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Register a new userTESS observations of Cepheid stars: first light results
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We present the first analysis of Cepheid stars observed by the TESS space mission in Sectors 1 to 5. Our sample consists of 25 pulsators: ten fundamental mode, three overtone and two double-mode classical Cepheids, plus three Type II and seven anomalous Cepheids. The targets were chosen from fields with different stellar densities, both from the Galactic field and from the Magellanic System. Three targets have 2-minute cadence light curves available by the TESS Science Processing Operations Center: for the rest, we prepared custom light curves from the full-frame images with our own differential photometric FITSH pipeline. Our main goal was to explore the potential and the limitations of TESS concerning the various subtypes of Cepheids. We detected many low amplitude features: weak modulation, period jitter, and timing variations due to light-time effect. We also report signs of non-radial modes and the first discovery of such a mode in an anomalous Cepheid, the overtone star XZ Cet, which we then confirmed with ground-based multicolor photometric measurements. We prepared a custom photometric solution to minimize saturation effects in the bright fundamental-mode classical Cepheid, $beta$ Dor with the lightkurve software, and we revealed strong evidence of cycle-to-cycle variations in the star. In several cases, however, fluctuations in the pulsation could not be distinguished from instrumental effects, such as contamination from nearby sources which also varies between sectors. Finally, we discuss how precise light curve shapes will be crucial not only for classification purposes but also to determine physical properties of these stars.
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In this paper we introduce the MOBSTER collaboration and lay out its scientific goals. We present first results based on the analysis of nineteen previously known magnetic O, B and A stars observed in 2-minute cadence in sectors 1 and 2 of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. We derive precise rotational periods from the newly obtained light curves and compare them to previously published values. We also discuss the overall photometric phenomenology of the known magnetic massive and intermediate-mass stars and propose an observational strategy to augment this population by taking advantage of the high-quality observations produced by TESS.
We present a modern ephemeris and modern light curve of the first-discovered Cepheid variable in M31, Edwin Hubbles M31-V1. Observers of the American Association of Variable Star Observers undertook these observations during the latter half of 2010. The observations were in support of an outreach program by the Space Telescope Science Institutes Hubble Heritage project, but the resulting data are the first concentrated observations of M31-V1 made in modern times. AAVSO observers obtained 214 V-band, Rc-band, and unfiltered observations from which a current ephemeris was derived. The ephemeris derived from these observations is JD(Max) = 2455430.5(+/-0.5) + 31.4 (+/-0.1) E. The period derived from the 2010 data are in agreement with the historic values of the period, but the single season of data precludes a more precise determination of the period or measurement of the period change using these data alone. However, using an ephemeris based upon the period derived by Baade and Swope we are able to fit all of the observed data acceptably well. Continued observations in the modern era will be very valuable in linking these modern data with data from the 1920s-30s and 1950s, and will enable us to measure period change in this historic Cepheid. In particular, we strongly encourage intensive observations of this star around predicted times of maximum to constrain the date of maximum to better than 0.5 days.
Solar-like oscillations are excited in cool stars with convective envelopes and provide a powerful tool to constrain fundamental stellar properties and interior physics. We provide a brief history of the detection of solar-like oscillations, focusing in particular on the space-based photometry revolution started by the CoRoT and Kepler Missions. We then discuss some of the lessons learned from these missions, and highlight the continued importance of smaller space telescopes such as BRITE constellation to characterize very bright stars with independent observational constraints. As an example, we use BRITE observations to measure a tentative surface rotation period of 28.3+/-0.5 days for alpha Cen A, which has so far been poorly constrained. We also discuss the expected yields of solar-like oscillators from the TESS Mission, demonstrating that TESS will complement Kepler by discovering oscillations in a large number of nearby subgiants, and present first detections of oscillations in TESS exoplanet host stars.
In our previous study of low mass stars using TESS, we found a handful which show a periodic modulation on a period <1 d but also displayed no flaring activity. Here we present the results of a systematic search for Ultra Fast Rotators (UFRs) in the southern ecliptic hemisphere which were observed in 2 min cadence with TESS. Using data from Gaia DR2, we obtain a sample of over 13,000 stars close to the lower main sequence. Of these, we identify 609 stars which lie on the lower main sequence and have a periodic modulation <1 d. The fraction of stars which show flares appears to drop significantly at periods <0.2 d. If the periods are a signature of the rotation rate, this would be a surprise, since faster rotators would be expected to have a stronger magnetic field and, therefore, produce more flares. We explore possible reasons for our finding: the flare inactive stars are members of binaries, in which case the stars rotation rate could have increased as the binary orbital separation reduced due to angular momentum loss over time, or that enhanced emission occurs at blue wavelengths beyond the pass band of TESS. Follow-up spectroscopy and flare monitoring at blue/ultraviolet wavelengths of these flare inactive stars are required to resolve this question.
Since the onset of the `space revolution of high-precision high-cadence photometry, asteroseismology has been demonstrated as a powerful tool for informing Galactic archaeology investigations. The launch of the NASA TESS mission has enabled seismic-based inferences to go full sky -- providing a clear advantage for large ensemble studies of the different Milky Way components. Here we demonstrate its potential for investigating the Galaxy by carrying out the first asteroseismic ensemble study of red giant stars observed by TESS. We use a sample of 25 stars for which we measure their global asteroseimic observables and estimate their fundamental stellar properties, such as radius, mass, and age. Significant improvements are seen in the uncertainties of our estimates when combining seismic observables from TESS with astrometric measurements from the Gaia mission compared to when the seismology and astrometry are applied separately. Specifically, when combined we show that stellar radii can be determined to a precision of a few percent, masses to 5-10% and ages to the 20% level. This is comparable to the precision typically obtained using end-of-mission Kepler data
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