976 research outputs found
An observational asteroseismic study of the pulsating B-type stars in the open cluster NGC 884
Recent progress in the seismic interpretation of field β Cep stars has resulted in improvements of the physical description in the stellar structure and evolution model computations of massive stars. Further asteroseismic constraints can be obtained from studying ensembles of stars in a young open cluster, which all have similar age, distance and chemical composition. We present an observational asteroseismic study based on the discovery of numerous multi-periodic and mono-periodic B-type stars in the open cluster NGC 884 (χ Persei). Our study illustrates the current status of ensemble asteroseismology of this young open cluste
HD 174884: a strongly eccentric, short-period early-type binary system discovered by CoRoT
Accurate photometric CoRoT space observations of a secondary seismological
target, HD 174884, led to the discovery that this star is an astrophysically
important double-lined eclipsing spectroscopic binary in an eccentric orbit (e
of about 0.3), unusual for its short (3.65705d) orbital period. The high
eccentricity, coupled with the orientation of the binary orbit in space,
explains the very unusual observed light curve with strongly unequal primary
and secondary eclipses having the depth ratio of 1-to-100 in the CoRoT 'seismo'
passband. Without the high accuracy of the CoRoT photometry, the secondary
eclipse, 1.5 mmag deep, would have gone unnoticed. A spectroscopic follow-up
program provided 45 high dispersion spectra. The analysis of the CoRoT light
curve was performed with an adapted version of PHOEBE that supports CoRoT
passbands. The final solution was obtained by simultaneous fitting of the light
and the radial velocity curves. Individual star spectra were derived by
spectrum disentangling. The uncertainties of the fit were derived by bootstrap
resampling and the solution uniqueness was tested by heuristic scanning. The
results provide a consistent picture of the system composed of two late B
stars. The Fourier analysis of the light curve fit residuals yields two
components, with orbital frequency multiples and an amplitude of about 0.1
mmag, which are tentatively interpreted as tidally induced pulsations. An
extensive comparison with theoretical models is carried out by means of the
Levenberg-Marquardt minimization technique and the discrepancy between models
and the derived parameters is discussed. The best fitting models yield a young
system age of 125 million years which is consistent with the eccentric orbit
and synchronous component rotation at periastron.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication by A&
CoRoT's view of newly discovered B-star pulsators: results for 358 candidate B pulsators from the initial run's exoplanet field data
We search for new variable B-type pulsators in the CoRoT data assembled
primarily for planet detection, as part of CoRoT's Additional Programme. We aim
to explore the properties of newly discovered B-type pulsators from the
uninterrupted CoRoT space-based photometry and to compare them with known
members of the Beta Cep and slowly pulsating B star (SPB) classes. We developed
automated data analysis tools that include algorithms for jump correction,
light-curve detrending, frequency detection, frequency combination search, and
for frequency and period spacing searches. Besides numerous new, classical,
slowly pulsating B stars, we find evidence for a new class of low-amplitude
B-type pulsators between the SPB and Delta Sct instability strips, with a very
broad range of frequencies and low amplitudes, as well as several slowly
pulsating B stars with residual excess power at frequencies typically a factor
three above their expected g-mode frequencies. The frequency data we obtained
for numerous new B-type pulsators represent an appropriate starting point for
further theoretical analyses of these stars, once their effective temperature,
gravity, rotation velocity, and abundances will be derived spectroscopically in
the framework of an ongoing FLAMES survey at the VLT.Comment: 22 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Galactic Archaeology with CoRoT and APOGEE: Creating mock observations from a chemodynamical model
In a companion paper, we have presented the combined
asteroseismic-spectroscopic dataset obtained from CoRoT lightcurves and APOGEE
infra-red spectra for 678 solar-like oscillating red giants in two fields of
the Galactic disc (CoRoGEE). We have measured chemical abundance patterns,
distances, and ages of these field stars which are spread over a large radial
range of the Milky Way's disc. Here we show how to simulate this dataset using
a chemodynamical Galaxy model. We also demonstrate how the observation
procedure influences the accuracy of our estimated ages.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures. To appear in Astronomische Nachrichten, special
issue "Reconstruction the Milky Way's History: Spectroscopic surveys,
Asteroseismology and Chemo-dynamical models", Guest Editors C. Chiappini, J.
Montalb\'an, and M. Steffe
Modelling a high-mass red giant observed by CoRoT
The G6 giant HR\,2582 (HD\,50890) was observed by CoRoT for approximately 55
days. Mode frequencies are extracted from the observed Fourier spectrum of the
light curve. Numerical stellar models are then computed to determine the
characteristics of the star (mass, age, etc...) from the comparison with
observational constraints. We provide evidence for the presence of solar-like
oscillations at low frequency, between 10 and 20\,Hz, with a regular
spacing of Hz between consecutive radial orders. Only radial
modes are clearly visible. From the models compatible with the observational
constraints used here, We find that HR\,2582 (HD\,50890) is a massive star with
a mass in the range (3--\,5\,), clearly above the red clump. It
oscillates with rather low radial order ( = 5\,--\,12) modes. Its
evolutionary stage cannot be determined with precision: the star could be on
the ascending red giant branch (hydrogen shell burning) with an age of
approximately 155 Myr or in a later phase (helium burning). In order to obtain
a reasonable helium amount, the metallicity of the star must be quite subsolar.
Our best models are obtained with a mixing length significantly smaller than
that obtained for the Sun with the same physical description (except
overshoot). The amount of core overshoot during the main-sequence phase is
found to be mild, of the order of 0.1\,.Comment: Accepted in A&
CLES, Code Liegeois d'Evolution Stellaire
Cles is an evolution code recently developed to produce stellar models
meeting the specific requirements of studies in asteroseismology. It offers the
users a lot of choices in the input physics they want in their models and its
versatility allows them to tailor the code to their needs and implement easily
new features. We describe the features implemented in the current version of
the code and the techniques used to solve the equations of stellar structure
and evolution. A brief account is given of the use of the program and of a
solar calibration realized with it.Comment: Comments: 8 pages, Astrophys. Space Sci. CoRoT-ESTA Volume, in the
pres
Analysis of 70 Ophiuchi AB including seismic constraints
The analysis of solar-like oscillations for stars belonging to a binary
system provides a unique opportunity to probe the internal stellar structure
and to test our knowledge of stellar physics. Such oscillations have been
recently observed and characterized for the A component of the 70 Ophiuchi
system. A model of 70 Ophiuchi AB that correctly reproduces all observational
constraints available for both stars is determined. An age of 6.2 +- 1.0 Gyr is
found with an initial helium mass fraction Y_i=0.266 +- 0.015 and an initial
metallicity (Z/X)_i=0.0300 +- 0.0025 when atomic diffusion is included and a
solar value of the mixing-length parameter assumed. A precise and independent
determination of the value of the mixing-length parameter needed to model 70
Oph A requires accurate measurement of the mean small separation, which is not
available yet. Current asteroseismic observations, however, suggest that the
value of the mixing-length parameter of 70 Oph A is lower or equal to the solar
calibrated value. The effects of atomic diffusion and of the choice of the
adopted solar mixture were also studied. We also tested and compared the
theoretical tools used for the modeling of stars for which p-modes frequencies
are detected by performing this analysis with three different stellar evolution
codes and two different calibration methods. We found that the different
evolution codes and calibration methods we used led to perfectly coherent
results.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Non-radial oscillations in the red giant HR7349 measured by CoRoT
Convection in red giant stars excites resonant acoustic waves whose
frequencies depend on the sound speed inside the star, which in turn depends on
the properties of the stellar interior. Therefore, asteroseismology is the most
robust available method for probing the internal structure of red giant stars.
Solar-like oscillations in the red giant HR7349 are investigated. Our study is
based on a time series of 380760 photometric measurements spread over 5 months
obtained with the CoRoT satellite. Mode parameters were estimated using maximum
likelihood estimation of the power spectrum. The power spectrum of the
high-precision time series clearly exhibits several identifiable peaks between
19 and 40 uHz showing regularity with a mean large and small spacing of Dnu =
3.47+-0.12 uHz and dnu_02 = 0.65+-0.10 uHz. Nineteen individual modes are
identified with amplitudes in the range from 35 to 115 ppm. The mode damping
time is estimated to be 14.7+4.7-2.9 days.Comment: 8 pages, A&A accepte
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