The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)
An Angular Diameter Measurement of β UMa via Stellar Intensity Interferometry with the VERITAS Observatory
- A. Acharyya,
- J. P. Aufdenberg,
- P. Bangale,
- J. T. Bartkoske,
- P. Batista,
- W. Benbow,
- A. J. Chromey,
- J. D. Davis,
- Q. Feng,
- G. M. Foote,
- A. Furniss,
- W. Hanlon,
- C. E. Hinrichs,
- J. Holder,
- W. Jin,
- P. Kaaret,
- M. Kertzman,
- D. Kieda,
- T. K. Kleiner,
- N. Korzoun,
- T. LeBohec,
- M. A. Lisa,
- M. Lundy,
- N. Matthews,
- C. E McGrath,
- M. J. Millard,
- P. Moriarty,
- S. Nikkhah,
- S. O’Brien,
- R. A. Ong,
- M. Pohl,
- E. Pueschel,
- J. Quinn,
- P. L. Rabinowitz,
- K. Ragan,
- E. Roache,
- J. G. Rose,
- J. L. Sackrider,
- I. Sadeh,
- L. Saha,
- G. H. Sembroski,
- R. Shang,
- D. Tak,
- M. Ticoras,
- J. V. Tucci,
- D. A. Williams,
- S. L. Wong,
- The VERITAS Collaboration
Affiliations
- A. Acharyya
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
- J. P. Aufdenberg
- ORCiD
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , Physical Sciences Department, 1 Aerospace Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, USA
- P. Bangale
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA
- J. T. Bartkoske
- ORCiD
- University of Utah , Department of Physics and Astronomy, 115 South 1400 East 201, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- P. Batista
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- W. Benbow
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- A. J. Chromey
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- J. D. Davis
- University of Utah , Department of Physics and Astronomy, 115 South 1400 East 201, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Q. Feng
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- G. M. Foote
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA
- A. Furniss
- ORCiD
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- W. Hanlon
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- C. E. Hinrichs
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College , 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 USA
- J. Holder
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA
- W. Jin
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- P. Kaaret
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa , Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- M. Kertzman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, DePauw University , Greencastle, IN 46135-0037, USA
- D. Kieda
- ORCiD
- University of Utah , Department of Physics and Astronomy, 115 South 1400 East 201, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- T. K. Kleiner
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- N. Korzoun
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA
- T. LeBohec
- ORCiD
- University of Utah , Department of Physics and Astronomy, 115 South 1400 East 201, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- M. A. Lisa
- ORCiD
- The Ohio State University , Department of Physics, 191 W Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA ; [email protected]
- M. Lundy
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- N. Matthews
- ORCiD
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Institut de Physique de France , France; Space Dynamics Laboratory, Utah State University , Logan, UT, USA
- C. E McGrath
- School of Physics, University College Dublin , Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- M. J. Millard
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa , Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- P. Moriarty
- ORCiD
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway , University Road, Galway, H91 TK33, Ireland
- S. Nikkhah
- The Ohio State University , Department of Physics, 191 W Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA ; [email protected]
- S. O’Brien
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute, 64 Bader Lane, Queen’s University , Kingston, ON , K7L 3N6 Canada
- R. A. Ong
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- M. Pohl
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, Germany; Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam , 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- E. Pueschel
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- J. Quinn
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University College Dublin , Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- P. L. Rabinowitz
- Department of Physics, Washington University , St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- K. Ragan
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- E. Roache
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- J. G. Rose
- ORCiD
- The Ohio State University , Department of Physics, 191 W Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA ; [email protected]
- J. L. Sackrider
- ORCiD
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , Physical Sciences Department, 1 Aerospace Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, USA
- I. Sadeh
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- L. Saha
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- G. H. Sembroski
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University , West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- R. Shang
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College , Columbia University, NY 10027, USA
- D. Tak
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- M. Ticoras
- ORCiD
- The Ohio State University , Department of Physics, 191 W Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA ; [email protected]
- J. V. Tucci
- Department of Physics, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis , Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- D. A. Williams
- ORCiD
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- S. L. Wong
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- The VERITAS Collaboration
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad2b68
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 966,
no. 1
p. 28
Abstract
We use the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging telescope Array System (VERITAS) imaging air Cherenkov telescope array to obtain the first measured angular diameter of β UMa at visual wavelengths using stellar intensity interferometry (SII) and independently constrain the limb-darkened angular diameter. The age of the Ursa Major moving group has been assessed from the ages of its members, including nuclear member Merak ( β UMa), an A1-type subgiant, by comparing effective temperature and luminosity constraints to model stellar evolution tracks. Previous interferometric limb-darkened angular-diameter measurements of β UMa in the near-infrared (Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array, 1.149 ± 0.014 mas) and mid-infrared (Keck Nuller, 1.08 ± 0.07 mas), together with the measured parallax and bolometric flux, have constrained the effective temperature. This paper presents current VERITAS-SII observation and analysis procedures to derive squared visibilities from correlation functions. We fit the resulting squared visibilities to find a limb-darkened angular diameter of 1.07 ± 0.04 (stat) ± 0.05 (sys) mas, using synthetic visibilities from a stellar atmosphere model that provides a good match to the spectrum of β UMa in the optical wave band. The VERITAS-SII limb-darkened angular diameter yields an effective temperature of 9700 ± 200 ± 200 K, consistent with ultraviolet spectrophotometry, and an age of 390 ± 29 ± 32 Myr, using MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks. This age is consistent with 408 ± 6 Myr from the CHARA Array angular diameter.
Keywords
