A Complete Census of Luminous Stellar Variability on Day to Decade Timescales

Abstract

Stellar photometric variability offers a novel probe of the interior structure and evolutionary state of stars. Here we present a census of stellar variability on day to decade timescales across the color-magnitude diagram for 73,000 stars brighter than $M_I$=-5 in the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). Our Cycle 24 HST program acquired V and I-band images over 34 epochs spanning one year with pseudo-random cadences enabling sensitivity to periods from days to months. We supplement these data with archival V and I-band HST data obtained in 1995 and 2005 providing sensitivity to variability on decade timescales. At least 50% of stars brighter than $M_I$=-7 show strong evidence for variability within our Cycle 24 data; among stars with V-I>2 the variability fraction rises to ~100%. Large amplitude variability (>0.3 mag) on decade timescales is restricted to red supergiants and very luminous blue stars. Both populations display fairly smooth variability on month-year timescales. The Cepheid instability strip is clearly visible in our data, although the variability fraction within this region never exceeds ~10%. The location of variable stars across the color magnitude diagram broadly agrees with theoretical sources of variability, including the instability strip, red supergiant pulsational instabilities, long-period fundamental mode pulsations, and radiation-dominated envelopes in massive stars. Our data can be used to place stringent constraints on the precise onset of these various instabilities and their lifetimes and growth rates.