Variable Stars in the 50BiN Open Cluster Survey.Ⅲ.NGC 884

Open clusters are the basic building blocks that serve as a laboratory for the study of young stellar populations in the Milky Way.Variable stars in open clusters provide a unique way to accurately probe the internal structure,temporal and dynamical evolutionary stages of individual stars and the host cluster.The most powerful tool for such studies is time-domain photometric observations.This paper follows the route of our previous work,concentrating on a photometric search for variable stars in NGC 884.The target cluster is the companion of NGC869,forming the well-known double cluster system that is gravitationally bound.From the observation run in 2016 November,a total of 9247 B-band CCD images and 8218Ⅴ-band CCD images were obtained.We detected a total of 15 stars with variability in visual brightness,including five Be stars,three eclipsing binaries,and seven of unknown types.Two new variable stars were discovered in this work.We also compared the variable star content of NGC 884 with its companion NGC 869.

Newly Identified Silicate Carbon Stars from IRAS Low-Resolution Spectra

The discovery of silicate carbon star poses a challenge to the theory of stellar evolution in the late stage, hence it is important to look for more silicate carbon stars. To this end we have carried out cross-identifications between the new IRAS Low-Resolution Spectrum （LRS） database and the new carbon star catalog, CGCS3. We have found nine new silicate carbon stars with silicate features around 10μm and/or 18 μm. These newly identified stars are located in the Regions Ilia and VII in the IRAS two-color diagram, which means they indeed have typical far infrared colors of silicate carbon stars. The infrared properties of each of these sources are discussed.

On the Carbon-Star Status of Five Stars in a New Carbon Star Catalog

We find that five sources listed in the new carbon star catalog are not really carbon-rich objects but oxygen-rich stars, because they all have the prominent 10μm silicate features in absorption and the 1612 MHz OH maser emission or/and the SiO molecular features. These objects were considered as carbon stars in the catalog based only on their locations in the infrared two-color diagram. Therefore to use the infrared two-color diagram to distinguish carbon-rich stars from oxygen- rich stars must be done with caution, because, in general, it has only a statistical meaning.

Infrared spectral evolution of carbon stars

We collected almost all Highly Processed Data Products （HPDP） of ISO SWS01 spectra for the Galactic visual carbon stars,infrared carbon stars,extreme carbon stars and carbon-rich proto-planetary nebulae （PPNs）.Those infrared spectra are primarily analyzed and discussed.It is shown that either spectral shapes/peaks,or main molecular/dust features are evidenced to change in the sequence of visual carbon stars,infrared carbon stars,extreme carbon stars and carbon-rich PPNs.Statistically,in this sequence,continua are gradually changed from blue to red and locations of spectral peaks of continua are also gradually changed from short wavelengths to long wavelengths.In addition,in this sequence,intensities of main molecular/dust features are also gradually changed from prominent in the short wavelengths to prominent in the long wavelengths.Furthermore,from 2MASS and IRAS photometric data,the sequence is also proved.Results in this paper strongly support the previous suggestion for the evolution sequence of carbon-rich objects in our Galaxy,that is the sequence of visual carbon stars → infrared carbon stars → extreme carbon stars → carbon-rich PPNs.

X-Ray Properties of PSR J1811-1925 by Nu STAR

We analyzed the spectral properties and pulse profile of PSR J1811-1925,a pulsar located in the center of composite supernova remnant(SNR)G11.2-0.3,by using high timing resolution archival data from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array Mission(NuSTAR).Analysis of archival Chandra data over different regions rules out the SNR shell as the site of the hard X-ray emission while spectral analysis indicates that the NuSTAR photons originate in the pulsar and its nebula.The pulse profile exhibits a broad single peak up to 35 keV.The jointed spectrum by combining NuSTAR and Chandra can be well fitted by a power-law model with a photon index ofΓ=1.58±0.04.The integrated flux of jointed spectrum over 1-10 keV is 3.36×10^(-12)erg cm^(-2)s^(-1).The spectrum of pulsar having photon indexΓ=1.33±0.06 and a 1-10 keV flux of 0.91×10^(-12)erg cm^(-2)s^(-1).We also performed the phase-resolved spectral analysis by splitting the whole pulse-on phase into five phase bins.The photon indices of the bins are all around 1.4,indicating that the photon index does not evolve with the phase.

Optical Properties of C-rich(12C,SiC and FeC)Dust Layered Structure of Massive Stars

The composition and structure of interstellar dust are important and complex for the study of the evolution of stars and the interstellar medium(ISM).However,there is a lack of corresponding experimental data and model theories.By theoretical calculations based on ab-initio method,we have predicted and geometry optimized the structures of Carbon-rich(C-rich)dusts,carbon(^(12)C),iron carbide(Fe C),silicon carbide(Si C),even silicon(^(28)Si),iron(^(56)Fe),and investigated the optical absorption coefficients and emission coefficients of these materials in 0D(zero-dimensional),1D,and 2D nanostructures.Comparing the nebular spectra of the supernovae(SN)with the coefficient of dust,we find that the optical absorption coefficient of the 2D^(12)C,^(28)Si,^(56)Fe,Si C and Fe C structure corresponds to the absorption peak displayed in the infrared band(5–8)μm of the spectrum at 7554 days after the SN1987A explosion.It also corresponds to the spectrum of 535 days after the explosion of SN2018bsz,when the wavelength was in the range of(0.2–0.8)and(3–10)μm.Nevertheless,2D Si C and Fe C correspond to the spectrum of 844 days after the explosion of SN2010jl,when the wavelength is within(0.08–10)μm.Therefore,Fe C and Si C may be the second type of dust in SN1987A corresponding to infrared band(5–8)μm of dust and may be in the ejecta of SN2010jl and SN2018bsz.The nano-scale C-rich dust size is~0.1 nm in SN2018bsz,which is 3 orders of magnitude lower than the value of 0.1μm.In addition,due to the ionization reaction in the supernova remnant(SNR),we also calculated the Infrared Radiation(IR)spectrum of dust cations.We find that the cation of the 2D layered(Si C)^(2+)has a higher IR spectrum than those of the cation(Si C)^(1+)and neutral(Si C)^(0+).

Identifying Carbon stars from the LAMOST pilot survey with the efficient manifold ranking algorithm

Carbon stars are excellent kinematic tracers of galaxies and can serve as a viable standard candle, so it is worthwhile to automatically search for them in a large amount of spectra. In this paper, we apply the efficient manifold ranking algorithm to search for carbon stars from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope （LAMOST） pilot survey, whose performance and robustness are verified comprehensively with four test experiments. Using this algorithm, we find a total of 183 carbon stars, and 158 of them are new findings. According to different spectral features, our carbon stars are classified as 58 C-H stars, 11 C-H star candidates, 56 C-R stars, ten C-R star candidates, 30 C-N stars, three C-N star candidates, and four C-J stars. There are also ten objects which have no spectral type because of low spec- tral quality, and a composite spectrum consisting of a white dwarf and a carbon star. Applying the support vector machine algorithm, we obtain the linear optimum clas- sification plane in the J - H versus/-/- Ks color diagram which can be used to distinguish C-H from C-N stars with their J - H and H - Ks colors. In addition, we identify 18 dwarf carbon stars with their relatively high proper motions, and find three carbon stars with FUV detections likely have optical invisible companions by cross matching with data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer. In the end, we detect four variable carbon stars with the Northern Sky Variability Survey, the Catalina Sky Survey and the LINEAR variability databases. According to their periods and ampli- tudes derived by fitting light curves with a sinusoidal function, three of them are likely semiregular variable stars and one is likely a Mira variable star.

Fixed-Bed Column Adsorption Modeling of MnO4- Ions from Acidic Aqueous Solutions on Activated Carbons Prepared with the Biomass

Activated carbons calcined at 400˚C and 600˚C (AC-400 and AC-600), prepared using palm nuts, collected in the town of Franceville in Gabon, were used to study the dynamic adsorption of MnO4- ions in acidic media on fixed bed column and on the kinetic modeling of experimental data of breakthrough curves of MnO4- ions obtained. Results on the adsorption of MnO4- ions in fixed-bed dynamics obtained on AC-400 and AC-600 adsorbents beds indicated that the AC-400 bed appears to be the most efficient in removing MnO4- ions in acidic media. Indeed, the adsorbed amounts, the adsorbed capacities at saturation and the elimination percentage of MnO4- ions obtained with AC-400 (31.24 mg;52.06 mg·g-1 and 41.65% respectively) were higher compared to those obtained with AC-600 (9.87 mg;16.45 mg·g-1 and 17.79% respectively). The breakthrough curves kinetic modeling revealed that the Thomas model and the pseudo-first-order kinetic model were the most suitable models to describe the adsorption of MnO4- ions on adsorbents studied in our experimental conditions. The results of the intraparticle diffusion model showed that intraparticle diffusion was involved in the adsorption mechanism of MnO4- ions on investigated adsorbents and was not the limiting step and the only process controlling MnO4- ions adsorption. In contrast to AC-400, the intraparticle diffusion on AC-600 bed plays an important role in the adsorption mechanism of MnO4- ions.

Rotation curve of the Galactic outer disk derived from radial velocities and UCAC3 proper motions of carbon stars

The availability of astrometfic data and radial velocities of carbon stars near the Galactic plane enables us to investigate the kinematics of the Milky Way, especially the rotation curve. The recently published Third U. S. Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog （UCAC3） provides the opportunity to test this problem using three-dimensional velocity in order to obtain more reliable rotation curves. We intend to study the Galactic rotation curve up to 15 kpc using the radial velocities and proper motions of carbon stars. The motivation for using UCAC3 is to provide high precision proper motions which have hardly been used in determining the rotation velocity of tracers. Seventy-four carbon stars and carbon-rich Mira variables toward the anti-center direction （90° 〈 l 〈 270°, ｜b｜ 〈 6°） are picked up from the literature then matched with UCAC3 carbon star candidates to obtain their proper motions. A rigorous geometrical method is employed to compute the rotation velocity of each object. Taking carbon stars as tracers, we find a flat rotation curve of 210 ± 12 kms^-1 assuming R0 = 8.0kpc for the galactocentric distance and V0 = 220kms^-1 for the rotation velocity of the Sun. Due to the uncertainties of distances, the rotation velocities are more dispersed if tangential velocities enter the calculation, compared to those derived from radial velocities only. However, the whole rotation curve shows coherence with previous results. Increasing observation and study of carbon stars would be desirable in order to provide more homogeneous data for the kinematical study of the Galactic disk.

GRB 200612A:An Ultralong Gamma-Ray Burst Powered by Magnetar Spinning Down

GRB 200612A could be classified as an ultralong gamma-ray burst due to its prompt emission lasting up to~1020 s and the true timescale of the central engine activity t_(burst)≥4×10^(4) s.The late X-ray light curve with a decay index ofα=7.53 is steeper than the steepest possible decay from an external shock model.We propose that this X-ray afterglow can be driven by dipolar radiation from the magnetar spindown during its early stage,while the magnetar collapsed into the black hole before its spindown,resulting in a very steep decay of the late X-ray light curve.The optical data show that the light curve is still rising after 1.1 ks,suggesting a late onset.We show that GRB 200612A’s optical afterglow light curve is fitted with the forward shock model by Gaussian structured off-axis jet.This is a special case among GRBs,as it may be an ultralong gamma-ray burst powered by a magnetar in an off-axis observation scenario.

The lack of carbon stars in the Galactic bulge

In order to explain the lack of carbon stars in the Galactic bulge, we have made a detailed study of thermal pulseasymptotic giant branch （TP-AGB） stars by using a population synthesis code. The effects of the oxygen overabundance and the mass loss rate on the ratio of the number of carbon stars to that of oxygen stars in the Galactic bulge are discussed. We find that the oxygen overabundance which is about twice as large as that in the solar neighbourhood （close to the present observations） is insufficient to explain the rareness of carbon stars in the bulge. We suggest that the large mass loss rate may serve as a controlling factor in the ratio of the number of carbon stars to that of oxygen stars.

A catalog of early-type emission-line stars and Hα line profiles from LAMOST DR2

We present a catalog including 11 204 spectra of 10436 early-type emission-line stars from LAMOST DR2, among which 9752 early-type emission-line spectra are newly discovered. For these early- type emissionqine stars, we discuss the morphological and physical properties of their low-resolution spectra. In this spectral sample, the Hα emission profiles display a wide variety of shapes. Based on the Hα line profiles, these spectra are categorized into five distinct classes： single-peak emission, single-peak emission in absorption, double-peak emission, double-peak emission in absorption, and P-Cygni profiles. To better understand what causes the Hc~ line profiles, we divide these objects into four types from the perspective of physical classification, which include classical Be stars, Herbig Ae/Be stars, close binaries and spectra contaminated by H n regions. The majority of Herbig Ae/Be stars and classical Be stars are identified and separated using a （H-K, K-W1） color-color diagram. We also discuss 31 binary systems that are listed in the SIMBAD on-line catalog and identify 3600 spectra contaminated by HⅡ regions after cross-matching with positions in the Dubout-Crillon catalog. A statistical analysis of line profiles versus classifications is then conducted in order to understand the distribution of Hc~ profiles for each type in our sample. Finally, we also provide a table of 172 spectra with Fen emission lines and roughly calculate stellar wind velocities for seven spectra with P-Cygni profiles.

Analysis of the X-ray emission of OB stars:O stars

We investigate the global properties of X-ray emission from O stars, analyzing the X-ray spec- tra of 32 O stars from archival data of the XMM-Newton space observatory. We examine two hypotheses about of the origin of X-ray emission from O stars. The first is a paradigm proposed by Pollock, that was revealed from an analysis of the （ Ori X-ray observation. The second is the magnetically confined wind-shock （MCWS） model. For checking Pollock＇s hypothesis, we determine the distribution of the ratio of half width at half maximum （HWHM） to the wind terminal velocity for lines in spectra of all examined stars. In addition, we check three probable consequences from the MCWS model. We analyze if a correlation exists between the spectral hardness and such stellar parameters as the wind terminal velocity, stellar magnetic field and mass loss rate. The result showed that Pollock＇s hypothesis is not correct. We also established that not all consequences of the MCWS model considered by us are con- firmed. In addition, our spectral analysis method indicated that O stars probably have clumped stellar winds with spherical clumps.

High Resolution Spectroscopy of Halo Stars in the Near UV and Blue Region I. Spectra in the Wavelength Region 3550-5000 A

An atlas of high resolution （R = 60 000） CCD-spectra in the wavelength range 3500-5000A is presented for four objects in metallicity range -3.0 〈 [Fe/H] 〈 -0.6, temperature range 4750 〈 Teff 〈 5900K, and surface gravity range 1.6 〈 Igg 〈 5.0. We describe the calibration of the stellar atmospheric parameters using Alonso＇s formula based on the method of infrared flux and outline the determination of the abundances of a total number of 25 chemical elements. An analysis of the abundance determination errors for different chemical elements is carried out, and a method is provided for the observations and reduction of spectral material. Properties of the method of producing an atlas of spectra and line identifications are described.

Multiple cycles of magnetic activity in the Sun and Sun-like stars and their evolution

The wavelet transform method for high-quality time-frequency analysis is applied to sets of observations of relative sunspot numbers and stellar chromosphere fluxes of 10 Sun-like stars. Wavelet analysis of solar data shows that in a certain interval of time there are several cycles of activity with pe- riods of duration which vary considerably from each other： from quasi-biennial cycles to lO0-yr cycles. Cyclic activity was detected in almost all Sun-like stars that we examined, even those that previously were not considered as stars with cyclic activity according to analysis using a Scargle periodogram. The durations of solar and stellar cycles significantly change during the observation period.

Photometry of δ Sct-type and Related Stars: Results of AD Ari, IP Vir and YZ Boo

Photometric results of three δ Scuti stars, AD Ari, IP Vir and YZ Boo from new observations obtained at the:Xinglong Station of the Beijing Astronom- ical Observatory (BAO) during 2000 aELd 2001 are reported. We present here the preliminary analyses. Detailed studies of these stars based on additional data will be published separately.

A Possible γ-Ray Pulsation from PSR J1740-5340B in the Globular Cluster NGC 6397

Recently, a new radio millisecond pulsar(MSP) J1740-5340B, hosted in the globular cluster(GC) NGC 6397,was reported with a 5.78 ms spin period in an eclipsing binary system with a 1.97 days orbital period. Based on a modified radio ephemeris updated by tool tempo2, we analyze the ~15 yr γ-ray data obtained from the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and detect PSR J1740-5340B's γ-ray pulsation at a confidence level of ~4σ with a weighted H-test value of ~26. By performing a phase-resolved analysis, the γ-ray luminosity in on-pulse interval of PSR J1740-5340B is L_(γ)~ 3.8 × 10^(33) erg s^(-1) using NGC 6397's distance of 2.48 kpc. And γ-rays from the on-pulse part of PSR J1740-5340B contribute ~90% of the total observed γ-ray emissions from NGC 6397. No significant γ-ray pulsation of another MSP J1740-5340A in the GC is detected.Considering that the previous four cases of MSPs in GCs, more data in γ-ray, X-ray, and radio are encouraged to finally confirm the γ-ray emissions from MSP J1740-5340B, especially starving for a precise ephemeris.

Rotation Periods of Nine ROSAT Selected Solar-Type Stars

We monitored 16 X-ray selected young solar-type stars for light variation and found appreciable periodic light variability with amplitudes of a few hundredths of a magni- tude in nine of the objects. Using the method of Phase Dispersion Minimization （PDM） and Fourier analysis （software PERIOD04）, the rotation periods of these stars were determined from the photometric data. The rotation periods of all nine stars are shorter than about 3 days. It is suggested that, as with the Pleiades cluster, small amplitude light variations are quite common among young solar-type stars with rotation periods around 3 days or less. This gives further evidence for the spin up of solar-type stars predicted by models of angular momentum evolution of pre-main sequence stars.

Equivalent Widths of 15 Extrasolar-Planet Host Stars

We present the equivalent widths of 15 extrasolar-planet host stars. These data were based on the high-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra obtained with the 2.16m telescope at Xinglong station. The error in the Xinglong equivalent width is estimated by a comparison of these data with those given in previous studies of common stars.

New Variable Stars Discovered as By-product of the Beijing Astronomical Observatory Supernova Survey

The Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO) 0.6 m telescope has been used for nearby supernova survey in more than 3000 fields, covering a total area of 235 deg2. More than 260000 CCD images have been collected since April 1996, with 45 supernovae discovered. We searched for variables in about 90000 images taken during 1996-1998. For the fields in which long period variables (LPVs) were discovered, we reduced further images taken from 1999 to 2000, for the period estimation. Among the 280000 stars selected from the survey fields, i.e., brighter than 18 mag, we discovered seven new LPVs and reconfirmed three known LPVs. Additionally, we found 146 variable star candidates, and reconfirmed about 20 previously known or suspected objects.