您选择的条件: Jinzhong Liu
  • Searching for Variable Stars in the Open Cluster NGC 2355 and Its Surrounding Region

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We have investigated the variable stars in the field surrounding NGC 2355 based on the time-series photometric observation data. More than 3000 CCD frames were obtained in the V band spread over 13 nights with the Nanshan One-meter Wide-field Telescope. We have detected 88 variable stars, containing 72 new variable stars and 16 known variable stars. By analyzing these light curves, we classified the variable stars as follows: 26 eclipsing binaries, 52 pulsating stars, 4 rotating variables, and 6 unclear type variable stars for which their periods are much longer than the time baseline chosen. Employing Gaia DR2 parallax, kinematics, and photometry, the cluster membership of these variable stars were also analyzed for NGC 2355. In addition to the 11 variable members reported by Cantat-Gaudin et al. (2018), we identify 4 more variable member candidates located at the outer region of NGC 2355 and showed homogeneity in space positions and kinematic properties with the cluster members. The main physical parameters of NGC 2355 estimated from the two-color and color-magnitude diagrams are log(age/yr) = 8.9, E(B - V) = 0.24 mag, and [Fe/H] = - 0.07 dex.

  • Deciphering Star Cluster Evolution by Shape Morphology

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We analyze the morphological evolution of open clusters and provide shape parameters for 265 open clusters. The results show that the overall shape of sample clusters becomes more elliptical as they grow older, while their core remains circular or slightly trend to circularize. There is a negative correlation of the ellipticities with the number of members of the sample clusters. A significant negative correlation between the overall ellipticities and masses is also detected for the sample clusters with log(age/year) $\geq$ 8, suggesting that the overall shapes of the clusters are possibly influenced by the number of members and masses, in addition to the external forces and the surrounding environment. For most young sample clusters, the radial stratification degree of the short axis direction is greater than that of the long, implying that the radial stratification degree in the two directions within the young sample cluster may be unevenly affected by an internal evolutionary process. Older sample clusters exhibit lower stratification in the tangential direction, which possibly means those clusters may continue to survive for a long time at a low level of stratification. Our analysis shows that the overall shape of the sample clusters may be more susceptible to the influence of Galactic tides toward the Galactic center than the shear forces embedded in Galactic differential rotation. By analyzing the distribution of the ages and number of members of star clusters, we suggest that NGC 6791 may originate from superclusters.

  • Simultaneous Detection of Optical Flares of the Magnetically Active M Dwarf Wolf 359

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We present detections of stellar flares of Wolf\,359, an M6.5 dwarf in the solar neighborhood (2.41~pc) known to be prone to flares due to surface magnetic activity. The observations were carried out from 2020 April 23 to 29 with a 1-m and a 0.5-m telescope separated by nearly 300~km in Xinjiang, China. In 27~hr of photometric monitoring, a total of 13 optical flares were detected, each with a total energy of $\gtrsim 5 \times 10^{29}$~erg. The measured event rate of about once every two hours is consistent with those reported previously in radio, X-ray and optical wavelengths for this star. One such flare, detected by both telescopes on 26 April, was an energetic event with a released energy of nearly $10^{33}$~erg. The two-telescope lightcurves of this major event sampled at different cadences and exposure timings enabled us to better estimate the intrinsic flare profile, which reached a peak of up to 1.6 times the stellar quiescent brightness, that otherwise would have been underestimated in the observed flare amplitudes of about $0.4$ and $0.8$, respectively, with single telescopes alone. The compromise between fast sampling so as to resolve a flare profile versus a longer integration time for higher photometric signal-to-noise provides a useful guidance in the experimental design of future flare observations.

  • ET White Paper: To Find the First Earth 2.0

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We propose to develop a wide-field and ultra-high-precision photometric survey mission, temporarily named "Earth 2.0 (ET)". This mission is designed to measure, for the first time, the occurrence rate and the orbital distributions of Earth-sized planets. ET consists of seven 30cm telescopes, to be launched to the Earth-Sun's L2 point. Six of these are transit telescopes with a field of view of 500 square degrees. Staring in the direction that encompasses the original Kepler field for four continuous years, this monitoring will return tens of thousands of transiting planets, including the elusive Earth twins orbiting solar-type stars. The seventh telescope is a 30cm microlensing telescope that will monitor an area of 4 square degrees toward the galactic bulge. This, combined with simultaneous ground-based KMTNet observations, will measure masses for hundreds of long-period and free-floating planets. Together, the transit and the microlensing telescopes will revolutionize our understandings of terrestrial planets across a large swath of orbital distances and free space. In addition, the survey data will also facilitate studies in the fields of asteroseismology, Galactic archeology, time-domain sciences, and black holes in binaries.