Asteroseismology of Procyon with SOPHIE

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the successful use of the SOPHIE spectrometer for asteroseismic observations of Procyon, detecting large frequency spacings and validating the instrument's performance on a bright, challenging star.

Contribution

First asteroseismic observations of Procyon with SOPHIE, showcasing its effectiveness and providing detailed frequency spacing analysis.

Findings

Clear detection of large frequency spacings around 54 μHz

Echelle diagram reveals distinct ridges and peak identification

Large spacings vary from about 52 μHz to 56 μHz

Abstract

This paper reports a 9-night asteroseismic observation program conducted in January 2007 with the new spectrometer Sophie at the OHP 193-cm telescope, on the F5 IV-V target Procyon A. This first asteroseismic program with Sophie was intended to test the performance of the instrument with a bright but demanding asteroseismic target and was part of a multisite network. The Sophie spectra have been reduced with the data reduction software provided by OHP. The Procyon asteroseismic data were then analyzed with statistical tools. The asymptotic analysis has been conducted considering possible curvature in the echelle diagram analysis. These observations have proven the efficient performance of Sophie used as an asteroseismometer, and succeed in a clear detection of the large spacing. An \'echelle diagram based on the 54-$\mu$Hz spacing shows clear ridges. Identification of the peaks exhibits large spacings varying from about 52 $\mu$Hz to 56 $\mu$Hz.