The Discovery of Non-Radial Gravity-mode Pulsations in $\gamma$ Doradus-Type Stars

Abstract

Over two dozen early F-type variable stars have been identified which constitute a new class of pulsating stars. These stars typically have periods between 0.5 and 3 days with V-band variability of several hundredths of a magnitude. Given the time scale of the variability, the pulsations would have to be non-radial gravity-mode pulsations. The pulsational nature of some of these stars has been proven by means of coordinated multi-longitude photometric campaigns, radial velocity (RV) variations and line profile (LP) variations, indicating low degree spherical harmonics ($\ell$ = 3 or less). Evidence is that these stars are younger than 300 Myr; one would surmise that a rapid onset of convection in their outer photospheric layers puts an end to the pulsations. Further observation and modeling of these stars is important for our understanding of stellar evolution, the search for $g$-modes in the Sun, and is even relevant to the interpretation of radial velocity variations of solar-type stars (e.g. 51 Peg) in the search for extrasolar planets.