The optical photometric variability of Herbig Ae/Be stars from TESS

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Cody, Ann Marie, Hillenbrand, Lynne A., Chandragiri, Shreya, Morgan, Marvin
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Cody, Ann Marie
Hillenbrand, Lynne A.
Chandragiri, Shreya
Morgan, Marvin
author_facet Cody, Ann Marie
Hillenbrand, Lynne A.
Chandragiri, Shreya
Morgan, Marvin
contents We have carried out a photometric time domain study of 188 intermediate-mass young stars observed in Full Frame Image mode with the TESS satellite over the first 3.3 years of its mission. The majority of these targets are classified as Herbig Ae/Be stars (HAeBes). All were monitored at optical wavelengths for at least one 27-day TESS sector, with many having multiple sectors of data. From a custom aperture photometry pipeline, we produced light curves and analyzed the variability therein, as a function of stellar and circumstellar properties. Based on visual and statistical analysis, we find that ~95% of HAeBes are variable on timescales of 10 minutes to 1 month, with the most common light curve morphology being stochastic. Approximately 15% of the set display quasi-periodic variability. In comparison to sets of low-mass T Tauri stars monitored with optical space telescopes, the Herbig Ae/Be stars display a much lower incidence of ``dipper" behaviors (quasi-periodic or aperiodic fading events), as well as periodic modulations. As posited by previous work, we conclude that magnetic starspots are rare on HAeBes, and that the inner circumstellar dust rims of these objects lie at substantially larger radii than for low-mass young stars. Beyond these differences, the accretion dynamics of young stars less than ~7$M_\odot$ appear to be largely consistent based on their time domain properties from data streams of up to three months' duration. We do, however, find tentative evidence for a change in variability amplitude above this mass boundary, particularly for quasi-periodic behavior.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_08633
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The optical photometric variability of Herbig Ae/Be stars from TESS
Cody, Ann Marie
Hillenbrand, Lynne A.
Chandragiri, Shreya
Morgan, Marvin
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
We have carried out a photometric time domain study of 188 intermediate-mass young stars observed in Full Frame Image mode with the TESS satellite over the first 3.3 years of its mission. The majority of these targets are classified as Herbig Ae/Be stars (HAeBes). All were monitored at optical wavelengths for at least one 27-day TESS sector, with many having multiple sectors of data. From a custom aperture photometry pipeline, we produced light curves and analyzed the variability therein, as a function of stellar and circumstellar properties. Based on visual and statistical analysis, we find that ~95% of HAeBes are variable on timescales of 10 minutes to 1 month, with the most common light curve morphology being stochastic. Approximately 15% of the set display quasi-periodic variability. In comparison to sets of low-mass T Tauri stars monitored with optical space telescopes, the Herbig Ae/Be stars display a much lower incidence of ``dipper" behaviors (quasi-periodic or aperiodic fading events), as well as periodic modulations. As posited by previous work, we conclude that magnetic starspots are rare on HAeBes, and that the inner circumstellar dust rims of these objects lie at substantially larger radii than for low-mass young stars. Beyond these differences, the accretion dynamics of young stars less than ~7$M_\odot$ appear to be largely consistent based on their time domain properties from data streams of up to three months' duration. We do, however, find tentative evidence for a change in variability amplitude above this mass boundary, particularly for quasi-periodic behavior.
title The optical photometric variability of Herbig Ae/Be stars from TESS
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.08633