Stefano Bernabei

A giant planet orbiting the 'extreme horizontal branch' star V 391 Pegasi

After the initial discoveries fifteen years ago, over 200 extrasolar planets have now been detected. Most of them orbit main-sequence stars similar to our Sun, although a few planets orbiting red giant stars have been recently found. When the hydrogen in their cores runs out, main-sequence stars undergo an expansion into red-giant stars. This expansion can modify the orbits of planets and can easily reach and engulf the inner planets. The same will happen to the planets of our Solar System in about five billion years and the fate of the Earth is matter of debate. Here we report the discovery of a planetary-mass body (Msini = 3.2MJupiter) orbiting the star V 391 Pegasi at a distance of about 1.7 astronomical units (au), with a period of 3.2 years. This star is on the extreme horizontal branch of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, burning helium in its core and pulsating. The maximum radius of the red-giant precursor of V 391 Pegasi may have reached 0.7 au, while the orbital distance of the planet during the stellar main-sequence phase is estimated to be about 1 au. This detection of a planet orbiting a post-red-giant star demonstrates that planets with orbital distances of less than 2 au can survive the red-giant expansion of their parent stars.

The planet-hosting subdwarf B star V 391 Pegasi is a hybrid pulsator

Context. A noticeable fraction of subdwarf B stars shows either short-period ( p -mode) or long-period ( g -mode) luminosity variations, with two objects so far known to exhibit hybrid behaviour, i.e. showing both types of modes at the same time. The pulsating subdwarf B star V 391 Pegasi (or HS 2201+2610), which is close to the two known hybrid pulsators in the log g – T eff plane, has recently been discovered to host a planetary companion. Aims. In order to learn more about the planetary companion and its possible influence on the evolution of its host star (subdwarf B star formation is still not well understood), an accurate characterisation of the host star is required. As part of an ongoing effort to significantly improve the asteroseismic characterisation of the host star, we investigate the low-frequency behaviour of HS 2201+2610. Methods. We obtained rapid high signal-to-noise photometric CCD ( B -filter) and PMT (clear-filter) data at 2 m-class telescopes and carried out a careful frequency analysis of the light curves. Results. In addition to the previously known short-period luminosity variations in the range 342 s–367 s, we find a long-period variation with a period of 54 mn and an amplitude of 0.15 per cent. This can most plausibly be identified with a g -mode pulsation, so that HS 2201+2610 is a new addition to the short list of hybrid sdB pulsators. Conclusions. Along with the previously known pulsating subdwarf B stars HS 0702+6043 and Balloon 090100001 showing hybrid behaviour, the new hybrid HS 2201+2610 is the third member of this class. This important property of HS 2201+2610 can lead to a better characterisation of this planet-hosting star, helping the characterisation of its planetary companion as well. Current pulsation models cannot yet reproduce hybrid sdBV stars particularly well and improved pulsation models for this object have to include the hybrid behaviour.

The rapidly pulsating subdwarf B star PG 1325+101 - I. Oscillation modes from multisite observations

In this article we present the results of 215 h of time-series photometry on the rapidly pulsating subdwarf B star PG 1325+101 (T_eff = 35 000 K, log g = 5.8, log N(He)/N(H) = -1.7), obtained during 25 days of observation in Spring 2003 from nine different sites. As in previous observations, the temporal spectrum is dominated by the main peak at 7255.55 ?Hz, with an amplitude of about 2.7% which, however, is dropped to about 1.7% in February 2005. No secondary peaks close to the dominant pulsation mode are clearly detected. In addition, at least fourteen more pulsation frequencies are found: three of them at 7704.92, 9380.17 and 14511.10 ?Hz were already present in the discovery run with small differences in frequency, probably due to 1-day aliasing effects. The peak at 7704.92 ?Hz belongs to a triplet of almost equally spaced frequencies that could be due to rotational splitting and would imply a rotational period of about 1.6 days. Based on the results of this article, a detailed asteroseismic analysis of PG 1325+101 is presented in a separate paper (Charpinet et al. 2006b, A&A, 459, 565, Paper II).

AG Draconis observed with XMM-Newton

Context. AG Draconis is the brightest symbiotic star in X-rays and one of the prototypes of the supersoft X-ray source class. Aims. Study of the X-ray spectrum of this peculiar binary system, covering both quiescence and activity periods, is necessary to investigate the physics of the high temperature spectral component, and to unveil the origin of the outbursts. Methods. X-ray and UV observations with XMM-Newton during 2003–2005 and coordinated optical spectrophotometric monitoring, together with archive data, are employed to derive the behaviour of the high energy source of the AG Dra system during different orbital and activity phases. Results. During quiescence the X-ray emission is very soft and is close in strength to the previous ROSAT observations, with an

The spectroscopic evolution of the symbiotic star AG Draconis I. The O VI Raman, Balmer, and helium emission line variations during the outburst of 2006-2008

Context. AG Dra is one of a small group of low metallicity S-type symbiotic binaries with K-type giants that undergoes occasional short-term outbursts of unknown origin. Aims. Our aim is to study the behavior of the white dwarf during an outburst using the optical Raman lines and other emission features in the red giant wind. The goal is to determine changes in the envelope and the wind of the gainer in this system during a major outburst event and to study the coupling between the UV and optical during a major outburst. Methods. Using medium and high resolution groundbased optical spectra and comparisons with archival FUSE and HST/STZS spectra, we study the evolution of the Raman O VI features and the Balmer, He I, and He II lines during the outburst from 2006 Sep. through 2007 May and include more recent observations (2009) to study the subsequent evolution of the source. Results. The O VI Raman features disappeared completely at the peak of the major outburst and the subsequent variation differs substantially from that reported during the previous decade. The He I and He II lines, and the Balmer lines, vary in phase with the Raman features but there is a double-valuedness to the He I 6678, 7065 relative to the O VI Raman 6825 A variations in the period between 2006-2008 that has not been previously reported. Conclusions. The variations in the Raman feature ratio through the outburst interval are consistent with the disappearance of the O VI FUV resonance wind lines from the white dwarf and of the surrounding O +5 ionized region within the red giant wind provoked by the expansion and cooling of the white dwarf photosphere.