Lyrae Stars Research Articles

Double-mode RR Lyrae stars observed by K2: analysis of high-precision Kepler photometry

ABSTRACT The results of a Fourier analysis of high-precision Kepler photometry of 75 double-mode RR Lyrae (RRd) stars observed during NASA’s K2 Mission (2014-18) are presented. Seventy-two of the stars are ‘classical’ RRd (cRRd) stars lying along a well-defined curve in the Petersen diagram and showing no evidence of Blazhko modulations. The remaining three stars are ‘anomalous’ RRd (aRRd) stars that lie well below the cRRd curve in the Petersen diagram. These stars have larger fundamental-mode amplitudes than first-overtone amplitudes and exhibit Blazhko variations. Period-amplitude relations for the individual pulsation components of the cRRd stars are examined, as well as correlations involving Fourier phase-difference and amplitude-ratio parameters that characterize the light curves for the two radial modes. A simple statistical model relating the fundamental (P0) and first-overtone (P1) periods to [Fe/H] provides insight into the functional form of the Petersen diagram. A calibration equation for estimating [Fe/H]phot abundances of ‘classical’ RRd stars is derived by inverting the model and using 211 field and 57 globular cluster cRRd stars with spectroscopic metallicities to estimate the model coefficients. The equation is used to obtain [Fe/H]phot for the full sample of 72 K2 cRRd stars and for 2130 cRRd stars observed by the ESA Gaia Mission. Of the 49 K2 cRRd stars that are in the Gaia DR3 catalogue only five were found to be correctly classified, the remainder having been misclassified ‘RRc’ or ‘RRab’.

Extended Stellar Populations in Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxies

The possible existence of stellar halos in low-mass galaxies is being intensely discussed nowadays after some recent discoveries of stars located in the outskirts of dwarf galaxies of the Local Group. RR Lyrae stars can be used to identify the extent of these structures, taking advantage of the minimization of foreground contamination they provide. In this work we use RR Lyrae stars obtained from Gaia DR3, the Dark Energy Survey, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and Pan-STARRS1 to explore the outskirts of 45 ultrafaint dwarf galaxies. We associate the stars with a host galaxy based on their angular separations, magnitudes, and proper motions. We find a total of 120 RR Lyrae stars that belong to 21 different galaxies in our sample. We report seven new RR Lyrae stars in six ultrafaint dwarf galaxies (Hydrus I, Ursa Major I, Ursa Major II, Grus II, Eridanus II, and Tucana II). We found a large number of new possible members in Bootes I and Bootes III as well, but some of them may actually belong to the nearby Sagittarius stream. Adding to our list of 120 RR Lyrae stars the observations of other ultrafaint dwarf galaxies that were beyond the reach of our search, we find that at least 10 of these galaxies have RR Lyrae stars located at distances greater than four times their respective half-light radius, which implies that at least 33% of the 30 ultrafaint dwarfs with a population of RR Lyrae stars have extended stellar populations.

Galactic Bulge Hypervelocity (HVS) RR Lyrae Variable Stars and One High Galactic Latitude HVS HB Star

Abstract Six Galactic Bulge Hypervelocity (HVS) RR Lyrae stars and one high galactic latitude HVS Horizontal Branch (HB) star found from the ongoing search for HVS in the Gaia DR3 and SIMBAD data are presented. Some of these stars may be unbound and may be leaving the Galaxy. The source of the hyper velocities acquired by these stars may be the influence of the massive black hole at the center of our the Milky Way or other processes such as the dynamical interaction with other stars in the densely populated Galactic bulge.

Prospects for Connections to the Outer Halo of the Milky Way with LSST

Over its ten-year mission, Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time will gather enough time series data to identify variable stars much fainter than previously observed. This makes ideal for finding RR Lyrae stars and mapping previously unexplored regions of our Galaxy's stellar halo. This project creates several mock data sets from both simulations and known satellite properties to model what might be found. We use these to examine the prospects for making connections between stellar structures already known around the Galaxy (satellites, streams and shells) and newly discovered stars. Such connections could be used to place constraints on the mass distribution in the outer regions of the Galaxy’s dark matter halo. Our results are encouraging, suggesting: that tens of percent of the known structures should have counterparts in the outer halo; and that several entirely new unbound structures could be discovered.

Detection of Variable Stars in the Galactic Globular Cluster M15

This study reports the discovery of 12 new variable stars in the globular cluster M15 using time series observations from 3.6 m DOT and 2 m class HCT. In total, 198 variable stars were detected in the cluster region, including both known and newly discovered variables. Proper motion data from Gaia EDR3 were used to determine the membership of the identified variable stars. The seven of the new variables are found to be probable members of the cluster. Based on variability characteristics and location in the CMD, two of them are likely RR Lyrae type variables. The majority of the known variables are found to be RR Lyrae type variables.

Photometric Metallicity and Distance for the Two RR Lyrae in Segue II and Ursa Major II Dwarf Galaxies Based on Multiband Light Curves

Multiband light curves of two RR Lyrae variables in Segue II and Ursa Major II ultrafaint dwarf galaxies were collected from near simultaneous observations using the Lulin One-meter Telescope in Vgri bands. Together with Gaia G-band light curves, we determined photometric metallicities using empirical relations involving pulsation period and Fourier parameter as dependent parameters. We demonstrated that the RR Lyrae photometric metallicity can be determined accurately when these empirical relations were employed at multiple wavelengths, which can potentially improve the distance determination based on RR Lyrae stars. The photometric metallicities based on our approach were found to be −2.27 ± 0.13 dex and −1.87 ± 0.16 dex for the RR Lyrae in Segue II and Ursa Major II UFD, respectively, with corresponding distance moduli of 17.69 ± 0.15 mag and 17.58 ± 0.15 mag, in agreement with previous literature determinations. This approach of photometric metallicity of RR Lyrae based on multiband optical light curves will be particularly relevant for distance measurements in the era of the Vera C Rubin’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

RR Lyrae from binary evolution: abundant, young, and metal-rich

ABSTRACT RR Lyrae are a well-known class of pulsating horizontal branch stars widely used as tracers of old, metal-poor stellar populations. However, mounting observational evidence shows that a significant fraction of these stars may be young and metal-rich. Here, through detailed binary stellar evolution modelling, we show that all such metal-rich RR Lyrae can be naturally produced through binary interactions. Binary companions of these RR Lyrae stars formed through binary interactions partly strip their progenitor’s envelopes during a preceding red giant phase. As a result, stripped horizontal branch stars become bluer than their isolated stellar evolution counterparts and thus end up in the instability strip. In contrast, in the single evolution scenario, the stars can attain such colours only at large age and low metallicity. While binary-made RR Lyrae can possess any ages and metallicities, their Galactic population is relatively young (1 – $9\, {\rm Gyr}$) and dominated by the thin disc and the bulge. We show that Galactic RR Lyrae from binary evolution are produced at rates compatible with the observed metal-rich population and have consistent G-band magnitudes, Galactic kinematics, and pulsation properties. Furthermore, these systems dominate the RR Lyrae population in the solar neighbourhood. We predict that all metal-rich RR Lyrae have an A, F, G, or K-type companion with a long orbital period ($P \gtrsim 1000\, {\rm d}$). Observationally characterizing the orbital periods and masses of such stellar companions will provide valuable new constraints on mass and angular momentum-loss efficiency for Sun-like accretors and the nature of RR Lyrae populations.

The Milky Way Bulge Extra-tidal Star Survey: BH 261 (AL 3)

The Milky Way Bulge extra-tidal star survey is a spectroscopic survey with the goal of identifying stripped globular cluster stars from inner Galaxy clusters. In this way, an indication of the fraction of metal-poor bulge stars that originated from globular clusters can be determined. We observed and analyzed stars in and around BH 261, an understudied globular cluster in the bulge. From seven giants within the tidal radius of the cluster, we measured an average heliocentric radial velocity of 〈RV〉 = −61 ± 2.6 km s−1 with a radial velocity dispersion of 〈σ〉 = 6.1 ± 1.9 km s−1. The large velocity dispersion may have arisen from tidal heating in the cluster’s orbit about the Galactic center, or because BH 261 has a high dynamical mass as well as a high mass-to-light ratio. From spectra of five giants, we measure an average metallicity of 〈[Fe/H]〉 = −1.1 ± 0.2 dex. We also spectroscopically confirm an RR Lyrae star in BH 261, which yields a distance to the cluster of 7.1 ± 0.4 kpc. Stars with 3D velocities and metallicities consistent with BH 261 reaching to ∼0.°5 from the cluster are identified. A handful of these stars are also consistent with the spatial distribution of potential debris from models focusing on the most recent disruption of the cluster.

Study of the Blazhko Type RRc stars in the Stripe 82 Region Using SDSS and ZTF

RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) are pulsating stars, many of which also show a long-term variation called the Blazhko effect which is a modulation of amplitude and phase of the lightcurve. In this work, we searched for the incidence rate of the Blazhko effect in the first-overtone pulsating RR Lyrae (RRc) stars of the Galactic halo. The focus was on the Stripe 82 region in the Galactic halo which was studied by Sesar et al. using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data. In their work, 104 RRLs were classified as RRc type. We combined their SDSS light curves with Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) data, and used them to document the Blazhko properties of these RRc stars. Our analysis showed that among the 104 RRc stars, eight were rather RRd stars, and were excluded from the study. Out of the remaining 96, 34 were Blazhko type, 62 were non-Blazhko type, giving the incidence rate of 35.42% for Blazhko RRc stars. The shortest Blazhko period found was 12.808 ± 0.001 days for SDSS 747380, while the longest was 3088 ± 126 days for SDSS 3585856. Combining SDSS and ZTF data sets increased the probability of detecting the small variations due to the Blazhko effect, and thus provided a unique opportunity to find longer Blazhko periods. We found that 85% of RRc stars had the Blazhko period longer than 200 days.

New Pulsating Variable Stars and Eclipsing Binaries in NGC 6871* *Dedicated to my wife Jingyun Zhang.

Leveraging publicly available Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data, I conducted a small regional survey centered on the δ Scuti star V1821 Cyg in the open cluster NGC 6871, spanning a radius of 1°. This survey yielded a remarkable 1530 newly classified variable stars, encompassing: 198 eclipsing binary systems, 12 of which exhibit pulsating or rotating components, 105 γ Doradus stars, 116 δ Scuti stars, 526 rotating variable stars, and dozens of other types. It is not surprising that no RR Lyrae stars were found in this particular young open cluster.

Similar additional frequency patterns on fundamental- and overtone-mode RR Lyrae stars showing f68 frequencies

Context. Until now, it has been accepted that the additional frequencies in the fundamental-(RRab) and overtone-mode pulsating (RRc and RRd) RR Lyrae stars are of a different nature. RRab stars show frequencies associated with periodic doubling, as well as frequencies at the first and second radial overtones, and linear combinations of these. RRc stars show frequencies with specific ratios (f1/fx ∼ 0.61 or ∼0.63), which are explained by non-radial modes, and frequencies with a ratio of fx/f1 ∼ 0.68, for which there is currently no accepted explanation. Aims. To search for similarities in spectral content, we compared the recently published Fourier spectra of TESS and K2 RRc stars with the spectra of Kepler RRab stars that do not show the Blazhko effect but contain additional frequencies. Methods. We analysed the time series data using standard Fourier methods, and also investigated the possibility of excitation of the second radial overtone mode in RRab stars using numerical hydrodynamical codes. Results. We show that the additional frequencies appear in non-Blazhko RRab stars at the position of the second radial overtone mode, and the pattern they create is very similar to that caused by the additional frequencies with the period ratio of ∼0.68 in RRc stars. The formerly raised hypothesis that the additional frequencies of these RRab stars are due to a second radial overtone is unlikely.

TESS Observations of Seven Newly Identified High-amplitude δ Scuti Stars

We report seven newly identified high-amplitude δ Scuti (HADS) stars. Among them, two stars (TIC 30977864 and TIC 387379145) exhibit pure radial pulsation without the excitation of non-radial modes. TIC 30977864 is classified as a double-mode HADS star, while the other four stars potentially show triple-mode HADS behavior. TIC 112682462 and TIC 255603395 closely resemble RR Lyrae stars based on their light curves, position in the period–luminosity diagram, and the period ratio diagram. However, without spectral observations, it is challenging to ascertain whether these two stars are HADS or RR Lyrae stars. TIC 281695001 exhibits a fundamental frequency amplitude smaller than that of the first overtone, suggesting the presence of intriguing phenomena that necessitate further analysis. We analyzed the relationship between metallicity and period using data provided by Netzel & Smolec. The metallicities of the 176 stars display a broad distribution ranging from −2.0 dex to 0.5 dex, with periods spanning 0.05 to 0.20 days. This random distribution of metallicities may contribute to the dispersion observed in the P1/P0 ratio. To derive more accurate conclusions, future spectroscopic observations of a larger sample of HADS stars are crucial. These observations will provide precise rotational velocities and more accurate determinations of metallicities.

Atmospheric dynamics and shock waves in RR Lyr

Context. Although spectroscopic observations of RR Lyrae stars have been underway for almost a century, the fact that the hydrogen line exhibits three successive emissions in each pulsation cycle is still a very recent discovery. Aims. The purpose of the present study is to clarify the physical origin of these three emissions and their connection to atmospheric dynamics and to examine the influence of Blazhko modulation on their intensity. Methods. We used 2437 high-resolution spectra over a total of 81 nights taken by the ELODIE spectrograph (Haute Provence Observatory, France) in the years 1994–1997, rounded out with a 2015 run from Oukaïmeden Observatory (Morocco). We performed a detailed analysis of the line profile variations over the whole pulsation cycle. Results. Based on the blueshift of the main Hα emission, the velocity of the hypersonic shock front was estimated at between 100 and 150 ± 10 km s−1 (Mach number between 10 and 15). It has been established that the shock velocity increases from the minimum Blazhko to its maximum and afterward, it gradually decreases to the Blazhko minimum to start growing again. This observational result is consistent with the shock model proposed in 2013 to explain the Blazhko effect. The intensity of the Hα emission increases with the shock velocity up to a maximum value around 137 km s−1 and then decreases as the shock velocity increases further. This effect would be the consequence of the increasingly important ionization of the atoms in the radiative shock wake. The second (blueshifted) Hα emission is the consequence of an approximately constant supersonic compression (Mach number between 2 and 3) of the upper atmosphere falling onto the photospheric layers, during 3 to 16% of the pulsation period. Finally, the third Hα emission (P-Cygni profile) would be the consequence of the expansion of the high atmosphere induced by the shock wave during its final weakening.

Probing the Galactic halo with RR Lyrae stars – V. Chemistry, kinematics, and dynamically tagged groups

ABSTRACT We employ a sample of 135 873 RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) with precise photometric-metallicity and distance estimates from the newly calibrated P–ϕ31–R21–[Fe/H] and Gaia G band P–R21–[Fe/H] absolute magnitude–metallicity relations of Li et al., combined with available proper motions from Gaia EDR3, and 6955 systemic radial velocities from Gaia DR3 and other sources, in order to explore the chemistry and kinematics of the halo of the Milky Way (MW). This sample is ideally suited for characterization of the inner- and outer-halo populations of the stellar halo, free from the bias associated with spectroscopically selected probes, and for estimation of their relative contributions as a function of Galactocentric distance. The results of a Gaussian mixture model analysis of these contributions are broadly consistent with other observational studies of the halo, and with expectations from recent MW simulation studies. We apply the hdbscan clustering method to the specific energies and cylindrical actions (E, Jr, Jϕ, Jz), identifying 97 dynamically tagged groups (DTGs) of RRLs, and explore their associations with recognized substructures of the MW. The precise photometric-distance determinations (relative distance errors on the order of 5 per cent or better), and the resulting high-quality determination of dynamical parameters, yield highly statistically significant (low) dispersions of [Fe/H] for the stellar members of the DTGs compared to random draws from the full sample, indicating that they share common star-formation and chemical histories, influenced by their birth environments.

Identifying SuperWASP Detected Candidate Variables with TESS* *Dedicated to my wife Jingyun Zhang.

Using Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curves, I have identified more than 1200 new pulsating variable stars from the SuperWASP-detected but unclassified candidate variables. These include a variety of types of pulsating variable stars, including 125 δ Scuti stars, 235 γ Doradus stars, 302 RR Lyrae stars, and 450+ Mira/SR/IR/LPV variables. I also identified 1300+ rotating variable stars. Additionally, I revealed that 16 of 91 newly identified eclipsing binary systems have pulsating components. These findings will help us to better understand the properties and evolution of pulsating variable stars.

The GFCAT: A Catalog of Ultraviolet Variables Observed by GALEX with Subminute Resolution

We have performed the first systematic search of the full Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) data archive for astrophysical variability on timescales of seconds to minutes by rebinning data across the whole mission to 30 s time resolution. The result is the GALEX Flare Catalog (GFCAT), which describes 1426 ultraviolet variable sources, including stellar flares, eclipsing binaries, δ Scuti and RR Lyrae variables, and active galactic nuclei. Many of these sources have never previously been identified as variable. We have also assembled a table of observations of ultraviolet flares and accompanying statistics and measurements, including energies, and of candidate eclipsing stars. This effort was enabled by a significantly enhanced version of the gPhoton software for analyzing time-domain GALEX data; this “gPhoton2” package is available to support follow-on efforts.

Temperature-dependent convective parameters for RRc 1D models

ABSTRACT Non-linear pulsation modelling of classical variable stars is among the first topics that were developed at the beginning of the computational era. Various developments were made, and many questions were answered in the past 60 yr, and the models became more complex, describing the genuinely 3D convection in a single dimension. Despite its successes, the recent public availability of the mesa radial stellar pulsations (mesa rsp) module and the emerging results from multidimensional codes made clear that the eight free convective parameters, unique to these models, together with the underlying physical models need calibration. This could be done by comparing them against multidimensional codes, but before that, it is important to scrutinize the free parameters of the 1D codes using observations. This is a follow-up work of our previous calibration on the convective parameters of the budapest-florida and mesa rsp pulsation codes for RRab stars. In this letter, we extend the previous calibration to the RRc stars and the RR Lyrae stars in general. We found that correlations of some of the parameters are present in RRc stars as well but have a different nature, while high-temperature RRc stars’ pulsation properties are very sensitive to the chosen parameter sets.

Probing the Galactic halo with RR Lyrae stars – IV. On the Oosterhoff dichotomy of RR Lyrae stars

ABSTRACT We use 3653 (2661 RRab, 992 RRc) RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) with 7D (3D position, 3D velocity, and metallicity) information selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, and Gaia EDR3, and divide the sample into two Oosterhoff groups (Oo I and Oo II) according to their amplitude–period behaviour in the Bailey diagram. We present a comparative study of these two groups based on chemistry, kinematics, and dynamics. We find that Oo I RRLs are relatively more metal-rich, with predominately radially dominated orbits and large eccentricities, while Oo II RRLs are relatively more metal-poor, and have mildly radially dominated orbits. The Oosterhoff dichotomy of the Milky Way’s halo is more apparent for the inner-halo region than for the outer-halo region. Additionally, we also search for this phenomenon in the haloes of the two largest satellite galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic clouds, and compare over different bins in metallicity. We find that the Oosterhoff dichotomy is not immutable, and varies based on position in the Galaxy and from galaxy to galaxy. We conclude that the Oosterhoff dichotomy is the result of a combination of stellar and galactic evolution, and that it is much more complex than the dichotomy originally identified in Galactic globular clusters.

Frequency analysis of the first-overtone RR Lyrae stars based on Extended Aperture Photometry from K2 data

Context. Additional low-amplitude signals have been observed in many RR Lyrae stars separate from pulsations in radial modes. The most common of these are short-period signals forming a period ratio of around 0.60–0.65 with the first overtone and long-period signals forming a period ratio of around 0.68. The RR Lyrae stars may also exhibit quasi-periodic modulation in their light curves, the so-called Blazhko effect. Aims. We used the extensive sample of the first-overtone RR Lyrae stars observed by the Kepler telescope during the K2 mission to search for and characterize additional low-amplitude signals. The K2 data provides space-based photometry for a statistically significant sample. Hence, this data is excellent for studying the pulsation properties of RR Lyrae stars in detail. Methods. We used K2 space-based photometry for RR Lyrae candidates from Campaigns 0–19. We selected RR Lyrae stars pulsating in the first overtone and performed a frequency analysis for each star to characterize their frequency contents. Results. We classified 452 stars as first-overtone RR Lyrae. From that sample, we selected 281 RR0.61 stars, 67 RR0.68 stars, and 68 Blazhko stars. We found particularly interesting stars that show all of the above phenomena simultaneously. We detected signals in RR0.61 stars that form period ratios lower than those observed for the majority of stars of this type. These signals likely form a new sequence in the Petersen diagram, around a period ratio of 0.60. In 32 stars, we detected additional signals that form a period ratio close to that expected in RRd stars, but the classification of these stars as RRd is uncertain. We also report a discovery of additional signals in eight stars that form a new group in the Petersen diagram around the period ratio of 0.465–0.490. The nature of this periodicity remains unknown.

A Dynamically Distinct Stellar Population in the Leading Arm of the Sagittarius Stream

We present a chemical and dynamical analysis of the leading arm (LA) and trailing arm (TA) of the Sagittarius (Sgr) stream, as well as for the Sgr dwarf galaxy core (SC), using red giant branch, main-sequence, and RR Lyrae stars from large spectroscopic survey data. The different chemical properties among the LA, TA, and SC generally agree with recent studies and can be understood by a radial metallicity gradient established in the progenitor of the Sgr dwarf, followed by preferential stellar stripping from the outer part of the Sgr progenitor. One striking finding is a relatively larger fraction of low-eccentricity stars (e < 0.4) in the LA than in the TA and SC. The TA and SC exhibit very similar distributions. Considering that a tidal tail stripped off from a dwarf galaxy maintains the orbital properties of its progenitor, we expect that the e-distribution of the LA should be similar to that of the TA and SC. Thus, the disparate behavior of the e-distribution of the LA is of particular interest. Following the analysis of Vasiliev et al., we attempt to explain the different e-distribution by introducing a time-dependent perturbation of the Milky Way by the Large Magellanic Cloud's (LMC) gravitational pull, resulting in substantial evolution of the angular momentum of the LA stars to produce the low-e stars. In addition, we confirm from RR Lyrae stars with high eccentricity (e > 0.6) that the TA stars farther away from the SC are also affected by disturbances from the LMC.