Relevance of the small frequency separation for asteroseismic stellar age, mass, and radius. A statistical investigation for main-sequence low-mass stars
G. Valle, M. Dell'Omodarme, P. G. Prada Moroni, S. Degl'Innocenti
备注：
Accepted for publication in A&A. Abstract severely abridged to match arxiv requirements
We performed a theoretical analysis on the relevance of the small frequency separation $δν$ in determining stellar ages, masses, and radii. We adopted the SCEPtER pipeline for low-mass stars, [0.7, 1.05] Msun. Synthetic stars were generated and reconstructed assuming different relative precision in $δν$ (5% and 2%). The quantification of the systematic errors arising from a mismatch between synthetic stars and the recovery grid was also performed. The biases were negligible. The statistical error in age estimates was strongly dependent on the stellar evolutionary phase. It is at its maximum at ZAMS and decreases to about 11% and 6% ($δν$ at 5% and 2% level) when stars reach the 30% of their evolutionary MS lifetime, then vanishes in the last 20% of the MS. For mass and radius estimates we detected nearly identical behavior for an observational uncertainty of 5%. No benefit was detected for mass and radius determinations from a reduction $δν$ precision to 2%. The impact on the age of the initial helium abundance resulted in negligible results. On the other hand greater bias (2% and 1%) in mass and radius estimates were detected whenever $δν$ is in the observational pool. This result, together with the presence of further unexplored uncertainty sources, suggest that precision in the derived stellar quantities below these thresholds may possibly be overoptimistic. [...] Finally, we compared the estimates by the SCEPtER pipeline for 13 Kepler asteroseismic LEGACY sample stars with those given by six different pipelines. Overall, on the LEGACY sample data, we obtained a multi-pipeline precision of about 4.4%, 1.7%, and 11% on the estimated masses, radii, and ages, respectively.
An increasingly popular method to determine stellar ages of red-giant stars for the purpose of Galactic archaeology is asteroseismic grid-based modelling (GBM). In asteroseismic GBM of red-giant stars with solar-like oscillations the large frequency separation ($Δν$) and the frequency of maximum oscillation power ($ν_{\rm max}$) are commonly used asteroseismic observables, in addition to the usual spectroscopic parameters effective temperature ($T_{\rm eff}$) and metallicity ([Fe/H]). The precision with which $Δν$ and $ν_{\rm max}$ can be determined largely depends on the length of the timeser…
We model the oscillations of the SONG target $μ$ Herculis to estimate the parameters of the star. The $\ell$ = 1 mixed modes of $μ$ Her provide strong constraints on stellar properties. The mass and age given by our asteroseismic modelling are 1.10$^{+0.11}_{-0.06}$ M$_{\odot}$ and 7.55$^{+0.96}_{-0.79}$ Gyr. The initial helium abundance is also constrained at around $Y_{\rm{init}}$ = 0.28, suggesting a ratio in the elements enrichment law ($ΔY/ΔZ$) around 1.3, which is closed to the solar value. The mixing-length parameter converges to about 1.7, which is $\sim$ 10\% lower than the solar valu…
Stellar magnetic activity decays over the main-sequence life of cool stars due to the stellar spin-down driven by magnetic braking. The evolution of chromospheric emission is well-studied for younger stars, but difficulties in determining the ages of older cool stars on the main sequence have complicated such studies for older stars in the past. Here we report on chromospheric Ca II H and K line measurements for 26 main-sequence cool stars with asteroseismic ages older than a gigayear and spectral types F and G. We find that for the G stars and the cooler F-type stars which still have convecti…
The {\emph{Kepler}} space telescope has provided exquisite data to perform asteroseismic analysis on evolved star ensembles. Studying star clusters offers significant insight into stellar evolution and structure, due to having a large number of stars with essentially the same age, distance, and chemical composition. This study analysed eight solar-like oscillating evolved stars that are members of the open cluster NGC 6811 and modelled them for the first time. The fundamental stellar parameters are obtained from the interior model using observational asteroseismic and non-asteroseismic constra…
Calibration of the [C/N] and [Y/Mg] chemical clocks with asteroseismic ages from the TESS space mission
Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, Vilnius University（维尔纽斯大学理论与天体物理研究所）；Stellar Astrophysics Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University（奥胡斯大学物理学与天文学系恒星天体物理学中心）
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[...] The aim of this paper is to study the precision and theoretical biases in the age determinations of halo stars adopting both asteroseismic and classic observational constraints. [...] We adopt the well-tested SCEPtER pipeline, covering evolutionary phases up to the red giant branch (RGB). The fitting grids contain stars with mass in the range of [0.7; 1.0] $M_{\odot}$ and metallicity [Fe/H] from -2.5 to -0.5. We investigate several scenarios characterised by different adopted observational uncertainties. We also assess the impact of systematic discrepancies between the recovery grid mode…
A full exploitation of the observations provided by the CoRoT and Kepler missions depends on our ability to complement these data with accurate effective temperatures and chemical abundances. We review in this contribution the major efforts that have been undertaken to characterise late-type, seismic targets based on spectra gathered as part of the ground-based, follow-up campaigns. A specific feature of the spectroscopic studies of these stars is that the gravity can be advantageously fixed to the more accurate value derived from the pulsation spectrum. We describe the impact that such an app…
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HD\,139614 is known to be a $\sim$14-Myr-old, possibly pre-main-sequence star in the Sco-Cen OB association in the Upper Centaurus-Lupus subgroup, with a slightly warped circumstellar disc containing ring structures hinting at one or more planets. The star's chemical abundance pattern is metal-deficient except for volatile elements, which places it in the $λ$ Boo class and suggests it has recently accreted gas-rich but dust-poor material. We identify seven dipole and four radial pulsation modes among its $δ$ Sct pulsations using the TESS light curve and an échelle diagram. Precision modelling …
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In this work we combine information from solar-like oscillations, high-resolution spectroscopy and Gaia astrometry to derive stellar ages, chemical abundances and kinematics for a group of seven metal-poor Red Giants and characterise them in a multidimensional chrono-chemo-dynamical space. Chemical abundance ratios were derived through classical spectroscopic analysis employing 1D LTE atmospheres on Keck/HIRES spectra. Stellar ages, masses and radii were calculated with grid-based modelling, taking advantage of availability of asteroseismic information from Kepler. The dynamical properties wer…
The formation of the extended thin disc is the most spectacular event of our Galaxy in the past $\sim8$\,Gyr. To unveil this process, obtaining precise and accurate stellar ages for a large sample of stars is essential although challenging. In this work, we present the asteroseismic age determination of 5306 red giant branch stars using \kepler{} and LAMOST data, with a thorough examination of how the age determination is affected by the choice of different temperature scales and stellar models. Thanks to the high precision of the asteroseismic and spectroscopic parameters of our sample stars,…
Among the available methods for dating stars, gyrochronology is a powerful one because it requires knowledge of only the star's mass and rotation period. Gyrochronology relations have previously been calibrated using young clusters, with the Sun providing the only age dependence, and are therefore poorly calibrated at late ages. We used rotation period measurements of 310 Kepler stars with asteroseismic ages, 50 stars from the Hyades and Coma Berenices clusters and 6 field stars (including the Sun) with precise age measurements to calibrate the gyrochronology relation, whilst fully accounting …
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With the observations of an unprecedented number of oscillating subgiant stars expected from NASA's TESS mission, the asteroseismic characterization of subgiant stars will be a vital task for stellar population studies and for testing our theories of stellar evolution. To determine the fundamental properties of a large sample of subgiant stars efficiently, we developed a deep learning method that estimates distributions of fundamental parameters like age and mass over a wide range of input physics by learning from a grid of stellar models varied in eight physical parameters. We applied our met…
We theoretically quantify the impact of observational errors on the recovered age for stars in MS and RGB phases. We adopted Teff, [Fe/H], Delta_nu and nu_max as observational constraints. Artificial stars were sampled from a reference isochrone and subjected to random perturbation to simulate observational errors. Their ages were then recovered by means of a MCMC approach. The differences between the recovered and true ages were modelled against the errors in the observables by means of linear models and projection pursuit regression models. From linear models we find that no age error source…
Asteroseismology with the Kepler space telescope is providing not only an improved characterization of exoplanets and their host stars, but also a new window on stellar structure and evolution for the large sample of solar-type stars in the field. We perform a uniform analysis of 22 of the brightest asteroseismic targets with the highest signal-to-noise ratio observed for 1 month each during the first year of the mission, and we quantify the precision and relative accuracy of asteroseismic determinations of the stellar radius, mass, and age that are possible using various methods. We present t…
We present an asteroseismic study of the solar-like stars KIC 11395018, KIC 10273246, KIC 10920273, KIC 10339342, and KIC 11234888 using short-cadence time series of more than eight months from the Kepler satellite. For four of these stars, we derive atmospheric parameters from spectra acquired with the Nordic Optical Telescope. The global seismic quantities (average large frequency separation and frequency of maximum power), combined with the atmospheric parameters, yield the mean density and surface gravity with precisions of 2% and ~0.03 dex, respectively. We also determine the radius, mass…
Detailed understanding of stellar physics is essential towards a robust determination of stellar properties (e.g. radius, mass, and age). Among the vital input physics used in the modelling of solar-type stars which remain poorly constrained, is the initial helium abundance. To this end, when constructing stellar model grids, the initial helium abundance is estimated either (i) by using the semi-empirical helium-to-heavy element enrichment ratio, (${ΔY}/{ΔZ}$), anchored to the standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis value or (ii) by setting the initial helium abundance as a free variable. Adopting 3…
Investigations of the origin and evolution of the Milky Way disk have long relied on chemical and kinematic identification of its components to reconstruct our Galactic past. Difficulties in determining precise stellar ages have restricted most studies to small samples, normally confined to the solar neighbourhood. Here we break this impasse with the help of asteroseismic inference and perform a chronology of the evolution of the disk throughout the age of the Galaxy. We chemically dissect the Milky Way disk population using a sample of red giant stars spanning out to 2~kpc in the solar annulu…
The simultaneous presence of variability due to both pulsations and binarity is no rare phenomenon. Unfortunately, the complexities of dealing with even one of these sources of variability individually means that the other signal is often treated as a nuisance and discarded. However, both types of variability offer means to probe fundamental stellar properties in robust ways through asteroseismic and binary modelling. We present an efficient methodology that includes both binary and asteroseismic information to estimate fundamental stellar properties based on a grid-based modelling approach. W…
Asteroseismology has emerged as the best way to characterize the global and internal properties of nearby stars. Often, this characterization is achieved by fitting stellar evolution models to asteroseismic observations. The star under investigation is then assumed to have the properties of the best-fitting model, such as its age. However, the models do not fit the observations perfectly. This is due to incorrect or missing physics in stellar evolution calculations, resulting in predicted stellar structures that are discrepant with reality. Through an inverse analysis of the asteroseismic data…
In the past few years, the CoRoT and Kepler missions have carried out what is now called the space photometry revolution. This revolution is still ongoing thanks to K2 and will be continued by the Tess and Plato2.0 missions. However, the photometry revolution must also be followed by progress in stellar modelling, in order to lead to more precise and accurate determinations of fundamental stellar parameters such as masses, radii and ages. In this context, the long-lasting problems related to mixing processes in stellar interior is the main obstacle to further improvements of stellar modelling.…
We provide a fine and homogeneous grid of evolutionary sequences for He-core white dwarfs with masses 0.15-0.45 Msun, including the mass range for ELM white dwarfs (<0.20Msun). The grid is appropriate for mass and age determination, and to study their pulsational properties. White dwarf sequences have been computed by performing full evolutionary calculations that consider the main energy sources and processes of chemical abundance changes during white dwarf evolution. Initial models for the evolving white dwarfs have been obtained by computing the non-conservative evolution of a binary system…
Using asteroseismic data and stellar evolution models we make the first detection of a convective core in a Kepler field main-sequence star, putting a stringent constraint on the total size of the mixed zone and showing that extra mixing beyond the formal convective boundary exists. In a slightly less massive target the presence of a convective core cannot be conclusively discarded, and thus its remaining main-sequence life time is uncertain. Our results reveal that best-fit models found solely by matching individual frequencies of oscillations corrected for surface effects do not always prope…
The helium abundance of stars is a strong driver of evolutionary timescales, however it is difficult to measure in cool stars. We conduct an asteroseismic analysis of NGC 6791, an old, metal rich open cluster that previous studies have indicated also has a high helium abundance. The cluster was observed by Kepler and has unprecedented lightcurves for many of the red giant branch stars in the cluster. Previous asteroseismic studies with Kepler data have constrained the age through grid based modeling of the global asteroseismic parameters ($Δν$ and $ν_{\mathrm{max}}$). However, with the precisi…
Asteroseismology is a powerful tool to infer fundamental stellar properties. The use of these asteroseismic-inferred properties in a growing number of astrophysical contexts makes it vital to understand their accuracy. Consequently, we performed a hare-and-hounds exercise where the hares simulated data for 6 artificial main-sequence stars and the hounds inferred their properties based on different inference procedures. To mimic a pipeline such as that planned for the PLATO mission, all hounds used the same model grid. Some stars were simulated using the physics adopted in the grid, others a di…
We have discovered rotationally split core g-mode triplets and surface p-mode triplets and quintuplets in a terminal age main sequence A star, KIC 11145123, that shows both $δ$ Sct p-mode pulsations and $γ$ Dor g-mode pulsations. This gives the first robust determination of the rotation of the deep core and surface of a main sequence star, essentially model-independently. We find its rotation to be nearly uniform with a period near 100 d, but we show with high confidence that the surface rotates slightly faster than the core. A strong angular momentum transfer mechanism must be operating to pr…
Studies using asteroseismic ages and rotation rates from star-spot rotation have indicated that standard age-rotation relations may break down roughly half-way through the main sequence lifetime, a phenomenon referred to as weakened magnetic braking. While rotation rates from spots can be difficult to determine for older, less active stars, rotational splitting of asteroseismic oscillation frequencies can provide rotation rates for both active and quiescent stars, and so can confirm whether this effect really takes place on the main sequence. We obtained asteroseismic rotation rates of 91 main…
The primary science goal of the Kepler Mission is to provide a census of exoplanets in the solar neighborhood, including the identification and characterization of habitable Earth-like planets. The asteroseismic capabilities of the mission are being used to determine precise radii and ages for the target stars from their solar-like oscillations. Chaplin et al. (2010) published observations of three bright G-type stars, which were monitored during the first 33.5 days of science operations. One of these stars, the subgiant KIC 11026764, exhibits a characteristic pattern of oscillation frequencie…
The Kepler mission has been fantastic for asteroseismology of solar-type stars, but the targets are typically quite distant. As a consequence, the reliability of asteroseismic modeling has been limited by the precision of additional constraints from high-resolution spectroscopy and parallax measurements. A precise luminosity is particularly useful to minimize potential biases due to the intrinsic correlation between stellar mass and initial helium abundance. We have applied the latest version of the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal (AMP) to the complete Kepler data sets for 30 stars with known ro…
Asteroseismic scaling relations can provide high-precision measurements of mass and radius for red giant (RG) stars displaying solar-like oscillations. Their accuracy can be validated and potentially improved using independent and accurate observations of mass, radius, effective temperature and metallicity. We seek to achieve this using long period SB2 eclipsing binaries hosting oscillating RGs. We explore KIC 8430105, for which a previous study found significant asteroseismic overestimation of mass and radius when compared with eclipsing binary measurements. We measured dynamical masses and r…
We present results of our 5-years-long program of ground-based spectroscopic and photometric observations of individual Kepler asteroseismic targets and the open clusters NGC6866 and NGC6811 from the Kepler field of view.We determined the effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, the projected rotational velocity and the radial velocity of 119 Kepler asteroseismic targets for which we acquired high-resolution spectra. For many of these stars the derived atmospheric parameters agree with Teff, log g, and [Fe/H] from the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) to within their error bars. Only for …
