Asteroseismic data can be used to determine surface gravities with precisions of < 0.05 dex by using the global seismic quantities Deltanu and nu_max along with Teff and [Fe/H]. Surface gravity is also one of the four stellar properties to be derived
by automatic analyses for 1 billion stars from Gaia data (workpackage GSP_Phot). We explore seismic data from MS F, G, K stars (solar-like stars) observed by Kepler as a potential calibration source for methods that Gaia will use for object characterisation (log g). We calculate log g for bright nearby stars for which radii and masses are known, and using their global seismic quantities in a grid-based method, we determine an asteroseismic log g to within 0.01 dex of the direct calculation, thus validating the accuracy of our method. We find that errors in Teff and mainly [Fe/H] can cause systematic errors of 0.02 dex. We then apply our method to a list of 40 stars to deliver precise values of surface gravity, i.e. sigma < 0.02 dex, and we find agreement with recent literature values. Finally, we explore the precision we expect in a sample of 400+ Kepler stars which have their global seismic quantities measured. We find a mean uncertainty (precision) on the order of <0.02 dex in log g over the full explored range 3.8 < log g < 4.6, with the mean value varying only with stellar magnitude (0.01 - 0.02 dex). We study sources of systematic errors in log g and find possible biases on the order of 0.04 dex, independent of log g and magnitude, which accounts for errors in the Teff and [Fe/H] measurements, as well as from using a different grid-based method. We conclude that Kepler stars provide a wealth of reliable information that can help to calibrate methods that Gaia will use, in particular, for source characterisation with GSP_Phot where excellent precision (small uncertainties) and accuracy in log g is obtained from seismic data.
Distances from the Gaia mission will no doubt improve our understanding of stellar physics by providing an excellent constraint on the luminosity of the star. However, it is also clear that high precision stellar properties from, for example, asteros
eismology, will also provide a needed input constraint in order to calibrate the methods that Gaia will use, e.g. stellar models or GSP_phot. For solar-like stars (F, G, K IV/V), asteroseismic data delivers at the least two very important quantities: (1) the average large frequency separation <Delta_nu> and (2) the frequency corresponding to the maximum of the modulated-amplitude spectrum nu_max. Both of these quantities are related directly to stellar parameters (radius and mass) and in particular their combination (gravity and density). We show how the precision in <Delta_nu>, nu_max, and atmospheric parameters T_eff and [Fe/H] affect the determination of gravity (log g) for a sample of well-known stars. We find that log g can be determined within less than 0.02 dex accuracy for our sample while considering precisions in the data expected for V<12 stars from Kepler data. We also derive masses and radii which are accurate to within 1sigma of the accepted values. This study validates the subsequent use of all of the available asteroseismic data on main sequence solar-like stars from the Kepler field (>500 IV/V stars) in order to provide a very important constraint for Gaia calibration of GSP_phot through the use of log g. We note that while we concentrate on IV/V stars, both the CoRoT and Kepler fields contain asteroseismic data on thousands of giant stars which will also provide useful calibration measures.
The Stellar Observations Network Group (SONG) is an international network project aiming to place eight 1-m robotic telescopes around the globe, with the primary objectives of studying stellar oscillations and planets using ultra-precision radial vel
ocity measurements. The prototype of SONG is scheduled to be installed and running at the Observatorio del Teide by Summer 2011. In these proceedings we present the project, primary scientific objectives, and instrument, and discuss the observing possibilities for the Spanish community.
We present an asteroseismic study of the solar-like stars KIC 11395018, KIC 10273246, KIC 10920273, KIC 10339342, and KIC 11234888 using short-cadence time series of more than eight months from the Kepler satellite. For four of these stars, we derive
atmospheric parameters from spectra acquired with the Nordic Optical Telescope. The global seismic quantities (average large frequency separation and frequency of maximum power), combined with the atmospheric parameters, yield the mean density and surface gravity with precisions of 2% and ~0.03 dex, respectively. We also determine the radius, mass, and age with precisions of 2-5%, 7-11%, and ~35%, respectively, using grid-based analyses. We determine asteroseismic distances to these stars with a precision better than 10%, and constrain the stellar inclination for three of the stars. An Li abundance analysis yields an independent estimate of the age, but this is inconsistent with the asteroseismically determined age for one of the stars. We compare the results from five different grid-based analyses, and we find that they all provide radius and mass values to within 2.4sigma. The absence of a metallicity constraint when the average large frequency separation is measured with a precision of 1% biases the fitted radius and mass for the stars with non-solar metallicity (metal-rich KIC 11395018 and metal-poor KIC 10273246), while including a metallicity constraint reduces the uncertainties in both of these parameters by almost a factor of two. We found that including the average small frequency separation improves the determination of the age only for KIC 11395018 and KIC 11234888, and for the latter this improvement was due to the lack of strong atmospheric constraints. (Abridged).
We present a preliminary spectroscopic analysis of the binary system V577Oph, observed during the summer of 2007 on the 2.6m NOT telescope on La Palma. We have obtained time series spectroscopic observations, which show clear binary motion as well as
radial velocity variations due to pulsation in the primary star. By modelling the radial velocities we determine a full orbital solution of the system, which yields M_A sin^3 i = 1.562 +/- 0.012 M_solar and M_B sin^3 i = 1.461 +/- 0.020 M_solar. An estimate of inclination from photometry yields a primary mass of 1.6 M_solar. Using this derived mass, and the known pulsation frequency we can impose a lower limit of 1 Gyr on the age of the system, and constrain the parameters of the oscillation mode. We show that with further analysis of the spectra (extracting the atmospheric parameters), tighter constraints could be imposed on the age, metallicity and the mode parameters. This work emphasizes the power that a single pulsation frequency can have for constraining stellar parameters in an eclipsing binary system.
HD172189 is a spectroscopic eclipsing binary system with a rapidly-rotating pulsating delta Scuti component. It is also a member of the open cluster IC4756. These combined characteristics make it an excellent laboratory for asteroseismic studies. To
date, HD172189 has been analysed in detail photometrically but not spectroscopically. For this reason we have compiled a set of spectroscopic data to determine the absolute and atmospheric parameters of the components. We determined the radial velocities (RV) of both components using four different techniques. We disentangled the binary spectra using KOREL, and performed the first abundance analysis on both disentangled spectra. By combining the spectroscopic results and the photometric data, we obtained the component masses, 1.8 and 1.7 solar masses, and radii, 4.0 and 2.4 solar radii, for inclination i = 73.2 degrees, eccentricity e = 0.28, and orbital period 5.70198 days. Effective temperatures of 7600 K and 8100 K were also determined. The measured vsini are 78 and 74 km/s, respectively, giving rotational periods of 2.50 and 1.55 days for the components. The abundance analysis shows [Fe/H] = -0.28 for the primary (pulsating) star, consistent with observations of IC4756. We also present an assessment of the different analysis techniques used to obtain the RVs and the global parameters.
