Long-term photometric monitoring of Messier 5 variables: II. Blazhko stars

TL;DR

This study analyzes long-term photometric data of RRab stars in Messier 5, identifying Blazhko modulation in 18 stars and exploring their properties and possible evolutionary links.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed investigation of Blazhko stars in M5, revealing their incidence, characteristics, and potential evolutionary connection to mode switching.

Findings

18 Blazhko stars identified

High modulation incidence (up to 60%) in short-period RRab stars

Blazhko stars are located near the zero-age horizontal branch at the blue edge of the instability strip

Abstract

The light curves of 50 RRab (RR0) stars in M5 collected in Paper I are investigated to detect Blazhko modulation. 18 Blazhko stars are identified, and modulation is suspected in two additional cases. The mean pulsation period of Blazhko stars is 0.04 d shorter than the mean period of the entire RRab sample in M5. Among the RRab stars with period shorter than 0.55 d the incidence rate of the modulation is as high as 60 per cent. The mean $B-V$ colours of Blazhko stars overlap with the colours of first overtone RRc (RR1) pulsators. The mean $V$ magnitudes of Blazhko stars are on the average 0.05-mag fainter than those of the RRab stars with stable light curves. Blazhko stars tend to be situated close to the zero-age horizontal branch at the blue edge of the fundamental-mode instability strip in M5. We speculate that this specific location hints that the Blazhko effect may have an evolutionary connection with the mode switch from the fundamental to the overtone-mode pulsation.