Power spectra decomposition of 36 RS CVn UBV photometric light curves from the first two years of the automatic photoelectric telescope
The first search for multiple periodic structure of a major subset of the RS CVn class of interacting binary stars systems, using a rigorous numerical approach appropriate to unevenly-spaced gapped data, is presented. The main intent of this dissertation is to characterize properly the power spectral content of RS CVn binary light curves and describe how this information can constrain the current models for the systems. If the light curve can be considered as a tracer of stellar surface activity, then the photometric distortions can be used to characterize magnetic activity cycles and add to the understanding of stellar dynamics. Most of the systems exhibit multiple periodic structure, 40% of which show changes in the photometric period on a time scale of a few hundred days. A preference is observed for photometric periods with time scales near the orbital and half orbital periods. The effect is particularly strong for the shorter period systems and is interpreted as evidence for synchronous, or near synchronous, rotation. A strong linear correlation in the periods for the multiply periodic systems is observed which indicates a preferential pairing of spot groups on the stellar surface. No correlation is found for the relative phases of the multiple periodic signals. Changes in the photometric period are associated with variations in the amplitude of the distortion wave, which would indicate the growth and decay of spot groups. The growth and decay of pairs of spot groups, arbitrarily separated in phase, on a differentially rotating star is the model most consistent with the results of my analysis.
- Research Organization:
- New Mexico Univ., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5022219
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
BD Andromedae: A new short-period RS CVn eclipsing binary star with a distant tertiary body in a highly eccentric orbit
Detecting the companions and ellipsoidal variations of RS CVN primaries. II. o Draconis, A candidate for recent low-mass companion ingestion
Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
BINARY STARS
PHOTOMETRY
STAR MODELS
CORRELATIONS
DATA ACQUISITION
DATA PROCESSING
DYNAMICS
GRAVITATIONAL INTERACTIONS
ROTATION
STARSPOTS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
TELESCOPES
VARIATIONS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
MOTION
PROCESSING
STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources