Ten days of photometric data were obtained during the commissioning phase of the Kepler mission, including data for the previously known giant transiting exoplanet HAT-P-7b. The data for HAT-P-7b ...show a smooth rise and fall of light from the planet as it orbits its star, punctuated by a drop of 130 ± 11 parts per million in flux when the planet passes behind its star. We interpret this as the phase variation of the dayside thermal emission plus reflected light from the planet as it orbits its star and is occulted. The depth of the occultation is similar in photometric precision to the detection of a transiting Earth-size planet for which the mission was designed.
In the solar system, the planets' compositions vary with orbital distance, with rocky planets in close orbits and lower-density gas giants in wider orbits. The detection of close-in giant planets ...around other stars was the first clue that this pattern is not universal and that planets' orbits can change substantially after their formation. Here, we report another violation of the orbit-composition pattern: two planets orbiting the same star with orbital distances differing by only 10% and densities differing by a factor of 8. One planet is likely a rocky "super-Earth," whereas the other is more akin to Neptune. These planets are 20 times more closely spaced and have a larger density contrast than any adjacent pair of planets in the solar system.
The first detection of the period doubling phenomenon is reported in the Kepler RR Lyrae stars RR Lyr, V808 Cyg and V355 Lyr. Interestingly, all these pulsating stars show Blazhko modulation. The ...period doubling manifests itself as alternating maxima and minima of the pulsational cycles in the light curve, as well as through the appearance of half-integer frequencies located halfway between the main pulsation period and its harmonics in the frequency spectrum. The effect was found to be stronger during certain phases of the modulation cycle. We were able to reproduce the period-doubling bifurcation in our non-linear RR Lyrae models computed by the Florida–Budapest hydrocode. This enabled us to trace the origin of this instability in RR Lyrae stars to a resonance, namely a 9:2 resonance between the fundamental mode and a high-order (ninth) radial overtone showing strange-mode characteristics. We discuss the connection of this new type of variation to the mysterious Blazhko effect and argue that it may give us fresh insights into solving this century-old enigma.
We present results from the first two quarters of a survey to search for pulsations in compact stellar objects with the Kepler spacecraft. The survey sample and the various methods applied in its ...compilation are described, and spectroscopic observations are presented to separate the objects into accurate classes. From the Kepler photometry we clearly identify nine compact pulsators and a number of interesting binary stars. Of the pulsators, one shows the strong, rapid pulsations typical of a V361 Hya-type sdB variable (sdBV); seven show long-period pulsation characteristics of V1093 Her-type sdBVs; and one shows low-amplitude pulsations with both short and long periods. We derive effective temperatures and surface gravities for all the subdwarf B stars in the sample and demonstrate that below the boundary region where hybrid sdB pulsators are found, all our targets are pulsating. For the stars hotter than this boundary temperature a low fraction of strong pulsators (<10 per cent) is confirmed. Interestingly, the short-period pulsator also shows a low-amplitude mode in the long-period region, and several of the V1093 Her pulsators show low-amplitude modes in the short-period region, indicating that hybrid behaviour may be common in these stars, also outside the boundary temperature region where hybrid pulsators have hitherto been found.
Context. Clear power excess in a frequency range typical for solar-type oscillations in red giants has been detected in more than 1000 stars, which have been observed during the first 138 days of the ...science operation of the NASA Kepler satellite. This sample includes stars in a wide mass and radius range with spectral types G and K, extending in luminosity from the bottom of the giant branch up to high-luminous red giants, including the red bump and clump. The high-precision asteroseismic observations with Kepler provide a perfect source for testing stellar structure and evolutionary models, as well as investigating the stellar population in our Galaxy. Aims. We aim to extract accurate seismic parameters from the Kepler time series and use them to infer asteroseismic fundamental parameters from scaling relations and a comparison with red-giant models. Methods. We fit a global model to the observed power density spectra, which allows us to accurately estimate the granulation background signal and the global oscillation parameters, such as the frequency of maximum oscillation power. We find regular patterns of radial and non-radial oscillation modes and use a new technique to automatically identify the mode degree and the characteristic frequency separations between consecutive modes of the same spherical degree. In most cases, we can also measure the small separation between l = 0, 1, and 2 modes. Subsequently, the seismic parameters are used to estimate stellar masses and radii and to place the stars in an H-R diagram by using an extensive grid of stellar models that covers a wide parameter range. Using Bayesian techniques throughout our entire analysis allows us to determine reliable uncertainties for all parameters. Results. We provide accurate seismic parameters and their uncertainties for a large sample of red giants and determine their asteroseismic fundamental parameters. We investigate the influence of the stars' metallicities on their positions in the H-R diagram. Finally, we study the red-giant populations in the red clump and bump and compare them to a synthetic population. We find a mass and metallicity gradient in the red clump and clear evidence of a secondary-clump population.
We have studied solar-like oscillations in ~800 red giant stars using Kepler long-cadence photometry. The sample includes stars ranging in evolution from the lower part of the red giant branch to the ...helium main sequence. We investigate the relation between the large frequency separation ( Delta *D Delta *n) and the frequency of maximum power ( Delta *nmax) and show that it is different for red giants than for main-sequence stars, which is consistent with evolutionary models and scaling relations. The distributions of Delta *nmax and Delta *D Delta *n are in qualitative agreement with a simple stellar population model of the Kepler field, including the first evidence for a secondary clump population characterized by M 2 M and Delta *nmax 40-110 Delta *mHz. We measured the small frequency separations Delta *d Delta *n02 and Delta *d Delta *n01 in over 400 stars and Delta *d Delta *n03 in over 40. We present C-D diagrams for l = 1, 2, and 3 and show that the frequency separation ratios Delta *d Delta *n02/ Delta *D Delta *n and Delta *d Delta *n01/ Delta *D Delta *n have opposite trends as a function of Delta *D Delta *n. The data show a narrowing of the l = 1 ridge toward lower Delta *nmax, in agreement with models predicting more efficient mode trapping in stars with higher luminosity. We investigate the offset in the asymptotic relation and find a clear correlation with Delta *D Delta *n, demonstrating that it is related to fundamental stellar parameters. Finally, we present the first amplitude- Delta *nmax relation for Kepler red giants. We observe a lack of low-amplitude stars for Delta *nmax 110 Delta *mHz and find that, for a given Delta *nmax between 40 and 110 Delta *mHz, stars with lower Delta *D Delta *n (and consequently higher mass) tend to show lower amplitudes than stars with higher Delta *D Delta *n.
We have measured solar-like oscillations in red giants using time-series photometry from the first 34 days of science operations of the Kepler Mission. The light curves, obtained with 30 minute ...sampling, reveal clear oscillations in a large sample of G and K giants, extending in luminosity from the red clump down to the bottom of the giant branch. We confirm a strong correlation between the large separation of the oscillations (Δν) and the frequency of maximum power (νmax). We focus on a sample of 50 low-luminosity stars (νmax > 100 μHz, L <~ 30 L sun) having high signal-to-noise ratios and showing the unambiguous signature of solar-like oscillations. These are H-shell-burning stars, whose oscillations should be valuable for testing models of stellar evolution and for constraining the star formation rate in the local disk. We use a new technique to compare stars on a single échelle diagram by scaling their frequencies and find well-defined ridges corresponding to radial and non-radial oscillations, including clear evidence for modes with angular degree l = 3. Measuring the small separation between l = 0 and l = 2 allows us to plot the so-called C-D diagram of δν02 versus Δν. The small separation δν01 of l = 1 from the midpoint of adjacent l = 0 modes is negative, contrary to the Sun and solar-type stars. The ridge for l = 1 is notably broadened, which we attribute to mixed modes, confirming theoretical predictions for low-luminosity giants. Overall, the results demonstrate the tremendous potential of Kepler data for asteroseismology of red giants.
Nineteen of the ∼40 RR Lyr stars in the Kepler field have been identified as candidate non-Blazhko (or unmodulated) stars. In this paper we present the results of Fourier decomposition of the ...time-series photometry of these stars acquired during the first 417 d of operation (Q0-Q5) of the Kepler telescope. Fourier parameters based on ∼18 400 long-cadence observations per star (and ∼150 000 short-cadence observations for FN Lyr and for AW Dra) are derived. None of the stars shows the recently discovered 'period-doubling' effect seen in Blazhko variables; however, KIC 7021124 has been found to pulsate simultaneously in the fundamental and second overtone modes with a period ratio P
2/P
0∼ 0.593 05 and is similar to the double-mode star V350 Lyr. Period change rates are derived from O − C diagrams spanning, in some cases, over 100 years; these are compared with high-precision periods derived from the Kepler data alone. Extant Fourier correlations by Kovács, Jurcsik et al. (with minor transformations from the V to the Kp passband) have been used to derive underlying physical characteristics for all the stars. This procedure seems to be validated through comparisons of the Kepler variables with Galactic and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) RR Lyr stars. The most metal-poor star in the sample is NR Lyr, with Fe/H =−2.3 dex; and the four most metal-rich stars have Fe/H ranging from −0.6 to +0.1 dex. Pulsational luminosities and masses are found to be systematically smaller than L and
values derived from stellar evolution models, and are favoured over the evolutionary values when periods are computed with the Warsaw linear hydrodynamics code. Finally, the Fourier parameters are compared with theoretical values derived using the Warsaw non-linear convective pulsation code.
Asteroseismology of solar-type stars has an important part to play in the exoplanet program of the NASA Kepler Mission. Precise and accurate inferences on the stellar properties that are made ...possible by the seismic data allow very tight constraints to be placed on the exoplanetary systems. Here, we outline how to make an estimate of the detectability of solar-like oscillations in any given Kepler target, using rough estimates of the temperature and radius, and the Kepler apparent magnitude.
We present our analysis of the long-cadence Kepler data for the well-studied Blazhko star RR Lyr, gathered during the first two quarters of the satellite's observations and covering a total of 127 d. ...Besides being of great importance for our understanding of RR Lyrae stars in general, these RR Lyr data can be regarded as a case study for observations of bright stars with Kepler. Kepler can perform high-precision photometry on targets like RR Lyr, as the saturated flux is conserved to a very high degree. The Kepler data on RR Lyr are revolutionary in several respects. Even with long-cadence sampling (one measurement per 29.4 min), the unprecedented precision (< mmag) of the Kepler photometry allows the study of the star's extreme light-curve variations in detail. The multiplet structures at the main frequency and its harmonics, typical for Blazhko stars, are clearly detected up to the quintuplets. For the first time, photometric data of RR Lyr reveal the presence of half-integer frequencies, linked to a period-doubling effect. This phenomenon may be connected to the still unexplained Blazhko modulation. Moreover, with three observed Blazhko cycles at our disposal, we observe that there is no exact repetition in the light-curve changes from one modulation cycle to the next for RR Lyr. This may be due to additional periodicities in the star, or to transient or quasi-periodic changes.
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