scholarly journals Red giant stars: from mixed modes to angular momentum

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 189-211
Author(s):  
K. Belkacem
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
Star Evolution ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Mixed Modes ◽  
Red Giant

Solar-like oscillations are ubiquitous to low-mass stars from the main-sequence to the red-giant branch as demonstrated by the space-borne missions CoRoT and Kepler. Understanding the physical mechanisms governing their amplitudes as well as their behavior along with the star evolution is a prerequisite for interpreting the wealth of seismic data and for inferring stellar internal structure. In this paper, I discuss our current knowledge of mode amplitudes with particular emphasis on non-radial modes in red giants (hereafter mixed modes). Then, I will show how these modes permit to unveil the rotation of the inner-most layers of low-mass stars and how they put stringent constraints on the redistribution of angular momentum.

scholarly journals Active red giants: Close binaries versus single rapid rotators

2020 ◽  
Vol 639 ◽  
pp. A63
Author(s):  
Patrick Gaulme ◽  
Jason Jackiewicz ◽  
Federico Spada ◽  
Drew Chojnowski ◽  
Benoît Mosser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Close Binaries ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Rotational Modulation ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Red Giant Stars ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Giant Branch Stars

Oscillating red-giant stars have provided a wealth of asteroseismic information regarding their interiors and evolutionary states, which enables detailed studies of the Milky Way. The objective of this work is to determine what fraction of red-giant stars shows photometric rotational modulation, and understand its origin. One of the underlying questions is the role of close binarity in this population, which relies on the fact that red giants in short-period binary systems (less than 150 days or so) have been observed to display strong rotational modulation. We selected a sample of about 4500 relatively bright red giants observed by Kepler, and show that about 370 of them (∼8%) display rotational modulation. Almost all have oscillation amplitudes below the median of the sample, while 30 of them are not oscillating at all. Of the 85 of these red giants with rotational modulation chosen for follow-up radial-velocity observation and analysis, 34 show clear evidence of spectroscopic binarity. Surprisingly, 26 of the 30 nonoscillators are in this group of binaries. On the contrary, about 85% of the active red giants with detectable oscillations are not part of close binaries. With the help of the stellar masses and evolutionary states computed from the oscillation properties, we shed light on the origin of their activity. It appears that low-mass red-giant branch stars tend to be magnetically inactive, while intermediate-mass ones tend to be highly active. The opposite trends are true for helium-core burning (red clump) stars, whereby the lower-mass clump stars are comparatively more active and the higher-mass ones are less active. In other words, we find that low-mass red-giant branch stars gain angular momentum as they evolve to clump stars, while higher-mass ones lose angular momentum. The trend observed with low-mass stars leads to possible scenarios of planet engulfment or other merging events during the shell-burning phase. Regarding intermediate-mass stars, the rotation periods that we measured are long with respect to theoretical expectations reported in the literature, which reinforces the existence of an unidentified sink of angular momentum after the main sequence. This article establishes strong links between rotational modulation, tidal interactions, (surface) magnetic fields, and oscillation suppression. There is a wealth of physics to be studied in these targets that is not available in the Sun.

scholarly journals Talks also presented at the Symposium

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 346-351
Keyword(s):  
Massive Star ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Star Evolution ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Stellar Properties ◽  
Massive Star Evolution ◽  
The Impact

Internal rotation and magnetism are key ingredients that largely affect explosive stellar deaths (Supernovae and Gamma Ray Bursts) and the properties of stellar remnants (White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes). However, the study of these subtle internal stellar properties has been limited to very indirect proxies. In the last couple of years, exciting asteroseismic results have been obtained by the Kepler satellite. Among these results are 1) The direct measure of the degree of radial differential rotation in many evolved low-mass stars and in a few massive stars, and 2) The detection of strong (>105 G) internal magnetic fields in thousands of red giant stars that had convective cores during their main sequence. I will discuss the impact of these important findings for our understanding of massive star evolution.

scholarly journals Core rotation braking on the red giant branch for various mass ranges

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A24 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Gehan ◽  
B. Mosser ◽  
E. Michel ◽  
R. Samadi ◽  
T. Kallinger
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Regular Pattern ◽  
Convective Envelope ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mixed Modes ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Core Rotation ◽  
Dipole Gravity

Context. Asteroseismology allows us to probe stellar interiors. In the case of red giant stars, conditions in the stellar interior are such as to allow for the existence of mixed modes, consisting in a coupling between gravity waves in the radiative interior and pressure waves in the convective envelope. Mixed modes can thus be used to probe the physical conditions in red giant cores. However, we still need to identify the physical mechanisms that transport angular momentum inside red giants, leading to the slow-down observed for red giant core rotation. Thus large-scale measurements of red giant core rotation are of prime importance to obtain tighter constraints on the efficiency of the internal angular momentum transport, and to study how this efficiency changes with stellar parameters. Aims. This work aims at identifying the components of the rotational multiplets for dipole mixed modes in a large number of red giant oscillation spectra observed by Kepler. Such identification provides us with a direct measurement of the red giant mean core rotation. Methods. We compute stretched spectra that mimic the regular pattern of pure dipole gravity modes. Mixed modes with the same azimuthal order are expected to be almost equally spaced in stretched period, with a spacing equal to the pure dipole gravity mode period spacing. The departure from this regular pattern allows us to disentangle the various rotational components and therefore to determine the mean core rotation rates of red giants. Results. We automatically identify the rotational multiplet components of 1183 stars on the red giant branch with a success rate of 69% with respect to our initial sample. As no information on the internal rotation can be deduced for stars seen pole-on, we obtain mean core rotation measurements for 875 red giant branch stars. This large sample includes stars with a mass as large as 2.5 M⊙, allowing us to test the dependence of the core slow-down rate on the stellar mass. Conclusions. Disentangling rotational splittings from mixed modes is now possible in an automated way for stars on the red giant branch, even for the most complicated cases, where the rotational splittings exceed half the mixed-mode spacing. This work on a large sample allows us to refine previous measurements of the evolution of the mean core rotation on the red giant branch. Rather than a slight slow-down, our results suggest rotation is constant along the red giant branch, with values independent of the mass.

scholarly journals Asteroseismology of evolved stars to constrain the internal transport of angular momentum

2019 ◽  
Vol 621 ◽  
pp. A66 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Eggenberger ◽  
S. Deheuvels ◽  
A. Miglio ◽  
S. Ekström ◽  
C. Georgy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Transport Process ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Rotation Rates ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
Surface Rotation ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Internal Transport

Context. The observations of solar-like oscillations in evolved stars have brought important constraints on their internal rotation rates. To correctly reproduce these data, an efficient transport mechanism is needed in addition to the transport of angular momentum by meridional circulation and shear instability. The efficiency of this undetermined process is found to increase both with the mass and the evolutionary stage during the red giant phase. Aims. We study the efficiency of the transport of angular momentum during the subgiant phase. Methods. The efficiency of the unknown transport mechanism is determined during the subgiant phase by comparing rotating models computed with an additional corresponding viscosity to the asteroseismic measurements of both core and surface-rotation rates for six subgiants observed by the Kepler spacecraft. We then investigate the change in the efficiency of this transport of angular momentum with stellar mass and evolution during the subgiant phase. Results. The precise asteroseismic measurements of both core and surface-rotation rates available for the six Kepler targets enable a precise determination of the efficiency of the transport of angular momentum needed for each of these subgiants. These results are found to be insensitive to all the uncertainties related to the modelling of rotational effects before the post-main sequence (poMS) phase. An interesting exception in this context is the case of young subgiants (typical values of log(g) close to 4), because their rotational properties are sensitive to the degree of radial differential rotation on the main sequence (MS). These young subgiants constitute therefore perfect targets to constrain the transport of angular momentum on the MS from asteroseismic observations of evolved stars. As for red giants, we find that the efficiency of the additional transport process increases with the mass of the star during the subgiant phase. However, the efficiency of this undetermined mechanism decreases with evolution during the subgiant phase, contrary to what is found for red giants. Consequently, a transport process with an efficiency that increases with the degree of radial differential rotation cannot account for the core-rotation rates of subgiants, while it correctly reproduces the rotation rates of red giant stars. This suggests that the physical nature of the additional mechanism needed for the internal transport of angular momentum may be different in subgiant and red giant stars.

scholarly journals Angular momentum redistribution by mixed modes in evolved low-mass stars

2015 ◽  
Vol 579 ◽  
pp. A31 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Belkacem ◽  
J. P. Marques ◽  
M. J. Goupil ◽  
B. Mosser ◽  
T. Sonoi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Mixed Modes

scholarly journals Asteroseismology of red giants to constrain angular momentum transport

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (S307) ◽  
pp. 165-170
Author(s):  
P. Eggenberger
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Rotational Frequency ◽  
Momentum Transport ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Angular Momentum Transport ◽  
Rotation Rates ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Core Rotation

AbstractAsteroseismic data obtained by theKeplerspacecraft have led to the recent detection and characterization of rotational frequency splittings of mixed modes in red-giant stars. This has opened the way to the determination of the core rotation rates for these stars, which is of prime importance to progress in our understanding of internal angular momentum transport. In this contribution, we discuss which constraints can be brought by these asteroseismic measurements on the modelling of angular momentum transport in stellar radiative zones.

scholarly journals Period spacings in red giants

2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A109 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Mosser ◽  
C. Gehan ◽  
K. Belkacem ◽  
R. Samadi ◽  
E. Michel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asymptotic Expansion ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Mixed Mode ◽  
Frequency Resolution ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Mode Pattern ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Mixed Modes

Context. Oscillation modes with a mixed character, as observed in evolved low-mass stars, are highly sensitive to the physical properties of the innermost regions. Measuring their properties is therefore extremely important to probe the core, but requires some care, due to the complexity of the mixed-mode pattern. Aims. The aim of this work is to provide a consistent description of the mixed-mode pattern of low-mass stars, based on the asymptotic expansion. We also study the variation of the gravity offset εg with stellar evolution. Methods. We revisit previous works about mixed modes in red giants and empirically test how period spacings, rotational splittings, mixed-mode widths, and heights can be estimated in a consistent view, based on the properties of the mode inertia ratios. Results. From the asymptotic fit of the mixed-mode pattern of a large set of red giants at various evolutionary stages, we derive unbiased and precise asymptotic parameters. As the asymptotic expansion of gravity modes is verified with a precision close to the frequency resolution for stars on the red giant branch (10−4 in relative values), we can derive accurate values of the asymptotic parameters. We decipher the complex pattern in a rapidly rotating star, and explain how asymmetrical splittings can be inferred. We also revisit the stellar inclinations in two open clusters, NGC 6819 and NGC 6791: our results show that the stellar inclinations in these clusters do not have privileged orientation in the sky. The variation of the asymptotic gravity offset with stellar evolution is investigated in detail. We also derive generic properties that explain under which conditions mixed modes can be observed.

scholarly journals Excitation of internal gravity waves by penetrative convection

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 247-251
Author(s):  
C. Pinçon ◽  
K. Belkacem ◽  
M.J. Goupil
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Internal Gravity Waves ◽  
Penetrative Convection ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Excitation Model ◽  
Giant Branch Stars ◽  
Do So

We investigate the ability of internal gravity waves that are generated by penetrative convection to redistribute angular momentum in the internal radiative zone of evolved low-mass stars. To do so, we use the semianalytical excitation model recently proposed by Pinçon et al.  2016. We briefly report the preliminary results of the study focusing on the subgiant and red giant branch stars.

scholarly journals Can plume-induced internal gravity waves regulate the core rotation of subgiant stars?

2017 ◽  
Vol 605 ◽  
pp. A31 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pinçon ◽  
K. Belkacem ◽  
M. J. Goupil ◽  
J. P. Marques
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Differential Rotation ◽  
Internal Gravity Waves ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Rotation Rates ◽  
The Core ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Core Rotation ◽  
Subgiant Stars

Context. The seismic data provided by the space-borne missions CoRoT and Kepler enabled us to probe the internal rotation of thousands of evolved low-mass stars. Subsequently, several studies showed that current stellar evolution codes are unable to reproduce the low core rotation rates observed in these stars. These results indicate that an additional angular momentum transport process is necessary to counteract the spin up due to the core contraction during the post-main sequence evolution. For several candidates, the transport induced by internal gravity waves (IGW) could play a non-negligible role. Aims. We aim to investigate the effect of IGW generated by penetrative convection on the internal rotation of low-mass stars from the subgiant branch to the beginning of the red giant branch. Methods. A semi-analytical excitation model was used to estimate the angular momentum wave flux. The characteristic timescale associated with the angular momentum transport by IGW was computed and compared to the contraction timescale throughout the radiative region of stellar models at different evolutionary stages. Results. We show that IGW can efficiently counteract the contraction-driven spin up of the core of subgiant stars if the amplitude of the radial-differential rotation (between the center of the star and the top of the radiative zone) is higher than a threshold value. This threshold depends on the evolutionary stage and is comparable to the differential rotation rates inferred for a sample of subgiant stars observed by the satellite Kepler. Such an agreement can therefore be interpreted as the consequence of a regulation mechanism driven by IGW. This result is obtained under the assumption of a smooth rotation profile in the radiative region and holds true even if a wide range of values is considered for the parameters of the generation model. In contrast, on the red giant branch, we find that IGW remain insufficient, on their own, to explain the observations because of an excessive radiative damping. Conclusions. IGW generated by penetrative convection are able to efficiently extract angular momentum from the core of stars on the subgiant branch and accordingly have to be taken into account. Moreover, agreements with the observations reinforce the idea that their effect is essential to regulate the amplitude of the radial-differential rotation in subgiant stars. On the red giant branch, another transport mechanism must likely be invoked.

scholarly journals Why Do Low-Mass Stars Become Red Giants?

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Stancliffe ◽  
Alessandro Chieffi ◽  
John C. Lattanzio ◽  
Ross P. Church
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Energy Generation ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Change In The Mean ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Mean Molecular Weight

AbstractWe revisit the problem of why stars become red giants. We modify the physics of a standard stellar evolution code in order to determine what does and what does not contribute to a star becoming a red giant. In particular, we have run tests to try to separate the effects of changes in the mean molecular weight and in the energy generation. The implications for why stars become red giants are discussed. We find that while a change in the mean molecular weight is necessary (but not sufficient) for a 1-M⊙ star to become a red giant, this is not the case in a star of 5 M⊙. It therefore seems that there may be more than one way to make a giant.

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