No Arabic abstract
Spectral monitoring of the yellow hypergiant $rho$ Cas with the by 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory with a spectral resolution of R$ge$60000 has led to the detection of new features in the kinematic state of its extended atmosphere following the ejection of matter in 2013. Significant changes in the profile of the H$alpha$ line were detected: the line had a doubled core for the first time in a 2014 spectrum, an inverse P Cygni profile on December 13, 2017, and the profile was again doubled on August 6, 2017 and September 5, 2017, but its core was strongly shifted toward longer wavelengths, indicating a rapid infall of matter. Splitting of the profiles of strong, low-excitation absorptions into three components was first detected in 2017. There is no correlation between the evolution of the profiles of H$alpha$ and the splitted absorptions. Pulsation-like variability with an amplitude of about 10 km/s is characteristic only of symmetric weak and moderate-intensity absorption lines. Shell emissions of iron-group elements can be identified in the long-wavelength part of a spectrum obtained in 2013, whose intensity decreased until they completely disappeared in 2017. In the absence of emission in the cores of the H and K lines of CaII, emissions of shell metals are visible in the wings of these lines.
The yellow hypergiant Rho Cassiopeiae (F-G Ia0) has recently become very active with a tremendous outburst event in the fall of 2000. During the event the pulsating supergiant dimmed by more than a visual magnitude, while its effective temperature decreased from 7000 K to below 4000 K over about 200 d, and we directly observed the largest mass-loss rate of about 5% of the solar mass in a single stellar outburst so far. Over the past three years since the eruption we observed a very prominent inverse P Cygni profile in Balmer H alpha, signaling a strong collapse of the upper atmosphere, also observed before the 2000 event. Continuous spectroscopic monitoring reveals that the H alpha line profile has transformed into a P Cygni profile since June 2003, presently (Sept 2004) signaling supersonic expansion velocities up to ~120 km/s in the extended upper atmosphere. Based on the very recent unique spectral evolution we observed the far-UV spectrum with the FUSE satellite in July 2004. The FUSE spectrum reveals that high-temperature plasma emission lines of O VI and C III are absent in the hypergiant, also observed for the red supergiant Alpha Ori (M2 Iab). On the other hand, we observe prominent transition region emission lines in the smaller (less luminous) classical Cepheid variable Beta Dor (F-G Iab-Ia), indicating that the mean atmospheric extension and surface gravity acceleration (as compared to effective temperature and atmospheric pulsation) play a major role for the formation of high-temperature stellar atmospheric plasmas. We present an overview of the recent spectral variability phases of Rho Cas with enhanced mass-loss from this enigmatic cool star.
HST/STIS spectra of the small clumps and filaments closest to the central star in VY CMa reveal that the very strong K I emission and TiO and VO molecular emission, long thought to form in a dusty circumstellar shell, actually originate in a few small clumps 100s of AU from the star. The K I lines are 10 to 20 times stronger in these nearest ejecta than on the star. The observations also confirm VO as a circumstellar molecule. In this letter we discuss the spectra of the features, their motions and ages, and the identification of the molecular emission. The strength of the atomic and molecular features in the small clumps present an astrophysical problem for the excitation process. We show that the clumps must have a nearly clear line of sight to the stars radiation.
We compare the magnetic helicity in the 17-18 March 2013 interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) flux-rope at 1 AU and in its solar counterpart. The progenitor coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted on 15 March 2013 from NOAA active region 11692 and associated with an M1.1 flare. We derive the source region reconnection flux using post-eruption arcade (PEA) method (Gopalswamy et al. 2017a) that uses the photospheric magnetogram and the area under the PEA. The geometrical properties of the near-Sun flux rope is obtained by forward-modeling of white-light CME observations. Combining the geometrical properties and the reconnection flux we extract the magnetic properties of the CME flux rope (Gopalswamy et al. 2017b). We derive the magnetic helicity of the flux rope using its magnetic and geometric properties obtained near the Sun and at 1 AU. We use a constant-{alpha} force-free cylindrical flux rope model fit to the in situ observations in order to derive the magnetic and geometric information of the 1-AU ICME. We find a good correspondence in both amplitude and sign of the helicity between the ICME and the CME assuming a semi-circular (half torus) ICME flux rope with a length of {pi} AU. We find that about 83% of the total flux rope helicity at 1 AU is injected by the magnetic reconnection in the low corona. We discuss the effect of assuming flux rope length in the derived value of the magnetic helicity. This study connecting the helicity of magnetic flux ropes through the Sun-Earth system has important implications for the origin of helicity in the interplanetary medium and the topology of ICME flux ropes at 1 AU and hence their space weather consequences.
Context. The fate of a massive star during the latest stages of its evolution is highly dependent on its mass-loss rate/geometry and therefore knowing the geometry of the circumstellar material close to the star and its surroundings is crucial. Aims. We aim to study the nature (i.e. geometry, rates) of mass-loss episodes. In this context, yellow hypergiants are great targets. Methods. We analyse a large set of optical/near-infrared data, in spectroscopic and photometric (X-shooter/VLT), spectropolarimetric (ISIS/WHT), and interferometric GRAVITY-AMBER/VLTI) modes, toward the yellow hypergiant IRAS 17163-3907. We present the first model-independent reconstructed images of IRAS 17163-3907 at these wavelengths at milli-arcsecond scales. Lastly, we apply a 2D radiative transfer model to fit the dereddened photometry and the radial profiles of published VISIR images at 8.59 {mu}m, 11.85 {mu}m and 12.81 {mu}m simultaneously, adopting the revised Gaia distance (DR2). Results. The interferometric observables around 2 {mu}m show that the Br{gamma} emission is more extended and asymmetric than the Na i and the continuum emission. In addition to the two known shells surrounding IRAS 17163-3907 we report on the existence of a third hot inner shell with a maximum dynamical age of only 30 yr. Conclusions. The interpretation of the presence of Na i emission at closer distances to the star compared to Br{gamma} has been a challenge in various studies. We argue that the presence of a pseudophotosphere is not needed, but it is rather an optical depth effect. The three observed distinct mass-loss episodes are characterised by different mass-loss rates and can inform the theories on mass-loss mechanisms, which is a topic still under debate. We discuss these in the context of photospheric pulsations and wind bi-stability mechanisms.
Context. Large-scale equatorial Rossby modes have been observed on the Sun over the last two solar cycles. Aims. We investigate the impact of the time-varying zonal flows on the frequencies of Rossby modes. Methods. A first-order perturbation theory approach is used to obtain an expression for the expected shift in the mode frequencies due to perturbations in the internal rotation rate. Results. Using the time-varying rotation from helioseismic