An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS
Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are enigmatic, evolved, massive stars. Their variability has been observed to be episodic with large eruptions, along with variations on timescales of days to decades. We have extracted light curves of 37 LBVs from the first 4 yr of the TESS mission. These light curves...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astronomical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ada561 |
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| author | Becca Spejcher Noel D. Richardson Herbert Pablo Marina Beltran Payton Butler Eddie Avila |
| author_facet | Becca Spejcher Noel D. Richardson Herbert Pablo Marina Beltran Payton Butler Eddie Avila |
| author_sort | Becca Spejcher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are enigmatic, evolved, massive stars. Their variability has been observed to be episodic with large eruptions, along with variations on timescales of days to decades. We have extracted light curves of 37 LBVs from the first 4 yr of the TESS mission. These light curves provide two years of photometric time series for stars in the LMC, with several months of data for Galactic or SMC targets. We analyze the Fourier properties of the stellar light curves to determine their characteristic frequencies and red noise amplitudes, comparing them to mass-loss parameters through H α strength, and in the case of the LMC stars, B − V color and luminosity as estimated by their apparent g magnitudes. We confirm the absence of correlation between any of the Fourier parameters and stellar parameters, implying that there is no trend in how these stars vary as measured with these photometric data, which may point toward these stars being an extension to the supergiant α Cygni variables and not a unique class of object with regards to their short-term variations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-999f7c7d17294c82b2b3755ac032dc44 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-3881 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-999f7c7d17294c82b2b3755ac032dc442025-02-07T10:19:45ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812025-01-01169312810.3847/1538-3881/ada561An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESSBecca Spejcher0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0786-7307Noel D. Richardson1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2806-9339Herbert Pablo2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1355-5860Marina Beltran3Payton Butler4Eddie Avila5Department on Physics and Astronomy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301, USADepartment on Physics and Astronomy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301, USAAmerican Association of Variable Star Observers , 185 Alewife Brook Pkwy., Cambridge, MA, USADepartment on Physics and Astronomy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301, USA; Physics and Astrophysics Department, DePaul University , 2219 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL 60614, USADepartment on Physics and Astronomy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301, USA; BASIS Prescott, 1901 Prescott Lakes Parkway , Prescott, AZ 86301, USADepartment on Physics and Astronomy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301, USA; BASIS Prescott, 1901 Prescott Lakes Parkway , Prescott, AZ 86301, USALuminous blue variables (LBVs) are enigmatic, evolved, massive stars. Their variability has been observed to be episodic with large eruptions, along with variations on timescales of days to decades. We have extracted light curves of 37 LBVs from the first 4 yr of the TESS mission. These light curves provide two years of photometric time series for stars in the LMC, with several months of data for Galactic or SMC targets. We analyze the Fourier properties of the stellar light curves to determine their characteristic frequencies and red noise amplitudes, comparing them to mass-loss parameters through H α strength, and in the case of the LMC stars, B − V color and luminosity as estimated by their apparent g magnitudes. We confirm the absence of correlation between any of the Fourier parameters and stellar parameters, implying that there is no trend in how these stars vary as measured with these photometric data, which may point toward these stars being an extension to the supergiant α Cygni variables and not a unique class of object with regards to their short-term variations.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ada561Luminous blue variable starsEarly-type variable starsS Doradus starsMassive starsAlpha Cygni variable stars |
| spellingShingle | Becca Spejcher Noel D. Richardson Herbert Pablo Marina Beltran Payton Butler Eddie Avila An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS The Astronomical Journal Luminous blue variable stars Early-type variable stars S Doradus stars Massive stars Alpha Cygni variable stars |
| title | An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS |
| title_full | An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS |
| title_fullStr | An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS |
| title_short | An Investigation into the Variability of Luminous Blue Variable Stars with TESS |
| title_sort | investigation into the variability of luminous blue variable stars with tess |
| topic | Luminous blue variable stars Early-type variable stars S Doradus stars Massive stars Alpha Cygni variable stars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ada561 |
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