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Eclipsing, spectroscopic double-lined (SB2) binaries remain to be the prime source of precise and accurate fundamental properties of stars. Furthermore, high-cadence spectroscopic observations of the eclipse phases allow us to resolve the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect whose modelling offers the means to probe spin-orbit misalignment in binaries. In this study, we develop the LSDBinary algorithm that is capable of working with both in-eclipse and out-of-eclipse spectra of SB2 binaries as input and delivers the LSD profiles, LSD-based model spectra, and precise RVs of both binary components as output. We offer an option to account for the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect in the calculation of the initial guess LSD profiles and components' flux ratio such that the effect can be modelled within the algorithm itself. We provide an extensive test of the LSDBinary software package on simulated spectra of artificial binaries. We study the effects of signal-to-noise-ratio of input spectra, resolving power of the instrument, uncertain atmospheric parameters of stars, and orbital properties of the binary system on the resulting LSD profiles and RVs measured from them. We find that atmospheric parameters have negligible effect on the shape of the computed LSD profiles while affecting mostly their global scaling. Our results are barely sensitive to signal-to-noise ratio of the input spectra provided they contain sufficient number of spectral lines, such as in A-type stars and later. Finally, the orbital inclination angle and components' radii ratio are found to have the largest effect on the shapes of the LSD profiles and RV curves extracted from them. The LSDBinary algorithm is specifically developed to perform detailed spectroscopic studies of eclipsing SB2 systems whose orbital configuration and components' atmospheric parameters are estimated by other means., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in the main journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics

We performed a detailed spectroscopic study of the SB2 system HD 60803 based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the different spectrographs. The analysis was done with two independent methods: a) the direct modelling of the observed binary spectrum by a sum of synthetic spectra varying a set of free parameters and minimizing a difference between the observed and theoretical spectra; b) spectrum disentangling and an independent modelling of the individual components. Being applied to binary spectra from different spectrographs both methods converge to a consistent solution for the fundamental parameters of the HD 60803 components: $T_{\rm eff}$=6055$\pm$70 K, $\log{g}$=4.08$\pm$0.12, $\zeta_{\rm RT}$=1.45$\pm$0.18 km s$^{-1}$, [M/H]=0.03$\pm$0.06 (primary), and $T_{\rm eff}$=6069$\pm$70 K, $\log{g}$=4.14$\pm$0.09, $\zeta_{\rm RT}$=1.48$\pm$0.18 km s$^{-1}$, [M/H]=0.03$\pm$0.06 (secondary). Differential abundance analysis of the components did not reveal any significant difference in their chemical composition. Besides Li both components have solar atmospheric abundances. Li abundance exceeds the solar one by $\sim$2 dex, but it agrees with Li abundance in main-sequence late F-stars. Relative-to-solar abundances in both components slightly correlate with the condensation temperature the same way as was found in the solar analogs with/without detected giant planets. The estimated age of the system is 5.5$\pm$0.5 Gyr., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, accepted in MNRAS

RZ Cas is a short-period Algol-type system showing episodes of mass transfer and Delta Sct-like oscillations of its mass-gaining primary component. We analyse high-resolution spectra of RZ Cas that we obtained during a spectroscopic long-term monitoring lasting from 2001 to 2017. Spectrum analysis resulted in precise atmospheric parameters of both components, in particular in surface abundances below solar values. We find that the variation of orbital period is semi-regular and derive different characteristic timescales for different epochs of observation. We show that the radial velocity variations with orbital phase can be modelled when including two cool spots on the surface of the secondary component. The modelling leads to precise masses and separation of the components. The seasonal variation of several parameters, such as vsin(i), rotation-orbit synchronisation factor, strength of the spots on the cool companion, and orbital period, can be characterised by a common timescale of the order of nine years. We interpret the timescale of nine years as the magnetic activity cycle of the cool companion. In particular the behaviour of the dark spots on the cool companion leads us to the interpretation that this timescale is based on an 18-year magnetic dynamo cycle. We conclude that the mass-transfer rate is controlled by the variable depth of the Wilson depression in the magnetic spot around the Lagrangian point L1. In the result, based on available data, we observe a damped activity cycle of the star, starting with a high mass-transfer episode around 2001, followed by quiet periods in 2006 and 2009, slightly higher activity around 2013 and 2014, and again followed by quiet periods in 2015 and 2016. However, owing to missing data for years 2010 and 2011, we cannot exclude that a second high mass-transfer episode occurred within this time span., Comment: 18 pages, 19 figures, 10 tables. Accepted for publication in Section 8 Stellar atmospheres of Astronomy and Astrophysics

(Abridged) Eclipsing, spectroscopic double-lined binary star systems (SB2) are excellent laboratories for calibrating theories of stellar interior structure and evolution. We aim to investigate the mass discrepancy in binary stars. We study the effect of near-core mixing on the mass of the convective core of the stars and interpret the results in the context of the mass discrepancy. Two scenarios are considered, where individual stellar components of a binary system are treated independent of each other and where they are forced to have the same age and initial chemical composition. We find that the mass discrepancy is present in our sample and that it is anti-correlated with the surface gravity of the star. No correlations are found with other fundamental and atmospheric parameters, including the stellar mass. The mass discrepancy can be partially accounted for by increasing the amount of near-core mixing in stellar evolution models. We also find that ignoring the microturbulent velocity and turbulent pressure in stellar atmosphere models of hot evolved stars results in overestimation of their effective temperature by up to 8%. Together with enhanced near-core mixing, this can almost entirely account for the 30% mass discrepancy found for the evolved primary component of V380 Cyg. We find a strong link between the mass discrepancy and the convective core mass. The mass discrepancy can be solved by considering the combined effect of extra near-core boundary mixing and consistent treatment in the spectrum analysis of hot evolved stars. Our binary modelling results in convective core masses between 17 and 35% of the stellar mass, in excellent agreement with results from gravity-mode asteroseismology of single stars. This implies larger helium core masses near the end of the main sequence than anticipated so far., Comment: 22 pages (17 pages of main text + 5 pages of appendix), 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

R Canis Majoris is the prototype of a small group of Algol-type stars showing short orbital periods and low mass ratios. A previous detection of short-term oscillations in its light curve has not yet been confirmed. We investigate a new time series of high-resolution spectra with the aim to derive improved stellar and system parameters, to search for the possible impact of a third component in the observed spectra, to look for indications of activity in the Algol system, and to search for short-term variations in radial velocities. We disentangled the composite spectra into the spectra of the binary components. Then we analysed the resulting high signal-to-noise spectra of both stars. Using a newly developed program code based on an improved method of least-squares deconvolution, we were able to determine the radial velocities of both components also during primary eclipse. This allowed us to develop a better model of the system including the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and to derive improved orbital parameters. Combining the results with those from spectrum analysis, we obtain accurate stellar and system parameters. We further deduce at least one oscillation frequency of 21.38 c/d. It could be detected during primary eclipses only and confirms a previous photometric finding. Results point to an amplitude amplification of non-radial pulsation modes due to the eclipse mapping effect. The presence of a He\,I line in the spectra indicates mass transfer in the R CMa system. Calculations of its Roche geometry give evidence that the cool secondary component may fill its Roche lobe. No evidence of a third body in the system could be found in the observed spectra., Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables

We present a radial velocity analysis of 20 solar neighborhood RR Lyrae and 3 Population II Cepheids variables. We obtained high-resolution, moderate-to-high signal-to-noise ratio spectra for most stars and obtained spectra were covering different pulsation phases for each star. To estimate the gamma (center-of-mass) velocities of the program stars, we use two independent methods. The first, `classic' method is based on RR Lyrae radial velocity curve templates. The second method is based on the analysis of absorption line profile asymmetry to determine both the pulsational and the gamma velocities. This second method is based on the Least Squares Deconvolution (LSD) technique applied to analyze the line asymmetry that occurs in the spectra. We obtain measurements of the pulsation component of the radial velocity with an accuracy of $\pm$ 3.5 km s$^{-1}$. The gamma velocity was determined with an accuracy $\pm$ 10 km s$^{-1}$, even for those stars having a small number of spectra. The main advantage of this method is the possibility to get the estimation of gamma velocity even from one spectroscopic observation with uncertain pulsation phase. A detailed investigation of the LSD profile asymmetry shows that the projection factor $p$ varies as a function of the pulsation phase -- this is a key parameter which converts observed spectral line radial velocity variations into photospheric pulsation velocities. As a byproduct of our study, we present 41 densely-spaced synthetic grids of LSD profile bisectors that are based on atmospheric models of RR Lyr covering all pulsation phases., Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS; doi:10.1093/mnras/stx2944

We performed extensive tests of the accuracy of atmospheric parameter determination for FGK stars based on the spectrum fitting procedure Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME). Our stellar sample consists of 13 objects, including the Sun, in the temperature range 5000--6600~K and metallicity range -1.4 -- +0.4. The analysed stars have the advantage of having parameters derived by interferometry. For each star we use spectra obtained with different spectrographs and different signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). For the fitting we adopted three different sets of constraints and test how the derived parameters depend upon the spectral regions (masks) used in SME. We developed and implemented in SME a new method for estimating uncertainties in the resulting parameters based on fitting residuals, partial derivatives, and data uncertainties. For stars in the 5700--6600 K range the best agreement with the effective temperatures derived by interferometry is achieved when spectrum fitting includes the H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ lines, while for cooler stars the choice of the mask does not affect the results. The derived atmospheric parameters do not strongly depend on spectral resolution and S/N of the observations, while the uncertainties in temperature and surface gravity increase with increasing effective temperature, with minima at 50~K in Teff and 0.1~dex in log g, for spectra with S/N=150--200. A NLTE analysis of the TiI/TiII and FeI/FeII ionisation equilibria and abundances determined from the atomic CI (NLTE) and molecular CH species supports the parameters we derived with SME by fitting the observed spectra including the hydrogen lines., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, accepted in MNRAS

A new time series of high-resolution Stokes I and V spectra of the magnetic B2V star HD 184927 has been obtained in the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) Large Program with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and dimaPol liquid crystal spectropolarimeter at 1.8-m telescope of Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. We model the optical and UV spectrum obtained from the IUE archive to infer the stellar physical parameters. Using magnetic field measurements we derive an improved rotational period of 9.53102+-0.0007d. We infer the longitudinal magnetic field from lines of H, He and various metals, revealing large differences between the apparent field strength variations determined from different elements. Magnetic Doppler Imaging using He and O lines yields strongly nonuniform surface distributions of these elements. We demonstrate that the diversity of longitudinal field variations can be understood as due to the combination of element-specific surface abundance distributions in combination with a surface magnetic field that is comprised of dipolar and quadrupolar components. We have reanalyzed IUE high resolution spectra, confirming strong modulation of wind-sensitive Civ and Siv resonance lines. However, we are unable to detect any modulation of the H$\alpha$ profile attributable to a stellar magnetosphere. We conclude that HD 184927 hosts a centrifugal magnetosphere, albeit one that is undetectable at optical wavelengths. The magnetic braking timescale of HD 184927 is computed to be $\tau_J = 0.96$ or $5.8$ Myr. These values are consistent with the slow rotation and estimated age of the star., Comment: 23 pages, 21 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

The stellar parameters of RR Lyrae stars vary considerably over a pulsation cycle, and their determination is crucial for stellar modelling. We present a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the pulsating star RR Lyr, the prototype of its class, over a complete pulsation cycle, based on high-resolution spectra collected at the 2.7-m telescope of McDonald Observatory. We used simultaneous photometry to determine the accurate pulsation phase of each spectrum and determined the effective temperature, the shape of the depth-dependent microturbulent velocity, and the abundance of several elements, for each phase. The surface gravity was fixed to 2.4. Element abundances resulting from our analysis are stable over the pulsation cycle. However, a variation in ionisation equilibrium is observed around minimum radius. We attribute this mostly to a dynamical acceleration contributing to the surface gravity. Variable turbulent convection on time scales longer than the pulsation cycle has been proposed as a cause for the Blazhko effect. We test this hypothesis to some extent by using the derived variable depth-dependent microturbulent velocity profiles to estimate their effect on the stellar magnitude. These effects turn out to be wavelength-dependent and much smaller than the observed light variations over the Blazhko cycle: if variations in the turbulent motions are entirely responsible for the Blazhko effect, they must surpass the scales covered by the microturbulent velocity. This work demonstrates the possibility of a self-consistent spectroscopic analysis over an entire pulsation cycle using static atmosphere models, provided one takes into account certain features of a rapidly pulsating atmosphere., Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS

We present a detailed analysis and interpretation of the high-mass binary V380 Cyg, based on high-precision space photometry gathered with the Kepler space mission as well as high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy obtained with the HERMES spectrograph attached to the 1.2m Mercator telescope. We derive a precise orbital solution and the full physical properties of the system, including dynamical component mass estimates of 11.43+/-0.19 and 7.00+/-0.14 solar masses for the primary and secondary, respectively. Our frequency analysis reveals the rotation frequency of the primary in both the photometric and spectroscopic data and additional low-amplitude stochastic variability at low frequency in the space photometry with characteristics that are compatible with recent theoretical predictions for gravity-mode oscillations excited either by the convective core or by sub-surface convective layers. Doppler Imaging analysis of the silicon lines of the primary suggests the presence of two high-contrast stellar surface abundance spots which are located either at the same latitude or longitude. Comparison of the observed properties of the binary with present-day single-star evolutionary models shows that the latter are inadequate and lack a serious amount of near-core mixing., Comment: 18 pages, 9 tables, 14 figures; to be published in MNRAS

We have employed an extensive new timeseries of Stokes I and V spectra obtained with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to investigate the physical parameters, chemical abundance distributions and magnetic field topology of the slowly-rotating He-strong star HD 184927. We infer a rotation period of 9.53071+-0.00120 from H-alpha, H-beta, LSD magnetic measurements and EWs of helium lines. We used an extensive NLTE TLUSTY grid along with the SYNSPEC code to model the observed spectra and find a new value of luminosity. In this poster we present the derived physical parameters of the star and the results of Magnetic Doppler Imaging analysis of the Stokes I and V profiles. Wide wings of helium lines can be described only under the assumption of the presence of a large, very helium-rich spot.

In recent years, astronomical photometry has been revolutionised by space missions such as MOST, CoRoT and Kepler. However, despite this progress, high-quality spectroscopy is still required as well. Unfortunately, high-resolution spectra can only be obtained using ground-based telescopes, and since many interesting targets are rather faint, the spectra often have a relatively low S/N. Consequently, we have developed an algorithm based on the least-squares deconvolution profile, which allows to reconstruct an observed spectrum, but with a higher S/N. We have successfully tested the method using both synthetic and observed data, and in combination with several common spectroscopic applications, such as e.g. the determination of atmospheric parameter values, and frequency analysis and mode identification of stellar pulsations., Comment: Proceedingspaper, 8 pages, 4 figures, appears in "Setting a New Standard in the Analysis of Binary Stars", Eds K. Pavlovski, A. Tkachenko, and G. Torres, EAS Publications Series

The MOST, CoRoT, and Kepler space missions led to the discovery of a large number of intriguing, and in some cases unique, objects among which are pulsating stars, stars hosting exoplanets, binaries, etc. Although the space missions deliver photometric data of unprecedented quality, these data are lacking any spectral information and we are still in need of ground-based spectroscopic and/or multicolour photometric follow-up observations for a solid interpretation. Both faintness of most of the observed stars and the required high S/N of spectroscopic data imply the need of using large telescopes, access to which is limited. In this paper, we look for an alternative, and aim for the development of a technique allowing to denoise the originally low S/N spectroscopic data, making observations of faint targets with small telescopes possible and effective. We present a generalization of the original Least-Squares Deconvolution (LSD) method by implementing a multicomponent average profile and a line strengths correction algorithm. The method was successfully tested on the high resolution spectra of Vega and a Kepler star, KIC04749989. Application to the two pulsating stars, 20 Cvn and HD189631, showed that the technique is also applicable to intrinsically variable stars: the results of frequency analysis and mode identification from the LSD model spectra for both objects are in good agreement with the findings from literature. Depending on S/N of the original data and spectral characteristics of a star, the gain in S/N in the LSD model spectrum typically ranges from 5 to 15 times. The restored LSD model spectra contain all the information on line profile variations present in the original spectra. The method is applicable to both high- (>30 000) and low- (<30 000) resolution spectra, though the information that can be extracted from the latter is limited by the resolving power itself., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables; accepted for publication in A&A

We have carried out a survey of short-period pulsations among a sample of carefully chosen cool Ap stars using time-resolved observations with the UVES spectrometer at the ESO 8-m VLT telescope. Here we report the discovery of pulsations with amplitudes 50-100 m/s and periods 7-12 min in HD132205, HD148593 and HD151860. These objects are therefore established as new rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars. In addition, we independently confirm the presence of pulsations in HD69013, HD96237 and HD143487 and detect, for the first time, radial velocity oscillations in two previously known photometric roAp stars HD119027 and HD185256. At the same time, no pulsation variability is found for HD5823, HD178892 and HD185204. All of the newly discovered roAp stars were previously classified as non-pulsating based on the low-precision ground-based photometric surveys. This shows that such observations cannot be used to reliably distinguish between pulsating and non-pulsating stars and that all cool Ap stars may harbor p-mode pulsations of different amplitudes., Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present the discovery of a long-period, rapidly oscillating Ap star, HD177765. Using high-resolution time-series observations obtained with UVES at the ESO VLT telescope, we found radial velocity variations with amplitudes 7-150 m/s and a period of 23.6 min, exceeding that of any previously known roAp star. The largest pulsation amplitudes are observed for Eu III, Ce III and for the narrow core of Halpha. We derived the atmospheric parameters and chemical composition of HD177765, showing this star to be similar to other long-period roAp stars. Comparison with theoretical pulsational models indicates an advanced evolutionary state for HD177765. Abundance analyses of this and other roAp stars suggest a systematic variation with age of the rare-earth line anomalies seen in cool Ap stars., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

We determine the fundamental parameters of SPB and Beta Cep candidate stars observed by the Kepler satellite mission and estimate the expected types of non-radial pulsators by comparing newly obtained high-resolution spectra with synthetic spectra computed on a grid of stellar parameters assuming LTE and check for NLTE effects for the hottest stars. For comparison, we determine Teff independently from fitting the spectral energy distribution of the stars obtained from the available photometry. We determine Teff, log(g), micro-turbulent velocity, vsin(i), metallicity, and elemental abundance for 14 of the 16 candidate stars, two of the stars are spectroscopic binaries. No significant influence of NLTE effects on the results could be found. For hot stars, we find systematic deviations of the determined effective temperatures from those given in the Kepler Input Catalogue. The deviations are confirmed by the results obtained from ground-based photometry. Five stars show reduced metallicity, two stars are He-strong, one is He-weak, and one is Si-strong. Two of the stars could be Beta Cep/SPB hybrid pulsators, four SPB pulsators, and five more stars are located close to the borders of the SPB instability region., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 10 tables

We present infrared JHK photometry of the cataclysmic variable SDSS J123813.73-033933.0 (SDSS1238)and analyze it along with optical spectroscopy, demonstrating that the binary system is most probably comprised of a massive white dwarf with Teff=12000+/-1000 K and a brown dwarf of spectral type L4. The inferred system parameters suggest that this system may have evolved beyond the orbital period minimum and is a bounce-back system. SDSS1238 stands out among CVs by exhibiting the cyclical variability (brightenings). These are not related to specific orbital phases of the binary system and are fainter than dwarf novae outbursts, that usually occur on longer timescales. This phenomenon has not been observed extensively and, thus, is poor understood. The new time-resolved, multi-longitude photometric observations of SDSS1238 allowed us to observe two consecutive brightenings and to determine their recurrence time. The period analysis of all observed brightenings during 2007 suggests a typical timescale that is close to a period of ~9.3 hours. However, the brightenings modulation is not strictly periodic, possibly maintaining coherence only on timescales of several weeks. The characteristic variability with double orbital frequency that clearly shows up during brightenings is also analyzed. The Doppler mapping of the system shows the permanent presence of a spiral arm pattern in the accretion disk. A simple model is presented to demonstrate that spiral arms in the velocity map appear at the location and phase corresponding to the 2:1 resonance radius and constitute themselves as a double-humped light curves. The long-term and short-term variability of this CV is discussed together with the spiral arm structure of an accretion disk in the context of observational effects taking place in bounce-back systems., Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publications in The Astrophysical Journal, typos added

A field star, HD 61199 (V ~ 8), simultaneously observed with Procyon by the MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) satellite in continuous runs of 34, 17, and 34 days in 2004, 2005, and 2007, was found to pulsate in 11 frequencies in the delta Scuti range with amplitudes from 1.7 down to 0.09 mmag. The photometry also showed variations with a period of about four days. To investigate the nature of the longer period, 45 days of time-resolved spectroscopy was obtained at the Thueringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg in 2004. The radial velocity measurements indicate that HD 61199 is a triple system. A delta Scuti pulsator with a rich eigenspectrum in a multiple system is promising for asteroseismology. Our objectives were to identify which of the stars in the system is the delta Scuti variable and to obtain the orbital elements of the system and the fundamental parameters of the individual components, which are constrained by the pulsation frequencies of the delta Scuti star. Classical Fourier techniques and least-squares multi-sinusoidal fits were applied to the MOST photometry to identify the pulsation frequencies. The groundbased spectroscopy was analysed with least-squares-deconvolution (LSD) techniques, and the orbital elements derived with the KOREL and ORBITX routines. Asteroseismic models were also generated. The photometric and spectroscopic data are compatible with a triple system consisting of a close binary with an orbital period of 3.57 days and a delta Scuti companion (HD 61199,A) as the most luminous component. The delta Scuti star is a rapid rotator with about vsin i = 130 km/s and an upper mass limit of about 2.1 Msun. For the close binary components, we find they are of nearly equal mass, with lower mass limits of about 0.7 Msun., Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, accepted by A&A

Several dynamical processes may induce considerable electric currents in the atmospheres of magnetic chemically peculiar (CP) stars. The Lorentz force, which results from the interaction between the magnetic field and the induced currents, modifies the atmospheric structure and induces characteristic rotational variability of the hydrogen Balmer lines. To study this phenomena we have initiated a systematic spectroscopic survey of the Balmer lines variation in magnetic CP stars. In this paper we continue presentation of results of the program focusing on the high-resolution spectral observations of A0p star \aur (HD 40312). We have detected a significant variability of the H$\alpha$, H$\beta$, and H$\gamma$ spectral lines during full rotation cycle of the star. This variability is interpreted in the framework of the model atmosphere analysis, which accounts for the Lorentz force effects. Both the inward and outward directed Lorentz forces are considered under the assumption of the axisymmetric dipole or dipole+quadrupole magnetic field configurations. We demonstrate that only the model with the outward directed Lorentz force in the dipole+quadrupole configuration is able to reproduce the observed hydrogen line variation. These results present new strong evidences for the presence of non-zero global electric currents in the atmosphere of an early-type magnetic star., Comment: 10 figures

High spectral resolution studies of cool Ap stars reveal conspicuous anomalies of the shape and strength of many absorption lines. This is a signature of large atmospheric chemical gradients produced by the selective radiative levitation and gravitational settling of chemical species. Here we present a new approach to mapping the vertical chemical structures in stellar atmospheres. We have developed a regularized chemical inversion procedure that uses all information available in high-resolution stellar spectra. The new technique for the first time allowed us to recover chemical profiles without making a priori assumptions about the shape of chemical distributions. We have derived average abundances and applied the vertical inversion procedure to the high-resolution VLT UVES spectra of the weakly magnetic, cool Ap star HD 133792. Our analysis yielded improved estimates of the atmospheric parameters of HD 133792. We show that this star has negligible vsini and the mean magnetic field modulus =1.1+/-0.1 kG. We have derived average abundances for 43 ions and obtained vertical distributions of Ca, Si, Mg, Fe, Cr, and Sr. All these elements except Mg show high overabundance in the deep layers and solar or sub-solar composition in the upper atmosphere of HD 133792. In contrast, the Mg abundance increases with height. We find that transition from the metal-enhanced to metal-depleted zones typically occurs in a rather narrow range of depths in the atmosphere of HD 133792. Based on the derived photospheric abundances, we conclude that HD 133792 belongs to the rare group of evolved cool Ap stars, which possesses very large Fe-peak enhancement, but lacks a prominent overabundance of the rare-earth elements., Comment: Accepted by A&A; 12 pages, 9 figures

For applications in population synthesis, libraries of theoretical stellar spectra are often considered an alternative to template libraries of observed spectra, because they allow a complete sampling of stellar parameters. Most attention in published theoretical spectral libraries has been devoted to the visual wavelength range. We present a detailed comparison of theoretical spectra in the range 1.57-1.67$\mu$m, for spectral types from A to early M and for giants and dwarf stars, with observed stellar spectra at resolutions around 3000, which would be sufficient to disentangle the different groups of late type stars. We have selected the NeMo grids of stellar atmospheres to perform such a comparison. We first demonstrate that after combining atomic and molecular line lists, it is possible to match observed spectral flux distributions with theoretical ones very well for almost the entire parameter range covered by the NeMo grids at moderate resolution in the visual range. In the infrared range, although the overall shape of the observed flux distributions is still matched reasonably well, the individual spectral features are reproduced by the theoretical spectra only for stars earlier than mid F type. For later spectral types the differences increase and theoretical spectra of K type stars have systematically weaker line features than those found in observations. These discrepancies are traced back to stem primarily from incomplete data on neutral atomic lines, although some of them are also related to molecules. Improving atomic data in the near infrared is a key element in making the construction of reliable libraries of stellar spectra in the infrared feasible., Comment: 17 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

The GAUDI database (Ground-based Asteroseismology Uniform Database Interface, http://sdc.laeff.esa.es/gaudi/) is a preparatory archive for the COROT (COnvection, ROtation and planetary Transits, http://www.astrsp-mrs.fr/projets/corot/) mission developed at LAEFF (Laboratory for Space Astrophysics and Theoretical Physics, http://www.laeff.esa.es). Its intention is to make the ground-based observations obtained in the preparation of the asteroseismology programme available in a simple and efficient way. It contains spectroscopic and photometric data together with inferred physical parameters for more than 1500 objects gathered since January 1998 in 6 years of observational campaigns. In this paper, the main functionalities and characteristics of the system are described. The observations have been collected at ESO-La Silla, Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, Observatoire de Haute-Provence, South African Astronomical Observatory, Tautenberg Observatory and Sierra Nevada Observatory., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures (quality degraded). Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

We study the influence of Stark broadening and stratification effects on Si\i lines in the rapidly oscillating (roAp) star 10 Aql, where the Si\i 6142.48 \AA and 6155.13 \AA lines are asymmetrical and shifted. First we have calculated Stark broadening parameters using the semiclassical perturbation method for three Si\i lines: 5950.2 \AA, 6142.48 \AA and 6155.13 \AA. We revised the synthetic sp$ calculation code taking into account both Stark width and shift for these lines. From the comparison of our calculations with the observations we found that Stark broadening + the stratification effect can explain asymmetry of the Si\i 6142.48 \AA and 6155.13 \AA lines in the atmospere of roAp star 10 Aql., Comment: Accepted to A&A

When using a recently developed method of Doppler-Zeeman mapping (Vasilchenko et al., 1996) for analysis of a real star and real observational data, we are confronted with limitations due to the model simplifications and unavoidable errors in observed spectra. We discuss the errors introduced by probable inaccurracies of the mathematical model: analytical fit of the local Stokes parameters, influence of magneto-optical effect, ignorance of the true atmosphere model to compute local Stokes profiles, non-uniform surface brightness. The magnetic field configuration is found in the form of arbitrarily shifted dipole and sum of dipole and quadrupole, along with the distribution of Si, Ti, Cr and Fe over the surface of the star. Lines of different elements lead to the same magnetic field configuration, which is reliably determined for the part of the stellar surface which faces the observer. This allows to compare the magnetic field and chemical maps of the surface of HD 215441. A large-scale ring structure with the magnetic pole at its center is clearly seen on the abundance maps. Si, Cr and Ti are highly deficient where the magnetic field lines are vertical (near the magnetic pole) while Fe is highly overabundant there., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in: Proc. of the 26th workshop of the European Working Group on CP stars, eds. P. North, A. Schnell and J. Ziznovsky, Contrib. Astr. Obs. Skalnate Pleso Vol. 27, No 3 (only the abstract has been changed)