The advent of space-based missions like Kepler has revolutionized the study of solar-type stars, particularly through the measurement and modeling of their resonant modes of oscillation. Here we ...analyze a sample of 66 Kepler main-sequence stars showing solar-like oscillations as part of the Kepler seismic LEGACY project. We use Kepler short-cadence data, of which each star has at least 12 months, to create frequency-power spectra optimized for asteroseismology. For each star, we identify its modes of oscillation and extract parameters such as frequency, amplitude, and line width using a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo "peak-bagging" approach. We report the extracted mode parameters for all 66 stars, as well as derived quantities such as frequency difference ratios, the large and small separations and the behavior of line widths with frequency and line widths at with , for which we derive parametrizations; and behavior of mode visibilities. These average properties can be applied in future peak-bagging exercises to better constrain the parameters of the stellar oscillation spectra. The frequencies and frequency ratios can tightly constrain the fundamental parameters of these solar-type stars, and mode line widths and amplitudes can test models of mode damping and excitation.
Asteroseismology probes the internal structures of stars by using their natural pulsation frequencies
. It relies on identifying sequences of pulsation modes that can be compared with theoretical ...models, which has been done successfully for many classes of pulsators, including low-mass solar-type stars
, red giants
, high-mass stars
and white dwarfs
. However, a large group of pulsating stars of intermediate mass-the so-called δ Scuti stars-have rich pulsation spectra for which systematic mode identification has not hitherto been possible
. This arises because only a seemingly random subset of possible modes are excited and because rapid rotation tends to spoil regular patterns
. Here we report the detection of remarkably regular sequences of high-frequency pulsation modes in 60 intermediate-mass main-sequence stars, which enables definitive mode identification. The space motions of some of these stars indicate that they are members of known associations of young stars, as confirmed by modelling of their pulsation spectra.
Red giants are evolved stars that have exhausted the supply of hydrogen in their cores and instead burn hydrogen in a surrounding shell. Once a red giant is sufficiently evolved, the helium in the ...core also undergoes fusion. Outstanding issues in our understanding of red giants include uncertainties in the amount of mass lost at the surface before helium ignition and the amount of internal mixing from rotation and other processes. Progress is hampered by our inability to distinguish between red giants burning helium in the core and those still only burning hydrogen in a shell. Asteroseismology offers a way forward, being a powerful tool for probing the internal structures of stars using their natural oscillation frequencies. Here we report observations of gravity-mode period spacings in red giants that permit a distinction between evolutionary stages to be made. We use high-precision photometry obtained by the Kepler spacecraft over more than a year to measure oscillations in several hundred red giants. We find many stars whose dipole modes show sequences with approximately regular period spacings. These stars fall into two clear groups, allowing us to distinguish unambiguously between hydrogen-shell-burning stars (period spacing mostly ∼ 50 seconds) and those that are also burning helium (period spacing ∼ 100 to 300 seconds).
ABSTRACT
HD 139614 is known to be a ∼14-Myr-old, possibly pre-main-sequence star in the Sco-Cen OB association in the Upper Centaurus-Lupus subgroup, with a slightly warped circumstellar disc ...containing ring structures hinting at one or more planets. The star’s chemical abundance pattern is metal-deficient except for volatile elements, which places it in the λ Boo class and suggests it has recently accreted gas-rich but dust-poor material. We identify seven dipole and four radial pulsation modes among its δ Sct pulsations using the TESS light curve and an échelle diagram. Precision modelling with the mesa stellar evolution and gyre stellar oscillation programs confirms it is on the pre-main sequence. Asteroseismic, grid-based modelling suggests an age of 10.75 ± 0.77 Myr, a mass of 1.52 ± 0.02 M ⊙, and a global metal abundance of Z = 0.0100 ± 0.0010. This represents the first asteroseismic determination of the bulk metallicity of a λ Boo star. The precise age and metallicity offer a benchmark for age estimates in Upper Centaurus–Lupus, and for understanding disc retention and planet formation around intermediate-mass stars.
ABSTRACT
We study 119 B stars located in the Scorpius–Centaurus Association using data from NASA’s TESS Mission. We see pulsations in 81 stars (68 per cent) across the full range of effective ...temperatures. In particular, we confirm previous reports of low-frequency pulsations in stars whose temperatures fall between the instability strips of SPB stars (slowly pulsating B stars) and δ Scuti stars. By taking the stellar densities into account, we conclude that these cannot be p modes and confirm previous suggestions that these are probably rapidly rotating SPB stars. We also confirm that they follow two period–luminosity relations that are consistent with prograde sectoral g modes that are dipole (l = m = 1) and quadrupole (l = m = 2), respectively. One of the stars (ξ2 Cen) is a hybrid pulsator that shows regular spacings in both g and p modes. We confirm that α Cru has low-amplitude p-mode pulsations, making it one of the brightest β Cephei stars in the sky. We also find several interesting binaries, including a very short-period heartbeat star (HD 132094), a previously unknown eclipsing binary (π Lup), and an eclipsing binary with high-amplitude tidally driven pulsations (HR 5846). The results clearly demonstrate the power of TESS for studying variability in stellar associations.
With the success of the Kepler and CoRoT missions, the number of stars with detected solar-like oscillations has increased by several orders of magnitude; for the first time we are able to perform ...large-scale ensemble asteroseismology of these stars. In preparation for this golden age of asteroseismology we have computed expected values of various asteroseismic observables from models of varying mass and metallicity. The relationships between these asteroseismic observables, such as the separations between mode frequencies, are able to significantly constrain estimates of the ages and masses of these stars. We investigate the scaling relation between the large frequency separation, Delta *D Delta *n, and mean stellar density. Furthermore we present model evolutionary tracks for several asteroseismic diagrams. We have extended the so-called C-D diagram beyond the main sequence to the subgiants and the red giant branch. We also consider another asteroseismic diagram, the diagram, which is more sensitive to variations in stellar properties at the subgiant stages and can aid in determining the correct mode identification. The recent discovery of gravity-mode period spacings in red giants forms the basis for a third asteroseismic diagram. We compare the evolutionary model tracks in these asteroseismic diagrams with results from pre-Kepler studies of solar-like oscillations and early results from Kepler.
Abstract
We studied 89 A- and F-type members of the Pleiades open cluster, including five escaped members. We measured projected rotational velocities (
v
sin
i
) for 49 stars and confirmed that ...stellar rotation causes a broadening of the main sequence in the color–magnitude diagram. Using time-series photometry from NASA’s TESS Mission (plus one star observed by Kepler/K2), we detected
δ
Scuti pulsations in 36 stars. The fraction of Pleiades stars in the middle of the instability strip that pulsate is unusually high (over 80%), and their range of effective temperatures agrees well with theoretical models. On the other hand, the characteristics of the pulsation spectra are varied and do not correlate with stellar temperature, calling into question the existence of a useful
ν
max
relation for
δ
Scutis, at least for young main-sequence stars. By including
δ
Scuti stars observed in the Kepler field, we show that the instability strip is shifted to the red with increasing distance by interstellar reddening. Overall, this work demonstrates the power of combining observations with Gaia and TESS for studying pulsating stars in open clusters.
ABSTRACT
We perform mode identification for five δ Scuti stars in the Pleiades star cluster, using custom light curves from K2 photometry. By creating échelle diagrams, we identify radial and dipole ...mode ridges, comprising a total of 28 radial and 16 dipole modes across the five stars. We also suggest possible identities for those modes that lie offset from the radial and dipole ridges. We calculate non-rotating stellar pulsation models to verify our mode identifications, finding good agreement within the age and metallicity constraints of the cluster. We also find that for all stars, the least dense models are preferred, reflecting the lower density of these oblate, rotating stars. Three of the five stars show rotationally split multiplets. We conclude that the sample shows promise for asteroseismic rotation rates, masses, and ages with rotating models in the future. Our preliminary modelling also indicates some sensitivity to the helium abundance.
We use asteroseismic data from the Kepler satellite to determine fundamental stellar properties of the 66 main-sequence targets observed for at least one full year by the mission. We distributed tens ...of individual oscillation frequencies extracted from the time series of each star among seven modeling teams who applied different methods to determine radii, masses, and ages for all stars in the sample. Comparisons among the different results reveal a good level of agreement in all stellar properties, which is remarkable considering the variety of codes, input physics, and analysis methods employed by the different teams. Average uncertainties are of the order of ∼2% in radius, ∼4% in mass, and ∼10% in age, making this the best-characterized sample of main-sequence stars available to date. Our predicted initial abundances and mixing-length parameters are checked against inferences from chemical enrichment laws ΔY/ΔZ and predictions from 3D atmospheric simulations. We test the accuracy of the determined stellar properties by comparing them to the Sun, angular diameter measurements, Gaia parallaxes, and binary evolution, finding excellent agreement in all cases and further confirming the robustness of asteroseismically determined physical parameters of stars when individual frequencies of oscillation are available. Baptised as the Kepler dwarfs LEGACY sample, these stars are the solar-like oscillators with the best asteroseismic properties available for at least another decade. All data used in this analysis and the resulting stellar parameters are made publicly available for the community.
ABSTRACT
The presence of mixed modes makes subgiants excellent targets for asteroseismology, providing a probe for the internal structure of stars. Here we study 36 Kepler subgiants with solar-like ...oscillations and report their oscillation mode parameters. We performed a so-called peakbagging exercise, i.e. estimating oscillation mode frequencies, linewidths, and amplitudes with a power spectrum model, fitted in the Bayesian framework and sampled with a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The uncertainties of the mode frequencies have a median value of 0.180 μHz. We obtained seismic parameters from the peakbagging, analysed their correlation with stellar parameters, and examined against scaling relations. The behaviour of seismic parameters (e.g. Δν, νmax, ϵp) is in general consistent with theoretical predictions. We presented the observational p–g diagrams, namely γ1–Δν for early subgiants and ΔΠ1–Δν for late subgiants, and demonstrate their capability to estimate stellar mass. We also found a log g dependence on the linewidths and a mass dependence on the oscillation amplitudes and the widths of oscillation excess. This sample will be valuable constraints for modelling stars and studying mode physics such as excitation and damping.
PDF
