Hydrodynamic model of decaying radial oscillations in RU Cam

Abstract

Calculations of stellar evolution up to the early white dwarf stage were carried out for stars with mass on the main sequence $M_0=0.82M_\odot$, $0.85M_\odot$, $0.9M_\odot$ and with initial abundances of helium and heavier elements $Y=0.25$ and $Z=10^{-3}$, respectively. For each value of $M_0$ the AGB and post--AGB evolutionary phases were computed with three values of the mass loss parameter in the Bl\"ocker formula: $\eta_B=0.02$, 0.05 and 0.1. The variable star RU~Cam with pulsation period $\Pi\approx 22$ day is shown to be in the post--AGB stage and the pulsation amplitude decrease in years 1962--1963 is due to movement of the star across the HR diagram beyond the pulsation instability region. Theoretical estimates of the mass and the luminosity of RU~Cam are $0.524M_\odot\le M\le 0.532M_\odot$ and $2.20\times 10^3L_\odot\le L\le 2.33\times 10^3L_\odot$, respectively. Hydrodynamic calculations of nonlinear stellar pulsations show that while the star approaches the instability boundary a significant reduction ($\approx 90\%$) in the pulsation amplitude occurs for nearly two years with subsequent slow decay of low--amplitude oscillations. Solution of the equations of hydrodynamics with time--dependent inner boundary conditions describing evolutionary changes in the radius and the luminosity at the bottom of the pulsating envelope allows us to conclude that decay of radial oscillations in RU~Cam is accompanied by the effect of oscillation hysteresis. In particular, the stage of large--amplitude limit cycle oscillations extends by $\approx 12$ years and the subsequent stage of decaying small--amplitude oscilations spreads beyond the formal boundary of pulsation instability.