Confirmation of simultaneous p and g mode excitation in HD 8801 and Gamma Peg from time-resolved multicolour photometry of six candidate "hybrid" pulsators

TL;DR

This study confirms the simultaneous presence of p and g mode pulsations in certain stars, providing detailed mode identifications and comparing observations with theoretical models to better understand stellar pulsation mechanisms.

Contribution

First multi-colour photometric confirmation of hybrid p and g mode pulsations in HD 8801 and Gamma Peg, with mode identification and theoretical comparison.

Findings

Gamma Peg shows both Beta Cep and SPB pulsations.

HD 8801 confirmed as a hybrid Delta Sct Gamma Dor star.

New pulsation signals detected, possibly indicating unknown pulsation types.

Abstract

We carried out a multi-colour time-series photometric study of six stars claimed as "hybrid" p and g mode pulsators in the literature. Gamma Peg was confirmed to show short-period oscillations of the Beta Cep type and simultaneous long-period pulsations typical of Slowly Pulsating B (SPB) stars. From the measured amplitude ratios in the Stromgren uvy passbands, the stronger of the two short period pulsation modes was identified as radial; the second is l=1. Three of the four SPB-type modes are most likely l=1 or 2. Comparison with theoretical model calculations suggests that Gamma Peg is either an 8.5 solar mass radial fundamental mode pulsator or a 9.6 solar mass first radial overtone pulsator. HD 8801 was corroborated as a "hybrid" Delta Sct Gamma Dor star; four pulsation modes of the Gamma Dor type were detected, and two modes of the Delta Sct type were confirmed. Two pulsational signals between the frequency domains of these two known classes of variables were confirmed and another was newly detected. These are either previously unknown types of pulsation, or do not originate from HD 8801. The O-type star HD 13745 showed small-amplitude slow variability on a time scale of 3.2 days. This object may be related to the suspected new type of supergiant SPB stars, but a rotational origin of its light variations cannot be ruled out at this point. 53 Psc is an SPB star for which two pulsation frequencies were determined and identified with low spherical degree. The behaviour of 53 Ari and Iota Her is consistent with non-variability during our observations, and we could not confirm light variations of the comparison star 34 Psc previously suspected. The use of signal-to-noise criteria in the analysis of data sets with strong aliasing is critically discussed.