Related papers: Probing Galactic variations in the fine-structure …
Sun-like stars are a new probe of variations in the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, via the solar twins approach: velocity separations of close pairs of absorption lines are compared between stars with very similar stellar parameters,…
The fine structure constant, $\alpha$, sets the strength of the electromagnetic force. The Standard Model of particle physics provides no explanation for its value, which could potentially vary. The wavelengths of stellar absorption lines…
We are carrying out a search for planets around a sample of solar twin stars using the HARPS spectrograph. The goal of this project is to exploit the advantage offered by solar twins to obtain chemical abundances of unmatched precision.…
The Survey for Distant Solar Twins (SDST) aims to find stars very similar to the Sun at distances 1-4 kpc, several times more distant than any currently known solar twins and analogues. The goal is to identify the best stars with which to…
The compositions of stars are a critical diagnostic tool for many topics in astronomy such as the evolution of our Galaxy, the formation of planets, and the uniqueness of the Sun. Previous spectroscopic measurements indicate a large…
Radial velocity perturbations induced by stellar surface inhomogeneities including spots, plages and granules currently limit the detection of Earth-twins using Doppler spectroscopy. Such stellar noise is poorly understood for stars other…
Star-forming galaxies at high redshifts are the ideal targets to probe the hypothetical variation of the fine-structure constant alpha over cosmological time scales. We propose a modification of the alkali doublets method which allows us to…
Context. Many large stellar surveys have been and are still being carried out, providing huge amounts of data, for which stellar physical parameters will be derived. Solar twins and analogues provide a means to test the calibration of these…
Solar twins are stars of key importance to the field of astronomy and offer a multitude of science applications. Only a small number ($\lesssim200$) of solar twins are known today, all of which are relatively close to our Sun…
We describe a search for close spectroscopic dwarf M star binaries using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to address the question of the rate of occurrence of multiplicity in M dwarfs. We use a template fitting technique to…
It is still unclear how common the Sun is when compared to other similar stars in regards to some of its physical properties, such as rotation. Considering that gyrochronology relations are widely used today to estimate ages of stars in the…
Adding an independent estimate of the mean stellar density, $\rho_{\star}$, as a constraint in the analysis of stars that host transiting exoplanets can significantly improve the precision of the planet radius estimate in cases where the…
The complexity of composite spectra of close binary star system makes study of the spectra of their component stars extremely difficult. For this reason there exists very little information on the photospheric chemical composition of stars…
Attempts to measure the variability of the fine structure constant alpha over cosmological time, using spectra of high redshift quasars have produced conflicting results. We use the Many Multiplet (MM) method with Mg II and Fe II lines on…
Distances to stars are key to revealing a three-dimensional view of the Milky Way, yet their determination is a major challenge in astronomy. Whilst the brightest nearby stars benefit from direct parallax measurements, fainter stars are…
We conducted a deep survey of resolved sub-systems among wide binaries with solar-type components within 67 pc from the Sun. Images of 61 stars in the K and H bands were obtained with the NICI adaptive-optics instrument on the 8-m…
The aim of this work is to obtain precise atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances automatically for solar twins and analogs to find signatures of exoplanets, as well as to assess how peculiar the Sun is compared to these stars and to…
Studies of solar twins have key impacts on the astronomical community, but only $\sim$100--200 nearby solar twins ($<$ 1 kpc) have been reliably identified over the last few decades. The aim of our survey (SDST) is to identify…
We explore a possible time variation of the fine structure constant ($\alpha \equiv e^2/\hbar c$) using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect measurements of galaxy clusters along with their X-ray observations. Specifically, the ratio of the…
The search for twins of the Sun and Earth relies on accurate characterization of stellar and exoplanetary parameters: i.e., ages, masses, and radii. In the modern era of asteroseismology, parameters of solar-like stars are derived by…