Detection of Gravity Modes in RR Lyrae Stars

TL;DR

This paper reports the first detection of gravity modes in RR Lyrae stars using unprecedented Antarctic ground-based photometry, revealing complex pulsation mechanisms and advancing stellar evolution understanding.

Contribution

It presents the first observation of gravity waves in RR Lyrae stars and demonstrates their simultaneous excitation of g and p modes, a novel finding in stellar pulsation studies.

Findings

Detection of gravity waves in RR Lyrae stars.

Identification of mixed g and p mode pulsations.

Confirmation of complex nonlinear pulsation interactions.

Abstract

We report the detection of gravity modes in RR Lyrae stars. Thanks to PAIX, the first Antarctica polar photometer. Unprecedented and uninterrupted U BV RI time-series photometric ground-based data are collected during 150 days from the highest plateau of Antarctica. PAIX light curve analyses reveal an even richer power spectrum with mixed modes in RR Lyrae stars. A nonlinear nature of several dominant peaks, showing lower and higher frequencies, occur around the dominant fundamental radial pressure mode. These lower frequencies and harmonics linearly interact with the dominant fundamental radial pressure mode and its second and third overtone pressure modes as well. Half-integer frequencies are also detected, likewise side peak structures demonstrating that HH puppis is a bona-fide Blazhko star. Fourier correlations are used to derive underlying physical characteristics for HH puppis. The most striking finding is the direct detection of gravity waves. We interpret the excitation mechanism of gravity waves in RR Lyrae stars by the penetrative convection driving mechanism. We demonstrate that RR Lyrae stars pulsation is excited by several distinct mechanisms, and hence RR Lyrae stars are simultaneously g modes and p modes pulsators. Our discoveries make RR Lyrae stars very challenging stellar objects, and provide their potential to undergo at the same time g modes and p modes towards an advancement of theory of stellar evolution and a better understanding of the Universe.