Dipolar modes in luminous red giants

Warsaw University Observatory, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478, and Copernicus Astronomical Center, ul. Bartycka 18, 00-787 Warsaw, Poland
e-mail: wd@astrouw.edu.pl

Received: 20 July 2011
Accepted: 6 January 2012

Abstract

Context. Lots of information on solar-like oscillations in red giants has been obtained thanks to observations with CoRoT and Kepler space telescopes. Data on dipolar modes appear most interesting.

Aims. We study properties of dipolar oscillations in luminous red giants to explain mechanism of mode trapping in the convective envelope and to assess what may be learned from the new data.

Methods. Equations for adiabatic oscillations are solved by numerical integration down to the bottom of convective envelope, where the boundary condition is applied. The condition is based on asymptotic decomposition of the fourth order system into components describing a running wave and a nearly uniform shift of radiative core.

Results. If the luminosity of a red giant is sufficiently high (L ≳ 100 L_⊙ at M = 2 M_⊙), the dipolar modes become effectively trapped in the acoustic cavity, which covers the outer part of convective envelope. Energy loss caused by gravity wave emission at the envelope base is a secondary or negligible source of damping. Frequencies are insensitive to structure of the deep interior.