Variability morphologies in the color-magnitude diagram. Searching for secular variability

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the variability patterns of different types of stars in color-magnitude diagrams to identify regions where secular variable stars can be detected, aiding large-scale survey efforts.

Contribution

It presents a classification of variability morphologies in color-magnitude diagrams for various variable stars, including secular variables, and estimates their expected numbers in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Findings

Identified regions in the diagram where secular variables are detectable.

Classified variability morphologies for multiple star types.

Estimated the number of secular variables in the LMC.

Abstract

This work is part of an effort to detect secular variable objects in large scale surveys by analysing their path in color-magnitude diagrams. To this aim, we first present the variability morphologies in the V/V-I diagram of several types of variable stars. They comprise both periodic and non periodic variable stars from the Large Magellanic Cloud, such as classical Cepheids, long period variables or Be and R Coronae Borealis stars, as well as two of the detected secular variable stars in the Galaxy, FG Sge and V4334 Sgr. The study of the different variability morphologies allows the identification of regions in the color-magnitude diagram where those secular variable stars could be detected. We also estimate the number of such secular variable stars expected in the Large Magellanic Cloud.