arXiv subjects

Wen-xu Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Wen-xu Lin.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Eclipse Properties and Superhump Evolution in the SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova Z Cha

The advent of large-scale time-domain surveys provides both opportunities and challenges for understanding accretion disk evolution in cataclysmic variables (CVs). Using high-cadence photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), we investigate the eclipsing SU UMa-type dwarf nova Z Cha. Leveraging eclipses as a natural probe, we examine the evolution of the accretion disk through variations in eclipse depth, O--C of eclipse minima, and positive superhump (PSH) amplitude. During superoutbursts, all three quantities exhibit quasi-periodic modulations with a common period of $\sim$2 days, consistent with the precession period of an eccentric disk. We interpret these correlated variations as evidence of an eccentric, precessing disk: O--C traces the periodic shift of the system's brightness center, while eclipse depth and PSH amplitude vary with the orientation of the disk bulge relative to the line of sight. In quiescence (Sectors 13 and 93), PSHs with periods of $\sim$0.0762 days show linearly decreasing amplitudes and periods, indicating gradual shrinkage of the eccentric disk and a slowing precession. Remarkably, a coherent signal with a period of $\sim$0.0729~days ($\epsilon^{-}\approx-0.02$) appears in the same quiescent intervals. This signal may represent negative superhumps (NSHs) coexisting with PSHs, although an orbital sideband of the PSH cannot presently be excluded with the available data. If confirmed as NSHs, their coexistence with PSHs would challenge the classical tilted-disk model, and could be explained by retrograde apsidal precession of an eccentric disk, where the inner disk precesses retrogradely (NSHs) and the outer disk progradely (PSHs); this interpretation remains to be tested by further observations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Observational Properties of $\beta$ Cephei Stars: 88 new samples discovered Based on TESS and Gaia Data

We present a systematic investigation of $\beta$ Cephei (BCEP) stars by integrating photometric data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) with astrometric parameters from Gaia Data Release 3. Utilizing TESS's short-cadence (SC) and full-frame image (FFI) photometry, along with Gaia parallaxes and temperatures derived from the Extended Stellar Parametrizer for Hot Stars (ESP-HS) pipeline, we identify 88 new BCEP stars and candidates--85 from SC data and 3 from SPOC-processed FFI observations. These targets exhibit visual magnitudes ranging from 8.0 to 12.0 mag, parallaxes between 0.11 and 1.74 mas, effective temperatures of 18,000 to 30,000 K, and luminosities from 1,500--38,000 $L_\odot$, consistent with previously cataloged BCEP populations, thereby demonstrating the robustness of our classification criteria. Key findings include: (1) a significant detection disparity between SC and FFI datasets, with 30\% of SC targets exceeding 18,000 K compared to only 0.7\% in FFI, reflecting observational biases toward high-luminosity, hotter stars in SC data; (2) four samples near the red edge of the theoretical instability strip, exhibiting sparse pulsation modes that are important samples for testing pulsation models under low-mass, low-temperature conditions; and (3) spatial clustering within the Galactic disk ($|b| < 20^\circ$), with two high-latitude outliers likely representing runaway stars ejected from disk environments. Our analysis underscores the critical role of space-based photometry in detecting low-amplitude pulsators and the transformative potential of multi-survey integration in the era of time-domain astronomy. These results provide new samples to constrain stellar pulsation theories of massive stars and to study Galactic dynamics.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Observational Properties of 155 $\beta$ Cephei pulsating variable stars

$\beta$ Cephei pulsating variable (BCEP) stars are the most massive pulsating variable stars in the main sequence, exhibiting both p- and g-mode pulsations. In this study, we identified 155 BCEP stars or candidates using data from TESS and Gaia, of which 83 were first confirmed as BCEP stars. They have visual magnitudes ranging from 8 to 12 mag and effective temperatures between approximately 20,000 and 30,000 K, while the parallaxes of most targets are between 0.2 and 0.6 mas. The study indicates that these BCEP stars have pulsation periods ranging from 0.06 to 0.31 days, with amplitudes ranging from 0.1 to 55.8 mmag in the TESS band. Additionally, the number of BCEP stars increases as the pulsation amplitude decreases. These targets align with the distribution region of BCEP stars in the luminosity-period (L-P) and temperature-period (T-P) diagrams. We have updated the L-P relation of BCEP stars. The Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram indicates that these targets are in the main-sequence evolutionary phase, with masses ranging from 7 to 20 $M_{\odot}$ and luminosities between 2800 and 71,000 $L_{\odot}$. They are almost in the theoretical instability region of BCEP stars but as previously reported, this region at the low-mass end (red) is not filled. The distribution of the pulsation constant indicates that the dominant pulsation periods of BCEP stars consist mainly of low-order p-mode pulsations with a high proportion of radial fundamental modes. These BCEP stars are excellent objects for enhancing our understanding of the structure and evolution of massive stars through asteroseismology.

astro-ph.SR↗