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Abstract We present 3D velocity measurements and acceleration limits for stars within a few parsec of the Galactic Center (GC) black hole, Sgr A*, based on observations of 43 and 86 GHz circumstellar maser emission. Observations were taken with the Very Large Array in 2013, 2014, and 2020 and with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in 2015 and 2017. We detect 28 masers in total, of which four are new detections. Combining these data with extant maser astrometry, we calculate stellar proper motions and accelerations with uncertainties as low as ∼10μas yr−1and 0.5μas yr−2, respectively, corresponding to approximately 0.5 km s−1and 0.04 km s−1yr−1at a distance of 8 kpc. We measure radial velocities from maser spectra with ∼0.5 km s−1uncertainties, though the precision and accuracy of such measurements for deducing the underlying stellar velocities are limited by the complex spectral profiles of some masers. We therefore measure radial acceleration limits with typical uncertainties of ∼0.1 km s−1yr−1. We analyze the resulting 3D velocities and accelerations with respect to expected motions resulting from models of the mass distribution in the GC.
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The Extreme Stellar-signals Project. III. Combining Solar Data from HARPS, HARPS-N, EXPRES, and NEID
Abstract We present an analysis of Sun-as-a-star observations from four different high-resolution, stabilized spectrographs—HARPS, HARPS-N, EXPRES, and NEID. With simultaneous observations of the Sun from four different instruments, we are able to gain insight into the radial velocity precision and accuracy delivered by each of these instruments and isolate instrumental systematics that differ from true astrophysical signals. With solar observations, we can completely characterize the expected Doppler shift contributed by orbiting Solar System bodies and remove them. This results in a data set with measured velocity variations that purely trace flows on the solar surface. Direct comparisons of the radial velocities measured by each instrument show remarkable agreement with residual intraday scatter of only 15–30 cm s−1. This shows that current ultra-stabilized instruments have broken through to a new level of measurement precision that reveals stellar variability with high fidelity and detail. We end by discussing how radial velocities from different instruments can be combined to provide powerful leverage for testing techniques to mitigate stellar signals.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2009528
- PAR ID:
- 10465653
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astronomical Journal
- Volume:
- 166
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0004-6256
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 173
- Size(s):
- Article No. 173
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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