Detection of 75+ pulsation frequencies in the δ Scuti star FG Virginis

Author(s)
Michel Breger, Patrick Lenz, Victoria Antoci, Elisabeth Guggenberger, R R Shobbrook, Gerald Handler, B Ngwato, Florian Rodler, Eloy Rodriguez, Peter De Cat, A Rolland, Victor Costa
Abstract

Extensive photometric multisite campaigns of the δ Scuti variable FG Vir are presented. For the years 2003 and 2004, 926 h of photometry at the millimag precision level were obtained. The combinations with earlier campaigns lead to excellent frequency resolution and high signal/noise. A multifrequency analysis yields 79 frequencies. This represents a new record for this type of star. The modes discovered earlier were confirmed.
Pulsation occurs over a wide frequency band from 5.7 to 44.3 c/d with amplitudes of 0.2 mmag or larger. Within this wide band the frequencies are not distributed at random, but tend to cluster in groups. A similar feature is seen in the power spectrum of the residuals after 79 frequencies are prewhitened. This indicates that many additional modes are excited. The interpretation is supported by a histogram of the photometric amplitudes, which shows an increase of modes with small amplitudes. The old question of the "missing modes" may be answered now: the large number of detected frequencies as well as the large number of additional frequencies suggested by the power spectrum of the residuals confirms the theoretical prediction of a large number of excited modes.
FG Vir shows a number of frequency combinations of the dominant mode at 12.7162 c/d (m = 0) with other modes of relatively high photometric amplitudes. The amplitudes of the frequency sums are higher than those of the differences. A second mode (20.2878 c/d) also shows combinations. This mode of azimuthal order m = -1 is coupled with two other modes of m = +1. © ESO 2005.

Organisation(s)
Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s)
Australian National University, North-West University, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Journal
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume
435
Pages
955-965
No. of pages
11
ISSN
0004-6361
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20042480
Publication date
2005
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103003 Astronomy
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/a1e216be-8f81-412e-8ca2-eca74f2c05b8