Optical Spectroscopy of Classical Be Stars in Old Open Clusters

We performed the optical spectroscopy of 16 classical Be stars in 11 open clusters older than 100 Myr.Ours is the first spectroscopic study of classical Be stars in open clusters older than 100 Myr.We found that the Hαemission strength of most of the stars is less than 40?,in agreement with previous studies.Our analysis further suggests that one of the stars,[KW97]35–12,might be a weak Hαemitter in nature,showing Hαequivalent width of-0.5?.Interestingly,we also found that the newly detected classical Be star LSⅢ+4737b might be a component of the possible visual binary system LSⅢ+4737,where the other companion is also a classical Be star.Hence,the present study indicates the possible detection of a binary Be system.Moreover,it is observed that all 16 stars exhibit a lesser number of emission lines compared to classical Be stars younger than 100 Myr.Furthermore,the spectral type distribution analysis of B-type and classical Be stars for the selected clusters points out that the existence of CBe stars can depend on the spectral type distribution of B-type stars present in these clusters.

Discovery of 2716 hot emission-line stars from LAMOST DR5

We present a catalog of 3339 hot emission-line stars(ELSs)identified from 451695 O,B and A type spectra,provided by LAMOST Data Release 5(DR5).We developed an automated Python routine that identified 5437 spectra having a peak between 6561 and 6568.False detections and bad spectra were removed,leaving 4138 good emission-line spectra of 3339 unique ELSs.We re-estimated the spectral types of 3307 spectra as the LAMOST Stellar Parameter Pipeline(LASP)did not provide accurate spectral types for these emission-line spectra.As Herbig Ae/Be stars exhibit higher excess in near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths than classical Ae/Be stars,we relied on 2 MASS and WISE photometry to distinguish them.Finally,we report 1089 classical Be,233 classical Ae and 56 Herbig Ae/Be stars identified from LAMOST DR5.In addition,928 B[em]/A[em]stars and 240 CAe/CBe potential candidates are identified.From our sample of 3339 hot ELSs,2716 ELSs identified in this work do not have any record in the SIMBAD database and they can be considered as new detections.Identification of such a large homogeneous set of emission-line spectra will help the community study the emission phenomenon in detail without worrying about the inherent biases when compiling from various sources.

Spectroscopic study of Be-shell stars:4 Her and 88 Her

We present an optical spectroscopic study based on 41 spectra of 4 Her and 32 spectra of 88 Her, obtained over a period of 6 months. We estimate the rotational velocity of these stars from HeI lines in the blue spectral region （4000-4500 A）. We find that these stars are likely to be rotating at a fractional critical rotation of -0.80. We measure the average Ip/lc ratio to quantify the strength of the Ha line and obtain 1.63 for 4 Her and 2.06 for 88 Her. The radius of the Ha emission region is estimated to be Ra/R. -5.0, assuming a Keplerian disk. These stars are thus found to be fast rotators with a relatively small Hoe emission region. We detect V/R variation of the Ha spectral line during the observed period. We re-estimate the periods for both stars and obtain a period of ,-46 d and its harmonic of 23.095 d for 4 Her, and a period of -86 d for 88 Her. As these two cases are shell stars with binaries and have low Ha EW with the emission region closer to the central star, the V/R variation and a change in period may be an effect of the binary on the circumstellar disk.

Optical/IR studies of Be stars in NGC 6834 with emphasis on two specific stars

We present optical and infrared photometric and spectroscopic studies of two Be stars in the 70-80-Myr-old open cluster NGC 6834. NGC 6834（1） has been reported as a binary from speckle interferometric studies whereas NGC 6834（2） may possibly be a γ Cas-like variable. Infrared photometry and spectroscopy from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope （UKIRT）, and optical data from various facilities are combined with archival data to understand the nature of these candidates. High signal-to-noise near-IR spectra obtained from UKIRT have enabled us to study the optical depth effects in the hydrogen emission lines of these stars. We have explored the spectral classification scheme based on the intensity of emission lines in the H and K bands and contrasted it with the conventional classification based on the intensity of hydrogen and helium absorption lines. This work also presents hitherto unavailable UBV CCD photometry of NGC 6834, from which the evolutionary state of the Be stars is identified.

Near-infrared observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar A0535+262

We present the results obtained from extensive near-infrared （IR） spectro- scopic and photometric observations of the Be/X-ray binary A0535＋262/HDE 245770 at different phases of its - 111 d orbital period. This observation campaign is part of the monitoring program of selective Be/X-ray binary systems aimed at understanding X-ray and near-IR properties at different orbital phases, especially during the perias- tron passage of the neutron star. The near-IR observations presented here were carried out using the 1.2 m telescope at the Mt. Abu IR Observatory. Though the source was relatively faint for spectroscopic observations with the 1.2 m telescope, we monitored the source closely during the 2011 February-March giant X-ray outburst to primarily investigate whether any drastic changes in the near-IR JHK spectra took place at the periastron passage. Changes of such a striking nature were expected to be detectable in our spectra. Photometric observations of the Be star show a gradual and systematic fading in the JHK light curves since the onset of the X-ray outburst, which could suggest a mild evacuation/truncation of the circumstellar disk of the Be companion. Near-IR spectroscopy of the object shows that the JHK spectra are dominated by the emission lines of hydrogen Brackett and Paschen series and HeI lines at 1.0830, 1.7002 and 2.0585 μm. The presence of all the hydrogen emission lines in the JHK spectra, along with the absence of any significant change in the continuum of the Be companion during X-ray quiescent and X-ray outburst phases, suggests that the near- IR line emitting regions of the disk are not significantly affected during the X-ray outburst.

Studies of a possible new Herbig Ae/Be star in the open cluster NGC 7380

We present a study of the star 2MASS J22472238＋5801214 with the aim of identifying its true nature which has hitherto been uncertain. This object, which is a member of the young cluster NGC 7380, has been variously proposed to be a Be star, a D-type symbiotic and a Herbig Ae/Be star in separate studies. Here we present optical spectroscopy, near-IR photometry and narrow band Hα imaging of the nebulosity in its environment. Analysis of all these results, including the spectral energy distribution constructed from available data, strongly indicate the source to be a Herbig Ae/Be star. The star is found to be accompanied by a nebulosity with an interesting structure. A bow-shock shaped structure, similar to a cometary nebula, is seen very close to the star with its apex oriented towards the photoionizing source of this region （i.e. the star DH Cep）. An interesting spectroscopic finding, from the forbidden [StI] 6716, 6731A and [OI] 6300A lines, is the detection of a blue-shifted high velocity outflow （200 -t-50 km s-1） from the star.