Three new pulsating sdB stars discovered with SuperWASP

We present an analysis of three new pulsating subdwarf B stars discovered in the Super Wide Angle Search for Planets archive. Two of the stars, J1938+5609 and J0902−0720, are p- mode pulsators; J1938+5609 shows a pulsation at 231.62 d−1 (P = 373 s; 2681 µHz) with an amplitude of 4 mmag, whereas J0902−0720 pulsates at frequencies 636.74 (P = 136 s; 7370 µHz) and 615.34 d−1 (P = 140 s; 7122 µHz), with amplitudes 7.27 and 1.53 mmag, respectively. The third star, J2344−3427, is a hybrid pulsator with a p-mode frequency at 223.16 d−1 (P = 387 s; 2583 µHz) and a corresponding amplitude of 1.5 mmag, and g modes in the frequency range 8.68–28.56 d−1 (P = 3025–9954 s; 100–331 µHz) and amplitudes between 0.76 and 1.17 mmag. Spectroscopic results place J1938+5609 and J2344−3427 among the long-period or hybrid pulsators, suggesting there may be further modes in these stars below our detection limits, with J0902−0720 placed firmly amongst the p-mode pulsators

Deep asteroseismic sounding of the compact hot B subdwarf pulsator KIC02697388 from Kepler time series photometry

peer reviewedContext. Contemporary high precision photometry from space provided by the Kepler and CoRoT satellites generates significant breakthroughs in terms of exploiting the long-period, g-mode pulsating hot B subdwarf (sdBVs) stars with asteroseismology. Aims: We present a detailed asteroseismic study of the sdBVs star KIC02697388 monitored with Kepler, using the rich pulsation spectrum uncovered during the ~27-day-long exploratory run Q2.3. Methods: We analyse new high-S/N spectroscopy of KIC02697388 using appropriate NLTE model atmospheres to provide accurate atmospheric parameters for this star. We also reanalyse the Kepler light curve using standard prewhitening techniques. On this basis, we apply a forward modelling technique using our latest generation of sdB models. The simultaneous match of the independent periods observed in KIC02697388 with those of models leads objectively to the identification of the pulsation modes and, more importantly, to the determination of some of the parameters of the star. Results: The light curve analysis reveals 43 independent frequencies that can be associated with oscillation modes. All the modulations observed in this star correspond to g-mode pulsations except one high-frequency signal, which is typical of a p-mode oscillation. Although the presence of this p-mode is surprising considering the atmospheric parameters that we derive for this cool sdB star (Teff = 25 395 ± 227 K, log g = 5.500 ± 0.031 (cgs), and log N(He) /N(H) = -2.767 ± 0.122), we show that this mode can be accounted for particularly well by our optimal seismic models, both in terms of frequency match and nonadiabatic properties. The seismic analysis leads us to identify two model solutions that can both account for the observed pulsation properties of KIC02697388. Despite this remaining ambiguity, several key parameters of the star can be derived with stringent constraints, such as its mass, its H-rich envelope mass, its radius, and its luminosity. We derive the properties of the core proposing that it is a relatively young sdB star that has burnt less than ~34% (in mass) of its central helium and has a relatively large mixed He/C/O core. This latter measurement is in line with the trend already uncovered for two other g-mode sdB pulsators analysed with asteroseismology and suggests that extra mixing is occurring quite early in the evolution of He cores on the horizontal branch. Conclusions: Additional monitoring with Kepler of this particularly interesting sdB star should reveal the inner properties of KIC02697388 and provide important information about the mode driving mechanism and the helium core properties

The blue-edge problem of the V1093 Herculis instability strip revisited using evolutionary models with atomic diffusion

We have computed a new grid of evolutionary subdwarf B star (sdB) models from the start of central He burning, taking into account atomic diffusion due to radiative levitation, gravitational settling, concentration diffusion, and thermal diffusion. We have computed the non-adiabatic pulsation properties of the models and present the predicted p-mode and g-mode instability strips. In previous studies of the sdB instability strips, artificial abundance enhancements of Fe and Ni were introduced in the pulsation driving layers. In our models, the abundance enhancements of Fe and Ni occur naturally, eradicating the need to use artificial enhancements. We find that the abundance increases of Fe and Ni were previously underestimated and show that the instability strip predicted by our simulations solves the so-called blue edge problem of the subdwarf B star g-mode instability strip. The hottest known g-mode pulsator, KIC 10139564, now resides well within the instability strip even when only modes with low spherical degrees (l ≤ 2) are considered.7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysicsstatus: publishe

Early asteroseismic results from Kepler: structural and core parameters of the hot B subdwarf KPD 1943+4058 as inferred from g-mode oscillations

We present a seismic analysis of the pulsating hot B subdwarf KPD 1943+4058 (KIC 005807616) on the basis of the long-period, gravity-mode pulsations recently uncovered by Kepler. This is the first time that g-mode seismology can be exploited quantitatively for stars on the extreme horizontal branch, all previous successful seismic analyses having been confined so far to short-period, p-mode pulsators. We demonstrate that current models of hot B subdwarfs can quite well explain the observed g-mode periods, while being consistent with independent constraints provided by spectroscopy. We identify the 18 pulsations retained in our analysis as low- degree (l = 1 and 2), intermediate-order (k = −9 through −58) g-modes. The periods (frequencies) are recovered, on average, at the 0.22% level, which is comparable to the best results obtained for p-mode pulsators. We infer the following structural and core parameters for KPD 1943+4058 (formal fitting uncertainties only): Teff = 28,050 ± 470 K, log g = 5.52 ± 0.03, M∗ = 0.496 ± 0.002 M⊙, log (Menv/M∗) = −2.55 ± 0.07, log (1 − Mcore/M∗) = −0.37 ± 0.01, and Xcore (C+O) = 0.261 ± 0.008. We additionally derive the age of the star since the zero-age extended horizontal branch 18.4 ± 1.0 Myr, the radius R = 0.203 ± 0.007 R⊙, the luminosity L = 22.9 ± 3.13 L⊙, the absolute magnitude MV = 4.21 ± 0.11, the reddening index E(B − V ) = 0.094 ± 0.017, and the distance d = 1180 ± 95 pc

EXOTIME: searching for planets around pulsating subdwarf B stars

peer reviewedIn 2007, a companion with planetary mass was found around the pulsating subdwarf B star V391 Pegasi with the timing method, indicating that a previously undis- covered population of substellar companions to apparently single subdwarf B stars might exist. Following this serendip- itous discovery, the EXOTIME (http://www.na.astro.it/ ~silvotti/exotime/) monitoring program has been set up to follow the pulsations of a number of selected rapidly pul- sating subdwarf B stars on time scales of several years with two immediate observational goals: (1) determine P ̇ of the pulsational periods P (2) search for signatures of substellar companions in O– C residuals due to periodic light travel time variations, which would be tracking the central star’s companion- induced wobble around the centre of mass These sets of data should therefore, at the same time, on the one hand be useful to provide extra constraints for classical asteroseismological exercises from the P ̇ (comparison with “local” evolutionary models), and on the other hand allow one to investigate the preceding evolution of a target in terms of possible “binary” evolution by extending the otherwise unsuccessful search for companions to potentially very low masses. While timing pulsations may be an observationally ex- pensive method to search for companions, it samples a dif- ferent range of orbital parameters, inaccessible through or- bital photometric effects or the radial velocity method: the latter favours massive close-in companions, whereas the timing method becomes increasingly more sensitive toward wider separations. In this paper we report on the status of the on-going ob- servations and coherence analysis for two of the currently five targets, revealing very well-behaved pulsational charac- teristics in HS 0444+0458, while showing HS 0702+6043 to be more complex than previously thought

Detection of solar-like oscillations in the bright red giant stars γ Piscium and θ1 Tauri from a 190-day high-precision spectroscopic multi-site campaign

Context. Red giants are evolved stars that exhibit solar-like oscillations. Although a multitude of stars have been observed with space telescopes, only a handful of red giant stars were targets of spectroscopic asteroseismic observing projects. Aims: We search for solar-like oscillations in the two bright red giant stars γ Psc and θ1 Tau from a time series of ground-based spectroscopy and determine the frequency of the excess of oscillation power νmax and the mean large frequency separation Δν for both stars. Seismic constraints on the stellar mass and radius will provide robust input for stellar modelling. Methods: The radial velocities of γ Psc and θ1 Tau were monitored for 120 and 190 days, respectively. Nearly 9000 spectra were obtained. To reach accurate radial velocities, we used simultaneous thorium-argon and iodine-cell calibration of our optical spectra. In addition to the spectroscopy, we acquired interferometric observations of γ Psc for an independent estimate of the radius. We also analysed 22 days of observations of θ1 Tau with the MOST satellite. Results: The frequency analysis of the radial velocity data of γ Psc revealed an excess of oscillation power around 32 μHz and a large frequency separation of 4.1 ± 0.1 μHz. θ1 Tau exhibits oscillation power around 90 μHz, with a large frequency separation of 6.9 ± 0.2 μHz. Scaling relations indicate that γ Psc is a star of about 1 M⊙ and 10 R⊙. The object θ1 Tau appears to be a massive star of about 2.7 M⊙ and 10 R⊙. The radial velocities of both stars were found to be modulated on timescales much longer than the oscillation periods. Conclusions: The estimated radii from seismology are in agreement with interferometric observations and also with estimates based on photometric data. While the mass of θ1 Tau is in agreement with results from dynamical parallaxes, we find a lower mass for γ Psc than is found in the literature. The long periodic variability agrees with the expected timescales of rotational modulation. Based on observations made with the HERMES spectrograph mounted on the 1.2 m Mercator Telescope at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofsica de Canarias; the CORALIE spectrograph mounted on the 1.2 m Swiss telescope at La Silla Observatory, the HIDES spectrograph, mounted on the 1.9 m telescope at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, NAOJ, the MOST space telescope, and and observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under program ID 086.D-0101.15 pages, 15 figures; accepted for publication in A&Astatus: publishe

Asteroseismology of massive stars in the young open cluster NGC 884: a status report

To improve our comprehension of the β Cephei stars, we set up a photometric multi-site campaign on the open cluster NGC 884 (χ Persei). Thirteen telescopes joined the 2005-2007 campaign which resulted in almost 78 000 CCD frames. We present an up-to-date status of the analysis of these data, in which several interesting oscillating stars are pointed out. We end with the future prospects.status: publishe

Whole Earth Telescope observations of the subdwarf B star KPD1930+2752 : a rich, short-period pulsator in a close binary

KPD 1930+2752 is a short-period pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) star. It is also an ellipsoidal variable with a known binary period of 2.3 h. The companion is most likely a white dwarf and the total mass of the system is close to the Chandresekhar limit. In this paper, we report the results of Whole Earth Telescope (WET) photometric observations during 2003 and a smaller multisite campaign of 2002. From 355 h of WET data, we detect 68 pulsation frequencies and suggest an additional 13 frequencies within a crowded and complex temporal spectrum between 3065 and 6343 μHz (periods between 326 and 157 s). We examine pulsation properties including phase and amplitude stability in an attempt to understand the nature of the pulsationmechanism.We examine a stochastic mechanism by comparing amplitude variations with simulated stochastic data. We also use the binary nature of KPD 1930+2752 for identifying pulsation modes via multiplet structure and a tidally induced pulsation geometry. Our results indicate a complicated pulsation structure that includes short-period (≈16 h) amplitude variability, rotationally split modes, tidally induced modes and some pulsations which are geometrically limited on the sdB star

Whole Earth Telescope observations of the subdwarf B star KPD1930+2752 : a rich, short-period pulsator in a close binary

KPD 1930+2752 is a short-period pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) star. It is also an ellipsoidal variable with a known binary period of 2.3 h. The companion is most likely a white dwarf and the total mass of the system is close to the Chandresekhar limit. In this paper, we report the results of Whole Earth Telescope (WET) photometric observations during 2003 and a smaller multisite campaign of 2002. From 355 h of WET data, we detect 68 pulsation frequencies and suggest an additional 13 frequencies within a crowded and complex temporal spectrum between 3065 and 6343 μHz (periods between 326 and 157 s). We examine pulsation properties including phase and amplitude stability in an attempt to understand the nature of the pulsationmechanism.We examine a stochastic mechanism by comparing amplitude variations with simulated stochastic data. We also use the binary nature of KPD 1930+2752 for identifying pulsation modes via multiplet structure and a tidally induced pulsation geometry. Our results indicate a complicated pulsation structure that includes short-period (≈16 h) amplitude variability, rotationally split modes, tidally induced modes and some pulsations which are geometrically limited on the sdB star