The effects of magnetic fields on period changes, mass transfer and evolution of algol binaries

Variations in the magnetic pressure and flux blocking by starspots during the magnetic cycle of the cool semidetached component of an Algol binary may cause cyclic changes in the quadrupole moment and moment of inertia of the star which can cause alternate period changes. Since several different processes and timescales are involved, the orbital period changes may not correlate strongly with the indicators of magnetic activity. The structural changes in the semidetached component can also modulate the mass transfer rate. Sub-Keplerian velocities, supersonic turbulence, and high temperature regions in circumstellar material around the accreting star may all be a consequence of magnetic fields embedded in the flow. Models for the evolution of Algols which include the effects of angular momentum loss (AML) through a magnetized wind may have underestimated the AML rate by basing it on results from main sequence stars. Evolved stars appear to have higher AML rates, and there may be additional AML in a wind from the accretion disk.     

Pulsar magnetospheres

The structure of both the interior and exterior pulsar magnetosphere depends upon the strength of its plasma source near the surface of the star. We review magnetospheric models in the light of a vacuum pair-production source model proposed by Sturrock, and Ruderman and Sutherland. This model predicts the existence of a cutoff, determined by the neutron star's spin rate and magnetic field strength, beyond which coherent radio emission is no longer possible. The observed distribution of pulsar spin periods and period derivatives, and the distribution of pulsars with missing radio pulses, is quantitatively consistent with the pair production threshold, when its variation of neutron star radius and moment of inertia with mass is taken into account. All neutron stars observed as pulsars can have relativistic magnetohydrodynamic wind exterior magnetospheres. The properties of the wind can be directly related to those of the pair production source. Radio pulsars cannot have relativistic plasma wave exterior magnetospheres. On the other hand, most erstwhile pulsars in the galaxy are probably halo objects that emit weak fluxes of energetic photons that can have relativistic wave exterior magnetospheres. Extinct pulsars have not been yet observed.Proceedings of the NASA/JPL Workshop on the Physics of Planetary and Astrophysical Magnetospheres.Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, UCLA.Center for Plasma Physics and Fusion Engineering, UCLA.On leave from: Centre de Physique Theorique, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France.     

The relation between RS CVn and Algol

Late-type secondaries in Algol binaries are rapidly rotating convective stars and thus should be chromospherically active (CA). They are examined with respect to observational manifestations which characterize already known CA stars: Ca II H and K emission cores, photometric variability attributable to starspots, soft x-ray emission, non-thermal radio emission, ultraviolet and infrared excess, and alternating period changes. The conclusion is that they can be regarded as another class of CA stars. In most respects they are literally indistinguishable from other CA stars. Ca II H and K emission cores are observed in the lobe-filling component of six semi-detached binaries: U Cep, RT Lac, RV Lib, AR Mon, S Vel, HR 5110. Alternating period changes are shown to occur only in Algols containing a late-type (convective) star. It is proposed, therefore, that the Matese-Whitmire mechanism explains these changes. Specifically, the interval from one increase (or decrease) to the next can be equated with the star's magnetic cycle. Cycle lengths for 31 stars, derived in this way, range between 7 years and 109 years, with a median of 50 years.     

The relation between RS CVn and Algol

Late-type secondaries in Algol binaries are rapidly rotating convective stars and thus should be chromospherically active (CA). They are examined with respect to observational manifestations which characterize already known CA stars: Ca II H and K emission cores, photometric variability attributable to starspots, soft x-ray emission, non-thermal radio emission, ultraviolet and infrared excess, and alternating period changes. The conclusion is that they can be regarded as another class of CA stars. In most respects they are literally indistinguishable from other CA stars. Ca II H and K emission cores are observed in the lobe-filling component of six semi-detached binaries: U Cep, RT Lac, RV Lib, AR Mon, S Vel, HR 5110. Alternating period changes are shown to occur only in Algols containing a late-type (convective) star. It is proposed, therefore, that the Matese-Whitmire mechanism explains these changes. Specifically, the interval from one increase (or decrease) to the next can be equated with the star's magnetic cycle. Cycle lengths for 31 stars, derived in this way, range between 7 years and 109 years, with a median of 50 years.     

Chromospheric and coronal heating mechanisms II

We review the mechanisms which are thought to provide steady heating of chromospheres and coronae. It appears now fairly well established that nonmagnetic chromospheric regions of latetype stars are heated by shock dissipation of acoustic waves which are generated in the stellar surface convection zones. In the case of late-type giants there is additional heating by shocks from pulsational waves. For slowly rotating stars, which have weak or no magnetic fields, these two are the dominant chromospheric heating mechanisms.Except for F-stars, the chromospheric heating of rapidly rotating late-type stars is dominated by magnetic heating either through MHD wave dissipation (AC mechanisms) or through magnetic field dissipation (DC mechanisms). The MHD wave and magnetic field energy comes from fluid motions in the stellar convection zones. Waves are also generated by reconnective events at chromospheric and coronal heights. The high-frequency part of the motion spectrum leads to AC heating, the low frequency part to DC heating. The coronae are almost exclusively heated by magnetic mechanisms. It is not possible to say at the moment whether AC or DC mechanisms are dominant, although presently the DC mechanisms (e.g., nanoflares) appear to be the more important. Only a more detailed study of the formation of and the dissipation in small-scale structures can answer this question.The X-ray emission in early-type stars shows the presence of coronal structures which are very different from those in late-type stars. This emission apparently arises in the hot post-shock regions of gas blobs which are accelerated in the stellar wind by the intense radiation field of these stars.     

P Cygni: An Extraordinary Luminous Blue Variable

P Cygni is a prototype for understanding mass loss from massive stars. This textbook star is known first of all because of two great eruptions in the 17th century. In the first half of this century it has given its name to a class of stars which are characterized by spectral lines consisting of nearly undisplaced emissions accompanied by a blue-displaced absorption component. This characteristic P Cygni-type profile betrays the presence of a stellar wind, but P Cygni's wind is quite unlike that of other hot supergiants. P Cygni was the first star that showed the effects of stellar evoluton from a study of its photometric history. It shares some common properties with the so-called Luminous Blue Variables. However, P Cygni is a unique object. This review deals with P Cygni's photometric properties, its circumstellar environment - including infrared and radio observations - and its optical and ultraviolet spectrum. Smaller sections deal with P Cygni's wind structure and evolution. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Towards a Unified View of Inhomogeneous Stellar Winds in Isolated Supergiant Stars and Supergiant High Mass X-Ray Binaries

Massive stars, at least \(\sim10\) times more massive than the Sun, have two key properties that make them the main drivers of evolution of star clusters, galaxies, and the Universe as a whole. On the one hand, the outer layers of massive stars are so hot that they produce most of the ionizing ultraviolet radiation of galaxies; in fact, the first massive stars helped to re-ionize the Universe after its Dark Ages. Another important property of massive stars are the strong stellar winds and outflows they produce. This mass loss, and finally the explosion of a massive star as a supernova or a gamma-ray burst, provide a significant input of mechanical and radiative energy into the interstellar space. These two properties together make massive stars one of the most important cosmic engines: they trigger the star formation and enrich the interstellar medium with heavy elements, that ultimately leads to formation of Earth-like rocky planets and the development of complex life. The study of massive star winds is thus a truly multidisciplinary field and has a wide impact on different areas of astronomy.In recent years observational and theoretical evidences have been growing that these winds are not smooth and homogeneous as previously assumed, but rather populated by dense “clumps”. The presence of these structures dramatically affects the mass loss rates derived from the study of stellar winds. Clump properties in isolated stars are nowadays inferred mostly through indirect methods (i.e., spectroscopic observations of line profiles in various wavelength regimes, and their analysis based on tailored, inhomogeneous wind models). The limited characterization of the clump physical properties (mass, size) obtained so far have led to large uncertainties in the mass loss rates from massive stars. Such uncertainties limit our understanding of the role of massive star winds in galactic and cosmic evolution.Supergiant high mass X-ray binaries (SgXBs) are among the brightest X-ray sources in the sky. A large number of them consist of a neutron star accreting from the wind of a massive companion and producing a powerful X-ray source. The characteristics of the stellar wind together with the complex interactions between the compact object and the donor star determine the observed X-ray output from all these systems. Consequently, the use of SgXBs for studies of massive stars is only possible when the physics of the stellar winds, the compact objects, and accretion mechanisms are combined together and confronted with observations.This detailed review summarises the current knowledge on the theory and observations of winds from massive stars, as well as on observations and accretion processes in wind-fed high mass X-ray binaries. The aim is to combine in the near future all available theoretical diagnostics and observational measurements to achieve a unified picture of massive star winds in isolated objects and in binary systems.     

Radiation-driven diskons: An overview

The current status of the theory of a new astrophysical phenomenon, aradiation-driven diskon, is outlined.The cyclotron radiation pressure around sufficiently hot, strongly magnetized white dwarfs and neutron stars is shown to be able to drive a wind from the photosphere and support a plasma envelope in the closed part of the magnetosphere. The magnetohydrostatic configuration of an optically thin, radiatively supported plasma envelope is determined. It consists of an equatorial disk in the region where the cyclotron radiation force exceeds the local force of gravity and a closed shell near the equilibrium surface where the radiation pressure equals gravity. The effects of finite optical depth on the behaviour of the magnetospheric plasma and the influence of the envelope on the observed radiation are discussed.Classes of magnetic degenerate stars are pointed out in which radiation-driven diskons may be found. The best candidates are two individual stars, the strongly magnetized white dwarfs GD 229 and PG 1031+234. Both exhibit broad and deep depressions in the ultraviolet which are explained as a result of cyclotron scattering by an optically thick radiation-driven envelope in the inhomogeneous magnetic field of the star. We predict a temporal and spectral variability of these features due to non-stationary plasma motions in the envelope.     

Reverse Algols

An Algol is a binary system having a semidetached configuration where the less massive component is in contact with the critical equipotential surface. A reverse Algol is a binary system having a semidetached configuration where the more massive component is in contact with the critical equipotential surface. In 1985, Leung suggested 5 reverse Algol systems at the Beijing Colloquium. Two more such systems have been discovered recently. The spectral types of these systems range from early B to mid G. There is also a wide spread in mass ratio among these systems. There appear to be two types of reverse Algols, hot and cool systems. The hot systems have their more massive components as the hotter stars and the cool systems their more massive components as the cooler stars. The mass-radius relation of the reverse Algols is very similar to that of the contact and near-contact systems. It is believed that reverse Algols represent the pre-mass-reversal semidetached phase of close binary evolution. Since selection effects apply to both the regular Algols and reversed Algols in a similar manner, the evolutionary time scale between them would be simply the ratio of the number of confirmed systems of these two types of Algols.     

Wolf-Rayet stars in starbursts

Let us suppose that it is possible observationally to determine the number ratio of WR to O stars in a starburst galaxy (cf. e. g. Vacca &; Conti 1992) and that one can also have some information on the way the different WR subtypes are distributed (number ratios as WN/WR, WNL/WR etc ...), the question is, what can we deduce from these values on the burst of star formation which gave birth to these WR stars? Is it possible for instance to constrain the age of the burst (i.e. the time elapsed since the beginning of the burst of star formation), its intensity (i.e. the ratio of the star formation rate during the burst to that before the burst) or the metallicity of the cloud from which the stars formed? We present here models of starbursts based on the most recent models for single stars computed by the Geneva group and show that the study of the WR population in a starburst provides very useful insights on the age of the burst and on the metallicity of the star forming zone.     

Semidetached systems: Evolutionary viewpoints and observational constraints

The present knowledge on the evolution of semidetached systems is reviewed. Characteristics of observed systems are discussed and general properties tested by the behaviour of theoretical models. New models of mass accreting companion stars are computed. The accretion phase is divided into a fast and slow phase with an accretion rate depending on the initial mass of the mass losing star and on the initial mass ratio, assuming the systems are undergoing a case B of mass transfer. The results are compared with observed systems with masses of the gainers located within the theoretical range. Up to now no computations exist for the evolution of medium mass close binaries including overshooting of the convective core. However some of the influences of extended convective mixing on the interaction of close binaries are investigated. A larger probability for the occurrence of case A of mass exchange and a larger remnant mass at the end of the process are the most important results. Finally the investigation into the origin of individual systems (in mass, mass ratio and period) is discussed, showing that progress both in observations and in theoretical models result in a more detailed and more restricted determination of the initial parameters of the individual systems.Research associate, NFWO, Belgium.     

The Be stars

Classical Be stars are defined and their relationship to normal B-type stars stated. Spectral classification of the underlying stars suggests that, on the average, Be stars are located 0.5–1.0 magnitude above the main sequence. Struve's rotational model for Be stars, and several tests which support the model, are reviewed. The best evidence at this time suggests that Be stars may not rotate with the critical velocity at which centrifugal force just balances the equatorial gravitational force, but a number of mechanisms for getting material out into the shell have been proposed and are discussed.The physical characteristics of Be shells were first derived from optical observations of shell stars, supplemented more recently by ultraviolet, infrared, radio, and polarization measurements. These data suggest that Be shells are probably lenticular with radii 3 to 20 times the radius of the underlying star, excitation temperatures lower than those of the reversing layers, and electron densities in the range 10¹⁰-10¹³ cm^-3.Variability of Be stars, from spectroscopic, photometric, and polarimetric observations, seems well established over time scales of years and months, but the evidence for night-to-night and hourly changes is somewhat conflicting. Of special interest are recent X-ray observations of several Be stars.Models for the envelopes of Be stars are reviewed, including state-state stellar wind models, time-dependent stellar wind models, the elliptical ring model, disk models, and binary models. Finally, the evolutionary status of Be stars is discussed, and some recommendations for future work made.     

星点坐标辅助的全天区三角形星图识别算法

随着当前星敏感器视场（FOV）的增大,探测能力的提高,一帧图中拍摄到的恒星更多。但是受星敏感器光谱范围的限制及空间环境干扰影响,星等测试精度一般不高于0.2 mV。为了充分发挥当前星敏感器视场和探测能力的优势,并避免星等误差的影响,提高全天区星图识别算法在线应用的适用性,提出了一种星点坐标辅助的全天区三角形星图识别算法。该方法采用"全局初步搜索识别—局部精细匹配验证—最优结果选取"的算法思想。首先,根据星敏感器探测到的极限星等范围构建导航星表,选取亮星构建角距星表,既确保了星表的完备性,又有利于充分利用星敏感器的探测能力。然后,在三角形约束条件下进行角距匹配识别,得到一个或多个导航三角形,在该识别环节提出了非线性矢量法查找星表,既提高了定位精度,又能采用单精度数据类型降低存储空间。最后,提出局部天区星点坐标匹配算法进一步消除冗余匹配,同时又识别出视场内更多的观测星,有利于提高识别率和定姿精度。试验结果表明,与其他一些经典的星图识别算法相比,所提算法在识别率和星表容量方面更有优势。识别率可达99.9%,且随着星等的增加,存储容量增加的最少。所提算法更加适于大视场、高星等敏感范围的星敏感器在线应用。     

Magnetic Fields in Massive Stars, Their Winds, and Their Nebulae

Massive stars are crucial building blocks of galaxies and the universe, as production sites of heavy elements and as stirring agents and energy providers through stellar winds and supernovae. The field of magnetic massive stars has seen tremendous progress in recent years. Different perspectives—ranging from direct field measurements over dynamo theory and stellar evolution to colliding winds and the stellar environment—fruitfully combine into a most interesting and still evolving overall picture, which we attempt to review here. Zeeman signatures leave no doubt that at least some O- and early B-type stars have a surface magnetic field. Indirect evidence, especially non-thermal radio emission from colliding winds, suggests many more. The emerging picture for massive stars shows similarities with results from intermediate mass stars, for which much more data are available. Observations are often compatible with a dipole or low order multi-pole field of about 1 kG (O-stars) or 300 G to 30?kG (Ap/Bp stars). Weak and unordered fields have been detected in the O-star ζ Ori A and in Vega, the first normal A-type star with a magnetic field. Theory offers essentially two explanations for the origin of the observed surface fields: fossil fields, particularly for strong and ordered fields, or different dynamo mechanisms, preferentially for less ordered fields. Numerical simulations yield the first concrete stable (fossil) field configuration, but give contradictory results as to whether dynamo action in the radiative envelope of massive main sequence stars is possible. Internal magnetic fields, which may not even show up at the stellar surface, affect stellar evolution as they lead to a more uniform rotation, with more slowly rotating cores and faster surface rotation. Surface metallicities may become enhanced, thus affecting the mass-loss rates.     

Recursive mode star identification algorithms

Star identification can be accomplished by several different available algorithms that identify the stars observed by a star tracker. However, efficiency and reliability remain key issues and the availability of new active pixel cameras requires new approaches. Two novel algorithms for recursive mode star identification are presented here. The first approach is derived by the spherical polygon search (SP-search) algorithm, it was used to access all the cataloged stars observed by the sensor field-of-view (FOV) and recursively add/remove candidate cataloged stars according to the predicted image motion induced by camera attitude dynamics. Star identification is then accomplished by a star pattern matching technique which identifies the observed stars in the reference catalog. The second method uses star neighborhood information and a catalog neighborhood pointer matrix to access the star catalog. In the recursive star identification process, and under the assumption of "slow" attitude dynamics, only the stars in the neighborhood of previously identified stars are considered for star identification in the succeeding frames. Numerical tests are performed to validate the absolute and relative efficiency of the proposed methods.     

一种结合角距特征的改进栅格星图识别算法

针对栅格算法易受邻域星点影响导致误匹配的问题,提出了一种结合角距特征的改进栅格星图识别算法。首先介绍了改进栅格算法的原理,其次设计了融合栅格识别模式和星角距识别模式的算法实现流程,最后开展了基于不同视角下的大视场仿真星图的算法试验验证和性能分析。结果表明,由于角距特征具有旋转不变性和不易受观测星邻域星点分布影响等特点,结合角距特征对失效观测星进行再匹配的改进栅格算法,在兼顾存储量需求小、运行速度快等优势的同时,识别率和鲁棒性也得到了提升,最高识别率可达98.88%,在位置噪声干扰以及缺失星干扰下,改进算法的识别率仍可保持在95%,说明算法鲁棒性强,具有较好的应用前景。     

Rapid Star Tracking Algorithm for Star Sensor

A rapid star tracking algorithm is proposed. In order to speed up the tracking, three techniques includng parallel star centroiding, sorting, and star catalogue partition are designed for three time-consuming portions in tracking algorithms. The parallel star centroiding is implemented with Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) which avoid image storage and transmission. Update rate of star sensor is improved. Sorting star coordinates in star image plane, and then matching, which avoid matching between stars with a long distance in image plane. Star catalogue partition divides the celestial sphere into many small partitions. In star mapping, guide stars are searched in the partitions near the direction of star sensor's boresight is not in the whole celestial sphere and therefore reduced the total number of searched guide stars. The software and hardware performance of tracking algorithms are simulated. Tracking robustness and the tracking speed comparison are tested in the software simulation. In hardware tests, the tracking time in every step is obtained.     

Be stars in young clusters in the Magellanic Clouds

A substantial fraction (typically 10%) of Galactic B stars consists of Be stars. While Galactic Be stars have been fairly well investigated, very little is known about the Be star content of the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). We present a refined method of Be star identification by CCD photometry and apply it to four young clusters and associations in the MCs. We find NGC 330 in the SMC to be exceptionally rich in Be stars, while the fraction is clearly lower in the similarly aged LMC clusters NGC 2004 and NGC 1818. NGC 2044, a very young region in the LMC, contains almost no Be stars. Among very early-type B stars in the investigated MC clusters we find the largest number of Be stars, while in the Milky Way this is shifted to somewhat later types. In the LMC, there may be a second frequency peak around B6.Based on observations obtained at the 2.2m MPIA telescope at ESO, La Silla, Chile, partly on time granted by the MPIA, Heidelberg.     

寡星条件下的半球谐振陀螺与星敏感器 组合姿态测量算法

针对半球谐振陀螺与星敏感器松组合系统在寡星条件下无法正常工作的问题,采用新的星图识别算法和新的数据融合观测方程,使星敏感器在观测到的导航星数量为1或2颗的情况下完成星图识别,从而能够完成组合测姿。     

Massive close binaries: Observational characteristics

Theoretically predicted evolutionary phases of massive close binaries are compared with the observations. For the evolution up to the High-Mass X-ray Binary (HMXB) phase there is fair agreement between theory and observation. Beyond the HMXB phase there is much uncertainty. Notably it is puzzling why we observe so few systems consisting of a helium star and a neutron star (Cygnus X-3 is the only one found so far), and why the incidence of double neutron stars is so low. A better understanding of Common Envelope evolution is required in order to answer these questions. The role of velocity kicks imparted to neutron stars during supernova collapse is discussed. Such kicks might cause many runaway OB stars to be single.