Asteroseismology of red giants in the globular cluster 47 Tuc using the HST

TL;DR

This study detects solar-like oscillations in red giants of 47 Tuc using HST data, providing initial mass estimates and highlighting the need for longer or more extensive observations to improve stellar mass loss measurements.

Contribution

First detection of oscillations in 47 Tuc red giants using HST, demonstrating potential for detailed stellar evolution studies with future high-cadence campaigns.

Findings

Detected oscillations in 2 out of 5 giants observed.

Measured stellar masses with uncertainties of about 0.13-0.15 M_sun.

Estimated mass loss along the upper RGB as 0.16±0.20 M_sun.

Abstract

Globular clusters provide unique opportunities to study stellar evolution -- as the second brightest cluster, 47 Tuc is a prime target. Asteroseismology can be used to measure precise masses of stars and has recently been applied to red giants in globular clusters, but so far not for 47 Tuc. Here, we present a search for solar-like oscillations in red giants of 47 Tuc using 8.3 days of high-cadence Hubble Space Telescope data. We detect oscillations in two out of the five giants falling in the field of view. One is on the horizontal branch (HB) while the other is on the red giant branch (RGB) at a similar brightness. From the seismic signal, we measure the stellar masses to be $0.78\pm0.13\,$M$_\odot$ (HB) and $0.94\pm0.15\,$M$_\odot$ (RGB), and hence an inferred integrated mass loss along the upper RGB of $0.16\pm0.20\,$M$_\odot$. A mass uncertainty of less than 0.05M$_\odot$ would be required to obtain a useful estimate of the mass loss, while an uncertainty below 0.01M$_\odot$ would be required to measure the mass difference between the cluster's multiple chemical populations. The former would be attainable with observations of about 100 times more stars to form ensemble-averaged values, or alternatively a longer campaign observing fewer stars. Detecting mass differences between the chemical sub-populations, could be obtained with a 20-day campaign observing several hundreds of stars. Our clear detection of oscillations and the prospects presented here warrant dedicated high-cadence campaigns of 47 Tuc, which are possible with NASA's Roman mission and future missions like HAYDN.