An asteroseismic study of the beta Cephei star 12 Lacertae: multisite spectroscopic observations, mode identification and seismic modelling

We present the results of a spectroscopic multisite campaign for the beta Cephei star 12 (DD) Lacertae. Our study is based on more than thousand high-resolution high S/N spectra gathered with 8 different telescopes in a time span of 11 months. In addition we make use of numerous archival spectroscopic measurements. We confirm 10 independent frequencies recently discovered from photometry, as well as harmonics and combination frequencies. In particular, the SPB-like g-mode with frequency 0.3428 1/d reported before is detected in our spectroscopy. We identify the four main modes as (l1,m1) = (1, 1), (l2,m2) = (0, 0), (l3,m3) = (1, 0) and (l4,m4) = (2, 1) for f1 = 5.178964 1/d, f2 = 5.334224 1/d, f3 = 5.066316 1/d and f4 = 5.490133 1/d, respectively. Our seismic modelling shows that f2 is likely the radial first overtone and that the core overshooting parameter alpha_ov is lower than 0.4 local pressure scale heights.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, accepted in MNRA

KIC 4768731: a bright long-period roAp star in theKeplerfield

We report the identification of 61.45 d−1 (711.2 μHz) oscillations, with amplitudes of 62.6 μmag, in KIC 4768731 (HD 225914) using Kepler photometry. This relatively bright (V = 9.17) chemically peculiar star with spectral type A5 Vp SrCr(Eu) has previously been found to exhibit rotational modulation with a period of 5.21 d. Fourier analysis reveals a simple dipole pulsator with an amplitude that has remained stable over a 4-yr time span, but with a frequency that is variable. Analysis of high-resolution spectra yields stellar parameters of Teff = 8100 ± 200 K, log g = 4.0 ± 0.2, [Fe/H] = +0.31 ± 0.24 and v sin i = 14.8 ± 1.6 km s−1. Line profile variations caused by rotation are also evident. Lines of Sr, Cr, Eu, Mg and Si are strongest when the star is brightest, while Y and Ba vary in antiphase with the other elements. The abundances of rare earth elements are only modestly enhanced compared to other roAp stars of similar Teff and log g. Radial velocities in the literature suggest a significant change over the past 30 yr, but the radial velocities presented here show no significant change over a period of 4 yr

B fields in OB stars (BOB): low-resolution FORS2 spectropolarimetry of the first sample of 50 massive stars

Within the context of the collaboration "B fields in OB stars (BOB)", we used the FORS2 low-resolution spectropolarimeter to search for a magnetic field in 50 massive stars, including two reference magnetic massive stars. Because of the many controversies of magnetic field detections obtained with the FORS instruments, we derived the magnetic field values with two completely independent reduction and analysis pipelines. We compare and discuss the results obtained from the two pipelines. We obtained a general good agreement, indicating that most of the discrepancies on magnetic field detections reported in the literature are caused by the interpretation of the significance of the results (i.e., 3-4 sigma detections considered as genuine, or not), instead of by significant differences in the derived magnetic field values. By combining our results with past FORS1 measurements of HD46328, we improve the estimate of the stellar rotation period, obtaining P = 2.17950+/-0.00009 days. For HD125823, our FORS2 measurements do not fit the available magnetic field model, based on magnetic field values obtained 30 years ago. We repeatedly detect a magnetic field for the O9.7V star HD54879, the HD164492C massive binary, and the He-rich star CPD -57 3509. We obtain a magnetic field detection rate of 6+/-4%, while by considering only the apparently slow rotators we derive a detection rate of 8+/-5%, both comparable with what was previously reported by other similar surveys. We are left with the intriguing result that, although the large majority of magnetic massive stars is rotating slowly, our detection rate is not a strong function of the stellar rotational velocity.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables; accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysic

Detection of gravity modes in the massive binary V380 Cyg from Kepler spacebased photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy

We report the discovery of low-amplitude gravity-mode oscillations in the massive binary star V380 Cyg, from 180 d of Kepler custom-aperture space photometry and 5 months of high-resolution high signal-to-noise spectroscopy. The new data are of unprecedented quality and allowed to improve the orbital and fundamental parameters for this binary. The orbital solution was subtracted from the photometric data and led to the detection of periodic intrinsic variability with frequencies of which some are multiples of the orbital frequency and others are not. Spectral disentangling allowed the detection of line-profile variability in the primary. With our discovery of intrinsic variability interpreted as gravity mode oscillations, V380 Cyg becomes an important laboratory for future seismic tuning of the near-core physics in massive B-type stars.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Spectroscopic determination of the fundamental parameters of 66 B-type stars in the field-of-view of the CoRoT satellite

We aim to determine the fundamental parameters of a sample of B stars with apparent visual magnitudes below 8 in the field-of-view of the CoRoT space mission, from high-resolution spectroscopy. We developed an automatic procedure for the spectroscopic analysis of B-type stars with winds, based on an extensive grid of FASTWIND model atmospheres. We use the equivalent widths and/or the line profile shapes of continuum normalized hydrogen, helium and silicon line profiles to determine the fundamental properties of these stars in an automated way. After thorough tests, both on synthetic datasets and on very high-quality, high-resolution spectra of B stars for which we already had accurate values of their physical properties from alternative analyses, we applied our method to 66 B-type stars contained in the ground-based archive of the CoRoT space mission. We discuss the statistical properties of the sample and compare them with those predicted by evolutionary models of B stars. Our spectroscopic results provide a valuable starting point for any future seismic modelling of the stars, should they be observed by CoRoT.Comment: 31 pages (including 14 pages online material), 32 figure

Spectroscopic Pulsational Frequency Identification and Mode Determination of Gamma Doradus Star HD135825

We present the mode identification of frequencies found in spectroscopic observations of the Gamma Doradus star HD135825. Four frequencies were successfully identified: 1.3150 +/- 0.0003 1/d; 0.2902 +/- 0.0004 1/d; 1.4045 +/- 0.0005 1/d; and 1.8829 +/- 0.0005 1/d. These correspond to (l, m) modes of (1,1), (2,-2), (4,0) and (1,1) respectively. Additional frequencies were found but they were below the signal-to-noise limit of the Fourier spectrum and not suitable for mode identification. The rotational axis inclination and vsini of the star were determined to be 87 degrees (nearly edge-on) and 39.7 km/s (moderate for Gamma Doradus stars) respectively. A simultaneous fit of these four modes to the line profile variations in the data gives a reduced chi square of 12.7. We confirm, based on the frequencies found, that HD135825 is a bona fide Gamma Doradus star.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS 2012 March

A search for pulsations in the HgMn star HD 45975 with CoRoT photometry and ground-based spectroscopy

The existence of pulsations in HgMn stars is still being debated. To provide the first unambiguous observational detection of pulsations in this class of chemically peculiar objects, the bright star HD 45975 was monitored for nearly two months by the CoRoT satellite. Independent analyses of the light curve provides evidence of monoperiodic variations with a frequency of 0.7572 c/d and a peak-to-peak amplitude of ~2800 ppm. Multisite, ground-based spectroscopic observations overlapping the CoRoT observations show the star to be a long-period, single-lined binary. Furthermore, with the notable exception of mercury, they reveal the same periodicity as in photometry in the line moments of chemical species exhibiting strong overabundances (e.g., Mn and Y). In contrast, lines of other elements do not show significant variations. As found in other HgMn stars, the pattern of variability consists in an absorption bump moving redwards across the line profiles. We argue that the photometric and spectroscopic changes are more consistent with an interpretation in terms of rotational modulation of spots at the stellar surface. In this framework, the existence of pulsations producing photometric variations above the ~50 ppm level is unlikely in HD 45975. This provides strong constraints on the excitation/damping of pulsation modes in this HgMn star.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 14 pages, 15 colour figures (revised version after language editing

CoRoT observations of O stars: diverse origins of variability

Six O-type stars were observed continuously by the CoRoT satellite during a 34.3-day run. The unprecedented quality of the data allows us to detect even low-amplitude stellar pulsations in some of these stars (HD 46202 and the binaries HD 46149 and Plaskett's star). These cover both opacity-driven modes and solar-like stochastic oscillations, both of importance to the asteroseismological modelling of O stars. Additional effects can be seen in the CoRoT light curves, such as binarity and rotational modulation. Some of the hottest O-type stars (HD 46223, HD 46150 and HD 46966) are dominated by the presence of red-noise: we speculate that this is related to a sub-surface convection zone.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, conference paper. To be published in "Four decades of Research on Massive Stars", Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Eds. C. Robert, N. St-Louis and L. Drisse

High-Precision Spectroscopy of Pulsating Stars

We review methodologies currently available to interprete time series of high-resolution high-S/N spectroscopic data of pulsating stars in terms of the kind of (non-radial) modes that are excited. We illustrate the drastic improvement of the detection treshold of line-profile variability thanks to the advancement of the instrumentation over the past two decades. This has led to the opportunity to interprete line-profile variations with amplitudes of order m/s, which is a factor 1000 lower than the earliest line-profile time series studies allowed for.Comment: To appear in Precision Spectroscopy in Astrophysics, Eds . Pasquini, M. Romaniello, N.C. Santos, and A. Correia, Springer-Verlag series "ESO Astrophysics Symposia". 4 pages, 1 figur