No Arabic abstract
$gamma$ Doradus is the prototype star for the eponymous class of pulsating stars that consists of late A-early F main-sequence stars oscillating in low-frequency gravito-inertial modes. Being among the brightest stars of its kind (V = 4.2), $gamma$ Dor benefits from a large set of observational data that has been recently completed by high-quality space photometry from the TESS mission. With these new data, we propose to study $gamma$ Dor as an example of possibilities offered by synergies between multi-technical ground and space-based observations. Here, we present the preliminary results of our investigations.
We present the first asteroseismic results for $delta$ Scuti and $gamma$ Doradus stars observed in Sectors 1 and 2 of the TESS mission. We utilise the 2-min cadence TESS data for a sample of 117 stars to classify their behaviour regarding variability and place them in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram using Gaia DR2 data. Included within our sample are the eponymous members of two pulsator classes, $gamma$ Doradus and SX Phoenicis. Our sample of pulsating intermediate-mass stars observed by TESS also allows us to confront theoretical models of pulsation driving in the classical instability strip for the first time and show that mixing processes in the outer envelope play an important role. We derive an empirical estimate of 74% for the relative amplitude suppression factor as a result of the redder TESS passband compared to the Kepler mission using a pulsating eclipsing binary system. Furthermore, our sample contains many high-frequency pulsators, allowing us to probe the frequency variability of hot young $delta$ Scuti stars, which were lacking in the Kepler mission data set, and identify promising targets for future asteroseismic modelling. The TESS data also allow us to refine the stellar parameters of SX Phoenicis, which is believed to be a blue straggler.
While Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) covers a considerable area of the sky during routine observations and the pointing schedule is easy to follow, it is not obvious to retrieve the current and/or predicted visibility of a bulk amount of objects, considering both stationary and moving Solar System targets like asteroids or comets. The program `tessvisibility` is a small piece of highly portable code implemented in both C an UNIX shell, providing functionalities for such bulk retrievals at the accuracy of a TESS pixel. This accuracy includes the gaps between the focal plane CCDs, the gaps between the cameras as well as at the sector-level treatment to obtain visibility information.
Hybrid stars of the {gamma} Doradus and {delta} Scuti pulsation types have great potential for asteroseismic analysis to explore their interior structure. To achieve this, mode identi- fications of pulsational frequencies observed in the stars must be made, a task which is far from simple. In this work we begin the analysis by scrutinizing the frequencies found in the CoRoT photometric satellite measurements and ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy of the hybrid star HD 49434. The results show almost no consistency between the frequencies found using the two techniques and no characteristic period spacings or couplings were identified in either dataset. The spectroscopic data additionally show no evidence for any long term (5 year) variation in the dominant frequency. The 31 spectroscopic frequencies identified have standard deviation profiles suggesting multiple modes sharing (l, m) in the {delta} Scuti frequency region and several skewed modes sharing the same (l, m) in the {gamma} Doradus frequency region. In addition, there is a clear frequency in the {gamma} Doradus frequency region that appears to be unrelated to the others. We conclude HD 49434 remains a {delta} Scuti/ {gamma} Doradus candidate hybrid star but more sophisticated models dealing with rotation are sought to obtain a clear picture of the pulsational behaviour of this star.
According to most literature sources, the amplitude of the pulsational variability observed in gamma Doradus stars does not exceed 0.1 mag in Johnson V. We have analyzed fifteen high-amplitude gamma Doradus stars with photometric peak-to-peak amplitudes well beyond this limit, with the aim of unraveling the mechanisms behind the observed high amplitudes and investigating whether these objects are in any way physically distinct from their low-amplitude counterparts. We have calculated astrophysical parameters and investigated the location of the high-amplitude gamma Doradus stars and a control sample of fifteen low-amplitude objects in the log Teff versus log L diagram. Employing survey data and our own observations, we analyzed the photometric variability of our target stars using discrete Fourier transform. Correlations between the observed primary frequencies, amplitudes and other parameters like effective temperature and luminosity were investigated. The unusually high amplitudes of the high-amplitude gamma Doradus stars can be explained by the superposition of several base frequencies in interaction with their combination and overtone frequencies. Although the maximum amplitude of the primary frequencies does not exceed an amplitude of 0.1 mag, total light variability amplitudes of over 0.3 mag (V) can be attained in this way. Low- and high-amplitude gamma Doradus stars do not appear to be physically distinct in any other respect than their total variability amplitudes but merely represent two ends of the same, uniform group of variables.
The hot $gamma$~Doradus stars have multiple low frequencies characteristic of $gamma$~Dor or SPB variables, but are located between the red edge of the SPB and the blue edge of the $gamma$~Dor instability strips where all low-frequency modes are stable in current models of these stars. Though $delta$~Sct stars also have low frequencies, there is no sign of high frequencies in hot $gamma$~Dor stars. We obtained spectra to refine the locations of some of these stars in the H-R diagram and conclude that these are, indeed, anomalous pulsating stars. The Maia variables have multiple high frequencies characteristic of $beta$~Cep and $delta$~Sct stars, but lie between the red edge of the $beta$~Cep and the blue edge of the $delta$~Sct instability strips. We compile a list of all Maia candidates and obtain spectra of two of these stars. Again, it seems likely that these are anomalous pulsating stars which are currently not understood.