English

Is macroturbulent broadening in OB Supergiants related to pulsations?

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2015-05-18 v2

Abstract

The spectrum of O and B Supergiants is known to be affected by an important extra line-broadening (usually called macroturbulence) that adds to stellar rotation. Recent analysis of high resolution spectra has shown that the interpretation of this line-broadening as a consequence of large-scale turbulent motions would imply highly super-sonic velocity fields, making this scenario quite improbable. Stellar oscillations have been proposed as a likely alternative explanation. We present first encouraging results of an observational project aimed at investigating the macroturbulentmacroturbulent broadening in O and B Supergiants, and its possible connection with spectroscopic variability phenomena and stellar oscillations: a) all the studied B Supergiants show line profile variations, quantified by means of the first (< v >) and third velocity (< v^3 >) moments of the lines, b) there is a strong correlation between the peak-to-peak amplitudes of the < v > and < v^3 > variability and the size of the extra-broadening.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1004.2524,
  title  = {Is macroturbulent broadening in OB Supergiants related to pulsations?},
  author = {S. Simón-Díaz and K. Uytterhoeven and A. Herrero and N. Castro and J. Puls and C. Aerts},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1004.2524},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Proceeding of the IV Helas International Conference: "Seismological challeges for stellar structure". Editors:Teodoro Roca Cort\'es, Pere Pall\'e and Sebasti\'an Jim\'enez Reyes