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Deneb, the prototype alpha Cygni variable, is a blue-white supergiant that shows irregular variability with quasi-period around 12 days in brightness and radial velocity. Abt et al. (2023) found that larger amplitude 12-day variations appear to resume abruptly and at an arbitrary phase and damp out after several cycles, with an interval of around 70 days between these resumptions. Here we make use of an 8.6-year photometric data set for Deneb from the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) to better characterize this behavior. We find that the interval between pulsation resumptions is not exact, with the most common intervals between 100 and 120 days. Sometimes one or more intervals are skipped. We also examine AAVSO and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) light curves for alpha Cyg variables Rigel, Saiph, and Alnilam in Orion, Aludra in Canis Major, and 6 Cas to compare with the behavior of alpha Cyg. Except for 6 Cas, the time series are too short, or the observations too infrequent to draw any conclusions about similarities between the behavior of these stars and alpha Cyg. We also summarize results of evolution and pulsation modeling for Deneb and alpha Cyg variables from the literature. The alpha Cyg variables may not be a homogenous group with a common mechanism for their variability. It has not been determined whether they are on the first crossing of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram toward the red supergiant phase or are on their second crossing after having been red supergiants. Future plans include examining BRITE Constellation data for Deneb, processing SMEI data for other bright alpha Cyg variables, and comparing 6 Cas light curves from AAVSO and TESS data taken concurrently., Comment: 9 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Proceedings for the 43rd Annual Conference of the Society for Astronomical Sciences SAS-2024 Symposium on Telescope Science, eds. John C. Martin, Robert K. Buchheim, Robert M. Gill, Wayne Green, and John Menke, https://socastrosci.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-Proceedings_Ver1.3d.pdf

Deneb (alpha Cygni) is a bright (V magnitude 1.25) blue-white supergiant (spectral type A2 Ia) which shows variability in both radial velocity and photometric measurements. H. Abt reviewed radial velocity measurements by Paddock (1935) using the Lick observatory 36-inch telescope spectrograph during 1927-1935. Abt noticed resumptions of pulsations with a dominant quasi-period of around 12 days that occur at intervals of around 70 days, and damp out after a few cycles. These resumptions appear to happen at arbitrary phase. Perhaps another event like this was captured in a shorter series of radial velocity measurements by Abt in 1956. We examined subsequent radial velocity and photometric data available in the literature, along with photometric measurements by the TESS spacecraft and V-magnitude observations by AAVSO observers. We find some evidence for periodic resumptions of larger-amplitude pulsations in these data. However, longer contiguous data sets combined with more frequent sampling are needed to confirm this periodicity in resumption of pulsations, and to help answer many more questions about Deneb and the alpha Cygni variables., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to Proceedings of the 112th Annual Meeting of The American Association of Variable Star Observers, ed. Joyce A. Guzik, November 3-5, 2023, Somerville, MA, ISBN 978-1-939538-68-0, available at https://www.aavso.org/112

We present a set of 1194 Type-1 Rosseland-mean opacity tables for four different metallicity mixtures. These new Los Alamos OPLIB atomic radiative opacity tables are an order of magnitude larger in number than any previous opacity table release, and span regimes where previous opacity tables have not existed. For example, the new set of opacity tables expands the metallicity range to $Z$\,=\,10$^{-6}$ to $Z$\,=\,0.2 which allows improved accuracy of opacities at low and high metallicity, increases the table density in the metallicity range $Z$\,=\,10$^{-4}$ to $Z$\,=\,0.1 to enhance the accuracy of opacities drawn from interpolations across neighboring metallicities, and adds entries for hydrogen mass fractions between $X$\,=\,0 and $X$\,=\,0.1 including $X$\,=\,$10^{-2}, 10^{-3}, 10^{-4}, 10^{-5}, 10^{-6}$ that can improve stellar models of hydrogen deficient stars. We implement these new OPLIB radiative opacity tables in \MESA, and find that calibrated solar models agree broadly with previously published helioseismic and solar neutrino results. We find differences between using the new 1194 OPLIB opacity tables and the 126 OPAL opacity tables range from $\approx$\,20--80\% across individual chemical mixtures, up to $\approx$\,8\% and $\approx$\,15\% at the bottom and top of the solar convection zone respectively, and $\approx$\,7\% in the solar core. We also find differences between standard solar models using different opacity table sources that are on par with altering the initial abundance mixture. We conclude that this new, open-access set of OPLIB opacity tables does not solve the solar modeling problem, and suggest the investigation of physical mechanisms other than the atomic radiative opacity., Comment: 28 pages, 12 (13) figures. Accepted for Publication in ApJ

Stellar spin down is a critical yet poorly understood component of stellar evolution. In particular, results from the Kepler Mission imply that mature age, solar-type stars have inefficient magnetic braking, resulting in a stalled spin down rate. However, a large number of precise asteroseismic ages are needed for mature ($\geq$ 3Gyr) stars in order to probe the regime where traditional and stalled spin-down models differ. In this paper, we present a new asteroseismic benchmark star for gyrochronology discovered using reprocessed Kepler short cadence data. KIC 11029516 (Papayu) is a bright ($K_{p}$ = 9.6 mag) solar-type star with well-measured rotation period (21.1$\pm$0.8 days) from spot modulation using 4 years of Kepler long cadence data. We combine asteroseismology and spectroscopy to obtain $T_{eff}=5888\pm100$ K, $\rm{[Fe/H]} = 0.30 \pm 0.06\,$ dex, $M = 1.24 \pm 0.05 M_{\odot}$, $R = 1.34 \pm 0.02 R_{\odot}$ and age of 4.0 $\pm$ 0.4 Gyr, making Papayu one of the most similar stars to the Sun in terms of temperature and radius with an asteroseismic age and a rotation period measured from spot modulation. We find that Papayu sits at the transition of where traditional and weakened spin-down models diverge. A comparison with stars of similar zero-age main-sequence temperatures supports previous findings that weakened spin-down models are required to explain the ages and rotation periods of old solar-type stars.

Cepheids have long been used as standard candles to determine distances around the Milky Way and to nearby galaxies. A discrepancy still remains for Hubble Constant determinations using Cepheids vs. the cosmic microwave background or calibrations to the tip of the red-giant branch. Therefore, refinement of Cepheid period-luminosity relations continues to be an active topic of research. Cepheids are also important laboratories for testing stellar physics. This paper explores outstanding questions in Cepheid evolution and pulsation modeling. We examine the discrepancy between Cepheid masses determined from pulsation properties and binary orbital dynamics and those determined using stellar evolution models. We review attempts to resolve the discrepancy by including rotation, convective overshooting, and mass loss. We review the impact of uncertainties in nuclear reaction rates on Cepheid evolution and the extent of blue loops in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. We consider implications for Cepheids of stellar opacity revisions suggested in light of findings for the Sun and other types of variable stars. We apply the 1-D open-source MESA stellar evolution code and the MESA radial stellar pulsation (RSP) nonlinear hydrodynamics code to investigate changes in input physics for Cepheid models. We touch on progress in 2-D and 3-D stellar modeling applied to Cepheids. Additional areas in which Cepheid models are being tested against observations include: predicting the edges of the Cepheid pulsation instability strip; predicting period-change rates and implications for instability strip crossings; explaining period and amplitude modulations and periodicities that may be non-radial pulsation modes; discovering what can be learned from Cepheid observations in X-ray, ultraviolet, and radio wavelengths. We also show a few examples of Cepheid light curves from NASA TESS photometry., Comment: 10 pages, 17 figures. Revised and updated version of conference proceedings submitted for 2023 Society for Astronomical Sciences Symposium on Telescope Science, June 22-24, 2023, eds. J.C. Martin, R.K. Buchheim, R.M. Gill, W. Green, and J. Menke

Asteroseismology has transformed stellar astrophysics. Red giant asteroseismology is a prime example, with oscillation periods and amplitudes that are readily detectable with time-domain space-based telescopes. These oscillations can be used to infer masses, ages and radii for large numbers of stars, providing unique constraints on stellar populations in our galaxy. The cadence, duration, and spatial resolution of the Roman galactic bulge time-domain survey (GBTDS) are well-suited for asteroseismology and will probe an important population not studied by prior missions. We identify photometric precision as a key requirement for realizing the potential of asteroseismology with Roman. A precision of 1 mmag per 15-min cadence or better for saturated stars will enable detections of the populous red clump star population in the Galactic bulge. If the survey efficiency is better than expected, we argue for repeat observations of the same fields to improve photometric precision, or covering additional fields to expand the stellar population reach if the photometric precision for saturated stars is better than 1 mmag. Asteroseismology is relatively insensitive to the timing of the observations during the mission, and the prime red clump targets can be observed in a single 70 day campaign in any given field. Complementary stellar characterization, particularly astrometry tied to the Gaia system, will also dramatically expand the diagnostic power of asteroseismology. We also highlight synergies to Roman GBTDS exoplanet science using transits and microlensing., Comment: Roman Core Community Survey White Paper, 3 pages, 4 figures

NGC 6819 is an open cluster of age 2.4 Gyr that was in the NASA Kepler spacecraft field of view from 2009 to 2013. The central part of the cluster was observed in a 200 x 200 pixel `superstamp' during these four years in 30-minute cadence photometry, providing a unique long time-series high-precision data set. The cluster contains 'blue straggler' stars, i.e., stars on the main sequence above the cluster turnoff that should have left the main sequence to become red giants. We present light curves and pulsation frequency analyses derived from custom photometric reductions for five confirmed cluster members--four blue stragglers and one star near the main-sequence turnoff. Two of these stars show a rich spectrum of $\delta$ Scuti pulsation modes, with 236 and 124 significant frequencies identified, respectively, while two stars show mainly low-frequency modes, characteristic of $\gamma$ Doradus variable stars. The fifth star, a known active x-ray binary, shows only several harmonics of two main frequencies. For the two $\delta$ Scuti stars, we use a frequency separation--mean-density relation to estimate mean density, and then use this value along with effective temperature to derive stellar mass and radius. For the two stars showing low frequencies, we searched for period-spacing sequences that may be representative of gravity-mode or Rossby-mode sequences, but found no clear sequences. The common age for the cluster members, considered along with the frequencies, will provide valuable constraints for asteroseismic analyses, and may shed light on the origin of the blue stragglers., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal February 23, 2023. 36 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables in text, 5 in Appendix

Metallic-line A (Am) stars are main-sequence stars of around twice the mass of the Sun that show element abundance peculiarities in their spectra. The radiative levitation and diffusive settling processes responsible for these abundance anomalies should also deplete helium from the region of the envelope that drives delta Scuti pulsations. Therefore, these stars are not expected to be delta Scuti stars, which pulsate in multiple radial and nonradial modes with periods of around 2 hours. As part of the NASA TESS Guest Investigator Program, we proposed photometric observations in 2-minute cadence for samples of bright (visual magnitudes around 7-8) Am stars. Our 2020 SAS meeting paper reported on observations of 21 stars, finding one delta Scuti star and two delta Scuti / gamma Doradus hybrid candidates, as well as many stars with photometric variability possibly caused by rotation and starspots. Here we present an update including 34 additional stars observed up to February 2021, among them three delta Scuti stars and two delta Scuti / gamma Doradus hybrid candidates. Confirming the pulsations in these stars requires further data analysis and follow-up observations, because of possible background stars or contamination in the TESS CCD pixels with scale 21 arc sec per pixel. Asteroseismic modeling of these stars will be important to understand the reasons for their pulsations., Comment: Submitted to Proceedings for the 40th Annual Symposium of the Society for Astronomical Sciences, SAS-2021, eds. John C. Martin, Robert K. Buchheim, Robert M. Gill, Wayne Greene, and Robert Stephens, June 2021

X-ray bursts have recently been discovered in the Cepheids $\delta$ Cep and $\beta$ Dor modulated by the pulsation cycle. We have obtained an observation of the Cepheid $\eta$ Aql with the XMM-Newton satellite at the phase of maximum radius, the phase at which there is a burst of X-rays in $\delta$ Cep. No X-rays were seen from the Cepheid $\eta$ Aql at this phase, and the implications for Cepheid upper atmospheres are discussed. We have also used the combination of X-ray sources and Gaia and 2MASS data to search for a possible grouping around the young intermediate mass Cepheid. No indication of such a group was found., Comment: accepted by AJ

The NASA Kepler and follow-on K2 missions (2009-2018) left a legacy of data and discoveries, finding thousands of exoplanets, and also obtaining high-precision long time-series data for hundreds of thousands of stars, including many types of pulsating variables. Here we highlight a few of the ongoing discoveries from Kepler data on $\delta$ Scuti pulsating variables, which are core hydrogen-burning stars of about twice the mass of the Sun. We discuss many unsolved problems surrounding the properties of the variability in these stars, and the progress enabled by Kepler data in using pulsations to infer their interior structure, a field of research known as asteroseismology., Comment: 15 figures. Review paper submitted to Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, published in April 2021. Part of research topic Asteroseismology in the Kepler Era

During the last two years we have received long time-series photometric observations of bright (V mag < 8) main-sequence A- and B-type stars observed by the NASA TESS spacecraft and the Austria-Poland-Canada BRITE satellites. Using TESS observations of metallic-line A (Am) stars having peculiar element abundances, our goal is to determine whether and why these stars pulsate in multiple radial and non-radial modes, as do the delta Scuti stars in the same region of the H-R diagram. The BRITE data were requested to investigate pulsations in bright (V around 6 mag) A- and B-type stars in the Cygnus-Lyra field of view that had been proposed for observations during the now-retired NASA Kepler mission. Of the 21 (out of 62 proposed) Am stars observed by TESS so far, we find one delta Sct star and two delta Sct / gamma Dor hybrid candidates. Of the remaining stars, we find three gamma Dor candidates, six stars showing photometric variations that may or may not be associated with pulsations, and eight stars without apparent significant photometric variability. For the A- and B-type stars observed by BRITE, one star (HR 7403) shows low amplitude low frequency modes that likely are associated with its B(emission) star properties; one star (HR 7179) shows SPB variability that is also found in prior Kepler data, and two stars (HR 7284 and HR 7591) show no variability in BRITE data, although very low amplitude variability was found in TESS or Kepler data. For the TESS and BRITE targets discussed here, follow-up ground- and space-based photometric and spectroscopic observations combined with stellar modeling will be needed to constrain stellar parameters and to understand the nature of the variability., Comment: 12 pages, 30 figures, Submitted to Proceedings for the 39th Annual Symposium of the Society for Astronomical Sciences, SAS/AAVSO-2020, Joint Meeting with the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), May 2020, Editors: Robert K. Buchheim, Robert M. Gill, Wayne Green, John C. Martin and Robert Stephens

Cepheids are pulsating variable stars with a periodic chromospheric response at UV wavelengths close to their minimum radius phase. Recently, an X-ray variable signature was captured in observations during the \emph{maximum} radius phase. This X-ray emission came as a surprise and is not understood. In this work, we use the modern astrophysical code, PLUTO, to investigate the effects of pulsations on Cepheid X-ray emission. We run a number of hydrodynamic numerical simulations with a variety of initial and boundary conditions in order to explore the capability of shocks to produce the observed phase-dependent X-ray behavior. Finally we use the Simulated Observations of X-ray Sources (SOXS) package to create synthetic spectra for each simulation case and link our simulations to observables. We show that, for certain conditions, we can reproduce observed X-ray fluxes at phases 0.4--0.8 when the Cepheid is at maximum radius. Our results span a wide range of mass-loss rates, $2\times10^{-13}$--$3\times10^{-8}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, and peak X-ray luminosities, $5\times10^{-17}$--$1.4\times10^{-12}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. We conclude that Cepheids exhibit \textit{two component emission} with (a) shock waves being responsible for the phase dependent variable emission (phases 0.2 - 0.6), and (b) a separate quiescent mechanism being the dominant emission mechanism for the remaining phases.

Cepheid masses derived from pulsations or binary dynamics are generally lower than those derived from stellar evolution models. Recent efforts have been dedicated to investigating the effects of abundances, mass loss, rotation, convection and overshooting prescriptions for modifying the evolution tracks to reduce or remove this Cepheid mass discrepancy. While these approaches are promising, either alone or in combination, more work is required to distinguish between possible solutions. Here we investigate nuclear reaction rate and opacity modifications on Cepheid evolution using the MESA code. We discuss the effects of opacity increases at envelope temperatures of 200,000-400,000 K proposed to explain the pulsation properties of hybrid main-sequence beta Cep/Slowly Pulsating B (SPB) variables which will evolve into Cepheids. We make use of the RSP nonlinear radial pulsation modeling capability in MESA to calculate periods and radial velocity amplitudes of Galactic Cepheids V1334 Cyg, Polaris, and delta Cep., Comment: Revised version, 6 pages, 3 figures, enlarged Figure 2 and revised captions, submitted for Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series "RRLyrae/Cepheid2019: Frontiers of Classical Pulsators: Theory and Observations", Cloudcroft, NM, USA October 13-18, 2019

Eclipsing binaries (EBs) are unique targets for measuring precise stellar properties and constrain stellar evolution models. In particular, it is possible to measure at the percent level masses and radii of both components of a double-lined spectroscopic EB. Since the advent of high-precision photometric space missions (MOST, CoRoT, Kepler, BRITE, TESS), the use of stellar pulsation properties to infer stellar interiors and dynamics constitutes a revolution for low-mass star studies. The Kepler mission has led to the discovery of thousands of classical pulsators such as $\delta$ Scuti and solar-like oscillators (main sequence and evolved), but also almost 3000 EBs with orbital periods shorter than 1100 days. We report the first systematic search for stellar pulsators in the entire Kepler eclipsing binary catalog. The focus is mainly aimed at discovering $\delta$ Scuti, $\gamma$ Doradus, red giant, and tidally excited pulsators. We developed a data inspection tool (DIT) that automatically produces a series of plots from the Kepler light-curves that allows us to visually identify whether stellar oscillations are present in a given time series. We applied the DIT to the whole Kepler eclipsing binary database and identified 303 systems whose light curves display oscillations, including 163 new discoveries. A total of 149 stars are flagged as $\delta$ Scuti (100 from this paper), 115 stars as $\gamma$ Doradus (69 new), 85 stars as red giants (27 new), 59 as tidally excited oscillators (29 new). There is some overlap among these groups, as some display several types of oscillations. Despite many of these systems are likely to be false positives, i. e., when an EB light curve is blended with a pulsator, this catalog gathers a vast sample of systems that are valuable for a better understanding of stellar evolution., Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, accepted in A&A

Asteroseismology is the only observational tool in astronomy that can probe the interiors of stars, and is a benchmark method for deriving fundamental properties of stars and exoplanets. Over the coming decade, space-based and ground-based observations will provide a several order of magnitude increase of solar-like oscillators, as well as a dramatic increase in the number and quality of classical pulsator observations, providing unprecedented possibilities to study stellar physics and galactic stellar populations. In this white paper, we describe key science questions and necessary facilities to continue the asteroseismology revolution into the 2020's., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. White paper submitted to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey

We present the discovery of TOI-197.01, the first transiting planet identified by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) for which asteroseismology of the host star is possible. TOI-197 (HIP116158) is a bright (V=8.2 mag), spectroscopically classified subgiant which oscillates with an average frequency of about 430 muHz and displays a clear signature of mixed modes. The oscillation amplitude confirms that the redder TESS bandpass compared to Kepler has a small effect on the oscillations, supporting the expected yield of thousands of solar-like oscillators with TESS 2-minute cadence observations. Asteroseismic modeling yields a robust determination of the host star radius (2.943+/-0.064 Rsun), mass (1.212 +/- 0.074 Msun) and age (4.9+/-1.1 Gyr), and demonstrates that it has just started ascending the red-giant branch. Combining asteroseismology with transit modeling and radial-velocity observations, we show that the planet is a "hot Saturn" (9.17+/-0.33 Rearth) with an orbital period of ~14.3 days, irradiance of 343+/-24 Fearth, moderate mass (60.5 +/- 5.7 Mearth) and density (0.431+/-0.062 gcc). The properties of TOI-197.01 show that the host-star metallicity - planet mass correlation found in sub-Saturns (4-8 Rearth) does not extend to larger radii, indicating that planets in the transition between sub-Saturns and Jupiters follow a relatively narrow range of densities. With a density measured to ~15%, TOI-197.01 is one of the best characterized Saturn-sized planets to date, augmenting the small number of known transiting planets around evolved stars and demonstrating the power of TESS to characterize exoplanets and their host stars using asteroseismology., Comment: 12 pages (excluding author list and references), 9 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in AJ. An electronic version of Table 3 is available as an ancillary file (sidebar on the right)

The faint young Sun paradox remains an open question. Presented here is one possible solution to this apparent inconsistency, a more massive early Sun. Based on conditions on early Earth and Mars, a luminosity constraint is set as a function of mass. We examine helioseismic constraints of these alternative mass-losing models. Additionally, we explore a dynamic electron screening correction in an effort to improve helioseismic agreement in the core of the an early mass-losing model., Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, accepted Solar Physics

Opacity enhancements for stellar interior conditions have been explored to explain observed pulsation frequencies and to extend the pulsation instability region for B-type main-sequence variable stars. For these stars, the pulsations are driven in the region of the opacity bump of Fe-group elements at $\sim$200,000 K in the stellar envelope. Here we explore effects of opacity enhancements for the somewhat cooler main-sequence A-type stars, in which $p$-mode pulsations are driven instead in the second helium ionization region at $\sim$50,000 K. We compare models using the new LANL OPLIB vs. LLNL OPAL opacities for the AGSS09 solar mixture. For models of 2 solar masses and effective temperature 7600 K, opacity enhancements have only a mild effect on pulsations, shifting mode frequencies and/or slightly changing kinetic-energy growth rates. Increased opacity near the bump at 200,000 K can induce convection that may alter composition gradients created by diffusive settling and radiative levitation. Opacity increases around the hydrogen and 1st He ionization region (13,000 K) can cause additional higher-frequency $p$ modes to be excited, raising the possibility that improved treatment of these layers may result in prediction of new modes that could be tested by observations. New or wider convective zones and higher convective velocities produced by opacity increases could also affect angular momentum transport during evolution. More work needs to be done to quantify the effects of opacity on the boundaries of the pulsation instability regions for A-type stars., Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Accepted version for MDPI Atoms Special Issue "Atomic and Molecular Opacity Data for Astrophysics", Published 4 June 2018, Atoms 2018, 6(2), 31, https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms6020031

We present results of simulations to assess the feasibility of modeling outflows from massive stars using the Los Alamos 3-D radiation hydrodynamics code Cassio developed for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. We find that a 1-D stellar envelope simulation relaxes into hydrostatic equilibrium using computing resources that would make the simulation tractable in 2-D. We summarize next steps to include more physics fidelity and model the response to a large and abrupt energy deposition at the base of the envelope., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Proceedings of 3rd BRITE Science Conference, Lac Taureau, Quebec, 7-10 August 2017

The effects of opacities in driving pulsations and extending the pulsation instability region for B-type stars (SPB and $\beta$ Cep variables) have recently been explored by, e.g., Walczak et al. 2015, 2017, Daszynska-Daszkiewicz et al. 2017; Moravveji 2016, and Cugier 2014. For these stars, the pulsations are driven by the opacity bump of Fe-group elements at around 200,000 K in the stellar envelope. For $\delta$ Scuti pulsations in A-type stars, pulsations are driven instead by the $\kappa$ effect in the second helium ionization region at around 50,000 K. Opacity modifications investigated for B-type stars may also have an effect on the structure of A-type stars and the instability region. Studies of the pulsation instability region for A-type stars show that other factors also influence the pulsations, for example, helium abundance and diffusive settling. Here we explore some of these effects, focusing on modeling of A-type stars. We compare results using the new LANL OPLIB vs. LLNL OPAL opacities for the AGSS09 solar abundance mixture. We comment on prospects for using BRITE observations of A-type stars to constrain opacities., Comment: 5 pages, 8 figures, submitted to proceedings of 3rd BRITE Science Conference, Lac Taureau, Quebec, 7-10 August 2017

Los Alamos National Laboratory has calculated a new generation of radiative opacities (OPLIB data using the ATOMIC code) for elements with atomic number Z=1-30 with improved physics input, updated atomic data, and finer temperature grid to replace the Los Alamos LEDCOP opacities released in the year 2000. We calculate the evolution of standard solar models including these new opacities, and compare with models evolved using the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory OPAL (Iglesias and Rogers 1996) opacities. We use the solar abundance mixture of Asplund et al. (2009). The new Los Alamos ATOMIC opacities have steeper opacity derivatives than those of OPAL for temperatures and densities of the solar interior radiative zone. We compare the calculated nonadiabatic solar oscillation frequencies and solar interior sound speed to observed frequencies and helioseismic inferences. The calculated sound-speed profiles are similar for models evolved using either the updated Iben evolution code (see \cite{Guzik2010}), or the MESA evolution code (Paxton et al., 2015). The LANL ATOMIC opacities partially mitigate the "solar abundance problem"., Comment: Proceedings paper for IAU Focus Meeting 17, Advances in Stellar Physics from Asteroseismology, XXIXth IAU General Assembly, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 2015. Focus meeting proceedings edited by C.S. Jeffery, J.A. Guzik, and K. Pollard

We present multidimensional modeling of convection and oscillations in main-sequence stars somewhat more massive than the Sun, using three separate approaches: 1) Using the 3-D planar StellarBox radiation hydrodynamics code to model the envelope convection zone and part of the radiative zone. Our goals are to examine the interaction of stellar pulsations with turbulent convection in the envelope, excitation of acoustic modes, and the role of convective overshooting; 2) Applying the spherical 3-D MHD ASH (Anelastic Spherical Harmonics) code to simulate the core convection and radiative zone. Our goal is to determine whether core convection can excite low-frequency gravity modes, and thereby explain the presence of low frequencies for some hybrid gamma Doradus/delta Scuti variables for which the envelope convection zone is too shallow for the convective blocking mechanism to drive gravity modes; 3) Applying the ROTORC 2-D stellar evolution and dynamics code to calculate evolution with a variety of initial rotation rates and extents of core convective overshooting. The nonradial adiabatic pulsation frequencies of these nonspherical models are calculated using the 2-D pulsation code NRO. We present new insights into pulsations for stars of one to two solar masses gained by multidimensional modeling., Comment: Paper for Proceedings of IAU Focus Meeting 17, Advances in Stellar Physics from Asteroseismology, XXIXth IAU General Assembly, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 2015. Focus meeting proceedings edited by C.S. Jeffery, J.A. Guzik, and K. Pollard

The NASA Kepler spacecraft data revealed a large number of multimode nonradially pulsating gamma Dor and delta Sct variable star candidates. The high precision long time-series photometry makes it possible to study amplitude variations of the frequencies. We summarize recent literature on amplitude and frequency variations in pulsating variables. We are searching for amplitude variability in several dozen faint gamma Doradus or delta Scuti variable-star candidates observed as part of the Kepler Guest Observer program. We apply several methods, including a Matlab-script wavelet analysis developed by J. Jackiewicz, and the wavelet technique of the VSTAR software (http://www.aavso.org/vstar-overview). Here we show results for two stars, KIC 2167444 and KIC 2301163. We discuss the magnitude and timescale of the amplitude variations, and the presence or absence of correlations between amplitude variations for different frequencies of a given star. Amplitude variations may be detectable using Kepler data even for stars with Kepler magnitude >14 with low-amplitude frequencies (around 100 ppm) using only one or a few quarters of long-cadence data. We discuss proposed causes of amplitude spectrum variability that will require further investigation., Comment: Proceedings of IAU Focus Meeting 17, Advances in Stellar Physics from Asteroseismology, XXIXth IAU General Assembly, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 2015. Focus meeting proceedings edited by C.S. Jeffery, J.A. Guzik, and K. Pollard

The light curves of 2768 stars with effective temperatures and surface gravities placing them near the gamma Doradus/delta Scuti instability region were observed as part of the Kepler Guest Observer program from Cycles 1 through 5. The light curves were analyzed in a uniform manner to search for gamma Doradus, delta Scuti, and hybrid star pulsations. The gamma Doradus, delta Scuti, and hybrid star pulsations extend asteroseismology to stars slightly more massive (1.4 to 2.5 solar masses) than our Sun. We find 207 gamma Doradus, 84 delta Scuti, and 32 hybrid candidate stars. Many of these stars are cooler than the red edge of the gamma Doradus instability strip as determined from ground-based observations made before Kepler. A few of our gamma Doradus candidate stars lie on the hot side of the ground-based gamma Doradus instability strip. The hybrid candidate stars cover the entire region between 6200 K and the blue edge of the ground-based delta Scuti instability strip. None of our candidate stars are hotter than the hot edge of the ground-based delta Scuti instability strip. Our discoveries, coupled with the work of others, shows that Kepler has discovered over 2000 gamma Doradus, delta Scuti, and hybrid star candidates in the 116 square degree Kepler field of view. We found relatively few variable stars fainter than magnitude 15, which may be because they are far enough away to lie between spiral arms in our Galaxy, where there would be fewer stars., Comment: Accepted for Astronomical Journal, 149, 68 (January 2015) 38 pages, 10 figures, 8 Tables

In our 2013 Astronomical Review article, we discussed the statistics of variability for 633 faint spectral type A-F stars observed by the Kepler spacecraft during Quarters 6-13. We found six stars that showed no variability with amplitude 20 ppm or greater in the range 0.2 to 24.4 cycles/day, but whose positions in the log g--Teff diagram place them in the delta Sct or gamma Dor pulsation instability regions established from pre-Kepler ground-based observations. Here we present results for 2137 additional stars observed during Quarters 14-17, and find 34 stars that lie within the instability regions. In Paper I, we included a +229 K offset to the Kepler Input Catalog Teff to take into account an average systematic difference between the KIC values and the Teff derived from SDSS color photometry for main-sequence F stars (Pinsonneault et al. 2012). Here we compare the KIC Teff value and the Teff derived from spectroscopy taken by the LAMOST instrument (Molenda-Zakowicz et al. 2013, 2014) for 54 stars common to both samples. We find no trend to support applying the offset, but instead find that a small average temperature decrease relative to the KIC Teff may be more appropriate for the stars in our spectral-type range. If the offset is omitted, only 17 of our 34 `constant' stars fall within the instability regions. For the two `constant' stars also observed by LAMOST, the LAMOST Teff values are cooler than the KIC Teff by several hundred K, and would move these stars out of the instability regions. It is possible that a more accurate determination of their Teff and log g would move some of the other `constant' stars out of the instability regions. However, if average (random) errors in Teff are taken into account, 15 to 52 stars may still persist within the instability regions. Explanations for these `constant' stars, both theoretical and observational, remain to be investigated., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomical Review, Volume 10, Number 1 (January 2015), 29 pages, 19 figures, two tables

As part of the NASA Kepler Guest Observer program, we requested and obtained long-cadence data on about 2700 faint (magnitude 14-16) Kepler stars with effective temperatures and surface gravities that lie near or within the pulsation instability region for main-sequence gamma Doradus and delta Scuti pulsating variables. These variables are of spectral type A-F with masses of 1.4 to 2.5 solar masses. The delta Scuti stars pulsate in radial and non-radial acoustic modes, with periods of a few hours (frequencies around 10 cycles/day), while gamma Doradus variables pulsate in nonradial gravity modes with periods 0.3 to 3 days (frequencies around 1 cycle/day). Here we consider the light curves and Fourier transforms of 633 stars in an unbiased sample observed by Kepler in Quarters 6-13 (June 2010-June 2012). We show the location of these stars in the log surface gravity--effective temperature diagram compared to the instability region limits established from ground-based observations, and taking into account uncertainties and biases in the Kepler Input Catalog T_eff values. While hundreds of variables have been discovered in the Kepler data, about 60% of the stars in our sample do not show any frequencies between 0.2 and 24.4 cycles per day with amplitude above 20 parts per million. We find that six of these apparently constant stars lie within the pulsation instability region. We discuss some possible reasons that these stars do not show photometric variability in the Kepler data. We also comment on the non-constant stars, and on 26 variable-star candidates, many of which also do not lie within the expected instability regions., Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures Updated, corrected, and LaTex typeset version of Guzik et al. (2013) paper published in Astronomical Review, Volume 8.4, pp. 4-30, October 2013

The Luminous Blue Variable stars exhibit behavior ranging from light curve `microvariations' on timescales of tens of days, to `outbursts' accompanied by mass loss of up to 10e-03 solar masses per year, occurring decades apart, to `giant eruptions' such as seen in Eta Carinae ejecting one or more solar masses and recurring on timescales of centuries. Here we review the work of the Los Alamos group since 1993 to investigate pulsations and instabilities in massive stars using linear pulsation models and non-linear hydrodynamic models. The models predict pulsational variability that may be associated with the microvariations. Using a nonlinear pulsation hydrodynamics code with a time-dependent convection treatment, we show that, in some circumstances, the Eddington limit is exceeded periodically in the pulsation driving region of the stellar envelope, accelerating the outer layers, and perhaps initiating mass loss or LBV outbursts. We discuss how pulsations and mass loss may be responsible for the location of the Humphreys-Davidson Limit in the H-R diagram. The `giant eruptions', however, must involve much deeper regions in the stellar core to cause such large amounts of mass to be ejected. We review and suggest some possible explanations, including mixing from gravity modes, secular instabilities, the epsilon mechanism, or the SASI instability as proposed for Type II supernovae. We outline future work and required stellar modeling capabilities to investigate these possibilities., Comment: 22 pages, 24 figures. Updated, corrected, and LaTeX typeset version of article first published in Astronomical Review, Vol. 7, page 3, July 2012

We are reaching relative maturity and standardization in one-dimensional single-star stellar evolution and pulsation modeling, and are making advances in binary and 2D and 3D models. However, many physical inputs are still uncertain or neglected in models of the Sun and of other stars. Thanks to the the Kepler, CoRoT, and MOST spacecraft, for example, as well as to ground-based networks, we now have pulsation data for stars that are of comparable quality to that for the Sun to constrain models and test physical assumptions. Here I will focus on main sequence (core H-burning) or slightly post-main sequence (shell H-burning) stellar models, and some of the unsolved problems for these stars. I will revisit the solar abundance problem, and show the effects of modified electron screening, dark matter, and early mass loss on solar models. I will discuss the gamma Dor/ delta Sct hybrid stars, the mismatch between predicted and observed frequencies for delta Sct stars, and how seismology of stars more massive than the Sun, e.g. the brightest Kepler target theta Cyg, could help us constrain physical processes such as diffusive settling, test pulsation driving mechanisms, and provide clues to the solar abundance problem., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Proceedings submission for National Solar Observatory Workshop 27, Fifty Years of Seismology of the Sun and Stars, Tucson, May 7-10, 2013

We propose to observe with Kepler an age sequence of nearby uncrowded open clusters. The current Kepler field contains very few (only 4) somewhat distant and/or old clusters. Nearby open clusters are already well characterized from ground- and many space-based observations. Our proposal focuses on mid and upper main-sequence variables (main sequence and pre-main sequence gamma Dor or delta Scuti stars, SPB/beta Cep stars, Cepheids, or yellow supergiants), having periods of hours to days accessible by longer cadence observations. Asteroseismology for these objects to date is limited by the number of modes observable from the ground, difficulty in obtaining spectroscopic or photometric mode ID for the fainter targets that have been observed by Kepler, uncertainties in interior and initial abundances, especially for stars with abundance anomalies, uncertainties in distance/luminosity, and lack of knowledge of prior evolution history. The additional constraints of common age, distance and initial abundances in clusters will place these variables in their evolutionary context, and help unlock some of the science and reduce uncertainties for understanding star formation and stellar evolution., Comment: A White Paper in response to NASA call for community input for alternative science investigations for the Kepler spacecraft

Our goal is to perform in-depth ensemble asteroseismology of the young open cluster NGC2244 with the 2-wheel Kepler mission. While the nominal Kepler mission already implied a revolution in stellar physics for solar-type stars and red giants, it was not possible to perform asteroseismic studies of massive OB stars because such targets were carefully avoided in the FoV in order not to disturb the exoplanet hunting. Now is an excellent time to fill this hole in mission capacity and to focus on the metal factories of the Universe, for which stellar evolution theory is least adequate. Our white paper aims to remedy major shortcomings in the theory of stellar structure and evolution of the most massive stars by focusing on a large ensemble of stars in a carefully selected young open cluster. Cluster asteroseismology of very young stars such as those of NGC2244 has the major advantage that all cluster stars have similar age, distance and initial chemical composition, implying drastic restrictions for the stellar modeling compared to asteroseismology of single isolated stars with very different ages and metallicities. Our study requires long-term photometric measurements of stars with visual magnitude ranging from 6.5 to 15 in a large FoV with a precision better than 30 ppm for the brightest cluster members (magnitude below 9) up to 500 ppm for the fainter ones, which is well achievable with 2-Wheel Kepler, in combination with high-precision high-resolution spectroscopy and spectro-polarimetry of the brightest pulsating cluster members. These ground-based spectroscopic data will be assembled with the HERMES and CORALIE spectrographs (twin 1.2m Mercator and Euler telescopes, La Palma, Canary Islands and La Silla, Chile), as well as with the spectro-polarimetric NARVAL instrument (2m BLT at the Pic du Midi, French Pyrenees), to which we have guaranteed access., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, white paper submitted in response to the NASA call for community input for science investigations the Kepler 2-Wheel spacecraft

Red-giant stars are an incredible source of information for testing models of stellar evolution, as asteroseismology has opened up a window into their interiors. Such insights are a direct result of the unprecedented data from space missions Kepler and CoRoT as well as recent theoretical advances. Eclipsing binaries are also fundamental astrophysical objects, and when coupled with asteroseismology, binaries would provide two independent methods to obtain masses and radii and exciting opportunities to develop highly constrained stellar models. The possibility of discovering pulsating red giants in eclipsing binary systems is therefore an important goal that could potentially offer very robust characterization of these systems. Hitherto, only 1 case has been discovered with Kepler. We cross-correlated the detected red-giant and eclipsing-binary catalogs from Kepler data to find candidate systems. Light-curve modeling and mean asteroseismic properties are combined to yield measurements of periods, masses, radii, temperatures, eclipse timing variations, core rotation rates, and red-giant evolutionary state. After elimination of false positives, out of the 70 systems common to the red-giant and eclipsing-binary catalogs we find 13 new strong candidates that are pulsating red giants in eclipsing binaries, and 10 more that are pulsating red giants in hierarchical triple systems. The systems span a range of orbital eccentricities, periods, and spectral types for the red-giant companion. One case even suggests a system composed of two red-giants. The discovery of pulsating red giants in multiple systems provides exciting test beds for precise astrophysical modeling, and follow-up spectroscopic observations of the candidate systems are encouraged., Comment: 21 pages, 18 figures, Accepted in the Astrophysical Journal

Kepler observations of the star HD 187091 (KID 8112039, hereafter KOI-54) revealed a remarkable light curve exhibiting sharp periodic brightening events every 41.8 days with a superimposed set of oscillations forming a beating pattern in phase with the brightenings. Spectroscopic observations revealed that this is a binary star with a highly eccentric orbit, e=0.83. We are able to match the Kepler light curve and radial velocities with a nearly face-on (i=5.5 degree) binary star model in which the brightening events are caused by tidal distortion and irradiation of nearly identical A stars during their close periastron passage. The two dominant oscillations in the light curve, responsible for the beating pattern, have frequencies that are the 91st and 90th harmonic of the orbital frequency. The power spectrum of the light curve, after removing the binary star brightening component, reveals a large number of pulsations, 30 of which have a signal-to-noise ratio > 7. Nearly all of these pulsations have frequencies that are either integer multiples of the orbital frequency or are tidally-split multiples of the orbital frequency. This pattern of frequencies unambiguously establishes the pulsations as resonances between the dynamic tides at periastron and the free oscillation modes of one of the stars. KOI-54 is only the 4th star to show such a phenomenon, and is by far the richest in terms of excited modes., Comment: revised and accepted by ApJ; 7 figures

Advances in stellar interior modeling are being driven by new data from large-scale surveys and high-precision photometric and spectroscopic observations. Here we focus on single stars in normal evolutionary phases; we will not discuss the many advances in modeling star formation, interacting binaries, supernovae, or neutron stars. We review briefly: 1) updates to input physics of stellar models; 2) progress in two and three-dimensional evolution and hydrodynamic models; 3) insights from oscillation data used to infer stellar interior structure and validate model predictions (asteroseismology). We close by highlighting a few outstanding problems, e.g., the driving mechanisms for hybrid gamma Dor/delta Sct star pulsations, the cause of giant eruptions seen in luminous blue variables such as eta Car and P Cyg, and the solar abundance problem., Comment: Proceedings for invited talk at conference High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics 2010, Caltech, March 2010, submitted for special issue of Astrophysics and Space Science; 7 pages; 5 figures

We calculate solar models including dark matter (DM) weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs) of mass 5-50 GeV and test these models against helioseismic constraints on sound speed, convection zone depth, convection zone helium abundance, and small separations of low-degree p-modes. Our main conclusion is that both direct detection experiments and particle accelerators may be complemented by using the Sun as a probe for WIMP DM particles in the 5-50 GeV mass range. The DM most sensitive to this probe has suppressed annihilations and a large spin-dependent elastic scattering cross section. For the WIMP cross-section parameters explored here, the lightest WIMP masses <10 GeV are ruled out by constraints on core sound speed and low-degree frequency spacings. For WIMP masses 30-50 GeV, the changes to the solar structure are confined to the inner 4% of the solar radius and so do not significantly affect the solar p-modes. Future helioseismology observations, most notably involving g-modes, and future solar neutrino experiments may be able to constrain the allowable DM parameter space in a mass range that is of current interest for direct detection., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Analysis and discussion improved. Version accepted for publication in PRD

Solar models using the new lower abundances of Asplund et al. (2005, 2009) or Caffau et al. (2008, 2009) do not agree as well with helioseismic inferences as models that use the higher Grevesse & Noels (1993) or Grevesse & Sauval (1998) abundances. Adopting the new abundances leads to models with sound speed discrepancies of up to 1.4$%$ below the base of the convection zone (compared to discrepancies of less than 0.4$%$ with the old abundances), a convection zone that is too shallow, and a convection zone helium abundance that is too low. Here we review briefly recent attempts to restore agreement, and we evaluate three changes to the models: early mass loss, accretion of low-Z material, and convective overshoot. One goal of these attempts is to explore models that could preserve the structure in the interior obtained with the old abundances while accommodating the new abundances at the surface. Although the mass-losing and accretion models show some improvement in agreement with seismic constraints, a satisfactory resolution to the solar abundance problem remains to be found. In addition, we perform a preliminary analysis of models with the Caffau et al. (2008, 2009) abundances that shows that the sound speed discrepancy is reduced to only about 0.6$%$ at the convection zone base, compared to 1.4$%$ for the Asplund et al. (2005) abundances and 0.4$%$ for the Grevesse & Noels (1993) abundances. Furthermore, including mass loss in models with the Caffau et al. (2008, 2009) abundances may improve sound speed agreement and help resolve the solar lithium problem., Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal;Revised version that includes preliminary exploration of solar models using CO^5BOLD abundances and model with early main sequence mass loss

Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are characterized by semi-periodic episodes of enhanced mass-loss, or outburst. The cause of these outbursts has thus far been a mystery. One explanation is that they are initiated by kappa-effect pulsations in the atmosphere caused by an increase in luminosity at temperatures near the so-called ``iron bump'' (T ~ 200,000 K), where the Fe opacity suddenly increases. Due to a lag in the onset of convection, this luminosity can build until it exceeds the Eddington limit locally, seeding pulsations and possibly driving some mass from the star. We present some preliminary results from a parameter study focusing on the conditions necessary to trigger normal S-Dor type (as opposed to extreme eta-Car type) outbursts. We find that as Y increases or Z decreases, the pulsational amplitude decreases and outburst-like behavior, indicated by a large, sudden increase in photospheric velocity, becomes likes likely., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of Massive Stars as Cosmic Engines, IAU Symp 250, ed. F. Bresolin, P. A. Crowther, & J. Puls (Cambridge Univ. Press)