Secular Evolution in Mira Variable Pulsations
Stellar evolution theory predicts that asymptotic giant branch (AGB)stars undergo a series of short thermal pulses that significantly changetheir luminosity and mass on timescales of hundreds to thousands ofyears. These pulses are confirmed observationally by the existence ofthe short-lived radioisotope technetium in the spectra of some of thesestars, but other observational consequences of thermal pulses are subtleand may only be detected over many years of observations. Secularchanges in these stars resulting from thermal pulses can be detected asmeasurable changes in period if the star is undergoing Mira pulsations.It is known that a small fraction of Mira variables exhibit largesecular period changes, and the detection of these changes among alarger sample of stars could therefore be useful in evolutionary studiesof these stars. The American Association of Variable Star Observers(AAVSO) International Database currently contains visual data for over1500 Mira variables. Light curves for these stars span nearly a centuryin some cases, making it possible to study the secular evolution of thepulsation behavior on these timescales. In this paper we present theresults of our study of period change in 547 Mira variables using datafrom the AAVSO. We use wavelet analysis to measure the period changes inindividual Mira stars over the span of available data. By making linearfits to the period versus time measurements, we determine the averagerates of period change, dlnP/dt, for each of these stars. We findnonzero dlnP/dt at the 2 σ significance level in 57 of the 547stars, at the 3 σ level in 21 stars, and at the level of 6 σor greater in eight stars. The latter eight stars have been previouslynoted in the literature, and our derived rates of period change largelyagree with published values. The largest and most statisticallysignificant dlnP/dt are consistent with the rates of period changeexpected during thermal pulses on the AGB. A number of other starsexhibit nonmonotonic period change on decades-long timescales, the causeof which is not yet known. In the majority of stars, the periodvariations are smaller than our detection threshold, meaning theavailable data are not sufficient to unambiguously measure slowevolutionary changes in the pulsation period. It is unlikely that morestars with large period changes will be found among heretoforewell-observed Mira stars in the short term, but continued monitoring ofthese and other Mira stars may reveal new and serendipitous candidatesin the future.
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Beobachtungssergebnisse Bundesdeutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Veraenderliche Sterne e.V.
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Sektion "Mirasterne": Beobachtungsplanung 2004.
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Mira kinematics from Hipparcos data: a Galactic bar to beyond the Solar circle
The space motions of Mira variables are derived from radial velocities,Hipparcos proper motions and a period-luminosity relation. Thepreviously known dependence of Mira kinematics on the period ofpulsation is confirmed and refined. In addition, it is found that Miraswith periods in the range 145-200d in the general Solar neighbourhoodhave a net radial outward motion from the Galactic Centre of75+/-18kms-1. This, together with a lag behind the circularvelocity of Galactic rotation of 98+/-19kms-1, is interpretedas evidence for an elongation of their orbits, with their major axesaligned at an angle of ~17° with the Sun-Galactic Centre line,towards positive Galactic longitudes. This concentration seems to be acontinuation to the Solar circle and beyond of the bar-like structure ofthe Galactic bulge, with the orbits of some local Miras probablypenetrating into the bulge. These conclusions are not sensitive to thedistance scale adopted. A further analysis is given of the short-period(SP) red group of Miras discussed in companion papers in this series. InAppendix A the mean radial velocities and other data for 842 oxygen-richMira-like variables are tabulated. These velocities were derived frompublished optical and radio observations.
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Catalogue of H-alpha emission stars in the Northern Milky Way
The ``Catalogue of Stars in the Northern Milky Way Having H-alpha inEmission" appears in Abhandlungen aus der Hamburger Sternwarte, Band XIin the year 1997. It contains 4174 stars, range {32degr <= l() II< 214degr , -10degr < b() II < +10degr } having the Hαline in emission. HBH stars and stars of further 99 lists taken from theliterature till the end of 1994 were included in the catalogue. We givethe cross-identification of stars from all lists used. The catalogue isalso available in the Centre de Données, Strasbourg ftp130.79.128.5 or http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr and at the HamburgObservatory via internet.
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Classification and Identification of IRAS Sources with Low-Resolution Spectra
IRAS low-resolution spectra were extracted for 11,224 IRAS sources.These spectra were classified into astrophysical classes, based on thepresence of emission and absorption features and on the shape of thecontinuum. Counterparts of these IRAS sources in existing optical andinfrared catalogs are identified, and their optical spectral types arelisted if they are known. The correlations between thephotospheric/optical and circumstellar/infrared classification arediscussed.
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Catalogue of stars in the northern Milky Way having H-alpha in emission
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Identification of 106 new infrared carbon stars in the IRAS Point Source Catalog - Near-infrared photometry and their space distribution in the galaxy
A method based solely on IR colors - the combination of near-IR and IRAScolors - is used to identify 106 new IR carbon stars (IRCS). It is shownthat the proportion of IRCS in a region of the IRAS two-color diagrampreviously thought to contain the largest concentration of such stars isnot as large as expected for the faintest objects. A local spatialnumber density of about 12 IRCS/sq kpc is estimated. It is shown to beuniform within 5 to 11 kpc from the galactic center. The local ratio ofIRCS to optical carbon stars is found to be about 35 percent. A totalrestitution rate of about 10 to the -4 solar masses/yr/sq kpc isderived. The efficiency of the combination of near and mid-IR photometryfor the study of AGB stars is confirmed.
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Observational results of the Berliner Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Veraenderliche Sterne e.V. /BAV/
Results of observations of variable stars derived from 10,000 individualevaluations are presented for the years 1978 and 1979. Included are 172minima of 75 eclipsing binaries; 70 maxima of 17 RR Lyrae stars; 309results on 93 Mira stars; 90 results on 19 long-period, semi-regular,irregular and RV Tauri stars; and 6 results on 5 eruptive variablestars.
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Classification of 831 two-micron sky survey sources south of +5 degrees.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1975AJ.....80.1011H&db_key=AST
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Kinematics of the Mira Variables.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1965ApJ...142..943S
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Spectral Classification of Red Variables Along the Galactic Equator.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1956ApJ...124..346C&db_key=AST
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Catalogue and Bibliography of Emission-Line Stars of Types Later than B.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1954ApJS....1..175B&db_key=AST
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