arXiv subjects

David Koch

Publications and source records attributed to David Koch.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Kepler observations of a roAp star: delta Scuti and gamma Doradus pulsations in Ap stars

Observations of the A5p star KIC 8677585 obtained during the Kepler 10-d commissioning run with 1-min time resolution show that it is a roAp star with several frequencies with periods near 10 min. In addition, a low frequency at 3.142 cycles/day is also clearly present. Multiperiodic gamma Doradus and delta Scuti pulsations, never before seen in any Ap star, are present in Kepler observations of at least three other Ap stars. Since gamma Doradus pulsations are seen in Ap stars, it is likely that the low-frequency in KIC 8677585 is also a gamma Doradus pulsation. The simultaneous presence of both gamma Doradus and roAp pulsations and the unexpected detection of delta Scuti and gamma Doradus pulsations in Ap stars present new opportunities and challenges for the interpretation of these stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2010

The Discovery of Ellipsoidal Variations in the Kepler Light Curve of HAT-P-7

We present an analysis of the early Kepler observations of the previously discovered transiting planet HAT-P-7b. The light curve shows the transit of the star, the occultation of the planet, and the orbit phase-dependent light from the planet. In addition, phase-dependent light from the star is present, known as "ellipsoidal variations". The very nearby planet (only 4 stellar radii away) gravitationally distorts the star and results in a flux modulation twice per orbit. The ellipsoidal variations can confuse interpretation of the planetary phase curve if not self-consistently included in the modeling. We fit the light curve using the Roche potential approximation and derive improved planet and orbit parameters.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2010

Kepler Observations of Transiting Hot Compact Objects

Kepler photometry has revealed two unusual transiting companions orbiting an early A-star and a late B-star. In both cases the occultation of the companion is deeper than the transit. The occultation and transit with follow-up optical spectroscopy reveal a 9400 K early A-star, KOI-74 (KIC 6889235), with a companion in a 5.2 day orbit with a radius of 0.08 Rsun and a 10000 K late B-star KOI-81 (KIC 8823868) that has a companion in a 24 day orbit with a radius of 0.2 Rsun. We infer a temperature of 12250 K for KOI-74b and 13500 K for KOI-81b. We present 43 days of high duty cycle, 30 minute cadence photometry, with models demonstrating the intriguing properties of these object, and speculate on their nature.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2010

Photometric Variability in Kepler Target Stars: The Sun Among Stars -- A First Look

The Kepler mission provides an exciting opportunity to study the lightcurves of stars with unprecedented precision and continuity of coverage. This is the first look at a large sample of stars with photometric data of a quality that has heretofore been only available for our Sun. It provides the first opportunity to compare the irradiance variations of our Sun to a large cohort of stars ranging from vary similar to rather different stellar properties, at a wide variety of ages. Although Kepler data is in an early phase of maturity, and we only analyze the first month of coverage, it is sufficient to garner the first meaningful measurements of our Sun's variability in the context of a large cohort of main sequence stars in the solar neighborhood. We find that nearly half of the full sample is more active than the active Sun, although most of them are not more than twice as active. The active fraction is closer to a third for the stars most similar to the Sun, and rises to well more than half for stars cooler than mid K spectral types.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

Detection of solar-like oscillations from Kepler photometry of the open cluster NGC 6819

Asteroseismology of stars in clusters has been a long-sought goal because the assumption of a common age, distance and initial chemical composition allows strong tests of the theory of stellar evolution. We report results from the first 34 days of science data from the Kepler Mission for the open cluster NGC 6819 -- one of four clusters in the field of view. We obtain the first clear detections of solar-like oscillations in the cluster red giants and are able to measure the large frequency separation and the frequency of maximum oscillation power. We find that the asteroseismic parameters allow us to test cluster-membership of the stars, and even with the limited seismic data in hand, we can already identify four possible non-members despite their having a better than 80% membership probability from radial velocity measurements. We are also able to determine the oscillation amplitudes for stars that span about two orders of magnitude in luminosity and find good agreement with the prediction that oscillation amplitudes scale as the luminosity to the power of 0.7. These early results demonstrate the unique potential of asteroseismology of the stellar clusters observed by Kepler.

astro-ph.SR↗