Issue |
A&A
Volume 622, February 2019
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A199 | |
Number of page(s) | 7 | |
Section | Stellar atmospheres | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201833482 | |
Published online | 20 February 2019 |
Global properties of the light curves of magnetic, chemically peculiar stars as a testbed for the existence of dipole-like symmetry in surface structures★
1
Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Masaryk University, Brno,
Kotlářská 2,
611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
e-mail: jagelka@mail.muni.cz
2
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO),
Cambridge,
USA
3
Bundesdeutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Veränderliche Sterne e.V. (BAV),
Berlin,
Germany
Received:
23
May
2018
Accepted:
8
January
2019
Context. Magnetic, chemically peculiar stars are known for exhibiting surface abundance inhomogeneities (chemical spots) that lead to photometric and spectroscopic variability with the rotation period. It is commonly assumed that the surface structures are causally connected with the global magnetic field that dominates the photospheric and subphotospheric layers of these stars. As a rule, the observed magnetic fields show a simple dipole-like geometry, with the magnetic axis being noncollinear to the rotational one.
Aims. The present study aims at detecting underlying patterns in the distribution of photometric spots in a sample of 650 magnetic, chemically peculiar stars and examines their link to the magnetic field topology.
Methods. Photometric time-series observations from the ASAS-3 archive were employed to inspect the light-curve morphology of our sample stars and divide them into representative classes described using a principal component analysis. Theoretical light curves were derived from numerous simulations assuming different spot parameters and following the symmetry of a simple dipole magnetic field. These were subsequently compared with the observed light curves.
Results. The results from our simulations are in contradiction with the observations and predict a much higher percentage of double-wave light curves than is actually observed. We thereby conclude that the distribution of the chemical spots does not follow the magnetic field topology, which indicates that the role of the magnetic field in the creation and maintenance of the surface structures may be more subsidiary than what is predicted by theoretical studies.
Key words: stars: variables: general / stars: atmospheres / stars: chemically peculiar
Table A.1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/622/A199
© ESO 2019
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.