The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 Spectroscopic M Dwarf Catalog. I. Data
Abstract
We present a spectroscopic catalog of 70,841 visually inspected M dwarfs from the seventh data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For each spectrum, we provide measurements of the spectral type, a number of molecular band heads, and the Hα, Hβ, Hγ, Hδ, and Ca II K emission lines. In addition, we calculate the metallicity-sensitive parameter ζ and identify a relationship between ζ and the g - r and r - z colors of M dwarfs. We assess the precision of our spectral types (which were assigned by individual examination), review the bulk attributes of the sample, and examine the magnetic activity properties of M dwarfs, in particular those traced by the higher order Balmer transitions. Our catalog is cross-matched to Two Micron All Sky Survey infrared data, and contains photometric distances for each star. Finally, we identify eight new late-type M dwarfs that are possibly within 25 pc of the Sun. Future studies will use these data to thoroughly examine magnetic activity and kinematics in late-type M dwarfs and examine the chemical and dynamical history of the local Milky Way.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- March 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-6256/141/3/97
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1101.1082
- Bibcode:
- 2011AJ....141...97W
- Keywords:
-
- brown dwarfs;
- Galaxy: kinematics and dynamics;
- stars: abundances;
- stars: activity;
- stars: late-type;
- stars: low-mass;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 14 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables (in emulateapj format), accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal