The presence of a nearby companion alters the evolution of massive stars in binary systems, leading to phenomena such as stellar mergers, x-ray binaries, and gamma-ray bursts. Unambiguous constraints ...on the fraction of massive stars affected by binary interaction were lacking. We simultaneously measured all relevant binary characteristics in a sample of Galactic massive O stars and quantified the frequency and nature of binary interactions. More than 70% of all massive stars will exchange mass with a companion, leading to a binary merger in one-third of the cases. These numbers greatly exceed previous estimates and imply that binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars, with implications for populations of massive stars and their supernovae.
The highly elliptical, 16-year-period orbit of the star S2 around the massive black hole candidate Sgr A✻ is a sensitive probe of the gravitational field in the Galactic centre. Near pericentre at ...120 AU ≈ 1400 Schwarzschild radii, the star has an orbital speed of ≈7650 km s−1, such that the first-order effects of Special and General Relativity have now become detectable with current capabilities. Over the past 26 years, we have monitored the radial velocity and motion on the sky of S2, mainly with the SINFONI and NACO adaptive optics instruments on the ESO Very Large Telescope, and since 2016 and leading up to the pericentre approach in May 2018, with the four-telescope interferometric beam-combiner instrument GRAVITY. From data up to and including pericentre, we robustly detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z = Δλ / λ ≈ 200 km s−1/c with different statistical analysis methods. When parameterising the post-Newtonian contribution from these effects by a factor f , with f = 0 and f = 1 corresponding to the Newtonian and general relativistic limits, respectively, we find from posterior fitting with different weighting schemes f = 0.90 ± 0.09|stat ± 0.15|sys. The S2 data are inconsistent with pure Newtonian dynamics.
We present a 0.16% precise and 0.27% accurate determination of R0, the distance to the Galactic center. Our measurement uses the star S2 on its 16-year orbit around the massive black hole Sgr A* that ...we followed astrometrically and spectroscopically for 27 years. Since 2017, we added near-infrared interferometry with the VLTI beam combiner GRAVITY, yielding a direct measurement of the separation vector between S2 and Sgr A* with an accuracy as good as 20 μas in the best cases. S2 passed the pericenter of its highly eccentric orbit in May 2018, and we followed the passage with dense sampling throughout the year. Together with our spectroscopy, in the best cases with an error of 7 km s−1, this yields a geometric distance estimate of R0 = 8178 ± 13stat. ± 22sys. pc. This work updates our previous publication, in which we reported the first detection of the gravitational redshift in the S2 data. The redshift term is now detected with a significance level of 20σ with fredshift = 1.04 ± 0.05.
Context.
This work is part of the BinaMIcS project, the aim of which is to understand the interaction between binarity and magnetism in close binary systems. All the studied spectroscopic binaries ...targeted by the BinaMIcS project encompass hot massive and intermediate-mass stars on the main sequence, as well as cool stars over a wide range of evolutionary stages.
Aims.
The present paper focuses on the binary system FK Aqr, which is composed of two early M dwarfs. Both stars are already known to be magnetically active based on their light curves and detected flare activity. In addition, the two components have large convective envelopes with masses just above the fully convective limit, making the system an ideal target for studying effect of binarity on stellar dynamos.
Methods.
We use spectropolarimetric observations obtained with ESPaDOnS at CFHT in September 2014. Mean Stokes
I
and
V
line profiles are extracted using the least-squares deconvolution (LSD) method. The radial velocities of the two components are measured from the LSD Stokes
I
profiles and are combined with interferometric measurements in order to constrain the orbital parameters of the system. The longitudinal magnetic fields
B
l
and chromospheric activity indicators are measured from the LSD mean line profiles. The rotational modulation of the Stokes
V
profiles is used to reconstruct the surface magnetic field structures of both stars via the Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) inversion technique.
Results.
Maps of the surface magnetic field structures of both components of FK Aqr are presented for the first time. Our study shows that both components host similar large-scale magnetic fields of moderate intensity
(B
mean
≃ 0.25 kG); both are predominantly poloidal and feature a strong axisymmetric dipolar component.
Conclusions.
Both components of FK Aqr feature a rather strong large-scale magnetic field (compared to single early M dwarfs with similar masses) with a mainly dipolar axisymmetric structure. This type of magnetic field is not typical for single early M dwarfs, and is rather reminiscent of fully convective dwarfs with later spectral types. The primary FK Aqr A is currently the most massive recognised main sequence M dwarf known to host this type of strong dipolar field.
Abstract
We present
K
-band interferometric observations of the PDS 70 protoplanets along with their host star using VLTI/GRAVITY. We obtained
K
-band spectra and 100
μ
as precision astrometry of ...both PDS 70 b and c in two epochs, as well as spatially resolving the hot inner disk around the star. Rejecting unstable orbits, we found a nonzero eccentricity for PDS 70 b of 0.17 ± 0.06, a near-circular orbit for PDS 70 c, and an orbital configuration that is consistent with the planets migrating into a 2:1 mean motion resonance. Enforcing dynamical stability, we obtained a 95% upper limit on the mass of PDS 70 b of 10
M
Jup
, while the mass of PDS 70 c was unconstrained. The GRAVITY
K
-band spectra rules out pure blackbody models for the photospheres of both planets. Instead, the models with the most support from the data are planetary atmospheres that are dusty, but the nature of the dust is unclear. Any circumplanetary dust around these planets is not well constrained by the planets’ 1–5
μ
m spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and requires longer wavelength data to probe with SED analysis. However with VLTI/GRAVITY, we made the first observations of a circumplanetary environment with sub-astronomical-unit spatial resolution, placing an upper limit of 0.3 au on the size of a bright disk around PDS 70 b.
Context. It is now generally accepted that the near-infrared excess of Herbig AeBe stars originates in the dust of a circumstellar disk. Aims. The aims of this article are to infer the radial and ...vertical structure of these disks at scales of order 1 au, and the properties of the dust grains. Methods. The program objects (51 in total) were observed with the H-band (1.6 mu m) PIONIER/VLTI interferometer. The largest baselines allowed us to resolve (at least partially) structures of a few tenths of an au at typical distances of a few hundred parsecs. Dedicated UBVRIJHK photometric measurements were also obtained. Spectral and 2D geometrical parameters are extracted via fits of a few simple models: ellipsoids and broadened rings with azimuthal modulation. Model bias is mitigated by parallel fits of physical disk models. Sample statistics were evaluated against similar statistics for the physical disk models to infer properties of the sample objects as a group. Results. We find that dust at the inner rim of the disk has a sublimation temperature T sub(sub)approximate 1800 K. A ring morphology is confirmed for approximately half the resolved objects; these rings are wide delta r/r> or = 0.5. A wide ring favors a rim that, on the star-facing side, looks more like a knife edge than a doughnut. The data are also compatible with the combination of a narrow ring and an inner disk of unspecified nature inside the dust sublimation radius. The disk inner part has a thickness z/rapproximate 0.2, flaring to z/rapproximate 0.5 in the outer part. We confirm the known luminosity-radius relation; a simple physical model is consistent with both the mean luminosity-radius relation and the ring relative width; however, a significant spread around the mean relation is present. In some of the objects we find a halo component, fully resolved at the shortest interferometer spacing, that is related to the HAeBe class.
Multiplicity is one of the most fundamental observable properties of massive O-type stars and offers a promising way to discriminate between massive star formation theories. Nevertheless, companions ...at separations between 1 and 100 milliarcsec (mas) remain mostly unknown due to intrinsic observational limitations. At a typical distance of 2 kpc, this corresponds to projected physical separations of 2-200 AU. The Southern MAssive Stars at High angular resolution survey (SMASH+) was designed to fill this gap by providing the first systematic interferometric survey of Galactic massive stars. We observed 117 O-type stars with VLTI/PIONIER and 162 O-type stars with NACO/ Sparse Aperture Masking (SAM), probing the separation ranges 1-45 and 30-250 mas and brightness contrasts of deltaH < 4 and deltaH < 5, respectively. Taking advantage of NACO's field of view, we further uniformly searched for visual companions in an 8" radius down to deltaH = 8. This paper describes observations and data analysis, reports the discovery of almost 200 new companions in the separation range from 1 mas to 8" and presents a catalog of detections, including the first resolved measurements of over a dozen known long-period spectroscopic binaries. Excluding known runaway stars for which no companions are detected, 96 objects in our main sample (delta < 0degrees; H < 7.5) were observed both with PIONIER and NACO/SAM. The fraction of these stars with at least one resolved companion within 200 mas is 0.53. Accounting for known but unresolved spectroscopic or eclipsing companions, the multiplicity fraction at separation rho < 8" increases to functionof sub(m) = 0.91 + or - 0.03. The fraction of luminosity class V stars that have a bound companion reaches 100% at 30 mas while their average number of physically connected companions within 8" is functionof sub(c) = 2.2 + or - 0.3. This demonstrates that massive stars form nearly exclusively in multiple systems. The nine non-thermal radio emitters observed by smash+ are all resolved, including the newly discovered pairs HD 168112 and CPD-47degrees 2963. This lends strong support to the universality of the wind-wind collision scenario to explain the non-thermal emission from O-type stars.
Context.
Post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) binaries are surrounded by circumbinary disks of gas and dust that are similar to protoplanetary disks found around young stars.
Aims.
We aim to understand ...the structure of these disks and identify the physical phenomena at play in their very inner regions. We want to understand the disk-binary interaction and to further investigate the comparison with protoplanetary disks.
Methods.
We conducted an interferometric snapshot survey of 23 post-AGB binaries in the near-infrared (
H
-band) using VLTI/PIONIER. We fit the multi-wavelength visibilities and closure phases with purely geometrical models with an increasing complexity (including two point-sources, an azimuthally modulated ring, and an over-resolved flux) in order to retrieve the sizes, temperatures, and flux ratios of the different components.
Results.
All sources are resolved and the different components contributing to the
H
-band flux are dissected. The environment of these targets is very complex: 13/23 targets need models with thirteen or more parameters to fit the data. We find that the inner disk rims follow and extend the size-luminosity relation established for disks around young stars with an offset toward larger sizes. The measured temperature of the near-infrared circumstellar emission of post-AGB binaries is lower (
T
sub
~ 1200 K) than for young stars, which is probably due to a different dust mineralogy and/or gas density in the dust sublimation region.
Conclusions.
The dusty inner rims of the circumbinary disks around post-AGB binaries are ruled by dust sublimation physics. Additionally a significant amount of the circumstellar
H
-band flux is over-resolved (more than 10% of the non-stellar flux is over-resolved in 14 targets). This hints that a source of unknown origin, either a disk structure or outflow. The amount of over-resolved flux is larger than around young stars. Due to the complexity of these targets, interferometric imaging is a necessary tool to reveal the interacting inner regions in a model-independent way.
Context.
Young stellar objects are thought to accrete material from their circumstellar disks through their strong stellar magnetospheres.
Aims.
We aim to directly probe the magnetospheric accretion ...region on a scale of a few 0.01 au in a young stellar system using long-baseline optical interferometry.
Methods.
We observed the pre-transitional disk system DoAr 44 with VLTI/GRAVITY on two consecutive nights in the
K
-band. We computed interferometric visibilities and phases in the continuum and in the Br
γ
line in order to constrain the extent and geometry of the emitting regions.
Results.
We resolve the continuum emission of the inner dusty disk and measure a half-flux radius of 0.14 au. We derive the inclination and position angle of the inner disk, which provides direct evidence that the inner and outer disks are misaligned in this pre-transitional system. This may account for the shadows previously detected in the outer disk. We show that Br
γ
emission arises from an even more compact region than the inner disk, with an upper limit of 0.047 au (~5
R
⋆
). Differential phase measurements between the Br
γ
line and the continuum allow us to measure the astrometric displacement of the Br
γ
line-emitting region relative to the continuum on a scale of a few tens of microarcsec, corresponding to a fraction of the stellar radius.
Conclusions.
Our results can be accounted for by a simple geometric model where the Br
γ
line emission arises from a compact region interior to the inner disk edge, on a scale of a few stellar radii, fully consistent with the concept of magnetospheric accretion process in low-mass young stellar systems.
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