No Arabic abstract
High-resolution spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study the dynamical structure of pulsating stars atmosphere. We aim at comparing the line asymmetry and velocity of the two delta Sct stars rho Pup and DX Cet with previous spectroscopic data obtained on classical Cepheids and beta Cep stars. We obtained, analysed and discuss HARPS high-resolution spectra of rho Pup and DX Cet. We derived the same physical quantities as used in previous studies, which are the first-moment radial velocities and the bi-Gaussian spectral line asymmetries. The identification of f=7.098 (1/d) as a fundamental radial mode and the very accurate Hipparcos parallax promote rho Pup as the best standard candle to test the period-luminosity relations of delta Sct stars. The action of small-amplitude nonradial modes can be seen as well-defined cycle-to-cycle variations in the radial velocity measurements of rho Pup. Using the spectral-line asymmetry method, we also found the centre-of-mass velocities of rho Pup and DX Cet, V_gamma = 47.49 +/- 0.07 km/s and V_gamma = 25.75 +/- 0.06 km/s, respectively. By comparing our results with previous HARPS observations of classical Cepheids and beta Cep stars, we confirm the linear relation between the atmospheric velocity gradient and the amplitude of the radial velocity curve, but only for amplitudes larger than 22.5 km/s. For lower values of the velocity amplitude (i.e., < 22.5 km/s), our data on rho Pup seem to indicate that the velocity gradient is null, but this result needs to be confirmed with additional data. We derived the Baade-Wesselink projection factor p = 1.36 +/- 0.02 for rho Pup and p = 1.39 +/- 0.02 for DX Cet. We successfully extended the period-projection factor relation from classical Cepheids to delta Scuti stars.
Aims. The Baade-Wesselink method of distance determination is based on the oscillations of pulsating stars. The key parameter of this method is the projection factor used to convert the radial velocity into the pulsation velocity. Our analysis was aimed at deriving for the first time the projection factor of delta Scuti stars, using high-resolution spectra of the high-amplitude pulsator AI Vel and of the fast rotator beta Cas. Methods. The geometric component of the projection factor (i.e. p0) was calculated using a limb-darkening model of the intensity distribution for AI Vel, and a fast-rotator model for beta Cas. Then, using SOPHIE/OHP data for beta Cas and HARPS/ESO data for AI Vel, we compared the radial velocity curves of several spectral lines forming at different levels in the atmosphere and derived the velocity gradient associated to the spectral-line-forming regions in the atmosphere of the star. This velocity gradient was used to derive a dynamical projection factor p. Results. We find a flat velocity gradient for both stars and finally p = p0 = 1.44 for AI Vel and p = p0 = 1.41 for beta Cas. By comparing Cepheids and delta Scuti stars, these results bring valuable insights into the dynamical structure of pulsating star atmospheres. They suggest that the period-projection factor relation derived for Cepheids is also applicable to delta Scuti stars pulsating in a dominant radial mode.
We present a seismic study of $delta$ Scuti based on a mode identification from multicoulor photometry. The dominant frequency can be associated only with a radial mode and the second frequency is, most probably, a dipole mode. The other six frequencies have more ambiguous identifications. The photometric mode identification provided also some constraints on the atmospheric metallicity [m/H]$approx$+0.5 and microturbulent velocity $xi_tapprox 4~kms$. For models reproducing the dominant frequency, we show that only the fundamental mode is possible and the first overtone is excluded. However, the location of $delta$ Scuti near the terminal age main sequence requires the consideration of three stages of stellar evolution. For the star to be on the main sequence, it is necessary to include overshooting from the convective core with a parameter of at least $alpha_{rm ov}=0.25$ at the metallicity greater than $Z=0.019$. It turned out that the value of the relative amplitude of the bolometric flux variations (the nonadiabatic parameter $f$) is mainly determined by the position of the star in the HR diagram, i.e., by its effective temperature and luminosity, whereas the effect of the evolutionary stage is minor. On the other hand, the convective efficiency in the subphotospheric layers has a dominant effect on the value of the parameter $f$. %in the $delta$ Sct star models. Comparing the theoretical and empirical values of $f$ for the radial dominant mode, we obtain constraints on the mixing length parameter $alpha_{rm MLT}$ which is less than about 1.0, independently of the adopted opacity data and chemical mixture. This value of $alpha_{rm MLT}$ is substantially smaller than for a calibrated solar model indicating rather low to moderately efficient convection in the envelope of $delta$ Scuti.
As part of the NASA Kepler Guest Observer program, we requested and obtained long-cadence data on about 2700 faint (magnitude 14-16) Kepler stars with effective temperatures and surface gravities that lie near or within the pulsation instability region for main-sequence gamma Doradus and delta Scuti pulsating variables. These variables are of spectral type A-F with masses of 1.4 to 2.5 solar masses. The delta Scuti stars pulsate in radial and non-radial acoustic modes, with periods of a few hours (frequencies around 10 cycles/day), while gamma Doradus variables pulsate in nonradial gravity modes with periods 0.3 to 3 days (frequencies around 1 cycle/day). Here we consider the light curves and Fourier transforms of 633 stars in an unbiased sample observed by Kepler in Quarters 6-13 (June 2010-June 2012). We show the location of these stars in the log surface gravity--effective temperature diagram compared to the instability region limits established from ground-based observations, and taking into account uncertainties and biases in the Kepler Input Catalog T_eff values. While hundreds of variables have been discovered in the Kepler data, about 60% of the stars in our sample do not show any frequencies between 0.2 and 24.4 cycles per day with amplitude above 20 parts per million. We find that six of these apparently constant stars lie within the pulsation instability region. We discuss some possible reasons that these stars do not show photometric variability in the Kepler data. We also comment on the non-constant stars, and on 26 variable-star candidates, many of which also do not lie within the expected instability regions.
The combination of photometry, spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry of the chemically peculiar stars often aims to study the complex physical phenomena such as stellar pulsation, chemical inhomogeneity, magnetic field and their interplay with stellar atmosphere and circumstellar environment. The prime objective of the present study is to determine the atmospheric parameters of a set of Am stars to understand their evolutionary status. Atmospheric abundances and basic parameters are determined using full spectrum fitting technique by comparing the high-resolution spectra to the synthetic spectra. To know the evolutionary status we derive the effective temperature and luminosity from different methods and compare them with the literature. The location of these stars in the H-R diagram demonstrate that all the sample stars are evolved from the Zero-Age-Main-Sequence towards Terminal-Age-Main-Sequence and occupy the region of $delta$ Sct instability strip. The abundance analysis shows that the light elements e.g. Ca and Sc are underabundant while iron peak elements such as Ba, Ce etc. are overabundant and these chemical properties are typical for Am stars. The results obtained from the spectropolarimetric analysis shows that the longitudinal magnetic fields in all the studied stars are negligible that gives further support their Am class of peculiarity.
We have performed a frequency analysis of 10,092 Delta Scuti-type stars detected in the fourth phase of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) towards the Galactic bulge, which is the most numerous homogeneous sample of Delta Scuti stars observed so far. The main goal was to search for stars pulsating in at least two radial modes simultaneously. We have found 3083 candidates for such stars, which is the largest set obtained to date. Among them, 2655 stars pulsate in two radial modes, 414 stars pulsate in three radial modes, and 14 stars pulsate in four radial modes at the same time. We report the identification of 221 Delta Scuti stars pulsating in the fundamental mode, first overtone, and third overtone simultaneously. We show the most populated Petersen and Bailey diagrams and discuss statistical properties of the identified frequencies based on this numerous sample. Additionally, we present theoretical predictions of period ratios for Delta Scuti stars pulsating in overtones from the fourth to the seventh.