We characterize the absolute magnitudes and colors of RR Lyrae stars in the globular cluster M5 in the ugriz filter system of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). We provide empirical period-luminosity (P-L) relationships in all five bands based on 47 RR Lyrae stars of the type ab and 14 stars of the type c. The P-L relationships were found to be better constrained for the fundamental-mode RR Lyrae stars in the riz passbands, with dispersions of 0.03, 0.02 and 0.02 mag, respectively. The dispersion of the color at minimum light was found to be small, supporting the use of this parameter as a means to obtain accurate interstellar extinctions along the line of sight up to the distance of the RR Lyrae star. We found a trend of color at minimum light with a pulsational period that, if taken into account, brings the dispersion in color at minimum light to <= 0.016 mag for the (r - i), (i - z), and (r - z) colors. These calibrations will be very useful for using RR Lyrae stars from DECam observations as both standard candles for distance determinations and color standards for reddening measurements.

Aims. The aim of this work is to constrain properties of the disk around the archetype FU Orionis object, FU Ori, with as good as similar to 25 au resolution. Methods. We resolved FU Ori at 29-37 GHz using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in the A-array configuration, which provided the highest possible angular resolution to date at this frequency band (similar to 0 ''.07). We also performed complementary JVLA 8-10 GHz observations, Submillimeter Array (SMA) 224 GHz and 272 GHz observations, and compared these with archival Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) 346 GHz observations to obtain the spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Results. Our 8-10 GHz observations do not find evidence for the presence of thermal radio jets, and constrain the radio jet/wind flux to at least 90 times lower than the expected value from the previously reported bolometric luminosity-radio luminosity correlation. The emission at frequencies higher than 29 GHz may be dominated by the two spatially unresolved sources, which are located immediately around FU Ori and its companion FU Ori S, respectively. Their deconvolved radii at 33 GHz are only a few au, which is two orders of magnitude smaller in linear scale than the gaseous disk revealed by the previous Subaru-HiCIAO 1.6 mu m coronagraphic polarization imaging observations. We are struck by the fact that these two spatially compact sources contribute to over 50% of the observed fluxes at 224 GHz, 272 GHz, and 346 GHz. The 8-346 GHz SEDs of FU Ori and FU Ori S cannot be fit by constant spectral indices (over frequency), although we cannot rule out that it is due to the time variability of their (sub)millimeter fluxes. Conclusions. The more sophisticated models for SEDs considering the details of the observed spectral indices in the millimeter bands suggest that the >29 GHz emission is contributed by a combination of free-free emission from ionized gas and thermal emission from optically thick and optically thin dust components. We hypothesize that dust in the innermost parts of the disks (less than or similar to 0.1 au) has been sublimated, and thus the disks are no longer well shielded against the ionizing photons. The estimated overall gas and dust mass based on SED modeling, can be as high as a fraction of a solar mass, which is adequate for developing disk gravitational instability. Our present explanation for the observational data is that the massive inflow of gas and dust due to disk gravitational instability or interaction with a companion/intruder, was piled up at the few-au scale due to the development of a deadzone with negligible ionization. The piled up material subsequently triggered the thermal instability and the magnetorotational instability when the ionization fraction in the inner sub-au scale region exceeded a threshold value, leading to the high protostellar accretion rate.

As a preliminary step in deducing Teff and log (g) of Mira variables as a function of phase, a comparison is made between spectra synthesized from LTE stellar atmosphere models and observed spectra. The observed spectra show obvious vanadium oxide (VO) absorption bands. However, the molecular line list used to produce the synthetic spectra does not include the bound-bound VO opacities. The wavenumbers, line oscillator strengths, and lowest energy levels are needed to calculate these opacities. The equations, constants, and experimentally determined factors required to calculate the line oscillator strengths and lowest energy levels from experimentally determined wavenumbers are presented. The effect of including the wavenumbers, line oscillator strengths, and lowest energy levels of the VO BX (0, 0) band are calculated and show the expected absorption features observed in the spectra of Mira variables. In the VO B-X (0, 0) band the line oscillator strengths range from about 0.05 to 3.

Ultraviolet spectra obtained with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of two Mira-type variable stars, R Leo and R Hya, are presented, along with analysis providing information on their outer atmospheres. These high-dispersion spectra were taken with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) in two spectral regions: 2320-2368 Å to record the C II] (UV0.01) multiplet and 2785-2835 Å to obtain the Mg II h and k lines. The R Hya spectrum was obtained at visual light phase 0.26 and shows a Mg II spectrum that is very clean, showing clear evidence for the overlying circumstellar absorption from Fe I (UV3) and Mn I (UV1) over the k line. The fluoresced Fe I (UV44) feature at 2824 Å is plainly visible in this spectrum, whereas past International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observations of Mira variables at high dispersion were unable to record this feature. Remarkably, the newly identified fluoresced Fe I (UV45) feature near 2807 Å is seen in this spectrum. Until now, this line has been seen only in cool carbon stars with HST/HRS. This line is pumped by the thin C II] (UV0.01) emission line at 2325.5 Å. Two of the strongest C II] (UV0.01) lines near 2325 Å are plainly seen in this spectrum. This region of the spectrum, however, is dominated by the Si II] (UV0.01) line near 2335 Å, in contrast to that observed in the carbon stars and the non-Mira oxygen-rich red giant stars. Very weak Mg II lines are seen in the R Leo spectrum at phase 0.12. At this phase, these lines are typically absent in IUE spectra. Velocity shifts of emission features in the UV spectra of Mira variables are consistent with previously published hydrodynamic models of these stars. These velocities indicate, however, that the C II] (UV0.01) emission lines are not formed in the same atmospheric layers as the Mg II emission. The electron density deduced from the C II] (UV0.01) multiplet is ∼109 cm-3. Finally, the temperature-density structure of the semi-regular variable carbon stars is similar to the oxygen-rich Mira variables-both are hydrodynamic in nature; however, the carbon stars macroscopic velocity fields are not identical to the Mira stars in the atmosphere layers between the Mg II emission region and the circumstellar shell.

The weekly averaged near-infrared fluxes for 2652 stars were extracted from the cold and warm era all-sky maps of the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE). Since the DIRBE program only archived the individual Calibrated Infrared Observations for the 10 month cold era mission, the weekly averaged fluxes were all that were available for the warm era. The steps required to extract stellar fluxes are described as are the adjustments that were necessary to correct the results for several systematic effects. The observations are at a cadence of once a week for 3.6 years (∼1300 days), providing continuous sampling on variable stars that span the entire period for the longest fundamental pulsators. The stars are divided into three categories: those with large amplitude of variability, smaller amplitude variables, and sources whose near-infrared brightness do not vary according to our classification criteria. We show examples of the results and the value of the added baseline in determining the phase lag between the visible and infrared.

To search for phase lags in the optical-infrared light curves of asymptotic giant branch stars, we have compared infrared data from the COBE DIRBE satellite with optical light curves from the AAVSO and other sources. We found 17 examples of phase lags between the times of infrared and optical maximum, and 4 stars with no observed lags. There is a clear difference between the Mira variables and the semiregular variables in the sample, with the maximum in the optical preceding that in the near-infrared in the Miras, while in most of the semiregular variables no lags are observed. Comparison to published theoretical models indicates that the phase lags in the Miras are due to strong titanium oxide absorption in the visual at stellar maximum, and suggests that Miras pulsate in the fundamental mode, while at least some semiregular variables are first-overtone pulsators. There is a clear optical-near-infrared phase lag in the carbon-rich Mira V CrB; this is likely due to C 2 and CN absorption variations in the optical.

Outbursts on young stars are usually interpreted as accretion bursts caused by instabilities in the disk or the star-disk connection. However, some protostellar outbursts may not fit into this framework. In this paper, we analyze optical and near-infrared spectra and photometry to characterize the 2015 outburst of the probable young star ASASSN-15qi. The similar to 3.5mag brightening in the V band was sudden, with an unresolved rise time of less than one day. The outburst decayed exponentially by 1mag for 6. days and then gradually back to the pre-outburst level after 200 days. The outburst is dominated by emission from similar to 10,000K gas. An explosive release of energy accelerated matter from the star in all directions, seen in a spectacular cool, spherical wind with a maximum velocity of 1000 km s(-1). The wind and hot gas both disappeared as the outburst faded and the source returned to its quiescent F-star spectrum. Nebulosity near the star brightened with a delay of 10-20 days. Fluorescent excitation of H-2 is detected in emission from vibrational levels as high as v = 11, also with a possible time delay in flux increase. The mid-infrared spectral energy distribution does not indicate the presence of warm dust emission, though the optical photospheric absorption and CO overtone emission could be related to a gaseous disk. Archival photometry reveals a prior outburst in 1976. Although we speculate about possible causes for this outburst, none of the explanations are compelling.

Classical Cepheids are key probes of both stellar astrophysics and cosmology as standard candles and pulsating variable stars. It is important to understand Cepheids in unprecedented detail in preparation for upcoming Gaia, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and extremely-large telescope observations. Cepheid eclipsing binary stars are ideal tools for achieving this goal, however there are currently only three known systems. One of those systems, OGLE-LMC-CEP1812, raises new questions about the evolution of classical Cepheids because of an apparent age discrepancy between the Cepheid and its red giant companion. We show that the Cepheid component is actually the product of a stellar merger of two main sequence stars that has since evolved across the Hertzsprung gap of the HR diagram. This post-merger product appears younger than the companion, hence the apparent age discrepancy is resolved. We discuss this idea and consequences for understanding Cepheid evolution.

This dissertation describes a new detailed abundance study of field red horizontal branch stars, RR Lyrae stars and blue horizontal branch stars. To carry out this study, we obtained high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio echelle spectra at the McDonald observatory and Las Campanas Observatory. In addition, new pulsational emphemerides were derived to analyze the spectra of RR Lyrae stars throughout the pulsational cycles. We find that the abundance ratios are generally consistent with those of field stars of similar metallicity in different evolutionary stages and throughout the pulsational cycles for RR Lyrae stars. We also estimated the red and blue edges of the RR Lyrae instability strip using the derived effective temperatures of RHB and BHB stars. New variations between microturbulence and effective temperature are found among the HB population. For the first time the variation of microturbulence as a function of phase is empirically shown to be similar to the theoretical calculations. Finally, through the study of a rare eclipsing sdB and M dwarf binary, we discovered an unusually low mass for this type of HB star, which observationally proved the existence of a new group of low-mass sdB stars that was theoretically predicted in the past. / text

The mysteries of the interior structures of stars are being tackled with asteroseismology. The observable parameters of the surface pulsations of stars inform us of the interior characteristics of numerous classes of stars. The main-sequence gamma Doradus stars, just a little hotter than the Sun, offer the potential of determining stellar structure right down to the core. To determine the structural profile of a star, the observed frequencies and a full geometric description must be determined. This is only possible with long-term spectroscopic monitoring and careful analysis of the pulsation signature in spectral lines. This work seeks to identify the pulsational geometry of several gamma Doradus stars and to identify areas of improvement for current observation, analysis and modelling techniques. More than 4500 spectra were gathered on five stars for this purpose. For three stars a successful multi-frequency and mode identification solution was determined and significant progress has been made towards the understanding of a binary system involving a gammaDoradus star. A hybrid gamma Doradus/\delta Scuti pulsator was also intensely monitored and results from this work raise important questions about the classification of this type of star. Current analysis techniques were found to be fit-for-purpose for pure gamma Doradus stars, but stars with complexities such as hybrid pulsations and/or fast rotation require future development of the current models.