Browsing by Subject "gravity modes"
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Item Empirical Determination Of Convection Parameters In White Dwarfs. I. Whole Earth Telescope Observations Of EC14012-1446(2012-06) Provencal, J. L.; Montgomery, Michael H.; Kanaan, A.; Thompson, Susan E.; Dalessio, J.; Shipman, H. L.; Childers, D.; Clemens, J. Christopher; Rosen, R.; Henrique, P.; Bischoff-Kim, Agnes; Strickland, W.; Chandler, Dean; Walter, B.; Watson, T. K.; Castanheira, B.; Wang, S.; Handler, G.; Wood, M.; Vennes, S.; Nemeth, P.; Kepler, S. O.; Reed, M.; Nitta, Atsuko; Kleinman, S. J.; Brown, T.; Kim, S. L.; Sullivan, D.; Chen, W. P.; Yang, M.; Shih, C. Y.; Jiang, X. J.; Sergeev, A. V.; Maksim, A.; Janulis, R.; Baliyan, K. S.; Vats, H. O.; Zola, S.; Baran, A.; Winiarski, M.; Ogloza, W.; Paparo, M.; Bognar, Z.; Papics, P.; Kilkenny, D.; Sefako, R.; Buckley, D.; Loaring, N.; Kniazev, A.; Silvotti, R.; Galleti, S.; Nagel, T.; Vauclair, G.; Dolez, N.; Fremy, J. R.; Perez, J.; Almenara, J. M.; Fraga, L.; Montgomery, Michael H.; Wang, S.We report on an analysis of 308.3 hr of high-speed photometry targeting the pulsating DA white dwarf EC14012-1446. The data were acquired with the Whole Earth Telescope during the 2008 international observing run XCOV26. The Fourier transform of the light curve contains 19 independent frequencies and numerous combination frequencies. The dominant peaks are 1633.907, 1887.404, and 2504.897 mu Hz. Our analysis of the combination amplitudes reveals that the parent frequencies are consistent with modes of spherical degree l = 1. The combination amplitudes also provide m identifications for the largest amplitude parent frequencies. Our seismology analysis, which includes 2004-2007 archival data, confirms these identifications, provides constraints on additional frequencies, and finds an average period spacing of 41 s. Building on this foundation, we present nonlinear fits to high signal-to-noise light curves from the SOAR 4.1 m, McDonald 2.1 m, and KPNO 2 m telescopes. The fits indicate a time-averaged convective response timescale of tau(0) = 99.4 +/- 17 s, a temperature exponent N = 85 +/- 6.2, and an inclination angle of theta(i) = 32 degrees.9 +/- 3 degrees.2. We present our current empirical map of the convective response timescale across the DA instability strip.Item Evidence For Temperature Change And Oblique Pulsation From Light Curve Fits Of The Pulsating White Dwarf GD 358(2010-06) Montgomery, Michael H.; Provencal, J. L.; Kanaan, A.; Mukadam, Anjum S.; Thompson, Susan E.; Dalessio, J.; Shipman, H. L.; Winget, D. E.; Kepler, S. O.; Koester, Detlev; Montgomery, Michael H.Convective driving, the mechanism originally proposed by Brickhill for pulsating white dwarf stars, has gained general acceptance as the generic linear instability mechanism in DAV and dbV white dwarfs. This physical mechanism naturally leads to a nonlinear formulation, reproducing the observed light curves of many pulsating white dwarfs. This numerical model can also provide information on the average depth of a star's convection zone and the inclination angle of its pulsation axis. In this paper, we give two sets of results of nonlinear light curve fits to data on the dbV GD 358. Our first fit is based on data gathered in 2006 by the Whole Earth Telescope; this data set was multiperiodic containing at least 12 individual modes. Our second fit utilizes data obtained in 1996, when GD 358 underwent a dramatic change in excited frequencies accompanied by a rapid increase in fractional amplitude; during this event it was essentially monoperiodic. We argue that GD 358's convection zone was much thinner in 1996 than in 2006, and we interpret this as a result of a short-lived increase in its surface temperature. In addition, we find strong evidence of oblique pulsation using two sets of evenly split triplets in the 2006 data. This marks the first time that oblique pulsation has been identified in a variable white dwarf star.Item Limits Of Perturbative Nonlinear Light Curve Analyses: The Case Of G117-B15A(2010-08) Montgomery, M. H.; Hermes, J. J.; Winget, D. E.; Montgomery, M. H.; Hermes, J. J.; Winget, D. E.This poster examines the nonlinear combination frequencies found in the DAV G117-B15A. Using multiple epochs of observations we show that the ratio of the amplitude of the combination frequencies to those of the parent frequencies is not constant in time but rather varies on a time scale of years. This variation is difficult to explain in any model in which the modeled nonlinearities are second order, such as that of Brassard et al. [2], which accounts for these nonlinearities via the conversion from temperature variations to flux variations. In contrast, due to its extreme sensitivity, the convective light curve model can accomodate these variations with only modest variations in parameters such as T(eff).Item A New ZZ Ceti White Dwarf Pulsator: G30-20(2002-11) Mukadam, Anjum S.; Kepler, S. O.; Winget, D. E.; Bergeron, P.; Mukadam, Anjum S.; Winget, D. E.We report the discovery of a new hydrogen atmosphere variable white dwarf (DAV; ZZ Ceti), G30-20, a high-amplitude, long-period pulsator. The Fourier transform of its light curve shows power around 1050-1125 s. We suspect the existence of multiple periodicities in this region, probably corresponding to different radial order (k) modes, but our observations are not long enough to resolve them. This discovery increases the number of known DAVs to 32. Our best fit to its optical spectrum gives T-eff = 11; 070 +/- 180 K and log g = 7.95 +/- 0.06. This implies that G30-20 is the coolest known DAV.Item Precision Asteroseismology Of The Pulsating White Dwarf Gd 1212 Using A Two-Wheel-Controlled Kepler Spacecraft(2014-07) Hermes, J. J.; Charpinet, S.; Barclay, Thomas; Pakstiene, E.; Mullally, Fergal; Kawaler, Steven D.; Bloemen, S.; Castanheira, Barbara G.; Winget, D. E.; Montgomery, Michael H.; Van Grootel, V.; Huber, Daniel; Still, Martin; Howell, Steve B.; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Haas, Michael R.; Bryson, Stephen T.; Winget, D. E.; Montgomery, Michael H.We present a preliminary analysis of the cool pulsating white dwarf (WD) GD 1212, enabled by more than 11.5 days of space-based photometry obtained during an engineering test of the two-reaction-wheel-controlled Kepler spacecraft. We detect at least 19 independent pulsation modes, ranging from 828.2-1220.8 s, and at least 17 nonlinear combination frequencies of those independent pulsations. Our longest uninterrupted light curve, 9.0 days in length, evidences coherent difference frequencies at periods inaccessible from the ground, up to 14.5 hr, the longest-period signals ever detected in a pulsating WD. These results mark some of the first science to come from a two-wheel-controlled Kepler spacecraft, proving the capability for unprecedented discoveries afforded by extending Kepler observations to the ecliptic.Item The Pulsation Modes Of The Pre-White Dwarf PG 1159-035(2008-01) Costa, J. E. S.; Kepler, S. O.; Winget, D. E.; O'Brien, M. S.; Kawaler, S. D.; Costa, A. F. M.; Giovannini, O.; Kanaan, A.; Mukadam, A. S.; Mullally, F.; Nitta, A.; Provencal, J. L.; Shipman, H.; Wood, M. A.; Ahrens, T. J.; Grauer, A.; Kilic, M.; Bradley, P. A.; Sekiguchi, K.; Crowe, R.; Jiang, X. J.; Sullivan, D.; Sullivan, T.; Rosen, R.; Clemens, J. Christopher; Janulis, R.; O'Donoghue, D.; Ogloza, W.; Baran, A.; Silvotti, R.; Marinoni, S.; Vauclair, G.; Dolez, N.; Chevreton, M.; Dreizler, S.; Schuh, S.; Deetjen, J.; Nagel, T.; Solheim, J. E.; Perez, J. M. G.; Ulla, A.; Barstow, M.; Burleigh, M.; Good, S.; Metcalfe, T. S.; Kim, S. L.; Lee, H.; Sergeev, A.; Akan, M. C.; Cakirli, O.; Paparo, M.; Viraghalmy, G.; Ashoka, B. N.; Handler, G.; Hurkal, O.; Johannessen, F.; Kleinman, S. J.; Kalytis, R.; Krzesinski, J.; Klumpe, E.; Larrison, J.; Lawrence, T.; Meistas, E.; Martinez, P.; Nather, R. E.; Fu, J. N.; Pakstiene, E.; Rosen, R.; Romero-Colmenero, E.; Riddle, R.; Seetha, S.; Silvestri, N. M.; Vuckovic, M.; Warner, B.; Zolao, S.; Althaus, L. G.; Corsico, A. H.; Montgomery, M. H.; D. E. Winget; F. MullallyContext. PG 1159-035, a pre-white dwarf with T-eff similar or equal to 140000 K, is the prototype of both two classes: the PG 1159 spectroscopic class and the DOV pulsating class. Previous studies of PG 1159-035 photometric data obtained with the Whole Earth Telescope (WET) showed a rich frequency spectrum allowing the identification of 122 pulsation modes. Analyzing the periods of pulsation, it is possible to measure the stellar mass, the rotational period and the inclination of the rotation axis, to estimate an upper limit for the magnetic field, and even to obtain information about the inner stratification of the star. Aims. We have three principal aims: to increase the number of detected and identified pulsation modes in PG 1159-035, study trapping of the star's pulsation modes, and to improve or constrain the determination of stellar parameters. Methods. We used all available WET photometric data from 1983, 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002 to identify the pulsation periods. Results. We identified 76 additional pulsation modes, increasing to 198 the number of known pulsation modes in PG 1159-035, the largest number of modes detected in any star besides the Sun. From the period spacing we estimated a mass M/M-circle dot = 0.59 +/- 0.02 for PG 1159-035, with the uncertainty dominated by the models, not the observation. Deviations in the regular period spacing suggest that some of the pulsation modes are trapped, even though the star is a pre-white dwarf and the gravitational settling is ongoing. The position of the transition zone that causes the mode trapping was calculated at r(c)/R-*, = 0.83 +/- 0.05. From the multiplet splitting, we calculated the rotational period P-rot = 1.3920 +/- 0.0008 days and an upper limit for the magnetic field, B < 2000 G. The total power of the pulsation modes at the stellar surface changed less than 30% for l = 1 modes and less than 50% for l = 2 modes. We find no evidence of linear combinations between the 198 pulsation mode frequencies. PG 1159-035 models have not significative convection zones, supporting the hypothesis that nonlinearity arises in the convection zones in cooler pulsating white dwarf stars.Item Pulsational Mapping Of Calcium Across The Surface Of A White Dwarf(2010-05) Thompson, Susan E.; Montgomery, Michael H.; von Hippel, Ted; Nitta, Atsuko; Dalessio, J.; Provencal, J.; Strickland, W.; Holtzman, Jon A.; Mukadam, Anjum; Sullivan, D.; Nagel, T.; Koziel-Wierzbowska, D.; Kundera, T.; Zola, S.; Winiarski, M.; Drozdz, M.; Kuligowska, E.; Ogloza, W.; Bognar, Z.; Handler, G.; Kanaan, A.; Ribeira, T.; Rosen, R.; Reichart, D.; Haislip, J.; Barlow, B. N.; Dunlap, B. H.; Ivarsen, K.; LaCluyze, A.; Mullally, Fergal; Montgomery, Michael H.We constrain the distribution of calcium across the surface of the white dwarf star G29-38 by combining time-series spectroscopy from Gemini-North with global time-series photometry from the Whole Earth Telescope. G29-38 is actively accreting metals from a known debris disk. Since the metals sink significantly faster than they mix across the surface, any inhomogeneity in the accretion process will appear as an inhomogeneity of the metals on the surface of the star. We measure the flux amplitudes and the calcium equivalent width amplitudes for two large pulsations excited on G29-38 in 2008. The ratio of these amplitudes best fits a model for polar accretion of calcium and rules out equatorial accretion.Item A Second Case of Outbursts in A Pulsating White Dwarf Observed By Kepler(2015-09) Hermes, J. J.; Montgomery, M. H.; Bell, Keaton J.; Chote, P.; Gansicke, B. T.; Kawaler, Steven D.; Clemens, J. Christopher; Dunlap, B. H.; Winget, D. E.; Armstrong, D. J.; Montgomery, M. H.; Bell, Keaton J.; Winget, D. E.We present observations of a new phenomenon in pulsating white dwarf stars: large-amplitude outbursts at timescales much longer than the pulsation periods. The cool (T-eff = 11,060 K), hydrogen-atmosphere pulsating white dwarf PG 1149+057 was observed nearly continuously for more than 78.8 day by the extended Kepler mission in K2 Campaign 1. The target showed 10 outburst events, recurring roughly every 8 day and lasting roughly 15 hr, with maximum flux excursions up to 45% in the Kepler bandpass. We demonstrate that the outbursts affect the pulsations and therefore must come from the white dwarf. Additionally, we argue that these events are not magnetic reconnection flares, and are most likely connected to the stellar pulsations and the relatively deep surface convection zone. PG 1149+057 is now the second cool pulsating white dwarf to show this outburst phenomenon, after the first variable white dwarf observed in the Kepler mission, KIC 4552982. Both stars have the same effective temperature, within the uncertainties, and are among the coolest known pulsating white dwarfs of typical mass. These outbursts provide fresh observational insight into the red edge of the DAV instability strip and the eventual cessation of pulsations in cool white dwarfs.Item White Dwarf And Pre-White Dwarf Pulsations(2009-09) Montgomery, M. H.; Montgomery, M.H.In this review I describe the basic properties of white dwarfs and their pulsations. I then discuss some of the areas in which the pulsations can provide meaningful results, such as internal chemical profiles, possible emission of >exotic> particles, planet detection, crystallization, convection, accretion, and cosmochronology.Item The ZZ Ceti Red Edge(2002-06) Kanaan, A.; Kepler, S. O.; Winget, D. E.; Winget, D. E.With a time-series CCD photometric survey, we have demonstrated clearly that the observed red edge for the ZZ Ceti stars instability strip at 11 000 K is real, with the pulsation amplitude decreasing at least by a factor of 50. Previous surveys for variability among hydrogen atmosphere white dwarfs around 11 000 K have been carried out using time-series photoelectric photometry, not differential photometry, insensitive for small amplitude periodicities of 15 min and longer. In our survey we constantly monitor the sky brightness as well as one or more comparison stars through the same color filter, reducing the adverse effects of differential extinction and sky fluctuations, obtaining true differential photometry.