Related papers: Iron and nickel diffusion in subdwarf B stars
We present key sample results of a systematic survey of the pulsation properties of models of hot B subdwarfs. We use equilibrium structures taken from detailed evolutionary sequences of solar metallicity (Z = 0.02) supplemented by grids of…
We present the initial results of an abundance analysis of echelle UV spectra of 5 hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars. These stars have been identified as core helium burning objects on the extreme Horizontal Branch. Around 5% of sdBs show…
Subdwarf B stars show chemical peculiarities that cannot be explained by diffusion theory alone. Both mass loss and turbulence have been invoked to slow down atomic diffusion in order to match observed abundances. The fact that some sdB…
Aims: We test the hypothesis that the pulsations in sdB stars are correlated with the surface abundances of iron-group elements. Any correlation might explain why, when given two spectroscopically similar stars, one will pulsate while the…
Context: Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are considered to be core helium-burning stars with very thin hydrogen envelopes situated on or near the extreme horizontal branch (EHB). The formation of sdBs is still unclear as well as the chemical…
The identification of non-radial g-mode oscillations as the cause of variability in cool subdwarf B stars (PG1716 variables) has been frustrated by a 5 000 K discrepancy between the observed and theoretical blue edge of the instability…
We present a detailed abundance analysis of high-resolution ultraviolet echelle spectra of five subdwarf B stars obtained with HST-STIS The goal of our observations was to test the hypothesis that pulsations in sdBs are correlated to the…
We summarize recent results of quantitative spectral analyses using NLTE and metal line-blanketed LTE model atmospheres. Temperatures and gravities derived for hundreds of sdB stars are now available and allow us to investigate systematic…
We consider the excitation of radial and non-radial oscillations in low-mass B stars by the iron-bump opacity mechanism. The results are significant for the interpretation of pulsations in subdwarf B stars, helium-rich subdwarfs and extreme…
The formation of sdBs is still puzzling, as is the chemical composition of their atmospheres. While helium and other light elements are depleted relative to solar values, heavy elements are highly enriched. Diffusion processes in the hot,…
Diffusion of atoms can be important during quiescent phases of stellar evolution. Particularly in the very thin inert envelopes of subdwarf B stars, diffusive movements will considerably change the envelope structure and the surface…
We review the main results obtained from our seismic studies of B-type main sequence pulsators, based on the ground-based, MOST, Kepler and BRITE observations. Important constraints on stellar opacities, convective overshooting and rotation…
Slowly Pulsating B and $\beta$ Cephei are $\kappa$ mechanism driven pulsating B stars. That $\kappa$ mechanism works since a peak in the opacity due to a high number of atomic transitions from iron-group elements occurs in the area of $\log…
Realistic stellar models are essential to the forward modelling approach in asteroseismology. For practicality however, certain model assumptions are also required. For example, in the case of subdwarf B stars, one usually starts with…
Numerical computations of stellar oscillations for models representative of B-type stars predict fewer modes to be excited than observations reveal from modern space-based photometric data. One shortcoming of state-of-the-art evolution…
The mixing of material from stellar convective cores into their adjacent radiative layers has been a matter of long-standing debate. Pulsating subdwarf B stars offer excellent conditions to advance our understanding of this problem. In this…
Stellar models with homogeneous abundances fail to reproduce the pulsation frequencies of early B-type stars. Their oscillations are excited by kappa-mechanism involving the Fe-peak elements where they are main contributors to the opacity…
The frequencies of gravity mode oscillations are determined by the chemical, thermal, and structural properties of stellar interiors, facilitating the study of internal mixing mechanisms in stars. We investigate the impact of…
Nucleosynthesis in the s process takes place in the He burning layers of low mass AGB stars and during the He and C burning phases of massive stars. The s process contributes about half of the element abundances between Cu and Bi in solar…
Atomic diffusion may lead to heavy element accumulation inside stars in certain specific layers. Iron accumulation in the Z-bump opacity region has been invoked by several authors to quantitatively account for abundance anomalies observed…