Asteroseismology of the ZZ Ceti star WD 1310+583 using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

TL;DR

This study analyzes the pulsations of the ZZ Ceti star WD 1310+583 using TESS data and spectroscopic observations to constrain its stellar parameters through asteroseismology, revealing numerous pulsational frequencies and estimating its mass, temperature, and rotation period.

Contribution

First detailed asteroseismic analysis of WD 1310+583 combining TESS photometry and Hubble spectroscopy, providing new constraints on its stellar parameters.

Findings

Detected 41 pulsational frequencies in WD 1310+583.

Estimated stellar mass > 0.57 M_Sun based on period spacing.

Tentative asteroseismic model with M* = 0.632 M_Sun, Teff = 11702 K.

Abstract

Aims. By analysing the light curves of the ZZ Ceti star WD 1310+583, we aim to determine its pulsational frequencies and to give constraints on the main stellar parameters using the tools of asteroseismology. Methods. We performed the Fourier analysis of the TESS light curves of WD 1310+583 and selected the possible pulsational modes. We also used spectroscopic data collected with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph of the Hubble Space Telescope to give constraints for the asteroseismic analysis. We perform the latter with period-to-period fits using fully evolutionary white dwarf models. Results. The star presented in this paper shows a particularly large number (41) of pulsational frequencies, which provides a potential opportunity for detailed asteroseismic investigations. We found a mean period spacing of ~40.5 seconds, which allows us to state that the stellar mass of WD 1310+583 would be larger than ~0.57 M_Sun. We also attempted an asteroseismological analysis by performing period-to-period fits, but we were unable to find a single statistically significant asteroseismological solution. We adopted a tentative solution consisting of a white dwarf model with M* = 0.632 M_Sun, Teff = 11 702 K, and an asteroseismic distance d = 27.75 +0.17/-0.15 pc, which is significantly smaller than the one predicted by Gaia (d = 30.79 +/- 0.2 pc). We also determined that the rotational period of our target is 1.18 d.