arXiv subjects

Achim Weiss

Publications and source records attributed to Achim Weiss.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Coupling 1D stellar evolution with 3D-hydrodynamical simulations on-the-fly II: Stellar Evolution and Asteroseismic Applications

Models of stellar structure and evolution are an indispensable tool in astrophysics, yet they are known to incorrectly reproduce the outer convective layers of stars. In the first paper of this series, we presented a novel procedure to include the mean structure of 3D hydrodynamical simulations on-the-fly in stellar models, and found it to significantly improve the outer stratification and oscillation frequencies of a standard solar model. In the present work, we extend the analysis of the method; specifically how the transition point between envelope and interior affects the models. We confirm the versatility of our method by successfully repeating the entire procedure for a different grid of 3D hydro-simulations. Furthermore, the applicability of the procedure was investigated across the HR diagram and an accuracy comparable to the solar case was found. Moreover, we explored the implications on stellar evolution and find that the red-giant branch is shifted about 40 K to higher effective temperatures. Finally, we present for the first time an asteroseismic analysis based on stellar models fully utilising the stratification of 3D simulations on-the-fly. These new models significantly reduce the asteroseismic surface term for the two selected stars in the Kepler field. We extend the analysis to red giants and characterise the shape of the surface effect in this regime. Lastly, we stress that the interpolation required by our method would benefit from new 3D simulations, resulting in a finer sampling of the grid.

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arXiv2019

Overcoming the structural surface effect with a realistic treatment of turbulent convection in 1D stellar models

State-of-the-art one-dimensional (1D) stellar evolution codes rely on simplifying assumptions, such as mixing length theory, in order to describe superadiabatic convection. As a result, 1D stellar structure models do not correctly recover the surface layers of the Sun and other stars with convective envelopes. We present a method that overcomes this structural drawback by employing three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic simulations of stellar envelopes: at every time-step of the evolution interpolated 3D envelopes are appended to the 1D structure and are used to supply realistic boundary conditions for the stellar interior. In contrast to previous attempts, our method includes mean 3D turbulent pressure. We apply our method to model the present Sun. The structural shortcomings of standard stellar models lead to systematic errors in the stellar oscillation frequencies inferred from the model. We show that our method fully corrects for this error. Furthermore, we show that our realistic treatment of superadiabatic convection alters the predicted evolution of the Sun. Our results hence have important implications for the characterization of stars. This has ramifications for neighbouring fields, such as exoplanet research and galactic archaeology, for which accurate stellar models play a key role.

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arXiv2019

Masses of the Hyades white dwarfs: A gravitational redshift measurement

Context. It is possible to accurately measure the masses of the white dwarfs (WDs) in the Hyades cluster using gravitational redshift, because the radial velocity of the stars can be obtained independently of spectroscopy from astrometry and the cluster has a low velocity dispersion. Aims. We aim to obtain an accurate measurement of the Hyades WD masses by determining the mass-to-radius ratio (M/R) from the observed gravitational redshift, and to compare them with masses derived from other methods. Methods. We analyse archive high-resolution UVES-VLT spectra of six WDs belonging to the Hyades to measure their Doppler shift, from which M/R is determined after subtracting the astrometric radial velocity. We estimate the radii using Gaia photometry as well as literature data. Results. The M/R error associated to the gravitational redshift measurement is about 5%. The radii estimates, evaluated with different methods, are in very good agreement, though they can differ by up to 4% depending on the quality of the data. The masses based on gravitational redshift are systematically smaller than those derived from other methods, by a minimum of $\sim 0.02$ up to 0.05 solar masses. While this difference is within our measurement uncertainty, the fact that it is systematic indicates a likely real discrepancy between the different methods. Conclusions. We show that the M/R derived from gravitational redshift measurements is a powerful tool to determine the masses of the Hyades WDs and could reveal interesting properties of their atmospheres. The technique can be improved by using dedicated spectrographs, and can be extended to other clusters, making it unique in its ability to accurately and empirically determine the masses of WDs in open clusters. At the same time we prove that gravitational redshift in WDs agrees with the predictions of stellar evolution models to within a few percent.

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arXiv2019

Mending the structural surface effect of 1D stellar structure models with non-solar metallicities based on interpolated 3D envelopes

1D stellar evolution codes employ rudimentary treatments of turbulent convection. For stars with convective envelopes, this leads to systematic errors in the predicted oscillation frequencies needed for asteroseismology. One way of mending these structural inadequacies is through patching, whereby the outermost layers of 1D models are replaced by the mean stratifications from 3D simulations. In order to viably implement this approach in asteroseismic analysis, interpolation throughout precomputed 3D envelopes is required. We present a method that interpolates throughout precomputed 3D envelopes as a function of effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity. We conduct a series of validation tests that demonstrate that the scheme reliably and accurately reproduces the structures of stellar envelopes and apply our method to the Sun as well as two stars observed by Kepler. We parameterize the frequency shift that results from patching and show that the functional forms are evolutionary dependent. In addition we find that neglecting modal effects, such as non-adiabatic energetics, introduces systematic errors in asteroseimically obtained stellar parameters. Both these results suggest that a cautious approach is necessary when utilizing empirical surface corrections in lieu of patching models. Our results have important implications, particularly for characterizing exoplanet systems, where accuracy is of utmost concern.

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arXiv2018

Addressing the acoustic tachocline anomaly and the lithium depletion problem at the same time

Current standard solar models neither account properly for the photospheric lithium abundance nor reproduce the inferred solar sound speed profile. Diffusive overshooting at the base of the solar convective envelope has previously been shown to solve either of these model inadequacies. In this paper, we present an analysis of solar models with four different parametrizations of diffusive overshooting. We find that these models are able to recover the correct lithium depletion, regardless of the parametrization, if overshooting is suppressed, during the early evolutionary stages. Further, parametrizations of diffusive overshooting have been shown to improve the inferred sound speed profile. However, none of the presented models are able to simultaneously solve both model inadequacies, showing that diffusive overshooting on its own is deficient to account for observations.

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arXiv2018

Coupling 1D stellar evolution with 3D-hydrodynamical simulations on-the-fly I: A New Standard Solar Model

Standard 1D stellar evolution models do not correctly reproduce the structure of the outermost layers of stars with convective envelopes. This has been a long-standing problem in stellar modelling affecting both the predicted evolutionary paths and the attributed oscillation frequencies, and indirectly biasing numerous quantities derived from stellar evolution calculations. We present a novel method that mostly eliminates these structural defects by appending mean 3D simulations of stellar envelopes. In contrast to previous attempts we impose the complete structure derived from 3D simulations at each time step during the entire evolution. For this purpose, we interpolate in grids of pre-computed 3D simulations and use the resulting structure as boundary conditions, in order to solve the stellar structure equations for the 1D interior at each time step. Our method provides a continuous transition in many quantities from the interior to the imposed interpolated 3D surface layers. We present a solar calibration model and show that the obtained structure of the surface layers reliably mimics that of the underlying 3D simulations for the present Sun. Moreover, we perform a helioseismic analysis, showing that our method mostly eliminates the structural contribution to the discrepancy between model frequencies and observed p-mode frequencies.

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arXiv2018

Influence of the Outer Boundary Condition on models of AGB stars

Current implementations of the stellar atmosphere typically derive boundary conditions for the interior model from either grey plane-parallel atmospheres or scaled solar atmospheres, neither of which can be considered to have appropriate underlying assumptions for the Thermally Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch (TP-AGB). This paper discusses the treatment and influence of the outer boundary condition within stellar evolution codes, and the resulting effects on the AGB evolution. The complex interaction of processes, such as the third dredge up and mass loss, governing the TP-AGB can be affected by varying the treatment of this boundary condition. Presented here are the results from altering the geometry, opacities and the implementation of a grid of MARCS/COMARCS model atmospheres in order to improve this treatment. Although there are changes in the TP-AGB evolution, observable quantities, such as the final core mass, are not significantly altered as a result of the change of atmospheric treatment. During the course of the investigation, a previously unseen phenomena in the AGB models was observed and further investigated. This is believed to be physical, although arising from specific conditions which make its presence unlikely. If it were present in stars, this phenomenon would increase the carbon-star lifetime above 10Myr and increase the final core mass by $\sim0.1M_{\odot}$ in the narrow initial-mass range where it was observed ($\sim2-2.3M_{\odot}$).

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arXiv2018

Stellar models with calibrated convection and temperature stratification from 3D hydrodynamics simulations

Stellar evolution codes play a major role in present-day astrophysics, yet they share common simplifications related to the outer layers of stars. We seek to improve on this by the use of results from realistic and highly detailed 3D hydrodynamics simulations of stellar convection. We implement a temperature stratification extracted directly from the 3D simulations into two stellar evolution codes to replace the simplified atmosphere normally used. Our implementation also contains a non-constant mixing-length parameter, which varies as a function of the stellar surface gravity and temperature -- also derived from the 3D simulations. We give a detailed account of our fully consistent implementation and compare to earlier works, and also provide a freely available MESA-module. The evolution of low-mass stars with different masses is investigated, and we present for the first time an asteroseismic analysis of a standard solar model utilising calibrated convection and temperature stratification from 3D simulations. We show that the inclusion of 3D results have an almost insignificant impact on the evolution and structure of stellar models -- the largest effect are changes in effective temperature of order 30 K seen in the pre-main sequence and in the red-giant branch. However, this work provides the first step for producing self-consistent evolutionary calculations using fully incorporated 3D atmospheres from on-the-fly interpolation in grids of simulations.

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arXiv2017

Theoretical oscillation frequencies for solar-type dwarfs from stellar models with $\langle 3\mathrm{D} \rangle$-atmospheres

We present a new method for replacing the outermost layers of stellar models with interpolated atmospheres based on results from 3D simulations, in order to correct for structural inadequacies of these layers. This replacement is known as patching. Tests, based on 3D atmospheres from three different codes and interior models with different input physics, are performed. Using solar models, we investigate how different patching criteria affect the eigenfrequencies. These criteria include the depth, at which the replacement is performed, the quantity, on which the replacement is based, and the mismatch in $T_\mathrm{eff}$ and $\log g$ between the un-patched model and patched 3D atmosphere. We find the eigenfrequencies to be unaltered by the patching depth deep within the adiabatic region, while changing the patching quantity or the employed atmosphere grid leads to frequency shifts that may exceed $1\,μ\mathrm{Hz}$. Likewise, the eigenfrequencies are sensitive to mismatches in $T_\mathrm{eff}$ or $\log g$. A thorough investigation of the accuracy of a new scheme, for interpolating mean 3D stratifications within the atmosphere grids, is furthermore performed. Throughout large parts of the atmosphere grids, our interpolation scheme yields sufficiently accurate results for the purpose of asteroseismology. We apply our procedure in asteroseismic analyses of four \textit{Kepler} stars and draw the same conclusions as in the solar case: Correcting for structural deficiencies lowers the eigenfrequencies, this correction is slightly sensitive to the patching criteria, and the remaining frequency discrepancy between models and observations is less frequency-dependent. Our work shows the applicability and relevance of patching in asteroseismology.

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arXiv2017

The brightness of the Red Giant Branch tip: Theoretical framework, a set of reference models, and predicted observables

The brightness of the tip of the Red Giant Branch is a useful reference quantity for several fields of astrophysics. An accurate theoretical prediction is needed for such purposes. Aims. We intend to provide a solid theoretical prediction for it, valid for a reference set of standard physical assumptions, and mostly independent of numerical details. We examine the dependence on physical assumptions and numerical details, for a wide range of metallicities and masses, and based on two different stellar evolution codes. We adjust differences between the codes to treat the physics as identical as possible. After we have succeeded in reproducing the tip brightness between the codes, we present a reference set of models based on the most up to date physical inputs, but neglecting microscopic diffusion, and convert theoretical luminosities to observed infrared colours suitable for observations of resolved populations of stars and include analytic fits to facilitate their use. We find that consistent use of updated nuclear reactions, including an appropriate treatment of the electron screening effects, and careful time-stepping on the upper red giant branch are the most important aspects to bring initially discrepant theoretical values into agreement. Small, but visible differences remain unexplained for very low metallicities and mass values at and above 1.2 Msun, corresponding to ages younger than 4 Gyr. The colour transformations introduce larger uncertainties than the differences between the two stellar evolution codes. We demonstrate that careful stellar modeling allows an accurate prediction for the luminosity of the Red Giant Branch tip. Differences to empirically determined brightnesses may result either from insufficient colour transformations or from deficits in the constitutional physics. We present the best-tested theoretical reference values to date.

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arXiv2016

Improving 1D Stellar Models with 3D Atmospheres

Stellar evolution codes play a major role in present-day astrophysics, yet they share common issues. In this work we seek to remedy some of those by the use of results from realistic and highly detailed 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar atmospheres. We have implemented a new temperature stratification extracted directly from the 3D simulations into the Garching Stellar Evolution Code to replace the simplified atmosphere normally used. Secondly, we have implemented the use of a variable mixing-length parameter, which changes as a function of the stellar surface gravity and temperature -- also derived from the 3D simulations. Furthermore, to make our models consistent, we have calculated new opacity tables to match the atmospheric simulations. Here, we present the modified code and initial results on stellar evolution using it.

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arXiv2016

Surface-effect corrections for the solar model

Solar p-mode oscillations exhibit a systematic offset towards higher frequencies due to shortcomings in the 1D stellar structure models, especially, the lack of turbulent pressure in the superadiabatic layers just below the optical surface, arising from the convective velocity field. We study the influence of the turbulent expansion, chemical composition, and magnetic fields on the stratification in the upper layers of the solar models in comparison with solar observations. Furthermore, we test alternative <3D> averages for improved results on the oscillation frequencies. We appended temporally and spatially averaged <3D> stratifications to 1D models to compute adiabatic oscillation frequencies that we then tested against observations. We also developed depth-dependent corrections for the solar 1D model, for which we expanded the geometrical depth to match the pressure stratification of the solar <3D> model, and we reduced the density that is caused by the turbulent pressure. We obtain the same results with our <3D> models as have been reported previously. Our depth-dependent corrected 1D models match the observations to almost a similar extent as the <3D> model. We find that correcting for the expansion of the geometrical depth and the reducing of the density are both equally necessary. Interestingly, the influence of the adiabatic exponent Gam1 is less pronounced than anticipated. The turbulent elevation directly from the <3D> model does not match the observations properly. Considering different reference depth scales for the <3D> averaging leads to very similar frequencies. Solar models with high metal abundances in their initial chemical composition match the low-frequency part much better. We find a linear relation between the p-mode frequency shift and the vertical magnetic field strength with dvnl = 26.21Bz microHz/kG, which is able to render the solar activity cycles correctly.

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arXiv2016

On the relevance of bubbles and potential flows for stellar convection

Recently Pasetto et al. have proposed a new method to derive a convection theory appropriate for the implementation in stellar evolution codes. Their approach is based on the simple physical picture of spherical bubbles moving within a potential flow in dynamically unstable regions, and a detailed computation of the bubble dynamics. Based on this approach the authors derive a new theory of convection which is claimed to be parameter free, non-local and time-dependent. This is a very strong claim, as such a theory is the holy grail of stellar physics. Unfortunately we have identified several distinct problems in the derivation which ultimately render their theory inapplicable to any physical regime. In addition we show that the framework of spherical bubbles in potential flows is unable to capture the essence of stellar convection, even when equations are derived correctly.

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arXiv2015

The primordial and evolutionary abundance variations in globular-cluster stars: a problem with two unknowns

We demonstrate that among the potential sources of the primordial abundance variations of the proton-capture elements in globular-cluster stars proposed so far, such as the hot-bottom burning in massive AGB stars and H burning in the convective cores of supermassive and fast-rotating massive MS stars, only the supermassive MS stars with M > 10,000 Msun can explain all the observed abundance correlations without any fine-tuning of model parameters. We use our assumed chemical composition for the pristine gas in M13 (NGC6205) and its mixtures with 50% and 90% of the material partially processed in H burning in the 60,000 Msun MS model star as the initial compositions for the normal, intermediate and extreme populations of low-mass stars in this globular cluster, as suggested by its O-Na anti-correlation. We evolve these stars from the zero-age MS to the RGB tip with the thermohaline and parametric prescriptions for the RGB extra mixing. We find that the 3He-driven thermohaline convection cannot explain the evolutionary decline of [C/Fe] in M13 RGB stars, which, on the other hand, is well reproduced with the universal values for the mixing depth and rate calibrated using the observed decrease of [C/Fe] with MV in the globular cluster NGC5466 that does not have the primordial abundance variations.

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arXiv2014

The Stagger-grid: A grid of 3D stellar atmosphere models - III. The relation to mixing-length convection theory

We investigate the relation between 1D atmosphere models that rely on the mixing length theory and models based on full 3D radiative hydrodynamic (RHD) calculations to describe convection in the envelopes of late-type stars. The adiabatic entropy value of the deep convection zone, s_bot, and the entropy jump, Δs, determined from the 3D RHD models, are matched with the mixing length parameter, α_MLT, from 1D hydrostatic atmosphere models with identical microphysics (opacities and equation-of-state). We also derive the mass mixing length, α_m, and the vertical correlation length of the vertical velocity, C[v_z,v_z], directly from the 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar subsurface convection. The calibrated mixing length parameter for the Sun is α_MLT (s_bot) = 1.98. For different stellar parameters, α_MLT varies systematically in the range of 1.7 - 2.4. In particular, α_MLT decreases towards higher effective temperature, lower surface gravity and higher metallicity. We find equivalent results for α_MLT (Δs). Also, we find a tight correlation between the mixing length parameter and the inverse entropy jump. We derive an analytical expression from the hydrodynamic mean field equations that motivates the relation to the mass mixing length, α_m, and find that it exhibits qualitatively a similar variation with stellar parameter (between 1.6 and 2.4) with a solar value of α_m = 1.83. The vertical correlation length scaled with the pressure scale height yields for the Sun 1.71, but displays only a small systematic variation with stellar parameters, the correlation length slightly increasing with Teff. We derive mixing length parameters for various stellar parameters that can be used to replace a constant value. Within any convective envelope, α_m and related quantities vary a lot.

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arXiv2013

Neutrino and axion bounds from the globular cluster M5 (NGC 5904)

The red-giant branch (RGB) in globular clusters is extended to larger brightness if the degenerate helium core loses too much energy in "dark channels." Based on a large set of archival observations, we provide high-precision photometry for the Galactic globular cluster M5 (NGC 5904), allowing for a detailed comparison between the observed tip of the RGB with predictions based on contemporary stellar evolution theory. In particular, we derive 95% confidence limits of $g_{ae}<4.3\times10^{-13}$ on the axion-electron coupling and $μ_ν<4.5\times10^{-12}\,μ_{\rm B}$ (Bohr magneton $μ_{\rm B}=e/2m_e$) on a neutrino dipole moment, based on a detailed analysis of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The cluster distance is the single largest source of uncertainty and can be improved in the future.

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arXiv2013

Particle-physics constraints from the globular cluster M5: Neutrino Dipole Moments

Stellar evolution is modified if energy is lost in a "dark channel" similar to neutrino emission. Comparing modified stellar evolution sequences with observations provides some of the most restrictive limits on axions and other hypothetical low-mass particles and on non-standard neutrino properties. In particular, a putative neutrino magnetic dipole moment mu_nu enhances the plasmon decay process, postpones helium ignition in low-mass stars, and therefore extends the red-giant branch (RGB) in globular clusters (GCs). The brightness of the tip of the RGB (TRGB) remains the most sensitive probe for mu_nu and we revisit this argument from a modern perspective. Based on a large set of archival observations, we provide high-precision photometry for the Galactic GC M5 (NGC5904) and carefully determine its TRGB position. On the theoretical side, we add the extra plasmon decay rate brought about by mu_nu to the Princeton-Goddard-PUC stellar evolution code. Different sources of uncertainty are critically examined. The main source of systematic uncertainty is the bolometric correction and the main statistical uncertainty derives from the distance modulus based on main-sequence fitting. (Other measures of distance, e.g., the brightness of RR Lyrae stars, are influenced by the energy loss that we wish to constrain.) The statistical uncertainty of the TRGB position relative to the brightest RGB star is less important because the RGB is well populated. We infer an absolute I-band brightness of M_I=-4.17+/-0.13 mag for the TRGB compared with the theoretical prediction of -3.99+/-0.07 mag, in reasonable agreement with each other. A significant brightness increase caused by neutrino dipole moments is constrained such that mu_nu<2.6x10^-12mu_B(68% CL), where mu_B is the Bohr magneton, and mu_nu<4.5x10^-12 mu_B(95% CL). In these results, statistical and systematic errors have been combined in quadrature.

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arXiv2013

S-process in low-mass extremely metal-poor stars

Extremely metal-poor low-mass stars experience an ingestion of protons into the helium-rich layer during the core He-flash, resulting in the production of neutrons through the reactions ^{12}C(p,γ)^{13}N(β)^{13}C(α,n)^{16}O. This is a potential site for the production of s-process elements in extremely metal-poor stars not occurring in more metal-rich counterparts. Observationally, the signatures of s-process elements in the two most iron deficient stars observed to date, HE1327-2326 & HE0107-5240, still await for an explanation. We investigate the possibility that low-mass EMP stars could be the source of s-process elements observed in extremely iron deficient stars, either as a result of self-enrichment or in a binary scenario as the consequence of a mass transfer episode. We present evolutionary and post-processing s-process calculations of a 1Msun stellar model with metallicities Z=0, 10^{-8} and 10^{-7}. We assess the sensitivity of nucleosynthesis results to uncertainties in the input physics of the stellar models, particularly regarding the details of convective mixing during the core He-flash. Our models provide the possibility of explaining the C, O, Sr, and Ba abundance for the star HE0107-5240 as the result of mass-transfer from a low-mass EMP star. The drawback of our model is that if mass would be transferred before the primary star enters the AGB phase, nitrogen would be overproduced and the ^{12}C/^{13}C abundance ratio would be underproduced in comparison to the observed values. Our results show that low-mass EMP stars cannot be ruled out as the companion stars that might have polluted HE1327-2326 & HE0107-5240 and produced the observed s-process pattern. However, more detailed studies of the core He-flash and the proton ingestion episode are needed to determine the robustness of our predictions.

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