Do red giant stars pulsate in high overtones?

About 30 photometrically variable red giant stars have periods less than 10 d, as determined by the compilers of the Hipparcos Catalogue from Hipparcos photometric measurements. These periods, when combined with estimates of the radii and masses of these stars, and with pulsation theory, imply that these stars are pulsating in very high overtones. We present several pieces of evidence which suggest that the periods may be spurious, as a result of the particular aliasing properties of the Hipparcos photometry. We conclude that the evidence for high-overtone pulsation in red giant stars is equivocal.     

A revised DDO abundance calibration for population I red giants

Several arguments that justify establishing a revised abundance calibration for DDO photometry of population I red giants are presented. The components of the blanketing vector in the DDOC(45–48) vsC(42–45) diagram are determined for late-type dwarfs and giants. We have redefined the DDO cyanogen anomaly and calibrated it against metallicity. The sample of field giants now available with abundances derived from high dispersion spectroscopy is substantially larger than previously available, leading to a more accurate abundance calibration. Iso-abundance lines in theC(41–42) vsC(42–45) diagram have been determined for population IG and K giants and an iterative method for deriving abundances of these stars is described. We show that the new DDO abundances are in very good agreement with those derived from high dispersion spectroscopy. The new method improves by about 0.1 dex the DDO abundances derived for early G and/or late K giants, with respect to the δCN method of Janes (1975).     

Observations of Hipparcos short-period red giant stars

Optical UBV(RI) _C and infrared JHK photometry is presented of a small sample of giant stars with short periods in the Hipparcos catalogue. Observations were limited, but were sufficient to rule out most of the Hipparcos periods. Radial velocity measurement were also made for a few stars, over six successive nights. Low-level variability was detected in a few stars. It is argued that in most cases the brightness variations are primarily due to temperature changes. These findings show that high-overtone pulsations in M giant stars occur, if at all, in a far more limited number of stars than proposed in the authors' previous discussion of the Hipparcos data alone.     

Rapidly oscillating M giant stars?

The Hipparcos mission discovered a few dozen M giant stars with periods P shorter than 10 d. Similar stars may be found in other large data bases of new variables (e.g., OGLE). The three possible sources of the magnitude variations – pulsation, starspots and ellipsoidal deformation – are discussed in general terms. The parallaxes and V − I colour indices are used to calculate radii and temperatures for all M giant variables with P <100 d. Masses are estimated from the positions of the stars in a Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagram, using evolutionary tracks. Using these data, it is shown that starspots can be ruled out as a variability mechanism in almost all cases, and ellipsoidal variations in about half of the stars. Pulsation in very high-overtone modes appears to be the only viable explanation for the stars with P <10 d. Many of the stars may be multiperiodic. IRAS data are used to deduce information about reddening and circumstellar dust. The apparently low level of mass-loss, as well as the kinematics and the spatial distribution of the stars, indicates that they are from a relatively young (i.e., thin disc) giant star population.     

Period–magnitude relations for M giants in Baade's Window NGC 6522

A large and complete sample of stars with   K < 9.75  in the NGC 6522 Baade's Window towards the Galactic bulge is examined using light curves extracted from MACHO and IJK photometry from DENIS.
The improved statistics resulting from a sample of over 1000 variables allow all four of the sequences A, B, C and D in the   K _S   , log  P diagram of the Large Magellanic Cloud to be seen in the Galactic bulge. The bulge sequences, however, show some differences from those in the Magellanic Clouds, possibly due to the effects of higher metallicity. These sequences may have value as distance indicators.
A new diagram of the frequency of late-type variables at a given amplitude is derived and compared with the old one from Payne-Gaposchkin. The catalogued semiregular variables of the solar neighbourhood are found to be a subset of the total of semiregulars, biased towards large amplitude.     

Simulation of turbulent convection in a slowly rotating red giant star

The first 3-D non-linear hydrodynamical simulation of the inner convective envelope of a rotating low mass red giant star is presented. This simulation, computed with the ASH code, aims at understanding the redistribution of angular momentum and heat in extended convection zones. The convection patterns achieved in the simulation consist of few broad and warm upflows surrounded by a network of cool downflows. This asymmetry between up and downflows leads to a strong downward kinetic energy flux, that must be compensated by an overluminous enthalpy flux in order to carry outward the total luminosity of the star. The influence of rotation on turbulent convection results in the establishment of largescale mean flows: a strong radial differential rotation and a single cell poleward meridional circulation per hemisphere. A detailed analysis of angular momentum redistribution reveals that the meridional circulation transports angular momentum outward in the radial direction and poleward in the latitudinal direction, with the Reynolds stresses acting in the opposite direction. This simulation indicates that the classical hypothesis of mixing length theory and solid-body rotation in the envelope of red giants assumed in 1-D stellar evolution models are unlikely to be realized and thus should be reconsidered. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On a physical mechanism for extra mixing in globular cluster red giants

For the first time we propose a real physical mechanism for 'extra mixing' in red giants that can quantitatively interpret all the known star-to-star abundance variations in globular clusters. This is Zahn's mechanism. It considers extra mixing in a radiative zone of a rotating star as a result of the joint operation of meridional circulation and turbulent diffusion. It is shown that the only free parameter, the angular velocity at the base of the convective envelope, can be so adjusted as to fit the observed abundance correlations without leading to a conflict with available data on rotation velocities of blue horizontal branch stars in the same cluster. There are two critical assumptions in our model, that the top of the radiative zone is not in synchronous rotation with the stellar surface but rotates significantly faster and that the criterion for shear instability takes a particular form. These will eventually be tested by three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations.     

Time-dependent convection seismic study of five γ Doradus stars

We apply for the first time the time-dependent convection (TDC) treatment of Gabriel and Grigahcène et al. to the photometric mode identification in γ Doradus (γ Dor) stars. We consider the influence of this treatment on the theoretical amplitude ratios and phase differences. Comparison with the observed amplitudes and phases of the stars γ Dor, 9 Aurigae, HD 207223 = HR 8330, HD 12901 and 48501 is presented and enables us to identify the degree ℓ of the pulsation modes for four of them. We also determine the mode stability for different models of these stars. We show that our TDC models agree better with observations than with frozen convection models. Finally, we compare the results obtained with different values of the mixing-length parameter α.     

Wavelength dependence of angular diameters of M giants: an observational perspective

We discuss the wavelength dependence of angular diameters of M giants from an observational perspective. Observers cannot directly measure an optical-depth radius for a star, despite this being a common theoretical definition. Instead, they can use an interferometer to measure the square of the fringe visibility. We present new plots of the wavelength-dependent centre-to-limb variation (CLV) of intensity of the stellar disc as well as visibility for Mira and non-Mira M giant models. We use the terms 'CLV spectra' and 'visibility spectra' for these plots. We discuss a model-predicted extreme limb-darkening effect (also called the narrow-bright-core effect) in very strong TiO bands which can lead to a misinterpretation of the size of a star in these bands. We find no evidence as yet that this effect occurs in real stars. Our CLV spectra can explain the similarity in visibilities of R Dor (M8IIIe) that have been observed recently, despite the use of two different passbands. We compare several observations with models, and find that the models generally underestimate the observed variation in visibility with wavelength. We present CLV and visibility spectra for a model that is applicable to the M supergiant α Ori.     

Long Secondary Periods in variable red giants

We present a study of a sample of Large Magellanic Cloud red giants exhibiting Long Secondary Periods (LSPs). We use radial velocities obtained from VLT spectral observations and MACHO and OGLE light curves to examine properties of the stars and to evaluate models for the cause of LSPs. This sample is much larger than the combined previous studies of Hinkle et al. and Wood, Olivier & Kawaler.
Binary and pulsation models have enjoyed much support in recent years. Assuming stellar pulsation, we calculate from the velocity curves that the typical fractional radius change over an LSP cycle is greater than 30 per cent. This should lead to large changes in T _eff that are not observed. Also, the small light amplitude of these stars seems inconsistent with the radius amplitude. We conclude that pulsation is not a likely explanation for the LSPs. The main alternative, physical movement of the star – binary motion – also has severe problems. If the velocity variations are due to binary motion, the distribution of the angle of periastron in our large sample of stars has a probability of  1.4 × 10⁻³  that it comes from randomly aligned binary orbits. In addition, we calculate a typical companion mass of  0.09 M_⊙  . Less than 1 per cent of low-mass main-sequence stars have companions near this mass  (0.06–0.12 M_⊙)  whereas ∼25–50 per cent of low-mass red giants end up with LSPs. We are unable to find a suitable model for the LSPs and conclude by listing their known properties.     

On the nature of the radial velocity variability of Aldebaran: a search for spectral line bisector variations

The shape of the Ti  i 6303.8-Å spectral line of Aldebaran as measured by the line bisector was investigated using high signal-to-noise ratio, high-resolution data. The goal of this study was to understand the nature of the 643-d period in the radial velocity for this star reported by Hatzes & Cochran. Variations in the line bisector with the radial velocity period would provide strong evidence in support of rotational modulation or stellar pulsations as the cause of the 643-d period. A lack of any bisector variability at this period would support the planet hypothesis.
Variations in the line asymmetries are found with a period of 49.93 d. These variations are uncorrelated with the 643-d period found previously in the radial velocity measurements. It is demonstrated that this 50-d period is consistent with an m =4 non-radial sectoral g-mode oscillation. The lack of spectral variability with the radial velocity period of 643 d may provide strong evidence in support of the hypothesis that this variability stems from the reflex motion of the central star due to a planetary companion having a mass of 11 Jupiter masses. However, this long-period variability may still be the result of a low-order ( m =2) pulsation mode as these would cause bisector variations of less than the error measurement.     

VLA and MERLIN observations of RZ Cassiopeiae

We present radio interferometric observations of the Algol-type binary system RZ Cassiopeiae made with the VLA and MERLIN arrays at 6 cm over an incomplete orbital cycle of the system (1.195 d). We detected RZ Cas with both instruments. The images were unresolved in both cases, with angular extents comparable to the synthesized beams. The peak flux density in the VLA image was 1.14 mJy beam⁻¹ and in the MERLIN image it was 0.93 mJy beam⁻¹. The derived brightness temperatures are  4.02 × 10⁸  and  4.35 × 10⁸ K  and the effective electron energies are 0.347 and 0.346 MeV for the MERLIN and VLA data respectively. The radio light curve shows an interesting modulation centred close to the primary eclipse which seems to correlate with ASCA SIS observations of the system. The results can be interpreted as an emitting region on the outer hemisphere of the cool component aligned along the centroid axis of the binary system.