Low Dimensional Dynamics in a Pulsating Star

Session 60 - Stellar Astrophysics I.
Oral session, Tuesday, January 16
Salon del Rey North, Hilton

[60.02] Low Dimensional Dynamics in a Pulsating Star

P. T. Boyd (USRA and NASA GSFC), G. B. Mindlin (U. Buenos Aires, Argentina), J. L. Caminos, J. A. Nunez (U. La Plata, Argentina)

We report the discovery of a low dimensional dynamical system in a 5.5 hr Hubble Space Telescope High Speed Photometer observation of a rapidly oscillating star. The topological description of the phase space orbits is given, as well as a dynamical model which describes the results. This model should motivate theorists of stellar pulsations to search for a three-dimensional system with the same topological structure to describe the mechanisms for pulsation. The equations are compatible with recently proposed nonlinear mode interaction models.

Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

Program listing for Tuesday