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1. Fundamental stellar parameters of benchmark stars from CHARA interferometry: II. Dwarf stars

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202141833  

   Karovicova, I. ; White, T. R. ; Nordlander, T. ; Casagrande, L. ; Ireland, M. ; Huber, D. ( February 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. Stellar models applied to large stellar surveys of the Milky Way need to be properly tested against a sample of stars with highly reliable fundamental stellar parameters. We have established a programme aiming to deliver such a sample of stars. Aims. Here we present new fundamental stellar parameters of nine dwarf stars that will be used as benchmark stars for large stellar surveys. One of these stars is the solar-twin 18 Sco, which is also one of the Gaia -ESO benchmarks. The goal is to reach a precision of 1% in effective temperature ( T eff ). This precision is important for accurate determinations of the full set of fundamental parameters and abundances of stars observed by the surveys. Methods. We observed HD 131156 ( ξ Boo), HD 146233 (18 Sco), HD 152391, HD 173701, HD 185395 ( θ Cyg), HD 186408 (16 Cyg A), HD 186427 (16 Cyg B), HD 190360, and HD 207978 (15 Peg) using the high angular resolution optical interferometric instrument PAVO at the CHARA Array. We derived limb-darkening corrections from 3D model atmospheres and determined T eff directly from the Stefan–Boltzmann relation, with an iterative procedure to interpolate over tables of bolometric corrections. Surface gravities were estimated from comparisons to Dartmouth stellar evolution model tracks. We collected spectroscopic observations from the ELODIE spectrograph and estimated metallicities ([Fe/H]) from a 1D non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) abundance analysis of unblended lines of neutral and singly ionised iron. Results. For eight of the nine stars we measure the T eff ⪅ 1%, and for one star better than 2%. We determined the median uncertainties in log  g and [Fe/H] as 0.015 dex and 0.05 dex, respectively. Conclusions. This study presents updated fundamental stellar parameters of nine dwarf stars that can be used as a new set of benchmarks. All the fundamental stellar parameters were based on consistently combining interferometric observations, 3D limb-darkening modelling, and spectroscopic analysis. The next paper in this series will extend our sample to giants in the metal-rich range. 

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2. Fundamental stellar parameters of benchmark stars from CHARA interferometry: III. Giant and subgiant stars

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142100  

   Karovicova, I. ; White, T. R. ; Nordlander, T. ; Casagrande, L. ; Ireland, M. ; Huber, D. ( February 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. Large spectroscopic surveys of the Milky Way must be calibrated against a sample of benchmark stars to ensure the reliable determination of atmospheric parameters. Aims. Here, we present new fundamental stellar parameters of seven giant and subgiant stars that will serve as benchmark stars for large surveys. The aim is to reach a precision of 1% in the effective temperature. This precision is essential for accurate determinations of the full set of fundamental parameters and abundances for stars observed by the stellar surveys. Methods. We observed HD 121370 ( η Boo), HD 161797 ( μ Her), HD 175955, HD 182736, HD 185351, HD 188512 ( β Aql), and HD 189349, using the high angular resolution optical interferometric instrument PAVO at the CHARA Array. The limb-darkening corrections were determined from 3D model atmospheres based on the STAGGER grid. The T eff were determined directly from the Stefan-Boltzmann relation, with an iterative procedure to interpolate over tables of bolometric corrections. We estimated surface gravities from comparisons to Dartmouth stellar evolution model tracks. The spectroscopic observations were collected from the ELODIE and FIES spectrographs. We estimated metallicities ([Fe/H]) from a 1D non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) abundance analysis of unblended lines of neutral and singly ionised iron. Results. For six of the seven stars, we measured the value of T eff to better than 1% accuracy. For one star, HD 189349, the uncertainty on T eff is 2%, due to an uncertain bolometric flux. We do not recommend this star as a benchmark until this measurement can be improved. Median uncertainties for all stars in log  g and [Fe/H] are 0.034 dex and 0.07 dex, respectively. Conclusions. This study presents updated fundamental stellar parameters of seven giant and subgiant stars that can be used as a new set of benchmarks. All the fundamental stellar parameters were established on the basis of consistent combinations of interferometric observations, 3D limb-darkening modelling, and spectroscopic analysis. This paper in this series follows our previous papers featuring dwarf stars and stars in the metal-poor range. 

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3. Benchmarking the fundamental parameters of Ap stars with optical long-baseline interferometric measurements

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202038753  

   Perraut, K. ; Cunha, M. ; Romanovskaya, A. ; Shulyak, D. ; Ryabchikova, T. ; Hocdé, V. ; Nardetto, N. ; Mourard, D. ; Meilland, A. ; Morand, F. ; et al ( October 2020 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   null (Ed.)

   Context. The variety of physical processes at play in chemically peculiar stars makes it difficult to determine their fundamental parameters. In particular, for the magnetic ones, called Ap stars, the strong magnetic fields and the induced spotted stellar surfaces may lead to biased effective temperatures when these values are derived through spectro-photometry. Aims. We propose to benefit from the exquisite angular resolution provided by long-baseline interferometry in the visible to determine the accurate angular diameters of a number of Ap stars, and thus estimate their radii by a method that is as independent as possible of atmospheric models. Methods. We used the visible spectrograph VEGA at the CHARA interferometric array to complete the sample of Ap stars currently observable with this technique. We estimated the angular diameter and radius of six new targets. We estimated their bolometric flux based solely on observational spectroscopic and photometric data to derive nearly model-independent luminosities and effective temperatures. Results. We extend to 14 the number of Ap stars for which interferometric angular diameters have been measured. The fundamental parameters we derived for the complete Ap sample are compared with those obtained through a self-consistent spectroscopic analysis. Based on a model fitting approach of high-resolution spectra and spectro-photometric observations over a wide wavelength range, this method takes into account the anomalous chemical composition of the atmospheres and the inhomogeneous vertical distribution for different chemical elements. Regarding both the radii and the effective temperatures, the derived values from our interferometric observations and from self-consistent modelling are consistent within better than 2 σ for nine targets out of ten. We thus benchmark nine Ap stars for effective temperatures ranging from 7200 and 9100 K, and luminosities ranging between 7 L ⊙ and 86 L ⊙ . Conclusions. These results will be key for the future derivation of accurate radii and other fundamental parameters of fainter peculiar stars for which both the sensitivity and the angular resolution of the current interferometers are not sufficient. Within the context of the observations of Ap stars with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), these interferometric measurements are crucial for testing the mechanism of pulsation excitation at work in these peculiar stars. In particular, our interferometric measurements provide accurate locations in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for hot Ap stars among which pulsations may be searched for with TESS, putting to test the blue edge of the theoretical instability strip. These accurate locations could be used to derive masses and ages of these stars through a specific grid of models, and to test correlations between the properties of these peculiar stars and their evolutionary state. 

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4. The SPHINX M-dwarf Spectral Grid. I. Benchmarking New Model Atmospheres to Derive Fundamental M-dwarf Properties

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acabc2  

   Iyer, Aishwarya R. ; Line, Michael R. ; Muirhead, Philip S. ; Fortney, Jonathan J. ; Gharib-Nezhad, Ehsan ( February 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract About 70%–80% of stars in our solar and Galactic neighborhood are M dwarfs. They span a range of low masses and temperatures relative to solar-type stars, facilitating molecule formation throughout their atmospheres. Standard stellar atmosphere models primarily designed for FGK stars face challenges when characterizing broadband molecular features in spectra of cool stars. Here, we introduce SPHINX —a new 1D self-consistent radiative–convective thermochemical equilibrium chemistry model grid of atmospheres and spectra for M dwarfs in low resolution ( R ∼ 250). We incorporate the latest precomputed absorption cross sections with pressure broadening for key molecules dominant in late-K, early/main-sequence-M stars. We then validate our grid models by determining fundamental properties ( T eff , log g , [M/H], radius, and C/O) for 10 benchmark M+G binary stars with known host metallicities and 10 M dwarfs with interferometrically measured angular diameters. Incorporating the Gaussian process inference tool Starfish , we account for correlated and systematic noise in low-resolution (spectral stitching of SpeX, SNIFS, and STIS) observations and derive robust estimates of fundamental M-dwarf atmospheric parameters. Additionally, we assess the influence of photospheric heterogeneity on inferred [M/H] and find that it could explain some deviations from observations. We also probe whether the adopted convective mixing length parameter influences inferred radii, effective temperature, and [M/H] and again find that may explain discrepancies between interferometric observations and model-derived parameters for cooler M dwarfs. Mainly, we show the unique strength in leveraging broadband molecular absorption features occurring in low-resolution M dwarf spectra and demonstrate the ability to improve constraints on fundamental properties of exoplanet hosts and brown-dwarf companions. 

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5. M giants with IGRINS: I. Stellar parameters and α -abundance trends of the solar neighborhood population

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346149  

   Nandakumar, G. ; Ryde, N. ; Casagrande, L. ; Mace, G. ( July 2023 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. Cool stars, such as M giants, can only be analyzed in the near-infrared (NIR) regime due to the ubiquitous titanium oxide features in optical spectra of stars with T eff  < 4000 K. In dust-obscured regions, the inner bulge and Galactic center region, the intrinsically bright M giants observed in the NIR are an optimal option for studying stellar abundances and the chemical evolution of stellar populations. Because of the uncertainties in photometric methods, a method for determining the stellar parameters for M giants from the NIR spectra themselves is needed. Aims. We develop a method for determining the stellar parameters for M giants from the NIR spectra. We validate the method by deriving the stellar parameters for nearby well-studied M giants with spectra from the spectral library of the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrograph (IGRINS). We demonstrate the accuracy and precision of our method by determining the stellar parameters and α -element trends versus metallicity for solar neighborhood M giants. Methods. We carried out new observations of 44 M giant stars with IGRINS mounted on the Gemini South telescope. We also obtained the full H and K band IGRINS spectra of six nearby well-studied M giants at a spectral resolving power of R  = 45 000 from the IGRINS spectral library. We used the tool called spectroscopy made easy in combination with one-dimensional (1D) model atmospheres in a radiative and convective scheme (MARCS) stellar atmosphere models to model the synthetic spectrum that fits the observed spectrum best. Results. The effective temperatures that we derive from our new method (tested for 3400 ≲  T eff  ≲ 4000 K here) agree excellently with those of the six nearby well-studied M giants, which indicates that the accuracy is indeed high. For the 43 solar neighborhood M giants, our T eff , log g , [Fe/H], ξ micro , [C/Fe], [N/Fe], and [O/Fe] agree with APOGEE with mean differences and a scatter (our method – APOGEE) of −67±33 K, −0.31±0.15 dex, 0.02±0.05 dex, 0.22±0.13 km s −1 , −0.05±0.06 dex, 0.06±0.06 dex, and 0.02±0.09 dex, respectively. Furthermore, the tight offset with a small dispersion compared to the APOGEE T eff indicates a high precision in our derived temperatures and those derived from the APOGEE pipeline. The typical uncertainties in the stellar parameters are found to be ±100 K in T eff , ±0.2 dex in log g , ±0.1 dex in [Fe/H], and ±0.1 km s −1 in ξ micro . The α -element trends versus metallicity for Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti are consistent with the APOGEE DR17 trends for the same stars and with the GILD optical trends. We also find a clear enhancement in the abundances for thick-disk stars. 

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