CoRoT measures solar-like oscillations and granulation in stars hotter than the Sun

Oscillations of the Sun have been used to understand its interior structure. The extension of similar studies to more distant stars has raised many difficulties despite the strong efforts of the international community over the past decades. The CoRoT (Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits) satellite, launched in December 2006, has now measured oscillations and the stellar granulation signature in three main sequence stars that are noticeably hotter than the sun. The oscillation amplitudes are about 1.5 times as large as those in the Sun; the stellar granulation is up to three times as high. The stellar amplitudes are about 25% below the theoretic values, providing a measurement of the nonadiabaticity of the process ruling the oscillations in the outer layers of the stars.     

KOI-126: a triply eclipsing hierarchical triple with two low-mass stars

The Kepler spacecraft has been monitoring the light from 150,000 stars in its primary quest to detect transiting exoplanets. Here, we report on the detection of an eclipsing stellar hierarchical triple, identified in the Kepler photometry. KOI-126 [A, (B, C)], is composed of a low-mass binary [masses M(B) = 0.2413 ± 0.0030 solar mass (M(⊙)), M(C) = 0.2127 ± 0.0026 M(⊙); radii R(B) = 0.2543 ± 0.0014 solar radius (R(⊙)), R(C) = 0.2318 ± 0.0013 R(⊙); orbital period P(1) = 1.76713 ± 0.00019 days] on an eccentric orbit about a third star (mass M(A) = 1.347 ± 0.032 M(⊙); radius R(A) = 2.0254 ± 0.0098 R(⊙); period of orbit around the low-mass binary P(2) = 33.9214 ± 0.0013 days; eccentricity of that orbit e(2) = 0.3043 ± 0.0024). The low-mass pair probe the poorly sampled fully convective stellar domain offering a crucial benchmark for theoretical stellar models.     

HD 181068: a red giant in a triply eclipsing compact hierarchical triple system

Hierarchical triple systems comprise a close binary and a more distant component. They are important for testing theories of star formation and of stellar evolution in the presence of nearby companions. We obtained 218 days of Kepler photometry of HD 181068 (magnitude of 7.1), supplemented by ground-based spectroscopy and interferometry, which show it to be a hierarchical triple with two types of mutual eclipses. The primary is a red giant that is in a 45-day orbit with a pair of red dwarfs in a close 0.9-day orbit. The red giant shows evidence for tidally induced oscillations that are driven by the orbital motion of the close pair. HD 181068 is an ideal target for studies of dynamical evolution and testing tidal friction theories in hierarchical triple systems.     

Kepler-16: a transiting circumbinary planet

We report the detection of a planet whose orbit surrounds a pair of low-mass stars. Data from the Kepler spacecraft reveal transits of the planet across both stars, in addition to the mutual eclipses of the stars, giving precise constraints on the absolute dimensions of all three bodies. The planet is comparable to Saturn in mass and size and is on a nearly circular 229-day orbit around its two parent stars. The eclipsing stars are 20 and 69% as massive as the Sun and have an eccentric 41-day orbit. The motions of all three bodies are confined to within 0.5° of a single plane, suggesting that the planet formed within a circumbinary disk.     

Star formation around supermassive black holes

The presence of young massive stars orbiting on eccentric rings within a few tenths of a parsec of the supermassive black hole in the galactic center is challenging for theories of star formation. The high tidal shear from the black hole should tear apart the molecular clouds that form stars elsewhere in the Galaxy, and transport of stars to the galactic center also appears unlikely during their lifetimes. We conducted numerical simulations of the infall of a giant molecular cloud that interacts with the black hole. The transfer of energy during closest approach allows part of the cloud to become bound to the black hole, forming an eccentric disk that quickly fragments to form stars. Compressional heating due to the black hole raises the temperature of the gas up to several hundred to several thousand kelvin, ensuring that the fragmentation produces relatively high stellar masses. These stars retain the eccentricity of the disk and, for a sufficiently massive initial cloud, produce an extremely top-heavy distribution of stellar masses. This potentially repetitive process may explain the presence of multiple eccentric rings of young stars in the presence of a supermassive black hole.     

Binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars

The presence of a nearby companion alters the evolution of massive stars in binary systems, leading to phenomena such as stellar mergers, x-ray binaries, and gamma-ray bursts. Unambiguous constraints on the fraction of massive stars affected by binary interaction were lacking. We simultaneously measured all relevant binary characteristics in a sample of Galactic massive O stars and quantified the frequency and nature of binary interactions. More than 70% of all massive stars will exchange mass with a companion, leading to a binary merger in one-third of the cases. These numbers greatly exceed previous estimates and imply that binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars, with implications for populations of massive stars and their supernovae.     

Shedding light on baryonic dark matter

Halo dark matter, if it is baryonic, may plausibly consist of compact stellar remnants. Jeans mass clouds containing 10(6) to 10(8) solar masses could have efficiently formed stars in the early universe and could plausibly have generated, for a suitably top-heavy stellar initial mass function, a high abundance of neutron stars as well as a small admixture of long-lived low mass stars. Within the resulting clusters of dark remnants, which eventually are tidally disrupted when halos eventually form, captures of neutron stars by non-degenerate stars resulted in formation of close binaries. These evolve to produce, by the present epoch, an observable x-ray signal associated with dark matter aggregations in galaxy halos and galaxy cluster cores.     

Properties of gamma-ray burst progenitor stars

We determined some basic properties of stars that produce spectacular gamma-ray bursts at the end of their lives. We assumed that accretion of the outer portion of the stellar core by a central black hole fuels the prompt emission and that fall-back and accretion of the stellar envelope later produce the plateau in the x-ray light curve seen in some bursts. Using x-ray data for three bursts, we estimated the radius of the stellar core to be approximately (1 - 3) x 10(10) cm and that of the stellar envelope to be approximately (1 - 2) x 10(11) cm. The density profile in the envelope is fairly shallow, with rho approximately r(-2) (where rho is density and r is distance from the center of the explosion). The rotation speeds of the core and envelope are approximately 0.05 and approximately 0.2 of the local Keplerian speed, respectively.     

Influence of gravity waves on the internal rotation and Li abundance of solar-type stars

The Sun's rotation profile and lithium content have been difficult to understand in the context of conventional models of stellar evolution. Classical hydrodynamic models predict that the solar interior must rotate highly differentially, in disagreement with observations. It has recently been shown that internal waves produced by convection in solar-type stars produce an asymmetric, shear layer oscillation, similar to Earth's quasi-biennial oscillation, that leads to efficient angular momentum redistribution from the core to the envelope. We present results of a model that successfully reproduces both the rotation profile and the surface abundance of lithium in solar-type stars of various ages.     

Pinwheels in the Quintuplet cluster

The five enigmatic cocoon stars, after which the Quintuplet cluster was christened, have puzzled astronomers since their discovery. Their extraordinary cool, featureless thermal spectra have been attributed to various stellar types from young to highly evolved, whereas their absolute luminosities place them among the supergiants. We present diffraction-limited images from the Keck 1 telescope that resolve this debate with the identification of rotating spiral plumes characteristic of colliding-wind binary "pinwheel" nebulae. Such elegant spiral structures, found around high-luminosity Wolf-Rayet stars, have recently been implicated in the behavior of supernovae light curves in the radio and optical.     

Polymorphism in presolar Al2O3 grains from asymptotic giant branch stars

We report microstructural and isotopic analyses of two presolar Al2O3 grains. Aluminum oxide is important cosmically, because its presence has been detected in the infrared spectra of the circumstellar envelopes of O-rich asymptotic giant branch stars and because it is predicted to be the first solid to condense in these stellar environments. The two grain structures, one corundum and the other amorphous, confirm that asymptotic giant branch stars produce both phases. The variation in structure and Ti content demonstrates that Al2O3 can condense in the absence of TiO2 seed clusters but that Ti may be important in determining the crystal structure.     

The cosmic production of helium

We estimate the cosmic production rate of helium relative to metals (DeltaY/DeltaZ) using K dwarf stars in the Hipparcos catalog with accurate spectroscopic metallicities. The best fitting value is DeltaY/DeltaZ = 2.1 +/- 0.4 at the 68% confidence level. Our derived value agrees with determinations from H II regions and with theoretical predictions from stellar yields with standard assumptions for the initial mass function. The amount of helium in stars determines how long they live and therefore how fast they will enrich the interstellar medium with fresh material.     

Fragmentation in massive star formation

Studies of evolved massive stars indicate that they form in a clustered mode. During the earliest evolutionary stages, these regions are embedded within their natal cores. Here we present high-spatial-resolution interferometric dust continuum observations disentangling the cluster-like structure of a young massive star-forming region. The derived protocluster mass distribution is consistent with the stellar initial mass function. Thus, fragmentation of the initial massive cores may determine the initial mass function and the masses of the final stars. This implies that stars of all masses can form via accretion processes, and coalescence of intermediate-mass protostars appears not to be necessary.     

Chromospheres, transition regions, and coronas

The increase in temperature outward from the surface of a stellar photosphere can be understood by looking at the local energy balance. The relatively high-density stellar photosphere is cooled effectively by radiative energy loss penetrating the optically thin corona. For the low-density chromosphere and corona, if the energy input cannot be balanced by radiative energy losses, the temperature will rise steeply, possibly up to 1 million degrees or more. Coronal heating and emission appear to be strongly influenced by magnetic fields, leading to large differences in x-ray emission for otherwise similar stars. Comparatively small variations are seen in the overall chromospheric emission of stars. Chromospheres are probably mainly heated by shock-wave energy dissipation, modified by magnetic fields.     

The detection and characterization of a nontransiting planet by transit timing variations

The Kepler mission is monitoring the brightness of ~150,000 stars, searching for evidence of planetary transits. As part of the Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler (HEK) project, we report a planetary system with two confirmed planets and one candidate planet discovered with the publicly available data for KOI-872. Planet b transits the host star with a period P(b) = 33.6 days and exhibits large transit timing variations indicative of a perturber. Dynamical modeling uniquely detects an outer nontransiting planet c near the 5:3 resonance (P(c) = 57.0 days) with a mass 0.37 times that of Jupiter. Transits of a third planetary candidate are also found: a 1.7-Earth radius super-Earth with a 6.8-day period. Our analysis indicates a system with nearly coplanar and circular orbits, reminiscent of the orderly arrangement within the solar system.     

Discovery of microwave emission from four nearby solar-type g stars

Radio waves from the sun were detected 50 years ago, but the microwave detection of other single solar-type stars has remained a challenge. Here, the discovery of four solar-type radio stars is reported. These "solar twin" G stars are radio sources up to 3000 times stronger than the quiet sun. The microwaves most likely originate from a large number of relativistic electrons, possibly produced along with coronal heating, a process that is not understood. Two of the stars are younger than the sun and rotate more rapidly; the dynamo process in the stellar interior is therefore presumably more vigorous, resulting in enhanced coronal activity. One of the detections, however, is an old, metal-deficient G dwarf.     

Samples of stars beyond the solar system: silicate grains in interplanetary dust

We have identified six circumstellar silicate grains within interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). Their extrasolar origins are demonstrated by their extremely anomalous oxygen isotopic compositions. Three 17O-rich grains appear to originate from red giant or asymptotic giant branch stars. One 16O-rich grain may be from a metal-poor star. Two 16O-poor grains have unknown stellar sources. One of the grains is forsterite, and two are amorphous silicate "GEMS" (glass with embedded metal and sulfides), which is consistent with astronomical identifications of crystalline and amorphous silicates in the outflows of evolved stars. These observations suggest cometary origins of these IDPs and underscore the perplexing absence of silicates among circumstellar dust grains from meteorites.     

A giant planet around a metal-poor star of extragalactic origin

Stars in their late stage of evolution, such as horizontal branch stars, are still largely unexplored for planets. We detected a planetary companion around HIP 13044, a very metal-poor star on the red horizontal branch, on the basis of radial velocity observations with a high-resolution spectrograph at the 2.2-meter Max-Planck Gesellschaft-European Southern Observatory telescope. The star's periodic radial velocity variation of P = 16.2 days caused by the planet can be distinguished from the periods of the stellar activity indicators. The minimum mass of the planet is 1.25 times the mass of Jupiter and its orbital semimajor axis is 0.116 astronomical units. Because HIP 13044 belongs to a group of stars that have been accreted from a disrupted satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, the planet most likely has an extragalactic origin.     

Migrating songbirds recalibrate their magnetic compass daily from twilight cues

Night migratory songbirds can use stars, sun, geomagnetic field, and polarized light for orientation when tested in captivity. We studied the interaction of magnetic, stellar, and twilight orientation cues in free-flying songbirds. We exposed Catharus thrushes to eastward-turned magnetic fields during the twilight period before takeoff and then followed them for up to 1100 kilometers. Instead of heading north, experimental birds flew westward. On subsequent nights, the same individuals migrated northward again. We suggest that birds orient with a magnetic compass calibrated daily from twilight cues. This could explain how birds cross the magnetic equator and deal with declination.