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Photometric properties of various spectral libraries of synthetic stellar spectra derived from the ATLAS 9 (Castelli et al. 1997), the PHOENIX NextGen (Hauschildt et al. 1999a, 1999b), the NMARCS (Bessell et al. 1998), and the BaSeL (Lejeune et al. 1998, Westera et al. 2002) models are discussed in view of their application to the definition of the GAIA photometric system. Comparisons with empirical UBVRI calibrations show significant discrepancies at low temperatures between the different models, and with respect to the \basel 3.1 and the Alonso et al. (1998, 1999) empirical calibrations., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, LaTeX (uses newpasp.sty), to appear in the proceedings of ``GAIA Spectroscopy, Science and Technology'' (Monte-Rosa Conference, Sept 9-12, 2002, Italy), ASP Conf. Series, ed. U. Munari; full poster presentation available at http://www.astro.mat.uc.pt/~lejeune/GAIA or at http://www.oal.ul.pt/~lejeune/GAIA/

The main scope of this paper is to investigate the possible existence of a metallicity dependence of the overshooting from main sequence stars turbulent cores. We focus on objects with masses in the range ~2.5 Msol - ~25 Msol. Basically, evolutionary time scale ratios are compared with star numbers ratios on the main sequence. Star populations are synthesized using grids of evolutionary tracks computed with various overshooting amounts. Observational material is provided by the large and homogeneous photometric database of OGLE 2 project for the Magellanic clouds. Attention is paid to the study of uncertainties: distance modulus, intergalactic and interstellar reddening, IMF slope and average binarity rate. Rotation and chemical composition gradient are also considered. The result for the overshooting distance is l_over(SMC)= 0.40 +0.12-0.06 Hp (Z=0.004) and l_over(LMC)= 0.10+0.17-0.10 Hp (Z=0.008) suggesting a possible dependence of the extent of the mixed central regions with metallicity within the considered mass range. Unfortunately it is not yet possible to fully disentangle effects of mass and chemical composition., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The BaseL Stellar Library (BaSeL) is a library of synthetic spectra which has already been used in various astrophysical applications (stellar clusters studies, characterization and choice of the COROT potential targets, eclipsing binaries,...). This library could provide useful indications to 1) choose the best photometric system for the GAIA strategy by evaluating their expected performances and 2) apply systematically the BaSeL models for any sample of GAIA targets. In this context, we describe one of the future developments of the BaSeL interactive web site to probe the GAIA photometric data: an automatic determination of atmospheric parameters from observed colours., Comment: to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science, proceedings "Census of the Galaxy: challenges for photometry and spectrometry with GAIA", eds. V. Vansevicius, A. Kucinskas and J. Sudzius

We extend the colour calibration of the widely used BaSeL standard stellar library (Lejeune, Cuisinier, & Buser 1997, 1998) to non-solar metallicities, down to [Fe/H] ~ -2.0 dex. Surprisingly, we find that at the present epoch it is virtually impossible to establish a unique calibration of UBVRIJHKL colours in terms of stellar metallicity [Fe/H] which is consistent simultaneously with both colour-temperature relations and colour-absolute magnitude diagrams (CMDs) based on observed globular cluster photometry data and on published, currently popular standard stellar evolutionary tracks and isochrones. The problem appears to be related to the long-standing incompleteness in our understanding of convection in late-type stellar evolution, but is also due to a serious lack of relevant observational calibration data that would help resolve, or at least further significant progress towards resolving this issue. In view of the most important applications of the BaSeL library, we here propose two different metallicity calibration versions: (1) the "WLBC 99" library, which consistently matches empirical colour-temperature relations and which, therefore, should make an ideal tool for the study of individual stars; and (2), the "PADOVA 2000" library, which provides isochrones from the Padova 2000 grid (Girardi et al., 2000) that successfully reproduce Galactic globular-cluster colour-absolute magnitude diagrams and which thus should prove particularly useful for studies of collective phenomena in stellar populations in clusters and galaxies., Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, documentclass aa, accepted for A and A

Double-lined spectroscopic binaries which are also eclipsing provide the most accurate stellar data, and are consequently of first importance to improve stellar evolution modelling. While the mass and radius of each component of detached eclipsing binaries (EBs) can be accurately known, their temperature Teff and chemical composition ([Fe/H]) are still uncertain. To contribute to overcome these difficulties, we present metallicity-dependent Teff determinations of 11 EBs (22 individual stars) from Stromgren synthetic photometry. Inconsistencies suggesting new photometric observations are discussed. Moreover, by exploring the best chi^2-fits to the photometric data, we have re-derived their reddening., Comment: To appear in ASP Conference Series, proceedings of ``Observed HR diagrams and stellar evolution: the interplay between observational constraints and theory'' (Coimbra, Portugal, June 2001), eds., T. Lejeune & J. Fernandes

We discuss the possibilities of the BaSeL models in its lowest temperature boundary (Teff ~ 2500 K for cool giants) to provide the Teff of AGB stars. We present the first step of our work, by comparing our predictions for the AGB star R Fornacis with the results of Lorenz-Martins & Lefevre (1994) based on the dust spectral energy distribution., Comment: To appear in ASP Conference Series, proceedings of ``Observed HR diagrams and stellar evolution: the interplay between observational constraints and theory'' (Coimbra, Portugal, June 2001), eds., T. Lejeune & J. Fernandes

COROT and GAIA are two future major space missions directly connected to most of the stellar astrophysic questions, from stellar physics to evolution of galaxies. We describe a project for the preparation of these two missions by using the possibilities of the ``BaSeL'' models, a library of theoretical stellar energy distributions, to provide automatically the fundamental stellar parameters of the candidate stars. We present the results already obtained for the stars of the COROT main programme., Comment: To appear in ASP Conference Series, proceedings of ``Observed HR diagrams and stellar evolution: the interplay between observational constraints and theory'' (Coimbra, Portugal, June 2001), eds., T. Lejeune & J. Fernandes

Three independent sets of stellar theoretical models are tested with well-detached systems of the Hyades open cluster: 51 Tau, V818 Tau, and $\theta^2$ Tau. The choice of these objects is discussed and a statistical method is described and applied to the colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) of the selected stars, giving rise to contour levels in the metallicity-age plane. The effects of the Hipparcos parallaxes on these confidence regions, with influence on both age and metallicity, are studied for the V818 Tau system through a comparison with very accurate but older orbital parallaxes. Finally, theoretical simultaneous age-metallicity estimates are given for the three binaries and compared with observational constraints., Comment: 4 pages, to be published in "Stellar clusters and associations: Convection, Rotation, and Dynamos", Sicily, ed. R. Pallavicini, ASP Conf. Ser

In view of the important contributions of red giants to the integrated light in evolutionary synthesis calculations of old stellar populations in clusters and galaxies, we provide a comparison of theoretical isochrones computed from the Padova, Geneva, and Yale evolutionary tracks, respectively. Using the most recent version of the color-calibrated library of theoretical stellar spectra by Lejeune et al. (1999), the isochrones are converted in a uniform manner to the observational color-magnitude diagrams, (M(T1), C-T1) and (M(I), V-I), and compared with observed giant branches of typical globular clusters spanning a large range of metallicities. We find that the three different isochrones of the red giant branch provide significantly different slopes and curvatures, where in general, the differences tend to be larger for metallicities decreasing below [M/H] ~ -1. Throughout the full metallicity range (~ -2<[M/H]<0), the Yale isochrones are the only ones which show very good matches of both the observed giant branches and the associated metallicity scale derived from the color of the RGB, while the Padova isochrones exhibit significant discrepancies for low-metallicities. The effects of these differences on the integrated model colors of single stellar populations, in particular for age and metallicity determinations, are briefly addressed., Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the PASP Conference Proceedings series of the Workshop "Spectrophotometric dating of stars and galaxies", Annapolis, Maryland (U.S.A.), eds. I. Hubeny, S. Heap, and R. Cornett

In view of the importance of accurate fundamental stellar parameters for `Spectro-photometric dating of stars and galaxies", we present simultaneous effective temperature and metallicity determinations for a sample of 40 stars from Stromgren synthetic photometry with an empirically calibrated grid of model atmosphere spectra (BaSeL models). Comparisons with Ribas et al.'s (1998) results, using Hipparcos parallaxes, for 8 binaries of our working sample are presented, showing good agreement with the most reliable parallaxes, and giving hence a significant weight to the validity of the BaSeL models for synthetic photometry applications., Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the PASP Conference Proceedings series of the Workshop "Spectrophotometric dating of stars and galaxies", Annapolis, Maryland (U.S.A.), eds. I. Hubeny, S. Heap, and R. Cornett

Three binary systems in the Hyades open cluster, with known metallicity and good Johnson photometric data are used to test the validity of three independent sets of stellar evolutionary tracks. A statistical method is described and applied to the colour-magnitude diagram of the six selected components, giving rise to $\chi^2$-contours in the age-metallicity plane. The effects of the Hipparcos parallaxes on these confidence regions are studied for these binaries through a comparison with very accurate but older orbital parallaxes. Independent simultaneous age-metallicity estimates are given and compared with observational constraints (see Lastennet et al. 1999, astro-ph/9905273, for more details)., Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the PASP Conference Proceedings series of the Workshop "Spectrophotometric dating of stars and galaxies", Annapolis, Maryland (U.S.A.), eds. I. Hubeny, S. Heap, and R. Cornett

Three binary systems in the Hyades open cluster (51 Tau, V818 Tau, and $\theta^2$ Tau}, with known metallicity and good Johnson photometric data are used to test the validity of three independent sets of stellar evolutionary tracks. A statistical method is described and applied to the colour-magnitude diagram of the six selected components, giving rise to $\chi^2$-contours in the metallicity--age plane. The effects of the Hipparcos parallaxes on these confidence regions are studied in detail for these binaries through a comparison with very accurate but older orbital parallaxes. There are no significant differences in 51 Tau and $\theta^2$ Tau, and hence the test validates the sets of theoretical tracks used. However the orbital parallax of V818 Tau leads to metallicities too large in comparison with the observed range, while the Hipparcos parallax give consistent results, at the 1$\sigma$ level. Comparisons between the predicted and measured masses are also made and show a good agreement. However, even if the Padova tracks predict correct masses for each component of V818 Tau, there is no Padova track that fits both components simultaneously in the mass-radius diagram. Finally, since the individual masses of these binaries are accurately known, some issues about the influence of the Hipparcos parallaxes on their location in the mass-luminosity diagram are also discussed., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 12 pages

The comprehensive knowledge of fundamental parameters of single stars is the basis of the modelling of star clusters and galaxies. Most fundamental stellar parameters of the individual components in SB2 eclipsing binaries are known with very high accuracy. Unfortunately, while masses and radii are well determined, the temperatures strongly depend on photometric calibrations. In the present work, we have used an empirically-calibrated grid of theoretical stellar spectra (BaSeL models) for simultaneously deriving homogeneous effective temperatures and metallicities from observed data. For this purpose, we have selected 20 binary systems (40 stars) for which we have uvby Stromgren photometry with estimated errors (see Lastennet et al., astro-ph/9811103, for details)., Comment: 2 pages, LaTeX, 1 figure, uses crckapb.sty. To appear in the Proceedings of "Galaxy Evolution: Connecting the Distant Universe with the Local Fossil Record", ed. M. Spite. Organized by Paris-Meudon Observatory from 21-25 September, 1998 in Meudon (France)

Stromgren synthetic photometry from an empirically calibrated grid of stellar atmosphere models has been used to derive the effective temperature of each component of double lined spectroscopic (SB2) eclipsing binaries. For this purpose, we have selected a sub-sample of 20 SB2s for which b-y, m_1, and c_1 individual indices are available. This new determination of effective temperature has been performed in a homogeneous way for all these stars. As the effective temperature determination is related to the assumed metallicity, we explore simultaneous solutions in the (Teff,[Fe/H])-plane and present our results as confidence regions computed to match the observed values of surface gravity, b-y, m_1, and c_1, taking into account interstellar reddening. These confidence regions show that previous estimates of Teff are often too optimistic, and that [Fe/H] should not be neglected in such determinations. Comparisons with Ribas et al. (1998) using Hipparcos parallaxes are also presented for 8 binaries of our working sample, showing good agreement with the most reliable parallaxes. This point gives a significant weight to the validity of the BaSeL models for synthetic photometry applications., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 11 pages, LaTeX, 48 figures

A standard library of theoretical stellar spectra intended for multiple synthetic photometry applications including spectral evolutionary synthesis is presented. The grid includes M dwarf model spectra, hence complementing the first library version established in Paper I (Lejeune, Cuisinier & Buser 1997). It covers wide ranges of fundamental parameters: Teff : 50,000 K to 2000 K, log g : 5.5 to -1.02, and [M/H] : +1.0 to -5.0. A correction procedure is also applied to the theoretical spectra in order to provide color-calibrated flux distributions over a large domain of effective temperatures. For this purpose, empirical Teff-color calibrations are constructed between 11500 K and 2000 K, and semi-empirical calibrations for non-solar abundances ([M/H] = -3.5 to +1.0) are established. Model colors and bolometric corrections for both the original and the corrected spectra, synthesized in the UBVRcIcJHKLL'M system, are given for the full range of stellar parameters. We find that the corrected spectra provide a more realistic representation of empirical stellar colors, though the method employed is not completely adapted to the lowest temperature models. In particular the original differential colors of the grid implied by metallicity and/or luminosity changes are not preserved below 2500 K. Limitations of the correction method used are also discussed., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Supplement Series (LaTex); 22 pages, including 8 postscript figures and 10 tables. Also available at http://www.astro.unibas.ch/~lejeune/

A comprehensive hybrid library of synthetic stellar spectra based on three original grids of model atmosphere spectra by Kurucz (1995), Fluks et al. (1994), and Bessell et al. (1989, 1991) is presented. The combined library is intended for multiple-purpose synthetic photometry applications and is constructed in order (i) to cover the largest possible ranges in Teff, log g, and [M/H]), (ii) to provide flux spectra with useful resolution on the uniform grid of wavelengths, and (iii) to provide realistic synthetic broad-band colors for the largest possible parameter and wavelength ranges. For each value of the effective temperature and for each wavelength, we calculate the correction function that must be applied to a (theoretical) solar-abundance model flux spectrum which yields synthetic UBVRIJHKL colors matching the (empirical) color-temperature calibrations derived from observations. The calibration algorithm is designed to preserve the original differential grid properties implied by metallicity and/or luminosity changes in the new library. The corresponding color calibration is described in some detail., Comment: 17 pages, Latex, 19 Figures (postscript), accepted for publication in A&A. Also available with figures as ps-file at http://www.astro.unibas.ch/structure/papers.html