English

SB 796: a high-velocity RRc star

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2018-10-31 v1

Abstract

We report here on a detailed study of a c-type RR Lyrae variable (RRc variable), SB 796, serendipitously discovered in a search of the WASP public data for stars that display large photometric periodic modulation. SB 796 displays a period of P=0.26585P = 0.26585 d and semi-amplitude of \sim 0.1 mag. Comparison of the modulation shape and period with the detailed analysis of LMC variables indicates that SB 796 is an RRc variable. Gaia DR2 classification corroborated our result. Radial-velocity (RV) follow-up observations revealed a periodic variation consistent with a sine modulation, with a semi-amplitude of 5.6±0.25.6\pm0.2 km/s, and a minimum at phase of maximum brightness. Similar amplitude and phase were previously seen in other RRc variables. The stellar averaged RV is 250\sim 250 km/s, turning SB 796 to be a high-velocity star, while its present position, as derived from the Gaia astrometry, is at 3.5\sim 3.5 kpc below the Galactic plane. Integration of the stellar Galactic motion shows that SB 796 oscillates at a range of 0.5--20 kpc Galacto-centric distance, passing near the Galactic center about three times in 1 Gyr. The Galactic radial motion takes SB 796 up and down the plane to a scale height of 10\sim 10 kpc. During its 10\sim10 Gyrs estimated life time, SB 796 therefore passed 30\sim 30 times near the Galactic center.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1810.09501,
  title  = {SB 796: a high-velocity RRc star},
  author = {Roy Gomel and Sahar Shahaf and Tsevi Mazeh and Simchon Faigler and Lisa A. Crause and Ramotholo Sefako and Damien Segransan and Pierre F. L. Maxted and Igor Soszyński},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1810.09501},
  year   = {2018}
}
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