We present the results from high-resolution spectroscopic measurements to determine metallicities and activities of bright stars in the southern hemisphere. We have measured the iron abundances ([Fe/H]) and chromospheric emission indices (logRHK) of 353 solar-type stars with V=7.5-9.5. [Fe/H] abundances are determined using a custom chi^2 fitting procedure within a large grid of Kurucz model atmospheres. The chromospheric activities were determined by measuring the amount of emission in the cores of the strong CaII HK lines. The sample of metallicities has been compared to other [Fe/H] determinations and was found to agree with these at the +/-0.05 dex level for spectroscopic values and at the +/-0.1 dex level for photometric values. The distribution of chromospheric activities is found to be described by a bimodal distribution, agreeing well with the conclusions from other works. Also an analysis of Maunder Minimum status was attempted and it was found that 6+/-4 stars in the sample could be in a Maunder Minimum phase of their evolution and hence the Sun should only spend a few per cent of its main sequence lifetime in Maunder Minimum.
Aims: To determine the metallicities of 113 Southern Hemisphere Vega-like candidate stars in relation to the Exoplanet host group and field stars. Methods: We applied two spectroscopic methods of abundance determinations: equivalent width measurements together with the ATLAS9 (Kurucz 1993) model atmospheres and the WIDTH9 program, and a comparison of observed spectra with the grid of synthetic spectra of Munari et al. (2005). Results: For the Vega-like group, the metallicities are indistinguishable from those of field stars not known to be associated with planets or disks. This result is quite different from the metallicities of Exoplanet host stars which are metal-rich in comparison to field stars.
We use 12000 stars from Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) spectroscopic data to show that the metallicities of Kepler field stars as given in the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) systematically underestimate both the true metallicity and the dynamic range of the Kepler sample. Specifically, to the first order approximation, we find [Fe/H]_KIC = -0.20 + 0.43 [Fe/H]_LAMOST, with a scatter of ~0.25 dex, due almost entirely to errors in KIC. This relation is most secure for -0.3<[Fe/H]_LAMOST<+0.4 where we have >200 comparison stars per 0.1 dex bin and good consistency is shown between metallicities determined by LAMOST and high-resolution spectra. It remains approximately valid in a slightly broader range. When the relation is inverted, the error in true metallicity as derived from KIC is (0.25 dex)/0.43~0.6 dex. We thereby quantitatively confirm the cautionary note by Brown et al. (2011) that KIC estimates of [Fe/H] should not be used by anyone with a particular interest in stellar metallicities. Fortunately, many more LAMOST spectroscopic metallicities will be available in the near future.
The solar activity in Cycle 23--24 shows differences from the previous cycles that were observed with modern instruments, e.g. long cycle duration and a small number of sunspots. To appreciate the anomalies further, we investigated the prominence eruptions and disappearances observed with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph during over 20 years. Consequently, we found that the occurrence of the prominence activities in the northern hemisphere is normal because the period of the number variation is 11 years and the migration of the producing region of the prominence activities traces the migration of 11 years ago. On the other hand, the migration in the southern hemisphere significantly differs from that in the northern hemisphere and the previous cycles. The prominence activities occurred over -50 degrees latitude in spite of the late decay phase of Cycle 23, and the number of the prominence activities in the higher latitude region (over -65 degrees) is very small even near the solar maximum of Cycle 24. The results suggest that the anomalies of the global magnetic field distribution started at the solar maximum of Cycle 23. Comparison of the butterfly diagram of the prominence activities with the magnetic butterfly diagram indicates that the timing of the rush to the pole and the polar magnetic field closely relates to the unusual migration. Considering that the rush to the pole is made of the sunspots, the hemispheric asymmetry of the sunspots and the strength of the polar magnetic fields are essential for understanding the anomalies of the prominence activities.
Recently, measurements of abundances in extremely metal poor (EMP) stars have brought new constraints on stellar evolution models. In an attempt to explain the origin of the abundances observed, we computed pre--supernova evolution models, explosion models and the related nucleosynthesis. In this paper, we start by presenting the pre-SN models of rotating single stars with metallicities ranging from solar metallicity down to almost metal free. We then review key processes in core-collapse and bounce, before we integrate them in a simplistic parameterization for 3D MHD models, which are well underway and allow one to follow the evolution of the magnetic fields during collapse and bounce. Finally, we present explosive nucleosynthesis results including neutrino interactions with matter, which are calculated using the outputs of the explosion models. The main results of the pre-SN models are the following. First, primary nitrogen is produced in large amount in models with an initial metallicity $Z=10^{-8}$. Second, at the same metallicity of $Z=10^{-8}$ and for models with an initial mass larger than about 60 Mo, rotating models may experience heavy mass loss (up to more than half of the initial mass of the star). The chemical composition of these winds can qualitatively reproduce the abundance patterns observed at the surface of carbon-rich EMP stars. Explosive nucleosynthesis including neutrino-matter interactions produce improved abundances for iron group elements, in particular for scandium and zinc. It also opens the way to a new neutrino and proton rich process ($ u$p-process) able to contribute to the nucleosynthesis of elements with A > 64. (Abridged)
Spectroscopic monitoring of 141 southern field B type stars, 114 of them known to exhibit the Be phenomenon, allowed the estimation of their projected rotational velocities, effective temperatures and superficial gravities from both line and equivalent width fitting procedures. Stellar ages, masses and bolometric luminosities were derived from internal structure models. Without taking into account for the effects of gravity darkening, we notice the occurrence of the Be phenomenon in later stages of main sequence phase.
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