Context: Ogata et al. (2009; hereafter OKK) presented a theoretical determination of the triple-alpha nuclear reaction rate. Their rate differs from the NACRE rate by many orders of magnitude at temperatures relevant for low mass stars. Aims: We explore the evolutionary implications of adopting the OKK triple-alpha reaction rate in low mass stars and compare the results with those obtained using the NACRE rate. Methods: The triple-alpha reaction rates are compared by following the evolution of stellar models at 1 and 1.5 Msol with Z=0.0002 and Z=0.02. Results: Results show that the OKK rate has severe consequences for the late stages of stellar evolution in low mass stars. Most notable is the shortening--or disappearance--of the red giant phase. Conclusions: The OKK triple-alpha reaction rate is incompatible with observations of extended red giant branches and He burning stars in old stellar systems.
Detailed Simulations of Massive Hierarchical Triple Star Systems - Exploring the impact of the stellar physics on the evolutionary pathways of massive hierarchical triple systems
Precise studies on the Galactic bulge, globular cluster, Galactic halo and Galactic thick disk require stellar models with alpha enhancement and various values of helium content. These models are also important for extra-Galactic population synthesis studies. For this purpose, we complement the existing PARSEC models, which are based on the solar partition of heavy elements, with alpha-enhanced partitions. We collect detailed measurements on the metal mixture and helium abundance for the two populations of 47 Tuc (NGC 104) from the literature, and calculate stellar tracks and isochrones with t…
Carbon is produced during the helium burning phase of sufficiently massive stars through the triple alpha process. The $0^+$ energy level of the carbon nucleus allows for resonant nuclear reactions, which act to greatly increase the carbon yields compared to the non-resonant case. Many authors have argued that small changes to the energy level of this resonance would lead to a significantly lower carbon abundance in the universe, and this sensitivity is often considered an example of fine-tuning. By considering spallation reactions occuring during the process of planet formation, this paper pr…
Many stars do not live alone, but instead have one or more stellar companions. Observations show that these binaries, triples and higher-order multiples are common. Whereas the evolution of single stars and binaries have been studied extensively, the same is not true for the evolution of stellar triples. To fill this gap in our general understanding of stellar lives, we aim to systematically explore the long-term evolution of triples and to map out the most common evolutionary pathways that triples go through. We quantitatively study how triples evolve, which processes are most relevant, and h…
Ground-based optical long-baseline interferometry has the power to measure the orbits of close binary systems at ~10 micro-arcsecond precision. This precision makes it possible to detect "wobbles" in the binary motion due to the gravitational pull from additional short period companions. We started the ARrangement for Micro-Arcsecond Differential Astrometry (ARMADA) survey with the MIRC-X instrument at the CHARA array for the purpose of detecting giant planets and stellar companions orbiting individual stars in binary systems. We describe our observations for the survey, and introduce the wave…
Motivated by the possible existence of other universes, this paper considers the evolution of massive stars with different values for the fundamental constants. We focus on variations in the triple alpha resonance energy and study its effects on the resulting abundances of $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O, and larger nuclei. In our universe, the $0^{+}$ energy level of carbon supports a resonant nuclear reaction that dominates carbon synthesis in stellar cores and accounts for the observed cosmic abundances. Here we define $Δ{E}_R$ to be the change in this resonant energy level, and show how different value…
The triple-alpha process, whereby evolved stars create carbon and oxygen, is believed to be fine-tuned to a high degree. Such fine-tuning is suggested by the unusually strong temperature dependence of the triple-alpha reaction rate at stellar temperatures. This sensitivity is due to the resonant character of the triple-alpha process, which proceeds through the so-called "Hoyle state" of $^{12}$C with spin-parity $0^+$. The question of fine-tuning can be studied within the {\it ab initio} framework of nuclear lattice effective field theory, which makes it possible to relate {\it ad hoc} changes…
Young transiting exoplanets (< 100 Myr) provide crucial insight into atmospheric evolution via photoevaporation. However, transmission spectroscopy measurements to determine atmospheric composition and mass loss are challenging due to the activity and prominent stellar disk inhomogeneities present on young stars. We observed a full transit of V1298 Tau c, a 23 Myr, 5.59$R_\oplus$ planet orbiting a young K0-K1.5 solar analogue with GRACES on Gemini-North. We were able to measure the Doppler tomographic signal of V1298 Tau c using the Ca II infrared triplet (IRT) and find a projected obliquity o…
We combine observed metallicity, optical and infrared magnitudes with evolutionary and pulsation models to derive average luminosities for 156 single-mode RR Lyrae stars. These luminosities are compared with those obtained from the Gaia EDR3 parallaxes, and found in excellent agreement with the high accuracy subsample (62 stars, with relative parallax errors less than 2%). With the temperature and metallicity scale used, no parallax shift seems to be necessary when alpha-enhanced evolutionary models are employed. Some 10% of the sample shows curious `distance keeping' between the evolutionary …
Aims. We study the evolution of rotation and high energy X-ray, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and Ly-alpha emission for F, G, K, and M dwarfs, with masses between 0.1 and 1.2 Msun, and provide our evolutionary code and a freely available set of evolutionary tracks for use in planetary atmosphere studies. Methods. We develop a physical rotational evolution model constrained by observed rotation distributions in young stellar clusters. Using rotation, X-ray, EUV, and Ly-alpha measurements, we derive empirical relations for the dependences of high energy emission on stellar parameters. Our descripti…
Tight Triple Systems have stars in a hierarchical configuration with a third star orbiting the inner binary with a period of fewer than 1000 days. Such systems are important for understanding the formation and evolution of stars in multiple systems. Having a detached eclipsing binary (DEB) as one of its components allows us to obtain precise stellar and orbital parameters of these systems. We discuss the process to obtain accurate parameters of these systems using high-resolution spectroscopy, radial velocity measurements, and precise space-based photometry. This enables us to have a 3D geomet…
We present evolutionary pathways for creating hot subdwarf OB (sdOB) stars from hierarchical triple configurations. We use the population synthesis code Multiple Stellar Evolution (MSE) to follow the stellar, binary, and gravitational dynamical evolution of triple-star systems. To ascertain the effect of the outer tertiary, we also consider the evolution of the inner binary with the tertiary component removed. We find we are able to create sdOB stars in single, binary and triple configurations. We also demonstrate that it is possible to form sdOBs in systems which undergo triple common envelop…
Mass, radius, and age are three of the most fundamental parameters for celestial objects, enabling studies of the evolution and internal physics of stars, brown dwarfs, and planets. Brown dwarfs are hydrogen-rich objects that are unable to sustain core fusion reactions but are supported from collapse by electron degeneracy pressure. As they age, brown dwarfs cool, reducing their radius and luminosity. Young exoplanets follow a similar behaviour. Brown dwarf evolutionary models are relied upon to infer the masses, radii and ages of these objects. Similar models are used to infer the mass and ra…
We present models of alpha Centauri A and B implementing an entropy calibration of the mixing-length parameter alpha_MLT, recently developed and successfully applied to the Sun (Spada et al. 2018, ApJ, 869, 135). In this technique the value of alpha_MLT in the 1D stellar evolution code is calibrated to match the adiabatic specific entropy derived from 3D radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of stellar convective envelopes, whose effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity are selected consistently along the evolutionary track. The customary treatment of convection in stellar evoluti…
