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ργ Ari (Al Butain ath Thaani )


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Anharmonic and standing dynamo waves: theory and observation of stellar magnetic activity
The familiar decadal cycle of solar activity is one expression ofinterannual variability of surface magnetism observed in stars on ornear the lower main sequence. From studies of time-series of CaII H andK emission fluxes that go back more than 35 yr and have been accumulatedfor such stars at the Mount Wilson Observatory by the HK Project, wedefine a quantitative measure, called anharmonicity, of the cycliccomponent of interannual magnetic variability. Anharmonicity provides aconnection between observed variations in magnetic activity and thetwo-dimensional description of a Parker dynamo model. We explore theparameter space of the Parker dynamo model and find an excellentcounterpart in the records of several of the lowest-mass (late K-type toearly M-type) active stars in the HK Project sample to the solutionscontaining highly anharmonic, standing dynamo waves. We interpretanharmonicity apparent in the records as resulting from non-propagatingor standing dynamo waves, which operate in a regime that issubstantially supercriticial. There, for the majority of a cycle, orpulse of decadal-to-interdecadal variability, the large-scale magneticfields are generated and maintained by winding of field by differentialrotation rather than by the joint action of differential rotation andhelical convection. Among the less active stars (the Sun is consideredsuch a star in the HK Project sample) we find a correspondence betweenanharmonicity and Parker dynamo model solutions that include simpleharmonic, migratory and/or intermediate-type dynamo wave patterns over abroad range of dynamo parameters.

Rotation- and temperature-dependence of stellar latitudinal differential rotation
More than 600 high resolution spectra of stars with spectral type F andlater were obtained in order to search for signatures of differentialrotation in line profiles. In 147 stars the rotation law could bemeasured, with 28 of them found to be differentially rotating.Comparison to rotation laws in stars of spectral type A reveals thatdifferential rotation sets in at the convection boundary in theHR-diagram; no star that is significantly hotter than the convectionboundary exhibits the signatures of differential rotation. Four lateA-/early F-type stars close to the convection boundary and at v sin{i}≈ 100 km s-1 show extraordinarily strong absolute shear atshort rotation periods around one day. It is suggested that this is dueto their small convection zone depth and that it is connected to anarrow range in surface velocity; the four stars are very similar inTeff and v sin{i}. Detection frequencies of differentialrotation α = ΔΩ/Ω > 0 were analyzed in starswith varying temperature and rotation velocity. Measurable differentialrotation is more frequent in late-type stars and slow rotators. Thestrength of absolute shear, ΔΩ, and differential rotationα are examined as functions of the stellar effective temperatureand rotation period. The highest values of ΔΩ are found atrotation periods between two and three days. In slower rotators, thestrongest absolute shear at a given rotation rateΔΩmax is given approximately byΔΩmax ∝ P-1, i.e.,αmax ≈ const. In faster rotators, bothαmax and ΔΩmax diminish lessrapidly. A comparison with differential rotation measurements in starsof later spectral type shows that F-stars exhibit stronger shear thancooler stars do and the upper boundary in absolute shear ΔΩwith temperature is consistent with the temperature-scaling law found inDoppler Imaging measurements.

Statistical Constraints for Astrometric Binaries with Nonlinear Motion
Useful constraints on the orbits and mass ratios of astrometric binariesin the Hipparcos catalog are derived from the measured proper motiondifferences of Hipparcos and Tycho-2 (Δμ), accelerations ofproper motions (μ˙), and second derivatives of proper motions(μ̈). It is shown how, in some cases, statistical bounds can beestimated for the masses of the secondary components. Two catalogs ofastrometric binaries are generated, one of binaries with significantproper motion differences and the other of binaries with significantaccelerations of their proper motions. Mathematical relations betweenthe astrometric observables Δμ, μ˙, and μ̈ andthe orbital elements are derived in the appendices. We find a remarkabledifference between the distribution of spectral types of stars withlarge accelerations but small proper motion differences and that ofstars with large proper motion differences but insignificantaccelerations. The spectral type distribution for the former sample ofbinaries is the same as the general distribution of all stars in theHipparcos catalog, whereas the latter sample is clearly dominated bysolar-type stars, with an obvious dearth of blue stars. We point outthat the latter set includes mostly binaries with long periods (longerthan about 6 yr).

CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
We present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773

Lithium abundances of the local thin disc stars
Lithium abundances are presented for a sample of 181 nearby F and Gdwarfs with accurate Hipparcos parallaxes. The stars are on circularorbits about the Galactic centre and, hence, are identified as belongingto the thin disc. This sample is combined with two published surveys toprovide a catalogue of lithium abundances, metallicities ([Fe/H]),masses, and ages for 451 F-G dwarfs, almost all belonging to the thindisc. The lithium abundances are compared and contrasted with publishedlithium abundances for F and G stars in local open clusters. The fieldstars span a larger range in [Fe/H] than the clusters for which [Fe/H]~=0.0 +/- 0.2. The initial (i.e. interstellar) lithium abundance of thesolar neighbourhood, as derived from stars for which astration oflithium is believed to be unimportant, is traced from logɛ(Li) =2.2 at [Fe/H]=-1 to logɛ(Li) = 3.2 at +0.1. This form for theevolution is dependent on the assumption that astration of lithium isnegligible for the stars defining the relation. An argument is advancedthat this latter assumption may not be entirely correct, and, theevolution of lithium with [Fe/H] may be flatter than previouslysupposed. A sharp Hyades-like Li dip is not seen among the field starsand appears to be replaced by a large spread among lithium abundances ofstars more massive than the lower mass limit of the dip. Astration oflithium by stars of masses too low to participate in the Li dip isdiscussed. These stars show little to no spread in lithium abundance ata given [Fe/H] and mass.

The Correlation of Lithium and Beryllium in F and G Field and Cluster Dwarf Stars
Although Li has been extensively observed in main-sequence field andcluster stars, there are relatively fewer observations of Be. We haveobtained Keck HIRES spectra of 36 late F and early G dwarfs in order tostudy the Li-Be correlation we found previously in the temperatureregime of 5900-6650 K. The sample size for this temperature range withdetectable and (usually) depleted Li and Be is now 88, including Li andBe abundances in both cluster and field stars. Therefore we can nowinvestigate the influence of other parameters such as age, temperature,and metallicity on the correlation. The Be spectra at 3130 Å weretaken over six nights from 1999 November to 2002 January and have aspectral resolution of ~48,000 and a median signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)of 108 pixel-1. We obtained Li spectra of 22 stars with theUniversity of Hawaii 88 inch (2.2 m) telescope and coudéspectrograph with a spectral resolution of ~70,000 and a median S/N of110 pixel-1. We have redetermined the effective temperaturesfor all the stars and adopted other parameters from published data orempirical relations. The abundances of both Li and Be in the stars weobserved were determined from spectrum synthesis with MOOG 2002. Thepreviously observed Li equivalent widths for some of our Be stars wereused with the new temperatures and MOOG 2002 in the ``blends'' mode. Forthe 46 field stars from this and earlier studies we find a linearrelation between A(Li) and A(Be) with a slope of 0.375+/-0.036. Over theTeff range 5900-6650 K, we find the modest scatter about theBe-Li relation to be significantly correlated with Teff andperhaps also [Fe/H]. Dividing the sample into two temperature regimes of6300-6650 K (corresponding to the cool side of the Li-Be dip) and5900-6300 K (corresponding to the Li ``plateau'') reveals possible smalldifferences in the slopes for the two groups, 0.404+/-0.034 and0.365+/-0.049, respectively. When we include the cluster stars (Hyades,Pleiades, Praesepe, UMa Group, and Coma), the slope for the fulltemperature range (88 stars) is essentially the same, at 0.382+/-0.030,as for the field stars alone. For the hotter temperature group of 35Li-Be dip stars in the field and in clusters the slope is higher, at0.433+/-0.036, while for the cooler star group (54 stars) the slope is0.337+/-0.031, different by more than 1 σ. This small differencein the slope is predicted by the theory of rotationally induced mixing.The four stars with [Fe/H] less than -0.4 are all below the best-fitrelation, i.e., there is more Be depletion at a given A(Li) or less Beab initio. The youngest stars, i.e., Pleiades, have less depletion ofboth Li and Be. This too is predicted by rotationally induced slowmixing. Combining the Be results from both field and cluster stars, wefind that there are stars with undepleted Be, i.e., near the meteoriticvalues of 1.42 dex, at all temperatures from 5500 to 6800 K. Depletionsof Be of up to and even exceeding 2 orders of magnitude are commonbetween 6000 and 6700 K.

Chemical analysis of 24 dusty (pre-)main-sequence stars
We have analysed the chemical photospheric composition of 24 HerbigAe/Be and Vega-type stars in search for the λ Bootis phenomenon.We present the results of the elemental abundances of the sample stars.Some of the stars were never before studied spectroscopically at opticalwavelengths. We have determined the projected rotational velocities ofour sample stars. Furthermore, we discuss stars that depict a(selective) depletion pattern in detail. HD 4881 andHD 139614 seem to display an overall deficiency.AB Aur and possibly HD 126367 havesubsolar values for the iron abundance, but are almost solar in silicon.HD 100546 is the only clear λ Bootis star inour sample.Appendix is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org

The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of ˜14 000 F and G dwarfs
We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age,kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, andkinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our˜63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sampleand, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcosparallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities,complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-qualityvelocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures andmetallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. Theremaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Amajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone agesfor all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has beengiven to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and errorestimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effectsand introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agreewell with those by Edvardsson et al. (\cite{edv93}), despite severalastrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate,however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause thedistribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of thetrue age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations ofthe Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presentedhere, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and theage-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of theSolar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor Gdwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarfproblem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk,the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since itsformation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, andthe continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiencyconsistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giantmolecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the Vcomponent of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity,corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather thanclassical moving groups, and may complicate the identification ofthick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of thisrich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteriafor the sample and the distribution of observational errors.Based on observations made with the Danish 1.5-m telescope at ESO, LaSilla, Chile, and with the Swiss 1-m telescope at Observatoire deHaute-Provence, France.Complete Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/418/989

Improved Astrometry and Photometry for the Luyten Catalog. II. Faint Stars and the Revised Catalog
We complete construction of a catalog containing improved astrometry andnew optical/infrared photometry for the vast majority of NLTT starslying in the overlap of regions covered by POSS I and by the secondincremental Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) release, approximately 44%of the sky. The epoch 2000 positions are typically accurate to 130 mas,the proper motions to 5.5 mas yr-1, and the V-J colors to0.25 mag. Relative proper motions of binary components are measured to 3mas yr-1. The false-identification rate is ~1% for11<~V<~18 and substantially less at brighter magnitudes. Theseimprovements permit the construction of a reduced proper-motion diagramthat, for the first time, allows one to classify NLTT stars intomain-sequence (MS) stars, subdwarfs (SDs), and white dwarfs (WDs). We inturn use this diagram to analyze the properties of both our catalog andthe NLTT catalog on which it is based. In sharp contrast to popularbelief, we find that NLTT incompleteness in the plane is almostcompletely concentrated in MS stars, and that SDs and WDs are detectedalmost uniformly over the sky δ>-33deg. Our catalogwill therefore provide a powerful tool to probe these populationsstatistically, as well as to reliably identify individual SDs and WDs.

Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 Parsecs: The Northern Sample. I.
We have embarked on a project, under the aegis of the Nearby Stars(NStars)/Space Interferometry Mission Preparatory Science Program, toobtain spectra, spectral types, and, where feasible, basic physicalparameters for the 3600 dwarf and giant stars earlier than M0 within 40pc of the Sun. In this paper, we report on the results of this projectfor the first 664 stars in the northern hemisphere. These resultsinclude precise, homogeneous spectral types, basic physical parameters(including the effective temperature, surface gravity, and overallmetallicity [M/H]), and measures of the chromospheric activity of ourprogram stars. Observed and derived data presented in this paper arealso available on the project's Web site.

3D mapping of the dense interstellar gas around the Local Bubble
We present intermediate results from a long-term program of mapping theneutral absorption characteristics of the local interstellar medium,motivated by the availability of accurate and consistent parallaxes fromthe Hipparcos satellite. Equivalent widths of the interstellar NaID-line doublet at 5890 Å are presented for the lines-of-sighttowards some 311 new target stars lying within ~ 350 pc of the Sun.Using these data, together with NaI absorption measurements towards afurther ~ 240 nearby targets published in the literature (for many ofthem, in the directions of molecular clouds), and the ~ 450lines-of-sight already presented by (Sfeir et al. \cite{sfeir99}), weshow 3D absorption maps of the local distribution of neutral gas towards1005 sight-lines with Hipparcos distances as viewed from a variety ofdifferent galactic projections.The data are synthesized by means of two complementary methods, (i) bymapping of iso-equivalent width contours, and (ii) by densitydistribution calculation from the inversion of column-densities, amethod devised by Vergely et al. (\cite{vergely01}). Our present dataconfirms the view that the local cavity is deficient in cold and neutralinterstellar gas. The closest dense and cold gas ``wall'', in the firstquadrant, is at ~ 55-60 pc. There are a few isolated clouds at closerdistance, if the detected absorption is not produced by circumstellarmaterial.The maps reveal narrow or wide ``interstellar tunnels'' which connectthe Local Bubble to surrounding cavities, as predicted by the model ofCox & Smith (1974). In particular, one of these tunnels, defined bystars at 300 to 600 pc from the Sun showing negligible sodiumabsorption, connects the well known CMa void (Gry et al. \cite{gry85}),which is part of the Local Bubble, with the supershell GSH 238+00+09(Heiles \cite{heiles98}). High latitude lines-of-sight with the smallestabsorption are found in two ``chimneys'', whose directions areperpendicular to the Gould belt plane. The maps show that the LocalBubble is ``squeezed'' by surrounding shells in a complicated patternand suggest that its pressure is smaller than in those expandingregions.We discuss the locations of several HI and molecular clouds. Usingcomparisons between NaI and HI or CO velocities, in some cases we areable to improve the constraints on their distances. According to thevelocity criteria, MBM 33-37, MBM 16-18, UT 3-7, and MBM 54-55 arecloser than ~ 100 pc, and MBM 40 is closer than 80 pc. Dense HI cloudsare seen at less than 90 pc and 85 pc in the directions of the MBM 12and MBM 41-43 clouds respectively, but the molecular clouds themselvesmay be far beyond. The above closest molecular clouds are located at theneutral boundary of the Bubble. Only one translucent cloud, G192-67, isclearly embedded within the LB and well isolated.These maps of the distribution of local neutral interstellar NaI gas arealso briefly compared with the distribution of both interstellar dustand neutral HI gas within 300 pc.Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp:cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/411/447

Statistical cataloging of archival data for luminosity class IV-V stars. II. The epoch 2001 [Fe/H] catalog
This paper describes the derivation of an updated statistical catalog ofmetallicities. The stars for which those metallicities apply are ofspectral types F, G, and K, and are on or near the main sequence. Theinput data for the catalog are values of [Fe/H] published before 2002February and derived from lines of weak and moderate strength. Theanalyses used to derive the data have been based on one-dimensional LTEmodel atmospheres. Initial adjustments which are applied to the datainclude corrections to a uniform temperature scale which is given in acompanion paper (see Taylor \cite{t02}). After correction, the data aresubjected to a statistical analysis. For each of 941 stars considered,the results of that analysis include a mean value of [Fe/H], an rmserror, an associated number of degrees of freedom, and one or moreidentification numbers for source papers. The catalog of these resultssupersedes an earlier version given by Taylor (\cite{t94b}).Catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/398/731

Statistical cataloging of archival data for luminosity class IV-V stars. I. The epoch 2001 temperature catalog
This paper is one of a pair in which temperatures and metallicitycatalogs for class IV-V stars are considered. The temperature catalogdescribed here is derived from a calibration based on stellar angulardiameters. If published calibrations of this kind are compared by usingcolor-index transformations, temperature-dependent differences among thecalibrations are commonly found. However, such differences are minimizedif attention is restricted to calibrations based on Johnson V-K. Acalibration of this sort from Di Benedetto (\cite{dib98}) is thereforetested and adopted. That calibration is then applied to spectroscopicand photometric data, with the latter predominating. Cousins R-Iphotometry receives special attention because of its high precision andlow metallicity sensitivity. Testing of temperatures derived from thecalibration suggests that their accuracy and precision are satisfactory,though further testing will be warranted as new results appear. Thesetemperatures appear in the catalog as values of theta equiv5040/T(effective). Most of these entries are accompanied by measured orderived values of Cousins R-I. Entries are given for 951 stars.Catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymousftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/398/721

Rotation and differential rotation in field F- and G-type stars
We present a detailed study of rotation and differential rotationanalyzing high resolution high S/N spectra of 142 F-, G- and earlyK-type field stars. Using Least Squares Deconvolution we obtainbroadening profiles for our sample stars and use the Fourier transformmethod to determine projected rotational velocities v sin i.Distributions of rotational velocities and periods are studied in theHR-diagram. For a subsample of 32 stars of spectral type F0-G0 we derivethe amount of differential rotation in terms of alpha = (Omega_Equator- Omega_Pole )/Omega_Equator . We find evidence for differentialrotation in ten of the 32 stars. Differential rotation seems to be morecommon in slower rotators, but deviations from rigid rotation are alsofound in some fast rotators. We search for correlations betweendifferential rotation and parameters relevant for stellar activity andshow indications against strong differential rotation in very activestars. We derive values of Delta P and Delta Omega , which support aperiod dependence of differential rotation. Derived lap times 2pi /DeltaOmega are of the order of 20 d and contradict the assumption thatconstant lap times of the order of the solar one ( ~ 130 d) are therule in stars that are thought to harbour magnetic dynamos.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla.Tables 3 and A1 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.125.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/398/647

Photometric Investigation of the MBM 12 Molecular Cloud Area in Aries. II. Cloud Distance
Photoelectric magnitudes and color indices in the Vilnius seven-colorsystem for 152 stars are used to investigate the interstellar extinctionin the area of the Aries molecular cloud MBM 12, coinciding with theL1454 and L1457 dust clouds. Spectral types, absolute magnitudes, colorexcesses, interstellar extinctions and distances of the stars aredetermined. The plot of interstellar extinction A_V versus distanceshows that the dust cloud is situated at a distance of 325 pc, at 180 pcfrom the Galactic plane, and its true diameter is about 11 pc. Theinterstellar extinction law in the area is found to be normal, typicalfor the diffuse dust. Ten peculiar or unresolved binary stars and someheavily reddened stars are detected.

Photometric Investigation of the MBM 12 Molecular Cloud Area in Aries. I. Photoelectric Photometry
The results of photoelectric photometry in the Vilnius seven-colorsystem are given for 152 stars down to 12.2 mag in the area of themolecular cloud MBM 12 and the dust clouds L1454 and L1457 in Aries. Theresults of photometric classification of stars are also given. Theinvestigation of interstellar extinction in the area is described in thenext paper.

A new look at dynamo cycle amplitudes
We explore the dependence of the amplitude of stellar dynamo cyclevariability (as seen in the Mount Wilson Ca II HK timeseries data) onother stellar parameters. We find that the fractional cycle amplitudeA_cyc (i.e. the ratio of the peak-to-peak variation to the average)decreases somewhat with mean activity, increases with decreasingeffective temperature, but is not correlated with inverse Rossby numberRo-1. We find that A_cyc increases with the ratio of cycleand rotational frequencies omega_cyc /Omega along two, nearly parallelbranches.

A Spectroscopic and Photometric Survey of Stars in the Field of L1457: A New Distance Determination
We present a spectroscopic and photometric survey of a sample of fieldstars in the region of the molecular cloud L1457. High-qualitycoudé feed spectra, together with five-band photometry in theSloan Digital Sky Survey system and near-infrared archival data from theTwo Micron All Sky Survey, are used to derive color excesses anddistances for the stars. Based on these data, a new distance estimate of360+/-30 pc is derived for the cloud, supporting recent results by K. L.Luhman. The data further indicate that the north-south velocity gradientseen in the millimeter-wave CO data is mirrored in a distance gradient,with the northern part of the cloud being closer to us. A second, lessopaque, layer of extinction is detected at ~80 pc. This distance isconsistent with the earlier distance estimates to the cloud, based on NaI absorption. We identify this layer with the wall of the hot LocalBubble. Hence, the dense cloud is not, as previously thought, associatedwith the Local Bubble.

HIPPARCOS age-metallicity relation of the solar neighbourhood disc stars
We derive age-metallicity relations (AMRs) and orbital parameters forthe 1658 solar neighbourhood stars to which accurate distances aremeasured by the HIPPARCOS satellite. The sample stars comprise 1382 thindisc stars, 229 thick disc stars, and 47 halo stars according to theirorbital parameters. We find a considerable scatter for thin disc AMRalong the one-zone Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model. Orbits andmetallicities of thin disc stars show now clear relation each other. Thescatter along the AMR exists even if the stars with the same orbits areselected. We examine simple extension of one-zone GCE models whichaccount for inhomogeneity in the effective yield and inhomogeneous starformation rate in the Galaxy. Both extensions of the one-zone GCE modelcannot account for the scatter in age - [Fe/H] - [Ca/Fe] relationsimultaneously. We conclude, therefore, that the scatter along the thindisc AMR is an essential feature in the formation and evolution of theGalaxy. The AMR for thick disc stars shows that the star formationterminated 8 Gyr ago in the thick disc. As already reported by Grattonet al. (\cite{Gratton_et.al.2000}) and Prochaska et al.(\cite{Prochaska_et.al.2000}), thick disc stars are more Ca-rich thanthin disc stars with the same [Fe/H]. We find that thick disc stars showa vertical abundance gradient. These three facts, the AMR, verticalgradient, and [Ca/Fe]-[Fe/H] relation, support monolithic collapseand/or accretion of satellite dwarf galaxies as likely thick discformation scenarios. Tables 2 and 3 are only available in electronicform at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5)or via http:/ /cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/ cgi-bin/qcat?J/ A+A/394/927

CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
The Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.

Long-Term VRI Photometry of Small-Amplitude Red Variables. I. Light Curves and Periods
We report up to 5000 days of VRI photometry, from a robotic photometrictelescope, of 34 pulsating red giants, namely, TV Psc, EG And, Z Psc, RZAnd, 4 Ori, RX Lep, UW Lyn, η Gem, μ Gem, ψ1 Aur,V523 Mon, V614 Mon, HD 52690, Y Lyn, BC CMi, X Cnc, UX Lyn, RS Cnc, VYUMa, ST UMa, TU CVn, FS Com, SW Vir, 30 Her, α1 Her,V642 Her, R Lyr, V450 Aql, V1293 Aql, δ Sge, EU Del, V1070 Cyg, WCyg, and μ Cep, as well as a few variable comparison stars. V, R, andI variations are generally in phase. The length and density of the dataenable us to look for variations on timescales ranging from days toyears. We use both power-spectrum (Fourier) analysis and autocorrelationanalysis, as well as light-curve analysis; these three approaches arecomplementary. The variations range from regular to irregular, but inmost of the stars, we find a period in the range of 20-200 days, whichis probably due to low-order radial pulsation. In many of the stars, wealso find a period which is an order of magnitude longer. It may be dueto rotation, or it may be due to a new kind of convectively inducedoscillatory thermal mode, recently proposed by P. Wood.

Levels of coronal and chromospheric activity in late-type stars and various types of dynamo waves
We analyze the X-ray emission and chromospheric activity of late-type F,G, and K stars studied in the framework of the HK project. More powerfulcoronas are possessed by stars displaying irregular variations of theirchromospheric emission, while stars with cyclic activity arecharacterized by comparatively modest X-ray luminosities and ratios ofthe X-ray to bolometric luminosity L X/L bol. This indicates that thenature of processes associated with magnetic-field amplification in theconvective envelope changes appreciably in the transition from small tolarge dynamo numbers, directly affecting the character of the(α-Ω) dynamo. Due to the strong dependence of both thedynamo number and the Rossby number on the speed of axial rotation,earlier correlations found between various activity parameters and theRossby number are consistent with our conclusions. Our analysis makes itpossible to draw the first firm conclusions about the place of solaractivity among analogous processes developing in active late-type stars.

The Flux Deficits in Star Spots
The bolometric flux deficits of the photospheres of spotted stars arederived for the first time in the framework of zonal spottedness modelsfor red dwarfs computed at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. Theresulting flux deficits are compared to the estimated radiative lossesfrom the chromospheres and coronas measured during quasi-simultaneousobservations. A linear correlation is found between the logarithms ofthese quantities, with the Sun fitting these relations. Radiative lossesfrom the outer stellar atmospheres in quiescence and during individualsporadic flares are significantly lower than the bolometric deficits ofthe spotted photospheres of active stars. This suggests that the fluxdeficit due to spots leads to global reconstruction of the atmospheresof red dwarfs, analogous to the local atmospheric reconstruction thatoccurs during solar and stellar flares. This process may be realized viathe superposition of a large number of weak impulsive flares and otherdynamic events, which develop on these stars and heat their coronas(i.e., in this view, microflaring is favored as the principal coronalheating mechanism for these stars). A brief analysis of the long-termvariations in the chromospheric and photospheric radiation of F-K starsfrom the HK project and of the Sun suggests that such dynamicalreconstruction of the outer atmosphere by energy associated with theflux deficit of the spotted photosphere occurs at times of increasedsurface activity in all F-M stars.

Near-Infrared Spectral Classification of Late M and L Dwarfs
We present near-infrared (1-2.5 μm), low-resolution spectroscopy of11 ultracool dwarfs, with spectral types ranging from M7 to L8.Combining our observations with data published by Leggett et al. in2001, we have measured equivalent widths for the strongest atomicfeatures and constructed narrowband indices to gauge the strength of thestrongest molecular features. Those measurements show that the behaviorat near-infrared wavelengths is well correlated with spectral type,where the latter is defined from observations between 6300 and 10000Å. In particular, four indices designed to measure absorption inthe wings of the 1.4 and 1.85 μm steam bands exhibit a linear,monotonic correlation with spectral type on the Kirkpatrick et al.system (published in 1999), allowing consistent calibration from bothoptical and near-infrared spectroscopy.

The distance to the nearest star-forming clouds: MBM12 and MBM20
We present high-resolution spectra (R ~ 49,000) of stars that haveparallax measurements from the Hipparcos satellite and are projectedalong the line of sight to the two nearest known star forming clouds tothe Sun: MBM12 and MBM20. The spectra were obtained with the FOCESEchelle Spectrograph at the 2.2 meter telescope in Calar Alto, Spain andthe wavelength range was chosen to include the interstellar Na I D linesat lambda 5889.950 Ä and lambda 5895.924 Ä. Since the starsare at a range of distances, we use their spectra along with theirparallaxes from Hipparcos to determine the distance to the moleculargas. The stars in front of the cloud do not show interstellar Na I Dabsorption features while the stars behind the cloud do showinterstellar absorption features. We find that both clouds are somewhatmore distant than previously estimated. The revised distance to MBM12 is58+/-5 pc < d < 90+/-12 pc and the distance to MBM20 is 112+/-15pc < d < 161+/-21 pc.

ROSAT PSPC observations of T Tauri stars in MBM12 PSPC observations of T Tauri stars in MBM12
We present the ROSAT PSPC pointed and ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS)observations and the results of our low and high spectral resolutionoptical follow-up observations of the T Tauri stars (TTS) and X-rayselected T Tauri star candidates in the region of the high galacticlatitude dark cloud MBM12 (L1453-L1454, L1457, L1458). Previousobservations have revealed 3 ``classical'' T Tauri stars and 1``weak-line'' T Tauri star along the line of sight to the cloud. Becauseof the proximity of the cloud to the sun, all of the previously knownTTS along this line of sight were detected in the 25 ks ROSAT PSPCpointed observation of the cloud. We conducted follow-up opticalspectroscopy at the 2.2-meter telescope at Calar Alto to look forsignatures of youth in additional X-ray selected T Tauri starcandidates. These observations allowed us to confirm the existence of 4additional TTS associated with the cloud and at least 2 young mainsequence stars that are not associated with the cloud and place an upperlimit on the age of the TTS in MBM12 ~ 10 Myr. The distance to MBM12 hasbeen revised from the previous estimate of 65+/-5 pc to 65+/-35 pc basedon results of the Hipparcos satellite. At this distance MBM12 is thenearest known molecular cloud to the sun with recent star formation. Weestimate a star-formation efficiency for the cloud of 2-24%. We havealso identified a reddened G9 star behind the cloud with A_v ~ 8.4-8.9mag. Therefore, there are at least two lines of sight through the cloudthat show larger extinctions (A_v > 5 mag) than previously thoughtfor this cloud. This higher extinction explains why MBM12 is capable ofstar-formation while most other high-latitude clouds are not. Table~4 isonly available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html.}

Time Evolution of the Magnetic Activity Cycle Period. II. Results for an Expanded Stellar Sample
We further explore nondimensional relationships between the magneticdynamo cycle period P_cyc, the rotational period P_rot, the activitylevel (as observed in Ca II HK), and other stellar properties byexpanding the stellar sample studied in the first paper in this series.We do this by adding photometric and other cycles seen in active starsand the secondaries of CV systems and by selectively adding less certaincycles from the Mount Wilson HK survey; evolved stars, long-term HKtrends and secondary P_cyc are also considered. We confirm that moststars with age t>~0.1 Gyr occupy two roughly parallel branches,separated by a factor of ~6 in P_cyc, with the ratio of cycle androtational frequencies ω_cyc/Ω~Ro^-0.5, where Ro is theRossby number. Using the model of the first paper in this series, thisresult implies that the α effect increases with mean magneticfield (contrary to the traditional α-quenching concept) and thatα and ω_cyc decrease with t. Stars are not strictlysegregated onto one or the other branch by activity level, though thehigh-ω_cyc/Ω branch is primarily composed of inactive stars.The expanded data set suggests that for t>~1 Gyr, stars can havecycles on one or both branches, though among older stars, those withhigher (lower) mass tend to have their primary P_cyc on the lower(upper) ω_cyc/Ω branch. The Sun's ~80 yr Gleissberg cycleagrees with this scenario, suggesting that long-term activity ``trends''in many stars may be segments of long (P_cyc~50-100 yr) cycles not yetresolved by the data. Most very active stars (P_rot<3 days) appear tooccupy a new, third branch with ω_cyc/Ω~Ro^0.4. Many RS CVnvariables lie in a transition region between the two most activebranches. We compare our results with various models, discuss theirimplications for dynamo theory and evolution, and use them to predictP_cyc for three groups: stars with long-term HK trends, stars in youngopen clusters, and stars that may be in Maunder-like magnetic minima.

Speckle Interferometry of New and Problem HIPPARCOS Binaries
The ESA Hipparcos satellite made measurements of over 12,000 doublestars and discovered 3406 new systems. In addition to these, 4706entries in the Hipparcos Catalogue correspond to double star solutionsthat did not provide the classical parameters of separation and positionangle (rho,theta) but were the so-called problem stars, flagged ``G,''``O,'' ``V,'' or ``X'' (field H59 of the main catalog). An additionalsubset of 6981 entries were treated as single objects but classified byHipparcos as ``suspected nonsingle'' (flag ``S'' in field H61), thusyielding a total of 11,687 ``problem stars.'' Of the many ground-basedtechniques for the study of double stars, probably the one with thegreatest potential for exploration of these new and problem Hipparcosbinaries is speckle interferometry. Results are presented from aninspection of 848 new and problem Hipparcos binaries, using botharchival and new speckle observations obtained with the USNO and CHARAspeckle cameras.

Kinematics and Metallicity of Stars in the Solar Region
Several samples of nearby stars with the most accurate astrometric andphotometric parameters are searched for clues to their evolutionaryhistory. The main samples are (1) the main-sequence stars with b - ybetween 0.29 and 0.59 mag (F3 to K1) in the Yale parallax catalog, (2) agroup of high-velocity subgiants studied spectroscopically by Ryan &Lambert, and (3) high-velocity main-sequence stars in the extensiveinvestigation by Norris, Bessel, & Pickles. The major conclusionsare as follows: (1) The oldest stars (halo), t >= 10-12 Gyr, haveV-velocities (in the direction of Galactic rotation and referred to theSun) in the range from about -50 to -800 km s^-1 and have aheavy-element abundance [Fe/H] of less than about -0.8 dex. The agerange of these objects depends on our knowledge of globular clusterages, but if age is correlated with V-velocity, the youngest may be M22and M28 (V ~ -50 km s^-1) and the oldest NGC 3201 (V ~ -500 km s^-1) andassorted field stars. (2) The old disk population covers the large agerange from about 2 Gyr (Hyades, NGC 752) to 10 or 12 Gyr (Arcturusgroup, 47 Tuc), but the lag (V) velocity is restricted to less thanabout 120 km s^-1 and [Fe/H] >= -0.8 or -0.9 dex. The [Fe/H] ~ -0.8dex division between halo and old disk, near t ~ 10-12 Gyr, is marked bya change in the character of the CN index (C_m) and of the blanketingparameter K of the DDO photometry. (3) The young disk population, t <2 Gyr, is confined exclusively to a well-defined area of the (U, V)velocity plane. The age separating young and old disk stars is also thatseparating giant evolution of the Hyades (near main-sequence luminosity)and M67 (degenerate helium cores and a large luminosity rise) kinds. Thetwo disk populations are also separated by such indexes as the g-indexof Geveva photometry. There appears to be no obvious need to invokeexogeneous influences to understand the motion and heavy-elementabundance distributions of the best-observed stars near the Sun.Individual stars of special interest include the parallax star HD 55575,which may be an equal-component binary, and the high-velocity star HD220127, with a well-determined space velocity near 1000 km s^-1.

The ROSAT all-sky survey catalogue of optically bright main-sequence stars and subgiant stars
We present X-ray data for all main-sequence and subgiant stars ofspectral types A, F, G, and K and luminosity classes IV and V listed inthe Bright Star Catalogue that have been detected as X-ray sources inthe ROSAT all-sky survey; several stars without luminosity class arealso included. The catalogue contains 980 entries yielding an averagedetection rate of 32 percent. In addition to count rates, sourcedetection parameters, hardness ratios, and X-ray fluxes we also listX-ray luminosities derived from Hipparcos parallaxes. The catalogue isalso available in electronic form via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

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Observation and Astrometry data

Constellation:Κριός
Right ascension:02h56m26.10s
Declination:+18°01'23.0"
Apparent magnitude:5.63
Distance:35.411 parsecs
Proper motion RA:276.7
Proper motion Dec:-211.5
B-T magnitude:6.114
V-T magnitude:5.635

Catalogs and designations:
Proper NamesAl Butain ath Thaani
  (Edit)
Bayerργ Ari
Flamsteed46 Ari
HD 1989HD 18256
TYCHO-2 2000TYC 1227-1401-1
USNO-A2.0USNO-A2 1050-00787586
BSC 1991HR 869
HIPHIP 13702

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