Multi-Frequency Photometric Analyses of Rigel, the nearest Blue Supergiant and Supernova Progenitor

Details Multi-Frequency Photometric Analyses of Rigel, the nearest Blue Supergiant and Supernova Progenitor Multi-Frequency Photometric Analyses of Rigel, the nearest Blue Supergiant and Supernova Progenitor

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21340813s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #408.13; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.207

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

As the 7th brightest star and the most luminous star in the solar neighborhood Rigel (β Orionis) is a very intriguing object. This blue supergiant (B8 Iab; 0.12-mag; B-V = -0.03) has been distanced at 240 +/-35 pc by a Hipparcos parallax and has a resulting average absolute magnitude -6.7 mag.has been distanced at 240 +/-35 pc by Hipparcos parallax and an average absolute magnitude -6.7 mag. The following physical properties were determined via spectroscopic, photometric, and interferometric studies: L/Lo 66,000; Teff = 12,000 K; M/Mo 17 +/- 3; R/Ro 70; age 3-10 Myr. Interestingly Rigel has similar physical properties with the 12th-mag blue supergiant progenitor of SN 1987A: Sanduleak -69° 202a. Thus Rigel (along with its co-asterism Betelgeuse) are likely to be the nearest progenitors of a Type II supernova. Such a nearby explosion would have an apparent magnitude of -17 mag (nearly 100 full moons).
We report on initial results of intensive photometry of Rigel being conducted with telescopes in Pennsylvania and Arizona. Also studied are two years of Hipparcos photometry. These datasets indicate brightness variations on nearly all time scales - from minutes to weeks. The photometry is being analyzed for possible periodicities using FFT and CLEAN-est routines provides by Peranso. Evidence of cyclic/periodic oscillations appears present in some of the datasets in addition to stochastic variations. We present the initial results and implications for probing the interior of this important star. Our study indicates that Rigel will be an excellent target for asteroseismic studies with MOST and the upcoming BRITE-Constellation Mission. Continuous high precision photometry from space could yield important information on the possible presence of g- and p- mode oscillations in this star.
We acknowledge support for this research from NSF/RUI Grants AST05-07542 and AST05-07536.

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