Runaway and Hypervelocity Stars in the Galactic Halo: Binary Rejuvenation and Triple Disruption
Young stars observed in the distant Galactic halo are usually thought tohave formed elsewhere, either in the Galactic disk or perhaps theGalactic center (GC), and subsequently ejected at high velocities totheir current position. However, some of these stars have apparentlifetimes shorter than the required flight time from the Galacticdisk/GC. We suggest that such stars have evolved in close runaway orhypervelocity binaries. Stellar evolution of such binaries can drivethem into mass transfer configurations and even mergers. Such evolutioncould then rejuvenate them (e.g., blue stragglers) and extend theirlifetime after their ejection. The extended lifetimes of such starscould then be reconciled with their flight times to the Galactic halo.We study the possibilities of binary runaway and hypervelocity stars(HVSs) and show that such binaries could have been ejected in tripledisruptions and other dynamical interactions with stars or with massiveblack holes (MBHs). We show that currently observed "too young" star inthe halo could have been ejected from the Galactic disk or the GC and beobservable in their current position if they were ejected as binaries.Specifically, it is shown that the HVS HE 0437-5439 could besuch a rejuvenated star. Other suggestions for its ejection from theLarge Magellanic Cloud are found to be highly unlikely. Moreover, it isshown that its observed metallicity is most consistent with a Galacticorigin and a GC origin cannot currently be ruled out. In addition, wesuggest that triple disruptions by the MBH in the GC could also capturebinaries in close orbits near the MBH, some of which may later evolve tobecome more massive rejuvenated stars.
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The Origins and Evolutionary Status of B Stars Found Far from the Galactic Plane. II. Kinematics and Full Sample Analysis
This paper continues the analysis of faint high-latitude B stars fromMartin. Here we analyze the kinematics of the stars and combine themwith the abundance information from the first paper to classify eachone. The sample contains 31 Population I runaways, 15 old evolved stars(including 5 blue horizontal-branch [BHB] stars, 3 post-HB stars, 1pulsating helium dwarf, and 6 stars of ambiguous classification), 1 Fdwarf, and 2 stars that do not easily fit in one of the othercategories. No star in the sample unambiguously shows thecharacteristics of a young massive star formed in situ in the halo. Thetwo unclassified stars are probably extreme Population I runaways. Thelow binary frequency and rotational velocity distribution of thePopulation I runaways imply that most were ejected from dense starclusters by the dynamic ejection scenario. However, we remain puzzled bythe lack of runaway Be stars. We also confirm that PB 166 and HIP 41979are both nearby solar-metallicity BHB stars.Based on observations made at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope ofMcDonald Observatory, operated by the University of Texas at Austin.
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The Origins and Evolutionary Status of B Stars Found Far from the Galactic Plane. I. Composition and Spectral Features
The existence of faint blue stars far above the Galactic plane that havespectra that are similar to nearby Population I B stars presents severalinteresting questions. Among them are the following: Can a Population IB star travel from the disk to a position many kiloparsecs above theplane in a relatively short main-sequence lifetime? Is it possible thatsingle massive star formation is occurring far from the Galactic plane?Are these objects something else masquerading as main-sequence B stars?This paper (the first of two) analyzes the abundances of a sample ofthese stars and reveals several that are chemically similar to nearbyPopulation I B stars, whereas others clearly have abundance patternsmore like those expected in blue horizontal-branch (BHB) orpost-asymptotic giant branch stars. Several of those with old evolvedstar abundances also have interesting features of note in their spectra.We also consider why this sample does not have any classical Be starsand identify at least two nearby solar-metallicity BHB stars.Based on observations made at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope ofMcDonald Observatory operated by the University of Texas at Austin.
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Young Stars far from the Galactic Plane: Runaways from Clusters
Quite recently, a significant number of OB stars far from the galacticplane have been found, situated at z-distances ranging from severalhundreds of pc to several kpc. The short lifetimes of these stars poseproblems for their interpretation in terms of the standard picture ofstar formation. Different mechanisms have been put forward to explainthe existence of these stars, either within the conventional view, orpostulating star formation in the galactic halo itself. These mechanismsrange from arguing that they are misidentified evolved or abnormalstars, to postulating powerful ejection mechanisms for young disk stars;in situ formation also admits several variants. We have collected fromthe literature a list of young stars far from the plane, for which theevidence of youth seems convincing. We discuss two possible formationmechanisms for these stars: ejection from the plane as the result ofdynamical evolution of small clusters (Poveda et al. 1967) and in situformation, via induced shocks created by spiral density waves (Martos etal. 1999). We compute galactic orbits for these stars, and identify thestars that could be explained by one or the other mechanism. We findthat about 90 percent of the stars can be accounted for by the clusterejection mechanism, that is, they can be regarded as runaway stars inthe galactic halo.
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Rotation Velocities of Red and Blue Field Horizontal-Branch Stars
We present measurements of the projected stellar rotation velocities(vsini) of a sample of 45 candidate field horizontal-branch (HB) starsspanning a wide range of effective temperatures, from red HB stars withTeff~=5000K to blue HB stars with Teff of 17,000K.Among the cooler blue HB stars (Teff=7500-11500 K), weconfirm prior studies showing that, although a majority of stars rotateat vsini<15kms-1, there exists a subset of ``fastrotators'' with vsini as high as 30-35 km s-1. All but one ofthe red HB stars in our sample have vsini<10kms-1, and noanalogous rotation bimodality is evident. We also identify anarrow-lined hot star (Teff~=16,000K) with enhancedphotospheric metal abundances and helium depletion, similar to theabundance patterns found among hot BHB stars in globular clusters, andfour other stars that may also belong in this category. We discussdetails of the spectral line fitting procedure that we use to deducevsini and explore how measurements of field HB star rotation may shedlight on the issue of HB star rotation in globular clusters.
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Distances and Metallicities of High- and Intermediate-Velocity Clouds
A table is presented that summarizes published absorption linemeasurements for the high- and intermediate-velocity clouds (HVCs andIVCs). New values are derived for N(H I) in the direction of observedprobes, in order to arrive at reliable abundances and abundance limits(the H I data are described in Paper II). Distances to stellar probesare revisited and calculated consistently, in order to derive distancebrackets or limits for many of the clouds, taking care to properlyinterpret nondetections. The main conclusions are the following. (1)Absolute abundances have been measured using lines of S II, N I, and OI, with the following resulting values: ~0.1 solar for one HVC (complexC), ~0.3 solar for the Magellanic Stream, ~0.5 solar for a southern IVC,and ~solar for two northern IVCs (the IV Arch and LLIV Arch). Finally,approximate values in the range 0.5-2 solar are found for three moreIVCs. (2) Depletion patterns in IVCs are like those in warm disk or halogas. (3) Most distance limits are based on strong UV lines of C II, SiII, and Mg II, a few on Ca II. Distance limits for major HVCs aregreater than 5 kpc, while distance brackets for several IVCs are in therange 0.5-2 kpc. (4) Mass limits for major IVCs are0.5-8×105 Msolar, but for major HVCs theyare more than 106 Msolar. (5) The Ca II/H I ratiovaries by up to a factor 2-5 within a single cloud, somewhat morebetween clouds. (6) The Na I/H I ratio varies by a factor of more than10 within a cloud, and even more between clouds. Thus, Ca II can beuseful for determining both lower and upper distance limits, but Na Ionly yields upper limits.
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The distance to Complex M and the Intermediate Velocity Arch
The Intermediate Velocity Arch is an association of Hi clouds lyingwithin the broad limits l~110 deg-210 deg,b~50 deg-80 deg. We usehigh-resolution optical, and single-dish 21-cm, observations of 10early-type halo star sightlines in this region to establish distancelimits (0.4<=z<=3.5kpc) for seven IVCs that are part of the Arch.We re-examine a previous determination of upper and lower distancelimits on the IVC Complex M using the closely aligned halo starsBD+382182 and HD93521. Our Hi spectra show no evidence of emission fromComplex M, leading us to conclude that, while an upper distance limit ofz<=3.5 kpc may be established, no useful lower distance determinationcan be made. Our new Hi observations allow new limits to be establishedon the metallicity of Complex M, and show C, O and Si variations withrespect to solar abundances in the range +/-0.3 dex.
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High-Velocity Rain: The Terminal Velocity Model of Galactic Infall
A model is proposed for determining the distances to fallinginterstellar clouds in the galactic halo by measuring the cloud velocityand column density and assuming a model for the vertical densitydistribution of the Galactic interstellar medium. It is shown thatfalling clouds with N(H I) <~ 1019 cm-2 may be decelerated to aterminal velocity which increases with increasing height above theGalactic plane. This terminal velocity model correctly predicts thedistance to high-velocity cloud Complex M and several other interstellarstructures of previously determined distance. It is demonstrated howinterstellar absorption spectra alone may be used to predict thedistances of the clouds producing the absorption. If the distance,velocities, and column densities of enough interstellar clouds are knownindependently, the procedure can be reversed, and the terminal velocitymodel can be used to estimate the vertical density structure (both themean density and the porosity) of the interstellar medium. Using thedata of Danly and assuming a drag coefficient of CD ≅ 1, thederived density distribution is consistent with the expected densitydistribution of the warm ionized medium, characterized by Reynolds.There is also evidence that for z >~ 0.4 kpc one or more of thefollowing occurs: (1) the neutral fraction of the cloud decreases to ~31+/- 14%, (2) the density drops off faster than characterized byReynolds, or (3) there is a systematic decrease in CD with increasing z.Current data do not place strong constraints on the porosity of theinterstellar medium.
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Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
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An IUE survey of interstellar H I LY alpha absorption. 1: Column densities
We measure Galactic interstellar neutral hydrogen column densities byanalyzing archival interstellar Ly alpha absorption line data toward 554B2 and hotter stars observed at high resolution with the IUE satellite.This study more than doubles the number of lines of sight with measuresof N(H I) based on Ly alpha. We have included the scattered lightbackground correction algorithm of Bianchi and Bohlin in our datareduction. We use the correlation between the Balmer discontinuity(c1) index and the stellar Ly alpha absorption in order toassess the effects of stellar Ly alpha contamination. Approximately 40%of the B stars with measured (c1) index, exhibit seriousstellar Ly alpha contamination. One table contains the derived values ofthe interstellar N(H I) for 393 stars with at most small amounts ofstellar contamination. Another lists the observed values of total N(H I)for 161 stars with suspected stellar Ly alpha contamination and/oruncertain stellar parameters.
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Ultraviolet and radio observations of Milky Way halo gas
Interstellar-absorption-line and 21-cm emission-line data for sightlines to 56 stars are combined in order to study the kinematics andspatial distribution of the gas that is at great distances from theGalactic plane. Measurements of the interstellar velocities and H Icolumn densities from the 21-cm emission and Ly-alpha absorption areincluded. The problem of contamination of the interstellar Ly-alphaabsorption line by stellar Ly-alpha absorption is analyzed, and thisinformation is used to reevaluate the vertical distribution of H I. Anew method for determining lower limits on the vertical distribution ofgas by including information on the velocity structure in the gas ispresented. The data for individual sight lines are discussed.
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The case low-dispersion northern sky survey. XII - A region in southern Canes Venatici
Positions, estimated magnitudes, and finding charts (when necessary) areprovided for 194 blue and/or emission-line galaxies, 15 H II regions inseven galaxies, 157 unresolved blue and/or emission-line objects,including QSO candidates, and 32 known and suspected blue stars in a 107sq deg region in Canes Venatici. The objects, whose blue magnitudes aremostly within the range 15-18, were identified on low-dispersionobjective-prism plates taken with the Burrell Schmidt telescope at KittPeak.
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The runaway nature of distant early-type stars in the galactic halo
The kinematics of a sample of 32 distant halo B-stars with masses in therange 3-21 solar masses are investigated using the current 'runawaystar' hypotheses to establish if they belong to this group of stars.Whether postmass transfer secondaries in evolved massive close binariescan be normal low mass B-stars is discussed, but support for this ideais not found. Thus it appears that the lower mass stars could not havebeen ejected out of the disk as a result of supernova explosions inmassive close binaries, while the higher mass objects do not in generalreveal a binary nature as expected from this theory. The results ofrecent N-body simulations of the purely dynamical ejection of runawaystars from young galactic star clusters are in excellent agreement withthe observations. Thus it appears that these halo stars are the mostdistant subgroup of OB runaways produced by cluster ejection yetobserved.
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Peculiar and normal early-type stars in the galactic halo
High resolution optical spectra of eight high latitude blue stars havebeen obtained. Three of the sample are identified as subdwarfs. Theremaining five are analyzed for atmospheric parameters and metal and Heabundances using model atmosphere techniques. Four of the sample appearto be normal B type stars 2 kpc or more from the plane. With alogarithmic surface gravity estimated to be 4.6 + or - 0.3 dex, PB 166could be either a main sequence, horizontal branch or cool subdwarf. Thenature of this star is discussed in view of its approximately normalPopulation I chemical composition.
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Investigations of young stars in the galactic halo
High resolution optical spectra of fifteen intermediate and highlatitude blue stars have been obtained using the 2.5 m Isaac Newton andthe 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescopes. Three of the sample areidentified as subdwarfs. The remaining twelve are analyzed foratmospheric parameters and metal and helium abundances using modelatmosphere techniques, and appear to be normal B-type stars 1 kpc ormore from the plane. Their origin is discussed in terms of theiravailable kinematics. Eight of the stars could have been formed in thegalactic plane and reached their present z-positions in their lifetimes.From the stellar kinematics, cluster ejection seems the most likelymechanism for their presence in the halo, although close binary ejectionmay have been responsible for a small number of these stars. Four starscould not have traveled from the disk to their current halo z-distancesin their lifetimes, and the idea of star formation in the halo isbriefly discussed.
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The kinematics of Milky Way halo gas. I - Observations of low-ionization species
Ultraviolet interstellar line day observed with the IUE toward 70 halostars and four extragalactic sight lines are analyzed in a study of thelarge-scale kinematic properties of the Milky Way halo gas. The motionsof the low-ionization gas is focused on. Large systematic velocities arefound, and a pronounced asymmetry in the absorption characteristics ofhalo gas toward the Galactic poles is indicated. In the north,substantial amounts of material are falling toward the disk atvelocities up to about 120 km/s in the most extreme case. Toward thesouth, low-ionization material shows no extreme or systematic motions.
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The density distribution of refractory elements away from the Galactic plane
The density distributions of the three refractory elements Ti II, Ca II,and Fe II away from the Galactic plane are compared with thedistribution of hydrogen and dust by examining plots of N s in b versusz. It is found that Ti II and Ca II are considerably more extended in zthan the H I and dust and that Fe II has an intermediate extension.Although the results are strongly influenced by sample bias, theindicated exponential scale heights for the data sample are h(Ti II) notless than 2 kpc, h(Ca II) = 1 kpc, h(Fe II) = 0.5 kpc, H(H I) = 0.3 kpc,and h(E/B-V) = 0.1 kpc. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that Ti II andCa II are much more smoothly distributed in space than the hydrogen ordust. The large scale heights for Ti II and Ca II and their smoothdistributions are most easily understood as the effect of a mixturealong the line of sight of two H I phases namely, a diffuse cloud phase,in which nearly all of the Ti and Ca are tied up in dust, and anintercloud medium, where refractory elements are less depleted. It isfound that Ti II and Ca II mostly trace the smoothly distributedintercloud medium. The smoothness of the distributions of Ti II and CaII makes them candidates for use as distance indicators.
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A catalog of ultraviolet interstellar extinction excesses for 1415 stars
Ultraviolet interstellar extinction excesses are presented for 1415stars with spectral types B7 and earlier. The excesses with respect to Vare derived from Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS) 5-channel UVphotometry at central wavelengths of approximately 1550, 1800, 2500, and3300 A. A measure of the excess extinction in the 2200-A extinction bumpis also given. The data are valuable for investigating the systematicsof peculiar interstellar extinction and for studying the character of UVinterstellar extinction in the general direction of stars for which theextinction-curve shape is unknown.
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Further Studies of A-Stars and F-Stars in the Region of the North Galactic Pole - Part Four - a Catalogue of Uvbyr Photometry and Derived Quantities
Not Available
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Further Studies of A-Stars and F-Stars in the Region of the North Galactic Pole - Part Three - a Catalogue of Star Names and Positions
Not Available
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Ultraviolet photometry with the Astronomical Netherlands Satellite /ANS/ - Faint blue stars in the halo
Blue stars at high galactic latitudes have been observed with the UVtelescope on board ANS. In this paper a subset of the collected datapertaining to the cooler stars is discussed. Most of them have energydistributions in general agreement with the visual spectral type. Onestar is exceptionally blue, and of seven possible horizontal-branchstars, two have UV energy distributions distinct from main-sequencestars in the sense that they have an excess at 1550 A and a large Balmerjump.
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Photometry of faint blue stars. IV - Four-colour photometry of some northern stars
Photometry in the uvby system has been obtained for 33 northern faintblue stars. The stars are given photometric classification usingpreviously described criteria. Data are discussed which providesupporting evidence for the existence of gaps in the blue horizontalbranch.
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Gaps in the blue horizontal branch.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1976ApJ...204..804N
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The Nature of Faint Blue Stars in the Halo. II
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1974ApJS...28..157G&db_key=AST
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Photoelectric photometry of A-type stars near the north galactic pole.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1968AJ.....73.1000P&db_key=AST
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Horizontal-Branch Stars and Interstellar Lines at High Latitude
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1968ApJ...152..431G&db_key=AST
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Hγ Observations for Fourteen of Feige's Faint Blue Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1968PASP...80..238W
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The Nature of the Faint Blue Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1966ApJ...144..496G
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Radial Velocities of A-Type Stars Near the North Galactic Pole
Not Available
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Three-colour photometry of early-type stars near the galactic poles
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1963MNRAS.127...83W&db_key=AST
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