Xi Phoenicis

Summary

Xi Phoenicis, Latinized from ξ Phoenicis, is a visual binary[4] star system in the southern constellation of Phoenix. It is faintly visible to the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 5.70.[3] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 14.61 mas as measured from Earth,[8] it is located around 223 light years from the Sun. The system is moving away from the Sun with a radial velocity of about +10 km/s.[7]

Xi Phoenicis

A light curve for Xi Phoenicis plotted from TESS data[1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Phoenix
Right ascension 00h 41m 46.30191s[2]
Declination −56° 30′ 05.2370″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 5.70[3] + 9.98[4]
Characteristics
Spectral type A3 Vp(SrCr v. st; K sn)[5]
B−V color index +0.19[3]
Variable type α2 CVn[6]
Astrometry
ξ Phe A
Radial velocity (Rv)+9.8±2.9[7] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +90.35[8] mas/yr
Dec.: +56.79[8] mas/yr
Parallax (π)14.6127 ± 0.0903 mas[8]
Distance223 ± 1 ly
(68.4 ± 0.4 pc)
Absolute bolometric
magnitude
 (Mbol)
1.64±0.079[4]
ξ Phe B
Radial velocity (Rv)+9.19±0.28[8] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +92.61[8] mas/yr
Dec.: +54.69[8] mas/yr
Parallax (π)14.7541 ± 0.0357 mas[8]
Distance221.1 ± 0.5 ly
(67.8 ± 0.2 pc)
Details
ξ Phe A
Mass1.91±0.03[9] M
Radius2.04±0.26[4] R
Luminosity17.4+1.7
−1.6
[4] L
Surface gravity (log g)4.0±0.2[4] cgs
Temperature8,300±250[4] K
Rotation3.9516±0.0003 d[10]
Rotational velocity (v sin i)22.5±2[4] km/s
Age680+100
−120
[9] Myr
ξ Phe B
Mass0.81[11] M
Radius0.76+0.04
−0.03
[8] R
Luminosity0.328±0.001[8] L
Temperature4,999+116
−100
[8] K
Other designations
ξ Phe, CD−57° 137, HD 3980, HIP 3277, HR 183, SAO 232152, WDS J00418-5630A[12]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Primary star edit

The primary is a chemically peculiar Ap star with a stellar classification of A3 Vp(SrCr v. st; K sn), where the suffix notation indicating the spectrum shows very strong lines of Strontium and Chromium.[5] The star has about double the solar radius and is radiating 17 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 8,300 K.[4] Stellar evolution models indicate its properties are consistent with a mass of 1.91 times the solar mass and an age of 680 million years.[9]

Xi Phoenicis has a strong magnetic field that varies with the stellar rotation period. It can be modeled as a dipolar field with a polar strength of kG, inclined by 88° in relation to the rotation axis of the star. The reconstruction of the stellar surface by Doppler imaging showed it is heterogenous with regions of different chemical abundances, which seem to be associated to the geometry of the magnetic field. For instance, lithium and oxygen have high abundances in the magnetic poles and low abundances in the magnetic equator, while elements like silicon and lanthanum are concentrated in a region between the magnetic equator and poles.[4] However, these results have been contested, and it is possible the abundance maps are spurious due to the strong magnetic field.[13]

An Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable, Xi Phoenicis's visual magnitude varies between 5.68 and 5.78 with a period of 3.9516 days,[6] which is the rotation period of the star and is also associated with changes in the spectrum and the magnetic field. The brightness variation is maximum in the v band, with an amplitude of 0.13 magnitudes. The light curve in this band is symmetrical and has two distinct minima separated by half a rotation period, while the two maxima are igual. In other bands the variability is smaller or even absent, and doesn't show a regular pattern like in v.[10] The star is similar in many aspects to rapidly oscillating Ap stars, but does not display the rapid pulsations typical of these stars.[14]

Secondary star edit

Xi Phoenicis is known as a double star since 1834, the date of the first registered observation in the Washington Double Star Catalogue.[15] The relative position of the two components has remained constant to this day, confirming they have a common proper motion and form a physical binary system.[16] The secondary star has a visual apparent magnitude of 9.95[15] and in 2007 was located at an angular separation of 13.06 arcseconds and position angle of 252.5°, in relation to the primary. Considering the distance to the system, this corresponds to a projected separation of 875 AU between the stars. The mass of the secondary is estimated at 0.81 times the solar mass.[11]

This star is in the second catalogue of the Gaia spacecraft, which measured independently a distance equal to that of the primary, and estimated a radius of 0.76 R, luminosity of 0.33 L, and effective temperature of 5,000 K.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ "MAST: Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes". Space Telescope Science Institute. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b van Leeuwen, F. (2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 474 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600.
  3. ^ a b c Cousins, A. W. J.; et al. (1966), "Photoelectric magnitudes and colours of southern stars, II", Royal Observatory Bulletins, 121: 1, Bibcode:1966RGOB..121....1C.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nesvacil, N.; et al. (January 2012), "Multi-element Doppler imaging of the CP2 star HD 3980", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 537: 10, arXiv:1303.2703, Bibcode:2012A&A...537A.151N, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117097, S2CID 53700611, A151.
  5. ^ a b Abt, Helmut A.; Morrell, Nidia I. (1995), "The Relation between Rotational Velocities and Spectral Peculiarities among A-Type Stars", Astrophysical Journal Supplement, 99: 135, Bibcode:1995ApJS...99..135A, doi:10.1086/192182.
  6. ^ a b Samus, N. N.; et al. (2017), "General Catalogue of Variable Stars: Version GCVS 5.1", Astronomy Reports, 61 (1): 80−88, Bibcode:2017ARep...61...80S, doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085, S2CID 125853869.
  7. ^ a b de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012), "Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 546: 14, arXiv:1208.3048, Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..61D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219, S2CID 59451347, A61.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051.
  9. ^ a b c Kochukhov, O.; Bagnulo, S. (2006), "Evolutionary state of magnetic chemically peculiar stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 450 (2): 763, arXiv:astro-ph/0601461, Bibcode:2006A&A...450..763K, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20054596, S2CID 18596834.
  10. ^ a b Maitzen, H. M.; Weiss, W. W.; Wood, H. J. (1980). "Photometric and magnetic variability of the late AP star HD 3980". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 81: 323. Bibcode:1980A&A....81..323M.
  11. ^ a b De Rosa, R. J.; et al. (January 2014), "The VAST Survey - III. The multiplicity of A-type stars within 75 pc", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 437 (2): 1216–1240, arXiv:1311.7141, Bibcode:2014MNRAS.437.1216D, doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1932, S2CID 88503488.
  12. ^ "ksi Phe". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  13. ^ Stift, M. J.; Leone, F. (2017). "Spurious Doppler maps from noisy spectra and zero-field inversions". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 465 (3): 2880. Bibcode:2017MNRAS.465.2880S. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw2885.
  14. ^ Elkin, V. G.; et al. (November 2008), "A search for rapid pulsations in the magnetic cool chemically peculiar star HD3980", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 390 (3): 1250−1257, arXiv:0808.2711, Bibcode:2008MNRAS.390.1250E, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13819.x, S2CID 19030373.
  15. ^ a b Mason, Brian D.; Wycoff, Gary L.; Hartkopf, William I.; Douglass, Geoffrey G.; Worley, Charles E. (2001). "The 2001 US Naval Observatory Double Star CD-ROM. I. The Washington Double Star Catalog". The Astronomical Journal. 122 (6): 3466. Bibcode:2001AJ....122.3466M. doi:10.1086/323920.
  16. ^ Eggleton, P. P.; Tokovinin, A. A. (September 2008), "A catalogue of multiplicity among bright stellar systems", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 389 (2): 869–879, arXiv:0806.2878, Bibcode:2008MNRAS.389..869E, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13596.x, S2CID 14878976.