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1. About the existence of warm H-rich pulsating white dwarfs

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201936346  

   Althaus, Leandro G. ; Córsico, Alejandro H. ; Uzundag, Murat ; Vučković, Maja ; Baran, Andrzej S. ; Bell, Keaton J. ; Camisassa, María E. ; Calcaferro, Leila M. ; De Gerónimo, Francisco C. ; Kepler, Souza Oliveira ; et al ( January 2020 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. The possible existence of warm ( T eff  ∼ 19 000 K) pulsating DA white dwarf (WD) stars, hotter than ZZ Ceti stars, was predicted in theoretical studies more than 30 yr ago. These studies reported the occurrence of g -mode pulsational instabilities due to the κ mechanism acting in the partial ionization zone of He below the H envelope in models of DA WDs with very thin H envelopes ( M H / M ⋆  ≲ 10 −10 ). However, to date, no pulsating warm DA WD has been discovered, despite the varied theoretical and observational evidence suggesting that a fraction of WDs should be formed with a range of very low H content. Aims. We re-examine the pulsational predictions for such WDs on the basis of new full evolutionary sequences. We analyze all the warm DAs observed by the TESS satellite up to Sector 9 in order to search for the possible pulsational signal. Methods. We computed WD evolutionary sequences of masses 0.58 and 0.80 M ⊙ with H content in the range −14.5 ≲ log( M H / M ⋆ )≲ − 10, appropriate for the study of pulsational instability of warm DA WDs. Initial models were extracted from progenitors that were evolved through very late thermal pulses on the early cooling branch. We use LPCODE stellar code into which we have incorporated a new full-implicit treatment of time-dependent element diffusion to precisely model the H–He transition zone in evolving WD models with very low H content. The nonadiabatic pulsations of our warm DA WD models were computed in the effective temperature range of 30 000 − 10 000 K, focusing on ℓ = 1 g modes with periods in the range 50 − 1500 s. Results. We find that traces of H surviving the very late thermal pulse float to the surface, eventually forming thin, growing pure H envelopes and rather extended H–He transition zones. We find that such extended transition zones inhibit the excitation of g modes due to partial ionization of He below the H envelope. Only in the cases where the H–He transition is assumed much more abrupt than predicted by diffusion do models exhibit pulsational instability. In this case, instabilities are found only in WD models with H envelopes in the range of −14.5 ≲ log( M H / M ⋆ )≲ − 10 and at effective temperatures higher than those typical for ZZ Ceti stars, in agreement with previous studies. None of the 36 warm DAs observed so far by TESS satellite are found to pulsate. Conclusions. Our study suggests that the nondetection of pulsating warm DAs, if WDs with very thin H envelopes do exist, could be attributed to the presence of a smooth and extended H–He transition zone. This could be considered as indirect proof that element diffusion indeed operates in the interior of WDs. 

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2. A new instability domain of CNO-flashing low-mass He-core stars on their early white-dwarf cooling branches

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202039831  

   Calcaferro, Leila M. ; Córsico, Alejandro H. ; Althaus, Leandro G. ; Bell, Keaton J. ( March 2021 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   null (Ed.)

   Context. Before reaching their quiescent terminal white-dwarf cooling branch, some low-mass helium-core white dwarf stellar models experience a number of nuclear flashes which greatly reduce their hydrogen envelopes. Just before the occurrence of each flash, stable hydrogen burning may be able to drive global pulsations that could be relevant in shedding some light on the internal structure of these stars through asteroseismology, similarly to what occurs with other classes of pulsating white dwarfs. Aims. We present a pulsational stability analysis applied to low-mass helium-core stars on their early white-dwarf cooling branches going through CNO flashes in order to study the possibility that the ε mechanism is able to excite gravity-mode pulsations. We assess the ranges of unstable periods and the corresponding instability domain in the log g  −  T eff plane. Methods. We carried out a nonadiabatic pulsation analysis for low-mass helium-core white-dwarf models with stellar masses between 0.2025 and 0.3630  M ⊙ going through CNO flashes during their early cooling phases. Results. We found that the ε mechanism due to stable hydrogen burning can excite low-order ( ℓ  = 1, 2) gravity modes with periods between ∼80 and 500 s for stars with 0.2025 ≲  M ⋆ / M ⊙  ≲ 0.3630 located in an extended region of the log g  −  T eff diagram, with effective temperature and surface gravity in the ranges 15 000 ≲  T eff  ≲ 38 000 K and 5.8 ≲ log g  ≲ 7.1, respectively. For the sequences that experience multiple CNO flashes, we found that with every consecutive flash, the region of instability becomes wider and the modes are more strongly excited. The magnitudes of the rate of period change for these modes are in the range of ∼10 −10 –10 −11  [s/s]. Conclusions. Since the timescales required for these modes to reach amplitudes large enough to be observable are shorter than their corresponding evolutionary timescales, the detection of pulsations in these stars is feasible. Given the current problems in distinguishing some stars that populate the same region of the log g  −  T eff plane, the eventual detection of short-period pulsations may help in the classification of such stars. Furthermore, if a low-mass white dwarf star were found to pulsate with low-order gravity modes in this region of instability, it would confirm our result that such pulsations can be driven by the ε mechanism. In addition, confirming a rapid rate of period change in these pulsations would support the idea that these stars actually experience CNO flashes, as has been predicted by evolutionary calculations. 

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3. Pulsating hydrogen-deficient white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs observed with TESS: V. Discovery of two new DBV pulsators, WDJ152738.4−450207.4 and WD 1708−871, and asteroseismology of the already known DBV stars PG 1351+489, EC 20058−5234, and EC 04207−4748

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202244198  

   Córsico, A. H. ; Uzundag, M. ; Kepler, S. O. ; Althaus, L. G. ; Silvotti, R. ; Bradley, P. A. ; Baran, A. S. ; Koester, D. ; Bell, K. J. ; Romero, A. D. ; et al ( December 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. The TESS space mission has recently demonstrated its great potential to discover new pulsating white dwarf and pre-white dwarf stars, and to detect periodicities with high precision in already known white-dwarf pulsators. Aims. We report the discovery of two new pulsating He-rich atmosphere white dwarfs (DBVs) and present a detailed asteroseismological analysis of three already known DBV stars employing observations collected by the TESS mission along with ground-based data. Methods. We processed and analyzed TESS observations of the three already known DBV stars PG 1351+489 (TIC 471015205), EC 20058−5234 (TIC 101622737), and EC 04207−4748 (TIC 153708460), and the two new DBV pulsators WDJ152738.4−50207.4 (TIC 150808542) and WD 1708−871 (TIC 451533898), whose variability is reported for the first time in this paper. We also carried out a detailed asteroseismological analysis using fully evolutionary DB white-dwarf models built considering the complete evolution of the progenitor stars. We constrained the stellar mass of three of these target stars by means of the observed period spacing, and derived a representative asteroseismological model using the individual periods, when possible. Results. We extracted frequencies from the TESS light curves of these DBV stars using a standard pre-whitening procedure to derive the potential pulsation frequencies. All the oscillation frequencies that we found are associated with g -mode pulsations with periods spanning from ∼190 s to ∼936 s. We find hints of rotation from frequency triplets in some of the targets, including the two new DBVs. For three targets, we find constant period spacings, which allowed us to infer their stellar masses and constrain the harmonic degree ℓ of the modes. We also performed period-to-period fit analyses and found an asteroseismological model for three targets, with stellar masses generally compatible with the spectroscopic masses. Obtaining seismological models allowed us to estimate the seismological distances and compare them with the precise astrometric distances measured with Gaia . We find a good agreement between the seismic and the astrometric distances for three stars (PG 1351+489, EC 20058-5234, and WD 1708-871); although, for the other two stars (EC 04207-4748 and WD J152738.4-50207), the discrepancies are substantial. Conclusions. The high-quality data from the TESS mission continue to provide important clues which can be used to help determine the internal structure of pulsating pre-white dwarf and white dwarf stars through the tools of asteroseismology. 

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4. Pulsating hydrogen-deficient white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs observed with TESS: I. Asteroseismology of the GW Vir stars RX J2117+3412, HS 2324+3944, NGC 6905, NGC 1501, NGC 2371, and K 1−16

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202039202  

   Córsico, A. H. ; Uzundag, M. ; Kepler, S. O. ; Althaus, L. G. ; Silvotti, R. ; Baran, A. S. ; Vučković, M. ; Werner, K. ; Bell, K. J. ; Higgins, M. ( January 2021 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   null (Ed.)

   Context. The recent arrival of continuous photometric observations of unprecedented quality from space missions has strongly promoted the study of pulsating stars and caused great interest in the stellar astrophysics community. In the particular case of pulsating white dwarfs, the TESS mission is taking asteroseismology of these compact stars to a higher level, emulating or even surpassing the performance of its predecessor, the Kepler mission. Aims. We present a detailed asteroseismological analysis of six GW Vir stars that includes the observations collected by the TESS mission. Methods. We processed and analyzed TESS observations of RX J2117+3412 (TIC 117070953), HS 2324+3944 (TIC 352444061), NGC 6905 (TIC 402913811), NGC 1501 (TIC 084306468), NGC 2371 (TIC 446005482), and K 1−16 (TIC 233689607). We carried out a detailed asteroseismological analysis of these stars on the basis of PG 1159 evolutionary models that take into account the complete evolution of the progenitor stars. We constrained the stellar mass of these stars by comparing the observed period spacing with the average of the computed period spacings, and we employed the individual observed periods to search for a representative seismological model when possible. Results. In total, we extracted 58 periodicities from the TESS light curves of these GW Vir stars using a standard prewhitening procedure to derive the potential pulsation frequencies. All the oscillation frequencies that we found are associated with g -mode pulsations, with periods spanning from ∼817 s to ∼2682 s. We find constant period spacings for all but one star (K 1−16), which allowed us to infer their stellar masses and constrain the harmonic degree ℓ of the modes. Based on rotational frequency splittings, we derive the rotation period of RX J2117+3412, obtaining a value in agreement with previous determinations. We performed period-to-period fit analyses on five of the six analyzed stars. For four stars (RX J2117+3412, HS 2324+3944, NGC 1501, and NGC 2371), we were able to find an asteroseismological model with masses that agree with the stellar mass values inferred from the period spacings and are generally compatible with the spectroscopic masses. Obtaining seismological models allowed us to estimate the seismological distance and compare it with the precise astrometric distance measured with Gaia . Finally, we find that the period spectrum of K 1−16 exhibits dramatic changes in frequency and amplitude that together with the scarcity of modes prevented us from meaningful seismological modeling of this star. Conclusions. The high-quality data collected by the TESS space mission, considered simultaneously with ground-based observations, provide very valuable input to the asteroseismology of GW Vir stars, similar to the case of other classes of pulsating white dwarf stars. The TESS mission, in conjunction with future space missions and upcoming surveys, will make impressive progress in white dwarf asteroseismology. 

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5. Pulsating hydrogen-deficient white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs observed with TESS: III. Asteroseismology of the DBV star GD 358

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142153  

   Córsico, A. H. ; Uzundag, M. ; Kepler, S. O. ; Silvotti, R. ; Althaus, L. G. ; Koester, D. ; Baran, A. S. ; Bell, K. J. ; Bischoff-Kim, A. ; Hermes, J. J. ; et al ( March 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. The collection of high-quality photometric data by space telescopes, such as the completed Kepler mission and the ongoing TESS program, is revolutionizing the area of white-dwarf asteroseismology. Among the different kinds of pulsating white dwarfs, there are those that have He-rich atmospheres, and they are called DBVs or V777 Her variable stars. The archetype of these pulsating white dwarfs, GD 358, is the focus of the present paper. Aims. We report a thorough asteroseismological analysis of the DBV star GD 358 (TIC 219074038) based on new high-precision photometric data gathered by the TESS space mission combined with data taken from the Earth. Methods. We reduced TESS observations of the DBV star GD 358 and performed a detailed asteroseismological analysis using fully evolutionary DB white-dwarf models computed accounting for the complete prior evolution of their progenitors. We assessed the mass of this star by comparing the measured mean period separation with the theoretical averaged period spacings of the models, and we used the observed individual periods to look for a seismological stellar model. We detected potential frequency multiplets for GD 358, which we used to identify the harmonic degree ( ℓ ) of the pulsation modes and rotation period. Results. In total, we detected 26 periodicities from the TESS light curve of this DBV star using standard pre-whitening. The oscillation frequencies are associated with nonradial g (gravity)-mode pulsations with periods from ∼422 s to ∼1087 s. Moreover, we detected eight combination frequencies between ∼543 s and ∼295 s. We combined these data with a huge amount of observations from the ground. We found a constant period spacing of 39.25 ± 0.17 s, which helped us to infer its mass ( M ⋆  = 0.588 ± 0.024  M ⊙ ) and constrain the harmonic degree ℓ of the modes. We carried out a period-fit analysis on GD 358, and we were successful in finding an asteroseismological model with a stellar mass ( M ⋆ = 0.584 −0.019 +0.025   M ⊙ ), compatible with the stellar mass derived from the period spacing, and in line with the spectroscopic mass ( M ⋆  = 0.560 ± 0.028  M ⊙ ). In agreement with previous works, we found that the frequency splittings vary according to the radial order of the modes, suggesting differential rotation. Obtaining a seismological model made it possible to estimate the seismological distance ( d seis  = 42.85 ± 0.73 pc) of GD 358, which is in very good accordance with the precise astrometric distance measured by Gaia EDR3 ( π  = 23.244 ± 0.024,  d Gaia  = 43.02 ± 0.04 pc). Conclusions. The high-quality data measured with the TESS space telescope, used in combination with data taken from ground-based observatories, provides invaluable information for conducting asteroseismological studies of DBV stars, analogously to what happens with other types of pulsating white-dwarf stars. The currently operating TESS mission, together with the advent of other similar space missions and new stellar surveys, will give an unprecedented boost to white dwarf asteroseismology. 

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