Publication Abstracts

Stothers 2010

Stothers, R.B., 2010: Giant convection cell turnover as an explanation of the long secondary periods in semiregular red variable stars. Astrophys. J., 725, 1170-1174, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/725/1/1170.

Giant convection cells in the envelopes of massive red supergiants turn over in a time comparable in order of magnitude with the observed long secondary periods in these stars, according to a theory proposed some years ago by Stothers & Leung. This idea is developed further here by using improved theoretical data, especially a more accurate convective mixing length and a simple calculation of the expected radial-velocity variations at the stellar surface. The theory is applied to the two best-observed red supergiants, Betelgeuse and Antares, with more success than in the earlier study. The theory can also explain the long secondary periods seen in the low-mass red giants, thus providing a uniform and coherent picture for all of the semiregular red variables. How the turnover of a giant convection cell might account for the observed slow light and radial-velocity variations, their relative phasing, and the absence of these variations in certain stars is discussed here in a qualitative way, but follows naturally from the theory.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{st04020v,
  author={Stothers, R. B.},
  title={Giant convection cell turnover as an explanation of the long secondary periods in semiregular red variable stars},
  year={2010},
  journal={Astrophys. J.},
  volume={725},
  pages={1170--1174},
  doi={10.1088/0004-637X/725/1/1170},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - st04020v
AU  - Stothers, R. B.
PY  - 2010
TI  - Giant convection cell turnover as an explanation of the long secondary periods in semiregular red variable stars
JA  - Astrophys. J.
VL  - 725
SP  - 1170
EP  - 1174
DO  - 10.1088/0004-637X/725/1/1170
ER  -

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