| 1. |
- Miglio, A., et al.
(författare)
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PLATO as it is : A legacy mission for Galactic archaeology
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astronomical Notes - Astronomische Nachrichten. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 0004-6337 .- 1521-3994. ; 338:6, s. 644-661
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deciphering the assembly history of the Milky Way is a formidable task, which becomes possible only if one can produce high-resolution chrono-chemo-kinematical maps of the Galaxy. Data from large-scale astrometric and spectroscopic surveys will soon provide us with a well-defined view of the current chemo-kinematical structure of the Milky Way, but it will only enable a blurred view on the temporal sequence that led to the present-day Galaxy. As demonstrated by the (ongoing) exploitation of data from the pioneering photometric missions CoRoT, Kepler, and K2, asteroseismology provides the way forward: solar-like oscillating giants are excellent evolutionary clocks thanks to the availability of seismic constraints on their mass and to the tight age-initial mass relation they adhere to. In this paper we identify five key outstanding questions relating to the formation and evolution of the Milky Way that will need precise and accurate ages for large samples of stars to be addressed, and we identify the requirements in terms of number of targets and the precision on the stellar properties that are needed to tackle such questions. By quantifying the asteroseismic yields expected from PLATO for red giant stars, we demonstrate that these requirements are within the capabilities of the current instrument design, provided that observations are sufficiently long to identify the evolutionary state and allow robust and precise determination of acoustic-mode frequencies. This will allow us to harvest data of sufficient quality to reach a 10% precision in age. This is a fundamental prerequisite to then reach the more ambitious goal of a similar level of accuracy, which will be possible only if we have at hand a careful appraisal of systematic uncertainties on age deriving from our limited understanding of stellar physics, a goal that conveniently falls within the main aims of PLATO's core science. We therefore strongly endorse PLATO's current design and proposed observational strategy, and conclude that PLATO, as it is, will be a legacy mission for Galactic archaeology.
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| 3. |
- Groenewegen, M. A. T., et al.
(författare)
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The ALMA detection of CO rotational line emission in AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 596, s. 50-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Low- and intermediate-mass stars lose most of their stellar mass at the end of their lives on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Determining gas and dust mass-loss rates (MLRs) is important in quantifying the contribution of evolved stars to the enrichment of the interstellar medium.Aims. This study attempts to spectrally resolve CO thermal line emission in a small sample of AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).Methods. The Atacama Large Millimeter Array was used to observe two OH/IR stars and four carbon stars in the LMC in the CO J = 2−1 line.Results. We present the first measurement of expansion velocities in extragalactic carbon stars. All four C stars are detected and wind expansion velocities and stellar velocities are directly measured. Mass-loss rates are derived from modelling the spectral energy distribution and Spitzer/IRS spectrum with the DUSTY code. The derived gas-to-dust ratios allow the predicted velocities to agree with the observed gas-to-dust ratios. The expansion velocities and MLRs are compared to a Galactic sample of well-studied relatively low MLRs stars supplemented with extreme C stars with properties that are more similar to the LMC targets. Gas MLRs derived from a simple formula are significantly smaller than those derived from dust modelling, indicating an order of magnitude underestimate of the estimated CO abundance, time-variable mass loss, or that the CO intensities in LMC stars are lower than predicted by the formula derived for Galactic objects. This could be related to a stronger interstellar radiation field in the LMC.Conclusions. Although the LMC sample is small and the comparison to Galactic stars is non-trivial because of uncertainties in their distances (hence luminosities), it appears that for C stars the wind expansion velocities in the LMC are lower than in the solar neighbourhood, while the MLRs appear to be similar. This is in agreement with dynamical dust-driven wind models.
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| 4. |
- Paquet-Durand, F., et al.
(författare)
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Systemic and intraocular administration of the liposomal formulation of the cyclic GMP analogue CN03 : An exploratory safety and tolerability study in non-human primates
- 2019
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Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. - : ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC. - 0146-0404 .- 1552-5783. ; 60:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose : The cGMP analogue CN03 targets cGMP signalling, a disease driver common to different types of retinal degeneration. For efficient targeting to the neuroretina CN03 was combined with a liposomal (LP) drug delivery system. In rodents, LP-CN03 has shown significant photoreceptor protection and preservation of in vivo retinal function, without major adverse events. The objective of the study was to determine the toxicity of CN03 and LP-CN03, following intravitreal (IVT) or intravenous (IV) administration. IVT administration is the intended human therapeutic route, IV injection was tested to investigate systemic toxicity.Methods : Cynomolgus monkeys were assigned to five different groups, consisting of one male and one female (n=2). Group 1 served as saline control for IVT and IV dosing, group 2 served as liposome (LP) control. Groups 3 and 4 received IVT injections of either 1X or 10X of the intended therapeutic dose, of either LP-CN03 (left eye) or CN03 (right). Group 5 received 100X IV bolus injections of LP-CN03 (Day 1) and CN03 (Day 25). Toxicity was assessed based on clinical observations, body weights, ophthalmology, intraocular pressure (IOP), electroretinography (ERG), and clinical and anatomic pathology.Results : IVT administration of LP caused transient white opacity in the vitreous body of all treated eyes, related to the milky consistency of LP. IVT injection of 1X and 10X CN03 was well-tolerated and only showed temporary pupil dilation in one male. IVT injection of 1X and 10X LP-CN03 was additionally associated with particles in the anterior chamber and vitreous body. At 10X, pigmented dots were also noted in the anterior lens capsule. IV injection of 100X LP-CN03 and CN03 was well tolerated and did not cause systemic toxicity. Comparison of pre- and post-dosing ERG did not reveal significant differences (p>0.05) in any of the groups, nor were there any indications of pathological changes in retinal morphology.Conclusions : IVT injection of CN03 and LP-CN03 at the intended therapeutic dose was not associated with any changes in ophthalmoscopy, electroretinography or histopathology, and only revealed slight pupil dilation in one animal. IV slow bolus injection at 100X the intended therapeutic dose was well tolerated.
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| 5. |
- Bladh, Sara, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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An extensive grid of DARWIN models for M-type AGB stars I. Mass-loss rates and other properties of dust-driven winds
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 626
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The stellar winds of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are commonly attributed to radiation pressure on dust grains, formed in the wake of shock waves that arise in the stellar atmospheres. The mass loss due to these outflows is substantial, and modelling the dynamical properties of the winds is essential both for studies of individual stars and for understanding the evolution of stellar populations with low to intermediate mass.Aims. The purpose of this work is to present an extensive grid of dynamical atmosphere and wind models for M-type AGB stars, covering a wide range of relevant stellar parameters.Methods. We used the DARWIN code, which includes frequency-dependent radiation-hydrodynamics and a time-dependent description of dust condensation and evaporation, to simulate the dynamical atmosphere. The wind-driving mechanism is photon scattering on submicron-sized Mg2SiO4 grains. The grid consists of similar to 4000 models, with luminosities from L-* = 890 L-circle dot to L-* = 40 000 L-circle dot and effective temperatures from 2200 to 3400 K. For the first time different current stellar masses are explored with M-type DARWIN models, ranging from 0.75 M-circle dot to 3 M-circle dot. The modelling results are radial atmospheric structures, dynamical properties such as mass-loss rates and wind velocities, and dust properties (e.g. grain sizes, dust-to-gas ratios, and degree of condensed Si). Results. We find that the mass-loss rates of the models correlate strongly with luminosity. They also correlate with the ratio L-*/M-* : increasing L-*/M-* by an order of magnitude increases the mass-loss rates by about three orders of magnitude, which may naturally create a superwind regime in evolution models. There is, however, no discernible trend of mass-loss rate with effective temperature, in contrast to what is found for C-type AGB stars. We also find that the mass-loss rates level off at luminosities higher than similar to 14 000 L-circle dot, and consequently at pulsation periods longer than similar to 800 days. The final grain radii range from 0.25 to 0.6 mu m. The amount of condensed Si is typically between 10 and 40%, with gas-to-dust mass ratios between 500 and 4000.
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| 6. |
- Bladh, S., et al.
(författare)
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Carbon star wind models at solar and sub-solar metallicities : a comparative study I. Mass loss and the properties of dust-driven winds
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 623
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ContextThe heavy mass loss observed in evolved stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is usually attributed to dust-driven winds, but it is still an open question how much AGB stars contribute to the dust production in the interstellar medium, especially at lower metallicities. In the case of C-type AGB stars, where the wind is thought to be driven by radiation pressure on amorphous carbon grains, there should be significant dust production even in metal-poor environments. Carbon stars can manufacture the building blocks needed to form the wind-driving dust species themselves, irrespective of the chemical composition they have, by dredging up carbon from the stellar interior during thermal pulses.AimsWe investigate how the mass loss in carbon stars is affected by a low-metallicity environment, similar to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC).MethodsThe atmospheres and winds of C-type AGB stars are modeled with the 1D spherically symmetric radiation-hydrodynamical code Dynamic Atmosphere and Radiation-driven Wind models based on Implicit Numerics (DARWIN). The models include a time-dependent description for nucleation, growth, and evaporation of amorphous carbon grains directly out of the gas phase. To explore the metallicity-dependence of mass loss we calculate model grids at three different chemical abundances (solar, LMC, and SMC). Since carbon may be dredged up during the thermal pulses as AGB stars evolve, we keep the carbon abundance as a free parameter. The models in these three different grids all have a current mass of one solar mass; effective temperatures of 2600, 2800, 3000, or 3200 K; and stellar luminosities equal to log L-*/L-circle dot = 3.70, 3.85, or 4.00. ResultsThe DARWIN models show that mass loss in carbon stars is facilitated by high luminosities, low effective temperatures, and a high carbon excess (C-O) at both solar and subsolar metallicities Similar combinations of effective temperature, luminosity, and carbon excess produce outflows at both solar and subsolar metallicities. There are no large systematic differences in the mass-loss rates and wind velocities produced by these wind models with respect to metallicity, nor any systematic difference concerning the distribution of grain sizes or how much carbon is condensed into dust. DARWIN models at subsolar metallicity have approximately 15% lower mass-loss rates compared to DARWIN models at solar metallicity with the same stellar parameters and carbon excess. For both solar and subsolar environments typical grain sizes range between 0.1 and 0.5 mu m, the degree of condensed carbon varies between 5 and 40%, and the gas-to-dust ratios between 500 and 10 000.ConclusionsC-type AGB stars can contribute to the dust production at subsolar metallicities (down to at least [Fe/H] = -1) as long as they dredge up sufficient amounts of carbon from the stellar interior. Furthermore, stellar evolution models can use the mass-loss rates calculated from DARWIN models at solar metallicity when modeling the AGB phase at subsolar metallicities if carbon excess is used as the critical abundance parameter instead of the C/O ratio.
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| 8. |
- Klotz, D., et al.
(författare)
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Catching the fish - Constraining stellar parameters for TX Piscium using spectro-interferometric observations
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 550, s. A86-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Stellar parameter determination is a challenging task when dealing with galactic giant stars. The combination of different investigation techniques has proven to be a promising approach. Aims. We analyse archive spectra obtained with the Short Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS) onboard ISO, and new interferometric observations from the Very Large Telescope MID-infrared Interferometric instrument (VLTI/MIDI) of a very well studied carbon-rich giant: TXPsc. The aim of this work is to determine stellar parameters using spectroscopy and interferometry. Methods. The observations are used to constrain the model atmosphere, and eventually the stellar evolutionary model in the region where the tracks map the beginning of the carbon star sequence. Two different approaches are used to determine stellar parameters: (i) the "classic" interferometric approach where the effective temperature is fixed by using the angular diameter in the N-band (from interferometry) and the apparent bolometric magnitude; (ii) parameters are obtained by fitting a grid of state-of-the-art hydrostatic models to spectroscopic and interferometric observations. Results. We find good agreement between the parameters of the two methods. The effective temperature and luminosity clearly place TXPsc in the carbon-rich AGB star domain in the H-R-diagram. Current evolutionary tracks suggest that TXPsc became a C-star just recently, which means that the star is still in a "quiet" phase compared to the subsequent strong-wind regime. This agrees with the C/O ratio being only slightly greater than one.
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| 13. |
- Rau, G., et al.
(författare)
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The adventure of carbon stars : Observations and modeling of a set of C-rich AGB stars
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 600
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Modeling stellar atmospheres is a complex and intriguing task in modern astronomy. A systematic comparison of models with multi-technique observations is the only efficient way to constrain the models. Aims. We intend to perform self-consistent modeling of the atmospheres of six carbon-rich AGB stars (R Lep, R Vol, Y Pav, AQ Sgr, U Hya, and X TrA) with the aim of enlarging the knowledge of the dynamic processes occurring in their atmospheres. Methods. We used VLTI/MIDI interferometric observations, in combination with spectro-photometric data, and compared them with self-consistent, dynamic model atmospheres. Results. We found that the models can reproduce spectral energy distribution (SED) data well at wavelengths longer than 1 mu m, and the interferometric observations between 8 mu m and 10 mu m. Discrepancies observed at wavelengths shorter than 1 mu m in the SED, and longer than 10 mu m in the visibilities, could be due to a combination of data- and model-related effects. The models best fitting the Miras are significantly extended, and have a prominent shell-like structure. On the contrary, the models best fitting the non-Miras are more compact, showing lower average mass loss. The mass loss is of episodic or multi-periodic nature but causes the visual amplitudes to be notably larger than the observed ones. A number of stellar parameters were derived from the model fitting: T-Ross, L-Ross, M, C/O, and. M. Our findings agree well with literature values within the uncertainties. TRoss, and LRoss are also in good agreement with the temperature derived from the angular diameter T(theta((V-K))) and the bolometric luminosity from the SED fitting L-bol, except for AQ Sgr. The possible reasons are discussed in the text. Finally, theta(Ross) and theta((V-K)) agree with one another better for the Miras than for the non-Miras targets, which is probably connected to the episodic nature of the latter models. We also located the stars in the H-R diagram, comparing them with evolutionary tracks. We found that the main derived properties (L, T-eff, C/O ratios and stellar masses) from the model fitting are in good agreement with TP-AGB evolutionary calculations for carbon stars carried out with the COLIBRI code.
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