Abstract: As part of Villanova's Living with a Red Dwarf program, we have obtained UV, X-ray and optical data of the Population II red dwarf -- Kapteyn's Star. Kapteyn's Star is noteworthy for its large proper motions and high RV of ~+245 km s^-1. As the nearest Pop II red dwarf, it serves as an old age anchor for calibrating Activity/Irradiance-Rotation-Age relations, and an important test bed for stellar dynamos and the resulting X-ray -- UV emissions of slowly rotating, near-fully convective red dwarf stars. Adding to the notoriety, Kapteyn's Star has recently been reported to host two super-Earth candidates, one of which (Kapteyn b) is orbiting within the habitable zone (Anglada-Escude et al. 2014a, 2015). However, Robertson et al. (2015) questioned the planet's existence since its orbital period may be an artifact of activity, related to the star's rotation period. Because of its large Doppler-shift, measures of the important, chromospheric H I Lyman-alpha 1215.67A emission line can be reliably made, because it is mostly displaced from ISM and geo-coronal sources. Lyman-alpha emission dominates the FUV region of cool stars. Our measures can help determine the X-ray--UV effects on planets hosted by Kapteyn's Star, and planets hosted by other old red dwarfs. Stellar X-ray and Lyman-alpha emissions have strong influences on the heating and ionization of upper planetary atmospheres and can (with stellar winds and flares) erode or even eliminate planetary atmospheres. Using our program stars, we have reconstructed the past exposures of Kapteyn's Star's planets to coronal -- chromospheric XUV emissions over time.

Abstract: White dwarfs are the final remnants of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Their evolution is essentially a cooling process that lasts for $\sim 10$ Gyr. Their observed properties provide information about the history of the Galaxy, its dark matter content and a host of other interesting astrophysical problems. Examples of these include an independent determination of the past history of the local star formation rate, identification of the objects responsible for the reported microlensing events, constraints on the rate of change of the gravitational constant, and upper limits to the mass of weakly interacting massive particles. To carry on these tasks the essential observational tools are the luminosity and mass functions of white dwarfs, whereas the theoretical tools are the evolutionary sequences of white dwarf progenitors, and the corresponding white dwarf cooling sequences. In particular, the observed white dwarf luminosity function is the key manifestation of the white dwarf cooling theory, although other relevant ingredients are needed to compare theory and observations. In this review we summarize the recent attempts to empirically determine the white dwarf luminosity function for the different Galactic populations. We also discuss the biases that may affect its interpretation. Finally, we elaborate on the theoretical ingredients needed to model the white dwarf luminosity function, paying special attention to the remaining uncertainties, and we comment on some applications of the white dwarf cooling theory. Astrophysical problems for which white dwarf stars may provide useful leverage in the near future are also discussed.

Abstract: The number of spatially unresolved white dwarf plus main-sequence star binaries has increased rapidly in the last decade, jumping from only ∼30 in 2003 to over 3000. However, in the majority of known systems the companion to the white dwarf is a low-mass M dwarf, since these are relatively easy to identify from optical colours and spectra. White dwarfs with more massive FGK type companions have remained elusive due to the large difference in optical brightness between the two stars. In this paper, we identify 934 main-sequence FGK stars from the Radial Velocity Experiment survey in the Southern hemisphere and the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope survey in the Northern hemisphere, that show excess flux at ultraviolet wavelengths which we interpret as the likely presence of a white dwarf companion. We obtained Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectra for nine systems which confirmed that the excess is indeed caused, in all cases, by a hot compact companion, eight being white dwarfs and one a hot subdwarf or pre-helium white dwarf, demonstrating that this sample is very clean. We also address the potential of this sample to test binary evolution models and Type Ia supernovae formation channels.

Abstract: We report the discovery and classification of SDSS~J053341.43+001434.1 (SDSS0533), an early-L dwarf first discovered during a powerful $\Delta V 3.7\times10^{34}$~erg), placing it among the strongest detected M dwarf flares. The presence of this powerful flare on an old L0 dwarf may indicate that stellar-type magnetic activity persists down to the end of the main sequence and on older ML transition dwarfs.

Abstract: Two low-mass pre-white dwarfs, which could be precursors of ELM white dwarfs, have been observed to show multiperiodic photometric variations. They could constitute a new class of pulsating low-mass pre-white dwarf stars. We present a detailed nonadiabatic pulsation study of such stars, employing full evolutionary sequences of low-mass He-core pre-white dwarf models. We have considered models in which element diffusion is accounted for and also models in which it is neglected. We confirm and explore in detail a new instability strip in the domain of low gravities and low effective temperatures of the $T_{\rm eff}-\log g$ diagram, where low-mass pre-white dwarfs are currently found. The destabilized modes are radial and nonradial $p$ and $g$ modes excited by the $\kappa-\gamma$ mechanism acting mainly at the zone of the second partial ionization of He, with non-negligible contributions from the region of the first partial ionization of He and the partial ionization of H. The computations with element diffusion are unable to explain the pulsations observed in the two known pulsating pre-white dwarfs, suggesting that element diffusion might be inhibited at these stages of the pre-white dwarf evolution. Our nonadiabatic models without diffusion, on the other hand, naturally explain the existence and range of periods of the pulsating pre-white dwarf star WASP J1628$+$10B, although they fail to explain the pulsations of WASP J0247$-$25B, the other known member of the class, indicating that the He abundance in the driving region of this star might be substantially larger than predicted by our models. Further discoveries of additional members of this new class of pulsating stars and their analysis in the context of the theoretical background presented in this paper will shed new light on the evolutionary history of their progenitor stars.

Abstract: With the Keck I Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer we have observed nine white dwarf candidates in the very rich open cluster NGC 2099 (M37). The spectroscopy shows seven to be DA white dwarfs, one to be a DB white dwarf, and one to be a DZ white dwarf. Three of these DA white dwarfs are consistent with singly evolved cluster membership: an ultramassive (1.28$^{+0.05}_{-0.08}$ M$_\odot$) and two intermediate-mass (0.70 and 0.75 M$_\odot$) white dwarfs. Analysis of their cooling ages allows us to calculate their progenitor masses and establish new constraints on the initial-final mass relation. The intermediate-mass white dwarfs are in strong agreement with previous work over this mass regime. The ultramassive white dwarf has $V$ = 24.5, $\sim$2 mag fainter than the other two remnants. The spectrum of this star has lower quality, so the derived stellar properties (e.g., T$_{\rm eff}$, log g) have uncertainties that are several times higher than the brighter counterparts. We measure these uncertainties and establish the star's final mass as the highest-mass white dwarf discovered thus far in a cluster, but we are unable to calculate its progenitor mass because at this high mass and cooler T$_{\rm eff}$ its inferred cooling age is highly sensitive to its mass. At the highest temperatures, however, this sensitivity of cooling age to an ultramassive white dwarf's mass is only moderate. This demonstrates that future investigations of the upper-mass end of the initial-final mass relation must identify massive, newly formed white dwarfs (i.e., in young clusters with ages 50-150 Myr).

Abstract: Late M-type dwarfs in the solar neighborhood include a mixture of very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs which is difficult to disentangle due to the lack of constraints on their age such as trigonometric parallax, lithium detection and space velocity. We search for young brown dwarf candidates among a sample of 28 nearby late-M dwarfs with spectral types between M5.0 and M9.0, and we also search for debris disks around three of them. Based on theoretical models, we used the color $I-J$, the $J$-band absolute magnitude and the detection of the Li I 6708 $\AA$ doublet line as a strong constraint to estimate masses and ages of our targets. For the search of debris disks, we observed three targets at submillimeter wavelength of 850 $\mu$m. We report here the first clear detections of lithium absorption in four targets and a marginal detection in one target. Our mass estimates indicate that two of them are young brown dwarfs, two are young brown dwarf candidates and one is a young very low-mass star. The closest young field brown dwarf in our sample at only $\sim$15 pc is an excellent benchmark for further studying physical properties of brown dwarfs in the range 100$-$150 Myr. We did not detect any debris disks around three late-M dwarfs, and we estimated upper limits to the dust mass of debris disks around them.

Abstract: The observed high over-luminous type-Ia supernovae imply the existence of super-Chandrasekhar limit white dwarfs, which raises a challenge to the classical white dwarf theories. By employing the Eddington-inspired Born–Infeld (EiBI) gravity, we reinvestigate the structures and properties of white dwarfs, and find out that the EiBI gravity provides a new way to understand the observations. It is shown that by choosing an appropriate positive Eddington parameter κ, a massive white dwarf with mass up to 2.8M⊙ can be supported by the equation of state of free electron gas. Unlike the classical white dwarf theory, the maximum mass of the white dwarf sequence in the EiBI gravity is not decided by the mass–radius relations, but is decided by the central density, ρc = 4.3 × 1014 kg/m3, above which neutronization cannot be avoided and the white dwarf will transform into a neutron star. On the other hand, if the gravity in the massive white dwarf really behaves as the EiBI gravity predicts, then one can obtain a constraint on the Eddington parameter in the EiBI gravity, that is, 8πρ0κG/c2 ≥ 80 (where ρ0 = 1018 kg/m3) to support a massive white dwarf with mass up to 2.8M⊙. Moreover, we find out that the fast Keplarian frequency of the massive white dwarf raises a degeneration between the two kinds of compact stars, that is, one cannot distinguish whether the observed massive pulsar is a massive neutron star or a massive white dwarf only through the observed pulse frequency and mass.

Abstract: We present optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of WISEA J061543.91$-$124726.8, which we rediscovered as a high motion object in the AllWISE survey. The spectra of this object are unusual; while the red optical ($\lambda >$ 7,000 \AA) and near-infrared spectra exhibit characteristic TiO, VO, and H$_{2}$O bands of a late-M dwarf, the blue portion of its optical spectrum shows a significant excess of emission relative to late-M type templates. The excess emission is relatively featureless, with the exception of a prominent and very broad Na I D doublet. We find that no single, ordinary star can reproduce these spectral characteristics. The most likely explanation is an unresolved binary system of an M7 dwarf and a cool white dwarf. The flux of a cool white dwarf drops in the optical red and near-infrared, due to collision-induced absorption, thus allowing the flux of a late-M dwarf to show through. This scenario, however, does not explain the Na D feature, which is unlike that of any known white dwarf, but which could perhaps be explained via unusual abundance or pressure conditions.

Abstract: Thank you very much for reading activity in red dwarf stars. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look numerous times for their chosen novels like this activity in red dwarf stars, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some harmful virus inside their desktop computer. activity in red dwarf stars is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers spans in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the activity in red dwarf stars is universally compatible with any devices to read.

Abstract: Stars born with masses below around 10 solar masses end their lives as white dwarf stars. Their atmospheres are dominated by the lightest elements because gravitational diffusion brings the lightest element to the surface. We report the discovery of a white dwarf with an atmosphere completely dominated by oxygen, SDSS J124043.01+671034.68. After oxygen, the next most abundant elements in its atmosphere are neon and magnesium, but these are lower by a factor of ≥25 by number. The fact that no hydrogen or helium are observed is surprising. Oxygen, neon, and magnesium are the products of carbon burning, which occurs in stars at the high-mass end of pre–white dwarf formation. This star, a possible oxygen-neon white dwarf, will provide a rare observational test of the evolutionary paths toward white dwarfs.

Abstract: White dwarfs are the end state of the evolution of more than 97 per cent of all stars, and therefore carry information on the structure and evolution of the Galaxy through their luminosity function and initial-to-final mass relation. Examining the new spectra of all white or blue stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16, we report the spectral classification of 2410 stars, down to our identification cut-off of signal-to-noise ratio equal to three. We newly identify 1404 DAs, 189 DZs, 103 DCs, 12 DBs, and nine CVs. The remaining objects are a mix of carbon or L stars (dC/L), narrow-lined hydrogen-dominated stars (sdA), dwarf F stars, and P Cyg objects. As white dwarf stars were not targeted by SDSS DR16, the number of new discoveries is much smaller than in previous releases. We also report atmospheric parameters and masses for a subset consisting of 555 new DAs, 10 new DBs, and 85 DZs for spectra with signal-to-noise ratio larger than 10.

Abstract: European Research Council under the European Union [320964]; NASA through Hubble Fellowship - Space Telescope Science Institute [HST-HF2-51357.001-A]; NASA [NAS5-26555]; Fondecyt [3130559, 1141269]; Millennium Nucleus [RC130007]; CONICYT becas-CONICYT/Becade-Doctorado-en-el-extranjero [72140362]

Abstract: Galaxy clusters contain a large population of low mass dwarf elliptical galaxies whose exact origin is unclear: their colors, structural properties and kinematics differ substantially from those of dwarf irregulars in the field. We use the Illustris cosmological simulation to study differences in the assembly paths of dwarf galaxies (3e8 < M_*/M_sun < 1e10) according to their environment. We find that cluster dwarfs achieve their maximum total and stellar mass on average ~ 8 and ~ 4.5 Gyr ago (or redshifts z = 1.0 and z = 0.4, respectively), around the time of infall into the clusters. In contrast, field dwarfs not subjected to environmental stripping, reach their maximum mass at redshift z = 0. This different assembly history naturally produces a color bimodality, with blue isolated dwarfs and redder cluster dwarfs exhibiting negligible star-formation today. The cessation of star formation happens over median times 3.5-5 Gyr depending on stellar mass, and shows a large scatter (~ 1-8 Gyr), with the lower values associated with starburst events that occur at infall through the virial radius or pericentric passages. We argue that such starbursts together with the early assembly of cluster dwarfs can provide a natural explanation for the higher specific frequency of globular clusters (GCs) in cluster dwarfs, as found observationally. We present a simple model for the formation and stripping of GCs that supports this interpretation. The origin of dwarf ellipticals in clusters is, therefore, consistent with an environmentally-driven evolution of field dwarf irregulars. However the z = 0 field analogs of cluster dwarf progenitors have today stellar masses a factor ~ 3 larger --a difference arising from the early truncation of star formation in cluster dwarfs.

Abstract: In search for a synthetic understanding, a scenario for the evolution of the star formation rate and the chemical abundances in galaxies is proposed, combining gas infall from galactic halos, outflow of gas by supernova explosions, and an oscillatory star formation process. The oscillatory star formation model is a consequence of the modelling of the fractional masses changes of the hot, warm and cold components of the interstellar medium. The observed periods of oscillation vary in the range $(0.1-3.0)\times10^{7}$\,yr depending on various parameters existing from giant to dwarf galaxies. The evolution of metallicity varies in giant and dwarf galaxies and depends on the outflow process. Observed abundances in dwarf galaxies can be reproduced under fast outflow together with slow evaporation of cold gases into hot gas whereas slow outflow and fast evaporation is preferred for giant galaxies. The variation of metallicities in dwarf galaxies supports the fact that low rate of SNII production in dwarf galaxies is responsible for variation in metallicity in dwarf galaxies of similar masses as suggested by various authors.