In spite of recent detections of magnetic fields in a number of beta Cephei and slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars, their impact on stellar rotation, pulsations, and element diffusion is not sufficiently studied yet. The reason for this is the lack of knowledge of rotation periods, the magnetic field strength distribution and temporal variability, and the field geometry. New longitudinal field measurements of four beta Cephei and candidate beta Cephei stars, and two SPB stars were acquired with FORS2 at the VLT. These measurements allowed us to carry out a search for rotation periods and to constrain the magnetic field geometry for four stars in our sample.
We present the results of the continuation of our magnetic survey with FORS1 at the VLT of a sample of B-type stars consisting of confirmed or candidate beta Cephei stars and Slowly Pulsating B stars. Roughly one third of the studied beta Cephei stars have detected magnetic fields. The fraction of magnetic Slowly Pulsating B and candidate Slowly Pulsating B stars is found to be higher, up to 50%. We find that the domains of magnetic and non-magnetic pulsating stars in the H-R diagram largely overlap, and no clear picture emerges as to the possible evolution of the magnetic field across the mai…
We present the results of the continuation of our magnetic survey with FORS1 at the VLT of a sample of B-type stars consisting of confirmed or candidate beta Cephei stars and Slowly Pulsating B (hereafter SPB) stars, along with a small number of normal B-type stars. A weak mean longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a few hundred Gauss was detected in three beta Cephei stars and two stars suspected to be beta Cephei stars, in five SPB stars and eight stars suspected to be SPB stars. Additionally, a longitudinal magnetic field at a level larger than 3sigma has been diagnosed in two normal …
We report the discovery of the first type II Cepheids (BL Herculis stars) pulsating solely in the first overtone. We found two such objects among tens of millions of stars regularly observed by the OGLE survey in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Our classification and the pulsation mode identification is based on the position of these stars on the period-luminosity and color-magnitude diagrams and on the light curve analysis. We discuss why single-mode first-overtone BL Her pulsators must be very rare. For the two discovered stars we present non-linear models that successfully reproduce their light…
Studying stellar pulsations in open clusters offers the possibility to perform ensemble asteroseismology. The reasonable assumption that the cluster members have the same age, distance, and overall metallicity aids in the seismic modelling process and tightly constrains it. Therefore it is important to identify open clusters with many pulsators. New pulsating stars of the Beta Cephei type were searched for among the members of the open cluster NGC 637. Thirty-one hours of time resolved V filter CCD photometry were obtained. The measurements confirmed two previously known variables, and reveale…
It has been shown recently that the infrared emission of Cepheids, which is constant over the pulsation cycle, might be due to a pulsating shell of ionized gas of about 15\% of the stellar radius, which could be attributed to the chromospheric activity of Cepheids. The aim of this paper is to investigate the dynamical structure of the chromosphere of Cepheids along the pulsation cycle and quantify its size. We present H$α$ and Calcium Near InfraRed triplet (Ca IR) profile variations using high-resolution spectroscopy with the UVES spectrograph of a sample of 24 Cepheids with a good period cove…
Eclipsing binary systems with pulsating components offer a unique possibility to accurately measure the most important parameters of pulsating stars, to study their evolution, and to test the pulsation theory. I will show what we can learn about the pulsating stars from the analysis of such systems and how we can do it. Special attention will be paid to the mass, radius, p-factor, and distance determination. Although the core of the method is based on the observations of double-lined eclipsing spectroscopic binaries, with the help of the pulsation theory, it is possible to measure absolute par…
We have obtained 40 high-resolution circular spectropolarimetric measurements of 12 slowly-pulsating B (SPB) stars, 8 Beta Cephei stars and two Be stars with the ESPaDOnS and NARVAL spectropolarimeters. The aim of these observations is to evaluate recent claims of a high incidence of magnetic field detections in stars of these types obtained using low-resolution spectropolarimetry by Hubrig (2006), Hubrig (2007) and Hubrig (2009). The precision achieved is generally comparable to or superior to that obtained by Hubrig et al., although our new observations are distinguished by their resolution …
We present candidates for non-pulsating stars lying in the classical Cepheid instability strip based on OGLE photometric maps combined with Strömgren photometry obtained with the 4.1-m SOAR telescope, and Gaia DR2 data in four fields in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We selected 19 candidates in total. After analysis of their light curves from OGLE surveys we found that all these stars appear to be photometrically stable at the level of a few mmag. Our results show that non-pulsating stars might constitute to about 21%-30% of the whole sample of giant stars located in the classical instability st…
From our Secret Lives of Cepheids program, the prototype Classical Cepheid, $δ$ Cep, is found to be an X-ray source with periodic pulsation-modulated X-ray variations. This finding complements our earlier reported phase-dependent FUV--UV emissions of the star that increase $\sim$10--20 times with highest fluxes at $\sim0.90-0.95ϕ$, just prior to maximum brightness. Previously, $δ$ Cep was found as potentially X-ray variable, using XMM-Newton observations (Engle et al. 2014). Additional phase-constrained data were secured with Chandra near X-ray emission peak, to determine if the emission and v…
High-resolution spectroscopy of pulsating stars is a powerful tool to study the dynamical structure of their atmosphere. Lines asymmetry is used to derive the center-of-mass velocity of the star, while a direct measurement of the atmospheric velocity gradient helps determine the projection factor used in the Baade-Wesselink method of distance determination. We aim at deriving the center-of-mass velocity and the projection factor of the beta-Cephei star alpha-Lup. We present HARPS high spectral resolution observations of alpha-Lup. We calculate the first-moment radial velocities and fit the spe…
We review ways in which observations of the changing periods of pulsating variable stars can be used to detect and directly measure their evolution. We briefly describe the two main techniques of analysis -- (O-C) analysis and wavelet analysis -- and results for pulsating variable star types which are reasonably periodic: type I and II Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars, beta Cephei stars, and Mira stars. We comment briefly on delta Scuti stars and pulsating white dwarfs. For some of these variable star types, observations agree approximately with the predictions of evolutionary models, but there still …
In this review we focus on non-linear phenomena in pulsating stars the mode selection and amplitude limitation. Of many linearly excited modes only a fraction is detected in pulsating stars. Which of them and why (the problem of mode selection) and to what amplitude (the problem of amplitude limitation) are intrinsically non-linear and still unsolved problems. Tools for studying these problems are briefly discussed and our understanding of mode selection and amplitude limitation in selected groups of self-excited pulsators is presented. Focus is put on classical pulsators (Cepheids and RR Lyra…
Interpretation of the oscillation spectrum of the slowly pulsating B-type star HD21071 is presented. We show that non-rotating models cannot account for the two highest amplitude frequencies and taking into account the effects of rotation is necessary. Rotating seismic models are constructed using various chemical compositions, opacity data, core overshooting parameters and rotational velocities. There are prospects for seismic modelling of SPB stars, even if no asymptotic pattern is observed in their oscillation spectra, provided an unambiguous mode identification is doable and the effects of…
We present the results of complex seismic modelling of the Slowly Pulsating B-type star HD74560. The star pulsates in five frequencies detected in photometric observations. For all these frequencies, we identify the mode degree, $\ell$. For two of them, found also in spectroscopic data, we are able to derived the empirical values of the complex nonadiabatic parameter $f$. We test effects of chemical composition and opacity data. Our results show that the properties of seismic models of SPB stars differ significantly from those of the more massive $β$ Cephei stars.
Period-color (PC) relations may be used to study the interaction of the stellar photosphere and the hydrogen ionization front (HIF). RR Lyraes (RRLs) and long period classical Cepheids (P > 10d) have been found to exhibit different PC behavior at minimum and maximum light which can be explained by the HIF-photosphere interaction based on their location on the HR diagram. In this work, we extend the study to include type II Cepheids (T2Cs) with an aim to test the HIF-photosphere interaction theory across a broad spectrum of variable star types. We find W Vir stars and BL Her stars to have simil…
The parallax of pulsation, and its implementations such as the Baade-Wesselink method and the infrared surface bright- ness technique, is an elegant method to determine distances of pulsating stars in a quasi-geometrical way. However, these classical implementations in general only use a subset of the available observational data. Freedman & Madore (2010) suggested a more physical approach in the implementation of the parallax of pulsation in order to treat all available data. We present a global and model-based parallax-of-pulsation method that enables including any type of observational data…
Random changes in pulsation period occur in cool pulsating Mira variables, Type A, B, and C semiregular variables, RV Tauri variables, and in most classical Cepheids. The physical processes responsible for such fluctuations are uncertain, but presumably originate in temporal modifications of the envelope convection in such stars. Such fluctuations are seemingly random over a few pulsation cycles of the stars, but are dominated by the regularity of the primary pulsation over the long term. The magnitude of stochasticity in pulsating stars appears to be linked directly to their dimensions, altho…
After a brief historical introduction and recalling basic concepts of stellar oscillation theory, I focus my review on interpretation of secondary periodicities found in RR Lyrae stars and Cepheids as a manifestation of nonradial mode excitation.
One of the largest uncertainties in stellar structure and evolution theory is the transport of angular momentum in the stellar interiors. Asteroseismology offers a powerful tool for measuring the internal rotation frequencies of pulsating stars, but the number of such measurements has remained few for $\gtrsim 3\,{\rm M}_\odot$ main-sequence stars. In this work, we compile a list of 52 slowly pulsating B stars for which the interior rotation has been measured asteroseismically. The measurements of the spin parameters, which describe the relative importance of rotation, for the gravito-inertial…
A novel method of analysis of double-lined eclipsing binaries containing a radially pulsating star is presented. The combined pulsating-eclipsing light curve is built up from a purely eclipsing light curve grid created using an existing modeling tool. For every pulsation phase the instantaneous radius and surface brightness are taken into account, being calculated from the disentangled radial velocity curve of the pulsating star and from its out-of-eclipse pulsational light curve and the light ratio of the components, respectively. The best model is found using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo met…
The projection factor used in the Baade-Wesselink methods of determining the distance of Cepheids makes the link between the stellar physics and the cosmological distance scale. A coherent picture of this physical quantity is now provided based on several approaches. We present the lastest news on the expected projection factor for different kinds of pulsating stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Oscillating Algol-type eclipsing binaries (oEA) are very interesting objects that have three observational features of eclipse, pulsation, and mass transfer. Direct measurement of their masses and radii from the double-lined radial velocity data and photometric light curves would be the most essential for understanding their evolutionary process and for performing the asteroseismological study. We present the physical properties of the oEA star XX Cep from high-resolution time-series spectroscopic data. The effective temperature of the primary star was determined to be 7,946 $\pm$ 240 K by com…
Recent progress in the studies of pulsating variable stars is summarized from an observational point of view. A number of unexpected phenomena have been revealed in the case of pulsators in the classical instability strip. These discoveries -- lacking theoretical explanation yet -- make pulsating stars more valuable objects for astrophysics than before. The emphasis is laid on Cepheids of all kind and RR Lyrae type variables, as well as binarity among pulsating variable stars.
Determining the expansion of the universe, i.e. the Hubble constant (H0) to better than 2% is required in order to understand the nature of dark energy. However, the two most accurate methods to do it, the cosmic microwave background and the distance scale ladder are inconsistent today, which is refereed as the "tension". One of the key to resolve this tension is related to the calibration of the period-luminosity (PL) of Cepheids : what is its zero-point ? Is it metallicity dependent ? Can we reduce the dispersion of the PL relation ? The eclipsing binaries method was recently used to determi…
Recently announced magnetic models for four SPB and β Cep stars, along with magnetic detections for two additional stars, have potentially doubled the number of known magnetic SPB and βCep stars (see Grunhut et al., these proceedings). We have reanalyzed the published data and re-reduced archival low resolution spectropolarimetry collected with the FORS1/2 instruments at VLT on which the models were based, and compare them with high resolution data from the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at CFHT, investigating previously noted inconsistencies between results from the two instruments.
We report the discovery of a new 13th magnitude variable in Cassiopeia close to the variable KP Cas. Analysis of 6 days of intensive photometry shows a regular, near sinusoidal modulation with an amplitude of 0.024 magnitudes and a period of 0.43815(31) d. Although its colour indicates a spectral type around F0 the star probably suffers up to 2 - 2.5 magnitudes of extinction so could be an A- or B-type star. Given the period, the low amplitude, the shape of the light curve and the probable spectral type we consider it most likely to be a slowly pulsating B-type (SPB) star. The variable has bee…
Classification of over 50000 TESS stars in sectors 1-18 has resulted in the detection of 766 pulsating main sequence B stars as well as over 5000 $δ$ Scuti, 2300 $γ$ Doradus and 114 roAp candidates. It is found that a distinct group of $β$ Cephei stars, defined as B stars with frequencies greater than 2.5 d$^{-1}$ and predicted by models, does not exist. Instead, high frequencies are to be found over the whole B-star range, eventually merging with $δ$ Scuti stars. The cool B stars pulsating in high frequencies are the Maia variables. It is shown that Maia variables are not rapidly-rotating $β$…
The predicted width of the upper main sequence in stellar evolution models depends on the empirical calibration of the convective overshooting parameter. Despite decades of discussions, its precise value is still unknown and further observational constraints are required to gauge it. Based on a photometric and preliminary asteroseismic analysis, we show that the mid B-type giant 18 Peg is one of the most evolved members of the rare class of slowly pulsating B-stars and, thus, bears tremendous potential to derive a tight lower limit for the width of the upper main sequence. In addition, 18 Peg …
The projection factor (p-factor) is an essential component of the classical Baade-Wesselink (BW) technique, that is commonly used to determine the distances to pulsating stars. It is a multiplicative parameter used to convert radial velocities into pulsational velocities. As the BW distances are linearly proportional to the p-factor, its accurate calibration for Cepheids is of critical importance for the reliability of their distance scale. We focus on the observational determination of the p-factor of the long-period Cepheid RS Pup (P = 41.5 days). This star is particularly important as this …
We have probed the pulsating variable star content of the isolated Local Group dwarf galaxy, DDO210 (Aquarius), using archival Advanced Camera for Surveys/$Hubble$ $Space$ $Telescope$ imaging in the F475W and F814W passbands. We find a total of 32 RR Lyrae stars (24 ab-type, 8 c-type) and 75 Cepheid variables. The mean periods of the ab-type and c-type RR Lyrae stars are calculated to be $\langle$P$_{\mathrm{ab}}\rangle = 0.609\pm0.011$ and $\langle$P$_{\mathrm{c}}\rangle = 0.359\pm0.025$ days, respectively. The light curve properties of the fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars yield a mean metalli…
Developments of this far-reaching research field are summarized from an observational point of view, mentioning important and interesting phenomena discovered recently by photometry of stellar oscillations of any kind. A special emphasis is laid on Cepheids and RR Lyrae type variables.
I concisely review the history, applications, and recent developments pertaining to radial velocity (RV) observations of classical pulsating stars. The focus lies on type-I (classical) Cepheids, although the historical overview and most technical aspects are also relevant for RR Lyrae stars and type-II Cepheids. The presence and impact of velocity gradients and different experimental setups on measured RV variability curves are discussed in some detail. Among the recent developments, modulated spectral line variability results in modulated RV curves that represent an issue for Baade-Wesselink-…
We present the first detection of a rotationally affected series consisting of 36 consecutive high-order sectoral dipole gravity modes in a slowly pulsating B (SPB) star. The results are based on the analysis of four years of virtually uninterrupted photometric data assembled with the Kepler Mission, and high-resolution spectra acquired using the HERMES spectrograph at the 1.2 meter Mercator Telescope. The spectroscopic measurements place KIC7760680 inside the SPB instability strip, near the cool edge. The photometric analysis reveals the longest unambiguous series of gravity modes of the same…
As many as 10\% of OB-type stars have global magnetic fields, which is surprising given their internal structure is radiative near the surface. A direct probe of internal structure is pulsations, and some OB-type stars exhibit pressure modes ($β$ Cep pulsators) or gravity modes (slowly pulsating B-type stars; SPBs); a few rare cases of hybrid $β$ Cep/SPBs occupy a narrow instability strip in the H-R diagram. The most precise fundamental properties of stars are obtained from eclipsing binaries (EBs), and those in clusters with known ages and metallicities provide the most stringent constraints …
We report the detection of 388 pulsating variable stars (and some additional miscellaneous variables) in the Carina dSph galaxy over an area covering the full visible extent of the galaxy and extending a few times beyond its photometric (King) tidal radius along the direction of its major axis. Included in this total are 340 newly discovered dwarf Cepheids which are mostly located ~2.5 magnitudes below the horizontal branch and have very short periods (<0.1 days) typical of their class and consistent with their location on the upper part of the extended main sequence of the younger populations…
Anomalous Cepheids (ACs) are metal-deficient, core-helium-burning pulsating stars with masses in the range 1.2-2.2 M_S. Until recently, all known ACs were pure single-mode pulsators. The first candidate for an AC pulsating in more than one radial mode - OGLE-GAL-ACEP-091 - was recently identified in the Milky Way based on the photometric database of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) survey. We analyze this object showing that it is actually a triple-mode pulsator. Its position in the Petersen diagram, the light-curve morphology quantified by Fourier coefficients, and absolute…
We present the results of the analysis of Type II and anomalous Cepheids using the data from the Kepler K2 mission. The precise light curves of these pulsating variable stars are the key to study the details of their pulsation, such as the period-doubling effect or the presence of additional modes. We applied the Automated Extended Aperture Photometry (autoEAP) to obtain the light curves of the targeted variable stars which were observed. The light curves were Fourier analyzed. We investigated twelve stars observed by the K2 mission, seven Type II and five anomalous Cepheids. Among the Type II…
We present the results of a search for Galactic Beta Cephei stars, which are massive pulsating stars with both pressure modes and mixed modes. Thus, these stars can serve as benchmarks for seismological studies of the interiors of massive stars. We conducted the search by performing a frequency analysis on the optical light curves of known O- and B-type stars with data from the KELT exoplanet survey. We identify 113 Beta Cephei stars, of which 86 are new discoveries, which altogether represents a ~70% increase in the number presently known. An additional 96 candidates are identified. Among our…
We present a photometric study of two new double-mode Cepheids, pulsating in the first and second overtones modes: V470 Cas and GSC 2901-00089. For the search of the double-mode variability, we used all available observations from the ROTSE-I/NSVS and SuperWASP online public archives. Our multicolour CCD observations in the B, V and R bands in Johnson's system confirm the double periodicity of these variables. We study period variations of the two stars; variations of the first overtone periods were reliably detected. In addition, we consider the Petersen diagram for the Galactic 1O/2O Cepheid…
Although the star itself is not He enriched, the periodicity and the variability in the UV wind lines of the pulsating B1 IV star beta Cep are similar to what is observed in magnetic He-peculiar B stars, suggesting that beta Cep is magnetic. We searched for a magnetic field using spectropolarimetry. From UV spectroscopy, we analysed the wind variability and investigated the correlation with the magnetic data. Using 130 time-resolved circular polarisation spectra, obtained with the MuSiCoS spectropolarimeter at the 2m TBL from 1998 until 2005, we applied the least-squares deconvolution method o…
Classical Cepheid and RR Lyrae variables are radially pulsating stars that trace young and old-age stellar populations, respectively. These classical pulsating stars are the most sensitive probes for the precision stellar astrophysics and the extragalactic distance measurements. Despite their extensive use as standard candles thanks to their well-defined Period-Luminosity relations, distance measurements based on these objects suffer from their absolute primary calibrations, metallicity effects, and other systematic uncertainties. Here, I present a review of classical Cepheid, RR Lyrae, and Ty…
Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars are important pulsating variable stars in distance scale work because they serve as standard candles. Cepheids follow well-defined period-luminosity (PL) relations defined for bands extending from optical to mid-infrared (MIR). On the other hand, RR Lyrae stars also exhibit PL relations in the near-infrared and MIR wavelengths. In this article, we review some of the recent developments and calibrations of PL relations for Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars. For Cepheids, we discuss the calibration of PL relations via the Galactic and the Large Magellanic Cloud routes. For …
Knowledge of the geometry of pulsational modes is a prerequisite for seismic modelling of stars. In the case of slowly pulsating B-type (SPB) pulsators, the simple zero-rotation approach so far used for mode identification is usually not valid because pulsational frequencies are often of the order of the rotational frequency. Moreover, this approach allows us to determine only the spherical harmonic degree, $\ell$, while the azimuthal order, $m$, is beyond its reach. On the other hand, because of the density of oscillation spectra of SPB stars, knowledge of $m$ is indispensable if one wants to…
A large extension of the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy, 7 sq degrees, has been surveyed for variable stars using the Dark Energy Camera at the Blanco Telescope in Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. We report 7 Anomalous Cepheids, 199 RR Lyrae stars and 16 dwarf Cepheids in the field. This is only the fifth extra-galactic systems in which dwarf Cepheids have been systematically searched. Henceforth, the new stars increase the census of stars coming from different environments that can be used to asses the advantages and limitations of using dwarf Cepheids as standard candles in p…
We report on the results of a comprehensive search for Cepheid variable stars in the fields photometricallymonitored by the OGLE Galaxy Variability Survey. We identify 742 Cepheids not included in the first release of the OGLE Collection of Galactic Cepheids and reclassify several dozen previously published variables. The upgraded collection comprises 1974 classical, 1625 type II, and 119 anomalous Cepheids located in the area of about 3000 square degrees covering the disk and bulge of the Milky Way. We present the most interesting objects in our sample: an isolated group of long-period double…
We present preliminary results of multi-colour photometry of Beta Cephei stars observed in the LMC and in NGC 6200. Tentative identifications of pulsation modes have been made, and a number of new B pulsators have been noted. Interesting features have also been discovered in the light curves of some of these stars.
We present the results of a spectroscopic and photometric analysis of HD314884, a slowly pulsating B star (SPB) in a binary system with detected soft X-ray emission. We spectrally classify the B star as a B5V-B6V star with T$_{eff}$ = 15,490 $\pm$ 310 K, log $g$ = 3.75 $\pm$ 0.25 dex, and a photometric period of P$_{0}$ = 0.889521(12) days. A spectroscopic period search reveals an orbital period for the system of P$_{orb}$ = 1.3654(11) days. The discrepancy in the two periods and the identification of a second and third distinct frequency in the photometric fourier transform at P$_1$ = 3.1347(…
We used Johnson UBV photometric CCD observations to identify pulsating and other variable stars in the young open cluster NGC 6231. The multi-color information was used to classify pulsating variables, perform frequency analysis, and - where possible - to compare observed to theoretical amplitude ratios for mode identification. The data reduction was performed with standard IRAF tools. Differential light curves have been obtained by identifying a set of suitable comparison stars and the frequency analysis was then conducted on the basis of Fourier methods. Our classification of pulsating stars…
Motivated by recent interest in the phenomenon of waves transport in massive stars, we examine whether the heat-driven gravity (g) modes excited in slowly-pulsating B (SPB) stars can significantly modify the stars' internal rotation. We develop a formalism for the differential torque exerted by g modes, and implement this formalism using the GYRE oscillation code and the MESASTAR stellar evolution code. Focusing first on a $4.21$ $M_\odot$ model, we simulate 1,000 years of stellar evolution under the combined effects of the torque due to a single unstable prograde g mode (with an amplitude cho…
$ξ^1$ CMa is a monoperiodically pulsating, magnetic $β$ Cep star with magnetospheric X-ray emission which, uniquely amongst magnetic stars, is clearly modulated with the star's pulsation period. The rotational period $P_{\rm rot}$ has yet to be identified, with multiple competing claims in the literature. We present an analysis of a large ESPaDOnS dataset with a 9-year baseline. The longitudinal magnetic field $\langle B_{\rm Z}\rangle$ shows a significant annual variation, suggesting that $P_{\rm rot}$ is at least on the order of decades. The possibility that the star's H$α$ emission originat…
V909 Cas is a little-studied example of a \b{eta} Cep pulsating variable located in the OB association Cas OB8 in the Perseus spiral arm of the Milky Way. Photometric observations in 2016-7 provided 30 new times of pulsation extrema and enabled its mean pulsation period to be determined as 0.2067798(1) d. From spectroscopic observations we determined its interstellar extinction and absolute magnitude and luminosity, and located it with other \b{eta} Cep stars in the OB instability region of the H-R diagram.
It was recently discovered that the amplitudes of pulsating red giants and supergiants vary significantly on time scales of 20-30 pulsation periods. Here, we analyze the amplitude variability in 29 pulsating yellow supergiants (5 RVa, 4 RVb, 9 SRd, 7 long-period Cepheid, and 4 yellow hypergiant stars), using visual observations from the AAVSO International Database, and Fourier and wavelet analysis using the AAVSO's VSTAR package. We find that these stars vary in amplitude by factors of up to 10 or more (but more typically 3-5), on a mean time scale (L) of 33 +/- 4 pulsation periods (P). Each …
High-resolution spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study the dynamical structure of pulsating stars atmosphere. We aim at comparing the line asymmetry and velocity of the two delta Sct stars rho Pup and DX Cet with previous spectroscopic data obtained on classical Cepheids and beta Cep stars. We obtained, analysed and discuss HARPS high-resolution spectra of rho Pup and DX Cet. We derived the same physical quantities as used in previous studies, which are the first-moment radial velocities and the bi-Gaussian spectral line asymmetries. The identification of f=7.098 (1/d) as a fundamental radia…
We present here the results of our research for B-type pulsators in low metallicity environments, searching for short-term periodic variability in a large sample of B and Be stars in the Magellanic Clouds (MC), for which the fundamental astrophysical parameters were accurately determined. A significant number of beta Cephei and SPB-like pulsators at low-metallicity have been detected, conflicting with the current theoretical models of pulsation. In addition, we have placed these pulsating stars in the HR diagram mapping the observational instability regions for the MC metallicities. The large …
Context. Slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars are main-sequence multi-periodic oscillators that display non-radial gravity modes. For a fraction of these pulsators, 4-year photometric light curves obtained with the Kepler space telescope reveal period spacing patterns from which their internal rotation and mixing can be inferred. In this inference, any direct resonant mode coupling has usually been ignored so far. Aims. We re-analysed the light curves of a sample of 38 known Kepler SPB stars. For 26 of those, the internal structure, including rotation and mixing, was recently inferred from their dip…
