Discovery of the new slowly pulsating B star HD 163830 (B5II/III) from MOST spacebased photometry

Abstract

We report the discovery of a new slowly pulsating B (SPB) star, with the largest number of detected frequencies to date by more than a factor of three, based on 37 days of MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) satellite guide star photometry. The star HD 163830 (V = 9.3, B5II/III) varies in twenty detected frequencies in the range $0.035 - 1.06$ d$^{-1}$ ($0.4 - 12.3 ~ μ$Hz) with amplitudes from 0.7 to 7.6 mmag ($S/N$ from {4 to 43}). Eighteen of these frequencies are consistent with low-degree, high-order nonradial g-modes {of seismic models of an evolved 4.5$M_{\odot}$ star. We are unable to identify one unique model due to lack of mode identifications. The lowest two frequencies may be associated with the rotation of HD 163830, but firm proof of this must await future spectroscopic data.