Pulsation phases and mode identification of tidally excited oscillations in fourteen Kepler Heartbeat Stars

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tidally excited oscillations (TEOs) in Heartbeat Stars (HBSs) are an essential probe of the internal properties of the systems, but their potential has yet to be fully exploited. Based on the orbital parameters of TEO candidates from our previous works, we identify the pulsation phases and amplitudes of TEOs in 14 Kepler HBSs. Most pulsation phases of most systems can be explained by the dominant being l = 2, m = 0, or ±2 spherical harmonic, assuming that the spin and orbital axes are aligned, and the pulsations are adiabatic and standing waves. The largest deviation (>6σ) occurs in KIC 8459354, which can be explained by the spin-orbit misalignment, and KIC 5877364 has a similar scenario. For KIC 11122789, almost half of the harmonics show large deviations; we cautiously suggest that these harmonics may not be considered TEO candidates. A similar scenario also exists in KIC 6290740. This phases and mode identification approach can also be used inversely to verify the TEO candidates derived by the Fourier analysis. Furthermore, the harmonics with large deviations (>2σ) in KIC 4377638, KIC 5090937, and KIC 11403032 can be expected to be travelling waves rather than standing waves. In addition, we also suggest that the apsidal motion could cause large deviations in TEO phases from theoretical values.