Long-term optical and X-ray variability of the Be/X-ray binary H 1145-619: Discovery of an ongoing retrograde density wave

Multiwavelength monitoring of Be/X-ray binaries is crucial to understand the mechanisms producing their outbursts. H 1145-619 is one of these systems, which has recently displayed X-ray activity. We investigate the correlation between the optical emission and the X-ray activity to predict the occurrence of new X-ray outbursts from the inferred state of the circumstellar disc. We have performed a multiwavelength study of H 1145-619 from 1973 to 2017 and present here a global analysis of its variability over the last 40 years. We have used optical spectra from the SAAO, SMARTS and SALT telescopes and optical photometry from INTEGRAL/OMC and ASAS. We also used X-ray observations from INTEGRAL/…

The B0.5IVe CoRoT target HD 49330. I. Photometric analysis from CoRoT data

International audience; Context: Be stars undergo outbursts producing a circumstellar disk from the ejected material. The beating of non-radial pulsations has been put forward as a possible mechanism of ejection. Aims: We analyze the pulsational behavior of the early B0.5IVe star HD 49330 observed during the first CoRoT long run towards the Galactical anticenter (LRA1). This Be star is located close to the lower edge of the beta Cephei instability strip in the HR diagram and showed a 0.03 mag outburst during the CoRoT observations. It is thus an ideal case for testing the aforementioned hypothesis. Methods: We analyze the CoRoT light curve of HD 49330 using Fourier methods and non-linear le…

Discovery of the optical counterpart to the CGRO transient GRO J1008 - 57

Simultaneous uvbyβ Photometry and Hα Spectroscopy of Be Stars in Open Clusters

The usual methods of spectral clasification, equivalent widths of Balmer lines or photometric calibrations are not suitable for the determination of the astrophysical parameters of the underlying star in Be-type objects. The spectrum is distorted by the circumstellar envelope lines, while the contribution of the envelope continuum radiation contaminates the photometric indices.

Discovery of the optical counterpart to the ASCA transient AX 1845.0 - 0433

Disc loss and renewal in A0535+26

This paper presents observations of the Be/X-ray binary system A0535+26 revealing the first observed loss of its circumstellar disc, demonstrated by the loss of its JHK infrared excess and optical/IR line emission. However optical/IR spectroscopy reveals the formation of a new inner disc with significant density and emission strength at small radii; the disc has proven to be stable over 5 months in this intermediate state.

The B0.5 IVe CoRoT target HD 49330. II. Spectroscopic ground-based observations

International audience; Context: We present spectroscopic ground-based observations of the early Be star HD 49330 obtained simultaneously with the CoRoT-LRA1 run just before the burst observed in the CoRoT data. Aims: Ground-based spectroscopic observations of the early Be star HD 49330 obtained during the precursor phase and just before the start of an outburst allow us to disantangle stellar and circumstellar contributions and identify modes of stellar pulsations in this rapidly rotating star. Methods: Time series analysis (TSA) is performed on photospheric line profiles of He I and Si III by means of the least squares method. Results: We find two main frequencies f1 = 11.86 c d-1 and f2 …

A Decade in the Life of EXO 2030+375: A Multiwavelength Study of an Accreting X‐Ray Pulsar

Using BATSE and RXTE observations from 1991 April to 2001 August we have detected 71 outbursts from 82 periastron passages of EXO 2030+375, a 42-second transient X-ray pulsar with a Be star companion, including several outbursts from 1993 August to 1996 April when the source was previously believed to be quiescent. Combining BATSE, RXTE, and EXOSAT data we have derived an improved orbital solution. Applying this solution results in a smooth profile for the spin-up rate during the giant outburst and results in evidence for a correlation between the spin-up rate and observed flux in the brighter BATSE outbursts. Infrared and Halpha measurements show a decline in the density of the circumstell…

Xrase: The X-Ray Spectroscopic Explorer

The X-Ray Spectroscopic Explorer (XRASE) has a unique combination of features that will make it possible to address many of NASA’s scientific goals. These include how galaxy clusters form, the physics and chemistry of the ISM, the heating of stellar coronae, the amount and content of intergalactic baryonic matter, the mass of black holes and the formation of disks and jets in AGN and galactic binaries. XRASE has a thin foil, multilayered telescope with a large collecting area up to 10 keV, especially in the Fe Kα region (1100 cm2). Its microcalorimeter array combines high energy resolution (7 eV at 6 keV) and efficiency with a field-of-view of 26 arcmin2. A deep orbit allows for long, conti…

Massive Oe/Be stars at low metallicity: Candidate progenitors of long GRBs?

At low metallicity the B-type stars rotate faster than at higher metallicity, typically in the SMC. As a consequence, it was expected a larger number of fast rotators in the SMC than in the Galaxy, in particular more Be/Oe stars. With the ESO-WFI in its slitless mode, the SMC open clusters were examined and an occurence of Be stars 3 to 5 times larger than in the Galaxy was found. The evolution of the angular rotational velocity seems to be the main key on the understanding of the specific behaviour and of the stellar evolution of such stars at different metallicities. With the results of this WFI study and using observational clues on the SMC WR stars and massive stars, as well as the theo…

Near-IR photometry of southern X-ray binary systems

We report IR measurements of 30 optical counterparts to a group of possible and probable High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXRBs). In the majority of the systems these measurements represent the rst reported IR flux values. In common with many other similar sys- tems, the results show the presence of a strong, frequently variable IR signal. The implications of some of the results are discussed.

Pulsating B and Be stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Context: Stellar pulsations in main-sequence B-type stars are driven by the kappa-mechanism due to the Fe-group opacity bump. The current models do not predict the presence of instability strips in the B spectral domain at very low metallicities. As the metallicity of the SMC is lower than Z=0.005, it constitutes a very suitable object to test these predictions. Aims: The main objective is to investigate the existence of B-type pulsators at low metallicities, searching for short-term periodic variability in absorption-line B and Be stars in the SMC. The analysis has been performed in a sample of 313 B and Be stars with fundamental astrophysical parameters accurately determined from high-res…

Study of a sample of faint Be stars in the exofield of CoRoT

International audience; Context. Be stars are probably the most rapid rotators among stars in the main sequence (MS) and, as such, are excellent candidates to study the incidence of the rotation on the characteristics of their non-radial pulsations, as well as on their internal structure. Pulsations are also thought to be possible mechanisms that help the mass ejection needed to build up the circumstellar disks of Be stars.Aims. The purpose of this paper is to identify a number of faint Be stars observed with the CoRoT satellite and to determine their fundamental parameters, which will enable us to study their pulsation properties as a function of the location in the HR diagram and to searc…

Long-term optical/IR variability of the Be/X-ray binary LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431

We present the first long-term study of the optical counterpart to the X-ray pulsar LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431. The results of our photometric and spectroscopic analysis show that LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431 contains a moderately reddened, E(B-V)=0.65+-0.05, B0.2V star located at about 3.3 kpc. The Ha line consistently shows a double-peak profile varying from symmetric shape to completely distorted on one side (V/R phases). A correlation between the equivalent width of the Ha line and the infrared magnitudes is seen: as the EW(Ha) decreases the IR magnitudes become fainter. This long-term optical/IR variability is attributed to structural changes in the Be star's circumstellar disc. The ob…

A 0535+26: Back in business

In May/June 2005, after 10 years of inactivity, the Be/X-ray binary system A 0535+26 underwent a major X-ray outburst. In this paper data are presented from 10 years of optical, IR and X-ray monitoring showing the behaviour of the system during the quiescent epoch and the lead up to the new outburst. The results show the system going through a period when the Be star in the system had a minimal circumstellar disk and then a dramatic disk recovery leading, presumably, to the latest flare up of X-ray emission. The data are interpreted in terms of the state of the disk and its interaction with the neutron star companion.

Physical parameters of IPHAS-selected classical Be stars

We present a semi-automatic procedure to obtain fundamental physical parameters and distances of classical Be (CBe) stars, based on the Barbier-Chalonge-Divan (BCD) spectrophotometric system. Our aim is to apply this procedure to a large sample of CBe stars detected by the IPHAS photometric survey, to determine their fundamental physical parameters and to explore their suitability as galactic structure tracers. In this paper we describe the methodology used and the validation of the procedure by comparing our results with those obtained from different independent astrophysical techniques for subsamples of stars in common with other studies. We also present a test case study of the galactic …

A Pluto-like radius and a high albedo for the dwarf planet Eris from an occultation

The dwarf planet Eris is a trans-Neptunian object with an orbital eccentricity of 0.44, an inclination of 44 degrees and a surface composition very similar to that of Pluto. It resides at present at 95.7 astronomical units (1ĝ€‰au is the Earth-Sun distance) from Earth, near its aphelion and more than three times farther than Pluto. Owing to this great distance, measuring its size or detecting a putative atmosphere is difficult. Here we report the observation of a multi-chord stellar occultation by Eris on 6 November 2010 ut. The event is consistent with a spherical shape for Eris, with radius 1,163±6 kilometres, density 2.52±0.05 grams per cm 3 and a high visible geometric albedo,. No nitro…

The Be/X-ray Transient V0332+53: Evidence for a tilt between the orbit and the equatorial plane?

We present optical and infrared observations of BQ Cam, the optical counterpart to the Be/X-ray transient system V0332+53. BQ Cam is shown to be an O8-9Ve star, which places V0332+53 at a distance of ~7 kpc. H-alpha spectroscopy and infrared photometry are used to discuss the evolution of the circumstellar envelope. Due to the low inclination of the system, parameters are strongly constrained. We find strong evidence for a tilt of the orbital plane with respect to the circumstellar disc (pressumably on the equatorial plane). Even though the periastron distance is only ~ 10 R_*, during the present quiescent state the circumstellar disc does not extend to the distance of periastron passage. U…

Abundances of Be Stars in Very Young Open Clusters

The Be Phenomenon in Early-Type Stars, IAU Colloquium 175, ASP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 214, edited by Myron A. Smith and Huib F. Henrichs. Astronomical Society of the Pacific, ISBN 1-58381-045-5, 2000, p.59 We present here standard uvbyβ CCD photometry for five open clusters of the Galaxy in order to determine abundances of Be stars, as a function of age.

The Spanish Fireball Network: Popularizing Interplanetary Matter

In order to increase in Spain the social interest in the study of interplanetary matter (asteroids, comets and meteoroids) we created the Spanish Photographic Meteor Network (SPMN) in 1997. This network has been dedicated to studying interplanetary matter with participation of researchers from three universities (Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de Barcelona and Universitat de Valencia), the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia and it is also supported by the Atmospheric Sounding Station at El Arenosillo (INTA-CEDEA) and by the Experimental Station La Mayora (EELM-CSIC). In order to promote the participation of amateurs, our homepage…

VLTI/AMBER observations of cold giant stars: atmospheric structures and fundamental parameters

The main goal of this research is to determine the angular size and the atmospheric structures of cool giant stars and to compare them with hydrostatic stellar model atmospheres, to estimate the fundamental parameters, and to obtain a better understanding of the circumstellar environment. We conducted spectro-interferometric observations of epsilon Oct, beta Peg, NU Pav, and psi Peg in the near-infrared K band (2.13-2.47 microm), and gamma Hya (1.9-2.47 microm) with the VLTI/AMBER instrument at medium spectral resolution. To obtain the fundamental parameters, we compared our data with hydrostatic atmosphere models (PHOENIX). We estimated the Rosseland angular diameters of epsilon Oct, beta …

Album: A Tool for the Analysis of Slitless Spectra and its Application to ESO WFI Data

ALBUM is a general-purpose tool to visualize and screen large amounts of slitless spectra∈dex slitless spectra. It was developed for a search for emission-line stars in SMC and LMC clusters. The observations were obtained with ESO’s Wide Field Imager (WFI∈dexWFI) and comprise ~8 million low-resolution spectra. The tool as well as the results of its application to the SMC part of the database are presented. The inferred frequency of Be stars is compared to the one in the higher-metallicity environment of the Milky Way.

Multiwavelength observations of the Be/X-ray binary 4U1145-619

We report optical and infrared observations of the massive X-ray binary system 4U1145-619 (V801 Cen) which show that the circumstellar disc of the Be star component is in decline. Infrared J,H,K,L magnitudes of V801Cen have been monitored from 1993 March to 1996 April. H alpha spectra have been obtained throughout the same period. We find that both the infrared excess and the Balmer emission have been in decline throughout the period of observations. A 13 year optical and X-ray history of the source has been collated, revealing a possible correlation between the optical and X-ray activity. In addition, we have used u,v,b,y,beta indices, corrected for both circumstellar and interstellar effe…

CCD uvby-beta photometry of young open clusters. I. The double cluster h and chi Persei

We present CCD uvby-beta photometry for stars in the nuclei of the young double cluster h and chi Persei. We find that the reddening is highly variable through the h Persei nucleus, increasing from west to east, with values ranging from E(b-y)=0.328+-0.022 in the western part to E(b-y)=0.465+-0.025 in the south-east. Towards chi Persei the reddening is fairly constant, with E(b-y)=0.398+-0.025. Both clusters share a common distance modulus of 11.7+-0.1 mag., and an age of log t=7.10+-0.05 years.

Optical counterpart to Swift J0243.6+6124

Context. Swift J0243.6+6124 is a unique system. It is the first and only ultra-luminous X-ray source in our Galaxy. It is the first and only high-mass Be X-ray pulsar showing radio jet emission. It was discovered during a giant X-ray outburst in October 2017. While there are numerous studies in the X-ray band, very little is known about the optical counterpart. Aims. Our aim is to characterize the variability timescales in the optical and infrared bands in order to understand the nature of this intriguing system. Methods. We performed optical spectroscopic observations to determine the spectral type. Long-term photometric light curves together with the equivalent width of the Hα line were u…

A rapid H? change in X Persei

A trend of decreasing Hα emission over a period of thirty minutes is apparent in a series of spectra of X Persei taken on 31 December, 1987. This change appears to be astrophysical in origin and it indicates an anomalous state for X Persei that may be linked to its transition from a Be star to a normal B star, which occurred sometime between March 1988 and November 1990.

The VST Photometric Hα Survey of the Southern Galactic Plane and Bulge (VPHAS+)

The VST Photometric Halpha Survey of the Southern Galactic Plane and Bulge (VPHAS+) is surveying the southern Milky Way in u, g, r, i and Halpha at 1 arcsec angular resolution. Its footprint spans the Galactic latitude range -5 < b < +5 at all longitudes south of the celestial equator. Extensions around the Galactic Centre to Galactic latitudes +/-10 bring in much of the Galactic Bulge. This ESO public survey, begun on 28th December 2011, reaches down to 20th magnitude (10-sigma) and will provide single-epoch digital optical photometry for around 300 million stars. The observing strategy and data pipelining is described, and an appraisal of the segmented narrowband Halpha filter in us…

Auvby? survey for Ca II emission stars

During the last two years auvbyβ photometric survey of 85 Ca II emission stars from the Mount Wilson program on stellar activity has been carried out at the Calar Alto Observatory (Almeria, Spain). We present preliminary results for theuvby and β calibrations. Some stars displaying anomalousc1 andm1 indices, with photometric or spectroscopic data from previous studies, are reported. A reddening study for the complete sample is given.

Photometric and spectroscopic variability of the B5IIIe star HD 171219

We analyzed the star HD 171219, one of the relatively bright Be stars observed in the seismo field of the CoRoT satellite, in order to determine its physical and pulsation characteristics. Classical Be stars are main-sequence objects of mainly B-type, whose spectra show, or have shown at some epoch, Balmer lines in emission and an infrared excess. Both characteristics are attributed to an equatorially concentrated circumstellar disk fed by non-periodic mass-loss episodes (outbursts). Be stars often show nonradial pulsation gravity modes and, as more recently discovered, stochastically excited oscillations. Applying the CLEANEST algorithm to the high-cadence and highly photometrically precis…

Four colour photometry of late-type binary systems

This paper presents rst complete uvby light curves of the late-type detached eclipsing binary ZZ UMa (G0V + G8V, P =2 : d 2993). This binary system has been observed during eight campaigns at the Calar Alto Observatory (Almeria, Spain)and at the Sierra Nevada Observatory (Granada, Spain). 294 points distributed over the binary period and covering both eclipses are given. The comparison stars used to calculate the dierential light curves (SAO 15242 and SAO 15251) were conrmed as being good reference stars with constant flux. These observations are part of a 6 year uvby and H monitor- ing program of low mass eclipsing binaries whose main objective is to provide accurate absolute astrophysical…

Non-radial pulsations in the Be/X binaries 4U0115+63 and SAXJ2103.5+4545

The discovery of non-radial pulsations (NRP) in the Be/X binaries of the Magellanic Clouds (MC, eg. Fabrycky 2005, Coe et al. 2005, Schmidtke & Cowley 2005) provided a new approach to understand these complex systems, and, at the same time, favoured the synergy between two different fields: stellar pulsations and X-ray binaries. This breakthrough was possible thanks to the MACHO and OGLE surveys. However, in our Galaxy, only two Be/X have been reported to show NRP: GROJ2058+42 (Kiziloglu et al. 2007) and LSI+61 235 (Sarty et al. 2009). Our objective is to study the short-term variability of Galactic Be/X binaries, compare them to the Be/X of the MC and to the isolated Galactic Be observ…

Multiwavelength monitoring of BD+53°2790 , the optical counterpart to 4U 2206+54

We present the results of our long-term monitoring of BD+53 2790, the optical counterpart to the X-ray source 4U~2206+54. Unlike previous studies that classify the source as a Be/X-ray binary, we find that its optical and infrared properties differ from those of typical Be stars: the variability of the V/R ratio is not cyclical; there are variations in the shape and strength of the H$\alpha$ emission line on timescales less than 1 day; and no correlation between the EW and the IR magnitudes or colors is seen. Our observations suggest that BD+53 2790 is very likely a peculiar O9.5V star. In spite of exhaustive searches we cannot find any significant modulation in any emission line parameter …

A study of the B and Be star population in the field of the LMC open cluster NGC 2004 with VLT-FLAMES

Observations of hot stars belonging to the young cluster LMC-NGC2004 and its surrounding region have been obtained with the VLT-GIRAFFE facilities in MEDUSA mode. 25 Be stars were discovered; the proportion of Be stars compared to B-type stars is found to be of the same order in the LMC and in the Galaxy fields. 23 hot stars were discovered as spectroscopic binaries (SB1 and SB2), 5 of these are found to be eclipsing systems from the MACHO database, with periods of a few days. About 75% of the spectra in our sample are polluted by hydrogen (Halpha and Hgamma), [SII] and [NII] nebular lines. These lines are typical of HII regions. They could be associated with patchy nebulosities with a bi-m…

Global One-armed Oscillations in the Be/X-ray Binary LS I +61° 235/RX J0146.9+6121

AbstractWe present results of our long-term monitoring of LS I +61° 235 in the optical and infrared bands. This Be/X-ray binary exhibits V/R variability in the Hα line, which can be explained in the framework of the Global One-armed Oscillation model: a high density perturbation moves around inside the circumstellar disc of the Be star. The V>R and V<R peaks occur when the perturbation moves towards and away from the observer, respectively. In this work we show that the perturbation also affects the He I λ6678Å and Paschen lines. We also report on a correlation between the infrared emission and the V/R variability.

A deep catalogue of classical Be stars in the direction of the Perseus Arm: spectral types and interstellar reddenings

We present a catalogue of 247 photometrically and spectroscopically confirmed fainter classical Be stars (13 < r < 16) in the direction of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way (-1 < b < +4, 120 < l < 140). The catalogue consists of 181 IPHAS-selected new classical Be stars, in addition to 66 objects that were studied by Raddi et al. (2013) more closely, and 3 stars identified as classical Be stars in earlier work. This study more than doubles the number known in the region. Photometry spanning 0.6 to 5 micron, spectral types, and interstellar reddenings are given for each object. The spectral types were determined from low-resolution spectra (lambda / Delta-lambda ~ 800-2000),…

Four colour photometry of late-type binary systems

This paper presents new complete uvby light curves of the late-type detached eclipsing binary BH Vir (G0V + G5V, P =0 : 81687099). This binary system has been observed during four cam- paigns at the Calar Alto Observatory (Almeria, Spain) and at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile). This observations are part of a 6 yearuvby and H monitoring program of low mass eclipsing binaries which main objective is to provide accurate absolute astrophys- ical parameters for late-type main sequence stars. 1585 points spreaded over the binary period and covering both eclipses are given. The internal accuracy of the standard photometry measured as the mean RMS of the dierences between stand…

Be stars in open clusters. I. uvby $ ^{\bf \beta}$ photometry

We present uvby β photometry for Be stars in eight open clusters and two OB associations. It is shown that Be stars occupy anomalous positions in the photometric diagrams, which can be explained in terms of the circumstellar continuum radiation contribution to the photometric indices. In the - M V plane Be stars appear redder than the non emission B stars, due to the additional reddening caused by the hydrogen free-bound and free-free recombination in the circumstellar envelope. In the c 0 - M V plane the earlier Be stars present lower c 0 values than absorption-line B stars, which is caused by emission in the Balmer discontinuity, while the later Be stars deviate towards higher c 0 values,…

Chemical abundances determined from meteor spectra II. Evidence for enlarged sodium abundances in meteoroids

9 pages, 5 figures.-- Printed version published Mar 2004.

On the radio emitting high mass X-ray binary LS 5039

We present new optical - near-IR spectroscopic and photometric observations of the newly discovered galactic microquasar LS 5039, which indicate a classification for the mass donor in the system of O6.5V((f)). Optical spectroscopy and photometry shows no variability over a timescale of years, and we find no evidence of modulation by, or emission from the compact companion in these data. However significant photometric variability (~0.4 mag) is present in the H and K bands between 1995-2000. Such variability has been observed in other radio bright X-ray binaries where it has been attributed to synchrotron emission from the jet. However, given the non-thermal spectral index of the radio emiss…

A Multiwavelength Investigation of the Relationship Between 2CG135+1 and LSI+61o 303

We present the results of a multiwavelength monitoring campaign targeting the gamma-ray source 2CG 135+1 in an attempt to confirm the association of this object with the radio/Be/X-ray binary system LSI +61o 303. The campaign included simultaneous radio, optical, infrared, and hard x-ray/gamma-ray observations carried out with a variety of instruments, covering (not continously) almost three binary cycles of LSI +61o 303 during the period April-July 1994. Three separate OSSE observations of the gamma-ray source were carried out, covering different phases of the radio lightcurve. Hard X-ray/gamma-ray emission was detected from the direction of 2CG 135+1 during the first of these OSSE observa…

First results of an Hα based search of classical Be stars in the Perseus Arm and beyond

We investigate a region of the Galactic plane, between 120 <= l <= 140 and -1 <= b <= +4, and uncover a population of moderately reddened (E(B-V) \sim 1) classical Be stars within and beyond the Perseus and Outer Arms. 370 candidate emission line stars (13 <= r <= 16) selected from the INT Photometric H-alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic plane (IPHAS) have been followed up spectroscopically. A subset of these, 67 stars with properties consistent with those of classical Be stars, have been observed at sufficient spectral resolution (Delta_lambda \sim 2 - 4 Angstrom) at blue wavelengths to narrow down their spectral types. We determine these to a precision estimated to be…

Pulsating B and Be Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

Stellar pulsations in main-sequence B-type stars are driven by the κ-mechanism due to the Fe-group opacity bump. The current models do not predict the presence of instability strips in the B spectral domain at very low metallicities. As the metallicity of the Magellanic Clouds (MC) has been measured to be around Z = 0. 002 for the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and Z = 0. 007 for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), they constitute a very suitable objects to test these predictions. The aim of this work is to investigate the existence of B-type pulsators at low metallicities, searching for short-term periodic variability in a large sample of B and Be stars from the MC with accurately determined f…

Long-term variability of the Be/X-ray binary EXO 2030+375

We present a multi-wavelength study of the Be/X-ray binary system EXO 2030+375. We report that the Be companion is currently in a low-activity phase as indicated by the notable decrease of the infrared and optical emission. If this trend continues the source will lose its circumstellar envelope. Infrared spectroscopy in the IJHK bands is presented for the first time, along with optical and X-ray observations. These infrared spectra agree with the optical companion being an early-type (B0) main-sequence star. When active EXO 2030+375 shows an X-ray outburst at each periastron passage of the neutron star. In addition to the maximum X-ray luminosity displayed at orbital phase ∼0.0, we find a s…

Be stars in open clusters

We present Hα line profiles (, at continuum level, for some objects) for 58 stars in 8 northern open clusters and associations, complemented with Hβ and Hγ profiles for 36 of them as well as Hδ and Hϵ for 16 programme stars. Our observations, though lower in resolution, yield results which are in good agreement with those obtained in earlier works based mainly on field Be stars. Our data suggest a similar spectroscopic behavior for both field and cluster Be stars. The line parameters (EW, FWHM , ) have been obtained for each line. Nearly the whole set of stars have previously published quasi-simultaneous photometry, so a study of reliable correlations between photometric and spectroscopic d…

B-MINE, the balloon-borne microcalorimeter nuclear line explorer

B-MINE is a concept for a balloon mission designed to probe the deepest regions of a supernova explosion by detecting Ti-44 emission at 68 keV with spatial and spectral resolutions that are sufficient to determine the extent and velocity distribution of the Ti-44 emitting region. The payload introduces the concept of focusing optics and microcalorimeter spectroscopy to nuclear line emission astrophysics. B-MINE has a thin, plastic foil telescope multilayered to maximize the reflectivity in a 20 keV band centered at 68 keV and a microcalorimeter array optimized for the same energy band. This combination provides a reduced background, an energy resolution of 50 eV and a 3sigma sensitivity in …

Long-term variability of the Be/X-ray binary A 0535+26 -- I. Optical and UV spectroscopy

The results of a 7-yr optical and UV spectroscopic study of the high-mass X-ray binary A 0535+26 are presented. It was found that throughout the period of the observations the line profile of Hα showed considerable variability. A correlation between the equivalent width of Hα and both V-band magnitude and (B−V) colour excess was observed, albeit with considerable scatter present in the data set. A giant X-ray flare in early 1994 was accompanied by a fading in optical and infrared photometric bands, and a reduction in the equivalent width of Hα. When the star was observed in 1994 September, it was found to have developed a double-peaked Hα profile, and further observations saw the V/R peak r…

Activity, colour anomalies and temperature determination in solar-type stars

CCDuvbyβ photometry of the young open cluster NGC 663

NGC 663 is a young, moderately rich open cluster, known to contain one of the largest fractions of Be stars among all galactic clusters. In this work we present CCD uvby-beta photometry for stars in its central area. We have used these data to obtain the main cluster physical parameters. We find that the reddening is highly variable, with values ranging from E(b-y)=0.639+/-0.032 in the central part to E(b-y)=0.555+/-0.038 in the south-east. The distance modulus is found to be 11.6+/-0.1 mag.(2.1 Kpc), and the age log t=7.4+/-0.1 years (25+7/-5 Myr). The age obtained is consistent with the interpretation of the Be phenomenon as an evolutionary effect.

Unveiling the nature of six HMXBs through IR spectroscopy

The International Gamma-Ray Astrophyiscs Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is discovering a large number of new hard X-ray sources, many of them being HMXBs. The identification and spectral characterization of their optical/infrared counterparts is a necessary step to undertake detailed study of these systems. In particular, the determination of the spectral type is crucial in the case of the new class of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), which show X-ray properties common to other objects. We used the ESO/NTT SofI spectrograph to observe proposed IR counterparts to HMXBs, obtaining Ks medium resolution spectra (R = 1320) with a S/N >= 100. We classified them through comparison with publishe…

Study of a sample of faint Be stars in the exofield of CoRoT. II. Pulsation and outburst events: Time series analysis of photometric variations

Context. The class of Be stars are the epitome of rapid rotators in the main sequence. These stars are privileged candidates for studying the incidence of rotation on the stellar internal structure and on non-radial pulsations. Pulsations are considered possible mechanisms to trigger mass-ejection phenomena required to build up the circumstellar disks of Be stars. Aims. Time series analyses of the light curves of 15 faint Be stars observed with the CoRoT satellite were performed to obtain the distribution of non-radial pulsation (NRP) frequencies in their power spectra at epochs with and without light outbursts and to discriminate pulsations from rotation-related photometric variations. Met…

Four colour photometry of binary systems

This paper presents new uvby light curves of the detached eclipsing binary CR Cas together with some H measurements. From the analysis of the photometry we have estimated preliminary values for interstellar red- dening and distance, radiative parameters of both compo- nents and an approximation to the geometrical elements of the system. The intrinsic photometric indices are com- patible with spectral types B0.5V + B1V.

Low Energy Gamma Ray Imager (LEGRI)

The Low Energy Gamma Ray Imager (LEGRI) will be one of the three instruments carried by the first MINISAT mission. LEGRI aims to demonstrate the technological feasibility of a new generation of low energy gamma-ray telescopes with imaging, medium resolution spectroscopy and high continuum sensitivity in the 20-200 keV spectral region, based on HgI2 solid state detector technology.

Infrared and optical observations of the newly identified Be/X-ray binary LSI + 61  235

Observational (IR) and optical data are presented of the newly discovered Be/X-ray binary system LSI + 61° 235, taken over the period 1991 August – 1992 May. Though the IR shows little evidence for any changes, the optical Hα spectrum has undergone substantial modification. Combination of optical photometric measurements with the IR photometry allows the overall spectrum to be investigated and the existence of the Be star’s circumstellar disc to be directly confirmed.

Unveiling the nature of IGR J16493-4348 with IR spectroscopy

The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is discovering a large number of new hard X-ray sources, many of them being HMXBs. The identification and spectral characterization of their optical/infrared counterparts is a necessary step in undertaking a detailed study of these systems. In a previous paper, we presented spectral analyses and classifications of six newly discovered INTEGRAL sources. In this paper, we extend the analysis to IGR J16493-4348. We used the ESO/VLT ISAAC spectrograph to observe the proposed IR counterpart to the source, obtaining a Ks medium-resolution spectrum (R = 500) with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) >150. We classified the source by compar…

A phase change in X Persei

We present a series of optical spectroscopic and infrared photometric observations of the Be/X-ray binary system X Per made over the last four years. Over this period the Hα line profile changed from emission to absorption, accompanied by a decrease in the infrared flux by over a magnitude and a flattening of the infrared spectrum. Such behaviour is consistent with the loss of the circumstellar disc or shell of material around the Be star and the reversion to a normal O/B-type star.

Substantial Disc Loss in the Be/X-ray Binary System A0535+26

AbstractInfrared JHK photometry from October 1998 revealed a remarkable change in the Be/X-ray binary system A0535+26, manifesting itself as a dramatic reduction in emission from the circumstellar disc. Optical and IR spectra presented here have confirmed this disc-loss in greater detail showing radically reduced Hydrogen and Helium line emission, to a degree never before seen in this system, and only rarely in a handful of Be/X-ray binaries. Optical spectroscopy has revealed the re-appearance of a small, stable inner disc, and IR spectra/photometry show the eventual regrowth of a robust circumstellar disc resembling the pre-disc-loss state.

Be stars in open clusters. III. A uvby-beta calibration for the astrophysical parameters of Be stars

We present an empirical calibration of the uvby-beta photometric system to determine the intrinsic colours and indices and the astrophysical parameters of the underlying star, valid for Be stars earlier than B5. The procedure allows the determination of the interstellar reddening with an accuracy of 0.033 mag. (rms), and the absolute magnitude with an accuracy of 0.7 mag.

OMC: An Optical Monitoring Camera for INTEGRAL

The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) will observe the optical emission from the prime targets of the gamma- ray instruments onboard the ESA mission INTEGRAL, with the support of the JEM-X monitor in the X-ray domain. This capability will provide invaluable diagnostic information on the nature and the physics of the sources over a broad wavelength range. Its main scientific objectives are: (1) to monitor the optical emission from the sources observed by the gamma- and X-ray instruments, measuring the time and intensity structure of the optical emission for comparison with variability at high energies, and (2) to provide the brightness and position of the optical counterpart of any gamma- or X…

Reddening map around ? Orionis

uvbyβ photometry has been done for early-type stars in the surroundings of the shell star α Ori. The reddening maps show the presence of irregularly distributed absorbing material.

Short-term variations in Be stars observed by the CoRoT and Kepler space missions

AbstractThe corot and kepler space missions are collecting very high-precision long-duration photometric data of many Be stars, allowing us to better understand the origin of their short-term variability and the link between these variations and the Be phenomenon. In this paper, we present a brief summary of the results obtained in the analysis of several Be stars observed with corot in terms of pulsations. In addition, we show that variations of the Be star HD 175869 can be explained as two active regions separated by 150 degrees or as unstable pulsating modes in a star with an extensive mixing in radiative layers corresponding to a core overshooting of 0.35Hp. A preliminary study of the p…

K-band spectroscopy of IGR J16358-4726 and IGR J16393-4643: two new symbiotic X-ray binaries

Symbiotic X-ray Binaries (SyXBs) are a recently discovered subclass of Low Mass X-ray Binaries. Their growing number makes them an important evolutionary channel of X-ray Binaries. Our goal is to perform spectral analysis and classification of the proposed counterparts to IGR J16358-4726 and IGR J16393-4643 and to establish their nature as X-ray systems. We used the ESO/UT1 ISAAC spectrograph to observe the proposed counterparts to the two sources, obtaining K-band medium resolution spectra (R = 500) with a S/N > 140. Data reduction was performed with the standard procedure. We classified them by means of comparison with published atlases. We performed SED fitting in order to refine the …

Stochastic gravito-inertial modes discovered by CoRoT in the hot Be star HD 51452

International audience; Context. Be stars are rapidly rotating stars with a circumstellar decretion disk. They usually undergo pressure and/or gravity pulsation modes excited by the κ-mechanism, i.e. an effect of the opacity of iron-peak elements in the envelope of the star. In the Milky Way, p-modes are observed in stars that are hotter than or equal to the B3 spectral type, while g-modes are observed at the B2 spectral type and cooler. Aims. We observed a B0IVe star, HD 51452, with the high-precision, high-cadence photometric CoRoT satellite and high-resolution, ground-based HARPS and SOPHIE spectrographs to study its pulsations in great detail. We also used the lower resolution spectra a…

Leonid fluxes: 1994-1998 activity patterns

Abstract-The Leonid meteor shower was observed worldwide in 1998 November in an intensive campaign without precedent. During this international effort -35 500 meteors were reported by members and collaborators of the International Meteor Organization (IMO) using a standard methodology. Despite the absence of a meteor storm in 1998, the rich observational data allow us to obtain a detailed unprecedented knowledge of the stream structure between 1994 and 1998. INTRODUCTION We present here the results from long-term visual monitoring by members and collaborators of the International Meteor Organization (IMO) and photographic and charge-coupled device (CCD) monitoring research obtained by membe…

The Be star content of young open clusters

We present a photometric survey aimed to characterize the Be star population of young open clusters. It is found that in these clusters early-type Be stars are more frequent than in the galactic field, and late-type Be stars are scarce or inexistent. We interpret this result as evidence for an evolutionary enhancement of the Be phenomenon towards the end of the main sequence lifetime.

Properties of the δ Scorpii Circumstellar Disk from Continuum Modeling

We present optical $WBVR$ and infrared $JHKL$ photometric observations of the Be binary system $\delta$ Sco, obtained in 2000--2005, mid-infrared (10 and $18 \mu$m) photometry and optical ($\lambda\lambda$ 3200--10500 \AA) spectropolarimetry obtained in 2001. Our optical photometry confirms the results of much more frequent visual monitoring of $\delta$ Sco. In 2005, we detected a significant decrease in the object's brightness, both in optical and near-infrared brightness, which is associated with a continuous rise in the hydrogen line strenghts. We discuss possible causes for this phenomenon, which is difficult to explain in view of current models of Be star disks. The 2001 spectral energ…

Chemical abundances determined from meteor spectra: I. Ratios of the main chemical elements

Relative chemical abundances of 13 meteoroids were determined by averaging the composition of the radiating gas along the fireball path that originated during their penetration into the Earth's atmosphere. Mg, Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn, and Co abundances, relative to Si, are similar to those reported for CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites and interplanetary dust particles. In contrast, relative abundances of Ca and Ti in meteor spectra indicate that these elements suffer incomplete evaporation processes. The chemical composition of all meteoroids studied in this work differs from that of 1P/Halley dust.

The Absolute Flux Calibration of the UVBY Photometric System

We present the absolute flux calibration for the uvby photometric system passbands, derived from homogeneous spectroscopic and photometric standard star lists, and referred to the Vega absolute flux calibration of Hayes (1985).

Multi-frequency observations of SWIFT J1626.6-5156

SWIFT J1626.6-5156 is an X-ray pulsar that was discovered in December 2005 during an X-ray outburst. Although the X-ray data suggest that the system is a high-mass X-ray binary, very little information exists on the nature of the optical counterpart. We have analysed all RXTE observations since its discovery, archived optical spectroscopic and photometric data and obtained for the first time near-IR spectra. The K-band spectrum shows HeI 20581 A and HI 21660 A (Brackett-gamma) in emission, which confine the spectral type of the companion to be earlier than B2.5. The H-band spectrum exhibits the HI Br-18-11 recombination series in emission. The most prominent feature of the optical band spec…

Photometric and Hα Observations of LSI+61°303

The Be massive X-ray binary LSI+61°303 is a 26.5 days periodic radiosource (Taylor & Gregory, 1984), exhibiting radio outbursts maxima between phases 0.6-0.8. Evidence of a photometric period of similar value has also been reported (Paredes & Figueras, 1986; Mendelson & Mazeh, 1989). The previous spectroscopic radial velocity observations of Hutchings & Crampton (1981) are in agreement with the radio period, and give support to the presence of a companion. We present new optical and infrared photometric observations and high resolution Hα spectra of LSI+61°303.

A photometric study of Be stars located in the seismology fields of COROT

Context: In preparation for the COROT mission, an exhaustive photometric study of Be stars located in the seismology fields of the COROT mission has been performed. The very precise and long-time-spanned photometric observations gathered by the COROT satellite will give important clues of the origin of the Be phenomenon. Aims: The aim of this work is to find short-period variable Be stars located in the seismology fields of COROT and to study and characterise their pulsational properties. Methods: Light curves obtained at the Observatorio de Sierra Nevada together with data from Hipparcos and ASAS-3 of a total of 84 Be stars have been analysed in order to search for short-term variations. W…

The Be/X-ray transient 4U0115+63/V635 Cassiopeiae : II. Outburst mechanisms

We present multi-wavelength long-term monitoring observations of V635 Cas, the optical counterpart to the transient X-ray pulsar 4U0115+63. The evolution of emission lines and photometric magnitudes indicates that the Be star undergoes relatively fast ( ~3 - 5yr) quasi-cyclic activity, losing and reforming its circumstellar disc. We show that the general optical, infrared and X-ray behaviour can be explained by the dynamical evolution of the viscous circumstellar disc around the Be star. After each disc-loss episode, the disc starts reforming and grows until it reaches the radius at which the resonant interaction of the neutron star truncates it. At some point, the disc becomes unstable to …

The Be/X-ray binary LS 992/RX J0812.4-3114: Physical parameters and long-term variability

We present the first long-term optical and infrared study of the optical counterpart to the source RX J0812.4-3114, an X-ray pulsar with a Be type companion. During the period covered by the observations the profile of some Balmer lines changed from absorption to emission and back again to absorption. Contemporaneously, the infrared magnitudes varied by more than 0.8 mag. This long-term variability is interpreted as the formation and subsequent dissipation of the Be star's disc. The building up of the disc ended up in an active X-ray state characterised by regular outbursts occurring at 80 day intervals. The overall duration of the formation/dissipation of the disc is found to be < 4.3 year…

Discovery of a Transition to Global Spin-up in EXO 2030+375

EXO 2030+375, a 42-second transient X-ray pulsar with a Be star companion, has been observed to undergo an outburst at nearly every periastron passage for the last 13.5 years. From 1994 through 2002, the global trend in the pulsar spin frequency was spin-down. Using RXTE data from 2003 September, we have observed a transition to global spin-up in EXO 2030+375. Although the spin frequency observations are sparse, the relative spin-up between 2002 June and 2003 September observations, along with an overall brightening of the outbursts since mid 2002 observed with the RXTE ASM, accompanied by an increase in density of the Be disk, indicated by infrared magnitudes, suggest that the pattern obse…

The Spanish fireball network

Spanish Photographic Meteor Network: An interdisciplinary crosslink

This paper reports the birth of the Spanish Photographic Meteor Network (SPMN), a project that began their activities in 1997 through professional and amateur astronomers, coinciding with the high activity associated to several stream’s outbursts. One of the objectives of the network is to develop a continuous fireball monitoring in Spain and to obtain orbital and chemical information on meteoroids. Today the SPMN is a solid project under the auspices of three Universities (University Jaume I, University of Valencia and University of Barcelona) and one Space Institute (Catalonian Institute for Space Studies). The National Institute for Aerospace Research (INTA) and the Scientific Research C…

Cyclical behaviour and disc truncation in the Be/X-ray binary A0535+26

A0535+26 is shown to display quantised IR excess flux states, which are interpreted as the first observational verification of the resonant truncation scheme proposed by Okazaki and Negueruela (2001) for BeXRBs. The simultaneity of X-ray activity with transitions between these states strongly suggests a broad mechanism for outbursts, in which material lost from the disc during the reduction of truncation radius is accreted by the NS. Furthermore changes between states are shown to be governed by a 1500 day period, probably due to precession of the Be disc, which profoundly dictates the global behaviour of the system. Such a framework appears to be applicable to BeXRBs in general.

Multiperiodic pulsations in the Be stars NW Serpentis and V1446 Aquilae

Aims.We present accurate photometric time series of two Be stars: NW Ser and V1446 Aql . Both stars were observed at the Observatorio de Sierra Nevada (Granada) in July 2003 with an automatic four-channel Strömgren photometer. We also present a preliminary theoretical study showing that the periodic variations exhibited by these stars can be due to pulsation. Methods.An exhaustive Fourier analysis together with a least-square fitting has been carried out on the time series for all four Strömgren bands. Several independent frequencies and non-periodic trends explain most of the variance. A theoretical non-adiabatic code applied to stellar models for these stars shows that g-modes are unstabl…

Photometric variability of the Be star CoRoT-ID 102761769

Classical Be stars are rapid rotators of spectral type late O to early A and luminosity class V-III, wich exhibit Balmer emission lines and often a near infrared excess originating in an equatorially concentrated circumstellar envelope, both produced by sporadic mass ejection episodes. The causes of the abnormal mass loss (the so-called Be phenomenon) are as yet unknown. For the first time, we can now study in detail Be stars outside the Earth's atmosphere with sufficient temporal resolution. We investigate the variability of the Be Star CoRoT-ID 102761769 observed with the CoRoT satellite in the exoplanet field during the initial run. One low-resolution spectrum of the star was obtained wi…

Low-amplitude variations detected by CoRoT in the B8IIIe star HD 175869

International audience; Context: The origin of the short-term variability in Be stars remains a matter of controversy. Pulsations and rotational modulation are the components of the favored hypothesis. Aims: We present our analysis of CoRoT data of the B8IIIe star HD 175869 observed during the first short run in the center direction (SRC1). Methods: We review both the instrumental effects visible in the CoRoT light curve and the analysis methods used by the CoRoT Be team. We applied these methods to the CoRoT light curve of the star HD 175869. A search for line-profile variations in the spectroscopic data was also performed. We also searched for a magnetic field, by applying the LSD techniq…

Pulsations in the late-type Be star HD 50 209 detected by CoRoT

The presence of pulsations in late-type Be stars is still a matter of controversy. It constitutes an important issue to establish the relationship between non-radial pulsations and the mass-loss mechanism in Be stars. To contribute to this discussion, we analyse the photometric time series of the B8IVe star HD 50209 observed by the CoRoT mission in the seismology field. We use standard Fourier techniques and linear and non-linear least squares fitting methods to analyse the CoRoT light curve. In addition, we applied detailed modelling of high-resolution spectra to obtain the fundamental physical parameters of the star. We have found four frequencies which correspond to gravity modes with az…

Discussion – Periodic variations and asteroseismology of active OB stars

AbstractWe summarize the discussion held after the session on periodic variations and asteroseismology. The session not only included seven talks, but as well thirty excellent posters were shown. It was impossible to summarize all these in the available frame of a discussion, and so this work focuses on very few sub-topics only mentioned in the actual discussion session. These topics were the relation of pulsation and turbulence, pulsation in close binaries, the observed photometric variability, the connection of pulsations and outburst, and bipolar flows.

Absolute parameters for binary systems

New high-quality light curves of the late-type binary system BH Vir have been obtained during a 6 year photometric uvby and monitoring program of low mass eclipsing binaries (Clement et al. 1997), hereafter Papers I and II. This paper presents detailed analysis of this binary based on the four light curves obtained within our program. The activity wave superimposed on the eclipse-modulated light curves has been adjusted and removed by using a new iterative application of the standard EBOP code together with truncated Fourier Series fittings. Combining the recent radial velocity curves (Popper 1995) with the geometrical elements deduced from the "clean" photometric light curves, the absolute…

The second data release of the INT Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS DR2)

The INT/WFC Photometric H-Alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS) is a 1800 square degrees imaging survey covering Galactic latitudes |b| < 5 deg and longitudes l = 30 to 215 deg in the r, i and H-alpha filters using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the 2.5-metre Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in La Palma. We present the first quality-controlled and globally-calibrated source catalogue derived from the survey, providing single-epoch photometry for 219 million unique sources across 92% of the footprint. The observations were carried out between 2003 and 2012 at a median seeing of 1.1 arcsec (sampled at 0.33 arcsec/pixel) and to a mean 5\sigma-depth of 21.2 (r), 20.0 (i) and 20.3 (H-a…

Be Star Surveys in Open Clusters with Balmer-line Photometry

AbstractWe present CCD Hα and Hβ photometry of young open clusters. We show that the comparison of the α and β photometric indices provides an efficient tool for identifying emission line stars. We report on the discovery of several new Be stars.The preliminary results of our survey are the following: i. the younger clusters (age &lt; 10 Myr) are almost lacking of Be stars, ii. clusters in the age interval 10–30 Myr are rich in Be stars. Almost all of them are of spectral types earlier than B5, while late-type Be stars are scarce. These results point towards an evolutionary interpretation of the Be phenomenon, in the sense that Be stars are close to the end of their main sequence lifetime.

Comparison of the H-alpha circumstellar disks in Be/X-ray binaries and Be stars

We present a comparative study of the circumstellar disks in Be/X-ray binaries and isolated Be stars based upon the H-alpha emission line. From this comparison it follows that the overall structure of the disks in the Be/X-ray binaries is similar to the disks of other Be stars, i.e. they are axisymmetric and rotationally supported. The factors for the line broadening (rotation and temperature) in the disks of the Be stars and the Be/X-ray binaries seem to be identical. However, we do detect some intriguing differences between the envelopes. On average, the circumstellar disks of the Be/X-ray binaries are twice as dense as the disks of the isolated Be stars. The different distribution of the…

Discovery of the optical counterpart to the X-ray pulsar SAX J2103.5+4545

We report optical and infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations that identify the counterpart to the 358.6-s X-ray transient pulsar SAX J2103.5+4545 with a moderately reddened V=14.2 B0Ve star. This identification makes SAX J2103.5+4545 the Be/X-ray binary with the shortest orbital period known, Porb= 12.7 days. The amount of absorption to the system has been estimated to be Av=4.2+-0.3, which for such an early-type star implies a distance of about 6.5 kpc. The optical spectra reveal major and rapid changes in the strength and shape of the Halpha line. The Halpha line was initially observed as a double peak profile with the ratio of the intensities of the blue over the red peak gr…

Long-term variability of high-mass X-ray binaries. I.Photometry

We present photometric observations of the field around the optical counterparts of high-mass X-ray binaries. Our aim is to study the long-term photometric variability in correlation with their X-ray activity and derive a set of secondary standard stars that can be used for time series analysis. We find that the donors in Be/X-ray binaries exhibit larger amplitude changes in the magnitudes and colours than those hosting a supergiant companion. The amplitude of variability increases with wavelength in Be/X-ray binaries and remains fairly constant in supergiant systems. When time scales of years are considered, a good correlation between the X-ray and optical variability is observed. The X-ra…

Absolute parameters for binary systems

New light curves of the late-type binary sys- tem ZZ UMa were obtained during a uvby and H mon- itoring program on low mass eclipsing binaries, that has been carried out in a six year photometric observational program (Clement et al. 1997a, Paper I). The main goal of the program is to obtain accurate absolute parameters for stars in the low and intermediate mass range, in order to improve the Mass-Luminosity Relationship (MLR) at the end of the main sequence. This paper presents a complete analysis of the rst uvby light curves of the late-type detached eclipsing binary ZZ UMa. This binary system has been observed during eight campaigns at the Calar Alto Observatory (Almeria, Spain). The act…

The pulsations of the B5IVe star HD 181231 observed with CoRoT and ground-based spectroscopy

International audience; Context: HD 181231 is a B5IVe star, which has been observed with the CoRoT satellite during ~5 consecutive months and simultaneously from the ground in spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry. Aims: By analysing these data, we aim to detect and characterize as many pulsation frequencies as possible, to search for the presence of beating effects possibly at the origin of the Be phenomenon. Our results will also provide a basis for seismic modelling. Methods: The fundamental parameters of the star are determined from spectral fitting and from the study of the circumstellar emission. The CoRoT photometric data and ground-based spectroscopy are analysed using several Fourier…