TIC441725813: A new bright hybrid sdB pulsator with differential core/envelope rotation

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a newly discovered hybrid sdB pulsator, TIC441725813, revealing differential core/envelope rotation and its binary nature, using TESS data and spectral analysis to understand its internal dynamics and possible tidal interactions.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed seismic analysis of TIC441725813, showing differential rotation between core and envelope and suggesting tidal effects from a binary companion.

Findings

Core rotates at least 4.7 times slower than the envelope.

Detected binary system with a low-luminosity companion, possibly a white dwarf.

Identified a low-frequency signal indicating potential tidal interaction.

Abstract

We present the detailed analysis of a new hybrid (p- and g-mode) sdB pulsator, TIC441725813 (TYC 4427-1021-1), discovered and monitored by TESS over 670 days. The TESS light curves available for this star were analysed using prewhitening techniques to extract mode frequencies accurately. The pulsation spectrum is then interpreted through methods that include asymptotic period spacing relationships and rotational multiplets identification. We also exploited a high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), low-resolution spectrum of TIC441725813 using grids of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) model atmospheres to derive its atmospheric parameters. Interestingly, several frequency multiplets interpreted as rotational splittings of deep-probing g-modes indicate a slow rotation period of at least $85.3 \pm 3.6$ day, while splittings of mostly envelope-probing p-modes suggest a significantly shorter rotation period of $17.9 \pm 0.7$ day, which implies the core (mainly the helium mantle with possibly the deeper partially-mixed helium-burning core that it surrounds) rotates at least ~4.7 times slower than the envelope. The radial velocity curves indicate that TIC441725813 is in a close binary system with a low-luminosity companion, possibly a white dwarf. While elusive in the available TESS photometry, a low-frequency signal that would correspond to a period of $\sim 6.7$ h is found, albeit at low S/N. TIC441725813 is a particularly interesting sdB star whose envelope rotates faster than the core. We hypothesise that this might be caused by the effects of tidal interaction with a companion, although in the present case, the presence of such a companion will have to be further investigated. This analysis paves the way toward a more detailed seismic probing of TIC441725813 using optimisation techniques, which will be presented in a second paper.