We present new results on oscillations of the K1.5 III giant Arcturus (alpha
Boo), from analysis of just over 2.5 yr of precise photometric observations
made by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) on board the Coriolis satellite.
A strong mode of oscillation is uncovered by the analysis, having frequency
3.51+/-0.03 micro-Hertz. By fitting its mode peak, we are able offer a highly
constrained direct estimate of the damping time (tau = 24+/-1 days). The data
also hint at the possible presence of several radial-mode overtones, and maybe
some non-radial modes. We are also able to measure the properties of the
granulation on the star, with the characteristic timescale for the granulation
estimated to be 0.50+/-0.05 days.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
