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Register a new userCoordinated AMBER and MIDI observations of the Mira variable RR Aql
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We have used near- and mid-infrared interferometry to investigate the pulsating atmosphere and the circumstellar environment of the Mira variable RR Aql. Observations were taken with the VLTI/AMBER (near infrared) and the VLTI/MIDI (mid infrared) instruments. We have obtained a total of 15 MIDI epochs between Apr 9, 2004 and Jul 28, 2007 covering 4 pulsation cycles and one AMBER epoch on Sep 9, 2006 at phase 2.82. This work is also part of an ongoing project of joint VLTI and VLBA observations to study the connection between stellar pulsation and the mass loss process. Here we present a comparison of the AMBER visibility data to a simple uniform disk model as well as to predictions by recent self-excited dynamic model atmospheres. The best fitting photospheric angular diameter of the model atmosphere at phase 2.82 is 9.9 +/- 2.4 mas.
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We obtained 13 epochs of mid-infrared interferometry with the MIDI instrument at the VLTI between April 2004 and July 2007, covering pulsation phases 0.45-0.85 within four cycles. The data are modeled with a radiative transfer model of the dust shell where the central stellar intensity profile is described by a series of dust-free dynamic model atmospheres based on self-excited pulsation models. We examined two dust species, silicate and Al2O3 grains. We performed model simulations using variations in model phase and dust shell parameters to investigate the expected variability of our photometric and interferometric data. The observed visibility spectra do not show any indication of variations as a function of pulsation phase and cycle. The observed photometry spectra may indicate intracycle and cycle-to-cycle variations at the level of 1-2 standard deviations. The best-fitting model for our average pulsation phase of 0.64+/-0.15 includes the dynamic model atmosphere M21n (T_model=2550 K) with a photospheric angular diameter of 7.6+/-0.6 mas, and a silicate dust shell with an optical depth of 2.8+/-0.8, an inner radius of 4.1+/-0.7 R_Phot, and a power-law index of the density distribution of 2.6+/-0.3. The addition of an Al2O3 dust shell did not improve the model fit. The photospheric angular diameter corresponds to a radius of 520^+230_-140 R_sun and an effective temperature of ~ 2420+/-200 K. Our modeling simulations confirm that significant visibility variations are not expected for RR Aql at mid-infrared wavelengths within our uncertainties. We conclude that our RR Aql data can be described by a pulsating atmosphere surrounded by a silicate dust shell. The effects of the pulsation on the mid-infrared flux and visibility values are expected to be less than about 25% and 20%, respectively, and are too low to be detected within our measurement uncertainties.
We present an analysis of the pulsation behaviour of the Delta Scuti stars 7 Aql (HD 174532) and 8 Aql (HD 174589) -- a new variable star -- observed in the framework of STEPHI XII campaign during 2003 June--July. 183 hours of high precision photometry were acquired by using four-channel photometers at three sites on three continents during 21 days. The light curves and amplitude spectra were obtained following a classical scheme of multi-channel photometry. Observations in different filters were also obtained and analyzed. Six and three frequencies have been unambiguously detected above a 99% confidence level in the range 0.090 mHz--0.300 mHz and 0.100 mHz-- 0.145 mHz in 7 Aql and 8 Aql respectively. A comparison of observed and theoretical frequencies shows that 7 Aql and 8 Aql may oscillate with p modes of low radial orders, typical among Delta Scuti stars. In terms of radial oscillations the range of 8 Aql goes from n=1 to n=3 while for 7 Aql the range spans from n=4 to n=7. Non-radial oscillations have to be present in both stars as well. The expected range of excited modes according to a non adiabatic analysis goes from n=1 to n=6 in both stars.
Mira variables, RR Lyrae variables, and type II Cepheids all represent evolved states of low-mass stars, and long term observations have revealed that changes in pulsation period occur for each of these classes of variable. Most Mira variables show small or no period changes, but a few show large period changes that can plausibly be associated with thermal pulses on the asymptotic red giant branch. Individual RR Lyrae stars show period changes that do not accord with the predictions of stellar evolution theory. This may be especially true for RR Lyrae stars that exhibit the Blazhko effect. However, the average period changes of all of the RR Lyrae variables within a globular cluster prove a better but still imperfect match for the predictions of evolutionary theory. The observed period changes of short period type II Cepheids (BL Her stars) as well as those of long period type II Cepheids (W Vir stars) are in broad agreement with the rates of period changes expected from their evolutionary motions through the instability strip.
We present K-band observations of five Mira stars with the IOTA interferometer. The interferograms were obtained with the FLUOR fiber optics beam combiner which provides high-accuracy visibility measurements in spite of time-variable atmospheric conditions. For the Mira stars X Oph, R Aql, RU Her, R Ser, and V CrB we derived the uniform-disk diameters 11.7 mas, 10.9 mas, 8.4 mas, 8.1 mas, and 7.9 mas (+/-0.3 mas), respectively. Simultaneous photometric observations yielded the bolometric fluxes. The derived angular Rosseland radii and the bolometric fluxes allowed the determination of effective temperatures. For instance, the effective temperature of R Aql was determined to be 3072 K +/- 161 K. A Rosseland radius for R Aql of 250 Rsun +/- 63 Rsun was derived from the angular Rosseland radius of 5.5 mas +/- 0.2 mas and the HIPPARCOS parallax of 4.73 mas +/- 1.19 mas. The observations were compared with theoretical Mira star models of Bessel, Scholz and Wood (1996) and Hofmann, Scholz and Wood (1998).
We present K-band observations of five Mira stars with the IOTA interferometer. The interferograms were obtained with the FLUOR fiber optics beam combiner, which provides high-accuracy visibility measurements in spite of time-variable atmospheric conditions. For the M-type Miras X Oph, R Aql, RU Her, R Ser, and the C-type Mira V CrB we derived the uniform-disk diameters 11.7mas, 10.9mas, 8.4mas, 8.1mas, and 7.9mas (+/- 0.3mas), respectively. Simultaneous photometric observations yielded the bolometric fluxes. The derived angular Rosseland radii and the bolometric fluxes allowed the determination of effective temperatures. For instance, the effective temperature of R Aql was determined to be 2970 +/- 110 K. A linear Rosseland radius for R Aql of (250 +100/-60) Rsun was derived from the angular Rosseland radius of 5.5mas +/- 0.2mas and the HIPPARCOS parallax of 4.73mas +/- 1.19mas. The observations were compared with theoretical Mira star models of Bessel et al. (1996) and Hofmann et al. (1998). The effective temperatures of the M-type Miras and the linear radius of R Aql indicate fundamental mode pulsation.
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