Non-standard modeling of a possible blue straggler star, KIC 11145123

TL;DR

This study models a potential blue straggler star, KIC 11145123, by modifying its envelope composition to explore non-standard stellar evolution scenarios, revealing insights into its formation and internal processes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel non-standard modeling approach that modifies envelope composition to simulate star interactions, providing new perspectives on blue straggler star formation.

Findings

Residuals between models and observations are comparable to standard models.

The star may have started with a typical initial helium abundance.

Elemental diffusion in the star's deep radiative zone might be weaker than current models assume.

Abstract

Non-standard modeling of KIC 11145123, a possible blue straggler star, has been asteroseismically carried out based on a scheme to compute stellar models with the chemical compositions in their envelopes arbitrarily modified, mimicking effects of some interactions with other stars through which blue straggler stars are thought to be born. We have constructed a non-standard model of the star with the following parameters: $M=1.36M_{\odot}$, $Y_{\mathrm{init}}=0.26$, $Z_{\mathrm{init}}=0.002$, and $f_{\mathrm{ovs}}=0.027$, where $f_{\mathrm{ovs}}$ is the extent of overshooting described as an exponentially decaying diffusive process. The modification is down to the depth of $r/R\sim0.6$ and the extent $\Delta X$, which is a difference in surface hydrogen abundance between the envelope-modified and unmodified models, is $0.06$. The residuals between the model and the observed frequencies are comparable with those for the previous models computed assuming standard single-star evolution, suggesting that it is possible that the star was born with an relatively ordinary initial helium abundance of $\sim0.26$ compared with that of the previous models ($\sim0.30$--$0.40$), then experienced some modification of the chemical compositions, and gained helium in the envelope. Detailed analyses of the non-standard model have implied that the elemental diffusion in the deep radiative region of the star might be much weaker than that assumed in current stellar evolutionary calculations; we need some extra mechanisms inside the star, rendering the star a much more intriguing target to be further investigated.