New ACV variables discovered in the Zwicky Transient Facility survey

TL;DR

This study significantly expands the catalog of known ACV variables from the Zwicky Transient Facility, providing detailed physical parameters and challenging existing theories on fast-rotating magnetic chemically peculiar stars.

Contribution

It introduces a large sample of 1232 new ACV variables with comprehensive physical data, enhancing statistical analyses and testing atomic diffusion theory.

Findings

Identified 38 stars with v(equ) > 150 km/s, up to 260 km/s.

Confirmed high efficiency of the selection process for ACV variables.

Challenged current theories by discovering fast-rotating mCP stars.

Abstract

The manifestation of surface spots on magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars is most commonly explained by the atomic diffusion theory, which requires a calm stellar atmosphere and only moderate rotation. While very successful and well described, this theory still needs to be revised and fine-tuned to the observations. Our study aims to enlarge the sample of known photometrically variable mCP stars (ACV variables) to pave the way for more robust and significant statistical studies. We derive accurate physical parameters for these objects and discuss our results in the framework of the atomic diffusion theory. We studied 1314 candidate ACV variables that were selected from the Zwicky Transient Factory catalogue of periodic variables based on light curve characteristics. We investigated these objects using photometric criteria, a colour-magnitude diagram, and spectroscopic data from the LAMOST and Gaia missions to confirm their status as ACV variables. We present a sample of 1232 new ACV variables, including information on distance from the Sun, mass, fractional age on the main sequence, fraction of the radius between the zero-age and terminal-age main sequence, and the equatorial velocity and its ratio to the critical velocity. Our results confirm that the employed selection process is highly effcient for detecting ACV variables. We have identified 38 stars with v(equ) in excess of 150 km/s (with extreme values up to 260 km/s). This challenges current theories that cannot explain the occurrence of such fast-rotating mCP stars.