What can we learn from asteroseismology of β Cephei stars through forward approach modelling?

The beta Cephei pulsating stars present a unique opportunity to test and probe our knowledge on the interior of massive stars. The information we can obtain depends on the quality and number of observational constraints, both seismic and classical ones. The asteroseismology of beta Cephei stars proceeds by a forward approach, which often result in multiple solutions, without clear indication on the level of confidence. We seek a method to derive confidence intervals on stellar parameters obtained by forward approach and investigate how these latter behave depending the seismic data accessible to the observer. We realise forward modelling with help of a grid of pre-computed models and use Monte-Carlo simulations to build confidence intervals on the inferred stellar parameters. We apply and test this method in a series of hare and hound exercises on a subset of theoretical models simulating observed stars. Results show that a set of 5 frequencies (with knowledge of their associated angular degree) yields good seismic constraints. In particular, presence of mixed modes provides a strong diagnosis on the evolutionary state of the star. Significant errors on the determinination of the extent of the central mixed region appear when the theoretical models do not present the same chemical mixture as the observed star.