Equidistant frequency triplets in pulsating stars: The Combination Mode Hypothesis

Multiplet structures are a common feature in pulsating stars, and can be the consequence of rotational splitting, mode interaction or sinusoidal amplitude variations. In this paper we examine the phenomenon of (nearly) equidistant triplets, which are unlikely to be caused by rotational splitting, in different types of pulsating stars: a Delta Scuti variable (1 Mon), an RR Lyrae variable (RR Lyr) and a short-period Cepheid (V743 Lyr). We examine the hypothesis that one of the modes forming the triplet results from a combination of the other two modes. The analyses were carried out on recent data sets by using multiple-frequency analyses and statistics with the package PERIOD04. In particular, the small departures from equidistance were calculated for the three selected stars. For the Delta Scuti variable 1 Mon, the departure from equidistance is only 0.000079 +- 0.000001 c/d (or 0.91 +- 0.01 nHz). For 1 Mon the Combination Mode Hypothesis with a mode excited by resonance is the most probable explanation. For the star RR Lyr, the hypothesis of resonance through a combination of modes should be considered. The results for the best-studied cepheid with a Blazhko period (V743 Lyr) are inconclusive because of an unfavorable period of 1.49d and insufficient data.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Target selection of classical pulsating variables for space-based photometry

In a few years the Kepler and TESS missions will provide ultra-precise photometry for thousands of RR Lyrae and hundreds of Cepheid stars. In the extended Kepler mission all targets are proposed in the Guest Observer (GO) Program, while the TESS space telescope will work with full frame images and a ~15-16th mag brightness limit with the possibility of short cadence measurements for a limited number of pre-selected objects. This paper highlights some details of the enormous and important work of the target selection process made by the members of Working Group 7 (WG#7) of the Kepler and TESS Asteroseismic Science Consortium.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of the RRL2015 - High-Precision Studies of RR Lyrae Stars conference, to appear in the Communications from the Konkoly Observator

Variable turbulent convection as the cause of the Blazhko effect - testing the Stothers model

The amplitude and phase modulation observed in a significant fraction of the RR Lyrae variables - the Blazhko effect - represents a long-standing enigma in stellar pulsation theory. No satisfactory explanation for the Blazhko effect has been proposed so far. In this paper we focus on the Stothers (2006) idea, in which modulation is caused by changes in the structure of the outer convective zone, caused by a quasi-periodically changing magnetic field. However, up to this date no quantitative estimates were made to investigate whether such a mechanism can be operational and whether it is capable of reproducing the light variation we observe in Blazhko variables. We address the latter problem. We use a simplified model, in which the variation of turbulent convection is introduced into the non-linear hydrodynamic models in an ad hoc way, neglecting interaction with the magnetic field. We study the light curve variation through the modulation cycle and properties of the resulting frequency spectra. Our results are compared with Kepler observations of RR Lyr. We find that reproducing the light curve variation, as is observed in RR Lyr, requires a huge modulation of the mixing length, of the order of +/-50 per cent, on a relatively short time-scale of less than 40 days. Even then, we are not able to reproduce neither all the observed relations between modulation components present in the frequency spectrum, nor the relations between Fourier parameters describing the shape of the instantaneous light curves.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS; for associated animation, see http://homepage.univie.ac.at/radek.smolec/publications/KASC11a

On the interchange of alternating-amplitude pulsation cycles

We characterized the time intervals between the interchanges of the alternating high- and low-amplitude extrema of three RV Tauri and three RR Lyrae stars.Comment: 2 pages, Proceedings of the 301st IAU Symposium, Precision Asteroseismology, August 201

The CoRoT star 105288363: strong cycle to cycle changes of the Blazhko modulation

We present the analysis of the CoRoT star 105288363, a new Blazhko RR Lyrae star of type RRab (f0 = 1.7623 c/d), observed with the CoRoT space craft during the second long run in direction of the galactic center (LRc02, time base 145 d). The CoRoT data are characterized by an excellent time sampling and a low noise amplitude of 0.07 mmag in the 2-12 c/d range and allow us to study not only the fine details of the variability of the star but also long-term changes in the pulsation behaviour and the stability of the Blazhko cycle. We use, among other methods, standard Fourier analysis techniques and O-C diagrams to investigate the pulsational behavior of the Blazhko star 105288363. In addition to the frequency pattern expected for a Blazhko RR Lyrae star, we find an independent mode (f1 = 2.984 c/d) showing a f0/f1 ratio of 0.59 which is similar to that observed in other Blazhko RR Lyrae stars. The bump and hump phenomena are also analysed, with their variations over the Blazhko cycle. We carefully investigated the strong cycle-to-cycle changes in the Blazhko modulation (PB = 35.6 d), which seem to happen independently and partly diametrically in the amplitude and the phase modulation. Furthermore, the phasing between the two types of modulation is found to change during the course of the observations.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Nonlinear asteroseismology of RR Lyrae

The observations of the Kepler space telescope revealed that fundamental-mode RR Lyrae stars may show various radial overtones. The presence of multiple radial modes may allow us to conduct nonlinear asteroseismology: comparison of mode amplitudes and frequency shifts between observations and models. Here we report the detection of three radial modes in the star RR Lyr, the eponym of the class, using the Kepler short cadence data: besides the fundamental mode, both the first and the ninth overtones can be derived from the data set. RR Lyrae shows period doubling, but switches occasionally to a state where a pattern of six pulsation cycles repeats instead of two. We found hydrodynamic models that show the same three modes and the period-six state, allowing for comparison with the observations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

On the interpretation of the long-term cyclic period variations in RR Lyrae stars

Many RR Lyrae stars show long-term variations of their pulsation period, some of them in a cyclic way. Such behaviour can be attributed to the light-travel time effect (LTTE) caused by an unseen companion. Solutions of the LTTE often suggest very eccentric orbits and minimal mass of the companion on the order of several solar masses, thus, in the black hole range. We discuss the possibility of the occurrence of the RR Lyr-black hole pairs and on the case of Z CVn demonstrate that the LTTE hypothesis can be false in some of the binary candidates.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, published in the proceedings of "The RR Lyrae 2017 Conference", Niepolomice, Poland, 17-21 September 201

Limits for the application of spectroscopic mode ID methods

Spectroscopic mode identification techiques, which monitor intensity variations across an absorption line, provide the possibility of determining the quantum numbers l and m, the inclination and the intrinsic pulsation amplitude of a star. Of course, the uncertainties of the mode identification are dependent on the quality of the observations and the identification method applied. We have focused on the Pixel-by-pixel method/Direct line profile fitting (Mantegazza 2000) and the Moment method (Balona 1987, Briquet & Aerts 2003) for pinpointing mode parameters and tested the impact of various observational effects and stellar properties on the identification

A cautionary tale of interpreting O-C diagrams: period instability in a classical RR Lyr Star Z CVn mimicking as a distant companion

We present a comprehensive study of Z CVn, an RR Lyrae star that shows long-term cyclic variations of its pulsation period. A possible explanation suggested from the shape of the O-C diagram is the light travel-time effect, which we thoroughly examine. We used original photometric and spectroscopic measurements and investigated the period evolution using available maximum times spanning more than one century. If the binary hypothesis is valid, Z CVn orbits around a black hole with minimal mass of $56.5$ $\mathfrak{M}_{\odot}$ on a very wide ($P_{\rm orbit}=78.3$ years) and eccentric orbit ($e=0.63$). We discuss the probability of a formation of a black hole-RR Lyrae pair and, although we found it possible, there is no observational evidence of the black hole in the direction to Z CVn. However, the main objection against the binary hypothesis is the comparison of the systemic radial velocity curve model and spectroscopic observations that clearly show that Z CVn cannot be bound in such a binary. Therefore, the variations of pulsation period are likely intrinsic to the star. This finding represents a discovery/confirmation of a new type of cyclic period changes in RR Lyrae stars. By the analysis of our photometric data, we found that the Blazhko modulation with period of 22.931 d is strongly dominant in amplitude. The strength of the phase modulation varies and is currently almost undetectable. We also estimated photometric physical parameters of Z CVn and investigated their variations during the Blazhko cycle using the Inverse Baade-Wesselink method.Comment: 15 pages, 8 tables, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA