A Fine Analysis of the Helium-Rich Star Hd184927. Norman Arthur Higginbotham Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1974 A Fine Analysis of the Helium-Rich Star Hd184927. Norman Arthur Higginbotham Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Higginbotham, Norman Arthur, "A Fine Analysis of the Helium-Rich Star Hd184927." (1974). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 2671. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/2671 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 75-1932 HIGGINBOTHAM, Noman A rth u r, 1943- A FINE ANALYSIS OF THE HELIUM-RICH STAR HD 184927. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1974 Astronomy Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. A FINE ANALYSIS OF THE. HELIUM—RICH STAR HD 184927 A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Physics and Astronomy by Norman Arthur Higginbotham B.S., Louisiana State University, 1970 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1972 August, 1974 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to my wife, Lucille. Without her continual encouragement and patient endurance, her lasting love and devotion to a husband and his dream, and, lastly, her much needed editing and typing abilities, this dissertation could not have been written. Never have I known an individual who could give so much while asking for so little; let this be a declaration of my appreciation of a long forbearance. I also extend my deepest thanks to Dr. Paul D. Lee, my thesis advisor, for his interest and guidance in this research. This work was initiated at his suggestion and to him I am most indebted for invaluable teaching, assistance, and friendship throughout my graduate school experience. His influence has affected all aspects of my graduate education; being his student has been a pleasant and rewarding experience. Dr. D. M. Peterson kindly made available extensive amounts of his data in advance of publication, for which I am grateful. To Martha Prather who, upon very short notice, typed the final manuscript, I extend my sincere appreciation. And, finally, I thank my two precious children, Normandy and Gus, who somehow have made this endeavor ii completely worthwhile. I gratefully acknowledge the Dr. Charles E. Coates Memorial Fund, donated by George H. Coates, for financial assistance pertinent to the publication of this disserta tion. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Introduction 1 A. Spectral Classification 1 B. A "Normal" Stellar Helium to Hydrogen Ratio 10 C. Early-type Stellar Objects Having Abnormal Helium Abundances 12 1. Subdwarf B Stars 12 2. Helium-weak Stars 13 3. Subdwarf O Stars 13 4. Hydrogen-deficient, or Helium Stars 14 5. Non-classified, Helium Anomalous Stars 14 6. Helium-rich Stars 15 D. The Helium-rich Class of Stellar Objects 15 E. Known or Suspected Helium-rich Stars 16 F. HD 184927 27 II. Observations and Reduction 30 A. Photometric Observations: Wide-band 30 B. Photometric Observations: Narrow-band 30 C. The Line Spectrum 33 III. The Coarse Analysis 39 A. Effective Temperature Determination 39 iv B. The Helium to Hydrogen Ratio 43 C. Determination of Surface Gravity 52 IV. Model Stellar Atmospheres and Line Profile Calculations 54 A. Model Stellar Atmospheres - Qualitative 54 B. Model Stellar Atmospheres - Quantitative 60 C. Line Profile Calculations - General 73 D. Line Profile Calculations - Quantitative 76 V. A Fine Analysis of HD 184927 83 A. Helium-rich Model Atmosphere Grid and Line Program 83 B. Model Fitting 85 1. The Balmer and He I Lines 86 2. The Hy and HS Profiles 87 3. The Continuous Spectrum and Balmer Discontinuity 90 4. Microturbulence 92 5. Ionization Equilibria 93 6. Final Atmospheric Parameters 95 C. Metallic Line Analysis 97 D. Individual Metallic Results 99 1. Carbon, Nitrogerv and Oxygen 99 2. Silicon and Sulfur 99 3. Aluminum 100 v 4. Argon 100 5. Iron 101 6. Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Neon 102 E. Absolute Magnitude, Mass, Radius, Luminosity, and Distance 102 VI. Conclusions 106 Tables 109 Figures 140 References 152 Appendix I - A Simple Adiabatic Approach to Stark Broadening for the Hydrogen Lines 161 Appendix II - Hydrogenic Stark Broadening Based on the "Modified Impact Theory" 172 Appendix III - A Semi-Empirical Approach to Stark Broadening 176 Vita 180 TABLE CAPTIONS Table 1 Known or suspected helium-rich stars. Also listed are values of effective temperature, surface gravity and helium content as deter mined by references given in column 5. Table 2 Equivalent widths of several hydrogen and helium lines for representative normal, helium- rich, and helium stars. Table 3 Helium/hydrogen line ratios and helium abun dances for the known helium-rich stars. Table 4 Photometric observations of HD 184927. Table 5 Continuum measurements of HD 184927; observa tions of 4/5 April 1973. Table 6 Continuum measurements of HD 184927; observa tions of 23/24 April 1973. Table 7 Continuum fluxes for HD 184927. Table 8 Observational material for the analysis of HD 184927. Table 9 Calibration wavelengths of spectrograms of HD 184927. Table 10 Observed line profiles in HD 184927. Table 11 The metallic line spectrum of HD 184927. Grouped by ion, in columns one through five are listed multiplet number, wavelength in angstroms, log gf and reference, the measured equivalent vii width in milliangstroms, and determined abun dance. The final averaged abundance is listed to the right of the ion identification intro ducing each grouping. Table 12 Photometry for several helium-rich stars. Table 13 A comparison of the effective temperature scales of Morton and Adams, Hyland, and Schild, Peterson, and Oke. Table 14 A comparison of computed values of effective temperature for several helium-rich stars. Table 15 Values employed in the determination of N(HI,n=2). In columns one through five are listed the upper principal quantum number, wavelength in angstroms, measured (average) equivalent width, f-value, and the determined value of log N(HI,n=2). Table 16 Values employed in the determination of 3 N(He I, 2 P). Columns are as given in Table 15. Table 17 Extrapolated value and weight of log N(A) for helium. Table 18 Unreddened continuum fluxes for HD 184927. Table 19 Abundances (log e) in HD 184927, the Sun, and normal B stars. viii FIGURE CAPTIONS Figure 1 Measured He/H line ratios, [W^(HeIX 4143)/Wx (H6)] and [Wx (He I X 4471)/Wx (Hy)], as func tions of helium abundance, N(He), determined from fine analyses for the helium-rich stars, HD 144941 and BD + 13° 3224. The solid lines are representative changes as determined from the model atmospheres and lines. Figure 2 A segment of the standard color-color diagram showing the positions of four helium-rich stars, HD 184927, HD 96446, HD 37017, and HD 37479 having known UBV photometry. Posi tions are for unreddened values. Approximate temperatures are indicated along the standard two-color line. A representative change in colors with helium enrichment is indicated. Figure 3 log N(A) for various upper levels of hydrogen and helium. Each helium series has been re- 3 duced to the 2 P level. Figure 4a Theoretical equivalent widths for Hy as a function of log n„ for various values of li gravity and effective temperature. Figure 4b Theoretical equivalent widths for X 4471 of He I as a function of log n„; same notation h as in Figure 4a.