Galactic archaeology: mapping and dating stellar populations with asteroseismology of red-giant stars

in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2013), 429

Our understanding of how the Galaxy was formed and evolves is severely hampered by the lack of precise constraints on basic stellar properties such as distances, masses and ages. Here, we show that solar ... [more ▼]

Our understanding of how the Galaxy was formed and evolves is severely hampered by the lack of precise constraints on basic stellar properties such as distances, masses and ages. Here, we show that solar-like pulsating red giants represent a well-populated class of accurate distance indicators, spanning a large age range, which can be used to map and date the Galactic disc in the regions probed by observations made by the CoRoT and Kepler space telescopes. When combined with photometric constraints, the pulsation spectra of such evolved stars not only reveal their radii, and hence distances, but also provide well-constrained estimates of their masses, which are reliable proxies for the ages of the stars. As a first application, we consider red giants observed by CoRoT in two different parts of the Milky Way, and determine precise distances for ˜2000 stars spread across nearly 15 000 pc of the Galactic disc, exploring regions which are a long way from the solar neighbourhood. We find significant differences in the mass distributions of these two samples which, by comparison with predictions of synthetic models of the Milky Way, we interpret as mainly due to the vertical gradient in the distribution of stellar masses (hence ages) in the disc. In the future, the availability of spectroscopic constraints for this sample of stars will not only improve the age determination, but also provide crucial constraints on age-velocity and age-metallicity relations at different Galactocentric radii and heights from the plane. [less ▲]

CoRoT Observations of O Stars: Diverse Origins of Variability

in Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series (2013, January 01)

Six O-type stars were observed continuously by the CoRoT satellite during a 34.3-day run. The unprecedented quality of the data allows us to detect even low-amplitude stellar pulsations in some of these ... [more ▼]

Six O-type stars were observed continuously by the CoRoT satellite during a 34.3-day run. The unprecedented quality of the data allows us to detect even low-amplitude stellar pulsations in some of these stars (HD 46202 and the binaries HD 46149 and Plaskett's star). These cover both opacity-driven modes and solar-like stochastic oscillations, both of importance to the asteroseismological modeling of O stars. Additional effects can be seen in the CoRoT light curves, such as binarity and rotational modulation. Some of the hottest O-type stars (HD 46223, HD 46150 and HD 46966) are dominated by the presence of red-noise: we speculate that this is related to a sub-surface convection zone. [less ▲]

Theoretical Instability Domains of Massive Stars

in ASP Conference Proceeding, Vol. 462, 27 (2012, September 01)

Massive stars are characterized by a large radiation over gas pressure ratio. With increasing stellar initial mass, they suffer stronger stellar winds, and the induced mass-loss affects the evolution and ... [more ▼]

Massive stars are characterized by a large radiation over gas pressure ratio. With increasing stellar initial mass, they suffer stronger stellar winds, and the induced mass-loss affects the evolution and internal structure on the main sequence and on the post-main sequence. Recent ground-based observations and space missions have shown the presence of pulsations in massive stars, such as acoustic and gravity modes excited by the κ-mechanism and even solar-like oscillations. Strange modes could also be excited in the most massive stars (Aerts et al. 2010). We computed evolutionary tracks and non-adiabatic frequencies for initial masses ranging from 15 to 70 M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB] on the main sequence and on the post-main sequence taking mass loss into account and we discuss in this paper the results for 25 M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB] models. [less ▲]

Non-radial, non-adiabatic solar-like oscillations in RGB and HB stars

Poster (2012, July)

Corot and Kepler observations of red giants reveal rich spectra of non-radial solar-like oscillations allowing to probe their internal structure. We compare the theoretical spectrum (amplitudes and life ... [more ▼]

Corot and Kepler observations of red giants reveal rich spectra of non-radial solar-like oscillations allowing to probe their internal structure. We compare the theoretical spectrum (amplitudes and life- times) of two red giants in the same region of the HR diagram but in different evolutionary phases. The lifetimes are obtained by computing theoretical non-adiabatic non-radial solar-like oscillations for mixed modes in the two models. Thanks to this, we have been able to compute the oscillation amplitudes through a stochastic excitation model. We present here our first results on the inertia, damping rates and amplitudes of the oscillations in the two stars and discuss the trapping, the visibilities and the am- plitudes of the different modes. The differences in the spectra of the two stars are also investigated. As already known, the period spacings in the two models are very different. Moreover, we find significant differences in amplitudes and lifetimes between the two models. [less ▲]

First results for the solar neighborhood of the Asiago Red Clump Survey

in European Physical Journal Web of Conferences (2012, February 01)

The Asiago Red Clump Spectroscopic Survey (ARCS) is an ongoing survey that provides atmospheric parameters, distances and space velocities of a well selected sample of Red Clump stars distributed along ... [more ▼]

The Asiago Red Clump Spectroscopic Survey (ARCS) is an ongoing survey that provides atmospheric parameters, distances and space velocities of a well selected sample of Red Clump stars distributed along the celestial equator. We used the ARCS catalog for a preliminary investigation of the Galactic disk in the Solar Neighborhood, in particular we focused on detection and characterization of moving groups. [less ▲]

Asteroseismology of old open clusters with Kepler: direct estimate of the integrated red giant branch mass-loss in NGC 6791 and 6819

in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2012), 419

Mass-loss of red giant branch (RGB) stars is still poorly determined, despite its crucial role in the chemical enrichment of galaxies. Thanks to the recent detection of solar-like oscillations in G-K ... [more ▼]

Mass-loss of red giant branch (RGB) stars is still poorly determined, despite its crucial role in the chemical enrichment of galaxies. Thanks to the recent detection of solar-like oscillations in G-K giants in open clusters with Kepler, we can now directly determine stellar masses for a statistically significant sample of stars in the old open clusters NGC 6791 and 6819. The aim of this work is to constrain the integrated RGB mass-loss by comparing the average mass of stars in the red clump (RC) with that of stars in the low-luminosity portion of the RGB [i.e. stars with L≲L(RC)]. Stellar masses were determined by combining the available seismic parameters ν[SUB]max[/SUB] and Δν with additional photometric constraints and with independent distance estimates. We measured the masses of 40 stars on the RGB and 19 in the RC of the old metal-rich cluster NGC 6791. We find that the difference between the average mass of RGB and RC stars is small, but significant [? (random) ±0.04 (systematic) M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB]]. Interestingly, such a small ? does not support scenarios of an extreme mass-loss for this metal-rich cluster. If we describe the mass-loss rate with Reimers prescription, a first comparison with isochrones suggests that the observed ? is compatible with a mass-loss efficiency parameter in the range 0.1 ≲η≲ 0.3. Less stringent constraints on the RGB mass-loss rate are set by the analysis of the ˜2 Gyr old NGC 6819, largely due to the lower mass-loss expected for this cluster, and to the lack of an independent and accurate distance determination. In the near future, additional constraints from frequencies of individual pulsation modes and spectroscopic effective temperatures will allow further stringent tests of the Δν and ν[SUB]max[/SUB] scaling relations, which provide a novel, and potentially very accurate, means of determining stellar radii and masses. [less ▲]

Adiabatic Solar-Like Oscillations in Red Giant Stars

in Red Giants as Probes of the Structure and Evolution of the Milky Way (2012)

Since the detection of non-radial solar-like oscillation modes in red giants with the CoRoT satellite, the interest in the asteroseismic properties of red giants and the link with their global properties ... [more ▼]

Since the detection of non-radial solar-like oscillation modes in red giants with the CoRoT satellite, the interest in the asteroseismic properties of red giants and the link with their global properties and internal structure is substantially increasing. Moreover, more and more precise data are being collected with the space-based telescopes CoRoT and Kepler. In this paper we present a survey of the most relevant theoretical and observational results obtained up to now concerning the potential of solar-like oscillations in red giants. [less ▲]

CoRoT's view on variable B8/9 stars: spots versus pulsations. Evidence for differential rotation in HD 174648

in Astronomy and Astrophysics (2011), 536

Context. There exist few variability studies of stars in the region in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram between the A and B-star pulsational instability strips. With the aid of the high precision ... [more ▼]

Context. There exist few variability studies of stars in the region in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram between the A and B-star pulsational instability strips. With the aid of the high precision continuous measurements of the CoRoT space satellite, low amplitudes are more easily detected, making a study of this neglected region worthwhile. <BR /> Aims: We collected a small sample of B stars observed by CoRoT to determine the origin of the different types of variability observed. <BR /> Methods: We combine literature photometry and spectroscopy to measure the fundamental parameters of the stars in the sample, and compare asteroseismic modelling of the light curves with (differentially rotating) spotted star models. <BR /> Results: We found strong evidence for the existence of spots and differential rotation in HD 174648, and formulated hypotheses for their origin. We show that the distinction between pulsations and rotational modulation is difficult to make solely based on the light curve, especially in slowly rotating stars. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with participation of ESA's RSSD and Science Programmes, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, and Spain.Based on observations made with the ESO telescopes at La Silla Observatory under the ESO Large Programme LP182.D-0356.Based on observations made with the Mercator Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma by the Flemish Community, at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.Appendix A is available in electronic form at <A href="http://www.aanda.org">http://www.aanda.org</A> [less ▲]

The size of AB Doradus A from VLTI/AMBER interferometry

in Astronomy and Astrophysics (2011), 533

The pre-main sequence (PMS) star AB Dor A is the main component of the quadruple system AB Doradus. The precise determination of the mass and photometry of the close companion to AB Dor A, AB Dor C, has ... [more ▼]

The pre-main sequence (PMS) star AB Dor A is the main component of the quadruple system AB Doradus. The precise determination of the mass and photometry of the close companion to AB Dor A, AB Dor C, has provided an important benchmark for calibration of theoretical evolutionary models of low-mass stars. The limiting factor to the precision of this calibration is the age of the system, as both the mass and luminosity of AB Dor A and C are well monitored by other ongoing programs. In this paper we present VLTI/AMBER observations of AB Dor A which provide a direct measurement of the size of this star, 0.96 ± 0.06 R[SUB]&sun;[/SUB]. The latter estimate, combined with other fundamental parameters also measured for this star, allows a precise test of PMS evolutionary models using both H-R diagrams and mass-radius relationships. We have found that our radius measurement is larger than that predicted by the models, which we interpret as an evidence of the oversizing produced by the strong magnetic activity of AB Dor A. Considering, at least partially, this magnetic effect, theoretical isochrones have been used to derive constraints to the age of AB Dor A, favouring an age about 40-50 Myr for this system. Older ages are not completely excluded by our data. Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the Paranal Observatory under programme ID 384.C-1053. [less ▲]

Solar-like oscillations from the depths of the red-giant star KIC 4351319 observed with Kepler

in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2011), 415

We present the results of the asteroseismic analysis of the red-giant star KIC 4351319 (TYC 3124-914-1), observed for 30 d in short-cadence mode with the Kepler satellite. The analysis has allowed us to ... [more ▼]

We present the results of the asteroseismic analysis of the red-giant star KIC 4351319 (TYC 3124-914-1), observed for 30 d in short-cadence mode with the Kepler satellite. The analysis has allowed us to determine the large and small frequency separations, ?Hz and ?Hz, respectively, and the frequency of maximum oscillation power, ?Hz. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the observations allowed us to identify 25 independent pulsation modes whose frequencies range approximately from 300 to ?Hz. The observed oscillation frequencies together with the accurate determination of the atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, gravity and metallicity), provided by additional ground-based spectroscopic observations, enabled us to theoretically interpret the observed oscillation spectrum. KIC 4351319 appears to oscillate with a well-defined solar-type p-mode pattern due to radial acoustic modes and non-radial nearly pure p modes. In addition, several non-radial mixed modes have been identified. Theoretical models well reproduce the observed oscillation frequencies and indicate that this star, located at the base of the ascending red-giant branch, is in the hydrogen-shell-burning phase, with a mass of ˜1.3 M[SUB]&sun;[/SUB], a radius of ? and an age of ˜5.6 Gyr. The main parameters of this star have been determined with an unprecedented level of precision for a red-giant star, with uncertainties of 2 per cent for mass, 7 per cent for age, 1 per cent for radius and 4 per cent for luminosity. [less ▲]