Detection of long-period variations in the subdwarf B star PG 0101+039 on the basis of photometry from the most satellite

Author(s)
Suzanna K. Randall, Jaymie M. Matthews, Gilles Fontaine, Jason F. Rowe, Rainer Kuschnig, Elizabeth M. Green, Pierre Brassard, Pierre Chayer, David B. Guenther, Anthony F J Moffat, Slavek M. Rucinski, Dimitar Sasselov, Gordon A. H. Walker, Werner Wolfgang Weiss
Abstract

We report the detection of three discrete pulsation frequencies in the long-period variable subdwarf B star PG 0101+039 on the basis of ~400 hr of MOST wide-band photometry. The periodicities uncovered lie at 7235, 5227, and 2650 s, respectively, and are associated with amplitudes between 0.03% and 0.06% of the mean brightness, lower than those measured in any other variable of this kind. We also find evidence for luminosity variations consistent with an ellipsoidal deformation of the subdwarf in the rotationally locked short-period binary system predicted from radial velocity measurements and evolutionary models. Our atmospheric modeling of two independent time-averaged optical spectra of PG 0101+039 yields Teff ≃ 28,300 K and log g ≃ 5.52, making it one of the hottest long-period variable subdwarf B stars known. The fact that we nevertheless detect brightness variations in the data is in conflict with predictions from current models, which place the theoretical blue edge for observable long-period instabilities at a temperature around 4000 K cooler than that of PG 0101+039. © 2005 The American Astronomical Society.

Organisation(s)
Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s)
University of Montreal, University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Arizona, Johns Hopkins University, Saint Mary's University, University of Toronto, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Journal
The Astrophysical Journal: an international review of astronomy and astronomical physics
Volume
633
Pages
460-464
No. of pages
5
ISSN
0004-637X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1086/452628
Publication date
2005
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103003 Astronomy
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/076c2018-a30e-404a-b544-3dad3a88de02