Ongoing and future surveys with repeat imaging in multiple bands are producing (or will produce) time-spaced measurements of brightness, resulting in the identification of large numbers of variable ...sources in the sky. A large fraction of these are periodic variables: compilations of these are of scientific interest for a variety of purposes. Unavoidably, the data sets from many such surveys not only have sparse sampling, but also have embedded frequencies in the observing cadence that beat against the natural periodicities of any object under investigation. Such limitations can make period determination ambiguous and uncertain. For multiband data sets with asynchronous measurements in multiple passbands, we wish to maximally use the information on periodicity in a manner that is agnostic of differences in the light-curve shapes across the different channels. Given large volumes of data, computational efficiency is also at a premium. This paper develops and presents a computationally economic method for determining periodicity that combines the results from two different classes of period-determination algorithms. The underlying principles are illustrated through examples. The effectiveness of this approach for combining asynchronously sampled measurements in multiple observables that share an underlying fundamental frequency is also demonstrated.
Abstract
We present results of our large-scale, optical, multi-epoch photometric survey across ∼180 square degrees in the Orion OB1 association, complemented with extensive follow-up spectroscopy. ...Our focus is mapping and characterizing the off-cloud, low-mass, pre-main-sequence (PMS) populations. We report 2062 K- and M-type confirmed T Tauri members; 59% are located in the OB1a subassociation, 27% in the OB1b subassociation, and the remaining 14% in the A and B molecular clouds. We characterize two new clusterings of T Tauri stars, the HD 35762 and HR 1833 groups, both located in OB1a not far from the 25 Ori cluster. We also identify two stellar overdensities in OB1b, containing 231 PMS stars, and find that the OB1b region is composed of two populations at different distances, possibly due to the OB1a subassociation overlapping with the front of OB1b. A ∼2 deg wide halo of young stars surrounds the Orion Nebula Cluster, corresponding in part to the low-mass populations of NGC 1977 and NGC 1980. We use the strength of H
α
in emission, combined with the IR excess and optical variability, to define a new type of T Tauri star, the C/W class, stars we propose may be nearing the end of their accretion phase, in an evolutionary state between classical and weak-lined T Tauri stars. The evolution of the ensemble-wide equivalent width of Li
i
λ
6707 indicates a Li depletion timescale of ∼8.5 Myr. Disk accretion declines with an e-folding timescale of ∼2 Myr, consistent with previous studies.
Abstract
The possible existence of stellar halos in low-mass galaxies is being intensely discussed nowadays after some recent discoveries of stars located in the outskirts of dwarf galaxies of the ...Local Group. RR Lyrae stars can be used to identify the extent of these structures, taking advantage of the minimization of foreground contamination they provide. In this work we use RR Lyrae stars obtained from Gaia DR3, the Dark Energy Survey, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and Pan-STARRS1 to explore the outskirts of 45 ultrafaint dwarf galaxies. We associate the stars with a host galaxy based on their angular separations, magnitudes, and proper motions. We find a total of 120 RR Lyrae stars that belong to 21 different galaxies in our sample. We report seven new RR Lyrae stars in six ultrafaint dwarf galaxies (Hydrus I, Ursa Major I, Ursa Major II, Grus II, Eridanus II, and Tucana II). We found a large number of new possible members in Bootes I and Bootes III as well, but some of them may actually belong to the nearby Sagittarius stream. Adding to our list of 120 RR Lyrae stars the observations of other ultrafaint dwarf galaxies that were beyond the reach of our search, we find that at least 10 of these galaxies have RR Lyrae stars located at distances greater than four times their respective half-light radius, which implies that at least 33% of the 30 ultrafaint dwarfs with a population of RR Lyrae stars have extended stellar populations.
A large extension of the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy, 7 deg2, has been surveyed for variable stars using the Dark Energy Camera at the Blanco Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, ...Chile. We report seven anomalous Cepheids, 199 RR Lyrae stars, and 16 dwarf Cepheids in the field. This is only the fifth extragalactic system in which dwarf Cepheids have been systematically searched. Henceforth, the new stars increase the census of stars coming from different environments that can be used to asses the advantages and limitations of using dwarf Cepheids as standard candles in populations for which the metallicity is not necessarily known. The dwarf Cepheids found in Sextans have a mean period of 0.066 day and a mean g amplitude of 0.87 mag. They are located below the horizontal branch, spanning a range of 0.8 mag: 21.9 < g < 22.7. The number of dwarf Cepheids in Sextans is low compared with other galaxies such as Carina, which has a strong intermediate-age population. On the other hand, the number and ratio of RR Lyrae stars to dwarf Cepheids are quite similar to those of Sculptor, a galaxy which, as Sextans, is dominated by an old stellar population. The dwarf Cepheid stars found in Sextans follow a well-constrained period-luminosity relationship with an rms = 0.05 mag in the g band, which was set up by anchoring to the distance modulus given by the RR Lyrae stars. Although the majority of the variable stars in Sextans are located toward the center of the galaxy, we have found two RR Lyrae stars and one anomalous Cepheid in the outskirts of the galaxy that may be extratidal stars and suggest that this galaxy may be undergoing tidal destruction. These possible extratidal variable stars share the same proper motions as Sextans, as seen by recent Gaia measurements. Two additional stars that we initially classified as foreground RR Lyrae stars may actually be other examples of Sextans extratidal anomalous Cepheids, although radial velocities are needed to prove that scenario.
ABSTRACT
We present photometric metallicity measurements for a sample of 2.6 million bulge red clump stars extracted from the Blanco DECam Bulge Survey (BDBS). Similar to previous studies, we find ...that the bulge exhibits a strong vertical metallicity gradient, and that at least two peaks in the metallicity distribution functions appear at b < −5°. We can discern a metal-poor (Fe/H ∼ −0.3) and metal-rich (Fe/H ∼ +0.2) abundance distribution that each show clear systematic trends with latitude, and may be best understood by changes in the bulge’s star formation/enrichment processes. Both groups exhibit asymmetric tails, and as a result we argue that the proximity of a star to either peak in Fe/H space is not necessarily an affirmation of group membership. The metal-poor peak shifts to lower Fe/H values at larger distances from the plane while the metal-rich tail truncates. Close to the plane, the metal-rich tail appears broader along the minor axis than in off-axis fields. We also posit that the bulge has two metal-poor populations – one that belongs to the metal-poor tail of the low latitude and predominantly metal-rich group, and another belonging to the metal-poor group that dominates in the outer bulge. We detect the X-shape structure in fields with |Z| > 0.7 kpc and for stars with Fe/H > −0.5. Stars with Fe/H < −0.5 may form a spheroidal or ‘thick bar’ distribution while those with Fe/H $\gtrsim$ −0.1 are strongly concentrated near the plane.
We search for RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) in 27 nearby (<100 kpc) ultra-faint dwarf satellite galaxies using the Gaia DR2 catalog of RRLs. Based on proper motions, magnitudes, and location on the sky, we ...associate 47 Gaia RRLs with 14 different satellites. Distances based on RRLs are provided for those galaxies. We have identified RRLs for the first time in the Tucana II dwarf galaxy, and find additional members in Ursa Major II, Coma Berenices, Hydrus I, Bootes I, and Bootes III. In addition we have identified candidate extra-tidal RRLs in six galaxies, which suggests they may be undergoing tidal disruption. We found 10 galaxies have no RRLs either in Gaia or in the literature. However, given the known completeness of Gaia DR2 we cannot conclude these galaxies indeed lack variable stars of this type.
Abstract
We report 350 pulsating variable stars found in four DECam fields (∼12 deg
2
) covering the Antlia 2 satellite galaxy. The sample of variables includes 318 RR Lyrae stars and eight anomalous ...Cepheids in the galaxy. Reclassification of several objects designated previously to be RR Lyrae as anomalous Cepheids get rid of the satellite’s stars intervening along the line of sight. This in turn removes the need for prolific tidal disruption of the dwarf, in agreement with the recently updated proper motion and pericenter measurements based on Gaia EDR3. There are also several bright foreground RR Lyrae stars in the field, and two distant background variables located ∼45 kpc behind Antlia 2. We found RR Lyrae stars over the full search area, suggesting that the galaxy is very large and likely extends beyond our observed area. The mean period of the RR
ab
in Antlia 2 is 0.599 days, while the RR
c
have a mean period of 0.368 days, indicating the galaxy is an Oosterhoff-intermediate system. The distance to Antlia 2 based on the RR Lyrae stars is 124.1 kpc (
μ
0
= 20.47) with a dispersion of 5.4 kpc. We measured a clear distance gradient along the semimajor axis of the galaxy, with the southeast side of Antlia 2 being ∼13 kpc farther away from the northwest side. This elongation along the line of sight is likely due to the ongoing tidal disruption of Ant 2.
The first catalog of the RR Lyrae stars (RRLSs) in the Galactic halo by the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team (QUEST) has been searched for significant overdensities that may be debris from disrupted ...dwarf galaxies or globular clusters. These RRLSs are contained in a band ~23 wide in declination that spans ~165° in right ascension and lie ~4 to ~60 kpc from the Sun. Away from the major overdensities, the distribution of these stars is adequately fitted by a smooth halo model, in which the flattening of the halo decreases with increasing galactocentric distance (as reported by Preston et al.). This model was used to estimate the 'background' of RRLSs on which the halo overdensities are overlaid. A procedure was developed for recognizing groups of stars that constitute significant overdensities with respect to this background. To test this procedure, a Monte Carlo routine was used to make artificial RRLS surveys that follow the smooth halo model but with Poisson-distributed noise in the numbers of RRLSs and, within limits, random variations in the positions and magnitudes of the artificial stars. The 104 artificial surveys created by this routine were examined for significant groups in exactly the same way as the QUEST survey. These calculations provided estimates of the frequencies with which random fluctuations produce significant groups. In the QUEST survey there are six significant overdensities that contain six or more stars and several smaller ones. The small ones and possibly one or two of the larger ones may be artifacts of statistical fluctuations, and they need to be confirmed by measurements of radial velocity and/or proper motion. The most prominent groups are the northern stream from the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy and a large group in Virgo, formerly known as the '12.4 hr clump,' which Duffau and coworkers have recently shown to contain a stellar stream (the Virgo stellar stream). Two other groups lie in the direction of the Monoceros stream and at approximately the right distance for membership. Another group is related to the globular cluster Palomar 5.
We report the discovery of distant RR Lyrae stars, including the most distant known in the Milky Way, using data taken in the g-band with the Dark Energy Camera as part of the High cadence Transient ...Survey (HiTS; 2014 campaign). We detect a total of 173 RR Lyrae stars over a ∼120 deg2 area, including both known RR Lyrae and new detections. The heliocentric distances dH of the full sample range from 9 to >200 kpc, with 18 of them beyond 90 kpc. We identify three sub-groups of RR Lyrae as members of known systems: the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy, for which we report 46 new discoveries, and the ultra-faint dwarf galaxies Leo IV and Leo V. Following an MCMC methodology, we fit spherical and ellipsoidal profiles of the form (R) ∼ Rn to the radial density distribution of RR Lyrae in the Galactic halo. The best fit corresponds to the spherical case, for which we obtain a simple power-law index of , consistent with recent studies made with samples covering shorter distances. The pulsational properties of the outermost RR Lyrae in the sample (dH > 90 kpc) differ from the ones in the halo population at closer distances. The distribution of the stars in a period-amplitude diagram suggest they belong to Oosterhoff-intermediate or Oosterhoff II groups, similar to what is found in the ultra-faint dwarf satellites around the Milky Way. The new distant stars discovered represent an important addition to the few existing tracers of the Milky Way potential in the outer halo.
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