• SNEHALATA SAHU

Articles written in Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy

• UVIT/AstroSat studies of blue straggler stars and post-mass transfer systems in star clusters: detection of one more blue lurker in M67

The blue straggler stars (BSSs) are main-sequence (MS) stars, which have evaded stellar evolution by acquiring mass while on the MS. The detection of extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD) companions to two BSSs and one yellow straggler star (YSS) from our earlier study using UVIT/AstroSat, aswell as WD companions to main-sequence stars (known as blue lurkers) suggest a good fraction of post-mass transfer binaries in M67. Using deeper UVIT observations, here we report the detection of another blue lurker in M67, with an ELM WD companion. The post-mass transfer systems with the presence of ELMWDs, including BSSs, are formed from Case A/B mass transfer and are unlikely to show any difference in surface abundances. We find a correlation between the temperature of the WD and the $\nu \sin i$ of the BSSs. We also find that the progenitors of the massive WDs are likely to belong to the hot and luminous group of BSSs in M67. The only detected BSS$+$WD system by UVIT in the globular cluster NGC 5466 has a normal WD and suggests that open cluster like environment might be present in the outskirts of low density globular clusters.

• UOCS. V. UV study of the old open cluster NGC 188 using AstroSat

We present the UV photometry of the old open cluster NGC188 obtained using images acquired with Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board the AstroSat satellite, in two far-UV (FUV) and one near-UV (NUV) filters. UVIT data is utilised in combination with optical photometric data to construct the optical and UV colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). In the FUV images, we detect only hot and bright blue straggler stars (BSSs), one hot subdwarf, and one white dwarf (WD) candidate. In the NUV images, we detect members up to a faintness limit of $\sim$22 mag including 21 BSSs, 2 yellow straggler stars (YSSs), and one WD candidate. This study presents the first NUV-optical CMDs, and are overlaid with updated BaSTIIAC isochrones and WD cooling sequence, which are found to fit well to the observed CMDs. We use spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to estimate the effective temperatures, radii, and luminosities of the UV-bright stars. We find the cluster to have an HB population with three stars ($T_{\rm eff}=4750–21000$ K). We also detect two yellow straggler stars, with one of them with UV excess connected to its binarity and X-ray emission.

• Study of dynamical status of the globular cluster NGC 1851 using ultraviolet imaging telescope

We present the study of dynamical status of the globular cluster NGC 1851. A combination of multi-wavelength space and ground-based data sets are used for the present analysis. In order to select the genuine cluster members, we used the astro-photometric data available from HST and GAIA-DR2 catalogs. The BSS radial distribution of the cluster is plotted from the center of the cluster to the outskirts. The radial distribution of BSS shows a central peak, followed by a dip at the intermediate radii ($r_{\rm min}\sim 90''$) and a rising trend in the outskirts. We also estimated $A^+_{rh}$ parameter as $0.391 \pm 0.006$ to validate the findings of the radial distribution study. On the basis of the minima in the BSS radial distribution and the value of $A^+_{rh}$ parameter, we conclude that NGC 1851 belongs to Family II classification and is an intermediate dynamical statecluster.

• UV photometry of spotted stars in the horizontal branch of the globular cluster NGC 2808 using AstroSat

A recent study of hot (20,000 to 30,000 K) extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars in globular clusters (GCs) has led to the discovery of their variability. It is suggested that this variability is driven by the projected rotation of magnetic spots on the stellar surfaces and is expected to have higher amplitudes atshorter wavelengths. Here, we present the analysis of such hot stars in the massive GC NGC 2808 using the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), aboard AstroSat. We use the UVIT data in combination with the Hubble Space Telescope UV globular cluster survey (HUGS) data for the central region (within $\sim 2.7'\times 2.7'$) and ground-based optical photometry for the outer parts of the cluster. We generate the Far-UV (FUV)–optical colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and in these we find a population of hot EHB stars fainter thanthe zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB) model. A comparison of our FUV magnitudes of the already reported variable EHB stars (vEHBs) shows that the longest period vEHBs are the faintest, along with a tentative correlation between rotation period and UV magnitude of spotted stars. In order to firmly establish anycorrelation, further study is essential.

• Correction to: UV photometry of spotted stars in the horizontal branch of the globular cluster NGC 2808 using AstroSat

• # Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy

Volume 42, 2021
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode

• # Continuous Article Publication

Posted on January 27, 2016

Since January 2016, the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy has moved to Continuous Article Publishing (CAP) mode. This means that each accepted article is being published immediately online with DOI and article citation ID with starting page number 1. Articles are also visible in Web of Science immediately. All these have helped shorten the publication time and have improved the visibility of the articles.

• # Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

Posted on July 25, 2019