The Ritter Observatory classical Be star observational  program

Description

An extensive observational program aimed at obtaining long-term high-resolution spectroscopic observations of bright classical Be stars is carried out at the Ritter Observatory of the University of Toledo. We use a 1-meter telescope equipped with a fiberfed echelle spectrograph + a CCD detector in Coude focus. The spectra contain 9 non-overlapping orders of 70 A each in a range 5285-6600 A. This region includes such important spectral lines as Fe II 5317, He I 5876, Na I 5889 and 5895, Si II 6347 and 6371, and H-alpha. The spectral resolving power is about 26000.  The program has been started in early 1990s, but got to its full swing since 1997. Currently we are able to obtain high signal-to-noise data for stars  brighter than 7.5 mag. The aim of the program is to monitor the spectroscopic behavior of a large sample of Be stars for a better understanding the physical properties of this class of objects.
 

Some important results

  • Presence of the H-alpha line in emission is discovered in HD 4881 and HD 5839 (Miroshnichenko et al., 1999, MNRAS, 302, 612)
  • A new phase of the long-term radial velocity (RV)  and V/R variations in the spectrum of Zeta Tauri is detected since 1995. [Preprint]
  • Periodic RV variations of the emission peak and the absorption wings of the H-alpha profile are detected in Pi Aquarii during the weak-disk phase for the first  time.  The variations are attributed to the orbital motion of stellar components in  a binary system (Bjorkman, Miroshnichenko, McDavid, & Pogrosheva 2002, ApJ, 573, 812). [Preprint ]
  • Periodic RV variations in the Fe II 5317 and H-alpha lines are detected in Gamma Cassiopeae.  Thus, we confirm the finding of Harmanec et al. (2000, A&A, 364, L85), who detected the 203.59-day period in the RV variations of the H-alpha and He I 6678 A lines. (Miroshnichenko, Bjorkman, & Krugov 2002. PASP, 114, 1226)
  • Our monitoring of the Be outburst in Delta Sco in August-October 2000 resulted in the orbital solution refinement  for this high-eccentric binary system  (Miroshnichenko et al. 2001, A&A, 377, 485)[Preprint] The results of the follow-up monitoring showing the development of its circumstellar disk is presented in Miroshnichenko et al. 2003, A&A, 408, 305. [Preprint]

    • Target list(listed are numbers of spectra obtained during the years shown)

       HR      HD    Name       V     Sp.T.      1993     1994      1995      1996      1997      1998      1999      2000      2001      2002 2003   2004  Total    Sample
       193      4180 Omi Cas      4.5       B5                            9     12      6        27         Y
       241      4881        6.2    B9.5                    2             2                  4         Y
       264      5394 Gam Cas      2.2       B0+          2            1         3          23        14         28         40          50     38     22     5    226  
           5839        6.7       B9                    2                      2         Y
           6343 MWC 10      7.3       B7                    1                      1         Y
       335      6811 Phi And      4.2       B7                         4            8            6        1        19         Y
       496    10516 Phi Per      4.1   B0+O          2          1          5              4          2                1            15         Y
         11606 V777 Cas      7.0       B2                         2                2         Y
       985    20336 BK Cam      4.8      B2.5          2                          2            1       1          6         Y
     1087    22192 Psi Per      4.2       B5          2            3            11          2          8           9          11            5       8        58         Y
     1180    23862 BU Tau      5.1       B8+              4                1              1              6         Y
     1273    25940 48 Per      4.0       B3              3              1            4          3            3            3       1        18         Y
     1622    32343 BV Cam      5.0      B2.5                            3            1            4  
     1679    33328 Lam Eri      4.3       B2          1          6                3                  1            11         Y
     1910    37202 ZetaTau*      3.0       B2+          2          1          3         2          13        20        31         15          19          10     25      7    146         Y
     1934    37490  Ome Ori      4.5       B2              3         9            2            4              1            3       1        23         Y
     2284    44458 FR CMa      5.5       B1              3                1                  4         Y
     2343    45542 Nu Gem      4.1       B6                            7            6       6        19         Y
         50083 V742Mon      6.9       B2                         1                1         Y
     2749    56139 OmeCMa      4.0       B2+                            4            5       2        11  
     2817    58050 OT Gem      6.4       B2                    5                    5         Y
     2845    58715 Beta CMi      2.9       B8                         8          23          22     20      8      81         Y
     2855    58978 FY CMa      5.6       B0                      1           1                2         Y
     4787  109387 Kap Dra      3.9       B6             1         8          16        29        19           5          34          42      26     15    194  
     5778  138749 The CrB      4.1       B6             1         3            8        26          1           1            8            8      10       2      68  
     5938  142926 4 Her      5.7       B9+                            3            3            6         Y
     5941  142983 48 Lib*      4.9       B4            7         2         3            5         2              10          11       8      3      52         Y
     5953  143275 Del Sco      2.3       B0+            1                   20          40          45     41    14    161  
     6118  148184 Chi Oph      4.4       B2+                            9          13     12      4      38         Y
     6712  164284 66 Oph      4.6       B2                   5             3          13            6       8        36         Y
     6779  166014 Omi Her      3.8      B9.5                         1            9            8       4        22         Y
     7040  173370  4 Aql      5.0       B9                         2           3          5         Y
     7084  174237 CX Dra      5.9    B2.5+            3                            3         Y
     7106  174639 Beta Lyr      3.5     B+A                 81       36        44         16            177  
     7565  187811 12 Vul      4.9      B2.5                         1              6            7         Y
     7708  191610 28 Cyg      4.9      B2.5                    32             3            1       2        38         Y
     8053  200310 60 Cyg      5.4       B1+                 12          4           2           7            4       2        31         Y
     8146  202904 66 Cyg      4.4       B2                           5            7       5        17         Y
       203699 MWC368      6.9      B2.5                   2                      2         Y
       206773 MWC376      6.8       B0                           2              2         Y
     8539  212571 Pi Aqr      4.8       B1+               8         17         8        30         14         23            7      19      126         Y
     8731  217050 EW Lac      5.4       B3                           6              6         Y
     8762   217676 OmiAnd*      3.6       B6          7         7         16           10       14           13           1            70         Y
     8773  217891 Beta Psc      4.5       B6                           4              4         Y
    Total       44              18       25         46       36       201      176      210       161       324        273      223     58  1751  

    Comments:
    * some spectra were obtained before 1993
    + in spectral type indicates confirmed bynary systems
    Y  in the last column indicates that the link to figures with the sample profiles is active
    Numbers in red will be updated


    Last updated: 2004 April 29