arXiv subjects

Alejandro H. Corsico

Publications and source records attributed to Alejandro H. Corsico.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gravity modes and potential evidence for Rossby Waves in late O-type supergiants

The properties of O-type supergiant stars remain largely unexplored. By analysing their light variations, we can unravel underlying physical phenomena, such as binarity, stellar pulsations, and rotation modes. This study aims to analyse the TESS light curves of 3 O-type supergiants to identify periodic signatures and gain deeper insights into their internal dynamics and structure. Our primary goal is to search for the presence of rotational modulation and possible evidence of Rossby waves. A period search was performed and we explored phase diagrams and searched for rotational splitting. If the observed wave frequencies were consistent with the dispersion relation of global Rossby waves, we identified them as potential signatures of this mechanism. We used a graphical method to compare the observed and predicted frequencies. The analysed stars (HD 188001, HD 192639, and HD 159952) exhibit a comparable set of frequencies. We classify most of them as g-mode oscillations (either l=1 or l=2), in agreement with the evolutionary state of the objects. In all cases, we find evidence of rotational modulation. The remaining oscillation patterns may be consistent with Rossby modes, including both tesseral and sectoral configurations. The angle of inclination of the rotation axis was estimated using stellar parameters available in the literature, together with the rotational period derived in this work. We also discuss a possible connection between the observed low-frequency waves and the red-noise component commonly observed in the periodogram of photometric time series of massive supergiants. Our results provide evidence of g-mode oscillations modulated by rotation. In addition, we find that Rossby waves may be excited in rotating O-type supergiants, which suggests that these large-scale inertial oscillations could play a role in the observed low-frequency variability of such stars.

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arXiv2026

Observing bright pulsating white dwarfs with PLATO: A new window into the late stages of stellar evolution

We present the scientific case for exploiting the capabilities of the PLATO mission to study bright pulsating white dwarfs across a wide spectral range, including hydrogen-deficient types (GW Vir and DBV stars) and hydrogen-rich classes (classical DAVs, pulsating extremely low-mass DA white dwarfs, and ultra-massive DA white dwarfs). PLATOs exceptional photometric precision, long-duration continuous monitoring, and extensive sky coverage promise transformative advances in white dwarf asteroseismology. Our key objectives include probing the internal structure and chemical stratification of white dwarfs, detecting secular changes in pulsation modes over extended timescales, and discovering rare or previously unknown classes of pulsators. To assess feasibility, we constructed a sample of 650 white dwarf candidates identified within PLATOs Southern LOPS2 field using the PLATO complementary science catalogue combined with Gaia DR3, and derived atmospheric parameters through photometric modeling. This sample comprises 118 DA white dwarfs (including 23 ZZ Ceti candidates), and 41 non-DAs (including 35 DBV candidates). Simulated observations using PlatoSim demonstrate that PLATO will be capable of detecting white dwarf pulsation modes with amplitudes as low as 0.1 mma depending on stellar magnitude, observation duration, pixel location, and the number of contributing cameras. We provide detailed detection limits and visibility forecasts for known pulsators across a representative range of these parameters. Furthermore, we emphasize strong synergies with Gaia astrometry, TESS photometry, and targeted spectroscopic campaigns, which together will enable robust mode identification and detailed stellar modeling. Collectively, these efforts will unlock unprecedented insights into white dwarf origins, evolution and internal physics, and the fate of their planetary systems.

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arXiv2026

Extreme mass loss during common envelope evolution: the origin of the double low-mass white dwarf system J2102--4145

Eclipsing close double white dwarf (WD) systems provide a unique opportunity to directly constrain hydrogen-envelope retention and test common-envelope (CE) evolution in low-mass stars, since they allow precise determinations of stellar masses and radii. We analyze J2102-4145, an eclipsing binary composed of two low-mass helium-core white dwarfs in a 2.4-hour orbit. By comparing the observed radii and effective temperatures with updated evolutionary models for CE evolution and stable Roche-lobe overflow (SRLOF), we confirm that both stars are helium-core white dwarfs. The primary, with a mass of 0.375 solar masses, is consistent with SRLOF models that retain thick hydrogen envelopes and sustain residual nuclear burning, whereas the secondary, with a mass of 0.314 solar masses, can only be reproduced by CE models in which the hydrogen envelope is almost completely removed. The inferred cooling ages (approximately 220 Myr for the secondary and between about 260 and 510 Myr for the primary, depending on the contribution of residual nuclear burning) support a formation sequence in which the primary formed first through SRLOF, followed by a CE phase that produced the compact secondary. Reconstruction of the CE energy budget yields progenitor and orbital parameters consistent with this evolutionary picture. The unusually small radius of the secondary requires an extremely thin hydrogen envelope, with a mass below about 10e-7 solar masses, well below the values predicted by standard bifurcation criteria. J2102-4145 therefore provides one of the strongest observational constraints on the hydrogen-envelope mass of post-CE low-mass white dwarfs and represents a benchmark challenge for current prescriptions of envelope ejection.

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arXiv2025

Asteroseismology of white dwarfs in the 2040s

White dwarfs, the final evolutionary stage of the vast majority of stars, serve as critical tools for cosmochronology, studies of planetary system evolution, and laboratories for non-standard physics, including exotic cooling channels and weakly interacting particles, as well as crystallization processes. Beyond surface properties accessible via spectroscopy and model atmospheres, global pulsations exhibited by white dwarfs during various evolutionary phases provide a direct window into their deep interiors. Asteroseismology, the comparison of observed pulsation periods with theoretical models, enables us to infer internal chemical stratification, total mass, rotation profiles, and magnetic field strengths. Despite major advances from space missions providing uninterrupted, high-precision photometry, key challenges remain: many predicted pulsators remain quiet, while others oscillate outside theoretical instability strips, highlighting gaps in our understanding of mode excitation, diffusion, and convective mixing. Determining the masses of white dwarfs, particularly for massive and hydrogen-deficient stars, remains uncertain, with discrepancies between spectroscopic, asteroseismic, astrometric, and photometric methods. In the coming decades, large-scale surveys combining high-precision space-based photometry with coordinated ground-based spectroscopic follow-up will dramatically increase both the number and quality of pulsating white dwarf observations.

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arXiv2025

Discovery of the richest pulsating ultra-massive white dwarf

The discovery of pulsations in ultra-massive white dwarfs can help to probe their interiors and unveil their core composition and crystallized mass fraction through asteroseismic techniques. To date, the richest pulsating ultra-massive white dwarf known is BPM 37093 with 8 modes detected, for which detailed asteroseismic analysis has been performed in the past. In this work, we report the discovery of 19 pulsation modes in the ultra-massive white dwarf star WD~J0135+5722, making it the richest pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere ultramassive white dwarf known to date. %In this work, we report the discovery of pulsations in WD~J0135+5722, a hydrogen-rich ultra-massive white dwarf observed with the Gran Telescopio Canarias. This object exhibits multi-periodic luminosity variations with periods ranging from 137 to 1345 s, typical of pulsating white dwarfs in the ZZ Ceti instability strip, which is centered at $T_{\rm eff} \sim 12\,000$ K. We estimate the stellar mass of WD J0135+5722 by different methods, resulting in $M_{\star} \sim 1.12-1.14 M_{\odot}$ if the star's core is made of oxygen and neon, or $M_{\star} \sim 1.14-1.15 M_{\odot}$ if the star hosts a carbon oxygen core. Future analysis of the star periods could shed light on the core chemical composition through asteroseismology.

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arXiv2022

Can we reveal the core-chemical composition of ultra-massive white dwarfs through their magnetic fields?

Ultra-massive white dwarfs ($ 1.05 \rm M_\odot \lesssim M_{WD}$) are particularly interesting objects that allow us to study extreme astrophysical phenomena such as type Ia supernovae explosions and merger events. Traditionally, ultra-massive white dwarfs are thought to harbour oxygen-neon (ONe) cores. However, recent theoretical studies and new observations suggest that some ultra-massive white dwarfs could harbour carbon-oxygen (CO) cores. Although several studies have attempted to elucidate the core composition of ultra-massive white dwarfs, to date, it has not been possible to distinguish them through their observed properties. Here, we present a new method for revealing the core-chemical composition in ultra-massive white dwarfs that is based on the study of magnetic fields generated by convective mixing induced by the crystallization process. ONe white dwarfs crystallize at higher luminosities than their CO counterparts. Therefore, the study of magnetic ultra-massive white dwarfs in the particular domain where ONe cores have reached the crystallization conditions but CO cores have not, may provide valuable support to their ONe core-chemical composition, since ONe white dwarfs would display signs of magnetic fields and CO would not. We apply our method to eight white dwarfs with magnetic field measurements and we suggest that these stars are candidate ONe white dwarfs.

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arXiv2022

Pulsating hydrogen-deficient white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs observed with TESS -- IV. Discovery of two new GW Vir stars: TIC0403800675 and TIC1989122424

We present two new GW Vir-type pulsating white dwarf stars, TIC\,0403800675 (WD\,J115727.68-280349.64) and TIC\,1989122424 (WD J211738.38-552801.18) discovered in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometric data. For both stars, the TESS light curves reveal the presence of oscillations with periods in a narrow range between 400 and 410\,s, which are associated with typical gravity ($g$)-modes. Follow-up ground-based spectroscopy shows that both stars have similar effective temperature ($T_\mathrm{eff} = 110,000 \pm 10,000$\,K) and surface gravity ($\log g = 7.5 \pm 0.5$), but different He/C composition (mass fractions): He\,=\,0.75 and C\,=\,0.25 for TIC\,0403800675, and He\,=\,0.50 and C\,=\,0.50 for TIC\,1989122424. By performing a fit to their spectral energy distributions, we found for both stars radii and luminosities of $R=0.019\pm0.002\,R_\odot$ and $\log(L/L_\odot)=1.68^{+0.15}_{-0.24}$, respectively. By employing evolutionary tracks of PG~1159 stars, we find the masses of both stars to be $0.56\pm0.18 M_{\odot}$ from the $\log g$-$T_\mathrm{eff}$ diagram and $0.60^{+0.11}_{-0.09} M_{\odot}$ from the Hertzsprung Russell diagram.

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arXiv2020

Asteroseismic signatures of the helium-core flash

All evolved stars with masses $M_\star\lesssim 2M_\odot$ undergo a helium(He)-core flash at the end of their first stage as a giant star. Although theoretically predicted more than 50 years ago, this core-flash phase has yet to be observationally probed. We show here that gravity modes (g modes) stochastically excited by He-flash driven convection are able to reach the stellar surface, and induce periodic photometric variabilities in hot-subdwarf stars with amplitudes of the order of a few mmag. As such they can now be detected by space-based photometry with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in relatively bright stars (e.g. magnitudes $I_C\lesssim 13$). The range of predicted periods spans from a few thousand seconds to tens of thousand seconds, depending on the details of the excitation region. In addition, we find that stochastically excited pulsations reproduce the pulsations observed in a couple of He-rich hot subdwarf stars. These stars, and in particular the future TESS target Feige 46, are the most promising candidates to probe the He-core flash for the first time.

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arXiv2018

Comparing the asteroseismic properties of pulsating pre-extremely low mass white dwarf and delta Scuti stars

Pulsating extremely low-mass pre-white dwarf stars (pre-ELMV), with masses between ~0.15 Msun and ~0.30 Msun, constitute a new class of variable stars showing g- and possibly p-mode pulsations with periods between 320 and 6000 s, while main sequence delta Scuti stars, with masses between 1.2-2.5 Msun, pulsate in low-order g and p modes with periods in the range [700-28800] s. Interestingly enough, the instability strips of pre-ELM white dwarf and delta Scuti stars nearly overlap in the Teff vs. log g diagram, leading to a degeneracy when spectroscopy is the only tool to classify the stars and pulsation periods only are considered. We employ adiabatic and non-adiabatic pulsation for models of pre-ELM and delta Scuti stars, and compare their pulsation periods, period spacings and rates of period change. We found substantial differences in the periods spacing of delta Scuti and pre-ELM white dwarf models. Even when the same period range is observed, the modes have distinctive signature in the period spacing and period difference values. For instance, the mean period difference of p- modes of consecutive radial orders for delta Scuti model are at least four times longer than the mean period spacing for the pre-ELM white dwarf model in the period range [2000 - 4600] s. In addition, the rate of period change is two orders of magnitudes larger for the pre-ELM white dwarfs compared to delta Scuti stars. In addition, we also report the discovery of a new variable star, SDSSJ075738.94+144827.50, located in the region of the Teff vs. log g diagram where these two kind of stars coexist. The characteristic spacing between modes of consecutive radial orders (p as well as g modes) and the large differences found in the rates of period change for delta Scuti and pre-ELM white dwarf stars suggest that asteroseismology can be employed to discriminate between these two groups of variable stars.

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arXiv2014

Discovery of a new PG1159 (GW Vir) Pulsator

We report the discovery of pulsations in the spectroscopic PG 1159 type pre-white dwarf SDSS J075415.12+085232.18. Analysis of the spectrum by Werner, Rauch and Kepler (2014) indicated Teff=120 000+/-10 000 K, log g=7.0+/-0.3, mass M=0.52+/-0.02 Msun, C/He=0.33 by number. We obtained time-series images with the SOAR 4.1 m telescope and 2.1 m Otto Struve telescope at McDonald Observatory and show the star is also a variable PG 1159 type star, with dominant period of 525 s.

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arXiv2010

New cooling sequences for old white dwarfs

We present full evolutionary calculations appropriate for the study of hydrogen-rich DA white dwarfs. This is done by evolving white dwarf progenitors from the zero age main sequence, through the core hydrogen burning phase, the helium burning phase and the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch phase to the white dwarf stage. Complete evolutionary sequences are computed for a wide range of stellar masses and for two different metallicities: Z=0.01, which is representative of the solar neighborhood, and Z=0.001, which is appropriate for the study of old stellar systems, like globular clusters. During the white dwarf cooling stage we compute self-consistently the phase in which nuclear reactions are still important, the diffusive evolution of the elements in the outer layers and, finally, we also take into account all the relevant energy sources in the deep interior of the white dwarf, like the release of latent heat and the release of gravitational energy due to carbon-oxygen phase separation upon crystallization. We also provide colors and magnitudes for these sequences, based on a new set of improved non-gray white dwarf model atmospheres, which include the most up-to-date physical inputs like the Lyman alpha quasi-molecular opacity. The calculations are extended down to an effective temperature of 2,500 K. Our calculations provide a homogeneous set of evolutionary cooling tracks appropriate for mass and age determinations of old DA white dwarfs and for white dwarf cosmochronology of the different Galactic populations.

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