arXiv subjects

M. Vrard

Publications and source records attributed to M. Vrard.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Helium signature in red giant oscillation patterns observed by Kepler

The space-borne missions CoRoT and Kepler have provided a large amount of precise photometric data. Among the stars observed, red giants show a rich oscillation pattern that allows their precise characterization. Long-duration observations allow for investigating the fine structure of this oscillation pattern. A common pattern of oscillation frequency was observed in red giant stars, which corresponds to the second-order development of the asymptotic theory. This pattern, called the universal red giant oscillation pattern, describes the frequencies of stellar acoustic modes. We aim to investigate the deviations observed from this universal pattern, thereby characterizing them in terms of the location of the second ionization zone of helium. We also show how this seismic signature depends on stellar evolution. We measured the frequencies of radial modes with a maximum likelihood estimator method, then we identified a modulation corresponding to the departure from the universal oscillation pattern. We identify the modulation component of the radial mode frequency spacings in more than five hundred red giants. The variation in the modulation that we observe at different evolutionary states brings new constraints on the interior models for these stars. We also derive an updated form of the universal pattern that accounts for the modulation and provides highly precise radial frequencies.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Mixed modes in red giants: a window on stellar evolution

The detection of oscillations with a mixed character in subgiants and red giants allows us to probe the physical conditions in their cores. With these mixed modes, we aim at determining seismic markers of stellar evolution. Kepler asteroseismic data were selected to map various evolutionary stages and stellar masses. Seismic evolutionary tracks were then drawn with the combination of the frequency and period spacings. We measured the asymptotic period spacing for more than 1170 stars at various evolutionary stages. This allows us to monitor stellar evolution from the main sequence to the asymptotic giant branch and draw seismic evolutionary tracks. We present clear quantified asteroseismic definitions that characterize the change in the evolutionary stages, in particular the transition from the subgiant stage to the early red giant branch, and the end of the horizontal branch.The seismic information is so precise that clear conclusions can be drawn independently of evolution models. The quantitative seismic information can now be used for stellar modeling, especially for studying the energy transport in the helium-burning core or for specifying the inner properties of stars entering the red or asymptotic giant branches. Modeling will also allow us to study stars that are identified to be in the helium-subflash stage, high-mass stars either arriving or quitting the secondary clump, or stars that could be in the blue-loop stage.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Period-luminosity relations in evolved red giants explained by solar-like oscillations

Solar-like oscillations in red giants have been investigated with CoRoT and Kepler, while pulsations in more evolved M giants have been studied with ground-based microlensing surveys. After 3.1 years of observation with Kepler, it is now possible to make a link between these different observations of semi-regular variables. We aim to identify period-luminosity sequences in evolved red giants identified as semi-regular variables. Then, we investigate the consequences of the comparison of ground-based and space-borne observations. We have first measured global oscillation parameters of evolved red giants observed with Kepler with the envelope autocorrelation function method. We then used an extended form of the universal red giant oscillation pattern, extrapolated to very low frequency, to fully identify their oscillations. From the link between red giant oscillations observed by Kepler and period-luminosity sequences, we have identified these relations in evolved red giants as radial and non-radial solar-like oscillations. We were able to expand scaling relations at very low frequency. This helped us to identify the different sequences of period-luminosity relations, and allowed us to propose a calibration of the K magnitude with the observed frequency large separation. Interpreting period-luminosity relations in red giants in terms of solar-like oscillations allows us to investigate, with a firm physical basis, the time series obtained from ground-based microlensing surveys. This can be done with an analytical expression that describes the low-frequency oscillation spectra. The different behavior of oscillations at low frequency, with frequency separations scaling only approximately with the square root of the mean stellar density, can be used to address precisely the physics of the semi-regular variables.

astro-ph.SR↗