Nonradial modes in RR Lyrae stars

Abstract

We present a survey of nonradial mode properties in evolutionary sequences of RR Lyrae star models. Attention is focused on the modes that may be driven by the opacity mechanism and on those that may be excited as a consequence of the 1:1 resonance with the radial pulsation. Qualitatively, all the models share the same properties of the nonradial modes. At the quantitative level, the properties are to a large extent determined by the radial mode periods. There is only weak dependence on the star metallicity and no apparent dependence on the evolutionary status, that is on the helium exhaustion in the convective core. In the whole range of RRab and RRc star parameters we find unstable nonradial modes driven by the opacity mechanism. An instability of radial pulsation to a resonant excitation of nonradial oscillations is also a common phenomenon in both types. We discuss a possible role of nonradial modes in amplitude modulation observed in certain RR Lyrae stars.