| 1. |
- Krticka, J., et al.
(författare)
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The nature of light variations in magnetic hot stars
- 2018
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Ingår i: CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY SKALNATE PLESO. - : SLOVAK ACADEMY SCIENCES ASTRONOMICAL INST. - 1335-1842. ; 48:1, s. 170-174
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetic stars show several types of light variability which is modulated by the stellar rotation. In chemically peculiar stars, the redistribution of the flux in the surface regions with peculiar chemical composition leads to the light variability with a typical amplitude of the order of hundredths of magnitude. The most efficient processes that cause the flux redistribution are bound-bound (line) transitions of iron and bound-free (ionization) transitions of silicon. This type of light variability typically leads to a complex dependence of the amplitude on the wavelength and shows antiphase light curves in the far ultraviolet and visual regions. In hot magnetic stars, the modulation of the stellar wind by the magnetic field and the wind blanketing cause the light variability with a typical amplitude of the order of millimagnitudes. We predict the light variations in selected magnetic hot stars and compare the simulated light curves with light variations derived from observations.
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| 2. |
- Oksala, M. E., et al.
(författare)
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Revisiting the rigidly rotating magnetosphere model for sigma Ori E - II. Magnetic Doppler imaging, arbitrary field RRM, and light variability
- 2015
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 451:2, s. 2015-2029
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The initial success of the Rigidly Rotating Magnetosphere (RRM) model application to the B2Vp star sigma Ori E by Townsend, Owocki & Groote triggered a renewed era of observational monitoring of this archetypal object. We utilize high-resolution spectropolarimetry and the magnetic Doppler imaging (MDI) technique to simultaneously determine the magnetic configuration, which is predominately dipolar, with a polar strength B-d = 7.3-7.8 kG and a smaller non-axisymmetric quadrupolar contribution, as well as the surface distribution of abundance of He, Fe, C, and Si. We describe a revised RRM model that now accepts an arbitrary surface magnetic field configuration, with the field topology from the MDI models used as input. The resulting synthetic Ha emission and broad-band photometric observations generally agree with observations, however, several features are poorly fit. To explore the possibility of a photospheric contribution to the observed photometric variability, the MDI abundance maps were used to compute a synthetic photospheric light curve to determine the effect of the surface inhomogeneities. Including the computed photospheric brightness modulation fails to improve the agreement between the observed and computed photometry. We conclude that the discrepancies cannot be explained as an effect of inhomogeneous surface abundance. Analysis of the UV light variability shows good agreement between observed variability and computed light curves, supporting the accuracy of the photospheric light variation calculation. We thus conclude that significant additional physics is necessary for the RRM model to acceptably reproduce observations of not only sigma Ori E, but also other similar stars with significant stellar wind-magnetic field interactions.
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| 3. |
- Krticka, J., et al.
(författare)
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HST/STIS analysis of the first main sequence pulsar CU Virginis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 625
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ContextCU Vir has been the first main sequence star that showed regular radio pulses that persist for decades, resembling the radio lighthouse of pulsars and interpreted as auroral radio emission similar to that found in planets. The star belongs to a rare group of magnetic chemically peculiar stars with variable rotational period.AimsWe study the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of CU Vir obtained using STIS spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to search for the source of radio emission and to test the model of the rotational period evolution. Methods. We used our own far-UV and visual photometric observations supplemented with the archival data to improve the parameters of the quasisinusoidal long-term variations of the rotational period. We predict the flux variations of CU Vir from surface abundance maps and compare these variations with UV flux distribution. We searched for wind, auroral, and interstellar lines in the spectra.ResultsThe UV and visual light curves display the same long-term period variations supporting their common origin. New updated abundance maps provide better agreement with the observed flux distribution. The upper limit of the wind mass-loss rate is about 10(-12) M-circle dot yr(-1). We do not find any auroral lines. We find rotationally modulated variability of interstellar lines, which is most likely of instrumental origin.ConclusionsOur analysis supports the flux redistribution from far-UV to near-UV and visual domains originating in surface abundance spots as the main cause of the flux variability in chemically peculiar stars. Therefore, UV and optical variations are related and the structures leading to these variations are rigidly confined to the stellar surface. The radio emission of CU Vir is most likely powered by a very weak presumably purely metallic wind, which leaves no imprint in spectra.
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| 4. |
- Krticka, J., et al.
(författare)
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Testing Opacities Using the SED Variability of Chemically Peculiar Stars
- 2018
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Ingår i: WORKSHOP ON ASTROPHYSICAL OPACITIES. - : ASTRONOMICAL SOC PACIFIC. - 9781583819142 ; , s. 195-200
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Opacity variations across stellar surfaces are the key process producing the spectral energy distribution (SED) variability in chemically peculiar (CP) stars. The opacity variations are caused by the presence of surface spots with enhanced (or depleted) abundances of chemical elements. Simulations of the SED variability of chemically peculiar stars with abundances derived from Doppler mapping provide a detailed test of the continuum (bound free) and line opacities in the model atmospheres. The effect of opacities on the SED is most pronounced in the ultraviolet region. We simulate the ultraviolet and visual SED variability of selected chemically peculiar stars using model atmospheres calculated for actual surface abundances, and compare the predicted SEDs with observational results. We show that the simulations can reliably predict the observed SED and its variability as long as complete bound free and bound bound opacities are used. Therefore, the variability of chemically peculiar stars may serve as a test of opacities included in model atmospheres.
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