NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2007B-0352
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2007B-0352 |
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PI: Soeren Meibom, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, smeibom@cfa.harvard.edu
Address: Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
CoI: Sydney Barnes, Lowell Observatory
CoI: Robert D. Mathieu, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Rotational evolution of bona fide single and binary stars
Abstract: Using a combination of extensive time-series spectroscopy for binary orbits, and high precision photometric monitoring for rotation periods, we have discovered a surprising difference in rotation between single stars and primary stars in binaries with separations beyond the range of tidal interactions. This result challenges prior assumptions, and raises the questions of what the rotational dependencies of proven single stars are, and which, how, and why binary stars differ from single stars in their rotation. We propose here to explore the dependencies of the rotational difference on binary parameters and stellar age by investigating 3 open clusters where extensive prior work, including rotation periods, is available. Specifically, we propose to monitor FGKM stars spectroscopically to determine their cluster membership, multiplicity status, and orbital parameters. This project will enable us to : (1) Specify how bona fide single stars rotate, (2) Specify the rotation of binary stars (whose orbits we will derive), (3) Understand the dependencies of the rotational difference to identify its source, and (4) Establish a set of canonical clusters for the community.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2007B-0352 |
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