Abstract
We present the Mid-infrared stellar Diameters and Fluxes compilation Catalogue (MDFC) dedicated to long-baseline interferometry at mid-infrared wavelengths (3–13 $\mu$m). It gathers data for ...half a million stars, i.e. nearly all the stars of the Hipparcos-Tycho catalogue whose spectral type is reported in the SIMBAD data base. We cross-match 26 data bases to provide basic information, binarity elements, angular diameter, magnitude and flux in the near and mid-infrared, as well as flags that allow us to identify the potential calibrators. The catalogue covers the entire sky with 465 857 stars, mainly dwarfs and giants from B to M spectral types closer than 18 kpc. The smallest reported values reach 0.16 $\mu$Jy in L and 0.1 $\mu$Jy in N for the flux, and 2 microarcsec for the angular diameter. We build four lists of calibrator candidates for the L and Nbands suitable with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) sub- and main arrays using the MATISSE instrument. We identify 1621 candidates for L and 44 candidates for N with the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs), 375 candidates for both bands with the ATs, and 259 candidates for both bands with the Unit Telescopes (UTs). Predominantly cool giants, these sources are small and bright enough to belong to the primary lists of calibrator candidates. In the near future, we plan to measure their angular diameter with 1 per cent accuracy.
Aims.
The asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star HR3126, associated with the arcminute-scale bipolar Toby Jug Nebula, provides a rare opportunity to study the emergence of bipolar structures at the end ...of the AGB phase. Our goal is to image the central region of HR3126 with high spatial resolution.
Methods.
We carried out long-baseline interferometric observations with AMBER and GRAVITY (2–2.45
μ
m) at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer with spectral resolutions of 1500 and 4500, speckle interferometric observations with VLT/NACO (2.24
μ
m), and imaging with SPHERE-ZIMPOL (0.55
μ
m) and VISIR (7.9–19.5
μ
m).
Results.
The images reconstructed in the continuum at 2.1–2.29
μ
m from the AMBER+GRAVITY data reveal the central star surrounded by an elliptical ring-like structure with a semimajor and semiminor axis of 5.3 and 3.5 mas, respectively. The ring is interpreted as the inner rim of an equatorial dust disk viewed from an inclination angle of ~50°, and its axis is approximately aligned with the arcminute-scale bipolar nebula. The disk is surprisingly compact, with an inner radius of a mere 3.5
R
⋆
(2 au). Our 2-D radiative transfer modeling shows that an optically thick flared disk with silicate grains as large as ~4
μ
m can simultaneously reproduce the observed continuum images and the spectral energy distribution. The images reconstructed in the CO first overtone bands reveal elongated extended emission around the central star, suggesting the oblateness of the star’s atmosphere or the presence of a CO gas disk inside the dust cavity. The object is unresolved with SPHERE-ZIMPOL, NACO, and VISIR.
Conclusions.
If the disk formed together with the bipolar nebula, the grain growth from sub-micron to a few microns should have taken place over the nebula’s dynamical age of ~3900 yrs. The non-detection of a companion in the reconstructed images implies that either its 2.2
μ
m brightness is more than ~30 times lower than that of the red giant or it might have been shredded due to binary interaction.
Aims. We present an image reconstruction method for optical/infrared long-baseline interferometry called IRBis (image reconstruction software using the bispectrum). We describe the theory and present ...applications to computer-simulated interferograms. Methods. The IRBis method can reconstruct an image from measured visibilities and closure phases. The applied optimization routine ASA_CG is based on conjugate gradients. The method allows the user to implement different regularizers, apply residual ratios as an additional metric for goodness-of-fit, and use previous iteration results as a prior to force convergence. Results. We present the theory of the IRBis method and several applications of the method to computer-simulated interferograms. The image reconstruction results show the dependence of the reconstructed image on the noise in the interferograms (e.g., for ten electron read-out noise and 139 to 1219 detected photons per interferogram), the regularization method, the angular resolution, and the reconstruction parameters applied. Furthermore, we present the IRBis reconstructions submitted to the interferometric imaging beauty contest 2012 initiated by the IAU Working Group on Optical/IR Interferometry and describe the performed data processing steps.
Aims. We present aperture-synthesis imaging of the red supergiant Antares (α Sco) in the CO first overtone lines. Our goal is to probe the structure and dynamics of the outer atmosphere. Methods. ...Antares was observed between 2.28 μm and 2.31 μm with VLTI/AMBER with spectral resolutions of up to 12 000 and angular resolutions as high as 7.2 mas at two epochs with a time interval of one year. Results. The reconstructed images in individual CO lines reveal that the star appears differently in the blue wing, line center, and red wing. In 2009, the images in the line center and red wing show an asymmetrically extended component, while the image in the blue wing shows little trace of it. In 2010, however, the extended component appears in the line center and blue wing, and the image in the red wing shows only a weak signature of the extended component. Our modeling of these AMBER data suggests that there is an outer atmosphere (MOLsphere) extending to 1.2–1.4 R⋆ with CO column densities of (0.5–1) × 1020 cm-2 and a temperature of ~2000 K. The CO line images observed in 2009 can be explained by a model in which a large patch or clump of CO gas is infalling at only 0–5 km s-1, while the CO gas in the remaining region is moving outward much faster at 20–30 km s-1. The images observed in 2010 suggest that a large clump of CO gas is moving outward at 0–5 km s-1, while the CO gas in the remaining region is infalling much faster at 20–30 km s-1. In contrast to the images in the CO lines, the AMBER data in the continuum show only a slight deviation from limb-darkened disks and only marginal time variations. We derive a limb-darkened disk diameter of 37.38 ± 0.06 mas and a power-law-type limb-darkening parameter of (8.7 ± 1.6) × 10-2 (2009) and 37.31 ± 0.09 mas and (1.5 ± 0.2) × 10-1 (2010). We also obtain an effective temperature of 3660 ± 120 K (the error includes the effects of the temporal flux variation that is assumed to be the same as Betelgeuse) and a luminosity of log L⋆/L⊙ = 4.88 ± 0.23. Comparison with theoretical evolutionary tracks suggests a mass of 15 ± 5 M⊙ with an age of 11–15 Myr, which is consistent with the recently estimated age for the Upper Scorpius OB association. Conclusions. The properties of the outer atmosphere of Antares are similar to those of another well-studied red supergiant, Betelgeuse. The density of the extended outer atmosphere of Antares and Betelgeuse is higher than predicted by the current 3D convection simulations by at least six orders of magnitude, implying that convection alone cannot explain the formation of the extended outer atmosphere.
Aims. We present one-dimensional aperture synthesis imaging of the red supergiant Betelgeuse (α Ori) with VLTI/AMBER. We reconstructed for the first time one-dimensional images in the individual CO ...first overtone lines. Our aim is to probe the dynamics of the inhomogeneous atmosphere and its time variation. Methods. Betelgeuse was observed between 2.28 and 2.31 μm with VLTI/AMBER using the 16-32-48 m telescope configuration with a spectral resolution up to 12 000 and an angular resolution of 9.8 mas. The good nearly one-dimensional uv coverage allows us to reconstruct one-dimensional projection images (i.e., one-dimensional projections of the object’s two-dimensional intensity distributions). Results. The reconstructed one-dimensional projection images reveal that the star appears differently in the blue wing, line center, and red wing of the individual CO lines. The one-dimensional projection images in the blue wing and line center show a pronounced, asymmetrically extended component up to ~1.3 R⋆, while those in the red wing do not show such a component. The observed one-dimensional projection images in the lines can be reasonably explained by a model in which the CO gas within a region more than half as large as the stellar size is moving slightly outward with 0–5 km s-1, while the gas in the remaining region is infalling fast with 20–30 km s-1. A comparison between the CO line AMBER data taken in 2008 and 2009 shows a significant time variation in the dynamics of the CO line-forming region in the photosphere and the outer atmosphere. In contrast to the line data, the reconstructed one-dimensional projection images in the continuum show only a slight deviation from a uniform disk or limb-darkened disk. We derive a uniform-disk diameter of 42.05 ± 0.05 mas and a power-law-type limb-darkened disk diameter of 42.49 ± 0.06 mas and a limb-darkening parameter of (9.7 ± 0.5) × 10-2. This latter angular diameter leads to an effective temperature of 3690 ± 54 K for the continuum-forming layer. These diameters confirm that the near-IR size of Betelgeuse was nearly constant over the last 18 years, in marked contrast to the recently reported noticeable decrease in the mid-IR size. The continuum data taken in 2008 and 2009 reveal no or only marginal time variations, much smaller than the maximum variation predicted by the current three-dimensional convection simulations. Conclusions. Our two-epoch AMBER observations show that the outer atmosphere extending to ~1.3–1.4 R⋆ is asymmetric and its dynamics is dominated by vigorous, inhomogeneous large-scale motions, whose overall nature changes drastically within one year. This is likely linked to the wind-driving mechanism in red supergiants.
Accretion and ejection are tightly connected and represent the fundamental mechanisms regulating star formation. We present high angular and spectral resolution observations of the Br gamma emitting ...region in the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 (MWC 275) in order to probe the origin of this line and constrain the physical processes taking place at sub-AU scales in the circumstellar region. By means of VLTIAMBER observations at high spectral resolution, we studied interferometric visibilities, wavelength-differential phases, and closure phases across the Br gamma line of HD 163296. To constrain the physical origin of the Br gamma line in Herbig Ae stars, all the interferometric observables were compared with the predictions of a line radiative transfer disc wind model. Our observations, along with a detailed modeling of the Br gamma emitting region, suggest that most of the Br gamma emission in HD 163296 originates from a disc wind with a launching region that is over five times more compact than previous estimates of the continuum dust rim radius.
Context. The putative tori surrounding the accretion disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) play a fundamental role in the unification scheme of AGNs. Infrared long-baseline interferometry allows us ...to study the inner dust distribution in AGNs with unprecedented spatial resolution over a wide infrared wavelength range. Aims. Near- and mid-infrared interferometry is used to investigate the milli-arcsecond-scale dust distribution in the type 1.5 Seyfert nucleus of NGC 3783. Methods. We observed NGC 3783 with the VLTI/AMBER instrument in the K-band and compared our observations with models. Results. From the K-band observations, we derive a ring-fit torus radius of 0.74 ± 0.23 mas or 0.16 ± 0.05 pc. We compare this size with infrared interferometric observations of other AGNs and UV/optical-infrared reverberation measurements. For the interpretation of our observations, we simultaneously model our near- and mid-infrared visibilities and the spectral energy distribution (SED) with a temperature/density-gradient model including an additional inner hot 1400 K ring component.
Aims. We study the inner sub-AU region of the circumstellar environment of the UX Ori-type star KK Oph with near-infrared VLTI/AMBER interferometry. We are particularly interested in the inclination ...of the star-disk system, and we use this information to test the current standard picture for UX Ori stars. Methods. We recorded spectrally dispersed (R ~ 35) interferograms in the near-infrared H and K bands with the VLTI/AMBER instrument. The derived visibilities, closure phases, and the spectral energy distribution of KK Oph were compared with two-dimensional geometric and radiative transfer models (RADMC). Results. We obtained visibilities at four different position angles. Using two-dimensional geometric models, we derive an axis ratio ~3.0 corresponding to an inclination of ~70°. A fitted inclined ring model leads to a ring radius of 2.8 ± 0.2 mas, corresponding to 0.44 ± 0.03 AU at a distance of 160 pc, which is larger than the dust sublimation radius of ~0.1 AU predicted for a dust sublimation temperature of 1500 K. Our derived two-dimensional RADMC model consists of a circumstellar disk with an inclination angle of ~70° and an additional dust envelope. Conclusions. The finding of an ~70° inclined disk around KK Oph is consistent with the prediction that UX Ori objects are seen under large inclination angles, and orbiting clouds in the line of sight cause the observed variability. Furthermore, our results suggest that the orbit of the companion KK Oph B and the disk plane are coplanar.
Context. Accretion and outflow processes are of fundamental importance for our understanding of the formation of stars and planetary systems. To trace these processes, diagnostic spectral lines such ...as the Brγ 2.166 μm line are widely used, although due to a lack of spatial resolution, the origin of the line emission is still unclear. Aims. Employing the AU-scale spatial resolution which can be achieved with infrared long-baseline interferometry, we aim to distinguish between theoretical models which associate the Brγ line emission with mass infall (magnetospheric accretion, gaseous inner disks) or mass outflow processes (stellar winds, X-winds, or disk winds). Methods. Using the VLTI/AMBER instrument, we spatially and spectrally (λ$/\Delta\lambda$ = 1500) resolved the inner ($\la$5 AU) environment of five Herbig Ae/Be stars (HD 163296, HD 104237, HD 98922, MWC 297, V921 Sco) in the Brγ emission line as well as in the adjacent continuum. From the measured wavelength-dependent visibilities, we derive the characteristic size of the continuum and Brγ line-emitting region. Additional information is provided by the closure phase, which we could measure both in the continuum wavelength regime (for four objects) as well as in the spectrally resolved Brγ emission line (for one object). The spectro-interferometric data is supplemented by archival and new VLT/ISAAC spectroscopy. Results. For all objects (except MWC 297), we measure an increase of visibility within the Brγ emission line, indicating that the Brγ-emitting region in these objects is more compact than the dust sublimation radius. For HD 98922, our quantitative analysis reveals that the line-emitting region is compact enough to be consistent with the magnetospheric accretion scenario. For HD 163296, HD 104237, MWC 297, and V921 Sco we identify an extended stellar wind or a disk wind as the most likely line-emitting mechanism. Since the stars in our sample cover a wide range of stellar parameters, we also search for general trends and find that the size of the Brγ-emitting region does not seem to depend on the basic stellar parameters (such as the stellar luminosity), but correlates with spectroscopic properties, in particular with the Hα line profile shape. Conclusions. By performing the first high-resolution spectro-interferometric survey on Herbig Ae/Be stars, we find evidence for at least two distinct Brγ line-formation mechanisms. Most significant, stars with a P-Cygni Hα line profile and a high mass-accretion rate seem to show particularly compact Brγ-emitting regions ($R_{{\rm Br}\gamma}/R_{{\rm cont}}$ < 0.2), while stars with a double-peaked or single-peaked Hα-line profile show a significantly more extended Brγ-emitting region (0.6 $\la$ $R_{{\rm Br}\gamma}/R_{{\rm cont}}$ $\la$ 1.4), possibly tracing a stellar wind or a disk wind.
Aims. We present spatially resolved, high-spectral resolution K-band observations of the red supergiant Betelgeuse (α Ori) using AMBER at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our aim is to ...probe inhomogeneous structures in the dynamical atmosphere of Betelgeuse. Methods. Betelgeuse was observed in the wavelength range between 2.28 and 2.31 μm with VLTI/AMBER using baselines of 16, 32, and 48 m. The spectral resolutions of 4800-12 000 allow us to study inhomogeneities seen in the individual CO first overtone lines. Results. Spectrally dispersed interferograms have been successfully obtained in the second, third, and fifth lobes, which represents the highest spatial resolution (9 mas) achieved for Betelgeuse. This corresponds to five resolution elements over its stellar disk. The AMBER visibilities and closure phases in the K-band continuum can be reasonably fitted by a uniform disk with a diameter of 43.19 ± 0.03 mas or a limb-darkening disk with 43.56 ± 0.06 mas and a limb-darkening parameter of (1.2 ± 0.07) $\times$ 10-1. These AMBER data and the previous K-band interferometric data taken at various epochs suggest that Betelgeuse seen in the K-band continuum shows much smaller deviations from the above uniform disk or limb-darkened disk than predicted by recent 3-D convection simulations for red supergiants. On the other hand, our AMBER data in the CO lines reveal salient inhomogeneous structures. The visibilities and phases (closure phases, as well as differential phases representing asymmetry in lines with respect to the continuum) measured within the CO lines show that the blue and red wings originate in spatially distinct regions over the stellar disk, indicating an inhomogeneous velocity field that makes the star appear different in the blue and red wings. Our AMBER data in the CO lines can be roughly explained by a simple model, in which a patch of CO gas is moving outward or inward with velocities of 10-15 km s-1, while the CO gas in the remaining region in the atmosphere is moving in the opposite direction at the same velocities. Also, the AMBER data are consistent with the presence of warm molecular layers (so-called MOLsphere) extending to ~1.4-1.5 $R_{\star}$ with a CO column density of ~1 $\times$ 1020 cm-2. Conclusions. Our AMBER observations of Betelgeuse are the first spatially resolved study of the so-called macroturbulence in a stellar atmosphere (photosphere and possibly MOLsphere as well) other than the Sun. The spatially resolved CO gas motion is likely to be related to convective motion in the upper atmosphere or intermittent mass ejections in clumps or arcs.
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