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Title: CHARACTERIZING THE RIGIDLY ROTATING MAGNETOSPHERE STARS HD 345439 AND HD 23478

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal Letters
;  [1];  [2];  [3]; ;  [4];  [5];  [6]; ;  [7]
  1. Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks Street, Norman, OK 73019 (United States)
  2. Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, 1780 E University Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States)
  3. Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States)
  4. Lehigh University, Department of Physics, 413 Deming Lewis Lab, 16 Memorial Drive, East Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States)
  5. Department of Physics, Austin College, 900 N. Grand Avenue, Sherman, TX 75090 (United States)
  6. Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Science Center, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)
  7. Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 (United States)

The SDSS III APOGEE survey recently identified two new σ Ori E type candidates, HD 345439 and HD 23478, which are a rare subset of rapidly rotating massive stars whose large (kGauss) magnetic fields confine circumstellar material around these systems. Our analysis of multi-epoch photometric observations of HD 345439 from the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, Wide Angle Search for Planets, and ASAS surveys reveals the presence of a ∼0.7701 day period in each data set, suggesting the system is among the faster known σ Ori E analogs. We also see clear evidence that the strength of Hα, H i Brackett series lines, and He i lines also vary on a ∼0.7701 day period from our analysis of multi-epoch, multi-wavelength spectroscopic monitoring of the system from the APO 3.5 m telescope. We trace the evolution of select emission line profiles in the system, and observe coherent line profile variability in both optical and infrared H i lines, as expected for rigidly rotating magnetosphere stars. We also analyze the evolution of the H i Br-11 line strength and line profile in multi-epoch observations of HD 23478 from the SDSS-III APOGEE instrument. The observed periodic behavior is consistent with that recently reported by Sikora and collaborators in optical spectra.

OSTI ID:
22518875
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 811, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English