Color excesses of type Ia supernovae from the single-degenerate channel model

The single degenerate model is the most widely accepted progenitor model of type Ia supernovae （SNe Ia）, in which a carbon-oxygen white dwarf （CO WD） accretes hydrogen-rich material from a main sequence or a slightly evolved star （WD＋MS） to increase its mass, and explodes when its mass approaches the Chandrasekhar mass limit. During the mass transfer phase between the two components, an optically thick wind may occur and the material lost as wind may exist as circumstellar material （CSM）. Searching for the CSM around a progenitor star is helpful for discriminating different progenitor models of SNe Ia. In addition, the CSM is a source of color excess. The purpose of this paper is to study the color excess produced from the single-degenerate progenitor model with an optically thick wind, and reproduce the distribution of color excesses of SNe Ia. Meng et al. systemically carded out binary evolution calculations of the WD ＋MS systems for various metallicities and showed the parameters of the systems before Roche lobe overflow and at the moment of supernova explosion in Meng ＆ Yang. With the results of Meng et al., we calculate the color excesses of SNe Ia at maximum light via a simple analytic method. We reproduce the distribution of color excesses of SNe Ia by our binary population synthesis approach if the velocity of the optically thick wind is taken to be an order of magnitude of 10km s^-1. However, if the wind velocity is larger than 100km s^-1, the reproduction is bad.

Effects of α-Enhancement on Stellar Evolution

Using Eggleton＇s code, we systematically show the differences in stellar evolution between the results based on the scaled-solar mixture and the a-enhanced metal mixture. As input, the OPAL high temperature opacities are used for log（T/K） 〉 4.00, and the new Wichita State low temperature opacities, for log（T/K） ≤ 4.00, Our calculations cover star masses ranging from 0.25 to 80.0M⊙, spaced at ΔlogM = 0.10 or 0.05. The values of metallicities Z are 0.0001, 0.0003, 0.001, 0.004, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.10. For a given Z, the initial hydrogen mass fraction is given by X = 0.76 - 3.0Z. We show that a-enhancement can raise the stellar effective temperature and luminosity, and reduce the evolutionary age. Compared with some previous work, the effects of α-enhancement are more obviously demonstrated in our calculations.

A Study of Binary Stellar Population Synthesis of Elliptical Galaxies

We determined the relative stellar ages and metallicities of about 80 elliptical galaxies in both low and high density environments using the latest binary stellar population （BSP） synthesis model and tested the predictions of a recent hierarchical formation model that adopted the new ACDM cosmology. The stellar ages and metallicities were estimated from two high-quality published spectra line indices, the Hβ and [MgFe] indices. The results show that the stellar populations of elliptical galaxies are older than 3.9 Gyr and more metal rich than 0.02. Most of our results are in agreement with the model predictions; （1） elliptical galaxies in denser environment are redder and have older populations than field galaxies; （2） elliptical galaxies with more massive stellar components are redder and have older and more metal rich populations than less massive ones; （3） the most massive galaxies have the oldest and most metal rich stars. However, some of our results differ from the model predictions on the metallicity distributions of low- and high-density elliptical galaxies and the dependence on the distance to the cluster center.

Fitting formulae for the effects of binary interactions on lick indices and colors of stellar populations

More than about 50% of stars are in binaries, but most stellar population studies take single star stellar population （ssSSP） models, which do not take binary interactions into account. In fact, the integrated peculiarities of ssSSPs are different from those of stellar populations with binary interactions （bsSSPs）. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effects of binary interactions on the Lick indices and colors of populations in detail. We show some formulae for calculating the difference between the Lick indices and colors of bsSSPs, and those of ssSSPs. Twenty-five Lick indices and 12 colors are studied in this work. The results can be conveniently used for calculating the effects of binary interactions on stellar population studies and for adding the effects of binary interactions into present ssSSP models. The electronic data and fortran procedures in the paper can be obtained on request from the authors.

The first data release(DR1) of the LAMOST regular survey

The Large sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope（LAMOST） general survey is a spectroscopic survey that will eventually cover approximately half of the celestial sphere and collect 10 million spectra of stars, galaxies and QSOs. Objects in both the pilot survey and the first year regular survey are included in the LAMOST DR1. The pilot survey started in October 2011 and ended in June 2012, and the data have been released to the public as the LAMOST Pilot Data Release in August 2012. The regular survey started in September 2012, and completed its first year of operation in June 2013. The LAMOST DR1 includes a total of 1202 plates containing 2 955 336 spectra, of which 1 790 879 spectra have observed signalto-noise ratio（SNR） ≥ 10. All data with SNR ≥ 2 are formally released as LAMOST DR1 under the LAMOST data policy. This data release contains a total of 2 204 696 spectra, of which 1 944 329 are stellar spectra, 12 082 are galaxy spectra and 5017 are quasars. The DR1 not only includes spectra, but also three stellar catalogs with measured parameters： late A,FGK-type stars with high quality spectra（1 061 918 entries）, A-type stars（100 073 entries）, and M-type stars（121 522 entries）. This paper introduces the survey design, the observational and instrumental limitations, data reduction and analysis, and some caveats. A description of the FITS structure of spectral files and parameter catalogs is also provided.

LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE)——The survey's science plan

We describe the current plans for a spectroscopic survey of millions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy using the Guo Shou Jing Telescope （GSJT, formerly calledthe Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope -- LAMOST）. The survey will obtain spectra for 2.5 million stars brighter than r 〈 19 during dark/grey time, and 5 million stars brighter than r 〈 17 or J 〈 16 on nights that are moonlit or have low transparency. The survey will begin in the fall of 2012, and will run for at least four years. The telescope＇s design constrains the optimal declination range for observations to 10~ 〈 di 〈 50~, and site conditions lead to an emphasis on stars in the direction of the Galactic anticenter. The survey is divided into three parts with different target selection strategies： disk, anticenter, and spheroid. The resulting dataset will be used to study the merger history of the Milky Way, the substructure and evolution of the disks, the nature of the first generation of stars through identification of the lowest metallicity stars, and star formation through study of open clusters and OB associations. Detailed design of the LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration （LEGUE） survey will be completed in summer 2012, after a review of the results of the pilot survey.

Distribution of ^(56)Ni Yields of Type Ia Supernovae and its Implication for Progenitors

The amount of 56↑Ni produced in Type Ia supernova （SN Ia） explosion is probably the most important physical parameter underlying the observed correlation of SN Ia luminosities with their light curves. Based on an empirical relation between the 56↑Ni mass and the light curve parameter △m15, we obtained rough estimates of the 56↑Ni mass for a large sample of nearby SNe Ia with the aim of exploring the diversity in SN Ia. We found that the derived 56↑Ni masses for different SNe Ia could vary by a factor of ten （e.g., MNi = 0.1 - 1.3 M⊙）, which cannot be explained in terms of the standard Chandrasekhar-mass model （with a 56↑Ni mass production of 0.4 - 0.8 M⊙）. Different explosion and/or progenitor models are clearly required for various SNe Ia, in particular, for those extremely nickel-poor and nickel-rich producers. The nickel-rich （with MNi 〉 0.8 M⊙） SNe Ia are very luminous and may have massive progenitors exceeding the Chandrasekhar-mass limit since extra progenitor fuel is required to produce more 56↑Ni to power the light curve. This is also consistent with the finding that the intrinsically bright SNe Ia prefer to occur in stellar environments of young and massive stars. For example, 75% SNe Ia in spirals have △ml5 〈 1.2 while this ratio is only 18% in E/S0 galaxies. The nickel-poor SNe Ia （with MNi 〈 0.2 M⊙） may invoke the sub- Chandrasekhar model, as most of them were found in early-type E/S0 galaxies dominated by the older and low-mass stellar populations. This indicates that SNe Ia in spiral and E/S0 galaxies have progenitors of different properties.

19 low mass hypervelocity star candidates from the first data release of the LAMOST survey

Hypervelocity stars are believed to be ejected out from the Galactic center through dynamical interactions between（binary） stars and the central supermassive black hole（s）. In this paper, we report 19 low mass F/G/K type hypervelocity star candidates from over one million stars found in the first data release of the LAMOST regular survey. We determine the unbound probability for each candidate using a MonteCarlo simulation by assuming a non-Gaussian proper-motion error distribution, and Gaussian heliocentric distance and radial velocity error distributions. The simulation results show that all the candidates have unbound possibilities over 50% as expected,and one of them may even exceed escape velocity with over 90% probability. In addition, we compare the metallicities of our candidates with the metallicity distribution functions of the Galactic bulge, disk, halo and globular clusters, and conclude that the Galactic bulge or disk is likely the birth place for our candidates.

The Relation between the Critical Accretion Rate of Progenitors of SNe Ia and Metallicity

A carbon-oxygen white dwarf may explode.in a Type Ia supernova by accreting matter from its companion via either Roche lobe overflow or from winds, but there exists a critical accretion rate of the progenitor system for the explosion. We study the relation between the critical accretion rate and the metallicity via an AGB star approach. The result indicates that the critical accretion rate depends not only on the hydrogen mass fraction and the white dwarf mass, but also on the metallicity. The effect of the metallicity is smaller than that of the white dwarf mass. We show that it is reasonable to use the model with stellar mass 1.6 M⊙ for real white dwarfs.

The site conditions of the Guo Shou Jing Telescope

The weather at the Xinglong Observing Station, where the Guo Shou Jing Telescope （GSJT） is located, is strongly affected by the monsoon climate in north- east China. The LAMOST survey strategy is constrained by these weather patterns. We present statistics on observing hours from 2004 to 2007, and the sky brightness, seeing, and sky transparency from 1995 to 2011 at the site. We investigate effects of the site conditions on the survey plan. Operable hours each month show a strong cor- relation with season： on average there are eight operable hours per night available in December, but only one-two hours in July and August. The seeing and the sky trans- parency also vary with season. Although the seeing is worse in windy winters, and the atmospheric extinction is worse in the spring and summer, the site is adequate for the proposed scientific program of the LAMOST survey. With a Monte Carlo simulation using historical data on the site condition, we find that the available observation hours constrain the survey footprint from 22h to 16h in right ascension; the sky brightness allows LAMOST to obtain a limiting magnitude of V = 19.5 mag with S/N= 10.

An algorithm for preferential selection of spectroscopic targets in LEGUE

We describe a general target selection algorithm that is applicable to any survey in which the number of available candidates is much larger than the number of objects to be observed. This routine aims to achieve a balance between a smoothly- varying, well-understood selection function and the desire to preferentially select cer- tain types of targets. Some target-selection examples are shown that illustrate differentpossibilities of emphasis functions. Although it is generally applicable, the algorithm was developed specifically for the LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration （LEGUE） survey that will be carried out using the Chinese Guo Shou Jing Telescope. In particular, this algorithm was designed for the portion of LEGUE targeting the Galactic halo, in which we attempt to balance a variety of science goals that require stars at fainter magnitudes than can be completely sampled by LAMOST. This algorithm has been implemented for the halo portion of the LAMOST pilot sur- vey, which began in October 2011.

Binary Population Synthesis

Binary interactions lead to the formation of intriguing objects,such as compact binaries,supernovae,gamma ray bursts,X-ray binaries,pulsars,novae,cataclysmic variables,hot subdwarf stars,barium stars and blue stragglers.To study the evolution of binary populations and the consequent formation of these objects,many methods have been developed over the years,for which a robust approach named binary population synthesis(BPS)warrants special attention.This approach has seen widespread application in many areas of astrophysics,including but not limited to analyses of the stellar content of galaxies,research on galactic chemical evolution and studies concerning star formation and cosmic re-ionization.In this review,we discuss the role of BPS,its general picture and the various components that comprise it.We pay special attention to the stability criteria for mass transfer in binaries,as this stability largely determines the fate of binary systems.We conclude with our perspectives regarding the future of this field.

A likely candidate of type Ia supernova progenitors: the X-ray pulsating companion of the hot subdwarf HD 49798

HD 49798 is a hydrogen depleted subdwarf 06 star and has an X-ray pulsating companion （RX J0648.0-4418）. The X-ray pulsating companion is a massive white dwarf. Employing Eggleton＇s stellar evolution code with the optically thick wind assumption, we find that the hot subdwarf HD 49798 and its X-ray pulsating companion could produce a type Ia supernova （SN Ia） in future evolution. This implies that the binary system is a likely candidate of an SN Ia progenitor. We also discuss the possibilities of some other WD ＋ He star systems （e.g. V445 Pup and KPD 1930＋2752） for producing SNe Ia.

LAMOST Time-Domain survey:first results of four K2 plates

From Oct.2019 to Apr.2020,LAMOST performed a time-domain(TD)spectroscopic survey of four K2 plates with both low-and medium-resolution observations.The low-resolution spectroscopic survey acquired 282 exposures(≈46.6 h)over 25 nights,yielding a total of about 767000 spectra,and the medium-resolution survey took 177 exposures(≈49.1 h)over 27 nights,collecting about 478000 spectra.More than 70%/50%of low-resolution/medium-resolution spectra have signal-to-noise ratio higher than 10.We determine stellar parameters(e.g.,Teff,log g,[Fe/H])and radial velocity(RV)with different methods,including LASP,DD-Payne and SLAM.In general,these parameter estimations from different methods show good agreement,and the stellar parameter values are consistent with those of APOGEE.We use the Gaia DR2 RV values to calculate a median RV zero point(RVZP)for each spectrograph exposure by exposure,and the RVZP-corrected RVs agree well with the APOGEE data.The stellar evolutionary and spectroscopic masses are estimated based on the stellar parameters,multi-band magnitudes,distances and extinction values.Finally,we construct a binary catalog including about 2700 candidates by analyzing their light curves,fitting the RV data,calculating the binarity parameters from medium-resolution spectra and cross-matching the spatially resolved binary catalog from Gaia EDR3.The LAMOST TD survey is expected to represent a breakthrough in various scientific topics,such as binary systems,stellar activity,stellar pulsation,etc.

LAMOST medium-resolution spectroscopic survey of binarity and exotic star(LAMOST-MRS-B):Observation strategy and target selection

LAMOST-MRS-B is one of the sub-surveys of LAMOST medium-resolution(R~7500)spectroscopic survey.It aims at studying the statistical properties(e.g.,binary fraction,orbital period distribution,mass ratio distribution)of binary stars and exotic stars.We intend to observe about 30000 stars(10 mag≤G<14.5 mag)with at least 10 visits in five years.We first planned to observe 25 plates around the galactic plane in 2018.Then the plates were reduced to 12 in 2019 because of the limitation of observation.At the same time,two new plates located at the high galactic latitude were added to explore binary properties influenced by the different environments.In this survey project,we set the identified exotic and low-metallicity stars with the highest observation priorities.For the rest of the selected stars,we gave the higher priority to the relatively brighter stars in order to obtain high quality spectra as many as possible.Spectra of49129 stars have been obtained in LAMOST-MRS-B field and released in DR8,of which 28828 and 3375 stars have been visited more than twice and ten times with SNR≥10,respectively.Most of the sources are B-,A-,and F-type stars with-0.6<[Fe/H]<0.4 dex.We also obtain 347 identified variable and exotic stars and about 250 stars with[Fe/H]<-1 dex.We measure radial velocities(RVs)by using 892233 spectra of the stars.The uncertainties of RV achieve about 1 km·s^(-1)and 10 km·s^(-1)for 95%of late-and early-type stars,respectively.The datasets presented in this paper are available at http://www.doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.j00113.00035.

The surviving companions in type Ia supernova remnants

The single-degenerate(SD)model is one of the most popular progenitor models of type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia),in which the companion star can survive after an SN Ia explosion and show peculiar properties.Therefore,searching for the surviving companion in type Ia supernova remnants(SNRs)is a potential method to verify the SD model.In the SN 1604 remnant(Kepler’s SNR),although Chandra X-ray observation suggests that the progenitor is most likely a WD+AGB system,the surviving companion has not been found.One possible reason is rapid rotation of the white dwarf(WD),causing explosion of the WD to be delayed for a spin-down timescale,and then the companion evolved into a WD before the supernova explosion,so the companion is too dim to be detected.We aim to verify this possible explanation by carrying out binary evolution calculations.In this paper,we use Eggleton’s stellar evolution code to calculate the evolution of binaries consisting of a WD+red giant(RG).We assume that the rapidly rotating WD can continuously increase its mass when its mass exceeds the Chandrasekhar mass limit(MCh=1.378 M_⊙)until the mass-transfer rate decreases to be lower than a critical value.Eventually,we obtain the final masses of a WD in the range 1.378 M_⊙ to 2.707 M_⊙.We also show that if the spin-down time is less than 10~6yr,the companion star will be very bright and easily observed;but if the spin-down time is as long as^10~7 yr,the luminosities of the surviving companion would be lower than the detection limit.Our simulation provides guidance in hunting for the surviving companion stars in SNRs,and the fact that no surviving companion has been found in Kepler’s SNR may not be definite evidence disfavoring the SD origin of Kepler’s SN.

Three new late-type hypervelocity star candidates from Gaia DR2 with refined selection criteria

Several dozen hypervelocity star(HVS)candidates have been reported based on the second data release of Gaia(Gaia DR2).However,it has been proven that the radial velocities of some Gaia HVS candidates are not reliable.In this paper,we employ refined astrometric criteria to re-examine Gaia DR2,arriving at a more reliable sample of HVS and high velocity star candidates than those found by previous authors.We develop a method called Binary Escape Probability Analysis to identify some HVS candidates.This method allows us to work with stars having only two epochs of measured radial velocity.These stars were usually discarded in previous similar studies.A scrutiny of our final results sheds light on selection effects present in our studies,which we propose to be the focus of future studies.In total,we find three late-type(2 G-type and 1 K-type)HVS and 21 high velocity star candidates,3 and 11 of which are new,respectively.Judging by their historical trajectories,which we calculate,all three HVS candidates could not have had Galactic center origins.Further monitoring is required to confirm their status.

Model-Synthesized Rate of Type Ia Supernovae and its Influence on the Chemical Enrichment of the ISM

Using Hurley＇s rapid binary stellar evolution code, we have studied the model-synthesized rate of Type Ia Supernovae （SNe Ia） and its influence on the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium ejected by stellar populations. We adopt two popular scenarios, i.e., single degenerate scenario （SD） and double degenerate scenario （DD）, for the progenitors of SNe Ia to calculate the rates of SNe Ia. Rates calculated in this work agree with that of Hachisu et al. and Han ＆ Podsiadlowski, but are different from that usually adopted in chemical evolution models of galaxies. We apply the rates of SNe Ia to the chemical enrichment （especially Fe enrichment）, then compare the results with previous studies. As known SNe Ia slightly affect the enrichment of C, N, O and Mg elements, while significantly affect the enrichment of Fe. We find that the occurrence and the value of the Fe enrichment in our models are earlier and smaller than that commonly adopted in chemical evolution models. We also study the evolution of [Mg/Fe] ratios, which are almost reciprocals of the Fe enrichment. The study may provide constraints on the free parameters of chemical evolution models of galaxies and evolutionary population synthesis.

Mira Symbiotic Stars

We have carried out a detailed study of Mira symbiotic stars by means of a population synthesis code. We estimate the number of Mira symbiotic stars in the Galaxy as 1700 - 3100 and the Galactic occurrence rate of Mira symbiotic novae as from -0.9 to 6.0 yr^-1, depending on the model assumptions. The distributions of the orbital periods, the masses of the components, mass-loss rates of cool components, mass-accretion rates of hot components and Mira pulsation periods in Mira symbiotic stars are simulated. By a comparison of the number ratio of Mira symbiotic stars to all symbiotic stars, we find the model with the stellar wind model of Winters et al. to be reasonable.

The C/O ratio of He-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs and type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia)are thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs(CO WDs),and are believed to be excellent cosmological distance indicators due to their high luminosity and remarkable uniformity.However,there exists a diversity among SNe Ia,and a poor understanding of the diversity hampers the improvement of the accuracy of cosmological distance measurements.The variations of the ratios of carbon to oxygen(C/O)of WDs at explosion are suggested to contribute to the diversity.In the canonical model of SNe Ia,a CO WD accretes matter from its companion and increases its mass till the Chandrasekhar mass limit when the WD explodes.In this work,we studied the C/O ratio for accreting CO WDs.Employing the stellar evolution code MESA,we simulated the accretion of He-rich material onto CO WDs with different initial WD masses and different mass accretion rates.We found that the C/O ratio varies for different cases.The C/O ratio of He-accreting CO WDs at explosion increases with a decreasing initial WD mass or a decreasing accretion rate.The various C/O ratios may,therefore,contribute to the diversity of SNe Ia.