Subdwarf B Research Articles

EPIC 211779126: a rare hybrid pulsating subdwarf B star richly pulsating in both pressure and gravity modes

We present our analysis of EPIC 211779126, a pulsating subdwarf B star discovered with the Kepler spacecraft during K2 Campaign 5. We found 154 frequencies in the g -mode region as well as 29 frequencies in the p -mode region. This makes EPIC 211779126 a rare hybrid pulsator with a rich pulsation spectrum in both regions. We successfully identified modal degrees and relative radial orders of most of the g -modes using asymptotic period spacing, and modal degrees of some of the p -modes using rotational splitting. We detected trapped modes, which are a very important feature for constraining theoretical models. Our ground-based spectroscopic observations revealed no companion, therefore EPIC 211779126 is likely a single sdB star. Using p -mode multiplets, we derived a rotation period of approximately 16 days, making EPIC 211779126 the fastest rotating non-binary subdwarf B pulsator observed with Kepler . However, we do not find any resolved multiplets among the high-amplitude g -mode pulsations that correspond to the rotation rate inferred from the p -mode splittings. This may indicate that the star’s core is rotating more slowly than its envelope.

The effects of near-core convective shells on the gravity modes of the subdwarf B pulsator KIC 10553698A

KIC 10553698A is a hot pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) star observed by the Kepler satellite. It exhibits dipole (l = 1) and quadrupole (l = 2) gravity modes with a clear period spacing structure. The seismic properties of the KIC 10553698A provide a test of stellar evolution models, and offer a unique opportunity to determine mixing processes. We consider mixing due to convective overshooting beyond the boundary of the helium burning core. Very small overshooting ( f = 10^{-6} ) results in a progressive increase in the size of convective core. However, moderate ( f = 10^{-2} ) and small ( f = 10^{-5} ) overshooting both lead to the occurrence of inert outer convective shells in the near-core region. We illustrate that the chemical stratifications induced by convective shells are able to change the g-mode period spacing pattern of a sdB star appreciably. The mean period spacing and trapping of the gravity modes in the model with moderate and small core overshooting are fully consistent with the period spacing trends observed in KIC 10553698A. Atomic diffusion driven by gravitational settling as well as thermal and chemical gradients is applied to reach a better match with the observed period spacings. Models that include small or very small overshooting with atomic diffusion have a decreased lifetime of the extreme horizontal branch phase and produce chemical stratification induced by convective shells during helium burning phase. In addition of being consistent with asteroseismology, their calculated values of the R2 parameter are more compatible with the observed R2 values.

Analysis of the variability in the sdB star KIC 10670103: DFA approach

Analysis of the variability in the sdB star KIC 10670103: DFA approach

Hot subdwarf stars and their connection to thermonuclear supernovae

Hot subdwarf stars (sdO/Bs) are evolved core helium-burning stars with very thin hydrogen envelopes, which can be formed by common envelope ejection. Close sdB binaries with massive white dwarf (WD) companions are potential progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae type Ia (SN Ia). We discovered such a progenitor candidate as well as a candidate for a surviving companion star, which escapes from the Galaxy. More candidates for both types of objects have been found by crossmatching known sdB stars with proper motion and light curve catalogues. The Gaia mission will provide accurate astrometry and light curves of all the stars in our hot subdwarf sample and will allow us to compile a much larger all-sky catalogue of those stars. In this way we expect to find hundreds of progenitor binaries and ejected companions.

Subsynchronous sdBV binaries

We found subsynchronicity of sdB stars in binaries. An assumption of synchronous rotation in such binary systems may lead to incorrect conclusions.

AN EXTREME ANALOGUE OF ϵ AURIGAE: AN M-GIANT ECLIPSED EVERY 69 YEARS BY A LARGE OPAQUE DISK SURROUNDING A SMALL HOT SOURCE

ABSTRACT We present TYC 2505-672-1 as a newly discovered and remarkable eclipsing system comprising an M-type red giant that undergoes a ∼3.45 year long, near-total eclipse (depth of ∼4.5 mag) with a very long period of ∼69.1 years. TYC 2505-672-1 is now the longest-period eclipsing binary system yet discovered, more than twice as long as that of the currently longest-period system, ϵ Aurigae. We show from analysis of the light curve including both our own data and historical data spanning more than 120 years and from modeling of the spectral energy distribution, both before and during eclipse, that the red giant primary is orbited by a moderately hot source (T eff ≈ 8000 K) that is itself surrounded by an extended, opaque circumstellar disk. From the measured ratio of luminosities, the radius of the hot companion must be in the range of 0.1–0.5 R ⊙ (depending on the assumed radius of the red giant primary), which is an order of magnitude smaller than that for a main sequence A star and 1–2 orders of magnitude larger than that for a white dwarf. The companion is therefore most likely a “stripped red giant” subdwarf-B type star destined to become a He white dwarf. It is, however, somewhat cooler than most sdB stars, implying a very low mass for this “pre-He-WD” star. The opaque disk surrounding this hot source may be a remnant of the stripping of its former hydrogen envelope. However, it is puzzling how this object became stripped, given that it is at present so distant (orbital semimajor axis of ∼24 au) from the current red giant primary star. Extrapolating from our calculated ephemeris, the next eclipse should begin in early UT 2080 April and end in mid UT 2083 September (eclipse center UT 2081 December 24). In the meantime, radial velocity observations would establish the masses of the components, and high-cadence UV observations could potentially reveal oscillations of the hot companion that would further constrain its evolutionary status. In any case, this system is poised to become an exemplar of a very rare class of systems, even more extreme in several respects than the well studied archetype ϵ Aurigae.

HOT SUBDWARF STARS OBSERVED IN LAMOST DR1—ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS FROM SINGLE-LINED SPECTRA

ABSTRACT We present a catalog of 166 spectroscopically identified hot subdwarf stars from LAMOST DR1, 44 of which show the characteristics of cool companions in their optical spectra. Atmospheric parameters of 122 subdwarf stars with non-composite spectra were measured by fitting the profiles of hydrogen (H) and helium (He) lines with synthetic spectra from non-LTE model atmospheres. Most of the sdB stars scatter near the Extreme Horizontal Branch in the T eff– log g ?> diagram and two well defined groups can be outlined. A clustering of He-enriched sdO stars appears near T eff = 45,000 K and log g = 5.8. The sdB population separates into several nearly parallel sequences in the T eff–He abundance diagram with clumps corresponding to those in the T eff– log g ?> diagram. Over 38,000 K (sdO) stars show abundance extremes; they are either He-rich or He-deficient and we observe only a few stars in the abundance range − 1 < log y < 0 ?> . With increasing temperature these extremes become less prominent and the He abundance approaches log y ∼ −0.5. A unique property of our sample is that it covers a large range in apparent magnitude and galactic latitude, therefore it contains a mix of stars from different populations and galactic environments. Our results are consistent with the findings of Hirsch and we conclude that He-rich and He-deficient sdB stars (log y < 1) probably originate from different populations. We also find that most sdO and sdB stars lie in a narrow strip in the plane of luminosity and helium abundance, which suggests that these atmospheric parameters are correlated.

Quantitative spectral analysis of the sdB star HD 188112: A helium-core white dwarf progenitor

HD 188112 is a bright (V = 10.2 mag) hot subdwarf B (sdB) star with a mass too low to ignite core helium burning and is therefore considered as a pre-extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD). ELM WDs (M $\le$ 0.3 Msun) are He-core objects produced by the evolution of compact binary systems. We present in this paper a detailed abundance analysis of HD 188112 based on high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) near and far-ultraviolet spectroscopy. We also constrain the mass of the star's companion. We use hybrid non-LTE model atmospheres to fit the observed spectral lines and derive the abundances of more than a dozen elements as well as the rotational broadening of metallic lines. We confirm the previous binary system parameters by combining radial velocities measured in our UV spectra with the already published ones. The system has a period of 0.60658584 days and a WD companion with M $\geq$ 0.70 Msun. By assuming a tidally locked rotation, combined with the projected rotational velocity (v sin i = 7.9 $\pm$ 0.3 km s$^{-1}$) we constrain the companion mass to be between 0.9 and 1.3 Msun. We further discuss the future evolution of the system as a potential progenitor of a (underluminous) type Ia supernova. We measure abundances for Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Zn, as well as for the trans-iron elements Ga, Sn, and Pb. In addition, we derive upper limits for the C, N, O elements and find HD 188112 to be strongly depleted in carbon. We find evidence of non-LTE effects on the line strength of some ionic species such as Si II and Ni II. The metallic abundances indicate that the star is metal-poor, with an abundance pattern most likely produced by diffusion effects.

A subsynchronously rotating pulsating subdwarf B star in a short-period binary with a white dwarf companion

We present our analysis of KIC 7664467, an sdB pulsator that we have found to be residing in a 1.56-day binary system with a whitedwarf companion. This system was observed photometrically with the Kepler spacecraft and spectroscopically with ground-based telescopes. We analyzed the amplitude spectra detecting 61 periods, rotationally split multiplets, and an equally spaced sequence in period. These two features helped with the mode identification. We derived both the binary and rotation periods showing that this is another binary system with a subsynchronous sdB star. From our spectroscopy of the sdB star, we determined Teff = 27440 ± 120 K, log g = 5.38 ± 0.02 dex. The abundance pattern follows the general trend observed in sdB stars, where light metals are subsolar, while the Fe abundance is very close to the solar value. We found the N enrichment and low abundances of C and O that resemble the equilibrium abundances of the CNO cycle. We could also measure the Mg and Si abundances. Using the radial velocity amplitude K1 = 57(3) km s −1 and the Doppler boosting-dominated photometric signal at the orbital period, we constrained the companion to be a compact object, almost certainly a white dwarf.

Planetary candidates around the pulsating sdB star KIC 5807616 considered doubtful

Context. It has been suggested that two weak signals observed in the low frequency region of the Fourier transform amplitude spectra from the KIC 5807616 Q5-Q8 data can be interpreted as a result of the light reflection from planets orbiting the host star. Ever since the last results on KIC 5807616 were presented, the Kepler spacecraft has collected over two years of additional data, which we analysed using asteroseismological methods. Aims. To verify and improve on previous results, we used the Q 5-Q 17 Kepler data to identify pulsational modes, determine multiplet splitting, and to re-analyse the low frequency region between 33−49 μ Hz where two frequencies, claimed as the planetary signature, were found. Methods. Since Fourier transform amplitude spectra of the KIC 5807616 data do not show any clear multiplets, we used two stable acoustic modes to determine the theoretical width of gravity mode multiplets and their splittings. The period spacing and histograms of common multiplet component separations were used to identify pulsation modes and the observed gravity mode splittings. In the low frequency region, we analysed the amplitude variations of two planetary signature frequencies over the whole observing run. Results. We determined the rotational period of the star from the splittings. Analysis of the low frequency region shows that the amplitude and frequency change of the signals found there have similar characteristics to other gravity modes. Conclusions. New data allow for identifying gravity modes in a limited period range, as well as better rotational period estimations. We suggest that the so-called planetary signature frequencies found in previous work might instead be pulsation modes visible beyond the cut-off frequency of the star.

Searching for planets around sdB stars

AbstractWe present the results of our search for planets around subdwarf B stars. We look for wobbles of the sdB stars seen as sinusoidal variations of the pulsation periods. For a p-mode dominated pulsating sdB star we did not find any signatures of a companion and we marked KIC 10139564 to be a single star. In the case of the g-mode dominated objects the method turned out to inefficient not leading to any conclusion on the planet existence.

Why do hot subdwarf stars pulsate?

AbstractHot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are the stripped cores of red giants located at the bluest extension of the horizontal branch. Several different kinds of pulsators are found among those stars. The mechanism that drives those pulsations is well known and the theoretically predicted instability regions for both the short-period p-mode and the long-period g-mode pulsators match the observed distributions fairly well. However, it remains unclear why only a fraction of the sdB stars pulsate, while stars with otherwise very similar parameters do not show pulsations. From an observers perspective I review possible candidates for the missing parameter that makes sdB stars pulsate or not.

Hot subdwarfs: Small stars marking important events in stellar evolution: Ludwig Biermann Award Lecture 2014

AbstractHot subdwarfs are considered to be the compact helium cores of red giants which lost almost their entire hydrogen envelope. What causes this enormous mass loss is still unclear. Binary interactions are invoked, and a significant fraction of the hot subdwarf population is indeed found in close binaries. In a large project we search for close binary sdBs with the most and the least massive companions. Significantly enhancing the known sample of close binary sdBs we performed the first comprehensive study of this population. Triggered by the discovery of two sdB binaries with close brown dwarf companions in the course of this project, we were able to show that the interaction of stars with substellar companions is an important channel to form sdB stars. Finally, we discovered a unique and very compact binary system consisting of an sdB and a massive white dwarf which qualifies as a progenitor candidate for a supernova of type Ia. In addition to that, we could connect those explosions to the class of hypervelocity hot subdwarf stars which we consider as the surviving companions of such events. Being the stripped cores of red giants, hot subdwarfs turned out to be important markers of peculiar events in stellar evolution ranging all the way from star‐planet interactions to the progenitors of stellar explosions used to measure the expansion of our Universe. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Testing eccentricity pumping mechanisms to model eccentric long-period sdB binaries with MESA

Hot subdwarf-B stars in long-period binaries are found to be on eccentric orbits, even though current binary-evolution theory predicts those objects to be circularised before the onset of Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF). We aim to find binary-evolution mechanisms that can explain these eccentric long-period orbits, and reproduce the currently observed period-eccentricity diagram. Three different processes are considered; tidally-enhanced wind mass-loss, phase-dependent RLOF on eccentric orbits and the interaction between a circumbinary disk and the binary. The binary module of the stellar-evolution code MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics) is extended to include the eccentricity-pumping processes. The effects of different input parameters on the final period and eccentricity of a binary-evolution model are tested with MESA. The end products of models with only tidally-enhanced wind mass-loss can indeed be eccentric, but these models need to lose too much mass, and invariably end up with a helium white dwarf that is too light to ignite helium. Within the tested parameter space, no sdBs in eccentric systems are formed. Phase-dependent RLOF can reintroduce eccentricity during RLOF, and could help to populate the short-period part of the period-eccentricity diagram. When phase-dependent RLOF is combined with eccentricity pumping via a circumbinary disk, the higher eccentricities can be reached as well. A remaining problem is that these models favour a distribution of higher eccentricities at lower periods, while the observed systems show the opposite. The models presented here are potentially capable of explaining the period-eccentricity distribution of long-period sdB binaries, but further theoretical work on the physical mechanisms is necessary.

EXPLORING STELLAR EVOLUTION MODELS OF sdB STARS USING MESA

Stellar evolution calculations have had great success reproducing the observed atmospheric properties of different classes of stars. Recent detections of g-mode pulsations in evolved He burning stars allow a rare comparison of their internal structure with stellar models. Asteroseismology of subdwarf B (sdB) stars suggests convective cores of 0.22–0.28 M⊙, ≳45% of the total stellar mass. Previous studies found significantly smaller convective core masses (≲0.19 M⊙) at a comparable evolutionary stage. We evolved stellar models with Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) to explore how well the interior structures inferred from asteroseismology can be reproduced by standard algorithms. Our qualitative evolutionary paths, position in the diagram, and model timescales are consistent with previous results. The sdB masses from our full evolutionary sequences fall within the range of the empirical sdB mass distribution, but are nearly always lower than the median. Using standard MLT with atomic diffusion we find convective core masses of ∼0.17–0.18 M⊙, averaged over the entire sdB lifetime. We can increase the convective core sizes to be as large as those inferred from asteroseismology, but only for extreme values of the overshoot parameter (overshoot gives numerically unstable and physically unrealistic behavior at the boundary). High resolution three-dimensional simulations of turbulent convection in stars suggest that the Schwarzschild criterion for convective mixing systematically underestimates the actual extent of mixing because a boundary layer forms. Accounting for this would decrease the errors in both sdB total and convective core masses.

Evidence of Resonant Mode Coupling in the Hot B Subdwarf Star KIC 10139564

The Kepler spacecraft provides new opportinuties to observe long term frequency and amplitude modulations of oscillation modes in pulsating stars. We analyzed more than three years of uninterrupted data obtained with this instrument on the hot B subdwarf (sdB) star KIC 10139564 and found clear signatures of nonlinear resonant mode coupling affecting several multiplets. The observed periodic frequency and amplitude modulations may allow for new asteroseismic diagnostics, providing in particular ways to measure linear growth rates of pulsation modes in hot subdwarf stars for the first time.

A planet orbiting an sdB star and an M dwarf in 2M 1938+4603

We present a preliminary analysis of the 2M 1938+4603 star. It is an eclipsing binary system consisting of a primary sdB component and a secondary M dwarf. The photometric data are dominated by mutual eclipses and a very strong reflection effect. The primary has a fairly rich pulsation spectrum which can be used to study its interior. On the other hand, the pulsations affect the binary trend and vice versa what makes the analysis very difficult. Therefore, we attempted at proper modeling of the light variation due to eclipses and reflection and their removal from the data so it does not affect the Fourier analysis of stellar pulsations. We focus on mid-times of over 16 000 primary and secondary minima, which were used to verify stability of the orbital period. The O-C diagram indicates possible parabolic and sinusoidal variations, commonly explained by period changes caused by evolution and a presence of a third body, respectively.

A HELIUM-CARBON CORRELATION ON THE EXTREME HORIZONTAL BRANCH IN ω CENTAURI

Taking advantage of a recent FORS2/VLT spectroscopic sample of Extreme Horizontal Branch (EHB) stars in $\omega$ Cen, we isolate 38 spectra well suited for detailed atmospheric studies and determine their fundamental parameters ($T_{\rm eff}$, log $g$, and log $N$(He)/$N$(H)) using NLTE, metal line-blanketed models. We find that our targets can be divided into three groups: 6 stars are hot ($T_{\rm eff}$$\buildrel>\over\sim\ $ 45,000 K) H-rich subdwarf O stars, 7 stars are typical H-rich sdB stars ($T_{\rm eff}$$ \buildrel<\over\sim\ $35,000 K), and the remaining 25 targets at intermediate effective temperatures are He-rich (log $N$(He)/$N$(H)$ \buildrel>\over\sim\ $ $-$1.0) subdwarfs. Surprisingly and quite interestingly, these He-rich hot subdwarfs in $\omega$ Cen cluster in a narrow temperature range ($\sim$35,000 K to $\sim$40,000 K). We additionally measure the atmospheric carbon abundance and find a most interesting positive correlation between the carbon and helium atmospheric abundances. This correlation certainly bears the signature of diffusion processes - most likely gravitational settling impeded by stellar winds or internal turbulence - but also constrains possible formation scenarios proposed for EHB stars in $\omega$ Cen. For the He-rich objects in particular, the clear link between helium and carbon enhancement points towards a late hot flasher evolutionary history.

KIC 7668647: a 14 day beaming sdB+WD binary with a pulsating subdwarf

The recently discovered subdwarf B (sdB) pulsator KIC7668647 is one of the 18 pulsating sdB stars detected in the Kepler field. It features a rich g-mode frequency spectrum, with a few low-amplitude p-modes at short periods. We use new ground-based low-resolution spectroscopy, and the near-continuous 2.88 year Kepler lightcurve, to reveal that KIC7668647 consists of a subdwarf B star with an unseen white-dwarf companion with an orbital period of 14.2d. An orbit with a radial-velocity amplitude of 39km/s is consistently determined from the spectra, from the orbital Doppler beaming seen by Kepler at 163ppm, and from measuring the orbital light-travel delay of 27 by timing of the many pulsations seen in the Kepler lightcurve. The white dwarf has a minimum mass of 0.40 M_sun. We use our high signal-to-noise average spectra to study the atmospheric parameters of the sdB star, and find that nitrogen and iron have abundances close to solar values, while helium, carbon, oxygen and silicon are underabundant relative to the solar mixture. We use the full Kepler Q06--Q17 lightcurve to extract 132 significant pulsation frequencies. Period-spacing relations and multiplet splittings allow us to identify the modal degree L for the majority of the modes. Using the g-mode multiplet splittings we constrain the internal rotation period at the base of the envelope to 46-48d as a first seismic result for this star. The few p-mode splittings may point at a slightly longer rotation period further out in the envelope of the star. From mode-visibility considerations we derive that the inclination of the rotation axis of the sdB in KIC7668647 must be around ~60 degrees. Furthermore, we find strong evidence for a few multiplets indicative of degree 3 <= L <= 8, which is another novelty in sdB-star observations made possible by Kepler.

Keplerdetection of a new extreme planetary system orbiting the subdwarf-B pulsator KIC 10001893

KIC10001893 is one out of 19 subdwarf-B (sdB) pulsators observed by the Kepler spacecraft in its primary mission. In addition to tens of pulsation frequencies in the g-mode domain, its Fourier spectrum shows three weak peaks at very low frequencies, which is too low to be explained in terms of g modes. The most convincing explanation is that we are seeing the orbital modulation of three Earth-size planets (or planetary remnants) in very tight orbits, which are illuminated by the strong stellar radiation. The orbital periods are P1=5.273, P2=7.807, and P3=19.48 hours, and the period ratios P2/P1=1.481 and P3/P2=2.495 are very close to the 3:2 and 5:2 resonances, respectively. One of the main pulsation modes of the star at 210.68 {\mu}Hz corresponds to the third harmonic of the orbital frequency of the inner planet, suggesting that we see, for the first time in an sdB star, g-mode pulsations tidally excited by a planetary companion. The extreme planetary system that emerges from the Kepler data is very similar to the recent discovery of two Earth-size planets orbiting the sdB pulsator KIC05807616 (Charpinet et al. 2011a).