First observations of W Virginis stars with K2: detection of period doubling

E. Plachy, L. Molnár, M. I. Jurkovic, R. Smolec, P. A. Moskalik, A. Pál, L. Szabados, R. Szabó

Published 2016-10-18Version 1

We present the first analysis of W Vir stars observed by the Kepler space telescope in the K2 mission. Clear cycle-to-cycle variation were detected in the light curves of KT Sco and the globular cluster member M80-V1. While the variations in the former star seems to be irregular on the short time scale of the K2 data, the latter appears to experience period doubling in its pulsation. Ground-based colour data confirmed that both stars are W Vir-type pulsators, while a comparison with historical photometric time-series data revealed drastic period changes in both stars. For comparison we reexamine ground-based observations of W Vir, the prototype of the class, and conclude that it shows period doubling instead of mode beating. These results support the notion that nonlinear dynamics plays an important role in the pulsation of W Virginis-type stars.