Photometric Amplitudes Research Articles

VELOcities of CEpheids (VELOCE)

Classical Cepheids provide valuable insights into the evolution of stellar multiplicity among intermediate-mass stars. Here, we present a systematic investigation of single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) based on high-precision velocities measured by the VELOcities of CEpheids (VELOCE) project. We detected 76 (29%) SB1 systems among the 258 Milky Way Cepheids in the first VELOCE data release, 32 (43%) of which were not previously known to be SB1 systems. We determined 30 precise and three tentative orbital solutions, 18 (53%) of which are reported for the first time. This large set of Cepheid orbits provides a detailed view of the eccentricity e and orbital period Porb distribution among evolved intermediate-mass stars, ranging from e ∈ [0.0, 0.8] and Porb ∈ [240, 9000] d. The orbital motion on timescales exceeding the 11 yr VELOCE baseline was investigated using a template-fitting technique applied to literature data. Particularly interesting objects include (a) R Cru, the Cepheid with the shortest orbital period in the Milky Way (∼238 d); (b) ASAS J103158−5814.7, a short-period overtone Cepheid exhibiting time-dependent pulsation amplitudes as well as orbital motion; and (c) 17 triple systems with outer visual companions, among other interesting objects. Most VELOCE Cepheids (21/23) that exhibit evidence of a companion based on a Gaia proper motion anomaly are also spectroscopic binaries, whereas the remaining do not exhibit significant (> 3σ) orbital radial velocity variations. Gaia quality flags, notably the renormalized unit weight error (RUWE), do not allow Cepheid binaries to be identified reliably although statistically the average RUWE of SB1 Cepheids is slightly higher than that of non-SB1 Cepheids. A comparison with Gaia photometric amplitudes in G-, Bp, and Rp also does not allow one to identify spectroscopic binaries among the full VELOCE sample, indicating that the photometric amplitudes in this wavelength range are not sufficiently informative of companion stars.

Modeling the TESS Light Curve of Ap Si Star MX TrA

The TESS light curve of the silicon Ap star MX TrA was modeled using the observational surface distribution of silicon, iron, helium, and chromium obtained previously with the Doppler Imaging technique. The theoretical light curve was calculated using a grid of synthetic fluxes from line-by-line stellar atmosphere models with individual chemical abundances. The observational TESS light curve was fitted by a synthetic one with an accuracy better than 0.001 mag. The influence of Si and Fe abundance stratification on the amplitude of variability was estimated. Also, the wavelength dependence of the photometric amplitude and phase of the maximum light was modeled showing the typical Ap Si star behavior with increased amplitude and anti-phase variability in far ultraviolet caused by the flux redistribution.

A dusty magnetospheric stream explaining the light curves of the dipper objects: Finding a new inclination threshold to produce dippers

Context. The so-called “dippers” are young stellar objects that exhibit dimming episodes in their optical light curves. The common interpretation for the occurrence of these dips is that dusty regions periodically or quasi-periodically cross the line of sight toward the object. Aims. We develop a model where we assume that these regions are located at the intersection of the magnetospheric stream with the disk. The stream is fed by gas and dust coming from the disk. As the material follows the magnetic field lines above the disk plane, it forms an opaque screen that partially blocks the stellar emission. The amount of extinction caused by the material crossing the line of sight depends on the abundance and location of the dust along the stream, which depends on the degree of dust evaporation due to the heating by the star. Methods. We run hydrodynamical simulations of dusty accretion streams to produce synthetic dipper light curves for a sample of low-mass young stars still accreting from their disk according to evolutionary models. We compare the distribution of the light curve amplitudes between the synthetic sample and observed samples of dippers from various star-forming regions. Results. Dust evaporation along the accretion column drives the distribution of photometric amplitudes. Our results suggest that most of the observed dippers correspond to systems seen at high inclination. However, dust survival within accretion columns may also produce dippers at lower inclination, down to about 45°. We find that the dust temperature arising from stellar irradiation should be increased by a factor 1.6 to find consistency between the fraction of dippers our model predicts in star-forming regions and the observed fraction of 20–30%. Conclusions. Transient dust survival in accretion columns appear as an alternative (or complementary) mechanism to inner disk warp occultation in order to account for low-inclination dippers in star-forming regions.

Searching for the stellar cycles of low-mass stars using TESS data

We carried out a search for stellar activity cycles in late low-mass M dwarfs (M0--M6) located in the TESS northern and southern continuous viewing zones using data from sectors 1--61 (Cycle 1 to partway through Cycle 5). We utilised TESS-SPOC data, which initially had a cadence of 30 min and was then reduced to 10 min in Cycle 3. In addition, we required for each star to be observed in at least six sectors in each north and south Cycle: 1,950 low-mass stars ultimately met these criteria. Strong evidence was seen in 245 stars for a very stable photometric variation that we assumed to be a signature of the stars' rotation period. We conducted a similar study for solar-like stars and found that 194 out of 1432 stars had a very stable modulation. We then searched for evidence of a variation in the rotational amplitude. We found 26 low-mass stars that showed evidence of variability in their photometric amplitude and only one solar-like star. Some display a monotonic trend over 3--4 years, whilst others reveal shorter term variations. We determined the predicted cycle durations of these stars using a relationship found in the literature and an estimate of the stars' Rossby number. Finally, we found a marginally statistically significant correlation between the range in the rotational amplitude modulation and the rotation period.

The Galactic bulge exploration

We present a new set of tools to derive systemic velocities for single-mode RR Lyrae stars from visual and near-infrared spectra. We derived scaling relations and line-of-sight velocity templates using both APOGEE and Gaia spectroscopic products combined with photometric G-band amplitudes. We provide a means to estimate systemic velocities for the RR Lyrae subclasses, RRab and RRc. Our analysis indicates that the scaling relation between the photometric and line-of-sight velocity amplitudes is nonlinear, with a break in a linear relation occurring around ≈0.4 mag in both the V-band and G-band amplitudes. We did not observe such a break in the relation for the first-overtone pulsators. Using stellar pulsation models, we further confirm and examine the nonlinearity in scaling relation for the RRab subclass. We observed little to no variation with stellar parameters (mass, metallicity, and luminosity) in the scaling relation between the photometric and line-of-sight velocity amplitudes for fundamental-mode pulsators. We observed an offset in the scaling relation between the observations and stellar pulsation models, mainly in the low-amplitude RR Lyrae regime. This offset disappears when different sets of convective parameters are used. Thus, the Fourier amplitudes obtained from the photometry and line-of-sight velocity measurements can be utilized to constrain convective parameters of stellar pulsation models. The scaling relations and templates for APOGEE and Gaia data accurately predict systemic velocities compared to literature values. In addition, our tools derived from the Gaia spectra improve the precision of the derived systemic velocities by approximately 50 percent and provide a better description of the uncertainty distribution in comparison with previous studies. Our newly derived tools will be used for RR Lyrae variables observed toward the Galactic bulge.

Pulsational Velocity Variations of the Radial Mode sdBV Star BPM 36430

Hot subdwarf B stars are core-helium burning objects that were once red giants stripped of their outer H envelopes due to binary interactions. Many exhibit pulsations that can be used to determine fundamental stellar parameters like mass and radius. High-cadence TESS photometry of the sdB star BPM 36430 revealed it to be a hybrid-mode pulsator showing several g-mode pulsations and a single strong p-mode oscillation. The latter is likely a radial mode oscillation, given its period (342 s) and high photometric amplitude (2%). Using time-series spectroscopy from the Goodman spectrograph on the 4.1 m SOAR telescope, we detect a sinusoidal radial velocity variation with a semi-amplitude of 4.4 ± 0.4 km s−1 and period consistent with photometry of the p-mode oscillation. This detection provides further evidence the 342 s mode is radial in nature, and that the Baade–Wesselink method can be used with additional observations to constrain the stellar mass and radius.

Activity of the Young Solar Analog HD 109833 and Estimates of the Mass Loss Rate from the Atmospheres of Its Two Planets

We present the results of our analysis of the manifestations of activity in the young solar analog HD 109833 and estimate the mass loss rate from the atmospheres of its two planets. HD 109833 probably belongs to the Lower Centaurus Crux (LCC) association with an age of 27 ± 3 Myr, but it is not inconceivable that the star is only spatially associated with the association and may be older, although in any case its age does not exceed 100–200 Myr. Based on data from the TESS archive for HD 109833, we have determined the stellar rotation period P = 5.08 ± 0.30 days and the photometric variability amplitude (about 0.6% of the mean stellar brightness) and estimated the spot areas on its surface, which exceed the maximum sunspot area and are 15 200–17 700 m.s.h. Based on data from the All-Sky Automated Survey archive, we have revealed a stellar activity cycle with a duration 1950 days (5.3 years). Both planets in the HD 109833 system are characterized as sub-Neptunes with radii of 2.9 and 2.6 R⊕ and periods of 9.2 and 13.9 days. The mass loss rates by the planetary atmospheres have been found using an approximate formula corresponding to the energy-limited atmospheric escape model. To estimate the XUV flux, we have applied analytical dependences relating the flux and the parameter logR'HK and information about the distribution of these quantities for G-type stars, suggesting that there are two pronounced peaks with maxima for values -0,5 and -4,5 dex in low-activity and active stars, respectively. In addition, we have used the relation between the X-ray flux from the star and logFXUV . The value found is comparable to the estimate obtained by applying the parameter logR'HK for active stars and exceeds it by a factor of 4. Both exoplanets HD 109833 b and c being considered by us fall into the region on the (M-R) diagram in which the populations of rocky and volatile-rich exoplanets overlap and do not allow their masses to be estimated unambiguously. Our calculations were performed for two cases—rocky exoplanets and volatile-rich exoplanets. The masses of the exoplanets HD 109833 b and c are, respectively, 34.9 and 24 M⊕ for rocky exoplanets and 9.3 and 7.8 M⊕ for volatile-rich exoplanets. We present the results of our calculations of the atmospheric mass loss rates by the planets HD 109833 b and c while varying the parameters related to the estimates of the planetary masses and the UV flux incident on the planets. The parameter M for HD 109833 b and c varies in the ranges from 9.60 ×107 to 1.38 ×1010 g s-1 and from 4.56 ×107 to 5.28 ×109 g s-1, respectively. The high mass loss rates found can be a consequence of a fairly high XUV flux from the solar-type star (an analog of the young active Sun) and a fairly close location of the planets from the host star.

Further evidence of the link between activity and metallicity using the flaring properties of stars in the Kepler field

ABSTRACT The magnetic activity level of low-mass stars is known to vary as a function of the physical properties of the star. Many studies have shown that the stellar mass and rotation are both important parameters that determine magnetic activity levels. In contrast, the impact of a star’s chemical composition on magnetic activity has received comparatively little attention. Data sets for traditional activity proxies, e.g. X-ray emission or calcium emission, are not large enough to search for metallicity trends in a statistically meaningful way. Recently, studies have used the photometric variability amplitude as a proxy for magnetic activity to investigate the role of metallicity because it can be relatively easily measured for large samples of stars. These studies find that magnetic activity and metallicity are positively correlated. In this work, we investigate the link between activity and metallicity further by studying the flaring properties of stars in the Kepler field. Similar to the photometric variability, we find that flaring activity is stronger in more metal-rich stars for a fixed mass and rotation period. This result adds to a growing body of evidence that magnetic field generation is correlated with metallicity.

Active Stars in the Spectroscopic Survey of Mid-to-late M Dwarfs within 15 pc

We present results from the volume-complete spectroscopic survey of 0.1–0.3 M ⊙ M dwarfs within 15 pc. This work discusses the active sample without close binary companions, providing a comprehensive picture of these 123 stars with Hα emission stronger than −1 Å. Our analysis includes rotation periods (including 31 new measurements), Hα equivalent widths, rotational broadening, inclinations, and radial velocities, determined using high-resolution, multiepoch spectroscopic data from the TRES and CHIRON spectrographs supplemented by photometry from TESS and MEarth. Using this volume-complete sample, we establish that the majority of active, low-mass M dwarfs are very rapid rotators: specifically, 74% ± 4% have rotation periods shorter than 2 days, while 19% ± 4% have intermediate rotation periods of 2–20 days, and the remaining 8% ± 3% have periods longer than 20 days. Among the latter group, we identify a population of stars with very high Hα emission, which we suggest is indicative of dramatic spindown as these stars transition from the rapidly rotating mode to the slowly rotating one. We are unable to determine rotation periods for six stars and suggest that some of the stars without measured rotation periods may be viewed pole-on, as such stars are absent from the distribution of inclinations we measure; this lack notwithstanding, we recover the expected isotropic distribution of spin axes. Our spectroscopic and photometric data sets also allow us to investigate activity-induced radial-velocity variability, which we show can be estimated as the product of rotational broadening and the photometric amplitude of spot modulation.

G 68-34: A Double-lined M-dwarf Eclipsing Binary in a Hierarchical Triple System

Using high-resolution spectra from the Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph and photometry from sector 56 of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, we report that the nearby M dwarf G 68-34 is a double-lined eclipsing binary. The pair is spin–orbit synchronized with a period of 0.655 days. The light curve shows significant spot modulation with a larger photometric amplitude than that of the grazing eclipses. We perform a joint fit to the spectroscopic and photometric data, obtaining masses of 0.3280 ± 0.0034M ⊙ and 0.3207 ± 0.0036M ⊙ and radii of 0.345 ± 0.014R ⊙ and 0.342 ± 0.014R ⊙ after marginalizing over unknowns in the starspot distribution. This system adds to the small but growing population of fully convective M dwarfs with precisely measured masses and radii that can be used to test models of stellar structure. The pair also has a white-dwarf primary at 9″ separation, with the system known to be older than 5 Gyr from the white-dwarf cooling age. The binarity of G 68–34 confirms our hypothesis from Pass et al.: in that work, we noted that G 68-34 was both rapidly rotating and old, highly unusual given our understanding of the spin-down of M dwarfs, and that a close binary companion may be responsible.

Photometric variations from stellar activity as an age indicator for solar-twins

ABSTRACT Stellar ages are elusive to measure, albeit being very important for understanding stellar evolution. We investigate the impact of photospheric activity on 2-min cadence light curves from the TESS/NASA mission of a selected sample of 30 solar-twins with well-determined ages. The photometric variability, $\mathcal {A}_{ {{TESS}}}$, of the light curves due to rotational modulations by the presence of active regions was estimated and correlated with chromospheric activity (Ca ii H&K lines from an extensive High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) HARPS/ESO activity time series) and ages. Moreover, these results were compared with the total solar irradiance amplitude behaviour during the solar magnetic cycles 23 and 24, validating our findings for solar-twins. Our results show the photometric amplitude to be strongly correlated to the average level of chromospheric activity for the star sample. Also, we found a good correlation of $\mathcal {A}_{ {{TESS}}}$ with stellar age (in Gyr) described by $\log t = +12.239-0.894 \log \mathcal {A}_{ {{TESS}}}$. In conclusion, stellar photometric variability $\mathcal {A}_{ {{TESS}}}$ may be used as a simple age diagnostic for solar-twins.

Contemporaneous Observations of Hα Luminosities and Photometric Amplitudes for M Dwarfs

While many M dwarfs are known to have strong magnetic fields and high levels of magnetic activity, we are still unsure about the properties of their starspots and the origin of their magnetic dynamos. Both starspots and chromospheric heating are generated by the surface magnetic field; they produce photometric variability and Hα emission, respectively. Connecting brightness variations to magnetic activity therefore provides a means to examine M-dwarf magnetism. We survey 30 M dwarfs previously identified as fast rotating stars (P rot < 10 days). We present time-series optical photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and contemporaneous optical spectra obtained using the Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (OSMOS) on the 2.4 m Hiltner telescope at MDM Observatory in Arizona. We measure rotation periods and photometric amplitudes from TESS light curves using Gaussian Processes. From the OSMOS spectra, we calculate the equivalent width of Hα, and L Hα /L bol. We find a weak positive correlation between Hα luminosity and the semiamplitude, R var (). We also observe short-term variability (between 20 and 45 minutes) in Hα equivalent widths and possible enhancement from flares consistent to recent literature.

A survey for variable young stars with small telescopes – VII. Spot properties on YSOs in IC 5070

ABSTRACTWe present measurements of spot properties on 31 young stellar objects, based on multiband data from the HOYS (Hunting Outbursting Young Stars) project. On average the analysis for each object is based on 270 data points during 80 d in at least three bands. All the young low-mass stars in our sample show periodic photometric variations. We determine spot temperatures and coverage by comparing the measured photometric amplitudes in optical bands with simulated amplitudes based on atmosphere models, including a complete error propagation. 21 objects in our sample feature cool spots, with spot temperatures 500–2500 K below the stellar effective temperature (Teff), and a coverage of 0.05–0.4. Six more have hot spots, with temperatures up to 3000 K above Teff and coverage below 0.15. The remaining four stars have ambiguous solutions or are AA Tau-type contaminants. All of the stars with large spots (i.e. high coverage &amp;gt;0.1) are relatively cool with Teff &amp;lt; 4500 K, which could be a result of having deeper convection zones. Apart from that, spot properties show no significant trends with rotation period, infrared excess, or stellar properties. Most notably, we find hot spots in stars that do not show K − W2 infrared excess, indicating the possibility of accretion across an inner disc cavity or the presence of plage.

Detection of p-mode Oscillations in HD 35833 with NEID and TESS

We report the results of observations of p-mode oscillations in the G0 subgiant star HD 35833 in both radial velocities and photometry with NEID and TESS, respectively. We achieve separate, robust detections of the oscillation signal with both instruments (radial velocity amplitude A RV = 1.11 ± 0.09 m s−1, photometric amplitude A phot = 6.42 ± 0.60 ppm, frequency of maximum power μHz, and mode spacing Δν = 36.65 ± 0.96 μHz) as well as a nondetection in a TESS sector concurrent with the NEID observations. These data shed light on our ability to mitigate the correlated noise impact of oscillations with radial velocities alone and on the robustness of commonly used asteroseismic scaling relations. The NEID data are used to validate models for the attenuation of oscillation signals for exposure times , and we compare our results to predictions from theoretical scaling relations and find that the observed amplitudes are weaker than expected by >4σ, hinting at gaps in the underlying physical models.

On the Evolution of Rotational Modulation Amplitude in Solar-mass Main-sequence Stars

We investigate the relation between rotation periods P rot and photometric modulation amplitudes R per for ≈4000 Sun-like main-sequence stars observed by Kepler, using P rot and R per from McQuillan et al., effective temperature T eff from LAMOST DR6, and parallax data from Gaia EDR3. As has been suggested in previous works, we find that P rot scaled by the convective turnover time τ c, or the Rossby number Ro, serves as a good predictor of R per: R per plateaus at around 1% in relative flux for 0.2 ≲ Ro/Ro⊙ ≲ 0.4, and decays steeply with increasing Ro for 0.4 ≲ Ro/Ro⊙ ≲ 0.8, where Ro⊙ denotes Ro of the Sun. In the latter regime we find ∼ −4.5 to −2.5, although the value is sensitive to detection bias against weak modulation and may depend on other parameters including T eff and surface metallicity. The existing X-ray and Ca ii H and K flux data also show transitions at Ro/Ro⊙ ∼ 0.4, suggesting that all these transitions share the same physical origin. We also find that the rapid decrease of R per with increasing Ro causes rotational modulation of fainter Kepler stars with Ro/Ro⊙ ≳ 0.6 to be buried under the photometric noise. This effect sets the longest P rot detected in the McQuillan et al. sample as a function of T eff and obscures the signature of stalled spin down that has been proposed to set in around Ro/Ro⊙ ∼ 1.

Rotation Periods of TESS Objects of Interest from the Magellan-TESS Survey with Multiband Photometry from Evryscope and TESS

Abstract Stellar radial-velocity (RV) jitter due to surface activity may bias the RV semiamplitude and mass of rocky planets. The amplitude of the jitter may be estimated from the uncertainty in the rotation period, allowing the mass to be more accurately obtained. We find candidate rotation periods for 17 out of 35 TESS Objects of Interest (TOI) hosting &lt;3 R ⊕ planets as part of the Magellan-TESS survey, which is the first-ever statistically robust study of exoplanet masses and radii across the photoevaporation gap. Seven periods are ≥3σ detections, two are ≥1.5σ, and eight show plausible variability, but the periods remain unconfirmed. The other 18 TOIs are nondetections. Candidate rotators include the host stars of the confirmed planets L 168-9 b, the HD 21749 system, LTT 1445 A b, TOI 1062 b, and the L 98-59 system. Thirteen candidates have no counterpart in the 1000 TOI rotation catalog of Canto Martins et al. We find periods for G3–M3 dwarfs using combined light curves from TESS and the Evryscope all-sky array of small telescopes, sometimes with longer periods than would be possible with TESS alone. Secure periods range from 1.4 to 26 days with Evryscope-measured photometric amplitudes as small as 2.1 mmag in g ′ . We also apply Monte Carlo sampling and a Gaussian process stellar activity model from exoplanet to the TESS light curves of six TOIs to confirm the Evryscope periods.

Wavelength Dependence of Activity-induced Photometric Variations for Young Cool Stars in Hyades

Abstract We investigate photometric variations due to stellar activity that induce systematic radial-velocity errors (so-called “jitter”) for the four targets in the Hyades open cluster observed by the K2 mission (EPIC 210721261, EPIC 210923016, EPIC 247122957, and EPIC 247783757). Applying Gaussian process regressions to the K2 light curves and the near-infrared (NIR) light curves observed with the IRSF 1.4 m telescope, we derive the wavelength dependences of the photometric signals due to stellar activity. To estimate the temporal variations in the photometric variability amplitudes between the two observation periods of K2 and IRSF, separated by more than 2 yr, we analyze a number of K2 targets in Hyades that have also been observed in Campaigns 4 and 13 and find a representative variation rate over 2 yr of 38% ± 71%. Taking this temporal variation into account, we constrain projected sizes and temperature contrast properties of the starspots in the stellar photosphere to be approximately 10% and 0.95%, respectively. These starspot properties can induce relatively large differences in the variability amplitude over different observational passbands, and we find that radial-velocity jitter may be more suppressed in the NIR than previously expected. Our result supports profits of ongoing exoplanet search projects that are attempting to detect or confirm young planets in open clusters via radial-velocity measurements in the NIR.

101 Trojans: A Tale of Period Bimodality, Binaries, and Extremely Slow Rotators from K2 Photometry

Abstract Various properties of Jovian Trojan asteroids such as composition, rotation periods, and photometric amplitudes, or the rate of binarity in the population, can provide information and constraints on the evolution of the group and of the solar system itself. Here we present new photometric properties of 45 Jovian Trojans from the K2 mission of the Kepler space telescope, and present phase-folded light curves for 44 targets, including (11351) Leucus, one of the targets of the Lucy mission. We extend our sample to 101 asteroids with previous K2 Trojan measurements, then compare their combined amplitude and frequency distributions to other ground-based and space data. We show that there is a dichotomy in the periods of Trojans with a separation at ∼100 hr. We find that 25% of the sample are slow rotators (P ≥ 30 hr), an excess that can be attributed to binary objects. We also show that 32 systems can be classified as potential detached binary systems. Finally, we calculate density and rotation constraints for the asteroids. Both the spin barrier and fits to strengthless ellipsoid models indicate low densities and thus compositions similar to populations of comets and trans-Neptunian objects throughout the sample. This supports the scenario of outer solar system origin for Jovian Trojans.

A Decade of Radial-velocity Monitoring of Vega and New Limits on the Presence of Planets

Abstract We present an analysis of 1524 spectra of Vega spanning 10 yr, in which we search for periodic radial-velocity variations. A signal with a periodicity of 0.676 day and a semi-amplitude of ∼10 m s−1 is consistent with the rotation period measured over much shorter time spans by previous spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric studies, confirming the presence of surface features on this A0 star. The activity signal appears to evolve on long timescales, which may indicate the presence of failed fossil magnetic fields on Vega. TESS data reveal Vega’s photometric rotational modulation for the first time, with a total amplitude of only 10 ppm. A comparison of the spectroscopic and photometric amplitudes suggests that the surface features may be dominated by bright plages rather than dark spots. For the shortest orbital periods, transit and radial-velocity injection recovery tests exclude the presence of transiting planets larger than 2 R ⊕ and most non-transiting giant planets. At long periods, we combine our radial velocities with direct imaging from the literature to produce detection limits for Vegan planets and brown dwarfs out to distances of 15 au. Finally, we detect a candidate radial-velocity signal with a period of 2.43 days and a semi-amplitude of 6 m s−1. If caused by an orbiting companion, its minimum mass would be ∼20 M ⊕; because of Vega’s pole-on orientation, this would correspond to a Jovian planet if the orbit is aligned with the stellar spin. We discuss the prospects for confirmation of this candidate planet.

Mysterious, variable, and extremely hot: White dwarfs showing ultra-high excitation lines

Context. About 10% of all stars exhibit absorption lines of ultra-highly excited (UHE) metals (e.g., O VIII) in their optical spectra when entering the white dwarf cooling sequence. This is something that has never been observed in any other astrophysical object, and poses a decades-long mystery in our understanding of the late stages of stellar evolution. The recent discovery of a UHE white dwarf that is both spectroscopically and photometrically variable led to the speculation that the UHE lines might be created in a shock-heated circumstellar magnetosphere. Aims. We aim to gain a better understanding of these mysterious objects by studying the photometric variability of the whole population of UHE white dwarfs, and white dwarfs showing only the He II line problem, as both phenomena are believed to be connected. Methods. We investigate (multi-band) light curves from several ground- and space-based surveys of all 16 currently known UHE white dwarfs (including one newly discovered) and eight white dwarfs that show only the He II line problem. Results. We find that 75−13+8% of the UHE white dwarfs, and 75−19+9% of the He II line problem white dwarfs are significantly photometrically variable, with periods ranging from 0.22 d to 2.93 d and amplitudes from a few tenths to a few hundredths of a magnitude. The high variability rate is in stark contrast to the variability rate amongst normal hot white dwarfs (we find 9−2+4%), marking UHE and He II line problem white dwarfs as a new class of variable stars. The period distribution of our sample agrees with both the orbital period distribution of post-common-envelope binaries and the rotational period distribution of magnetic white dwarfs if we assume that the objects in our sample will spin-up as a consequence of further contraction. Conclusions. We find further evidence that UHE and He II line problem white dwarfs are indeed related, as concluded from their overlap in the Gaia HRD, similar photometric variability rates, light-curve shapes and amplitudes, and period distributions. The lack of increasing photometric amplitudes towards longer wavelengths, as well as the nondetection of optical emission lines arising from the highly irradiated face of a hypothetical secondary in the optical spectra of our stars, makes it seem unlikely that an irradiated late-type companion is the origin of the photometric variability. Instead, we believe that spots on the surfaces of these stars and/or geometrical effects of circumstellar material might be responsible.