, we detected absorptions due to Si IV 4088-4116 Angstroms. To match their observed line profiles from 2009 May, a high rotational velocity of vrot=150 +- 20 km/s is needed (assuming an inclination angle of 30 degrees), implying that HR Car rotates at ~0.88 +- 0.2 of its critical velocity for break-up (vcrit). Our results suggest that fast rotation is typical in all strong-variable, bona-fide galactic LBVs, which present S Dor-type v…
SPICY 30021: an embedded bona fide FUor with a mid-infrared precursor
Universidad de Valparaíso（瓦尔帕莱索大学）；Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy (CASSACA), National Astronomical Observatories, CAS（中国科学院南美天文中心（CASSACA），中国科学院国家天文台）
本研究通过多波段观测确认 SPICY 30021 为具有中红外前兆的 bona fide FUor，测得其消光、距离、吸积光度等参数，表明其触发机制为外-内型。
Aiming to statistically study the variability in the mid-IR of young stellar objects, we have compared the 3.6, 4.5, and 24 um Spitzer fluxes of 1478 sources belonging to the C2D (Cores to Disks) legacy program with the WISE fluxes at 3.4, 4.6, and 22 um. From this comparison we have selected a robust sample of 34 variable sources. Their variations were classified per spectral Class (according to the widely accepted scheme of Class I/flat/II/III protostars), and per star forming region. On average, the number of variable sources decreases with increasing Class and is definitely higher in Perse…
We report on the properties of pre-main-sequence objects in the Taurus molecular clouds as observed in 7 mid- and far-infrared bands with the Spitzer Space Telescope. There are 215 previously-identified members of the Taurus star-forming region in our ~44 square degree map; these members exhibit a range of Spitzer colors that we take to define young stars still surrounded by circumstellar dust (noting that ~20% of the bonafide Taurus members exhibit no detectable dust excesses). We looked for new objects in the survey field with similar Spitzer properties, aided by extensive optical, X-ray, an…
We present a study of the infrared variability of young stellar objects by means of two Spitzer-IRAC images of the Vela Molecular Cloud D (VMR-D) obtained in observations separated in time by about six months. By using the same space-born IR instrumentation, this study eliminates all the unwanted effects usually unavoidable when comparing catalogs obtained from different instruments. The VMR-D map covers about 1.5 square deg. of a site where star formation is actively ongoing. We are interested in accreting pre-main sequence variables whose luminosity variations are due to intermittent events …
DZ Cha is a weak-lined T Tauri star (WTTS) surrounded by a bright protoplanetary disc with evidence of inner disc clearing. Its narrow $\Ha$ line and infrared spectral energy distribution suggest that DZ Cha may be a photoevaporating disc. We aim to analyse the DZ Cha star + disc system to identify the mechanism driving the evolution of this object. We have analysed three epochs of high resolution optical spectroscopy, photometry from the UV up to the sub-mm regime, infrared spectroscopy, and J-band imaging polarimetry observations of DZ Cha. Combining our analysis with previous studies we fin…
We embarked on a high-resolution optical spectroscopic survey of bright Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) stars around the Northern Ecliptic Pole (NEP), dubbed the Vatican-Potsdam-NEP (VPNEP) survey. Our NEP coverage comprises 1067 stars, of which 352 are bona fide dwarf stars and 715 are giant stars, all cooler than spectral type F0 and brighter than V=8. m 5. Our aim is to characterize these stars for the benefit of future studies in the community. We analyzed the spectra via comparisons with synthetic spectra. Particular line profiles were analyzed by means of eigen-profiles, equ…
Based on high-resolution spectra obtained with PHOENIX at Gemini-South, CRIRES at VLT-UT1, and ESPaDOnS at CFHT, we present new measurements of the radial and projected rotational velocities of 219 low-mass stars. The target likely membership was initially established using the Bayesian analysis tool recently presented in \citet{2013malo}, taking into account only the position, proper motion and photometry of the stars to assess their membership probability. In the present study, we include radial velocity as an additional input to our analysis, and in doing so we confirm the high membership p…
By analyzing photometric and spectroscopic time series in this paper, we show that the pulsator V764 Mon, assumed to be the brightest RR Lyrae star in the sky, is in fact a rapidly rotating delta Scuti star with an unusually long dominant period (P1=0.29 d). Our spectroscopy confirmed the discovery of the Gaia satellite about the binarity of V764 Mon. In the case of HY Com, a `bona fide' RRc star, we present its first complete radial velocity curve. Additionally, we found that the star continues its strong phase variation reported before.
We present a new search for variable stars in the Galactic globular cluster M28 (NGC 6626). The search is based on a series of BVI images obtained with the SMARTS Consortium's 1.3m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. The search was carried out using the ISIS v2.2 image subtraction package. We find a total of 25 variable stars in the field of the cluster, 9 being new discoveries. Of the newly found variables, 1 is an ab-type RR Lyrae star, 6 are c-type RR Lyrae, and 2 are long-period/semi-regular variables. V22, previously classified as a type II Cepheid, appears as a b…
We present a general method for identifying the pre-main-sequence population of any star-forming region, unbiased with respect to the presence or absence of disks, in contrast to samples selected primarily via their mid-infrared emission from Spitzer surveys. We have applied this technique to a new, deep, wide-field, near-infrared imaging survey of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud core to search for candidate low mass members. In conjunction with published Spitzer IRAC photometry, and least squares fits of model spectra (COND, DUSTY, NextGen, and blackbody) to the observed spectral energy distributions,…
Reports of the death of the precursor of Supernova (SN) 1961V in NGC 1058 are exaggerated. Consideration of the best astrometric data shows that the star, known as "Object 7," lies at the greatest proximity to SN 1961V and is the likely survivor of the "SN impostor" super-outburst. SN 1961V does not coincide with a neighboring radio source and is therefore not a radio SN. Additionally, the current properties of Object 7, based on data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, are consistent with it being a quiescent Luminous Blue Variable (LBV). Furthermore, post-explosion non-detections by th…
