No Arabic abstract
TESS photometry of the extremely helium-rich hot subdwarfs BD+37 442 and BD+37 1977 demonstrates multi-periodic low-amplitude variability with principal periods of 0.56 and 1.14 d, respectively, and with both first and second harmonics present. The lightcurves are not perfectly regular, implying additional periodic and/or non-periodic content. Possible causes are examined, including the binary hypothesis originally introduced to explain X-ray observations, differentially rotating surface inhomogeneities, and pulsations. If the principal photometric periods correspond to the rotation periods, the stars are rotating at approximately 0.7 and 0.3 x breakup, respectively. Surface Rossby waves (r modes) therefore provide the most likely solution.
We report on the results of the first XMM-Newton satellite observation of the luminous and helium-rich O-type subdwarf BD +37{deg} 1977 carried out in April 2014. X-ray emission is detected with a flux of about 4*10^(-14) erg/cm2/s (0.2-1.5 keV), corresponding to a f_X/f_bol ratio about 10^(-7); the source spectrum is very soft, and is well fit by the sum of two plasma components at different temperatures. Both characteristics are in agreement with what is observed in the main-sequence early-type stars, where the observed X-ray emission is due to turbulence and shocks in the stellar wind. A smaller but still significant stellar wind has been observed also in BD +37{deg} 1977; therefore, we suggest that also in this case the detected X-ray flux has the same origin.
We report the results of the first X-ray observation of the luminous and helium-rich O-type subdwarf BD+37 442, carried out with the XMM-Newton satellite in August 2011. X-ray emission is detected with a flux of about 3x10^(-14) erg/cm2/s (0.2-1 keV) and a very soft spectrum, well fit by the sum of a blackbody with temperature kT_BB = 45^(+11)_(-9) eV and a power law with a poorly constrained photon index. Significant pulsations with a period of 19.2 s are detected, indicating that the X-ray emission originates in a white dwarf or neutron star companion, most likely powered by accretion from the wind of BD+37 442.
We report on the results we obtained with XMM-Newton observations of HD49798 and BD+37 442, the only two sdO stars for which X-ray emission has been observed so far. HD is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with orbital period of 1.5 days. We could establish that its companion is a massive white dwarf with M = 1.28 Msun, which makes it a candidate type Ia supernova progenitor; we also detected a significant X-ray emission during the white-dwarf eclipse, which could be X-ray emission of the sdO star itself. In the case of BD+37 442, a luminous He-rich sdO that up to now was believed to be a single star, we discovered soft X-ray emission with a periodicity of 19.2 s. This indicates that also this hot subdwarf has a compact binary companion, either a white dwarf or a neutron star, most likely powered by accretion from the wind of the sdO star.
We report the results of a new textit{XMM-Newton} observation of the helium-rich hot subdwarf BD+37$^{circ}$442 carried out in February 2016. The possible periodicity at 19 s seen in a 2011 shorter observation is not confirmed, thus dismissing the evidence for a binary nature. This implies that the observed soft X-ray emission, with a luminosity of a few 10$^{31}$ ergs$^{-1}$, originates in BD+37$^{circ}$442 itself, rather than in an accreting neutron star companion. The X-ray spectrum is well fit by thermal plasma emission with a temperature of 0.22 keV and non-solar element abundances. Besides the overabundance of He, C and N already known from optical/UV studies, the X-ray spectra indicate also a significant excess of Ne. The soft X-ray spectrum and the ratio of X-ray to bolometric luminosity, L$_{rm X}$/L$_{rm BOL}sim2times10^{-7}$, are similar to those observed in massive early-type stars. This indicates that the mechanisms responsible for plasma shock-heating can work also in the weak stellar winds (mass loss rates $dot M_{rm W} leq10^{-8}$ ${rm M}_{odot}$ yr$^{-1}$) of low-mass hot stars.
A medium- and high-resolution spectroscopic survey of helium-rich hot subdwarfs is being carried out using the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). Objectives include the discovery of exotic hot subdwarfs and of sequences connecting chemically-peculiar subdwarfs of different types. The first phase consists of medium-resolution spectroscopy of over 100 stars selected from low-resolution surveys. This paper describes the selection criteria, and the observing, classification and analysis methods. It presents 107 spectral classifications on the MK-like Drilling system and 106 coarse analyses ($T_{rm eff}, log g, log y$) based on a hybrid grid of zero-metal non-LTE and line-blanketed LTE model atmospheres. For 75 stars, atmospheric parameters have been derived for the first time. The sample may be divided into 6 distinct groups including the classical `helium-rich sdO stars with spectral types (Sp) sdO6.5 - sdB1 (74) comprising carbon-rich (35) and carbon-weak (39) stars, very hot He-sdOs with Sp $lesssim$ sdO6 (13), extreme helium stars with luminosity class $lesssim 5$ (5), intermediate helium-rich subdwarfs with helium class 25 -- 35 (8), and intermediate helium-rich subdwarfs with helium class $10 - 25$ (6). The last covers a narrow spectral range (sdB0 -- sdB1) including two known and four candidate heavy-metal subdwarfs. Within other groups are several stars of individual interest, including an extremely metal-poor helium star, candidate double-helium subdwarf binaries, and a candidate low-gravity He-sdO star.