The asteroseismic and planetary studies, like all research related to stars, need precise and accurate stellar atmospheric parameters as input.We aim at deriving the effective temperature (T eff ), the surface gravity (log g), the metallicity ([Fe/H]), the projected rotational velocity (v sin i) and the MK type for 169 F-, G-, K-and M-type Kepler targets which were observed spectroscopically from the ground with five different instruments.We use two different spectroscopic methods to analyse 189 high-resolution, high-signal-to-noise spectra acquired for the 169 stars.For 67 stars, the spectroscopic atmospheric parameters are derived for the first time.KIC 9693187 and 11179629 are discovered to be double-lined spectroscopic binary systems.The results obtained for those stars for which independent determinations of the atmospheric parameters are available in the literature are used for a comparative analysis.As a result, we show that for solar-type stars the accuracy of present determinations of atmospheric parameters is ±150 K in T eff , ±0.15 dex in [Fe/H] and ±0.3 dex in log g.Finally, we confirm that the curve-of-growth analysis and the method of spectral synthesis yield systematically different atmospheric parameters when they are applied to stars hotter than 6000 K.

Context. Fomalhaut is a young (2 ± 1 × 10 8 years), nearby (7.7 pc), 2 Mstar that is suspected to harbor an infant planetary system, interspersed with one or more belts of dusty debris. Aims. We present far-infrared images obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory with an angular resolution between 5.7 �� and 36.7 �� at wave- lengths between 70 μm and 500 μm. The images show the main debris belt in great detail. Even at high spatial resolution, the belt appears smooth. The region in between the belt and the central star is not devoid of material; thermal emission is observed here as well. Also at the location of the star, excess emission is detected. We aim to construct a consistent image of the Fomalhaut system. Methods. We use a dynamical model together with radiative-transfer tools to derive the parameters of the debris disk. We include detailed models of the interaction of the dust grains with radiation, for both the radiation pressure and the temperature determination. Comparing these models to the spatially resolved temperature information contained in the images allows us to place strong constraints on the presence of grains that will be blown out of the system by radiation pressure. We use this to derive the dynamical parameters of the system. Results. The appearance of the belt points toward a remarkably active system in which dust grains are produced at a very high rate by a collisional cascade in a narrow region filled with dynamically excited planetesimals. Dust particles with sizes below the blow-out size are abundantly present. The equivalent of 2000 one-km-sized comets are destroyed every day, out of a cometary reservoir amounting to 110 Earth masses. From compar- ison of their scattering and thermal properties, we find evidence that the dust grains are fluffy aggregates, which indicates a cometary origin. The excess emission at the location of the star may be produced by hot dust with a range of temperatures, but may also be due to gaseous free-free emission from a stellar wind.

Context. Fomalhaut is a young (2 ± 1 × 108 years), nearby (7.7 pc), 2 M⊙ star that is suspected to harbor an infant planetary system, interspersed with one or more belts of dusty debris.

This poster presents our on-going analysis of the PNe that have been observed so far with Herschel. These observations are part of the MESS Key Programme, which is looking at mass loss from evolved stars in the Galaxy. The PNe we present include NGC 6720, NGC 6853 and NGC 7293. The high spatial resolution of the PACS images allows almost direct comparison of the sub-mm dust to H2 images of the molecular gas, in particular for NGC 6720 and NGC 6853. The talk of Peter van Hoof will present the theoretical modeling NGC 6720; in this poster we include more detail on the reduction of Herschel data and present the latest PACS and SPIRE images for a closer inspection. We also discuss our future analysis, which will include a study of the spatial distribution of the material within the nebulae.

We present Herschel far-infrared (FIR) observations of two sub-mm bright quasars at high redshift: SDSS J1148+5251 (z=6.42) and BR 1202-0725 (z=4.69) obtained with the PACS instrument. Both objects are detected in the PACS photometric bands. The Herschel measurements provide additional data points that constrain the FIR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of both sources, and they emphasise a broad range of dust temperatures in these objects. For lambda_rest ~< 20mu, the two SEDs are very similar to the average SEDs of quasars at low redshift. In the FIR, however, both quasars show excess emission compared to low-z QSO templates, most likely from cold dust powered by vigorous star formation in the QSO host galaxies. For SDSS J1148+5251 we detect another object at 160mu with a distance of ~10 arcseconds from the QSO. Although no physical connection between the quasar and this object can be shown with the available data, it could potentially confuse low-resolution measurements, thus resulting in an overestimate of the FIR luminosity of the z=6.42 quasar.

We obtained Herschel PACS and SPIRE images of the thermal emission of the debris disk around the A5V star beta Pic. The disk is well resolved in the PACS filters at 70, 100, and 160 mu m. The surface brightness profiles between 70 and 160 mu m show no significant asymmetries along the disk, and are compatible with 90% of the emission between 70 and 160 mu m originating in a region closer than 200 AU to the star. Although only marginally resolving the debris disk, the maps obtained in the SPIRE 250-500 mu m filters provide full-disk photometry, completing the SED over a few octaves in wavelength that had been previously inaccessible. The small far-infrared spectral index (beta = 0.34) indicates that the grain size distribution in the inner disk (<200 AU) is inconsistent with a local collisional equilibrium. The size distribution is either modified by non-equilibrium effects, or exhibits a wavy pattern, caused by an under-abundance of impactors which have been removed by radiation pressure.

Herschel PACS and SPIRE images have been obtained of NGC 6720 (the Ring nebula). This is an evolved planetary nebula with a central star that is currently on the cooling track, due to which the outer parts of the nebula are recombining. From the PACS and SPIRE images we conclude that there is a striking resemblance between the dust distribution and the H2 emission, which appears to be observational evidence that H2 forms on grain surfaces. We have developed a photoionization model of the nebula with the Cloudy code which we used to determine the physical conditions of the dust and investigate possible formation scenarios for the H2. We conclude that the most plausible scenario is that the H2 resides in high density knots which were formed after the recombination of the gas started when the central star entered the cooling track. Hydrodynamical instabilities due to the unusually low temperature of the recombining gas are proposed as a mechanism for forming the knots. H2 formation in the knots is expected to be substantial after the central star underwent a strong drop in luminosity about one to two thousand years ago, and may still be ongoing at this moment, depending on the density of the knots and the properties of the grains in the knots.

The interstellar medium is enriched primarily by matter ejected from evolved low and intermediate mass stars. The outflows from these stars create a circumstellar envelope in which a rich gas-phase and dust-nucleation chemistry takes place. We observed the nearest carbon-rich evolved star, IRC+10216, using the PACS (55−210 μm) and SPIRE (194−672 μm) spectrometers on board Herschel. We find several tens of lines from SiS and SiO, including lines from the v = 1 vibrational level. For SiS these transitions range up to J = 124−123, corresponding to energies around 6700 K, while the highest detectable transition is J = 90−89 for SiO, which corresponds to an energy around 8400 K. Both species trace the dust formation zone of IRC+10216, and the broad energy ranges involved in their detected transitions permit us to derive the physical properties of the gas and the particular zone in which each species has been formed. This allows us to check the accuracy of chemical thermodynamical equilibrium models and the suggested depletion of SiS and SiO due to accretion onto dust grains.

In this paper we will discuss the images of Planetary Nebulae that have recently been obtained with PACS and SPIRE on board the Herschel satellite. This comprises results for NGC 650 (the little Dumbbell nebula), NGC 6853 (the Dumbbell nebula), and NGC 7293 (the Helix nebula).

Herschel PACS and SPIRE images have been obtained of NGC 6720 (the Ring nebula). This is an evolved planetary nebula with a central star that is currently on the cooling track, due to which the outer parts of the nebula are recombining. From the PACS and SPIRE images we conclude that there is a striking resemblance between the dust distribution and the H2 emission, which appears to be observational evidence that H2 forms on grain surfaces. We have developed a photoionization model of the nebula with the Cloudy code which we used to determine the physical conditions of the dust and investigate possible formation scenarios for the H2. We conclude that the most plausible scenario is that the H2 resides in high density knots which were formed after the recombination of the gas started when the central star entered the cooling track. Hydrodynamical instabilities due to the unusually low temperature of the recombining gas are proposed as a mechanism for forming the knots. H2 formation in the knots is expected to be substantial after the central star underwent a strong drop in luminosity about one to two thousand years ago, and may still be ongoing at this moment, depending on the density of the knots and the properties of the grains in the knots.

We report on the detection of anhydrous hydrochloric acid (hydrogen chlorine, HCl) in the carbon-rich star IRC+10216 using the spectroscopic facilities onboard the Herschel satellite. Lines from J=1-0 up to J=7-6 have been detected. From the observed intensities, we conclude that HCl is produced in the innermost layers of the circumstellar envelope with an abundance relative to H2 of 5x10^-8 and extends until the molecules reach its photodissociation zone. Upper limits to the column densities of AlH, MgH, CaH, CuH, KH, NaH, FeH, and other diatomic hydrides have also been obtained.

With a luminosity > 10^5 Lsun and a mass-loss rate of about 2.10-4 Msun/yr, the red supergiant VY CMa truly is a spectacular object. Because of its extreme evolutionary state, it could explode as supernova any time. Studying its circumstellar material, into which the supernova blast will run, provides interesting constraints on supernova explosions and on the rich chemistry taking place in such complex circumstellar envelopes. We have obtained spectroscopy of VYCMa over the full wavelength range offered by the PACS and SPIRE instruments of Herschel, i.e. 55 to 672 micron. The observations show the spectral fingerprints of more than 900 spectral lines, of which more than half belong to water. In total, we have identified 13 different molecules and some of their isotopologues. A first analysis shows that water is abundantly present, with an ortho-to-para ratio as low as 1.3:1, and that chemical non-equilibrium processes determine the abundance fractions in the inner envelope.

Detached circumstellar dust shells are detected around three carbon variables using Herschel-PACS. Two of them are already known on the basis of their thermal CO emission and two are visible as extensions in IRAS imaging data. By model fits to the new data sets, physical sizes, expansion timescales, dust temperatures, and more are deduced. A comparison with existing molecular CO material shows a high degree of correlation for TT Cyg and U Ant but a few distinct differences with other observables are also found.

The discovery in 2001 of water vapour around the ageing carbon star IRC+10216 was a surprise, because stellar evolution models predicted the virtual absence of water in carbon-rich stars. Several explanations were offered, but with only one water line detected in the spectrum of one carbon-rich evolved star, it was difficult to discriminate between the alternatives. Now observations with the European Space Agency's Herschel satellite have discovered dozens of water lines in the far-infrared and submillimetre spectrum of IRC+10216. These include high-excitation lines with energies corresponding to temperatures of around 1,000 K, which can be explained only if water is present in the warm inner sooty region of the envelope. Water has been predicted to be almost absent in carbon-rich stars, so the detection of water vapour around the ageing carbon star IRC + 10216 challenged our understanding of the chemistry in old stars. Several explanations for the water have been postulated, but with only one water line detected it is difficult to discriminate between them. Now, dozens of water vapour lines have been detected in the far-infrared and sub-millimetre spectrum of IRC + 10216. The detection1 of circumstellar water vapour around the ageing carbon star IRC +10216 challenged the current understanding of chemistry in old stars, because water was predicted2 to be almost absent in carbon-rich stars. Several explanations for the water were postulated, including the vaporization of icy bodies (comets or dwarf planets) in orbit around the star1, grain surface reactions3, and photochemistry in the outer circumstellar envelope4. With a single water line detected so far from this one carbon-rich evolved star, it is difficult to discriminate between the different mechanisms proposed. Here we report the detection of dozens of water vapour lines in the far-infrared and sub-millimetre spectrum of IRC +10216 using the Herschel satellite5. This includes some high-excitation lines with energies corresponding to ∼1,000 K, which can be explained only if water is present in the warm inner sooty region of the envelope. A plausible explanation for the warm water appears to be the penetration of ultraviolet photons deep into a clumpy circumstellar envelope. This mechanism also triggers the formation of other molecules, such as ammonia, whose observed abundances6 are much higher than hitherto predicted7.

The interstellar medium is enriched primarily by matter ejected from evolved low and intermediate mass stars. The outflows from these stars create a circumstellar envelope in which a rich gas-phase and dust-nucleation chemistry takes place. We observed the nearest carbon-rich evolved star, IRC + 10216, using the PACS (55-210 mu m) and SPIRE (194-672 mu m) spectrometers on board Herschel. We find several tens of lines from SiS and SiO, including lines from the v = 1 vibrational level. For SiS these transitions range up to J = 124-123, corresponding to energies around 6700 K, while the highest detectable transition is J = 90-89 for SiO, which corresponds to an energy around 8400 K. Both species trace the dust formation zone of IRC + 10216, and the broad energy ranges involved in their detected transitions permit us to derive the physical properties of the gas and the particular zone in which each species has been formed. This allows us to check the accuracy of chemical thermodynamical equilibrium models and the suggested depletion of SiS and SiO due to accretion onto dust grains.

Detached circumstellar dust shells are detected around three carbon variables using Herschel-PACS. Two of them are already known on the basis of their thermal CO emission and two are visible as extensions in IRAS imaging data. By model fits to the new data sets, physical sizes, expansion timescales, dust temperatures, and more are deduced. A comparison with existing molecular CO material shows a high degree of correlation for TT Cyg and U Ant but a few distinct differences with other observables are also found.

The interstellar medium is enriched primarily by matter ejected from evolved low and intermediate mass stars. The outflows from these stars create a circumstellar envelope in which a rich gas-phase and dust-nucleation chemistry takes place. We observed the nearest carbon-rich evolved star, IRC+10216, using the PACS (55-210 {\mu}m) and SPIRE (194-672 {\mu}m) spectrometers on board Herschel. We find several tens of lines from SiS and SiO, including lines from the v=1 vibrational level. For SiS these transitions range up to J=124-123, corresponding to energies around 6700K, while the highest detectable transition is J=90-89 for SiO, which corresponds to an energy around 8400K. Both species trace the dust formation zone of IRC+10216, and the broad energy ranges involved in their detected transitions permit us to derive the physical properties of the gas and the particular zone in which each species has been formed. This allows us to check the accuracy of chemical thermodynamical equilibrium models and the suggested depletion of SiS and SiO due to accretion onto dust grains.

With a luminosity >105 L and a mass-loss rate of ∼2 × 10−4 M yr−1, the red supergiant VY CMa truly is a spectacular object. Because of its extreme evolutionary state, it could explode as supernova any time. Studying its circumstellar material, into which the supernova blast will run, provides interesting constraints on supernova explosions and on the rich chemistry taking place in such complex circumstellar envelopes. We have obtained spectroscopy of VY CMa over the full wavelength range offered by the PACS and SPIRE instruments of Herschel, i.e. 55–672 micron. The observations show the spectral fingerprints of more than 900 spectral lines, of which more than half belong to water. In total, we have identified 13 different molecules and some of their isotopologues. A first analysis shows that water is abundantly present, with an ortho-to-para ratio as low as ∼1.3:1, and that chemical non-equilibrium processes determine the abundance fractions in the inner envelope.