The currently operating space missions, as well as those that will be launched in the near future, (will) deliver high-quality data for millions of stellar objects. Since the majority of stellar ...astrophysical applications still (at least partly) rely on spectroscopic data, an efficient tool for the analysis of medium- to high-resolution spectroscopy is needed. We aim at developing an efficient software package for the analysis of medium- to high-resolution spectroscopy of single stars and those in binary systems. The major requirements are that the code has a high performance, represents the state-of-the-art analysis tool, and provides accurate determinations of atmospheric parameters and chemical compositions for different types of stars. We use the method of atmosphere models and spectrum synthesis, which is one of the most commonly used approaches for the analysis of stellar spectra. Our Grid Search in Stellar Parameters (GSSP) code makes use of the OpenMPI implementation, which makes it possible to run in parallel mode. The method is first tested on the simulated data and is then applied to the spectra of real stellar objects. The majority of test runs on the simulated data were successful in the sense that we could recover the initially assumed sets of atmospheric parameters. We experimentally find the limits in signal-to-noise ratios of the input spectra, below which the final set of parameters gets significantly affected by the noise. Application of the GSSP package to the spectra of three Kepler stars, KIC11285625, KIC6352430, and KIC4931738, was also largely successful. We found an overall agreement of the final sets of the fundamental parameters with the original studies. For KIC6352430, we found that dependence of the light dilution factor on wavelength cannot be ignored, as it has significant impact on the determination of the atmospheric parameters of this binary system.
Asteroseismology gives us the opportunity to look inside stars and determine their internal properties. Based on these observations, estimations can be made for the amount of the convective boundary ...mixing and envelope mixing of such stars, and the shape of the mixing profile in the envelope. However, these results are not typically included in stellar evolution models. We aim to investigate the impact of varying convective boundary mixing and envelope mixing in a range based on asteroseismic modelling in stellar models, both for the stellar structure and for the nucleosynthetic yields. In this first study, we focus on the pre-explosive evolution of a 20Msun star and evolve the models to the final phases of carbon burning. We vary the convective boundary mixing, implemented as step-overshoot, with the overshoot parameter in the range 0.05-0.4 and the amount of envelope mixing in the range 1-10\(^{6}\) with a mixing profile based on internal gravity waves. We use a large nuclear network of 212 isotopes to study the nucleosynthesis. We find that enhanced mixing according to asteroseismology of main-sequence stars, both at the convective core boundary and in the envelope, has significant effects on the nucleosynthetic wind yields. Our evolutionary models beyond the main sequence diverge in yields from models based on rotational mixing, having longer helium burning lifetimes and lighter helium-depleted cores. We find that the asteroseismic ranges of internal mixing calibrated from core hydrogen burning stars lead to similar wind yields as those resulting from the theory of rotational mixing. Adopting the seismic mixing levels beyond the main sequence, we find earlier transitions to radiative carbon burning compared to models based on rotational mixing. This influences the compactness and the occurrence of shell-mergers, which may affect the supernova properties and explosive nucleosynthesis.
Abstract abridged. Eclipsing binary systems provide the opportunity to measure the fundamental parameters of their component stars in a stellar-model-independent way. This makes them ideal candidates ...for testing and calibrating theories of stellar structure and (tidal) evolution. Even without spectroscopic follow-up there is often enough information in their photometric time series to warrant analysis, especially if there is an added value present in the form of intrinsic variability, such as pulsations. Our goal is to implement and validate a framework for the homogeneous analysis of large numbers of eclipsing binary light curves, such as the numerous high-duty-cycle observations from space missions like TESS. The aim of this framework is to be quick and simple to run and to limit the user's time investment when obtaining, amongst other parameters, orbital eccentricities. We developed a new and fully automated methodology for the analysis of eclipsing binary light curves with or without additional intrinsic variability. Our method includes a fast iterative pre-whitening procedure. Orbital and stellar parameters are measured under the assumption of spherical stars of uniform brightness. We tested our methodology in two settings: a set of synthetic light curves with known input and the catalogue of Kepler eclipsing binaries. The synthetic tests show that we can reliably recover the frequencies and amplitudes of the sinusoids included in the signal as well as the input binary parameters. Recovery of the tangential component of eccentricity is the most accurate and precise. Kepler results confirm a robust determination of orbital periods, with 80.5% of periods matching the catalogued ones. We present the eccentricities for this analysis and show that they broadly follow the theoretically expected pattern as a function of the orbital period.
KIC 4150611 is a high-order multiple composed of a triple system composed of
the F1V primary (Aa), which is eclipsed on a 94.2d period by a tight 1.52d
binary composed of two dim K/M dwarfs (Ab1, ...Ab2), which also eclipse each
other; an 8.65d eccentric, eclipsing binary composed of two G stars (Ba, Bb);
and another faint eclipsing binary composed of two stars of unknown spectral
type (Ca and Cb). In addition to its many eclipses, the system is an SB3
spectroscopic multiple (Aa, Ba, and Bb) and the primary (Aa) is a hybrid
pulsator. We employ a novel photometric analysis of the complicated eclipse
geometry of Aa to obtain orbital and stellar properties of the triple. We
acquired 51 TRES spectra at the Fred L. Whipple Observatory, calculating radial
velocities and orbital elements of Aa (SB1) and the B binary (SB2). These
spectra and radial velocities are used to perform spectral disentangling for
Aa, Ba, and Bb. Spectral modelling is applied to the disentangled spectrum of
Aa to obtain atmospheric properties. We obtain precise stellar properties of
the triple, including the mass ratios (MAa/(MAb1 + MAb2) = 3.61 +/- 0.01,
MAb1/MAb2 = 1.113 +/- 0.001), separation ratio (aAab/aAb1Ab2 = 21.81 +/- 0.01),
orbital periods (PAab = 94.29486 +/- 0.00008d, PAb1Ab2 = 1.522248 +/-
0.000001d), and stellar radii (RAa = 1.64 +/- 0.06 Rsun, RAb1 = 0.42 +/- 0.01
Rsun, RAb2 = 0.38 +/- 0.01 Rsun). Radial velocity fitting and spectral
disentangling arrive at orbital elements for Aa, Ba, and Bb in excellent
agreement with each other and with previous results in the literature. Spectral
modelling on the disentangled spectrum of Aa provides constraints on the
effective temperature (Teff = 7280 +/- 70 K), surface gravity (log(g) = 4.14
+/- 0.18 dex), micro-turbulent velocity (vmicro = 3.61 +/- 0.19 km s-1),
rotation velocity (v sin i = 127 +/- 4 km s-1), and metallicity (M/H = -0.23
+/- 0.06).
Context. Unambiguous examples of the influence of tides on self-excited, free stellar pulsations have recently been observationally detected in space-based photometric data. Aims. We aim to ...investigate U Gru and contextualise it within the growing class of tidally influenced pulsators. Initial analysis of U Gru revealed frequencies spaced by the orbital frequency that are difficult to explain by currently proposed tidal mechanisms. Methods. We re-investigate the TESS photometry of U Gru alongside new uves spectroscopy. We analyse the uves spectroscopy with least-squares deconvolution and spectral disentangling techniques, and perform an atmospheric analysis. We remove the binary signature from the light curve using an effective model in order to investigate the pulsation signal in the residuals. We track the amplitudes and phases of the residual pulsations as a function of the orbital period to reveal their tidal influence. Results. We establish that U Gru is likely a hierarchical triple system. We identify a single p mode oscillation to exhibit amplitude and phase variation over the binary orbit. We propose a toy model to demonstrate that the series of frequencies separated by the orbital frequency can be reproduced by eclipse mapping. We find no evidence of modulation to the other independent oscillation modes. Conclusions. We demonstrate that U Gru hosts at least one tidally perturbed pulsation. Additionally we argue that eclipse mapping of the dominant, tidally perturbed mode can produce the series of frequencies separated by the observed orbital frequency. Our simulations show that the effects of eclipse mapping are mode dependent, and are not expected to produce an observable signature for all pulsation modes in an eclipse binary.
Modern stellar structure and evolution theory experiences a lack of observational calibrations for the interior physics of intermediate- and high-mass stars. This leads to discrepancies between ...theoretical predictions and observed phenomena mostly related to angular momentum and element transport. Analyses of large samples of massive stars connecting state-of-the-art spectroscopy to asteroseismology may provide clues on how to improve our understanding of their interior structure. We aim to deliver a sample of O- and B-type stars at metallicity regimes of the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxies with accurate atmospheric parameters from high-resolution spectroscopy, along with a detailed investigation of line-profile broadening, for future asteroseismic studies. After describing the general aims of our two Large Programs, we develop dedicated methodology to fit spectral lines and deduce accurate global stellar parameters from high-resolution multi-epoch UVES and FEROS spectroscopy. We use the best available atmosphere models for three regimes covered by our global sample, given its breadth in terms of mass, effective temperature, and evolutionary stage. Aside from accurate atmospheric parameters and locations in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, we deliver detailed analyses of macroturbulent line broadening, including estimation of the radial and tangential components. We find that these two components are difficult to disentangle from spectra with signal-to-noise ratios below 250. Future asteroseismic modelling of the deep interior physics of the most promising stars in our sample will improve the existing dearth of such knowledge for large samples of OB stars, including those of low metallicity in the LMC.
A significant degree of misclassification of variable stars through the application of machine learning methods to survey data motivates a search for more reliable and accurate machine learning ...procedures, especially in light of the very large data cubes that will be generated by future surveys and the need for immediate production of accurate, formalised catalogues of variable behaviour to enable science to proceed. In this study, the efficiency of an ensemble machine learning procedure utilising extreme boosting was determined by application to a large sample of data from the OGLE III and IV surveys and from the \textit{Kepler} mission. Through recursive training of classifiers, the study developed a variable star classification workflow which produced an average efficiency determined with the average precision of the model (0.81 for \textit{Kepler} and 0.91 for OGLE) and the \(f-score\) of predictions on the test sets. This suggests that extreme boosting can be presented as one of the favourable shallow learning methods in developing a variable star classifier for future large survey projects.
There are 23 long-period binary systems discovered to date that contain a B-type hot subdwarf(sdB) whose orbital parameters have been fully solved. They evolve into O-type subdwarfs (sdO) once the ...helium burning transitions from the core to the He shell. Their study will help constraint parameters on the formation and evolution of these binaries and explain some of their puzzling features. In this study, we aim to solve orbital and atmospheric parameters of two long-period sdO binaries and, for the first time, investigate the chemical composition of their main-sequence (MS) companions. HERMES high-resolution spectra are used to obtain radial velocities and solve their orbits. The Grid Search in Stellar Parameter code (GSSP) is used to derive the atmospheric parameters and photospheric chemical abundances of the MS companions. Stellar evolution models (MIST) are fitted to the companion atmospheric parameters to derive masses. In the bimodal period-eccentricity diagram, the orbital parameters indicate that Feige 80 matches the same correlation as the majority of the systems. The analysis suggests that Feige 80 has a canonical subdwarf mass and followed a standard formation channel. However, BD-11\(^{\rm{o}}\)162 is an exceptional system with a lower mass. It also shows a carbon overabundance, which could be caused by a higher progenitor mass. The yttrium depletion in both MS companions could indicate the existence of a circumbinary disk in these systems' pasts. Nevertheless, a chemical analysis of a larger sample is necessary to draw strong conclusions.
Context. Intermediate- to high-mass stars are the least numerous types of stars and they are less well understood than their more numerous low-mass counterparts in terms of their internal physical ...processes. Modelling the photometric variability of a large sample of main-sequence intermediate- to high-mass stars in eclipsing binary systems will help to improve the models for such stars. Aims. Our goal is to compose a homogeneously compiled sample of main-sequence intermediate- to high-mass OBA-type dwarfs in eclipsing binary systems from TESS photometry. We search for binaries with and without pulsations and determine their approximate ephemerides. Methods. Our selection starts from a catalogue of dwarfs with colours corresponding to those of OBA-type dwarfs in the TESS Input Catalog. We develop a new automated method aimed at detecting eclipsing binaries in the presence of strong pulsational and/or rotational signal relative to the eclipse depths and apply it to publicly available 30-min cadence TESS light curves. Results. Using targets with TESS magnitudes below 15 and cuts in the 2MASS magnitude bands of \(J - H < 0.045\) and \(J - K < 0.06\) as most stringent criteria, we arrive at a total of 189 981 intermediate- to high-mass candidates, 91193 of which have light curves from at least one of two data reduction pipelines. The eclipsing binary detection and subsequent manual check for false positives resulted in 3155 unique OBA-type eclipsing binary candidates. Conclusions. Our sample of eclipsing binary stars in the intermediate- to high-mass regime allows for future binary (and asteroseismic) modelling with the aim to better understand the internal physical processes in this hot part of the main sequence.
Context. Our knowledge of populations and occurrence of planets orbiting evolved intermediate-mass stars is still incomplete. In 2010 we started a planet-search program among 95 giant stars observed ...by the Kepler mission to increase the sample of giant stars with planets and with reliable estimates of stellar masses and radii. Aims. We present the two systems KIC 3526061 and HD 187878 from our planet-search program for which we could characterise their companions. Methods. We used precise stellar radial velocity measurements taken with four different echelle spectrographs to derive an orbital solution. We used Gaia astrometric measurements to obtain the inclination of the HD 187878 system and Kepler photometric observations to estimate the stellar mass and radius. Results. We report the discovery of a sub-stellar and a stellar companion around two intermediate-mass red giant branch stars. KIC 3526061 b is most likely a brown dwarf with a minimum mass of 18.15 Jupiter masses in a long-period eccentric orbit, with the orbital period 3552 d and orbital eccentricity 0.85. It is the most evolved system found having a sub-stellar companion with such a large eccentricity and wide separation. HD 187878 B has a minimum mass of 78.4 Jupiter masses. Combining the spectroscopic orbital parameters with the astrometric proper motion anomaly we derived an orbital inclination 9.8 deg, which corresponds to the companion's mass in the stellar regime of 0.51 Sun mass. Conclusions. A sub-stellar companion of KIC 3526061 extends the sample of known red giant branch stars with sub-stellar companions on very eccentric wide orbits and might provide a probe of the dynamical evolution of such systems over time.
