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Surveys and spectroscopic observations of Cepheid variable stars to reveal the Galactic structure and evolution

Research Project

Project/Area Number 23684005
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Research Field Astronomy
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

MATSUNAGA Noriyuki  東京大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (80580208)

Project Period (FY) 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
Budget Amount *help
¥8,450,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,950,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000)
Keywords赤外線天文学 / 銀河系 / 恒星 / 変光星 / セファイド
Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Milky Way contains our Solar system, but its spatial and kinematic structure remain to be investigated. We focus on pulsating variable stars, as a tracer of the galaxy, whose distances and ages can be accurately determined. We conducted survey observations for variable stars using IRSF telescope in South African Astronomical Observatory and Kiso Schmidt telescope in Kiso Observatory of the University of Tokyo. With the former we discovered Cepheid variables stars in the Galactic Center region for the first time, and the survey with the latter has been revealing hundreds of new variable stars in the northern Galactic disk. In addition, we also conducted spectroscopic observations of the variable stars we discovered, which give insights into the evolution of the Galaxy.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2014 Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2013 Annual Research Report
  • 2012 Annual Research Report
  • 2011 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (27 results)

All 2014 2013 2012 2011 Other

All Journal Article (11 results) (of which Peer Reviewed: 5 results) Presentation (14 results) Remarks (2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Cepheid variables in the flared outer disk of our galaxy2014

    • Author(s)
      Feast, Menzies, Matsunaga, and Whitelock
    • Journal Title

      Nature

      Volume: 509 Issue: 7500 Pages: 342-344

    • DOI

      10.1038/nature13246

    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Cepheids and other variable stars and the distance to the Galactic Centre2013

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium

      Volume: 289 Issue: S289 Pages: 109-115

    • DOI

      10.1017/s1743921312021217

    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Cepheids and other short-period variables near the Galactic Centre2013

    • Author(s)
      N. Matsunaga, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

      Volume: 429 Issue: 1 Pages: 385-397

    • DOI

      10.1093/mnras/sts343

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] On the Distance of the Magellanic Clouds Using Cepheid NIR and Optical-NIR Period-Wesenheit Relations2013

    • Author(s)
      Inno et al.
    • Journal Title

      The Astrophysical Journal

      Volume: 764 Issue: 1 Pages: 84-84

    • DOI

      10.1088/0004-637x/764/1/84

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] The Local Group galaxy NGC 6822 and its asymptotic giant branch stars2013

    • Author(s)
      Whitelock et al.
    • Journal Title

      Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

      Volume: 428 Issue: 3 Pages: 2216-2231

    • DOI

      10.1093/mnras/sts188

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] A discussion on metallicity effects on the period-luminosity relations of Cepheids and Miras2012

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga
    • Journal Title

      Astrophysics and Space Science

      Volume: 341 Issue: 1 Pages: 93-98

    • DOI

      10.1007/s10509-012-1090-x

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Discovery of Mira Variable Stars in the Metal-poor Sextans Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy2012

    • Author(s)
      Sakamoto et al.
    • Journal Title

      The Astrophysical Journal Letters

      Volume: 761 Issue: 1 Pages: L10-L10

    • DOI

      10.1088/2041-8205/761/1/l10

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] The Cepheid distance to the Local Group galaxy NGC 68222012

    • Author(s)
      Feast et al.
    • Journal Title

      Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

      Volume: 421 Issue: 4 Pages: 2998-3003

    • DOI

      10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20525.x

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Three classical Cepheid variable stars in the nuclear bulge of the Milky Way2011

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga, Noriyuki ; Nagata, Tetsuya
    • Journal Title

      Nature

      Volume: 477, 7363 Issue: 7363 Pages: 188-190

    • DOI

      10.1038/nature10359

    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Period-luminosity relations of type II Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds2011

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga N., et al.
    • Journal Title

      Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

      Volume: 413 Issue: 1 Pages: 223-234

    • DOI

      10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18126.x

    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Period-magnitude relation of Mira-like variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud as a tool to understanding circumstellar extinction2011

    • Author(s)
      Ita Y., Matsunaga N.
    • Journal Title

      Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

      Volume: 412 Issue: 4 Pages: 2345-2352

    • DOI

      10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18056.x

    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Presentation] Optical to near-infrared light curves of classical Cepheids2014

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga, Ita, Nakada
    • Organizer
      The Cosmic Distance Scale
    • Place of Presentation
      Space Telescope Science Institude, Baltimore, USA
    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] 銀河系中心セファイドの視線速度2014

    • Author(s)
      松永、他
    • Organizer
      第19回天体スペクトル研究会
    • Place of Presentation
      国立天文台(東京都)
    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Derivation of Stellar Abundances with Near Infrared Spectra: An Application of Metallic Standard Stars2013

    • Author(s)
      Fukue, Matsunaga, and others
    • Organizer
      The 12th International Symposium on Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxies
    • Place of Presentation
      つくば国際会議場(茨城県)
    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Spectroscopy of Cepheid variable stars in the Galactic nuclear disk2013

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga et al.
    • Organizer
      IAU Symposium #298, Setting the Scene for Gaia and LAMOST
    • Place of Presentation
      Lijiang, China
    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] A near-infrared variable star survey in the Magellanic Clouds2013

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga, Ita, Nakada
    • Organizer
      Fifty years of wide field studies in the Southern hemisphere: Resolved stellar populations in the Galactic bulge and the Magellanic Clouds
    • Place of Presentation
      La Serena, Chile
    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] 変光星の観測と私たちの銀河系2013

    • Author(s)
      松永
    • Organizer
      平成24年度天体画像教育利用ワークショップ
    • Place of Presentation
      仙台市天文台
    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Cepheid variable stars and the distance to the Galactic Center2012

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga
    • Organizer
      IAU Symposium 289 "Advancing the physics of cosmic distances"
    • Place of Presentation
      Chinese International Convention Center
    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Cepheids from two stellar populations in the Galactic bulge2012

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga
    • Organizer
      EWASS 2012 symposium "Stellar Populations 55 years after the Vatican conference"
    • Place of Presentation
      Pontifica University Lateranse
    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] セファイド変光星の変光曲線2012

    • Author(s)
      松永
    • Organizer
      2012年度連星系変光星低温度星研究会
    • Place of Presentation
      めざめホテル(長野県)
    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Search for pulsating stars in the Galactic bulge and the disk2011

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga N.
    • Organizer
      The Hong Kong workshop on evolved stars and astrophysical masers
    • Place of Presentation
      香港大学、中国
    • Year and Date
      2011-11-07
    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] assical Cepheids and episodic star formation in the Galactic Nuclear Bul2011

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga N.
    • Organizer
      The Central Kisoparsec in Galactic Nuclei
    • Place of Presentation
      バド・ホーネフ、ドイツ
    • Year and Date
      2011-08-30
    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Classical Cepheids found in an IRSF near-IR survey and their impacts2011

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga N.
    • Organizer
      The fundamental cosmic distance scale : State of the art and Gaia perspective
    • Place of Presentation
      ナポリ、イタリア
    • Year and Date
      2011-05-04
    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] The IRSF surveys of variable stars in the Milky Way galaxy2011

    • Author(s)
      Matsunaga N.
    • Organizer
      The 2nd Middle-East and African Regional IAU Meeting
    • Place of Presentation
      ケープタウン、南アフリカ
    • Year and Date
      2011-04-14
    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Near-IR spectroscopic observations of stellar tracers in the inner Galaxy

    • Author(s)
      松永、他
    • Organizer
      Subaru Users' Meeting FY2013
    • Place of Presentation
      国立天文台(東京都)
    • Related Report
      2013 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] セファイド変光星、宇宙を語る

    • URL

      http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/todai-research/editors-choice/three-classical-cepheids/

    • Related Report
      2012 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks]

    • URL

      http://www.ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~nmatsuna/pr2011/

    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report

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Published: 2011-04-06   Modified: 2019-07-29  

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