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.

Orbital and physical parameters of the close binary system GJ 9830(HIP 116259)

We present the complete set of physical and geometrical parameters of the visual close binary system GJ 9830 for the first time by applying Al-Wardat’s complex method.This method combines magnitude difference from speckle interferometry,synthetic spectral energy distributions of the binary components which are constructed based on grids of Kurucz blanketed models(ATLAS9),and the orbital solution using Tokovinin’s dynamical method to estimate the parameters of individual components.The analysis of the system by employing synthetic photometry resulted in the following set of parameters:Teff= 6220 ± 100 K,log g = 4.30 ± 0.12,R = 1.10 ± 0.08 R⊙for the primary component and Teff= 4870 ± 100 K,log g = 4.60 ± 0.11,R = 0.709 ± 0.07 R⊙for the secondary component.The recently published dynamical parallax from the Gaia space mission was used to calculate the total mass of the binary system as 1.75 ± 0.06 M⊙,which coincides with those estimated using Al-Wardat’s method as MA= 1.18 ± 0.10 M⊙,MB= 0.75 ± 0.08 M⊙.The analysis of the system reveals that both components are characteristic of main sequence stars and have an age of around 1.4 ± 0.50 Gyr.The evolutionary tracks and isochrones of the system’s components are discussed,and the fragmentation process is suggested as the most likely process for the formation of the system.

NSVS 2569022:a peculiar binary among W UMa stars with extremely small mass ratios

Photometric observations of the W UMa binary NSVS 2569022 are presented. The light curve solution reveals that both components are of F spectral type （temperatures T1 = T2 = 6100 K）. NSVS 2569022 undergoes a total eclipse of W subtype and the mass ratio is well-determined. Its extremely small value of only 0.077 implies that the target will probably experience instability and a possible merger. This value ranks NSVS 2569022 in sixth place among binaries with the smallest mass ratio. Based on an empirical relation of ＂period - total mass＂ for low mass-ratio binaries, we estimate the global parameters of NSVS 2569022： masses M1 = 1.17 M⊙ and M2 = 0.09 M⊙; radii R1 = 1.19 R⊙ and R2 = 0.38 R⊙; luminosities L1 = 1.73 L⊙ and L2 = 0.17L⊙. An analysis of the characteristics of binaries with extremely low-mass ratios is made. NSVS 2569022 turns out to be a peculiar binary among W UMa stars with extremely small mass ratios due to its unexpectedly small fill-out factor of only 0.014 （slightly overcontact configuration）.

Variable stars in the 50BiN open cluster survey.Ⅱ.NGC 869

This work presents a time-series photometric variability survey of the young open cluster NGC 869.More than 13000 CCD frames in the BV filters were collected on 19 nights between 2014 November 6 and 2014 December 24.In a 20’×20’field centered on the cluster,we detected a total of 28 stars showing photometric variability,12 of which are new discoveries.The classifications and memberships of the variable stars are discussed according to the behaviors and periods of the light curves as well as their positions on the H-R diagram.These results conclude that 22 variable stars are probable members of the cluster while six other stars belong to the field star population.They are categorized as 18 pulsating variable stars(fourβCep,seven SPB,oneβCep/SPB,four Be stars,and twoδSct/γDor candidates),seven eclipsing binaries(five EA and two EB)and three unknown type stars.

Resonant cyclotron scattering in pulsar magnetospheres and its application to isolated neutron stars

Resonant cyclotron scattering （RCS） in pulsar magnetospheres is considered. The photon diffusion equation （Kompaneets equation） for RCS is derived. The photon system is modeled three dimensionally. Numerical calculations show that there exist not only up scattering but also down scattering of RCS, depending on the parameter space. RCS＇s possible applications to spectral energy distributions of magnetar candidates and radio quiet isolated neutron stars （INSs） are pointed out. The optical/UV excess of INSs may be caused by the down scattering of RCS. The calculations for RX J1856.5-3754 and RX J0720.4-3125 are presented and compared with their observational data. In our model, the INSs are proposed to be normal neutron stars, although the quark star hypothesis is still possible. The low pulsation amplitude of INSs is a natural consequence in the RCS model.

BV(RI )c photometric study of three variable PMS stars in the field of V733 Cephei

This paper reports results from the first long-term BV(RI)c photometric CCD observations of three variable pre-main-sequence stars collected during the period from February 2007 to January 2020. The investigated stars are located in the field of the PMS star V733 Cep within the Cepheus OB3 association. All stars from our study show rapid photometric variability in all-optical passbands. In this paper, we describe and discuss the photometric behavior of these stars and the possible reasons for their variability. In the light variation of two of the stars, we found periodicity.

Searching for Variable Stars in the Field of NGC 7789

We present the results of a time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 7789. In a field of about one degree centering on the cluster, a total of 28 new variable stars are discovered (14 W UMa systems, nine EA-type eclipsing binaries, one RR Lyr star, and four unclassified). In addition, we recovered 11 old variables previously discovered by other authors. Preliminary parameters are given for some of these variables.

The pairwise velocity difference of over 2000 BHB stars in the Milky Way halo

Models of hierarchical galaxy formation predict that the extended stellar halos of galaxies like our Milky Way show a great deal of sub-structure, arising from disrupted satellites. Spatial sub-structure is directly observed, and has been quantified, in the Milky Way＇s stellar halo. Phase-space conservation implies that there should be sub-structure in position-velocity space. Here, we aim to quantify such position-velocity sub-structure, using a state-of-the art data set having over 2000 blue horizontal branch （BHB） stars with photometry and spectroscopy from SDSS. For stars in dynamically cold streams （＂young＂ streams）, we expect that pairs of objects that are physically close also have similar velocities. Therefore, we apply the well-established ＂pairwise velocity difference＂ （PVD） statistic （｜ △Vlos ｜） （△r）, where we expect （｜ △Vlos ｜） to drop for small separations At. We calculate the PVD for the SDSS BHB sample and find 〈｜ △Vlos ｜〉（△r） ≈ const., i.e. no such signal. By making mock-observations of the simulations by Bullock ＆ Johnston and applying the same statistic, we show that for individual, dynamically young streams, or assemblages of such streams, （｜ △Vlos ｜） drops for small distance separations At, as qualitatively expected. However, for a realistic complete set of halo streams, the pair-wise velocity difference shows no signal, as the simulated halos are dominated by ＂dynamically old＂ phase-mixed streams. Our findings imply that the sparse sampling and the sample sizes in SDSS DR6 are still insufficient to use the position-velocity sub-structure for a stringent quantitative data-model comparison. Therefore, alternate statistics must be explored and much more densely sampled surveys, dedicated to the structure of the Milky Way, such as LAMOST, are needed.

Long-term BV RI photometric light curves of 15 PMS stars in the star-forming region IC 5070

This paper reports results from the multicolor photometric observations of 15 pre-main sequence stars collected in the period September 2010-October 2017. The stars from our study are located in the star-forming HII region IC 5070. These objects were previously detected as either emission line stars, flare stars, T Tauri variables or Herbig Ae/Be stars. Photometric observations, especially concerning the long-term behavior of the objects, are missing in the literature. We present the first photometric monitoring for all stars from our study. The analysis of the obtained BV RI photometric data allows us to draw the conclusion that all investigated objects are variable stars. In the case of LkHα 146,we identified previously unknown periodicity in its photometric variability.

High resolution spectroscopy of two young active late type stars within 20 parsecs of the Sun

We present high-resolution optical echell spectroscopy of HIP 544 and HIP 46843, two nearby solar like stars. The discovery of these young stars at such a close distance to the Sun is really a surprising phenomenon. It will help us to have a better understanding of the structure and evolutionary history of the Milky Way. The radial velocities （RV） of HIP 544 and HIP 46843 are measured to be -6.88±0.13km s^-1 and 8.30±0.16km s^-1, respectively, which are more accurate than before. The equivalent widths （EW） of the Li I 6707.8A absorption line of HIP 544 and HIP 46843 are measured to be 110±5 mA and 195±5 mA respectively. Based on these properties, HIP 544 is estimated to be 100-800Myr old and HIP 46843 30-100Myr old using three relatively creditable methods.

p-capture reaction cycles in rotating massive stars and their impact on elemental abundances in globular cluster stars: A case study of O, Na and Al

Elemental abundance patterns of globular cluster stars can provide important clues for understanding cluster formation and early chemical evolution.The origin of the abundance patterns,however,still remains poorly understood.We have studied the impact of p-capture reaction cycles on the abundances of oxygen,sodium and aluminium considering nuclear reaction cycles of carbon-nitrogenoxygen-fluorine,neon-sodium and magnesium-aluminium in massive stars in stellar conditions of temperature range 2×107to 10×107K and typical density of 102gm cc-1.We have estimated abundances of oxygen,sodium and aluminium with respect to Fe,which are then assumed to be ejected from those stars because of rotation reaching a critical limit.These ejected abundances of elements are then compared with their counterparts that have been observed in some metal-poor evolved stars,mainly giants and red giants,of globular clusters M3,M4,M13 and NGC 6752.We observe an excellent agreement with[O/Fe]between the estimated and observed abundance values for globular clusters M3 and M4 with a correlation coefficient above 0.9 and a strong linear correlation for the remaining two clusters with a correlation coefficient above 0.7.The estimated[Na/Fe]is found to have a correlation coefficient above 0.7,thus implying a strong correlation for all four globular clusters.As far as[Al/Fe]is concerned,it also shows a strong correlation between the estimated abundance and the observed abundance for globular clusters M13 and NGC 6752,since here also the correlation coefficient is above 0.7 whereas for globular cluster M4 there is a moderate correlation found with a correlation coefficient above 0.6.Possible sources of these discrepancies are discussed.

The metallicity of K giant stars along the Sagittarius streams

The Large Sky-Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope （LAMOST） Data Release 3 provided 341 691 K giant stars with stellar parameters. Based on the models of Law ＆ Majewski, we identified 252 K giant stars in the leading stream associated with the Sagittarius （Sgr） dwarf galaxy. We obtained 132 K giant stars belonging to the trailing arm of Sgr using the model of Belokurov et al. We studied the metallicity distribution of member stars along the streams and found a fiat gradient in the first wrap of the leading stream, -（0.88±0.3） × 10^-3 dex/（°） in the second wrap of the leading stream and -（1.2±0.3） × 10^-3 dex/（°） in the first wrap of the trailing stream. Moreover, we obtained a combined metallicity gradient with our sample and data from the literature. We also analyzed the properties of an overdensity, which is located in the leading stream of the Sgr.

Variable stars in the open cluster NGC 2141

We report the results of a search for variable stars in the open cluster NGC 2141. Ten variable stars are detected, among which nine are new variable stars and they are classified as three short-period W UMa-type eclipsing binaries, two EA- type eclipsing binaries, one EB-type eclipsing binary, one very short-period RS CVn- type eclipsing binary, one d-type RR Lyrae variable star, and one unknown type of variable star. The membership and physical properties are discussed, based on their light curves, positions in the color magnitude diagrams, spatial locations and periods. A known EB-type eclipsing binary is also identified as a blue straggler candidate in the cluster. Furthermore, we find that all eclipsing contact binaries have prominent asymmetric eclipses and display the O＇Connell effect, which increases with a decrease in orbital periods. This suggests that the O＇Connell effect is probably related to the evolution of the orbital period in short period eclipsing binary systems.

The rate of period change in DAV stars

Grids of DAV star models are evolved by WDEC, taking the element diffusion effect into account. The grid parameters are hydrogen mass log（MH/M＊）, helium mass log（MHe/M＊）, stellar mass M＊and effective temperature T_（eff） for DAV stars. The core compositions are from white dwarf models evolved by MESA. Therefore, DAV star models evolved by WDEC have historically viable core compositions. Based on those DAV star models, we studied the rate of period change（P˙（k）） for different values of H, He, M_＊and Teff. The results are consistent with previous work. Two DAV stars G117-B15A and R548 have been observed for around 40 years. The rates of period change of two large-amplitude modes were obtained through the O-C method. We conducted an asteroseismological study on the two DAV stars and then obtained a best-fitting model for each star. Based on the two best-fitting models,the mode identifications（l, k） of the observed modes for G117-B15A and R548 are consistent with previous work. Both the observed modes and the observedP˙ s can be fitted by calculated ones. The results indicate that our method of evolving DAV star models is feasible.

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.

Variable Star Status of Two Stars:V204 and I-I-39 in M3

The star 1-1-42 （=vZ1390）, a cluster member in M3, located near the red edge of the instability strip of the horizontal branch, was discovered by Roberts and Sandage as a low amplitude variable, it was designated as V204 in the ＂second catalogue of variable stars in globular clusters＂, but its coordinates given in all versions of this catalogue are wrong since 1955. We argue that V204 is indeed a low amplitude HB variable star, located near to the red edge of the instability strip, with a period of 0.74785d and an amplitude of about 0.04 mag in V. We also find that the red cluster member star 1-1-39 is a low amplitude variable with a period of 1.16^d and amplitude of about 0.03 mag in V which might be pulsating at the second overtone.

Light curve solutions of six eclipsing binaries at the lower limit of periods for W UMa stars

Photometric observations are presented in V and I bands of six eclipsing binaries at the lower limit of the orbital periods for W UMa stars. Three of them are newly discovered eclipsing systems. The light curve solutions reveal that all shortperiod targets are contact or overcontact binaries and six new binaries are added to the family of short-period systems with estimated parameters. Four binaries have com- ponents that are equal in size and a mass ratio near 1. The phase variability shown by the V-I colors of all targets may be explained by lower temperatures on their back surfaces than those on their side surfaces. Five systems exhibit the O＇Connell effect that can be modeled by cool spots on the side surfaces of their primary components. The light curves of V1067 Her in 2011 and 2012 are fitted by diametrically opposite spots. Applying the criteria for subdivision of W UMa stars to our targets leads to ambiguous results.

Long-term photometric behavior of the PMS stars V977 Cep and V982 Cep in the vicinity of NGC 7129

Long-term BVRI photometric light curves of the pre-main sequence stars V977 Cep and V982 Cep during the period from 2000 October to 2016 August are presented. The stars are located in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7129. Our photometric data show that both stars exhibit strong photometric variability in all optical passbands, which is typical for Classical T Tauri stars. Using our observational data we analyze the reasons for the observed brightness variations. In the case of V977 Cep we identify previously unknown periodicity in its light curve.

Discovery of Four Peculiar Variable Stars

Four stars, GSC 1258–0143, GSC 1986–1665, GSC 3045–0892 and GSC 2983–1597 were found to be new variables during a campaign of CCD photometric monitoring of short-period eclipsing binary stars. The variabilities of these new variables are reported. The main characteristics and probable classifications of the variables are discussed through a preliminary analysis on their light curves. Among these stars, GSC 1258–0143 is classified as a RR Lyr star of sub-type a. Its pulsation period is determined to be about 0.5206 days. The other three stars, are definite variables, but their periods and types of light variations remain unknown.

Absolute parameters of the three totally-eclipsing W UMa stars NSVS 2443858,NSVS 780649 and V1098 Her

We present the first photometric analysis of three totally-eclipsing W UMa binaries,NS VS2443858,NSVS 780649 and V1098 Her.The absolute astrophysical parameters of the stellar components were determined by means of Gaia distances and light curve solutions.The results show that:(ⅰ)Two of the systems,NSVS 2443858 and V1098 Her,are of A subtype while the obtained temperature of the secondary component of NSVS 780649 indicates that it is a W-subtype system;(ⅱ)The estimated mass ratios approach the lower limit of the mass ratio assumed by researchers in recent years so our targets could be classified as extreme mass ratio binary(EMRB)systems;(ⅲ)All the systems have deep contact configurations,so they also are deep low mass ratio(DLMR)systems;(ⅳ)The components of our systems are stars of F and G spectral type and undergo total eclipses;(ⅴ)The sum 0.871 M⊙of the component masses of NSVS 780649 is below the mass limit of 1.0-1.2 M⊙assumed for the known contact binary stars.