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 Reliability Checks on the Indo-US Stellar Spectral Library Using Artificial Neural Networks and Principal Component AnalysisThe Indo-US coudé feed stellar spectral library (CFLIB) madeavailable to the astronomical community recently by Valdes et al. (2004,ApJS, 152, 251) contains spectra of 1273 stars in the spectral region3460 to 9464Å at a high resolution of 1Å (FWHM) and a widerange of spectral types. Cross-checking the reliability of this databaseis an important and desirable exercise since a number of stars in thisdatabase have no known spectral types and a considerable fraction ofstars has not so complete coverage in the full wavelength region of3460-9464Å resulting in gaps ranging from a few Å to severaltens of Å. We use an automated classification scheme based onArtificial Neural Networks (ANN) to classify all 1273 stars in thedatabase. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) is carried outto reduce the dimensionality of the data set before the spectra areclassified by the ANN. Most importantly, we have successfullydemonstrated employment of a variation of the PCA technique to restorethe missing data in a sample of 300 stars out of the CFLIB. Kinematic structure of the corona of the Ursa Major flow found using proper motions and radial velocities of single starsAims.We study the kinematic structure of peripheral areas of the UrsaMajoris stream (Sirius supercluster). Methods.We use diagrams ofindividual stellar apexes developed by us and the classical technique ofproper motion diagrams generalized to a star sample distributed over thesky. Results.Out of 128 cluster members we have identified threecorona (sub)structures comprised of 13, 13 and 8 stars. Thesubstructures have a spatial extension comparable to the size of thecorona. Kinematically, these groups are distinguished by their propermotions, radial velocities and by the directions of their spatialmotion. Coordinates of their apexes significantly differ from those ofthe apexes of the stream and its nucleus. Our analysis shows that thesesubstructures do not belong to known kinematic groups, such as Hyades orCastor. We find kinematic inhomogeneity of the corona of the UMa stream. Stellar Parameters and Photospheric Abundances of Late-G Giants: Properties of the Targets of the Okayama Planet Search ProgramTowards clarifying the properties of late-G giants, for which we arecurrently conducting a planet-search project at Okayama AstrophysicalObservatory, an extensive spectroscopic study has been performed for ourfirst target sample of fifty-seven G6-G9 III stars, in order toestablish the atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g,vt, and [Fe/H]), the stellar mass along with the evolutionarystatus, and the photospheric abundances of various elements. It wasconfirmed that the conventional spectroscopic method of parameterdetermination using Fe I / II lines with the assumption of LTE workssuccessfully for these evolved stars. We determined the abundances(relative to the Sun) of 19 elements, and examined how their [X/Fe]ratios behave themselves with the run of [Fe/H]. While the trends appearto be similar to those exhibited by disk dwarfs for a number ofelements, some elements (C, O, Na) showed appreciable anomalies, whichmay be interpreted as being due to a dredge-up of nuclear-processedmaterial. Since the [Fe/H] values of these stars tend to be somewhatbiased towards a subsolar regime, some mechanism of slightly reducingthe metallicity might be suspected. Radial-Velocity Variability of G-Type Giants: First Three Years of the Okayama Planet Search ProgramWe report on the radial-velocity variability of G-type giants based onthe results of precise Doppler measurements of 57 stars that wereobserved for the first 3 years of the Okayama Planet Search Program.This program aims to search for planets around intermediate-mass starsin their evolved stages as late-G giants. We found that most of thetargets with B ‑ V < 1.0 have radial-velocity scatters ofσ  10 m s-1, with the most stable reaching levels of6‑8 m s-1, while those with B ‑ V > 1.0 typically showσ  20 m s-1. In total, about 60% of the targets are stable inradial velocity to a level of σ < 15 m s-1 over 1-3 years, andabout 90% have σ < 30 m s-1. We found that 4 stars (HD 30557,HD 34559, HD 68077, and HD 85444) show significant long-termradial-velocity trends, suggesting that they are probably orbited byunseen stellar or substellar companions. Three stars (HD 79181, HD104985, and HD 141680) show periodic radial-velocity variations. HD104985 is the first planet-harboring star discovered from our survey.The properties of the variations in these 3 stars have been, and willbe, extensively discussed in separate papers. Relatively large, but notapparently periodic, radial-velocity variations of σ > 30 m s-1are found in 4 stars (HD 41597, HD 134190, HD 161178, and HD 176598).For most of the stars without showing any significant periodicity, wecan exclude companions with K > 50 m s-1, or m2sini > 1.8 MJ (a/AU)1/2(M*/Mȯ)1/2 for orbital radii a ≲ 1‑2 AU. Group, field and isolated early-type galaxies - I. Observations and nuclear dataThis is the first paper of a series on the investigation of stellarpopulation properties and galaxy evolution of an observationallyhomogeneous sample of early-type galaxies in groups, field and isolatedgalaxies.Here we present high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) long-slit spectroscopyof 86 nearby elliptical and S0 galaxies. Eight of them are isolated,selected according to a rigorous criterion, which guarantees a genuinelow-density subsample. The present survey has the advantage of coveringa larger wavelength range than normally found in the literature, whichincludes [OIII]λ5007 and Hα, both lines important foremission correction. Among the 86 galaxies with S/N >= 15 (perresolution element, for re/8 central aperture), 57 have theirHβ-index corrected for emission (the average correction is 0.190Åin Hβ) and 42 galaxies reveal [OIII]λ5007 emission,of which 16 also show obvious Hα emission. Most of the galaxies inthe sample do not show obvious signs of disturbances nor tidal featuresin the morphologies, although 11 belong to the Arp catalogue of peculiargalaxies; only three of them (NGC 750, 751 and 3226) seem to be stronglyinteracting. We present the measurement of 25 central line-strengthindices calibrated to the Lick/IDS system. Kinematic information isobtained for the sample. We analyse the line-strength index versusvelocity dispersion relations for our sample of mainly low-densityenvironment galaxies, and compare the slope of the relations withcluster galaxies from the literature. Our main findings are that theindex-σ0 relations presented for low-density regionsare not significantly different from those of cluster E/S0s. The slopeof the index-σ0 relations does not seem to change forearly-type galaxies of different environmental densities, but thescatter of the relations seems larger for group, field and isolatedgalaxies than for cluster galaxies. Spectral analysis of red clump giants and their use as standard candles in the wavebands I and KUsing high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio observational data,we determined the stellar atmospheric parameters of 19 metal-poor redclump giants and their chemical abundances of the four α elements(i.e., O, Mg, Ca, Si). We discuss the variations, with the ironabundance, of the atmospheric parameters and of the α elementsabundances. We examined the absolute stellar magnitudes of 58 red clumpgiants in the I and K wavebands as well as their relations with the ironabundance, and found that for the analysed range of iron abundance, thecorrelation with the iron abundance is weaker for the absolute magnitudein the K band than that in the I band, in agreement with theoreticalexpectations. The Low End of the Supermassive Black Hole Mass Function: Constraining the Mass of a Nuclear Black Hole in NGC 205 via Stellar KinematicsHubble Space Telescope (HST) images and spectra of the nucleated dwarfelliptical galaxy NGC 205 are combined with three-integral axisymmetricdynamical models to constrain the mass MBH of a putativenuclear black hole. This is only the second attempt, after M33, to useresolved stellar kinematics to search for a nuclear black hole with massbelow 106 solar masses. We are unable to identify a best-fitvalue of MBH in NGC 205; however, the data impose a upperlimit of 2.2×104 Msolar (1 σconfidence) and an upper limit of 3.8×104Msolar (3 σ confidence). This upper limit is consistentwith the extrapolation of the MBH-σ relation to theMBH<106 Msolar regime. If we assumethat NGC 205 and M33 both contain nuclear black holes, the upper limitson MBH in the two galaxies imply a slope of ~5.5 or greaterfor the MBH-σ relation. We use our three-integralmodels to evaluate the relaxation time and stellar collision time in NGC205; Tr is ~108 yr or less in the nucleus, andTcoll~1011 yr. The low value of Tr isconsistent with core collapse having already occurred, but we are unableto draw conclusions from nuclear morphology about the presence orabsence of a massive black hole. A catalog of bright calibrator stars for 200-m baseline near-infrared stellar interferometryWe present in this paper a catalog of reference stars suitable forcalibrating infrared interferometric observations. In the K band,visibilities can be calibrated with a precision of 1% on baselines up to200 meters for the whole sky, and up to 300 meters for some part of thesky. This work, extending to longer baselines a previous catalogcompiled by Bordé et al. (2002, A&A, 393, 183), isparticularl y well adapted to hectometric-class interferometers such asthe Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI, Glindemann et al. 2003,Proc. SPIE, 4838, 89) or the CHARA array (ten Brummelaar et al. 2003,Proc. SPIE, 4838, 69) when one is observing well-resolved, high-surfacebrightness objects (K  8). We use the absolute spectro-photometriccalibration method introduced by Cohen et al. (1999, AJ, 117, 1864) toderive the angular diameters of our new set of 948 G8-M0 calibratorstars extracted from the IRAS, 2MASS and MSX catalogs. Angular stellardiameters range from 0.6 mas to 1.8 mas (median is 1.1 mas) with amedian precision of 1.35%. For both the northern and southernhemispheres, the closest calibrator star is always less than 10°away. Nearby early-type galaxies with ionized gas. I. Line-strength indices of the underlying stellar populationWith the aim of building a data-set of spectral properties of wellstudied early-type galaxies showing emission lines, we presentintermediate resolution spectra of 50 galaxies in the nearby Universe.The sample, which covers several of the E and S0 morphologicalsub-classes, is biased toward objects that might be expected to haveongoing and recent star formation, at least in small amounts, because ofthe presence of the emission lines. The emission is expected to comefrom the combination of active galactic nuclei and star formationregions within the galaxies. Sample galaxies are located in environmentscorresponding to a broad range of local galaxy densities, althoughpredominantly in low density environments. Our long-slit spectra coverthe 3700-7250 Å wavelength range with a spectral resolution of≈7.6 Å at 5550 Å. The specific aim of this paper, and ourfirst step in the investigation, is to map the underlying galaxy stellarpopulation by measuring, along the slit positioned along the galaxymajor axis, line-strength indices at several, homogeneousgalacto-centric distances. For each object we extracted 7luminosity-weighted apertures (with radii 1.5´´,2.5´´, 10´´, r_e/10, r_e/8, r_e/4 and r_e/2)corrected for the galaxy ellipticity and 4 gradients (0 ≤ r ≤r_e/16, r_e/16 ≤ r ≤ r_e/8, r_e/8 ≤ r ≤ r_e/4 and r_e/4≤ r ≤ r_e/2). For each aperture and gradient we measured 25line-strength indices: 21 of the set defined by the Lick-IDS“standard” system (Trager et al. [CITE], ApJS, 116, 1) and 4introduced by Worthey & Ottaviani ([CITE], ApJS, 111, 377).Line-strength indices have been transformed to the Lick-IDS system.Indices derived then include Hβ, Mg1, Mg2, Mgb, MgFe, Fe5270,Fe5335 commonly used in classic index-index diagrams. The paperintroduces the sample, presents the observations, describes the datareduction procedures, the extraction of apertures and gradients, thedetermination and correction of the line-strength indices, the procedureadopted to transform them into the Lick-IDS System and the proceduresadopted for the emission correction. We finally discuss the comparisonsbetween our dataset and line-strength indices available in theliterature. A significant fraction, about 60%, of galaxies in thepresent sample has one previous measurement in the Lick-IDS system butbasically restricted within the r_e/8 region. Line-strength measuresobtained both from apertures and gradients outside this area and withinthe r_e/8 region, with the present radial mapping, are completely new.Full appendix and Figs. 8 to 13 are only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org Full Tables 6, 7, 9 and 10 are only availableat the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/433/497 Based onobservations obtained at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla,Chile (Programs Nr. 60.A-0647 and 61.A-0406). CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution MeasurementsWe present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773 The Indo-US Library of Coudé Feed Stellar SpectraWe have obtained spectra for 1273 stars using the 0.9 m coudéfeed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This telescope feedsthe coudé spectrograph of the 2.1 m telescope. The spectra havebeen obtained with the no. 5 camera of the coudé spectrograph anda Loral 3K×1K CCD. Two gratings have been used to provide spectralcoverage from 3460 to 9464 Å, at a resolution of ~1 Å FWHMand at an original dispersion of 0.44 Å pixel-1. For885 stars we have complete spectra over the entire 3460 to 9464 Åwavelength region (neglecting small gaps of less than 50 Å), andpartial spectral coverage for the remaining stars. The 1273 stars havebeen selected to provide broad coverage of the atmospheric parametersTeff, logg, and [Fe/H], as well as spectral type. The goal ofthe project is to provide a comprehensive library of stellar spectra foruse in the automated classification of stellar and galaxy spectra and ingalaxy population synthesis. In this paper we discuss thecharacteristics of the spectral library, viz., details of theobservations, data reduction procedures, and selection of stars. We alsopresent a few illustrations of the quality and information available inthe spectra. The first version of the complete spectral library is nowpublicly available from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory(NOAO) via ftp and http. Synthetic Lick Indices and Detection of α-enhanced Stars. II. F, G, and K Stars in the -1.0 < [Fe/H] < +0.50 RangeWe present an analysis of 402 F, G, and K solar neighborhood stars, withaccurate estimates of [Fe/H] in the range -1.0 to +0.5 dex, aimed at thedetection of α-enhanced stars and at the investigation of theirkinematical properties. The analysis is based on the comparison of 571sets of spectral indices in the Lick/IDS system, coming from fourdifferent observational data sets, with synthetic indices computed withsolar-scaled abundances and with α-element enhancement. We useselected combinations of indices to single out α-enhanced starswithout requiring previous knowledge of their main atmosphericparameters. By applying this approach to the total data set, we obtain alist of 60 bona fide α-enhanced stars and of 146 stars withsolar-scaled abundances. The properties of the detected α-enhancedand solar-scaled abundance stars with respect to their [Fe/H] values andkinematics are presented. A clear kinematic distinction betweensolar-scaled and α-enhanced stars was found, although a one-to-onecorrespondence to thin disk'' and thick disk'' components cannot besupported with the present data. The Wilson-Bappu effect: A tool to determine stellar distancesWilson & Bappu (\cite{orig}) have shown the existence of aremarkable correlation between the width of the emission in the core ofthe K line of Ca II and the absolute visual magnitude of late-typestars.Here we present a new calibration of the Wilson-Bappu effect based on asample of 119 nearby stars. We use, for the first time, widthmeasurements based on high resolution and high signal to noise ratio CCDspectra and absolute visual magnitudes from the Hipparcos database.Our primary goal is to investigate the possibility of using theWilson-Bappu effect to determine accurate distances to single stars andgroups.The result of our calibration fitting of the Wilson-Bappu relationshipis MV=33.2-18.0 log W0, and the determinationseems free of systematic effects. The root mean square error of thefitting is 0.6 mag. This error is mostly accounted for by measurementerrors and intrinsic variability of W0, but in addition apossible dependence on the metallicity is found, which becomes clearlynoticeable for metallicities below [Fe/H] ~ -0.4. This detection ispossible because in our sample [Fe/H] ranges from -1.5 to 0.4.The Wilson-Bappu effect can be used confidently for all metallicitiesnot lower than ~ -0.4, including the LMC. While it does not provideaccurate distances to single stars, it is a useful tool to determineaccurate distances to clusters and aggregates, where a sufficient numberof stars can be observed.We apply the Wilson-Bappu effect to published data of the open cluster M67; the retrieved distance modulus is of 9.65 mag, in very goodagreement with the best distance estimations for this cluster, based onmain sequence fitting.Observations collected at ESO, La Silla. Line Absorption as a Metallicity Index for Giant StarsThe fraction of light removed from a star's spectrum by the spectrallines, the line absorption, is shown to be a precise empirical indicatorof metallicity. We measured the line absorption in 89 class III giantstars in a 42.5 Å window between 6219.0 and 6261.5 Å andthen calibrated these values against published metallicities. We showthat the line absorption can be measured precisely enough to improve themetallicity precision about fivefold over the original calibrationmetallicities, reaching a precision of 0.01 dex in favorable cases. Line-Depth Ratios: Temperature Indices for Giant StarsRatios of the depths of appropriately chosen spectral lines are shown tobe excellent indicators of stellar temperatures for giant stars in theG3 to K3 spectral type range. We calibrate five line-depth ratiosagainst B-V and R-I color indices and then translate these intotemperatures. Our goal is to set up line-depth ratios to (1) accuratelymonitor any temperature variations of a few degrees or less that mayoccur during magnetic cycles or oscillations and (2) rank giantsprecisely on a temperature coordinate. This is not an absolutecalibration of stellar temperatures. We show how giant spectra can bemisleading because of the complex dependences of spectral lines onmetallicity and absolute magnitude as well as temperature, and it isessential to make corrections to accommodate these complications. Thefive line-depth ratios we use yield precision for monitoring, i.e.,detecting temperature variations, of 4 K from a single exposure. Rankinggiants by temperature can be done with errors of ~25 K but could beimproved with better determinations of the metallicity andabsolute-magnitude corrections. The properties of field elliptical galaxies at intermediate redshift - II. Photometry and spectroscopy of an HST-selected sampleA sample of field early-type galaxies (E/S0) at intermediate redshift(z~0.1-0.6) is selected, based on morphology and colours from HST-WFPC2parallel images. Photometric structural parameters (effective radiusRe and effective surface brightness SBe) arederived through the F606W and F814W filters, using luminosity profilefitting and two-dimensional fitting techniques. The combined parameterthat enters the Fundamental Plane(logRe-βSBe, with β~0.32) is shown tosuffer from significantly smaller uncertainties (rms 0.03) than theindividual structural parameters (e.g. ~15 per cent rms on the effectiveradius). High signal-to-noise ratio, intermediate-resolution spectra,taken at the ESO 3.6-m telescope, yield redshifts for 35 galaxies andcentral velocity dispersions for 22 galaxies. Central velocitydispersions are derived using a library of stellar templates covering awide range of spectral types, in order to study the effects of templatemismatches. The average random error on the central velocity dispersionis found to be 8 per cent, and the average systematic error caused bytemplate mismatch is found to be 5 per cent. The errors in the velocitydispersion measurement and the effects of template mismatches arestudied by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, weinvestigate whether the determination of the velocity dispersion issensitive to the spectral range used, finding that the value of velocitydispersion is unchanged when the spectral regions that include theabsorption features Ca H and K and NaD are masked out during the fit. Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statisticsThe Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521 K-Band Calibration of the Red Clump LuminosityThe average near-infrared (K-band) luminosity of 238 Hipparcos red clumpgiants is derived and then used to measure the distance to the Galacticcenter. These Hipparcos red clump giants have been previously employedas I-band standard candles. The advantage of the K-band is a decreasedsensitivity to reddening and perhaps a reduced systematic dependence onmetallicity. In order to investigate the latter, and also to refer ourcalibration to a known metallicity zero point, we restrict our sample ofred clump calibrators to those with abundances derived fromhigh-resolution spectroscopic data. The mean metallicity of the sampleis [Fe/H]=-0.18 dex (σ=0.17 dex). The data are consistent with nocorrelation between MK and [Fe/H] and only weakly constrainthe slope of this relation. The luminosity function of the sample peaksat MK=-1.61+/-0.03 mag. Next, we assemble published opticaland near-infrared photometry for ~20 red clump giants in a Baade'swindow field with a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]=-0.17+/-0.09 dex, whichis nearly identical to that of the Hipparcos red clump. Assuming thatthe average (V-I)0 and (V-K)0 colors of these twored clumps are the same, the extinctions in the Baade's window field arefound to be AV=1.56, AI=0.87, andAK=0.15, in agreement with previous estimates. We derive thedistance to the Galactic center: (m-M)0=14.58+/-0.11 mag, orR=8.24+/-0.42 kpc. The uncertainty in this distance measurement isdominated by the small number of Baade's window red clump giantsexamined here. Rotation and lithium in single giant starsIn the present work, we study the link between rotation and lithiumabundance in giant stars of luminosity class III, on the basis of alarge sample of 309 single stars of spectral type F, G and K. We havefound a trend for a link between the discontinuity in rotation at thespectral type G0III and the behavior of lithium abundances around thesame spectral type. The present work also shows that giant starspresenting the highest lithium contents, typically stars earlier thanG0III, are those with the highest rotation rates, pointing for adependence of lithium content on rotation, as observed for otherluminosity classes. Giant stars later than G0III present, as a rule, thelowest rotation rates and lithium contents. A large spread of about fivemagnitudes in lithium abundance is observed for the slow rotators.Finally, single giant stars with masses 1.5 < M/Msun<=2.5 show a clearest trend for a correlation between rotational velocityand lithium abundance. Based on observations collected at theObservatoire de Haute -- Provence (France) and at the European SouthernObservatory, La Silla (Chile). Table 2 is only available electronicallywith the On-Line publication athttp://link.springer.de/link/service/00230/ A catalog of rotational and radial velocities for evolved starsRotational and radial velocities have been measured for about 2000evolved stars of luminosity classes IV, III, II and Ib covering thespectral region F, G and K. The survey was carried out with the CORAVELspectrometer. The precision for the radial velocities is better than0.30 km s-1, whereas for the rotational velocity measurementsthe uncertainties are typically 1.0 km s-1 for subgiants andgiants and 2.0 km s-1 for class II giants and Ib supergiants.These data will add constraints to studies of the rotational behaviourof evolved stars as well as solid informations concerning the presenceof external rotational brakes, tidal interactions in evolved binarysystems and on the link between rotation, chemical abundance and stellaractivity. In this paper we present the rotational velocity v sin i andthe mean radial velocity for the stars of luminosity classes IV, III andII. Based on observations collected at the Haute--Provence Observatory,Saint--Michel, France and at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla, Chile. Table \ref{tab5} also available in electronic form at CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html Empirical calibration of the lambda 4000 Å breakEmpirical fitting functions, describing the behaviour of the lambda 4000Ä break, D4000, in terms of effective temperature,metallicity and surface gravity, are presented. For this purpose, thebreak has been measured in 392 stars from the Lick/IDS Library. We havefollowed a very detailed error treatment in the reduction and fittingprocedures, allowing for a reliable estimation of the breakuncertainties. This calibration can be easily incorporated into stellarpopulation models to provide accurate predictions of the break amplitudefor, relatively old, composite systems. Table 1 is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html Catalogs of temperatures and [Fe/H] averages for evolved G and K starsA catalog of mean values of [Fe/H] for evolved G and K stars isdescribed. The zero point for the catalog entries has been establishedby using differential analyses. Literature sources for those entries areincluded in the catalog. The mean values are given with rms errors andnumbers of degrees of freedom, and a simple example of the use of thesestatistical data is given. For a number of the stars with entries in thecatalog, temperatures have been determined. A separate catalogcontaining those data is briefly described. Catalog only available atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html H gamma and H delta Absorption Features in Stars and Stellar PopulationsThe H gamma and H delta absorption features are measured in a sample of455 (out of an original 460) Lick/IDS stars with pseudo--equivalentwidth indices. For each Balmer feature, two definitions, involving anarrow (~20 Angstroms) and a wide (~40 Angstroms) central bandpass, aremeasured. These four new Balmer indices augment 21 indices previouslydetermined by Worthey et al., and polynomial fitting functions that giveindex strengths as a function of stellar temperature, gravity, and[Fe/H] are provided. The new indices are folded into models for theintegrated light of stellar populations, and predictions are given forsingle-burst stellar populations of a variety of ages and metallicities.Contrary to our initial hopes, the indices cannot break a degeneracybetween burst age and burst strength in post-starburst objects, but theyare successful mean-age indicators when used with sensitive metallicityindicators. An appendix gives data, advice, and examples of how totransform new spectra to the 25-index Lick/IDS system. The Stellar Populations of Spiral Disks.I.A New Observational Approach: Description of the Technique and Spectral Gradients for the Inter-Arm Regions of NGC 4321 (M100)We describe an imaging method that makes use of interference filters toprovide integrated stellar spectral indices for spiral disks to faintsurface brightness limits. We use filters with bandpasses { ~ 60Angstroms\ }FWHM, centered on the Mg and Fe features (lambda lambda 5176Angstroms \ and 5270 Angstroms respectively) allowing the determinationof the spatial distribution of the Lick indices Mg2 andFe5270. These two indices have been extensively modeled by differentgroups and used in the past mainly for the study of elliptical galaxies,bulges, and globular clusters. Azimuthal integration of the underlyingsmooth stellar signal, after removal of the signature of the spiral armsand associated extreme pop. I structures, provides measurements of thesespectral indices useful to radial distances where the surface brightnessof the galaxy reaches ~ 24mu_V . As a first example of this techniqueand its possibilities we conduct a preliminary study of the SABbc galaxyNGC 4321 (M 100). We present spectral gradients for the inter-armstellar population to about 4 exponential scale lengths. There is someevidence for a discontinuity in the run of the Mg2 index nearcorotation, which we interpret as evidence for bar- driven secularevolution. There is also evidence that Mg is overabundant with respectto Fe in the inner regions of the projected image. A catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations: 1996 editionA fifth Edition of the Catalogue of [Fe/H] determinations is presentedherewith. It contains 5946 determinations for 3247 stars, including 751stars in 84 associations, clusters or galaxies. The literature iscomplete up to December 1995. The 700 bibliographical referencescorrespond to [Fe/H] determinations obtained from high resolutionspectroscopic observations and detailed analyses, most of them carriedout with the help of model-atmospheres. The Catalogue is made up ofthree formatted files: File 1: field stars, File 2: stars in galacticassociations and clusters, and stars in SMC, LMC, M33, File 3: numberedlist of bibliographical references The three files are only available inelectronic form at the Centre de Donnees Stellaires in Strasbourg, viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5), or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html The photoelectric astrolabe catalogue of Yunnan Observatory (YPAC).The positions of 53 FK5, 70 FK5 Extension and 486 GC stars are given forthe equator and equinox J2000.0 and for the mean observation epoch ofeach star. They are determined with the photoelectric astrolabe ofYunnan Observatory. The internal mean errors in right ascension anddeclination are +/- 0.046" and +/- 0.059", respectively. The meanobservation epoch is 1989.51. Spectral indices in cooling flow galaxies: evidence of star formationSpectroscopic observations of central dominant cluster galaxies, withand without cooling flows, are presented. Through the analysis ofabsorption spectral features, namely the strength of the magnesiumabsorption at lambda5175A and the lambda4000-A break, both in the galaxycentres and as a function of radius, we have been able to estimate theongoing star formation induced by the large amounts of gas accreted onto cooling flow galaxies. A correlation between the central spectralindices and the mass accretion rate is found in the sense that galaxieslocated in clusters with large cooling flows exhibit lower Mg_2 andD_4000 indices. A similar correlation with D_4000 was previouslyreported by Johnstone, Fabian & Nulsen. Our work, with the inclusionof the correlation in Mg_2, adds further weight to the conclusion thatthese spectral anomalies are caused by recent star formation. Theapplication of simple stellar population models reveals that themeasured indices are explained if a relatively small fraction of thetotal mass flow (5-17 per cent) is forming new stars with a normalinitial mass function. However, we argue that this is only a lowerlimit, and conclude that a large fraction of the gas accreted inside thegalaxy could be forming stars. We find that spectral gradients in somecooling flow galaxies flatten in the internal regions(r<~r_e), where emission lines are usuallydetected. Gradients measured in the inner galaxy regions are, in themean, lower than those of normal ellipticals, and exhibit a hint of acorrelation with M_solar. Application of the same population models tothe observed spectral gradients allows us to conclude that the ongoingstar formation is concentrated towards the inner parts of the coolingflow galaxies and, therefore, the star formation does not follow theX-ray derived mass accretion profiles. Simultaneously, the spectralindices in the outer regions of some galaxies with and without coolingflow attain extremely low values, suggesting that they could be hostingstar formation with an origin that is not related to the cooling flows. Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with. Old stellar populations. 5: Absorption feature indices for the complete LICK/IDS sample of starsTwenty-one optical absorption features, 11 of which have been previouslydefined, are automatically measured in a sample of 460 stars. FollowingGorgas et al., the indices are summarized in fitting functions that giveindex strengths as functions of stellar temperature, gravity, and(Fe/H). This project was carried out with the purpose of predictingindex strengths in the integrated light of stellar populations ofdifferent ages and metallicities, but the data should be valuable forstellar studies in the Galaxy as well. Several of the new indices appearto be promising indicators of metallicity for old stellar populations. Acomplete list of index data and atmospheric parameters is available incomputer-readable form. The integrated spectra of M32 and of 47 Tuc: A comparative study at high spectral resolutionIntegrated spectra have been obtained for the elliptical galaxy M32 andfor the 'metal-rich' Galactic globular cluster 47 Tuc. The spectra coverthe wavelength interval lambda lambda 3800-4400 A at a resolution of 2.5A full width at half maximum (FWHM) and S/N ratio of approximately100:1. Similar data have been acquired for a library of 191 individualstars, and, to support the 47 Tuc observations, integrated spectra offour additional metal-rich Galactic globular clusters have beenobtained. These observations are used to compare in detail theintegrated spectra of M32 (the most extensively studied ellipticalgalaxy) and 47 Tuc (the best-studied metal-rich Galactic globularcluster). Although M32 and 47 Tuc have similar optical broadband colorsand overall spectral types, when viewed at 2.5 A resolution spectranumerous subtle differences between their integrated are clearlyvisible. A system of 13 spectral indices, many of them originallydefined in Rose (1984), has been used to quantify these differences.Altogether twelve diagnostic diagrams are presented to illustrate themanner in which the integrated spectrum of M32 differs from that of 47Tuc. These diagrams are used to place several strong constraints on thestellar populations in these two systems.
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