No Arabic abstract
The first phase-resolved JHK light curves of the eclipsing polar (AM Herculis binary) V1309 Ori are presented and interpreted. We separate the contributions from the secondary star and from other sources with the aim of determining a photometric distance. Simple model calculations show that the accretion stream and the cyclotron source on the accreting white dwarf are minor contributors to the infrared light, allowing an accurate determination of spectral type and absolute flux of the secondary star. The unilluminated backside of the secondary star as seen in eclipse has spectral type dM0 to dM0+. Its dereddened magnitude is K = 13.58 at orbital phase phi = 0 (eclipse). Using the calibrated surface brightness of M-stars and the published mass of the secondary, M2 = 0.46 Msun, we obtain a distance d = 600 +/- 25 pc which scales as M2^(1/2). The radius of the Roche-lobe filling secondary exceeds the main-sequence radius of an M0 star by 21 +11/-6 %. The debated origin of the infrared light of V1309 Ori has been settled in favor of the secondary star as the main contributor and an accurate distance has been derived that will place estimates of the luminosity and synchronization time scale on a more secure basis.
MQ Dra is a strongly magnetic Cataclysmic Variable whose white dwarf accretes material from its secondary star through a stellar wind at a low rate. TESS observations were made of MQ Dra in four sectors in Cycle 2 and show a short duration, high energy flare (~10^35 erg) which has a profile characteristic of a flare from the M5V secondary star. This is one of the few occasions where an energetic flare has been seen from a Polar. We find no evidence that the flare caused a change in the light curve following the event and consider whether a coronal mass ejection was associated with the flare. We compare the frequency of energetic flares from the secondary star in MQ Dra with M dwarf stars and discuss the overall flare rate of stars with rotation periods shorter than 0.2 d and how such fast rotators can generate magnetic fields with low differential rotation rates.
In this paper we report the results of high-resolution circular spectropolarimetric monitoring of the Herbig Ae star V380 Ori, in which we discovered a magnetic field in 2005. A careful study of the intensity spectrum reveals the presence of a cool spectroscopic companion. By modelling the binary spectrum we infer the effective temperature of both stars: $10500pm 500$ K for the primary, and $5500pm500$ K for the secondary, and we argue that the high metallicity ($[M/H] = 0.5$), required to fit the lines may imply that the primary is a chemically peculiar star. We observe that the radial velocity of the secondarys lines varies with time, while that of the the primary does not. By fitting these variations we derive the orbital parameters of the system. We find an orbital period of $104pm5$ d, and a mass ratio ($M_{rm P}/M_{rm S}$) larger than 2.9. The intensity spectrum is heavily contaminated with strong, broad and variable emission. A simple analysis of these lines reveals that a disk might surround the binary, and that a wind occurs in the environment of the system. Finally, we performed a magnetic analysis using the Least-Squares Deconvolved (LSD) profiles of the Stokes $V$ spectra of both stars, and adopting the oblique rotator model. From rotational modulation of the primarys Stokes $V$ signatures, we infer its rotation period $P=4.31276pm0.00042$ d, and find that it hosts a centred dipole magnetic field of polar strength $2.12pm0.15$ kG, with a magnetic obliquity $beta = 66pm5^{circ}$, and a rotation axis inclination $i=32pm5^{circ}$. However, no magnetic field is detected in the secondary, and if it hosts a dipolar magnetic field, its strength must be below about 500 G, to be consistent with our observations.
We have studied the environment of the FU Ori type star V582 Aur. Our aim is to explore the star-forming region associated with this young eruptive star. Using slitless spectroscopy we searched for H alpha emission stars within a field of 11.5arcmin times 11.5arcmin, centred on V582 Aur. Based on UKIDSS and Spitzer Space Telescope data we further selected infrared-excess young stellar object candidates. In all, we identified 68 candidate low-mass young stars, 16 of which exhibited H alpha emission in the slitless spectroscopic images. The colour-magnitude diagram of the selected objects, based on IPHAS data, suggests that they are low-mass pre-main-sequence stars associated with the Aur OB 1 association, located at a distance of 1.3 kpc from the Sun. The bright-rimmed globules in the local environment of V582 Aur probably belong to the dark cloud LDN~1516. Our results suggest that star formation in these globules might have been triggered by the radiation field of a few hot members of Aur OB 1. The bolometric luminosity of V582 Aur, based on archival photometric data and on the adopted distance, is 150-320 Lsun.
This paper presents results obtained from Stokes I and V spectra of the B2Vp star sigma Ori E, observed by both the Narval and ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeters. Using Least- Squares Deconvolution, we investigate the longitudinal magnetic field at the current epoch, including period analysis exploiting current and historical data. sigma Ori E is the prototypical helium-strong star that has been shown to harbor a strong magnetic field, as well as a magnetosphere, consisting of two clouds of plasma forced by magnetic and centrifugal forces to co-rotate with the star on its 1.19 day period. The Rigidly Rotating Magnetosphere (RRM) model of Townsend & Owocki (2005) approximately reproduces the observed variations in longitudinal field strength, photometric brightness, Halpha emission, and various other observables. There are, however, small discrepancies between the observations and model in the photometric light curve, which we propose arise from inhomogeneous chemical abundances on the stars surface. Using Magnetic Doppler Imaging (MDI), future work will attempt to identify the contributions to the photometric variation due to abundance spots and due to circumstellar material.
EXor objects are young variables that show episodic variations of brightness commonly associated to enhanced accretion outbursts. With the aim of investigating the long-term photometric behaviour of a few EXor sources, we present here data from the archival plates of the Asiago Observatory, showing the Orion field where the three EXors V1118, V1143, and NY are located. A total of 484 plates were investigated, providing a total of more than 1000 magnitudes for the three stars, which cover a period of about 35 yrs between 1959 to 1993. We then compared our data with literature data. Apart from a newly discovered flare-up of V1118, we identify the same outbursts already known, but we provide two added values: (i) a long-term sampling of the quiescence phase; and (ii) repeated multi-colour observations (BVRI bands). The former allows us to give a reliable characterisation of the quiescence, which represents a unique reference for studies that will analyze future outbursts and the physical changes induced by these events. The latter is useful for confirming whether the intermittent increases of brightness are accretion-driven (as in the case of V1118), or extinction-driven (as in the case of V1143). Accordingly, doubts arise about the V1143 classification as a pure EXor object. Finally, although our plates do not separate NY Ori and the star very close to it, they indicate that this EXor did not undergo any major outbursts during our 40 yrs of monitoring.