arXiv subjects

Margarida S. Cunha

Publications and source records attributed to Margarida S. Cunha.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Asteroseismic modelling of main-sequence solar-like stars and Kepler exoplanet host stars with the FICO procedure I. Catalogue of fundamental stellar properties

We present detailed asteroseismic modelling of 95 main-sequence solar-like stars and Kepler exoplanet host stars using the FICO procedure, a three-step method that combines forward and inverse techniques that enables precise inference of fundamental stellar parameters such as mass, radius, age, and mean density. We applied the FICO procedure to a catalogue of stars with high-quality asteroseismic and classical observations, and compared its results against literature values. We also compared its performance with direct frequency fitting using semi-empirical surface corrections. The FICO procedure achieved statistical precisions of 2.3%, 0.82%, 6.9%, and 0.49% in mass, radius, age, and mean density, respectively on average, well within PLATO quality requirements. We reconfirmed that surface-independent methods more effectively mitigate biases inherent to semi-empirical surface corrections, particularly for stars more massive than 1.15 Msun or above 6050 K. Two regimes were identified: near-solar conditions, where both approaches perform similarly, and higher-mass stars, where surface-independent methods consistently outperform direct fitting methods. While our results are consistent with literature values, we observed age biases (~11.5% on average for the Kepler LEGACY sample) that are comparable to the PLATO accuracy requirement of 10% for a Sun-like star, and therefore not negligible in that context. The FICO procedure provides a robust framework for high-precision stellar characterisation in the PLATO era. Its hybrid architecture effectively addresses surface effects, making it a promising tool for the accurate determination of exoplanet host-star properties. Our findings also highlight the importance of carefully selecting and validating the physical assumptions embedded in stellar models, particularly in the context of next-generation space missions such as PLATO.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Rapidly oscillating Ap stars observed with TESS. The LAMOST Ap sample and 49 Cam

The rapidly oscillating chemically peculiar A-type (roAp) stars offer valuable insights into the internal physical processes of all stars, but their study is challenged by their rarity. The large-scale TESS surveys have allowed for the collection of data for a sizeable dataset of roAp stars. Nevertheless, asteroseismic data obtained with TESS and Gaia has not been explored to its full potential. We develop an algorithm capable of analysing large quantities of data to search for new roAp stars and increase the current sample. We focus on data products that have not been previously explored for the search of roAp stars, namely the 200-s FFIs and 20-s cadence light curves. 20-s and 200-s cadence light curves of target stars are retrieved from the MAST server and cleaned. DFTs are computed for each light curve which are used to pre-whiten the data to remove any low frequency signals. A final DFT is calculated which is used to classify stars as non-pulsating (NP), delta Scuti or roAp based on the remaining signal. We apply our algorithm to two independent datasets: i) ~2700 Ap stars spectroscopically classified with LAMOST and observed by TESS in the 200-s FFIs and ii) all TESS 20-s cadence light curves available for known or candidate roAp stars. These two samples have no overlap, i.e. none of the LAMOST stars have been observed with 20-s cadence. We identify four new roAp stars: TIC 312111544, TIC 252881095, TIC 46054683, and 49 Cam (TIC 393276640). We find evidence in TESS data that TIC 252881095 may be part of a binary system. If the tentative ~30-d orbital signal is confirmed, TIC 252881095 could be one of the shortest-period roAp binary currently known. Furthermore, the detection of high-frequency pulsations in 49 Cam is particularly relevant, as this well-known roAp candidate star is here confirmed to be roAp based on TESS 20-s cadence data.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Assessment of PLATO Science Performance

The PLATO mission is scheduled for launch early 2027. In this paper we present an overview of the performance drivers for the mission at the time where all flight models of the cameras have been tested and integrated on the optical bench. The PLATO consortium needs an estimate of the planet detection yield to dimension the ground-based radial velocity follow-up resources. We provide updated estimates on the yield of planet detections that can be expected from the mission under certain assumptions. As of today, large uncertainties remain on the planet occurrence rates, especially for small planets in long-period orbits, and on our ability to detect these planets in the presence of stellar variability and instrumental noise. To partially overcome these limitations, we compare results using different planet occurrence rates, detectability rates, and we include an estimate on the expected contribution of stellar variability to the noise budget. The final detection yield of PLATO will provide constraints to planet occurrence rates which in turn will help constraining planet formation models.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Probing the Cores of Subdwarf B Stars: How do They Compare to Cores in Helium Core-Burning Red Giants?

The mixing of material from stellar convective cores into their adjacent radiative layers has been a matter of long-standing debate. Pulsating subdwarf B stars offer excellent conditions to advance our understanding of this problem. In this work we use a model-independent approach to infer information about the cores of three subdwarf B stars and compare it with similar inferences from earlier analysis of red giants in the helium core-burning phase. This is achieved by fitting an analytical description of the gravity-mode pulsation periods to pulsation data collected by the Kepler satellite. From the fits we infer the reduced asymptotic period spacings and the amplitude and position of sharp structural variations associated with chemical discontinuities in the stellar interiors. Our results indicate the presence of sharp structural variations with similar properties in all three stars, located near the edge of the gravity-mode propagation cavity and likely associated with the C-O/He transition. We find that these structural variations differ systematically from those of helium core-burning red giant stars, having larger amplitudes and being located at a larger buoyancy radius. This suggests that chemical mixing beyond the adiabatically stratified core into the radiatively stratified layers may be more extensive in subdwarf B stars than in helium core-burning red giants. Alternatively, the stratification of the mixing region beyond the adiabatically stratified core may differ significantly between the two types of stars. The model-independent constraints set on the structural variations inside these three stars are the first of a kind and will be key to enhance the modelling of layers adjacent to stellar convective cores and to test non-canonical stellar evolution channels leading to the formation of hot subdwarf stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Signature of spin-down stalling in stellar magnetic activity. The case of the open cluster NGC 6811

Stellar rotation and magnetic activity have a complex evolution that reveals multiple regimes. One of the related transitions that is seen in the rotation distribution for main-sequence (MS) solar-like stars has been attributed to core-envelope coupling and the consequent angular-momentum transfer between a fast core and a slow envelope. This feature is known as spin-down stalling and is related to the intermediate-rotation gap seen in field stars. Beyond this rotation signature, we search for evidence of it in stellar magnetic activity. We investigated the magnetic activity of the 1 Gyr old NGC 6811, a Kepler-field cluster, and Kepler MS stars of different ages. The magnetic activity was measured through the photometric magnetic activity proxy, Sph. To characterize the evolution of the magnetic activity for the Kepler sample, we split it according to the relative rotation and computed the respective activity sequences. We found the signature of core-envelope coupling in the magnetic activity of NGC 6811 and in the Kepler MS sample. In NGC 6811, we found enhanced magnetic activity for a range of effective temperatures that remained for significant timescales. In the Kepler sample, the magnetic activity sequences pile up in two distinct regions: at high activity levels that coincide with stars near the stalling mentioned above, where a behavior inversion is observed (slowly rotating stars have higher activity levels than fast-rotating stars, which is opposite to the overall behavior); and at low activity levels corresponding to slow rotators close to the detection limit, potentially facing a weakening of the magnetic braking. These results support the recent proposition that the strong shear experienced by stars during the core-envelope coupling phase can cause enhanced activity. This study helps us to shed light on the interplay between rotation, magnetic activity, and their evolution.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

On the seismic modelling of subgiant stars: testing different grid interpolation methods

Context. The emergence of mixed modes during the subgiant phase, whose frequencies are characterized by a fast evolution with age, can potentially enable a precise determination of stellar properties, a key goal for future missions like PLATO. However, current modelling techniques often consider grids that lack the resolution to properly account for the fast mode frequency evolution, consequently requiring the use of interpolation algorithms to cover the parameter space in between the grid models when applying model-data comparison methods. Aims. We aim at reproducing the $\ell$=1 mode frequencies within the accuracy limits associated with the typical observational errors ($\sim$0.1 $μ$Hz) through interpolation on a grid of subgiant models. Methods. With that aim, we used variations of a two-step interpolation algorithm, which considered linear and cubic splines interpolation methods and different age proxies (physical age, scaled age, and central density). Results. The best results were obtained using an algorithm that considers cubic splines interpolation along tracks, linear interpolation across tracks, and central density $ρ_\text{c}$ as the age proxy. This combination yielded, on average, an absolute error of 0.14 $μ$Hz, but reached maximum absolute errors on the interpolated frequencies of 1.2 $μ$Hz for some models, which is an order of magnitude higher than the typical observational errors. Furthermore, we investigated the impact on the accuracy of the interpolation from changes in the physical properties of the stars, showing, in particular, how the addition of core overshoot can affect significantly the interpolation results.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

HD 60435: The star that stopped pulsating

HD 60435 is a well-known rapidly oscillating (roAp) Ap star with a series of alternating even and odd degree modes, making it a prime asteroseismic target. It is also an oblique pulsator with rotational inclination, $i$, and magnetic/pulsation obliquity, $β$, such that both magnetic/pulsation poles are viewed over the rotation period, $P_{\rm rot} = 7.679696$ d, determined from rotational light variations. While some roAp stars have stable pulsation mode amplitudes over decades, HD 60435 is known to have amplitude variations on time scales as short as 1 d. We show from 5 yr of {\it TESS} observations that there is strong amplitude modulation on this short time scale with possible mode interactions. Most remarkably, HD 60435 stopped pulsating during the time span of the {\it TESS} observations. This is the first time that any pulsating star has been observed to cease pulsating entirely. That has implications for mode interaction, excitation and damping, and is relevant to the problem of why only some stars in many pulsation instability strips pulsate, while others do not. During a 24.45-d time span of the {\it TESS} data when there was mode stability for a dipole mode and a quadrupole mode, the oblique pulsator model constrained $i$ and $β$, which we used to model those modes with a magnetic pulsation model from which we determined a polar field strength of 4 kG, in good agreement with a known magnetic measurement. We modelled the frequency separations showing that they can constrain the global metallicity, something that is not possible from spectroscopy of the highly peculiar Ap atmosphere.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Buoyancy glitches in pulsating stars revisited

Sharp structural variations induce specific signatures on stellar pulsations that can be studied to infer localised information on the stratification of the star. This information is key to improve our understanding of the physical processes that lead to the structural variations and how to model them. Here we revisit and extend the analysis of the signature of different types of buoyancy glitches in gravity-mode and mixed-mode pulsators presented in earlier works, including glitches with step-like, Gaussian-like, and Dirac-$δ$-like shapes. In particular, we provide analytical expressions for the perturbations to the periods and show that these can be reliably used in place of the expressions provided for the period spacings, with the advantage that the use of the new expressions does not require modes with consecutive radial orders to be observed. Based on a comparison with two limit cases and on simulated data, we further tested the accuracy of the expression for the Gaussian-like glitch signature whose derivation in an earlier work involved a significant approximation. We find that the least reliable glitch parameter inferred from fitting that expression is the amplitude, which can be up to a factor of two larger than the true amplitude, reaching this limit when the glitch is small. We further discuss the impact on the glitch signature of considering a glitch in the inner and outer half of the g-mode cavity, emphasising the break of symmetry that takes place in the case of mixed-mode pulsators.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

TESS Giants Transiting Giants V -- Two hot Jupiters orbiting red-giant hosts

In this work we present the discovery and confirmation of two hot Jupiters orbiting red-giant stars, TOI-4377 b and TOI-4551 b, observed by TESS in the southern ecliptic hemisphere and later followed-up with radial-velocity (RV) observations. For TOI-4377 b we report a mass of $0.957^{+0.089}_{-0.087} \ M_\mathrm{J}$ and a inflated radius of $1.348 \pm 0.081 \ R_\mathrm{J}$ orbiting an evolved intermediate-mass star ($1.36 \ \mathrm{M}_\odot$, $3.52 \ \mathrm{R}_\odot$; TIC 394918211) on a period of of $4.378$ days. For TOI-4551 b we report a mass of $1.49 \pm 0.13 \ M_\mathrm{J}$ and a radius that is not obviously inflated of $1.058^{+0.110}_{-0.062} \ R_\mathrm{J}$, also orbiting an evolved intermediate-mass star ($1.31 \ \mathrm{M}_\odot$, $3.55 \ \mathrm{R}_\odot$; TIC 204650483) on a period of $9.956$ days. We place both planets in context of known systems with hot Jupiters orbiting evolved hosts, and note that both planets follow the observed trend of the known stellar incident flux-planetary radius relation observed for these short-period giants. Additionally, we produce planetary interior models to estimate the heating efficiency with which stellar incident flux is deposited in the planet's interior, estimating values of $1.91 \pm 0.48\%$ and $2.19 \pm 0.45\%$ for TOI-4377 b and TOI-4551 b respectively. These values are in line with the known population of hot Jupiters, including hot Jupiters orbiting main sequence hosts, which suggests that the radii of our planets have reinflated in step with their parent star's brightening as they evolved into the post-main-sequence. Finally, we evaluate the potential to observe orbital decay in both systems.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2023

Systematics in Asteroseismic Modelling: Application of a Correlated Noise Model for Oscillation Frequencies

The detailed modelling of stellar oscillations is a powerful approach to characterising stars. However, poor treatment of systematics in theoretical models leads to misinterpretations of stars. Here we propose a more principled statistical treatment for the systematics to be applied to fitting individual mode frequencies with a typical stellar model grid. We introduce a correlated noise model based on a Gaussian Process (GP) kernel to describe the systematics given that mode frequency systematics are expected to be highly correlated. We show that tuning the GP kernel can reproduce general features of frequency variations for changing model input physics and fundamental parameters. Fits with the correlated noise model better recover stellar parameters than traditional methods which either ignore the systematics or treat them as uncorrelated noise.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Revisiting the Red-giant Branch Hosts KOI-3886 and $ι$ Draconis. Detailed Asteroseismic Modeling and Consolidated Stellar Parameters

Asteroseismology is playing an increasingly important role in the characterization of red-giant host stars and their planetary systems. Here, we conduct detailed asteroseismic modeling of the evolved red-giant branch (RGB) hosts KOI-3886 and $ι$ Draconis, making use of end-of-mission Kepler (KOI-3886) and multi-sector TESS ($ι$ Draconis) time-series photometry. We also model the benchmark star KIC 8410637, a member of an eclipsing binary, thus providing a direct test to the seismic determination. We test the impact of adopting different sets of observed modes as seismic constraints. Inclusion of $\ell=1$ and 2 modes improves the precision on the stellar parameters, albeit marginally, compared to adopting radial modes alone, with $1.9$-$3.0\%$ (radius), $5$-$9\%$ (mass), and $19$-$25\%$ (age) reached when using all p-dominated modes as constraints. Given the very small spacing of adjacent dipole mixed modes in evolved RGB stars, the sparse set of observed g-dominated modes is not able to provide extra constraints, further leading to highly multimodal posteriors. Access to multi-year time-series photometry does not improve matters, with detailed modeling of evolved RGB stars based on (lower-resolution) TESS data sets attaining a precision commensurate with that based on end-of-mission Kepler data. Furthermore, we test the impact of varying the atmospheric boundary condition in our stellar models. We find mass and radius estimates to be insensitive to the description of the near-surface layers, at the expense of substantially changing both the near-surface structure of the best-fitting models and the values of associated parameters like the initial helium abundance, $Y_{\rm i}$. Attempts to measure $Y_{\rm i}$ from seismic modeling of red giants may thus be systematically dependent on the choice of atmospheric physics.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

TESS Asteroseismic Analysis of HD 76920: The Giant Star Hosting An Extremely Eccentric Exoplanet

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission searches for new exoplanets. The observing strategy of TESS results in high-precision photometry of millions of stars across the sky, allowing for detailed asteroseismic studies of individual systems. In this work, we present a detailed asteroseismic analysis of the giant star HD 76920 hosting a highly eccentric giant planet ($e = 0.878$) with an orbital period of 415 days, using 5 sectors of TESS light curve that cover around 140 days of data. Solar-like oscillations in HD 76920 are detected around $52 \, μ$Hz by TESS for the first time. By utilizing asteroseismic modeling that takes classical observational parameters and stellar oscillation frequencies as constraints, we determine improved measurements of the stellar mass ($1.22 \pm 0.11\, M_\odot$), radius ($8.68 \pm 0.34\,R_\odot$), and age ($5.2 \pm 1.4\,$Gyr). With the updated parameters of the host star, we update the semi-major axis and mass of the planet as $a=1.165 \pm 0.035$ au and $M_{\rm p}\sin{i} = 3.57 \pm 0.22\,M_{\rm Jup}$. With an orbital pericenter of $0.142 \pm 0.005$ au, we confirm that the planet is currently far away enough from the star to experience negligible tidal decay until being engulfed in the stellar envelope. We also confirm that this event will occur within about 100\,Myr, depending on the stellar model used.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Evidence of structural discontinuities in the inner core of red-giant stars

Red giants are stars in the late stages of stellar evolution. Because they have exhausted the supply of hydrogen in their core, they burn the hydrogen in the surrounding shell. Once the helium in the core starts fusing, the star enters the clump phase, which is identified as a striking feature in the color-magnitude diagram. Since clump stars share similar observational properties, they are heavily used in astrophysical studies, as probes of distance, extinction through the galaxy, galaxy density, and stellar chemical evolution. In this work, we perform the detailed observational characterization of the deepest layers of clump stars using asteroseismic data from Kepler. We find evidence for large core structural discontinuities in about 6.7% of the stars in our sample, implying that the region of mixing beyond the convective core boundary has a radiative thermal stratification. These stars are otherwise similar to the remaining stars in our sample, which may indicate that the building of the discontinuities is an intermittent phenomenon.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

On the stellar core physics of the 16 Cyg binary system: constraining the central hydrogen abundance using asteroseismology

The unprecedented quality of the asteroseismic data of solar-type stars made available by space missions such as NASA's Kepler telescope are making it possible to explore stellar interior structures. This offers possibilities of constraining stellar core properties (such as core sizes, abundances, and physics) paving the way for improving the precision of the inferred stellar ages. We employ 16 Cyg A and B as our benchmark stars for an asteroseismic study in which we present a novel approach aimed at selecting from a sample of acceptable stellar models returned from Forward Modelling techniques, down to the ones that better represent the core of each star. This is accomplished by comparing specific properties of the observed frequency ratios for each star to the ones derived from the acceptable stellar models. We demonstrate that in this way we are able to constrain further the hydrogen mass fraction in the core, establishing the stars' precise evolutionary states and ages. The ranges of the derived core hydrogen mass fractions are [0.01 - 0.06] and [0.12 - 0.19] for 16 Cyg A and B, respectively, and, considering that the stars are coeval, the age and metal mass fraction parameters span the region [6.4 - 7.4] Gyr and [0.023 - 0.026], respectively. In addition, our findings show that using a single helium-to-heavy element enrichment ratio, ($ΔY/ΔZ$), when forward modelling the 16 Cyg binary system, may result in a sample of acceptable models that do not simultaneously fit the observed frequency ratios, further highlighting that such an approach to the definition of the helium content of the star may not be adequate in studies of individual stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

A 20-Second Cadence View of Solar-Type Stars and Their Planets with TESS: Asteroseismology of Solar Analogs and a Re-characterization of pi Men c

We present an analysis of the first 20-second cadence light curves obtained by the TESS space telescope during its extended mission. We find a precision improvement of 20-second data compared to 2-minute data for bright stars when binned to the same cadence (~10-25% better for T<~8 mag, reaching equal precision at T~13 mag), consistent with pre-flight expectations based on differences in cosmic ray mitigation algorithms. We present two results enabled by this improvement. First, we use 20-second data to detect oscillations in three solar analogs (gamma Pav, zeta Tuc and pi Men) and use asteroseismology to measure their radii, masses, densities and ages to ~1%, ~3%, ~1% and ~20% respectively, including systematic errors. Combining our asteroseismic ages with chromospheric activity measurements we find evidence that the spread in the activity-age relation is linked to stellar mass and thus convection-zone depth. Second, we combine 20-second data and published radial velocities to re-characterize pi Men c, which is now the closest transiting exoplanet for which detailed asteroseismology of the host star is possible. We show that pi Men c is located at the upper edge of the planet radius valley for its orbital period, confirming that it has likely retained a volatile atmosphere and that the "asteroseismic radius valley" remains devoid of planets. Our analysis favors a low eccentricity for pi Men c (<0.1 at 68% confidence), suggesting efficient tidal dissipation (Q/k <~ 2400) if it formed via high-eccentricity migration. Combined, these early results demonstrate the strong potential of TESS 20-second cadence data for stellar astrophysics and exoplanet science.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Diagnostics from solar and stellar glitches

Sudden changes in the internal structure of stars, placed at the interface between convective and radiative regions, regions of partial ionisation, or between layers that have acquired different chemical composition as a result of nuclear burning, often produce specific signatures in the stars oscillation spectra. Through the study of these signatures one may gain information on the physical processes that shape the regions that produce them, including diffusion and chemical mixing beyond the convectively unstable regions, as well as information about the helium content of stars. In this talk, I will review important theoretical and observational efforts conducted over the years towards this goal. I will emphasise the potential offered by the study of acoustic, gravity, and mixed modes observed in stars of different mass and evolutionary stages, at a time when space-based data is allowing us to build on the knowledge gained from the study of the sun and white dwarfs, where these efforts have long been undertaken, extending the methods developed to stars across the HR diagramme.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Asteroseismology of iota Draconis and Discovery of an Additional Long-Period Companion

Giant stars as known exoplanet hosts are relatively rare due to the potential challenges in acquiring precision radial velocities and the small predicted transit depths. However, these giant host stars are also some of the brightest in the sky and so enable high signal-to-noise follow-up measurements. Here we report on new observations of the bright (V ~ 3.3) giant star $ι$ Draconis ($ι$ Dra), known to host a planet in a highly eccentric ~511 day period orbit. TESS observations of the star over 137 days reveal asteroseismic signatures, allowing us to constrain the stellar radius, mass, and age to ~2%, ~6%, and ~28%, respectively. We present the results of continued radial velocity monitoring of the star using the Automated Planet Finder over several orbits of the planet. We provide more precise planet parameters of the known planet and, through the combination of our radial velocity measurements with Hipparcos and Gaia astrometry, we discover an additional long-period companion with an orbital period of ~$68^{+60}_{-36}$ years. Mass predictions from our analysis place this sub-stellar companion on the border of the planet and brown dwarf regimes. The bright nature of the star combined with the revised orbital architecture of the system provides an opportunity to study planetary orbital dynamics that evolve as the star moves into the giant phase of its evolution.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

Discovery of multiple p-mode pulsation frequencies in the roAp star, HD 86181

We report the frequency analysis of a known roAp star, HD 86181 (TIC 469246567), with new inferences from TESS data. We derive the rotation frequency to be $ν_{rot}$ = 0.48753 $\pm$ 0.00001d$^{-1}$. The pulsation frequency spectrum is rich, consisting of two doublets and one quintuplet, which we interpret to be oblique pulsation multiplets from consecutive, high-overtone dipole, quadrupole and dipole modes. The central frequency of the quintuplet is 232.7701d$^{-1}$ (2.694 mHz). The phases of the sidelobes, the pulsation phase modulation, and a spherical harmonic decomposition all show that the quadrupole mode is distorted. Following the oblique pulsator model, we calculate the rotation inclination, i, and magnetic obliquity, $β$, of this star, which provide detailed information about the pulsation geometry. The i and $β$ derived from the best fit of the pulsation amplitude and phase modulation to a theoretical model, including the magnetic field effect, slightly differ from those calculated for a pure quadrupole, indicating the contributions from l = 4, 6, 8, ... are small. Non-adiabatic models with different envelope convection conditions and physics configurations were considered for this star. It is shown that models with envelope convection almost fully suppressed can explain the excitation at the observed pulsation frequencies.

astro-ph.SR↗