The relation between Δν\Delta\nu and νmax\nu_{max} for solar-like oscillations

Establishing relations between global stellar parameters and asteroseismic quantities can help improve our understanding of stellar astrophysics and facilitate the interpretation of observations. We present an observed relation between the large frequency separation, $\Delta\nu$, and the frequency of maximum power, $\nu_{max}$. We find that $\Delta\nu$ is proportional to $(\nu_{max})^0.77$, allowing prediction of $\Delta\nu$ to about 15 per cent given $\nu_{max}$. Our result is further supported by established scaling relations for $\Delta\nu$ and $\nu_{max}$ and by extended stellar model calculations, which confirm that $\Delta\nu$ can be estimated using this relation for basically any star showing solar-like oscillations in the investigated range (0.5<M/Msol<4.0).Comment: 5 pages, 8 figures, Letter accepted by MNRA

The {\gamma} Dor stars as revealed by Kepler : A key to reveal deep-layer rotation in A and F stars

The {\gamma} Dor pulsating stars present high-order gravity modes, which make them important targets in the intermediate-and low-mass main-sequence region of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Whilst we have only access to rotation in the envelope of the Sun, the g modes of {\gamma} Dor stars can in principle deliver us constraints on the inner layers. With the puzzling discovery of unexpectedly low rotation rates in the core of red giants, the {\gamma} Dor stars appear now as unique targets to explore internal angular momentum transport in the progenitors of red giants. Yet, the {\gamma} Dor pulsations remain hard to detect from the ground for their periods are close to 1 day. While the CoRoT space mission first revealed intriguing frequency spectra, the almost uninterrupted 4-year photometry from the Kepler mission eventually shed a new light on them. It revealed regularities in the spectra, expected to bear signature of physical processes, including rotation, in the shear layers close to the convective core. We present here the first results of our effort to derive exploitable seismic diagnosis for mid- to fast rotators among {\gamma} Dor stars. We confirm their potential to explore the rotation history of this early phase of stellar evolution.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of the 22nd Los Alamos Stellar Pulsation Conference, "Wide-field variability surveys: a 21st-century perspective" held in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 201

Solar-like oscillations in the G8 V star tau Ceti

We used HARPS to measure oscillations in the low-mass star tau Cet. Although the data were compromised by instrumental noise, we have been able to extract the main features of the oscillations. We found tau Cet to oscillate with an amplitude that is about half that of the Sun, and with a mode lifetime that is slightly shorter than solar. The large frequency separation is 169 muHz, and we have identified modes with degrees 0, 1, 2, and 3. We used the frequencies to estimate the mean density of the star to an accuracy of 0.45% which, combined with the interferometric radius, gives a mass of 0.783 +/- 0.012 M_sun (1.6%).Comment: accepted for publication in A&

A unifying explanation of complex frequency spectra of gamma Dor, SPB and Be stars: combination frequencies and highly non-sinusoidal light curves

There are many Slowly Pulsating B (SPB) stars and γ Dor stars in the Kepler mission data set. The light curves of these pulsating stars have been classified phenomenologically into stars with symmetric light curves and with asymmetric light curves. In the same effective temperature ranges as the γ Dor and SPB stars, there are variable stars with downward light curves that have been conjectured to be caused by spots. Among these phenomenological classes of stars, some show ‘frequency groups’ in their amplitude spectra that have not previously been understood. While it has been recognized that non-linear pulsation gives rise to combination frequencies in a Fourier description of the light curves of these stars, such combination frequencies have been considered to be a only a minor constituent of the amplitude spectra. In this paper, we unify the Fourier description of the light curves of these groups of stars, showing that many of them can be understood in terms of only a few base frequencies, which we attribute to g-mode pulsations, and combination frequencies, where sometimes a very large number of combination frequencies dominate the amplitude spectra. The frequency groups seen in these stars are thus tremendously simplified. We show observationally that the combination frequencies can have amplitudes greater than the base frequency amplitudes, and we show theoretically how this arises. Thus for some γ Dor and SPB stars, combination frequencies can have the highest observed amplitudes. Among the B stars are pulsating Be stars that show emission lines in their spectra from occasional ejection of material into a circumstellar disc. Our analysis gives strong support to the understanding of these pulsating Be stars as rapidly rotating SPB stars, explained entirely by g-mode pulsations

Finding binaries among Kepler pulsating stars from phase modulation of their pulsations

We present a method for finding binaries among pulsating stars that were observed by the Kepler Mission. We use entire 4 yr light curves to accurately measure the frequencies of the strongest pulsation modes, and then track the pulsation phases at those frequencies in 10-d segments. This produces a series of time-delay measurements in which binarity is apparent as a periodic modulation whose amplitude gives the projected light travel time across the orbit. Fourier analysis of this time-delay curve provides the parameters of the orbit, including the period, eccentricity, angle of ascending node, and time of periastron passage. Differentiating the time-delay curve yields the full radial-velocity curve directly from the Kepler photometry, without the need for spectroscopy.We showexamples with δ scuti stars having large numbers of pulsation modes, including one system in which both components of the binary are pulsating. The method is straightforward to automate, thus radial velocity curves can be derived for hundreds of non-eclipsing binary stars from Kepler photometry alone

KIC 10080943: a binary star with two γ Doradus/δ Scuti hybrid pulsators. Analysis of the g modes

We use 4 yr of Kepler photometry to study the non-eclipsing spectroscopic binary KIC 10080943. We find both components to be γ Doradus/δ Scuti hybrids, which pulsate in both p and g modes. We present an analysis of the g modes, which is complicated by the fact that the two sets of l = 1 modes partially overlap in the frequency spectrum. Nevertheless, it is possible to disentangle them by identifying rotationally split doublets from one component and triplets from the other. The identification is helped by the presence of additive combina- tion frequencies in the spectrum that involve the doublets but not the triplets. The rotational splittings of the multiplets imply core rotation periods of about 11 and 7 d in the two stars. One of the stars also shows evidence of l = 2 modes

Line-profile variations of stochastically excited oscillations in four evolved stars

Since solar-like oscillations were first detected in red-giant stars, the presence of non-radial oscillation modes has been debated. Spectroscopic line-profile analysis was used in the first attempt to perform mode identification, which revealed that non-radial modes are observable. Despite the fact that the presence of non-radial modes could be confirmed, the degree or azimuthal order could not be uniquely identified. Here we present an improvement to this first spectroscopic line-profile analysis. Aims: We aim to study line-profile variations of stochastically excited solar-like oscillations in four evolved stars to derive the azimuthal order of the observed mode and the surface rotational frequency. Methods: Spectroscopic line-profile analysis is applied to cross-correlation functions, using the Fourier Parameter Fit method on the amplitude and phase distributions across the profiles. Results: For four evolved stars, beta Hydri (G2IV), epsilon Ophiuchi (G9.5III), eta Serpentis (K0III) and delta Eridani (K0IV) the line-profile variations reveal the azimuthal order of the oscillations with an accuracy of ~1. Furthermore, our analysis reveals the projected rotational velocity and the inclination angle. From these parameters we obtain the surface rotational frequency. Conclusions: We conclude that line-profile variations of cross-correlation functions behave differently for different frequencies and that they provide additional information in terms of the surface rotational frequency and azimuthal order.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 9 pages, 10 figures and 3 tables. A version with figure 1 in full resolution can be obtained upon request from first autho

Solar-like oscillations in KIC11395018 and KIC11234888 from 8 months of Kepler data

We analyze the photometric short-cadence data obtained with the Kepler Mission during the first eight months of observations of two solar-type stars of spectral types G and F: KIC 11395018 and KIC 11234888 respectively, the latter having a lower signal-to-noise ratio compared to the former. We estimate global parameters of the acoustic (p) modes such as the average large and small frequency separations, the frequency of the maximum of the p-mode envelope and the average linewidth of the acoustic modes. We were able to identify and to measure 22 p-mode frequencies for the first star and 16 for the second one even though the signal-to-noise ratios of these stars are rather low. We also derive some information about the stellar rotation periods from the analyses of the low-frequency parts of the power spectral densities. A model-independent estimation of the mean density, mass and radius are obtained using the scaling laws. We emphasize the importance of continued observations for the stars with low signal-to-noise ratio for an improved characterization of the oscillation modes. Our results offer a preview of what will be possible for many stars with the long data sets obtained during the remainder of the mission.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap