Luminosity-velocity diagrams for 12 spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster are presented. Optical rotation curves obtained for the innermost portions of eight galaxies, complemented with velocity data from the literature, are coupled with luminosity growth curves to investigate the distance indication capabilities of the initial linear branch (ILB) feature and to delve into the physical basis for the T-F relation. Luminosity growth curves are obtained from Gunn r CCD images. The ILB feature is found to have a substantially larger dispersion in slope (~0.9) (and consequently, zero point) than previously thought. Plotting the magnitude and velocity of the final point in the ILB for all the galaxies in our sample yields a tight correlation (essentially an "inner T-F relation"), with the caveat that two galaxies are rejected from the fit (one is foreground, the other is a member of a binary pair). Ramifications of this relation are briefly discussed. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

Most studies of the pulsar magnetosphere have assumed a pure magnetic dipole in flat spacetime. However, recent work suggests that the effects of general relativity are in fact of vital importance and that realistic pulsar magnetic fields will have a significant nondipolar component. We introduce a general analytical method for studying the axisymmetric force-free magnetosphere of a slowly rotating star of arbitrary magnetic field, mass, radius, and moment of inertia, including all the effects of general relativity. We confirm that spacelike current is generically present in the polar caps (suggesting a pair production region), irrespective of the stellar magnetic field. We show that general relativity introduces a similar to 60% correction to the formula for the dipolar component of the surface magnetic field inferred from spindown. Finally, we show that the location and shape of the polar caps can be modified dramatically by even modestly strong higher moments. This can affect emission processes occurring near the star and may help explain the modified beam characteristics of millisecond pulsars.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-112). / Microfiche. / x, 112 leaves, bound ill. (some col.) 29 cm

In the canonical model of a pulsar, rotational energy is transmitted through the surrounding plasma via two electrical circuits, each connecting to the star over a small region known as a "polar cap." For a dipole-magnetized star, the polar caps coincide with the magnetic poles (hence the name), but in general, they can occur at any place and take any shape. In light of their crucial importance to most models of pulsar emission (from radio to X-ray to wind), we develop a general technique for determining polar cap properties. We consider a perfectly conducting star surrounded by a force-free magnetosphere and include the effects of general relativity. Using a combined numerical-analytical technique that leverages the rotation rate as a small parameter, we derive a general analytic formula for the polar cap shape and charge-current distribution as a function of the stellar mass, radius, rotation rate, moment of inertia, and magnetic field. We present results for dipole and quadrudipole fields (superposed dipole and quadrupole) inclined relative to the axis of rotation. The inclined dipole polar cap results are the first to include general relativity, and they confirm its essential role in the pulsar problem. The quadrudipole pulsar illustrates the phenomenon of thin annular polar caps. More generally, our method lays a foundation for detailed modeling of pulsar emission with realistic magnetic fields.

I analyse an x-ray selected sample of 128 late-type (F-M) stars. These stars were identified as optical counterparts to serendipitous x-ray detections made by the Einstein Observatory Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey. Once identified as x-ray sources, the stars were reobserved with an extensive program of optical observations consisting of high- and low-resolution spectroscopy and photometry. Spectral types, luminosity classes, absolute magnitudes, distances, x-ray luminosities, projected rotation rates (v sin i), radial velocities, and binary status have been determined for the sample. I find that Lₓ is correlated with v sin i for single stars. However, Lₓ does not correlate with Ω sin i, which leads me to believe that the correlation seen with v sin i is actually a correlation with radius. Indeed, Lₓ correlates strongly with radius (color, mass) for main sequence stars. This result provides a plausibility argument for rotational saturation in the coronae of late-type stars. Since this sample is flux limited, I use sky coverage and sensitivity information from the Einstein Observatory to calculate the bright end of the x-ray luminosity function for late-type stars. It appears that previously calculated luminosity functions from optically selected samples have underestimated the number of x-ray bright F and G dwarfs. I have also discovered 8 previously uncatalogued M dwarfs within 25 pc of the sun. My sample includes only M dwarfs of spectral type M5 and earlier, 93% of which are "emission" stars (i.e. type Me V), as well as two pre-main sequence M stars. Arguments involving kinematics and stellar rotational velocities are used to estimate the age of these x-ray "bright" M dwarfs; they appear to be quite young (≤ 1-3 x 10⁹ yrs). Since the local space density of x-ray "bright" M dwarfs increases with mass, I infer a longer activity timescale for lower masses. M dwarfs later than M5 lie below the sample's x-ray sensitivity limit. An upper limit of log Lₓ = 27.45 is put on their coronal emission. I also present H(α) and Ca II K line fluxes for most members of the M dwarf sample and show that the H(α) and Ca II K luminosities do indeed correlate with Lₓ. However, these chromospheric luminosities are weaker functions of rotation than Lₓ and may, in fact, represent saturated levels of activity. My results are consistent with the hypothesis that the chromosphere is heated by x-rays from the overlying corona. Finally, I discuss two unusual members of the sample which are attractive candidates for the recently proposed class of FK Comae stars.

In low-mass (≲1.2 M⊙) main-sequence stars, the combination of differential rotation and turbulent flows in the outer convective region generates strong magnetic fields. It has been observed that in these stars, the rotation rate and the strength of the magnetic field decrease over time. This is thought to result from a feedback loop in which magnetized winds carry angular momentum away from the star, braking its rotation and weakening the magnetic dynamo. A well-calibrated age-rotation-activity relation (ARAR) would be particularly valuable for low-mass stars. If we knew the dependence of rotation or magnetic activity on age, a measurement of one of these quantities could be used to determine an accurate age for any isolated field star. Empirical calibrations of the ARAR rely on observations of the co-eval populations of stars in open clusters. In this work, I characterize rotation and magnetic activity, using light curves for the former and X-ray and Hα emission for the latter, in two open clusters of different ages (Alpha Persei, ≈60 Myr, and Messier 37, ≈500 Myr) to analyze the relation between rotation and activity across the low-mass stellar range. I also compare coronal (X-rays) and chromospheric (Hα) activity to understand how magnetic heating varies across stellar atmospheric layers. My results inform models of angular momentum evolution in low-mass stars.

Small amplitude rotational irregularities are observed in a number of rotation-powered pulsars. They fall into two classes: (i) glitches, defined as abrupt increases in the angular velocity of a pulsar (accompanied sometimes by changes in the angular acceleration Ω), of which 286 have been observed in 101 objects; and (ii) timing noise, a continuous stochastic fluctuation in phase, or, which is observed mostly in young and adolescent pulsars (with ages ≥ 10 4 yr). Both classes of irregularity seem to arise from some mechanism that couples the angular momentum of the solid crust and superfluid core of the star, which is activated suddenly when differential rotation exceeds a threshold. Coupling mechanisms proposed to date include catastrophic vortex unpinning in the inner crust, triggered by starquakes; vortex creep, due to thermally activated quantum tunnelling; superfluid-superconductor interactions in the core; and superfluid instabilities. The associated theories are phenomenological, not predictive.

We present the results of a spectroscopic analysis of rotational velocities in 714 M-dwarf stars observed by the SDSS-III Apache Point Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) survey. We use a template-fitting technique to estimate v sin i while simultaneously estimating log g, [M/H], and T-eff. We conservatively estimate that our detection limit is 8 km s(-1). We compare our results to M-dwarf rotation studies in the literature based on both spectroscopic and photometric measurements. Like other authors, we find an increase in the fraction of rapid rotators with decreasing stellar temperature, exemplified by a sharp increase in rotation near the M4 transition to fully convective stellar interiors, which is consistent with the hypothesis that fully convective stars are unable to shed angular momentum as efficiently as those with radiative cores. We compare a sample of targets observed both by APOGEE and the MEarth transiting planet survey and find no cases where the measured v sin i. and rotation period are physically inconsistent, requiring sin i > 1. We compare our spectroscopic results to the fraction of rotators inferred from photometric surveys and find that while the results are broadly consistent, the photometric surveys exhibit a smaller fraction of rotators beyond the M4 transition by a factor of similar to 2. We discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy. Given our detection limit, our results are consistent with a bimodal distribution in rotation that is seen in photometric surveys.

Stars with spectral type `A' (also called A-type stars or just A-stars) are bright intermediate mass stars (∼1.5-2.5 M⊙) that make up ∼1% of stars within 25 parsecs, and ∼20% of the brightest stars in the night sky (V < 3 mag). Most A-stars rotate rapidly with rotational velocities that range from ∼100 to ∼200 km/s in most cases, but can exceed 300 km/s. Such rapid rotation not only causes a star's observed properties (flux, temperature, and radius) to be inclination dependent, but also changes how the star evolves both chemically and structurally. Herein we conduct an interferometric survey of nearby A-stars using the CHARA Array. The long baselines of this optical/infrared interferometer enable us to measure the angular sizes of stars as small as ∼0.2 mas, and directly map the oblate shapes of rotationally distorted stars. This in turn allows us to more accurately determine their photospheric properties and estimate their ages and masses by comparing to evolution models that account for rotation. To facilitate this survey, we construct a census of all 232 A-stars within 50 parsecs (the 50PASS) and from that construct a sample of A-stars (the OSESNA) that lend themselves to interferometric observations with the CHARA Array (i.e., are in the northern hemisphere and have no known, bright, and nearby companions - 108 stars in total). The observations are interpreted by constructing a physical model of a rapidly rotating star from which we generate both photometric and interferometric model observations for comparison with actual observations. The stellar properties of the best fitting model are then compared to the MESA evolution models to estimate an age and a mass. To validate this physical model and the adopted MESA code, we first determine the ages of seven members of the Ursa Major moving group, which are expected to be coeval. With the exception of one star with questionable membership, these stars show a 1-σ spread in age of 56 Myr. This agreement validates our technique and provides a new estimate of the age for the group of 414 ± 23 Myr. We apply this validated technique to the directly-imaged `planet' host star κ Andromedae and determine its age to be 47+27-40 Myr. This implies the companion has a mass of 22+8-9 MJup and is thus more likely a brown dwarf than a giant planet. In total, we present new age and mass estimates for 55 nearby A-stars including six members of the Hyades open cluster, five stars with the λ Boötis chemical peculiarity, nine stars which have an infrared excess, possibly from a debris disk, and nine pulsating stars.