We analyzed photometry for the up-to-date collection of the first-overtone RR Lyrae stars (RRc; 11415 stars) and double-mode RR Lyrae stars (RRd; 148 stars) towards the Galactic bulge from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. We analyzed fre
quency spectra of these stars in search for additional, low-amplitude signals, beyond the radial modes. We focused on stars from two groups: $RR_{0.61}$ and $RR_{0.68}$. In the first group, additional low-amplitude signals have periods shorter than the first-overtone period; period ratios fall in the 0.60-0.64 range. In the second group, additional low-amplitude signals have periods longer than the first-overtone period; period ratios tightly cluster around 0.68. Altogether we have detected 960 and 147 RR Lyrae stars that belong to $RR_{0.61}$ and $RR_{0.68}$ groups, respectively, which yield the incidence rates of 8.3 and 1.3 per cent of the considered sample. We discuss statistical properties of RR Lyrae stars with additional periodicities. For $RR_{0.61}$ group we provide strong arguments that additional periodicities are connected to non-radial pulsation modes of degrees $ell=8$ and $ell=9$, as proposed by Dziembowski. We have also detected two double-periodic variables, with two close periodicities, similar to RR Lyrae variable V37 in NGC 6362. Properties of these peculiar variables, which may form a new group of double-mode pulsators, are discussed.
We present the analysis of the Blazhko effect - quasi-periodic modulation of pulsation amplitude and/or phase - in the Galactic bulge first overtone RR Lyrae stars (RRc). We used the data gathered during the fourth phase of the Optical Gravitational
Lensing Experiment (OGLE). Out of 10 826 analyzed RRc stars, Blazhko effect was detected in 607 stars which constitute 5.6 percent of the sample. It is the largest and most homogeneous sample of modulated RRc stars analyzed so far. Modulation periods cover a wide range, from slightly above 2 d to nearly 3000 d. Multiperiodic modulation was detected in 47 stars. The appearance of modulation in the frequency domain was studied in detail. Modulation manifests either as close doublets or as equidistant triplets and multiplets centered on radial mode frequency and its harmonics. In a significant fraction (29 percent) of stars, we have detected the modulation frequency itself, which corresponds to the modulation of the mean stellar brightness. Our search for period doubling effect, that was discovered recently in modulated fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars, and triggered development of new model behind the Blazhko modulation, yielded negative result. In 104 stars we detected additional signals that could correspond to both radial and non-radial modes. Statistical properties of modulated stars were analyzed in detail and confronted with properties of non-modulated stars and of modulated fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars. Our analysis provides constraints for the models to explain the Blazhko phenomenon, which still remains a puzzle more than hundred years after its discovery.
The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) is a great source of top-quality photometry of classical pulsators. Collection of variable stars from the fourth part of the project contains more than 38 000 RR Lyrae stars. These stars pulsate mos
tly in the radial fundamental mode (RRab), in radial first overtone (RRc) or in both modes simultaneously (RRd). Analysis of the OGLE data allowed to detect additional non-radial modes in RRc and in RRd stars. We have found more than 260 double-mode stars with characteristic period ratio of the additional (shorter) period to first overtone period around 0.61, increasing the number of known stars of this type by factor of 10. Stars from the OGLE sample form three nearly parallel sequences in the Petersen diagram. Some stars show more than one non-radial mode simultaneously. These modes belong to different sequences.
