20 research outputs found
Timing by Stellar Pulsations as an Exoplanet Discovery Method
The stable oscillations of pulsating stars can serve as accurate timepieces,
which may be monitored for the influence of exoplanets. An external companion
gravitationally tugs the host star, causing periodic changes in pulsation
arrival times. This method is most sensitive to detecting substellar companions
around the hottest pulsating stars, especially compact remnants like white
dwarfs and hot subdwarfs, as well as delta Scuti variables (A stars). However,
it is applicable to any pulsating star with sufficiently stable oscillations.
Care must be taken to ensure that the changes in pulsation arrival times are
not caused by intrinsic stellar variability; an external, light-travel-time
effect from an exoplanet identically affects all pulsation modes. With more
long-baseline photometric campaigns coming online, this method is yielding new
detections of substellar companions.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures: Invited review to appear in 'Handbook of
Exoplanets,' Springer Reference Works, edited by Hans J. Deeg and Juan
Antonio Belmont
Asteroseismology
Asteroseismology is the determination of the interior structures of stars by
using their oscillations as seismic waves. Simple explanations of the
astrophysical background and some basic theoretical considerations needed in
this rapidly evolving field are followed by introductions to the most important
concepts and methods on the basis of example. Previous and potential
applications of asteroseismology are reviewed and future trends are attempted
to be foreseen.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures, to appear in: "Planets, Stars and Stellar
Systems", eds. T. D. Oswalt et al., Springer Verla
Asteroseismology and Interferometry
Asteroseismology provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our
understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Recent developments,
including the first systematic studies of solar-like pulsators, have boosted
the impact of this field of research within Astrophysics and have led to a
significant increase in the size of the research community. In the present
paper we start by reviewing the basic observational and theoretical properties
of classical and solar-like pulsators and present results from some of the most
recent and outstanding studies of these stars. We centre our review on those
classes of pulsators for which interferometric studies are expected to provide
a significant input. We discuss current limitations to asteroseismic studies,
including difficulties in mode identification and in the accurate determination
of global parameters of pulsating stars, and, after a brief review of those
aspects of interferometry that are most relevant in this context, anticipate
how interferometric observations may contribute to overcome these limitations.
Moreover, we present results of recent pilot studies of pulsating stars
involving both asteroseismic and interferometric constraints and look into the
future, summarizing ongoing efforts concerning the development of future
instruments and satellite missions which are expected to have an impact in this
field of research.Comment: Version as published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, Volume
14, Issue 3-4, pp. 217-36
KIC 7668647: a 14 day beaming sdB plus WD binary with a pulsating subdwarf
The recently discovered subdwarf B (sdB) pulsator KIC 7668647 is one of the 18 pulsating sdB stars detected in the Kepler field. It features a rich g-mode frequency spectrum, with a few low-amplitude p-modes at short periods. This makes it a promising target for a seismic study aiming to constrain the internal structure of this star, and of sdB stars in general. We use new ground-based low-resolution spectroscopy, and the near-continuous 2.88 year Kepler light curve, to reveal that KIC 7668647 consists of a subdwarf B star with an unseen white-dwarf companion with an orbital period of 14.2 d. An orbit with a radial-velocity amplitude of 39 km s-1 is consistently determined from the spectra, from the orbital Doppler beaming seen by Kepler at 163 ppm, and from measuring the orbital light-travel delay of 27 s by timing of the many pulsations seen in the Kepler light curve. The white dwarf has a minimum mass of 0.40 M⊙. We use our high signal-to-noise average spectra to study the atmospheric parameters of the sdB star, and find that nitrogen and iron have abundances close to solar values, while helium, carbon, oxygen and silicon are underabundant relative to the solar mixture. We use the full Kepler Q06-Q17 light curve to extract 132 significant pulsation frequencies. Period-spacing relations and multiplet splittings allow us to identify the modal degree ℓ for the majority of the modes. Using theg-mode multiplet splittings we constrain the internal rotation period at the base of the envelope to 46-48 d as a first seismic result for this star. The few p-mode splittings may point at a slightly longer rotation period further out in the envelope of the star. From mode-visibility considerations we derive that the inclination of the rotation axis of the sdB in KIC 7668647 must be around ~60°. Furthermore, we find strong evidence for a few multiplets indicative of degree 3 ≤ ℓ ≤ 8, which is another novelty in sdB-star observations made possible by Kepler.
Based on observations obtained by the Kepler spacecraft, the Nordic Optical Telescope and the William Herschel TelescopeAppendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgarXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1206.3872status: publishe
EPIC 216747137: a new HW Vir eclipsing binary with a massive sdOB primary and a low-mass M-dwarf companion
EPIC 216747137 is a new HW~Virginis system discovered by the Kepler
spacecraft during its K2 "second life". Like the other HW Vir systems, EPIC
216747137 is a post-common-envelope eclipsing binary consisting of a hot
subluminous star and a cool low-mass companion. The short orbital period of
3.87 hours produces a strong reflection effect from the secondary (~9% in the R
band). Together with AA Dor and V1828 Aql, EPIC 216747137 belongs to a small
subgroup of HW Vir systems with a hot evolved sdOB primary. We find the
following atmospheric parameters for the hot component: Teff=404001000 K,
logg=5.560.06, log(N(He)/N(H))=2.590.05. The sdOB rotational
velocity vsini=5110 km/s implies that the stellar rotation is slower than
the orbital revolution and the system is not synchronized. When we combine
photometric and spectroscopic results with the Gaia parallax, the best solution
for the system corresponds to a primary with a mass of about 0.62 Msun close
to, and likely beyond, the central helium exhaustion, while the cool M-dwarf
companion has a mass of about 0.11 Msun.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures, MNRAS, accepted for publicatio
Incidence and aetiology of renal phosphate loss in patients with hypophosphatemia in the intensive care unit.
Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Hypophosphatemia is a common finding in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Its cause is often poorly understood. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to understand the incidence of renal phosphate loss in ICU-related hypophosphatemia, and to examine the role of phosphaturic hormones in its etiology. METHODS: Plasma phosphate levels were measured on day 1, 3, 5 and 7 in 290 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU. Renal phosphate handling and phosphaturic hormones were studied in a subset of patients with phosphate levels <0.6 mmol/L. Renal phosphate loss was defined as a TmP/gfr < 0.6 mmol/L. MAIN RESULTS: Hypophosphatemia developed in 24% of all patients. This mainly occurred within the first 3 days of stay and in patients with serum creatinine levels <150 mumol/L. Renal phosphate loss was present in 80% of patients who developed hypophosphatemia, and was not related to serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), PTH-related protein (PTH-rp), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), or calcitonin. CONCLUSION: Hypophosphatemia in the ICU is commonly associated with renal phosphate loss. It mainly occurs within the first 3 days of admission, in particular in patients with preserved renal function. Renal phosphate loss is not explained by elevated PTH, PTH-rp, FGF-23 or calcitonin levels.1 oktober 20137 p