arXiv subjects

Gaël Buldgen

Publications and source records attributed to Gaël Buldgen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

The impact of rotational mixing in intermediate-age star clusters with extended main-sequence turn-offs and extended red clumps

The extended main-sequence turn-offs (eMSTOs) and extended red clumps (eRCs) observed in intermediate-age star clusters challenge the traditional understanding of clusters as simple stellar populations. Recently, eMSTOs have been interpreted as signatures of stellar rotation. In this work, we test the effectiveness of rotational mixing in shaping the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of star clusters. We computed a set of separate single-age synthetic stellar populations, referred to as "Base Stellar Populations" (BSPs), including stellar rotation. These BSPs were generated from two grids of stellar models that share the same input physics but differ in the efficiency of rotational mixing. We used an optimization algorithm to determine the best combination of BSPs to fit the CMDs of two star clusters: the Small Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 419 and the Milky Way cluster NGC 1817. The synthetic clusters with weak rotational mixing provide the best fit to both the eMSTO and eRC features for both clusters, and are consistent with the luminosities and asteroseismic masses we derived for eRC stars in NGC 1817. In contrast, synthetic clusters with strong rotational mixing result in overly bright post-main-sequence stars, inconsistent with observations. This suggests that, for intermediate-mass stars, the influence of rotational mixing of chemical elements on stellar evolution cannot be so strong as to significantly increase the post-main-sequence luminosity. A simple test suggests that accounting for self-extinction by decretion discs in equator-on fast rotators could influence inferred rotation distributions and help reconcile the projected rotational velocity discrepancy across the eMSTO between models and observations.

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arXiv2025

Solar models with protosolar accretion and turbulent mixing

(abridged) Recent analyses have reported low lithium but high beryllium abundances on the solar surface; however, standard solar models (SSMs) predict Li abundances that are ~30$σ$ away from the observed value. In this study, we aim to develop solar models and compare them with the Li and Be abundance constraints. We examine the effect of protosolar accretion and turbulent mixing below the base of the surface convective zone. We compute ~200 solar evolutionary models for each case to optimize input parameters using target quantities, similar to the SSM framework. We confirm that turbulent mixing helps reproduce the surface Li and Be abundances within ~0.6$σ$ by enhancing burning. It suppresses gravitational settling, leading to a better matching of the He surface abundance ($\lesssim$0.3$σ$) and a smaller compositional gradient. We derive a new protosolar helium abundance $Y_{\rm proto}=0.2651\pm0.0035$. Turbulent mixing decreases the central metallicity ($Z_{\mathrm{center}}$) by $\approx$4.4%, even though accretion increases $Z_{\rm center}$ by $\approx$4.4%, as suggested by our previous study. Unfortunately, the reduction in $Z_{\rm center}$ implies that our models do not reproduce constraints on observed neutrino fluxes by $6.2σ$ for $^8{\rm B}$ and $2.7σ$ for CNO. Including turbulent mixing in solar models appears indispensable to reproduce the observed atmospheric abundances of Li and Be. However, the resulting tensions in terms of neutrino fluxes, even in the models with the protosolar accretion, show that the solar modeling problem remains, at least partly. We suggest that improved electron screening, as well as other microscopic properties, may help alleviate this problem. An independent confirmation of the neutrino fluxes measured by the Borexino experiment would also be extremely valuable.

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arXiv2025

Rotating Supermassive Pop III Stars On The Main Sequence

The detection of billion-solar-mass supermassive black holes (SMBHs) within the first billion years of cosmic history challenges conventional theories of black hole formation and growth. Simultaneously, recent JWST observations revealing exceptionally high nitrogen-to-oxygen abundance ratios in galaxies at high redshifts raise critical questions about rapid chemical enrichment mechanisms operating in the early universe. Supermassive stars (SMSs) with masses of 1000 to 10000 M$_{\odot}$ are promising candidates to explain these phenomena, but existing models have so far neglected the pivotal role of stellar rotation. Here, we present the first comprehensive evolutionary models of rotating Pop III SMSs computed using the GENEC stellar evolution code, including detailed treatments of rotation-induced chemical mixing, angular momentum transport, and mass loss driven by the $ΩΓ$ limit. We demonstrate that rotation significantly enlarges the convective core and extends stellar lifetimes by up to 20%, with moderate enhancement of mass-loss rates as stars approach critical rotation thresholds. Our results further indicate that the cores of SMSs rotate relatively slowly (below $\sim 200$ km s$^{-1}$), resulting in dimensionless spin parameters $a* < 0.1$ for intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) remnants that are notably lower than theoretical maximum spins. These findings highlight rotation as a key factor in determining the structural evolution, chemical yields, and black hole spin properties of SMSs, providing critical insights to interpret observational signatures from the high-redshift universe.

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arXiv2025

The impact of the transport of chemicals and electronic screening on helioseismic and neutrino observations in solar models

The transport of chemical elements in stellar interiors is one of the greatest sources of uncertainties of solar and stellar modelling. The Sun, with its exquisite spectroscopic, helioseismic and neutrino observations, offers a prime environment to test the prescriptions used for both microscopic and macroscopic transport processes. We study in detail the impact of various formalisms for atomic diffusion on helioseismic constraints in both CLES (Scuflaire et al., 2008a) and Cesam2k2 (Morel and Lebreton 2008; Marques et al. 2013; Deal et al. 2018) models and compare both codes in detail. Moreover, due to the inability of standard models using microscopic diffusion to reproduce light element depletion in the Sun (Li, Be), another efficient process must be included to reproduce these constraints (rotation-induced: Eggenberger et al. 2022, overshooting -- or penetrative convection -- below the convective envelope: Thévenin et al. 2017, or ad hoc turbulence: Lebreton and Maeder 1987; Richer, Michaud, and Turcotte 2000). However, introducing such an extra mixing leads to issues with the CNO neutrino fluxes (see Buldgen et al. 2023), which seem to be systematically lower than the Borexino observations (Appel et al., 2022. Another key aspect to consider when reconciling models with neutrino fluxes is the impact of electronic screening (Mussack and Däppen, 2011).

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arXiv2025

Parametric models of core-helium-burning stars: structural glitches near the core

Understanding the internal structure of core helium burning (CHeB) stars is crucial for evaluating transport processes in nuclear-burning regions, constructing accurate stellar population models, and assessing nucleosynthesis processes that impact the chemical evolution of galaxies. While asteroseismic observations have recently enabled detailed probing of CHeB star interiors, seismic signatures related to structural variations at the boundary between the convective and radiative core, and chemical composition gradients within the radiative core remain underexplored. This paper investigates how such gradients affect the oscillation modes of low-mass CHeB stars, focusing on mixed dipole modes and uncoupled g-modes as diagnostic tools. Using semi-analytical models calibrated with the evolutionary codes $\texttt{BaSTI-IAC}$,$ \texttt{CLES}$, and $\texttt{MESA}$, we examine the impact of density discontinuities and associated structural glitches on mode period spacings. These codes span diverse physical prescriptions, allowing us to isolate robust features relevant for calibration. Our approach enables controlled glitch insertion while preserving a realistic representation of the star. Consistent with prior works, we find that structural glitches introduce periodic components in the period spacings, providing constraints on the location and amplitude of interior variations. We compare models with smooth and sharp transitions, demonstrating how glitch sharpness affects period spacing and mode trapping. Simulations based on four-year $\textit{Kepler}$ data show that our models yield oscillation frequencies closely matching observations. Ultimately, our results offer realistic predictions of how specific structural features affect the power spectral density, validating our theoretical framework and guiding future efforts to interpret glitch signatures in high-precision asteroseismic data.

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arXiv2025

Helioseismic inference of the solar radiative opacity

The Sun is the most studied of all stars, and thus constitutes a benchmark for stellar models. However, our vision of the Sun is still incomplete, as illustrated by the current debate on its chemical composition. The problem reaches far beyond chemical abundances and is intimately linked to microscopic and macroscopic physical ingredients of solar models such as radiative opacity, for which experimental results have been recently measured that still await theoretical explanations. We present opacity profiles derived from helioseismic inferences and compare them with detailed theoretical computations of individual element contributions using three different opacity computation codes, in a complementary way to experimental results. We find that our seismic opacity is about 10% higher than theoretical values used in current solar models around 2 million degrees, but lower by 35% than some recent available theoretical values. Using the Sun as a laboratory of fundamental physics, we show that quantitative comparisons between various opacity tables are required to understand the origin of the discrepancies between reported helioseismic, theoretical and experimental opacity values.

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arXiv2024

Grids of stellar models with rotation VIII: Models from 1.7 to 500 $M_\odot$ at metallicity $Z = 10^{-5}$

Grids of stellar evolution models with rotation using the Geneva stellar evolution code (Genec) have been published for a wide range of metallicities. We introduce the last remaining grid of Genec models, with a metallicity of $Z=10^{-5}$. We study the impact of this extremely metal-poor initial composition on various aspects of stellar evolution, and compare it to the results from previous grids at other metallicities. We provide electronic tables that can be used to interpolate between stellar evolution tracks and for population synthesis. Using the same physics as in the previous papers of this series, we computed a grid of stellar evolution models with Genec spanning masses between 1.7 and 500 $M_\odot$, with and without rotation, at a metallicity of $Z=10^{-5}$. Due to the extremely low metallicity of the models, mass-loss processes are negligible for all except the most massive stars. For most properties (such as evolutionary tracks in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, lifetimes, and final fates), the present models fit neatly between those previously computed at surrounding metallicities. However, specific to this metallicity is the very large production of primary nitrogen in moderately rotating stars, which is linked to the interplay between the hydrogen- and helium-burning regions. The stars in the present grid are interesting candidates as sources of nitrogen-enrichment in the early Universe. Indeed, they may have formed very early on from material previously enriched by the massive short-lived Population III stars, and as such constitute a very important piece in the puzzle that is the history of the Universe.

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arXiv2024

A method for non-linear inversion of the stellar structure applied to gravity-mode pulsators

We present a method for a non-linear asteroseismic inversion suitable for gravity-mode pulsators and apply it to slowly pulsating B-type (SPB) stars. Our inversion method is based on the iterative improvement of a parameterised static stellar structure model, which in turn is based on constraints from the observed oscillation periods. We present tests to demonstrate that the method is successful in recovering the properties of artificial targets both inside and outside the parameter space. We also present a test of our method on the well-studied SPB star KIC 7760680. We believe that this method is promising for carrying out detailed analyses of observations of SPB and $γ$ Dor stars and will provide complementary information to evolutionary models.

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arXiv2023

Asteroseismic modelling strategies in the PLATO era. II. Automation of seismic inversions and quality assessment procedure

*Context*. In the framework of the PLATO mission, to be launched in late 2026, seismic inversion techniques will play a key role in the mission precision requirements of the stellar mass, radius, and age. It is therefore relevant to discuss the challenges of the automation of seismic inversions, which were originally developed for individual modelling.\\ *Aims*. We tested the performance of our newly developed quality assessment procedure of seismic inversions, which was designed in the perspective of a pipeline implementation.\\ *Methods*. We applied our assessment procedure on a testing set composed of 26 reference models. We divided our testing set into two categories, calibrator targets whose inversion behaviour is well known from the literature and targets for which we assessed manually the quality of the inversion. We then compared the results of our assessment procedure with our expectations as a human modeller for three types of inversions, the mean density inversion, the acoustic radius inversion, and the central entropy inversion.\\ *Results*. We found that our quality assessment procedure performs as well as a human modeller. The mean density inversion and the acoustic radius inversion are suited for a large-scale application, but not the central entropy inversion, at least in its current form.\\ *Conclusions*. Our assessment procedure showed promising results for a pipeline implementation. It is based on by-products of the inversion and therefore requires few numerical resources to assess quickly the quality of an inversion result.

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arXiv2023

Asteroseismic modelling strategies in the PLATO era I. Mean density inversions and direct treatment of the seismic information

Asteroseismic modelling will be part of the pipeline of the PLATO mission and will play a key role in the mission precision requirements on stellar mass, radius and age. It is therefore crucial to compare how current modelling strategies perform, and discuss the limitations and remaining challenges for PLATO, such as the so-called surface effects, the choice of physical ingredients, and stellar activity. In this context, we carried out a systematic study of the impact of surface effects on the estimation of stellar parameters. In this work, we demonstrated how combining a mean density inversion with a fit of frequencies separation ratios can efficiently damp the surface effects and achieve precise and accurate stellar parameters for ten Kepler LEGACY targets, well within the PLATO mission requirements. We applied and compared two modelling approaches, directly fitting the individual frequencies, or coupling a mean density inversion with a fit of the ratios, to six synthetic targets with a patched 3D atmosphere from Sonoi et al. (2015) and ten actual targets from the LEGACY sample. The fit of the individual frequencies is unsurprisingly very sensitive to surface effects and the stellar parameters tend to be biased, which constitutes a fundamental limit to both accuracy and precision. In contrast, coupling a mean density inversion and a fit of the ratios efficiently damps the surface effects, and allows us to get both precise and accurate stellar parameters. The average statistical precision of our selection of LEGACY targets with this second strategy is 1.9% for the mass, 0.7% for the radius, and 4.1% for the age, well within the PLATO requirements. Using the mean density in the constraints significantly improves the precision of the mass, radius and age determinations, on average by 20%, 33%, and 16%, respectively.

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arXiv2023

Testing angular momentum transport processes with asteroseismology of solar-type main-sequence stars

Asteroseismology has become a powerful tool to study the internal rotation of stars, and its study allows to constrain the internal AM transport processes and better understand their physical nature. In this context, we compared the rotation rates predicted by asteroseismology and by starspots measurements for four main-sequence stars from the Kepler LEGACY sample, considering different AM transport prescriptions, and investigated if some of these prescriptions could be ruled out. We decoupled the modelling of the structure and of the rotational profile, respectively obtained by an asteroseismic characterization and by using rotating models including a detailed treatment of the AM transport. We then compared the mean asteroseismic rotation rate with the surface rotation rate from starspots measurements for each of the AM transport prescriptions. In the hotter part of the HRD (M > ~ 1.2Msun), combining asteroseismic constraints from splittings of pressure modes and surface rotation rates does not allow to conclude on the need for an efficient AM transport in addition to the sole transport by meridional circulation and shear instability. Both prescriptions are indeed consistent with the quasi-solid rotation measured by Benomar et al. (2015) and Nielsen et al. (2017). In the colder part of the HRD, the situation is different due to the efficient braking of the stellar surface by magnetised winds. We find a clear disagreement between the rotational properties of models including only hydrodynamic processes and asteroseismic constraints, while models with magnetic fields correctly reproduce the observations, similarly to the solar case. This shows the existence of a mass regime corresponding to main-sequence stars around ~ 6000 - 6200 K for which it is difficult to constrain the AM transport processes, unlike for hotter, Gamma Dor stars or colder, less massive solar analogs.

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arXiv2022

Amplitudes of Solar Gravity Modes: A Review

Solar gravity modes are considered as the {\it Rosetta Stone} for probing and subsequently deciphering the physical properties of the solar inner-most layers. Recent claims of positive detection therefore shed some new light on the long-standing issue of estimating solar gravity mode amplitudes. In this article, our objective is to review the theoretical efforts intended to predict solar gravity mode amplitudes. Because most of these studies assumed analogous driving and damping properties to those for the observed acoustic modes, we also provide a short overview of our current knowledge for these modes in the Sun and solar-type stars (which show solar-like oscillations) before diving into the specific problem of solar gravity modes. Finally, taking recent estimates into account, we conclude and confirm that the low-frequency domain (typically between $10\,μ$Hz and $100\,μ$Hz) is certainly more suited to focus on for detecting solar gravity modes. More precisely, around $60\,μ$Hz, the theoretical estimates are slightly lower than the observational detection threshold as provided by the GOLF (Global Oscillations at Low Frequencies) instrument by about a factor of two only. This is typically within the current uncertainties associated with theoretical estimates and should motivate us for improving our knowledge on turbulence in the whole solar convective region, which is key for improving the accuracy of $g$-mode amplitude estimates. The recent detection of solar inertial modes (Gizon et al. 2021) combined with the continuous development of numerical simulations provide interesting prospects for future studies.

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arXiv2022

Evidence of a signature of planet formation processes from solar neutrino fluxes

Solar evolutionary models are thus far unable to reproduce spectroscopic, helioseismic, and neutrino constraints consistently, resulting in the so-called solar modeling problem. In parallel, planet formation models predict that the evolving composition of the protosolar disk and, thus, of the gas accreted by the proto-Sun must have been variable. We show that solar evolutionary models that include a realistic planet formation scenario lead to an increased core metallicity of up to 5%, implying that accurate neutrino flux measurements are sensitive to the initial stages of the formation of the Solar System. Models with homogeneous accretion match neutrino constraints to no better than 2.7$σ$. In contrast, accretion with a variable composition due to planet formation processes, leading to metal-poor accretion of the last $\sim$4% of the young Sun's total mass, yields solar models within 1.3$σ$ of all neutrino constraints. We thus demonstrate that in addition to increased opacities at the base of the convective envelope, the formation history of the Solar System constitutes a key element in resolving the current crisis of solar models.

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arXiv2022

Backtracing the internal rotation history of the $β$ Cep star HD 129929

HD 129929 is a slowly-rotating $β$ Cephei pulsator with a rich spectrum of detected oscillations, including two rotational multiplets. The asteroseismic interpretation revealed the presence of radial differential rotation in this massive star of $\sim$9.35 M . The stellar core is indeed estimated to spin $\sim$3.6 times faster than the surface. The surface rotation was consequently derived as $\sim$2 km/s. This massive star represents an ideal counter-part to the wealth of space-based photometry results for main-sequence and evolved low-mass stars. Those latter have revealed a new, and often unexpected, picture of the angular momentum transport processes acting in stellar interiors. We investigate in a new way the constraints on the internal rotation of HD 129929, focusing on their interpretation for the evolution of the internal rotation during the main sequence of a massive star. We test separately hydrodynamic and magnetic instability transport processes of angular momentum. We used the best asteroseismic model obtained in an earlier work. We calibrated stellar models including rotation, with different transport processes, to reproduce that reference model. We then looked whether one process is favoured to reproduce the rotation profile of HD 129929, based on the fit of the asteroseismic multiplets. The impact of the Tayler magnetic instability on the angular momentum transport predicts a ratio of the core-to-surface rotation rate of only 1.6, while the recently revised prescription of this mechanism predicts solid-body rotation. Both are too low in comparison with the asteroseismic inference. The models with only hydrodynamic processes are in good agreement with the asteroseismic measurements. Strikingly, we can also get a constraint on the profile of rotation on the zero age main sequence: likely, the ratio between the core and surface rotation was at least $\sim$1.7.

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arXiv2022

Inversions of stellar structure from asteroseismic data

The advent of space-based photometry missions in the early 21st century enabled the application to asteroseismic data of advanced inference techniques until then restricted to the field of helioseismology. The high quality of the observations, the discovery of mixed modes in evolved solar-like oscillators and the need for an improvement in the determination of stellar fundamental parameters such as mass, radius and age led to the development of sophisticated modelling tools, amongst which seismic inversions play a key role. In this review, we will discuss the existing inversion techniques for the internal structure of distant stars adapted from helio- to asteroseismology. We will present results obtained for various Kepler targets, their coupling to other existing modelling techniques as well as the limitations of seismic analyses and the perspectives for future developments of these approaches in the context of the current TESS and the future PLATO mission, as well as the exploitation of the mixed modes observed in post-main sequence solar-like oscillators, for which variational formulations might not provide sufficient accuracy.

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arXiv2022

Grids of stellar models with rotation VI: Models from 0.8 to 120 $M_\odot$ at a metallicity Z = 0.006

Context: Grids of stellar models, computed with the same physical ingredients, allow one to study the impact of a given physics on a broad range of initial conditions and are a key ingredient for modeling the evolution of galaxies. Aims: We present a grid of single star models for masses between 0.8 and 120 $M_\odot$, with and without rotation for a mass fraction of heavy element Z=0.006, representative of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Methods: We used the Geneva stellar evolution code. The evolution was computed until the end of the central carbon-burning phase, the early asymptotic giant branch phase, or the core helium-flash for massive, intermediate, and low mass stars, respectively. Results: The outputs of the present stellar models are well framed by the outputs of the two grids obtained by our group for metallicities above and below the one considered here. The models of the present work provide a good fit to the nitrogen surface enrichments observed during the main sequence for stars in the LMC with initial masses around 15 $M_\odot$. They also reproduce the slope of the luminosity function of red supergiants of the LMC well, which is a feature that is sensitive to the time-averaged mass loss rate over the red supergiant phase. The most massive black hole that can be formed from the present models at Z=0.006 is around 55 $M_\odot$. No model in the range of mass considered will enter into the pair-instability supernova regime, while the minimal mass to enter the region of pair pulsation instability is around 60 $M_\odot$ for the rotating models and 85 $M_\odot$ for the nonrotating ones. Conclusions: The present models are of particular interest for comparisons with observations in the LMC and also in the outer regions of the Milky Way. We provide public access to numerical tables that can be used for computing interpolated tracks and for population synthesis studies.

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arXiv2021

Asteroseismology of $β$ Cephei stars: The stellar inferences tested in hare and hound exercises

The $β$ Cephei pulsators are massive main-sequence stars, presenting low radial-order modes. These modes probe in particular the chemical gradient at the edge of the convective core. They hence give constraints on macroscopic processes, such as hydrodynamic or magnetic instabilities. Yet, it is not clear to what extent the seismic inferences depend on the physics employed for the stellar modelling or on the observational dataset. We investigate the observational constraints which are necessary to provide accurate constraints on the mixing processes in $β$ Cephei stars. We explore the importance of the identification of the angular degree of modes. Depending on the quality of the seismic dataset and the classical constraints, we estimate the precision achievable with asteroseismology. We propose a method extending the forward approach classically used to model $β$ Cephei stars The probability distributions of the asteroseismic-derived stellar parameters are obtained. With these distributions, we provide a systemic way to estimate the errors of the modelling. A particular effort is made to also include the theoretical uncertainties of the models. We then estimate the accuracy and precision of asteroseismology for $β$ Cephei stars in a series of hare and hound exercises. The exercises show that a set of four to five oscillation frequencies with an identified angular degree already leads to accurate inferences on the stellar parameters. Without the identification of the modes, the addition of other classical observational constraints allow to succeed the seismic modelling. When the micro-physics of the star and stellar models used for the modelling differ, the constraints derived on the internal structure remain valid if expressed in terms of acoustic variables. The characterisation of the mixing processes at the boundary of the convective core remain model-dependent.

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arXiv2021

Chronologically dating the early assembly of the Milky Way

The standard cosmological model ($Λ$-CDM) predicts that galaxies are built through hierarchical assembly on cosmological timescales$^{1,2}$. The Milky Way, like other disc galaxies, underwent violent mergers and accretion of small satellite galaxies in its early history. Thanks to Gaia-DR2$^3$ and spectroscopic surveys$^4$, the stellar remnants of such mergers have been identified$^{5-7}$. The chronological dating of such events is crucial to uncover the formation and evolution of the Galaxy at high redshift, but it has so far been challenging owing to difficulties in obtaining precise ages for these oldest stars. Here we combine asteroseismology -- the study of stellar oscillations -- with kinematics and chemical abundances, to estimate precise stellar ages ($\sim$ 11%) for a sample of stars observed by the $\mathit{Kepler}$ space mission$^8$. Crucially, this sample includes not only some of the oldest stars that were formed inside the Galaxy, but also stars formed externally and subsequently accreted onto the Milky Way. Leveraging this resolution in age, we provide compelling evidence in favour of models in which the Galaxy had already formed a substantial population of its stars (which now reside mainly in its thick disc) before the in-fall of the satellite galaxy Gaia-Enceladus/Sausage$^{5,6}$ around 10 billions years ago

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