arXiv subjects

S. Mathis

Publications and source records attributed to S. Mathis.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

HD 89345: a bright oscillating star hosting a transiting warm Saturn-sized planet observed by K2

We report the discovery and characterization of HD 89345b (K2-234b; EPIC 248777106b), a Saturn-sized planet orbiting a slightly evolved star. HD 89345 is a bright star ($V = 9.3$ mag) observed by the K2 mission with one-minute time sampling. It exhibits solar-like oscillations. We conducted asteroseismology to determine the parameters of the star, finding the mass and radius to be $1.12^{+0.04}_{-0.01}~M_\odot$ and $1.657^{+0.020}_{-0.004}~R_\odot$, respectively. The star appears to have recently left the main sequence, based on the inferred age, $9.4^{+0.4}_{-1.3}~\mathrm{Gyr}$, and the non-detection of mixed modes. The star hosts a "warm Saturn" ($P = 11.8$~days, $R_p = 6.86 \pm 0.14~R_\oplus$). Radial-velocity follow-up observations performed with the FIES, HARPS, and HARPS-N spectrographs show that the planet has a mass of $35.7 \pm 3.3~M_\oplus$. The data also show that the planet's orbit is eccentric ($e\approx 0.2$). An investigation of the rotational splitting of the oscillation frequencies of the star yields no conclusive evidence on the stellar inclination angle. We further obtained Rossiter-McLaughlin observations, which result in a broad posterior of the stellar obliquity. The planet seems to conform to the same patterns that have been observed for other sub-Saturns regarding planet mass and multiplicity, orbital eccentricity, and stellar metallicity.

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arXiv2018

Seismic probing of the first dredge-up event through the eccentric red-giant & red-giant spectroscopic binary KIC9163796

Binaries in double-lined spectroscopic systems provide a homogeneous set of stars. Differences of parameters, such as age or initial conditions, which otherwise would have strong impact on the stellar evolution, can be neglected. The observed differences are determined by the difference in stellar mass between the two components. The mass ratio can be determined with much higher accuracy than the actual stellar mass. In this work, we aim to study the eccentric binary system KIC9163796, whose two components are very close in mass and both are low-luminosity red-giant stars from four years of Kepler space photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy with Hermes. Mass and radius of the primary were determined through asteroseismology to be 1.39+/-0.06 Mo and 5.35+/-0.09 Ro, resp. From spectral disentangling the mass ratio was found to be 1.015+/-0.005 and that the secondary is ~600K hotter than the primary. Evolutionary models place both components, in the early and advanced stage of the first dredge-up event on the red-giant branch. From theoretical models of the primary, we derived the internal rotational gradient. From a grid of models, the measured difference in lithium abundance is compared with theoretical predictions. The surface rotation of the primary is determined from the Kepler light curve and resembles the orbital period within 10 days. The radial rotational gradient between the surface and core is found to be 6.9+2.0/-1.0. The agreement between the surface rotation with the seismic result indicates that the full convective envelope is rotating quasi-rigidly. The models of the lithium abundance are compatible with a rigid rotation in the radiative zone during the main sequence. Because of the many constraints offered by oscillating stars in binary systems, such objects are important test beds of stellar evolution.

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arXiv2017

First results from the LIFE project: discovery of two magnetic hot evolved stars

We present the initial results of the Large Impact of magnetic Fields on the Evolution of hot stars (LIFE) project. The focus of this project is the search for magnetic fields in evolved OBA giants and supergiants with visual magnitudes between 4 and 8, with the aim to investigate how the magnetic fields observed in upper main sequence (MS) stars evolve from the MS until the late post-MS stages. In this paper, we present spectropolarimetric observations of 15 stars observed using the ESPaDOnS instrument of the CFHT. For each star, we have determined the fundamental parameters and have used stellar evolution models to calculate their mass, age and radius. Using the LSD technique, we have produced averaged line profiles for each star. From these profiles, we have measured the longitudinal magnetic field strength and have calculated the detection probability. We report the detection of magnetic fields in two stars of our sample: a weak field of $B_l=1.0\pm0.2\,$G is detected in the post-MS A5 star 19$\,$Aur and a stronger field of $B_l=-230\,\pm\,10\,$G is detected in the MS/post-MS B8/9 star HR$\,$3042.

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arXiv2017

The 2D dynamics of radiative zones of low-mass stars

In the context of secular evolution, we describe the dynamics of the radiative core of low-mass stars to understand the internal transport of angular momentum in such stars which results in a solid rotation in the Sun from 0.7R_sun to 0.2R_sun and a weak radial core-envelope differential rotation in solar-type stars. This study requires at least a 2D description to capture the latitudinal variations of the differential rotation. We build 2D numerical models of a radiative core on the top of which we impose a latitudinal shear so as to reproduce a cylindrical differential rotation in a convective envelope. We perform a systematic study over the Rossby number measuring the latitudinal differential rotation at the radiative-convective interface. The imposed shear generates a geostrophic flow implying a cylindrical differential rotation. When compared to the baroclinic flow that arises from the stable stratification, we find that the geostrophic flow is dominant when the Rossby number is high enough with a cylindrical rotation profile. For low Rossby numbers, the baroclinic solution dominates with a quasi-shellular rotation profile. Using scaling laws from 3D simulations, we show that slow rotators are expected to have a cylindrical rotation profile. Fast rotators may have a shellular profile at the beginning of the main-sequence in stellar radiative zones. This study enables us to predict different types of differential rotation and emphasizes the need of a new generation of 2D rotating stellar models developed in synergy with 3D numerical simulations. The shear induced by a surface convective zone has a strong impact on the dynamics of the underlying radiative zone in low-mass stars. But, it cannot produce a flat internal rotation profile in a solar configuration calling for additional processes for the transport of angular momentum in both radial and latitudinal directions.

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arXiv2017

Layered semi-convection and tides in giant planet interiors

Layered semi-convection could operate in giant planets, potentially explaining the constraints on the heavy elements distribution in Jupiter deduced recently from Juno observations, and contributing to Saturn's luminosity excess or the abnormally large radius of some hot Jupiters. This is a state consisting of density staircases, in which convective layers are separated by thin stably stratified interfaces. The efficiency of tidal dissipation in a planet depends strongly on its internal structure. It is crucial to improve our understanding of the mechanisms driving this dissipation, since it has important consequences to predict the long-term evolution of any planetary system. In this work, our goal is to study the resulting tidal dissipation when internal waves are excited by other bodies (such as the moons of giant planets) in a region of layered semi-convection. We find that the rates of tidal dissipation can be significantly enhanced in a layered semi-convective medium compared to a uniformly convective medium, especially in the astrophysically relevant sub-inertial frequency range. Thus, layered semi-convection is a possible candidate to explain high tidal dissipation rates recently observed in Jupiter and Saturn.

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arXiv2017

Towards a better understanding of tidal dissipation at corotation layers in differentially rotating stars and planets

Star-planet tidal interactions play a significant role in the dynamical evolution of close-in planetary systems. We investigate the propagation and dissipation of tidal inertial waves in a stellar/planetary convective region. We take into account a latitudinal differential rotation for the background flow, similar to what is observed in the envelope of low-mass stars like the Sun. Previous works have shown that differential rotation significantly alters the propagation and dissipation properties of inertial waves. In particular, when the Doppler-shifted tidal frequency vanishes in the fluid, a critical layer forms where tidal dissipation can be greatly enhanced. Our present work develops a local analytic model to better understand the propagation and dissipation properties of tidally forced inertial waves at critical layers.

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arXiv2017

The fate of close-in planets: tidal or magnetic migration?

Planets in close-in orbits interact magnetically and tidally with their host stars. These interactions lead to a net torque that makes close-in planets migrate inward or outward depending on their orbital distance. We compare systematically the strength of magnetic and tidal torques for typical observed star-planet systems (T-Tauri & hot Jupiter, M dwarf & Earth-like planet, K star & hot Jupiter) based on state-of-the-art scaling-laws. We find that depending on the characteristics of the system, tidal or magnetic effects can dominate. For very close-in planets, we find that both torques can make a planet migrate on a timescale as small as 10 to 100 thousands of years. Both effects thus have to be taken into account when predicting the evolution of compact systems.

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arXiv2017

The magnetic strip(s) in the advanced phases of stellar evolution - Theoretical convective turnover timescale and Rossby number for low- and intermediate-mass stars up to the AGB at various metallicities

Recent spectropolarimetric observations of otherwise ordinary G, K, and M giants revealed localized magnetic strips in the HRD coincident with the regions where the first dredge-up and core He-burning occur. We seek to understand the origin of magnetic fields in such late-type giant stars. In analogy with late-type dwarf stars, we focus primarily on parameters known to influence the generation of magnetic fields in the outer convective envelope. We compute the classical dynamo parameters along the evolutionary tracks of low- and intermediate-mass stars at various metallicities using stellar models that have been extensively tested by spectroscopic and asteroseismic observations. These include convective turnover timescales and convective Rossby numbers, computed from the PMS to the tip of the RGB or the early AGB. To investigate the effects of the very extended outer convective envelope, we compute these parameters both for the entire convective envelope and locally, that is, at different depths within the envelope. We also compute the turnover timescales and corresponding Rossby numbers for the convective cores of intermediate-mass stars on the main sequence. Our models show that the Rossby number of the convective envelope becomes lower than unity in the well-delimited locations of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram where magnetic fields have indeed been detected. We show that alpha-omega dynamo processes might not be continuously operating, but that they are favored in the stellar convective envelope at two specific moments along the evolution tracks, that is, during the first dredge-up at the base of the RGB and during central helium burning in the helium-burning phase and early-AGB. This general behavior can explain the so-called magnetic strips recently discovered by dedicated spectropolarimetric surveys of evolved stars.

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arXiv2017

Lithium abundance and rotation of seismic solar analogues - Solar and stellar connection from Kepler and Hermes observations

Lithium abundance A(Li) and surface rotation are good diagnostic tools to probe the internal mixing and angular momentum transfer in stars. We explore the relation between surface rotation, A(Li) and age in a sample of seismic solar-analogue (SA) stars and study their possible binary nature. We select a sample of 18 SA observed by the NASA Kepler satellite for an in-depth analysis. Their seismic properties and surface rotation are well constrained from previous studies. About 53 hours of high-resolution spectroscopy were obtained to derive fundamental parameters and A(Li). These values were combined and confronted with seismic masses, radii and ages, as well as surface rotation periods. We identify a total of 6 binary systems. A well-defined relation between A(Li) and rotation was obtained. With models constrained by the characterisation of the individual mode frequencies for single stars, we identify a sequence of three SA with similar mass (~1.1Mo) and stellar ages ranging between 1 to 9 Gyr. Within the realistic estimate of ~7% for the mass uncertainty, we find a good agreement between the measured A(Li) and the predicted A(Li) evolution from a grid of models calculated with the Toulouse-Geneva stellar evolution code, which includes rotational internal mixing, calibrated to reproduce solar chemical properties. We present A(Li) for a consistent spectroscopic survey of SA with a mass of 1.00+/-0.15Mo, and characterised through asteroseismology and surface rotation rates based on Kepler observations. The correlation between A(Li) and P_rot supports the gyrochronological concept for stars younger than the Sun. The consensus between measured A(Li) for solar analogues with model grids, calibrated onto the Sun's chemical properties suggests that these targets share the same internal physics. In this light, the solar Li and rotation rate appear to be normal for a star like the Sun.

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arXiv2017

BD-19 5044L: discovery of a short-period SB2 system with a magnetic Bp primary in the open cluster IC 4725

Until recently almost nothing was known about the evolution of magnetic fields found in upper main sequence Ap/Bp stars during their long main sequence lifetime. We are thus studying magnetic Ap/Bp stars in open clusters in order to obtain observational evidence of how the properties of Ap/Bp magnetic stars, such as field strength and structure, evolve with age during the main sequence. One important aspect of this study is to search for the very rare examples of hot magnetic stars in short-period binary systems among magnetic cluster members. In this paper we characterize the object BD-19~5044L, which is both a member of the open cluster IC 4725 = M~25, and a short-period SB2 system containing a magnetic primary star. We have obtained a series of intensity and circular polarisation spectra distributed through the orbital and rotation cycles of BD-19 5044L with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at CFHT. We find that the orbit of BD-19 5044L AB is quite eccentric (e = 0.477), with a period of 17.63 d. The primary is a magnetic Bp star with a variable longitudinal magnetic field, a polar field strength of ~1400 G and a low obliquity, while the secondary is probably a hot Am star and does not appear to be magnetic. The rotation period of the primary (5.04 d) is not synchronised with the orbit, but the rotation angular velocity is close to being synchronised with the orbital angular velocity of the secondary at periastron, perhaps as a result of tidal interactions. The periastron separation is small enough (about 12 times the radius of the primary star) that BD-19 5044L may be one of the very rare known cases of a tidally interacting SB2 binary system containing a magnetic Ap/Bp star.

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arXiv2016

Constraining the efficiency of angular momentum transport with asteroseismology of red giants: the effect of stellar mass

Context: Constraints on the internal rotation of red giants are now available thanks to asteroseismic observations. Preliminary comparisons with rotating stellar models indicate that an undetermined additional process for the internal transport of angular momentum is required in addition to purely hydrodynamic processes. Aims: We investigate how asteroseismic measurements of red giants can help us characterize the additional transport mechanism. Methods: We first determine the efficiency of the missing transport mechanism for the low-mass red giant KIC 7341231 by computing rotating models that include an additional viscosity corresponding to this process. We then discuss the change in the efficiency of this transport of angular momentum with the mass, metallicity and evolutionary stage. Results: In the case of the low-mass red giant KIC 7341231, we find that the viscosity corresponding to the additional mechanism is constrained to the range 1 x 10^3 - 1.3 x 10^4 cm^2/s. This constraint on the efficiency of the unknown additional transport mechanism during the post-main sequence is obtained independently of any specific assumption about the modelling of rotational effects during the pre-main sequence and the main sequence (in particular, the braking of the surface by magnetized winds and the efficiency of the internal transport of angular momentum before the post-main-sequence phase). When we assume that the additional transport mechanism is at work during the whole evolution of the star together with a solar-calibrated braking of the surface by magnetized winds, the range of nu_add is reduced to 1 - 4 x 10^3 cm^2/s. In addition to being sensitive to the evolutionary stage of the star, we show that the efficiency of the unknown process for internal transport of angular momentum increases with the stellar mass.

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arXiv2016

Probing seismic solar analogues through observations with the NASA Kepler space telescope and HERMES high-resolution spectrograph

Stars similar to the Sun, known as solar analogues, provide an excellent opportunity to study the preceding and following evolutionary phases of our host star. The unprecedented quality of photometric data collected by the \Kepler NASA mission allows us to characterise solar-like stars through asteroseismology and study diagnostics of stellar evolution, such as variation of magnetic activity, rotation and the surface lithium abundance. In this project, presented in a series of papers by Salabert et al. (2016a,b) and Beck et al (2016a,b), we investigate the link between stellar activity, rotation, lithium abundance and oscillations in a group of 18 solar-analogue stars through space photometry, obtained with the NASA Kepler space telescope and from currently 50+ hours of ground-based, high-resolution spectroscopy with the Hermes instrument. In these proceedings, we first discuss the selection of the stars in the sample, observations and calibrations and then summarise the main results of the project. By investigating the chromospheric and photospheric activity of the solar analogues in this sample, it was shown that for a large fraction of these stars the measured activity levels are compatible to levels of the 11-year solar activity cycle 23. A clear correlation between the lithium abundance and surface rotation was found for rotation periods shorter than the solar value. Comparing the lithium abundance measured in the solar analogues to evolutionary models with the Toulouse-Geneva Evolutionary Code (TGEC), we found that the solar models calibrated to the Sun also correctly describe the set of solar/stellar analogs showing that they share the same internal mixing physics. Finally, the star KIC 3241581 and KIC 10644353 are discussed in more detail.

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arXiv2016

Constraining stellar physics from red-giant stars in binaries - stellar rotation, mixing processes and stellar activity

The unparalleled photometric data obtained by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has led to an improved understanding of stellar structure and evolution - in particular for solar-like oscillators in this context. Binary stars are fascinating objects. Because they were formed together, binary systems provide a set of two stars with very well constrained parameters. Those can be used to study properties and physical processes, such as the stellar rotation, dynamics and rotational mixing of elements and allows us to learn from the differences we find between the two components. In this work, we discussed a detailed study of the binary system KIC9163796, discovered through Kepler photometry. The ground-based follow-up spectroscopy showed that this system is a double-lined spectroscopic binary, with a mass ratio close to unity. However, the fundamental parameters of the components of this system as well as their lithium abundances differ substantially. Kepler photometry of this system allows to perform a detailed seismic analysis as well as to derive the orbital period and the surface rotation rate of the primary component of the system. Indications of the seismic signature of the secondary are found. The differing parameters are best explained with both components located in the early and the late phase of the first dredge up at the bottom of the red-giant branch. Observed lithium abundances in both components are in good agreement with prediction of stellar models including rotational mixing. By combining observations and theory, a comprehensive picture of the system can be drawn.

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arXiv2016

Tides and angular momentum redistribution inside low-mass stars hosting planets: a first dynamical model

We introduce a general mathematical framework to model the internal transport of angular momentum in a star hosting a close-in planetary/stellar companion. By assuming that the tidal and rotational distortions are small and that the deposit/extraction of angular momentum induced by stellar winds and tidal torques are redistributed solely by an effective eddy-viscosity that depends on the radial coordinate, we can formulate the model in a completely analytic way. It allows us to compute simultaneously the evolution of the orbit of the companion and of the spin and the radial differential rotation of the star. An illustrative application to the case of an F-type main-sequence star hosting a hot Jupiter is presented. The general relevance of our model to test more sophisticated numerical dynamical models and to study the internal rotation profile of exoplanet hosts, submitted to the combined effects of tides and stellar winds, by means of asteroseismology are discussed.

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arXiv2016

Modelling turbulent stellar convection zones: sub-grid scales effects

The impressive development of global numerical simulations of turbulent stellar interiors unveiled a variety of possible differential rotation (solar or anti-solar), meridional circulation (single or multi-cellular), and dynamo states (stable large scale toroidal field or periodically reversing magnetic fields). Various numerical schemes, based on the so-called anelastic set of equations, were used to obtain these results. It appears today mandatory to assess their robustness with respect to the details of the numerics, and in particular to the treatment of turbulent sub-grid scales. We report on an ongoing comparison between two global models, the ASH and EULAG codes. In EULAG the sub-grid scales are treated implicitly by the numerical scheme, while in ASH their effect is generally modelled by using enhanced dissipation coefficients. We characterize the sub-grid scales effect in a turbulent convection simulation with EULAG. We assess their effect at each resolved scale with a detailed energy budget. We derive equivalent eddy-diffusion coefficients and use the derived diffusivities in twin ASH numerical simulations. We find a good agreement between the large-scale flows developing in the two codes in the hydrodynamic regime, which encourages further investigation in the magnetohydrodynamic regime for various dynamo solutions.

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arXiv2016

Tidal inertial waves in the differentially rotating convective envelopes of low-mass stars - I. Free oscillation modes

Star-planet tidal interactions may result in the excitation of inertial waves in the convective region of stars. In low-mass stars, their dissipation plays a prominent role in the long-term orbital evolution of short-period planets. Turbulent convection can sustain differential rotation in their envelope, with an equatorial acceleration (as in the Sun) or deceleration, which can modify the waves' propagation properties. We explore in this first paper the general propagation properties of free linear inertial waves in a differentially rotating homogeneous fluid inside a spherical shell. We assume that the angular velocity background flow depends on the latitudinal coordinate only, close to what is expected in the external convective envelope of low-mass stars. We use i) an analytical approach in the inviscid case to get the dispersion relation, from which we compute the characteristic trajectories along which energy propagates. This allows us to study the existence of attractor cycles and infer the different families of inertial modes; ii) high-resolution numerical calculations based on a spectral method for the viscous problem. We find that modes that propagate in the whole shell (D modes) behave the same way as with solid-body rotation. However, another family of inertial modes exists (DT modes), which can propagate only in a restricted part of the convective zone. Our study shows that they are less common than D modes and that the characteristic rays and shear layers often focus towards a wedge - or point-like attractor. More importantly, we find that for non-axisymmetric oscillation modes, shear layers may cross a corotation resonance with a local accumulation of kinetic energy. Their damping rate scales very differently from what we obtain for standard D modes and we show an example where it is independent of viscosity (Ekman number) in the astrophysical regime in which it is small.

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arXiv2015

The MiMeS Survey of Magnetism in Massive Stars: Introduction and overview

The MiMeS project is a large-scale, high resolution, sensitive spectropolarimetric investigation of the magnetic properties of O and early B type stars. Initiated in 2008 and completed in 2013, the project was supported by 3 Large Program allocations, as well as various programs initiated by independent PIs and archival resources. Ultimately, over 4800 circularly polarized spectra of 560 O and B stars were collected with the instruments ESPaDOnS at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, Narval at the Télescope Bernard Lyot, and HARPSpol at the European Southern Observatory La Silla 3.6m telescope, making MiMeS by far the largest systematic investigation of massive star magnetism ever undertaken. In this paper, the first in a series reporting the general results of the survey, we introduce the scientific motivation and goals, describe the sample of targets, review the instrumentation and observational techniques used, explain the exposure time calculation designed to provide sensitivity to surface dipole fields above approximately 100 G, discuss the polarimetric performance, stability and uncertainty of the instrumentation, and summarize the previous and forthcoming publications.

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arXiv2015

The variation of the tidal quality factor of convective envelopes of rotating low-mass stars along their evolution

More than 1500 exoplanets have been discovered around a large diversity of host stars (from M- to A-type stars). Tidal dissipation in their convective envelope is a key actor that shapes the orbital architecture of short-period systems and that still remains unknown. Using a simplified two-layer assumption and grids of stellar models, we compute analytically an equivalent modified tidal quality factor, which is proportional to the inverse of the frequency-averaged dissipation due to the viscous friction applied by turbulent convection on tidal waves. It leads the conversion of their kinetic energy into heat and tidal evolution of orbits and spin. During their Pre-Main-Sequence, all low-mass stars have a decrease of the equivalent modified tidal quality factor for a fixed angular velocity of their convective envelope. Next, it evolves on the Main Sequence to an asymptotic value that is minimum for $0.6M_{\odot}$ K-type stars and that increases by several orders of magnitude with increasing stellar mass. Finally, the rotational evolution of low-mass stars strengthens tidal dissipation during the Pre-Main-Sequence.

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