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Register a new userObservational Constraints, Stellar Models, and Kepler Data for theta Cyg, the Brightest Star Observable by Kepler
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The V=4.48 F4 main-sequence star theta Cyg is the brightest star observable in the Kepler spacecraft field-of-view. Short-cadence (58.8 s) photometric data were obtained by Kepler during 2010 June-September. Preliminary analysis shows solar-like oscillations in the frequency range 1200- 2500 microHz. To interpret these data and to motivate further observations, we use observational constraints from the literature to construct stellar evolution and pulsation models for this star. We compare the observed large frequency separation of the solar-like oscillations with the model predictions, and discuss the prospects for gamma Doradus-like g-mode pulsations, given the observational constraints. We discuss the value of angular diameter measurements from optical interferometry for constraining stellar properties and the implications for asteroseismology.
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$theta$ Cygni is an F3 spectral-type main-sequence star with visual magnitude V=4.48. This star was the brightest star observed by the original Kepler spacecraft mission. Short-cadence (58.8 s) photometric data using a custom aperture were obtained during Quarter 6 (June-September 2010) and subsequently in Quarters 8 and 12-17. We present analyses of the solar-like oscillations based on Q6 and Q8 data, identifying angular degree $l$ = 0, 1, and 2 oscillations in the range 1000-2700 microHz, with a large frequency separation of 83.9 plus/minus 0.4 microHz, and frequency with maximum amplitude 1829 plus/minus 54 microHz. We also present analyses of new ground-based spectroscopic observations, which, when combined with angular diameter measurements from interferometry and Hipparcos parallax, give T_eff = 6697 plus/minus 78 K, radius 1.49 plus/minus 0.03 solar radii, [Fe/H] = -0.02 plus/minus 0.06 dex, and log g = 4.23 plus/minus 0.03. We calculate stellar models matching the constraints using several methods, including using the Yale Rotating Evolution Code and the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal. The best-fit models have masses 1.35-1.39 solar masses and ages 1.0-1.6 Gyr. theta Cygs T_eff and log g place it cooler than the red edge of the gamma Doradus instability region established from pre-Kepler ground-based observations, but just at the red edge derived from pulsation modeling. The pulsation models show gamma Dor gravity-mode pulsations driven by the convective-blocking mechanism, with frequencies of 1 to 3 cycles/day (11 to 33 microHz). However, gravity modes were not detected in the Kepler data, one signal at 1.776 cycles/day (20.56 microHz) may be attributable to a faint, possibly background, binary. Asteroseismic studies of theta Cyg and other A-F stars observed by Kepler and CoRoT, will help to improve stellar model physics and to test pulsation driving mechanisms.
The stellar magnetic field plays a crucial role in the star internal mechanisms, as in the interactions with its environment. The study of starspots provides information about the stellar magnetic field, and can characterise the cycle. Moreover, the analysis of solar-type stars is also useful to shed light onto the origin of the solar magnetic field. The objective of this work is to characterise the magnetic activity of stars. Here, we studied two solar-type stars Kepler-17 and Kepler-63 using two methods to estimate the magnetic cycle length. The first one characterises the spots (radius, intensity, and location) by fitting the small variations in the light curve of a star caused by the occultation of a spot during a planetary transit. This approach yields the number of spots present in the stellar surface and the flux deficit subtracted from the star by their presence during each transit. The second method estimates the activity from the excess in the residuals of the transit lightcurves. This excess is obtained by subtracting a spotless model transit from the lightcurve, and then integrating all the residuals during the transit. The presence of long term periodicity is estimated in both time series. With the first method, we obtained $P_{rm cycle}$ = 1.12 $pm$ 0.16 yr (Kepler-17) and $P_{rm cycle}$ = 1.27 $pm$ 0.16 yr (Kepler-63), and for the second approach the values are 1.35 $pm$ 0.27 yr and 1.27 $pm$ 0.12 yr, respectively. The results of both methods agree with each other and confirm their robustness.
We present a detailed period analysis of the bright Cepheid-type variable star V1154 Cygni (V =9.1 mag, P~4.9 d) based on almost 600 days of continuous observations by the Kepler space telescope. The data reveal significant cycle-to-cycle fluctuations in the pulsation period, indicating that classical Cepheids may not be as accurate astrophysical clocks as commonly believed: regardless of the specific points used to determine the O-C values, the cycle lengths show a scatter of 0.015-0.02 days over the 120 cycles covered by the observations. A very slight correlation between the individual Fourier parameters and the O-C values was found, suggesting that the O - C variations might be due to the instability of the light curve shape. Random fluctuation tests revealed a linear trend up to a cycle difference 15, but for long term, the period remains around the mean value. We compare the measurements with simulated light curves that were constructed to mimic V1154 Cyg as a perfect pulsator modulated only by the light travel time effect caused by low-mass companions. We show that the observed period jitter in V1154 Cyg represents a serious limitation in the search for binary companions. While the Kepler data are accurate enough to allow the detection of planetary bodies in close orbits around a Cepheid, the astrophysical noise can easily hide the signal of the light-time effect.
Asteroseismology is a powerful tool to precisely determine the evolutionary status and fundamental properties of stars. With the unprecedented precision and nearly continuous photometric data acquired by the NASA Kepler mission, parameters of more than 10$^4$ stars have been determined nearly consistently. However, most studies still use photometric effective temperatures (Teff) and metallicities ([Fe/H]) as inputs, which are not sufficiently accurate as suggested by previous studies. We adopted the spectroscopic Teff and [Fe/H] values based on the LAMOST low-resolution spectra (R~1,800), and combined them with the global oscillation parameters to derive the physical parameters of a large sample of stars. Clear trends were found between {Delta}logg(LAMOST - seismic) and spectroscopic Teff as well as logg, which may result in an overestimation of up to 0.5 dex for the logg of giants in the LAMOST catalog. We established empirical calibration relations for the logg values of dwarfs and giants. These results can be used for determining the precise distances to these stars based on their spectroscopic parameters.
Kepler Mission results are rapidly contributing to fundamentally new discoveries in both the exoplanet and asteroseismology fields. The data returned from Kepler are unique in terms of the number of stars observed, precision of photometry for time series observations, and the temporal extent of high duty cycle observations. As the first mission to provide extensive time series measurements on thousands of stars over months to years at a level hitherto possible only for the Sun, the results from Kepler will vastly increase our knowledge of stellar variability for quiet solar-type stars. Here we report on the stellar noise inferred on the timescale of a few hours of most interest for detection of exoplanets via transits. By design the data from moderately bright Kepler stars are expected to have roughly comparable levels of noise intrinsic to the stars and arising from a combination of fundamental limitations such as Poisson statistics and any instrument noise. The noise levels attained by Kepler on-orbit exceed by some 50% the target levels for solar-type, quiet stars. We provide a decomposition of observed noise for an ensemble of 12th magnitude stars arising from fundamental terms (Poisson and readout noise), added noise due to the instrument and that intrinsic to the stars. The largest factor in the modestly higher than anticipated noise follows from intrinsic stellar noise. We show that using stellar parameters from galactic stellar synthesis models, and projections to stellar rotation, activity and hence noise levels reproduces the primary intrinsic stellar noise features.
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