2007A&A...467.1175A -
Astronomy and Astrophysics, volume 467, 1175-1180 (2007/6-1)
Low-mass, helium-enriched PG 1159 stars: a possible evolutionary origin and implications for their pulsational stability properties.
ALTHAUS L.G., CORSICO A.H. and MILLER BERTOLAMI M.M.
Abstract (from CDS):
We examine a recently-proposed evolutionary scenario that could explain the existence of the low-mass, helium-enriched PG 1159 stars. We focus in particular on studying the pulsational stability properties of the evolutionary models predicted by such a scenario. We assess the overstability of pulsation g-modes of stellar models as evolution proceeds in the PG 1159 domain. Stellar models are extracted from the full evolution of a 1-M
☉ model star that experiences its first thermal pulse as a late thermal pulse (LTP) after leaving the AGB. The evolutionary stages corresponding to the born-again episode and the subsequent helium sub-flashes are taken into account in detail. Under reasonable assumptions of mass-loss rate, the evolutionary scenario reproduces the high helium abundances observed in some PG 1159 stars. We find that, despite the high helium abundance in the driving layers, a narrow region exists in the logT
eff-logg diagram for which the helium-enriched PG 1159 sequence exhibits unstable pulsation modes with periods in the range 500 to 1600 s. In particular, the nonpulsating helium-enriched PG 1159 star,
MCT 0130-1937, is located outside the theoretical instability domain. Our results suggest that
MCT 0130-1937 is a real non-pulsating star and that the lack of pulsations should not be attributed to unfavorable geometry. Our study hints at a consistent picture between the evolutionary scenario that could explain the existence of helium-enriched PG 1159 stars and the nonvariable nature of
MCT 0130-1937. We also present theoretical support for the unusually high helium abundance observed in the nonpulsating PG 1159 star
HS 1517+7403. We suggest that
HS 1517+7403could be a transition object linking the low-mass helium-rich O(He) stars with the helium-enriched PG 1159 stars via the evolutionary connection
K1-27 ->
HS 1517+7403 ->
MCT 0130-1937.
Abstract Copyright:
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Journal keyword(s):
stars: evolution - stars: abundances - stars: AGB and post-AGB - stars: interiors - stars: variables: general - white dwarfs
Simbad objects:
9
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