Observing massive stars with MOST: the enigmatic WN8 star WR123

Details Observing massive stars with MOST: the enigmatic WN8 star WR123 Observing massive stars with MOST: the enigmatic WN8 star WR123

Dec 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005sf2a.conf..291l&link_type=abstract

SF2A-2005: Semaine de l'Astrophysique Francaise, meeting held in Strasbourg, France, June 27 - July 1, 2005, Edited by F. Casoli

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Scientific paper

We present the results of intensive visual-broadband photometric monitoring of the highly variable WN8 Wolf-Rayet star WR123, obtained by the MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) satellite, in a way a kind of precursor to COROT to be launched in 2006. This first Canadian astronomical space telescope observed WR123 for 38 days non-stop during June/July 2004. Fourier analysis shows that no periodic signal is stable for more than several days in the low-frequency domain (f < 1 d-1), where most of the power is contained. Also, no significant variability is seen at all in the high-frequency domain (10 d-1 < f < 1400 d-1) down to the level of 0.2 mmag, an order of magnitude lower than theoretical predictions for strange-mode pulsations. On the other hand, there seems to be a relatively stable 9.8 hr periodic signal present throughout the whole run. This period is probably too short to represent the axial rotation of the star, unless related to multiple sub-structures equidistantly spread along the stellar equator. It is also too short to be orbital in nature; it is more likely to be related to pulsational instabilities (although with a much longer period than expected), thus finally revealing a possible fundamental driver behind the highly variable wind of this object, and others of similar type.

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