arXiv subjects

Konstanze Zwintz

Publications and source records attributed to Konstanze Zwintz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Secular evolution of viscous and self-gravitating protoplanetary discs with magnetic winds

Traditionally, the disc is believed to evolve under the influence of turbulent viscosity, although the importance of this mechanism has recently been questioned. Alternatively, magnetic disc wind or gravitational instability could be considered, but which of these three mechanisms contributes the most at a given evolutionary stage remains an open question. We present global numerical hydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary disc evolution in the thin-disc limit on disc lifetime timescales, including all three mechanisms of mass and angular momentum transport. We calculate the gravitational, viscous, and magnetic torques to assess the contribution of each mechanism. We found that these transport mechanisms occupy distinct zones of influence in the disc depending on the stage of evolution: the dominance of disc self-gravity during the early phase is replaced by the prevalence of magnetic disc wind and viscosity, with the latter being especially relevant at the disc periphery. We show that a noticeable decrease in disc mass occurs only after the termination of the embedded phase. The suppression of disc viscous spreading is achieved only for the most intense wind; otherwise, the disc continues to grow in size till the end of simulations. The spiral structure contributes to the temporary retention of dust in the disc. However, this is insufficient to prevent the depletion of dust on long timescales. The results emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach to long-term simulations of protoplanetary discs with no single mechanism of mass and angular momentum transport regarded as exclusive.

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arXiv2026

Hydrodynamics modeling of the water snow line in young protoplanetary disks with dust-size-dependent opacities

Aims. We investigated the properties of the water snow line during the early stages of disk evolution, paying particular attention to the effects of gravitational instability and dust growth on the snow line's shape and position. Methods. We used the FEOSAD numerical hydrodynamics code to simulate the disk formation and evolution in the thin-disk limit. The simulations incorporate the coevolution of gas, dust, and volatiles, including dust growth, volatile phase transitions, and dust-size-dependent opacities. Results. The position of the water snow line is highly nonsteady during the considered disk evolution period, first moving outward during the disk build-up and then retreating back as the disk cools. Its form in the disk midplane deviates strongly from a circular shape in the early gravitationally unstable phase of disk evolution. An increase in the amounts of grown dust and water ice as well as in the maximum dust size just beyond the snow line, as is readily observed in one-dimensional viscous disk evolution models, in our hydrodynamic models occurs only after gravitational instability diminishes. Dust-growth-induced opacity changes have a profound effect on the position of the water snow line, shifting it closer to the star by almost a factor of two compared to models that do not take this effect into account. Conclusions. The shape, position, and properties of the water snow line in young, gravitationally unstable disks differ from those of older, axisymmetric disks. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account the dependence of opacity on dust size when studying disk evolution.

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arXiv2026

The PLATO Science Calibration and Validation Plan: Targets for the First Long-pointing Field

In order to meet the science goals of the PLATO space mission, an extensive science calibration and validation plan has been designed. This paper describes this plan, as well as the methodology adopted to select the science calibration and validation stars that have entered its input catalogue. This is the so-called {\tt scvPIC}, which is part of the general PLATO Input Catalogue (PIC) for the first selected long pointing field in the Southern Hemisphere known as LOPS2. While many of PLATO's science requirements needed dedicated stars as calibrators as discussed here, its most stringent requirement is the delivery of the age of the host stars of exoplanetary systems with an accuracy better than 10\% for a G0V star of {\it V} = 10 mag, i.e. a nearby Sun-like star. This is presently not within reach for large populations of dwarfs and subgiants in the Milky Way as it requires the models of their stellar interiors to be improved. We discuss how this ambitious age requirement led to the selection of tens of thousands of red giants, and of thousands of main-sequence early F-type gravity-mode pulsators in order to deduce their internal rotation profile across stellar evolution. This asteroseismic observable will then be imported as key information into improved models of dwarfs and subgiants in the Milky Way as optimal modelling tools for ever better age-dating of the exoplanet hosts as the PLATO mission moves along. Additional calibrators and validators included in the {\tt scvPIC} are a few thousands of binaries, a few hundreds of legacy and benchmark stars, a few hundred photometrically stable stars, and six transiting brown dwarfs.

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arXiv2026

Core-envelope coupling of gravito-inertial waves in pre-main-sequence solar-type stars

After the recent detection of solar equatorial Rossby waves, a renewed interest has been brought to the study of gravito-inertial waves propagating in the convective envelope of solar-type stars. In particular, the ability that some of these envelope gravito-inertial modes have to couple with the ones trapped in the radiative interior might open new windows to probe the deep-layer dynamics of solar-type stars. The possibility for such a coupling to occur is particularly favoured in pre-main sequence (PMS) solar-type stars. Indeed, due to the contraction of the protostellar object, they are able to reach large rotation frequencies before nuclear reactions are ignited and magnetic braking becomes the driving mechanism for their rotational evolution. In this work, we therefore study the coupling between the envelope inertial waves and the radiative interior g modes in PMS stars, focusing on the case of prograde dipolar modes. We consider the case of 0.5 Msun and 1 Msun PMS models, each with three different scenarios of rotational evolution. We show that, for stars that have formed with a sufficient amount of angular momentum, this coupling can occur in frequency ranges that are accessible to space-borne photometry, creating inertial dips in the period spacing pattern. With an asymptotic analysis we characterise the shape of these inertial dips to show that they depend on rotation and on the stiffness of the convective-radiative interface.

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arXiv2026

Solar-like oscillations in accreting pre-main sequence stars: Insights and prospects

We present theoretical predictions for solar-like oscillators in the pre-main sequence phase of stellar evolution. Our pre-main sequence models start from a stellar seed of 0.01 solar masses that gains mass through accretion, offering an alternative description to the classical approach segmented into the Hayashi and Henyey tracks. Evolutionary models are calculated using the \mesa stellar evolution code with a custom accretion routine and pulsation properties are investigated using the \GYRE oscillation code. We present evolutionary tracks and internal structures for accreting pre-main sequence solar-like stars in the mass range from 0.7 to 1.6 solar masses, adopting 35 mass accretion histories previously extracted from two-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations. Atmospheric parameters of our models constrain characteristic frequencies of pre-main sequence solar-like oscillators to be generally greater than 500 $μ\text{Hz}$. We highlight the imprint of accretion on the buoyancy and Lamb profiles and illustrate the effects on the small- and large frequency separations. We additionally quantify individual frequency differences across the 35 accretion histories at the zero-age main-sequence, showcasing differences no larger than $20 \ μ\text{Hz}$ for an exemplary model. Finally, we discuss the potential of detecting solar-like oscillations in pre-main sequence stars with the upcoming ESA PLATO mission.

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arXiv2024

The $β$ Pictoris b Hill sphere transit campaign. Paper II: Searching for the signatures of the $β$ Pictoris exoplanets through time delay analysis of the $δ$ Scuti pulsations

The $β$ Pictoris system is the closest known stellar system with directly detected gas giant planets, an edge-on circumstellar disc, and evidence of falling sublimating bodies and transiting exocomets. The inner planet, $β$ Pictoris c, has also been indirectly detected with radial velocity (RV) measurements. The star is a known $δ$ Scuti pulsator, and the long-term stability of these pulsations opens up the possibility of indirectly detecting the gas giant planets through time delays of the pulsations due to a varying light travel time. We search for phase shifts in the $δ$ Scuti pulsations consistent with the known planets $β$ Pictoris b and c and carry out an analysis of the stellar pulsations of $β$ Pictoris over a multi-year timescale. We used photometric data collected by the BRITE-Constellation, bRing, ASTEP, and TESS to derive a list of the strongest and most significant $δ$ Scuti pulsations. We carried out an analysis with the open-source python package maelstrom to study the stability of the pulsation modes of $β$ Pictoris in order to determine the long-term trends in the observed pulsations. We did not detect the expected signal for $β$ Pictoris b or $β$ Pictoris c. The expected time delay is 6 seconds for $β$ Pictoris c and 24 seconds for $β$ Pictoris b. With simulations, we determined that the photometric noise in all the combined data sets cannot reach the sensitivity needed to detect the expected timing drifts. An analysis of the pulsational modes of $β$ Pictoris using maelstrom showed that the modes themselves drift on the timescale of a year, fundamentally limiting our ability to detect exoplanets around $β$ Pictoris via pulsation timing.

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arXiv2023

A spectroscopic thermometer: individual vibrational band spectroscopy with the example of OH in the atmosphere of WASP-33b

Individual vibrational band spectroscopy presents an opportunity to examine exoplanet atmospheres in detail by distinguishing where the vibrational state populations of molecules differ from the current assumption of a Boltzmann distribution. Here, retrieving vibrational bands of OH in exoplanet atmospheres is explored using the hot Jupiter WASP-33b as an example. We simulate low-resolution spectroscopic data for observations with the JWST's NIRSpec instrument and use high resolution observational data obtained from the Subaru InfraRed Doppler instrument (IRD). Vibrational band-specific OH cross section sets are constructed and used in retrievals on the (simulated) low and (real) high resolution data. Low resolution observations are simulated for two WASP-33b emission scenarios: under the assumption of local thermal equilibrium (LTE) and a toy non-LTE model for vibrational excitation of selected bands. We show that mixing ratios for individual bands can be retrieved with sufficient precision to allow the vibrational population distributions of the forward models to be reconstructed. A simple fit for the Boltzmann distribution in the LTE case shows that the vibrational temperature is recoverable in this manner. For high resolution, cross-correlation applications, we apply the individual vibrational band analysis to an IRD spectrum of WASP-33b, applying an 'un-peeling' technique. Individual detection significances for the two strongest bands are shown to be in line with Boltzmann distributed vibrational state populations consistent with the effective temperature of the WASP-33b atmosphere reported previously. We show the viability of this approach for analysing the individual vibrational state populations behind observed and simulated spectra including reconstructing state population distributions.

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arXiv2022

The imprint of star formation on stellar pulsations

In the earliest phases of their evolution, stars gain mass through the acquisition of matter from their birth clouds. The widely accepted classical concept of early stellar evolution neglects the details of this accretion phase and assumes the formation of stars with large initial radii that contract gravitationally. In this picture, the common idea is that once the stars begin their fusion processes, they have forgotten their past. By analysing stellar oscillations in recently born stars, we show that the accretion history leaves a potentially detectable imprint on the stars' interior structures. Currently available data from space would allow discriminating between these more realistic accretion scenarios and the classical early stellar evolution models. This opens a window to investigate the interior structures of young pulsating stars that will also be of relevance for related fields, such as stellar oscillations in general and exoplanet studies.

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arXiv2022

The Pre-main Sequence: Challenges and Prospects for Asteroseismology

Stars do not simply pop up on the main sequence. Before the stars arrive on the zero-age main sequence, they form in the collapses of molecular clouds, gain matter through accretion processes, and compress their cores until hydrogen can burn in full equilibrium. Although this evolutionary phase lasts a relatively short time, it is the imprint of these important physical processes that is often ignored by simplified assumptions. While asteroseismology offers a great tool to investigate these physical processes, studying pre-MS oscillations in turn has the potential to further advance the field. Asteroseismology of pre-main sequence stars faces observational and theoretical challenges. The remnants of their birth environment which is often still surrounding the young stars causes variability that can interfere with the signal of pulsations. The lack of long time-base satellite observations in addition limits the applications of the method. Theoretical models of pre-main sequence stars include several assumptions and simplifications that influence the calculation of pulsation frequencies and excitation properties of pulsation modes. Keeping all this in mind, the prospects for pre-main sequence asteroseismology are manifold. An improved understanding of the structure of young stellar objects has the potential to answer some of the open questions of stellar evolution, including angular momentum transport and the formation of magnetic fields. While gyrochronology, for example, struggles to determine the ages of the youngest clusters, pulsations in pre-main sequence stars can function as an independent age indicator yielding higher precision for single stars. The increasing interest of stellar astrophysics in general to investigate the formation and early evolution of stars and planets illustrates the growing importance of pre-main sequence asteroseismology.

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arXiv2021

Five years of BRITE-Constellation photometry of the luminous blue variable P Cygni: properties of the stochastic low-frequency variability

Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) are massive stars that are likely to be a transitionary phase between O stars and hydrogen-free classical Wolf-Rayet stars. The variability of these stars has been an area of study for both professional and amateur astronomers for more than a century. In this paper, we present five years of precision photometry of the classical LBV P Cygni taken with the BRITE-Constellation nanosatellites. We have analyzed these data with Fourier analysis to search for periodicities that could elucidate the drivers of variability for these stars. These data show some long-timescale variability over the course of all six calendar years of observations, but the frequencies needed to reproduce the individual light curves are not consistent from one year to the next. These results likely show that there is no periodic phenomenon present for P Cygni, meaning that the variability is largely stochastic. We interpret the data as being caused by internal gravity waves similar to those seen in other massive stars, with P Cygni exhibiting a larger amplitude and lower characteristic frequency than the main-sequence or blue supergiant stars previously studied. These results show evidence that LBVs may be an extrapolation of the blue supergiants, which have previously been shown to be an extension of main-sequence stars in the context of the stochastic low-frequency photometric variability.

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arXiv2021

Weighing stars from birth to death: mass determination methods across the HRD

The mass of a star is the most fundamental parameter for its structure, evolution, and final fate. It is particularly important for any kind of stellar archaeology and characterization of exoplanets. There exists a variety of methods in astronomy to estimate or determine it. In this review we present a significant number of such methods, beginning with the most direct and model-independent approach using detached eclipsing binaries. We then move to more indirect and model-dependent methods, such as the quite commonly used isochrone or stellar track fitting. The arrival of quantitative asteroseismology has opened a completely new approach to determine stellar masses and to complement and improve the accuracy of other methods. We include methods for different evolutionary stages, from the pre-main sequence to evolved (super)giants and final remnants. For all methods uncertainties and restrictions will be discussed. We provide lists of altogether more than 200 benchmark stars with relative mass accuracies between $[0.3,2]\%$ for the covered mass range of $M\in [0.1,16]\,\msun$, $75\%$ of which are stars burning hydrogen in their core and the other $25\%$ covering all other evolved stages. We close with a recommendation how to combine various methods to arrive at a "mass-ladder" for stars.

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arXiv2021

First Detection of Hydroxyl Radical Emission from an Exoplanet Atmosphere: High-dispersion Characterization of WASP-33b using Subaru/IRD

We report the first detection of a hydroxyl radical (OH) emission signature in the planetary atmosphere outside the solar system, in this case, in the day-side of WASP-33b. We analyze high-resolution near-infrared emission spectra of WASP-33b taken using the InfraRed Doppler spectrograph on the 8.2-m Subaru telescope. The telluric and stellar lines are removed using a de-trending algorithm, SysRem. The residuals are then cross-correlated with OH and H$_{2}$O planetary spectrum templates produced using several different line-lists. We check and confirm the accuracy of OH line-lists by cross-correlating with the spectrum of GJ 436. As a result, we detect the emission signature of OH at $K_\mathrm{p}$ of 230.9$^{+6.9}_{-7.4}$ km s$^{-1}$ and $v_{\mathrm{sys}}$ of $-$0.3$^{+5.3}_{-5.6}$ km s$^{-1}$ with S/N of 5.4 and significance of 5.5$σ$. Additionally, we marginally detect H$_{2}$O emission in the H-band with S/N of 4.0 and significance of 5.2$σ$ using the POKAZATEL line-list. However, no significant signal is detected using the HITEMP 2010, which might be due to differences in line positions and strengths, as well as the incompleteness of the line-lists. Nonetheless, this marginal detection is consistent with the prediction that H$_{2}$O is mostly thermally dissociated in the upper atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiters. Therefore, along with CO, OH is expected to be one of the most abundant O-bearing molecules in the day-side atmosphere of ultra-hot Jupiters and should be considered when studying their atmosphere.

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arXiv2020

The complex fossil magnetic field of the $δ$ Scuti star HD\,41641

Only three magnetic $δ$ Scuti stars are known as of today. HD 41641 is a $δ$ Scuti star showing chemical peculiarities and rotational modulation of its light-curve, making it a good magnetic candidate. We acquired spectropolarimetric observations of this star with Narval at TBL to search for the presence of a magnetic field and characterize it. We indeed clearly detect a magnetic field in HD 41641, making it the fourth known magnetic $δ$ Scuti star. Our analysis shows that the field is of fossil origin, like magnetic OBA stars, but with a complex field structure rather than the much more usual dipolar structure.

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arXiv2020

Solar-Like Oscillations: Lessons Learned & First Results from TESS

Solar-like oscillations are excited in cool stars with convective envelopes and provide a powerful tool to constrain fundamental stellar properties and interior physics. We provide a brief history of the detection of solar-like oscillations, focusing in particular on the space-based photometry revolution started by the CoRoT and Kepler Missions. We then discuss some of the lessons learned from these missions, and highlight the continued importance of smaller space telescopes such as BRITE constellation to characterize very bright stars with independent observational constraints. As an example, we use BRITE observations to measure a tentative surface rotation period of 28.3+/-0.5 days for alpha Cen A, which has so far been poorly constrained. We also discuss the expected yields of solar-like oscillators from the TESS Mission, demonstrating that TESS will complement Kepler by discovering oscillations in a large number of nearby subgiants, and present first detections of oscillations in TESS exoplanet host stars.

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arXiv2020

Direct evidence for shock-powered optical emission in a nova

Classical novae are thermonuclear explosions that occur on the surfaces of white dwarf stars in interacting binary systems (Bode & Evans 2008). It has long been thought that the luminosity of classical novae is powered by continued nuclear burning on the surface of the white dwarf after the initial runaway (Gallaher & Starrfield 1978). However, recent observations of GeV $γ$-rays from classical novae have hinted that shocks internal to the nova ejecta may dominate the nova emission. Shocks have also been suggested to power the luminosity of events as diverse as stellar mergers (Metzger & Pejcha 2017), supernovae (Moriya et al. 2018), and tidal disruption events (Roth et al. 2016), but observational confirmation has been lacking. Here we report simultaneous space-based optical and $γ$-ray observations of the 2018 nova V906 Carinae (ASASSN-18fv), revealing a remarkable series of distinct correlated flares in both bands. The optical and $γ$-ray flares occur simultaneously, implying a common origin in shocks. During the flares, the nova luminosity doubles, implying that the bulk of the luminosity is shock-powered. Furthermore, we detect concurrent but weak X-ray emission from deeply embedded shocks, confirming that the shock power does not appear in the X-ray band and supporting its emergence at longer wavelengths. Our data, spanning the spectrum from radio to $γ$-ray, provide direct evidence that shocks can power substantial luminosity in classical novae and other optical transients.

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arXiv2020

QZ Carinae Orbit of the Two Binary Pairs

We present an updated O-C diagram of the light-time variations of the eclipsing binary (component B) in the system QZ Carinae as it moves in the long-period orbit around the non-eclipsing pair (component A). This includes new Variable Stars South members' measures from 2017 to 2019, BRITE satellite observations in 2017 and 2018, and 100 previously unpublished measures made at Auckland Observatory from 1974 to 1978. We conclude that QZ Carinae has not yet completed one orbit of the two pairs since discovery in 1971. The duration of totality of primary eclipses was measured to be 0.295 +/- 0.02 day (7.08 +/-0.48 hours), rather longer than earlier values from light curve models. Other observational findings include the shape of primary and secondary eclipses and small-scale short-term brightness changes.

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arXiv2020

Short-term variability and mass loss in Be stars V. Space photometry and ground-based spectroscopy of $γ$ Cas

Context. Be stars are physically complex systems that continue to challenge theory to understand their rapid rotation, complex variability and decretion disks. $γ$ Cassiopeiae ($γ$ Cas) is one such star but is even more curious because of its unexplained hard thermal X-ray emission. Aims. We aim to examine the optical variability of $γ$ Cas and thereby to shed more light on its puzzling behaviour. Methods. Three hundred twenty-one archival H$α$ spectra from 2006 to 2017 are analysed to search for frequencies corresponding to the 203.5 day orbit of the companion. Space photometry from the SMEI satellite from 2003 to 2011 and the BRITE-Constellation of nano-satellites between 2015 and 2019 is investigated in the period range from a couple of hours to a few days. Results. The orbital period of the companion of 203.5 days is confirmed with independent measurements from the structure of the H$α$ line emission. A strong blue/red asymmetry in the amplitude distribution across the H$α$ emission line could hint at a spiral structure in the decretion disk. With the space photometry, the known frequency of 0.82 d$^{-1}$ is confirmed in data from the early 2000s. A higher frequency of 2.48 d$^{-1}$ is present in the data from 2015 to 2019 and possibly also in the early 2000s. A third frequency at 1.25 d$^{-1}$ is proposed to exist in both SMEI and BRITE data. The only explanation covering all three rapid variations seems to be nonradial pulsation. The two higher frequencies are incompatible with rotation.

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arXiv2019

The chaotic wind of WR 40 as probed by BRITE

Among Wolf-Rayet stars, those of subtype WN8 are the intrinsically most variable. We have explored the long-term photometric variability of the brightest known WN8 star, WR 40, through four contiguous months of time-resolved, single-passband optical photometry with the BRIght Target Explorer (BRITE) nanosatellite mission. The Fourier transform of the observed light-curve reveals that the strong light variability exhibited by WR 40 is dominated by many randomly-triggered, transient, low-frequency signals. We establish a model in which the whole wind consists of stochastic clumps following an outflow visibility promptly rising to peak brightness upon clump emergence from the optically thick pseudo-photosphere in the wind, followed by a gradual decay according to the right-half of a Gaussian. Free electrons in each clump scatter continuum light from the star. We explore a scenario where the clump size follows a power-law distribution, and another one with an ensemble of clumps of constant size. Both scenarios yield simulated light curves morphologically resembling the observed light curve remarkably well, indicating that one cannot uniquely constrain the details of clump size distribution with only a photometric light curve. Nevertheless, independent evidence favours a negative-index power law, as seen in many other astrophysical turbulent media.

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