Tidally Tilted Pulsators

Gerald Handler, Rahul Jayaraman, Donald W. Kurtz, Jim Fuller, Saul A. Rappaport

Published 2022-01-05Version 1

The tidally tilted pulsators are a new type of oscillating star in close binary systems that have their pulsation axis in the orbital plane because of the tidal distortion caused by their companion. We describe this group of stars on the basis of the first three representatives discovered and illustrate the basic methods used for their analysis. Their value for astrophysical study is rooted in the combination of the strengths of binary star and asteroseismic analyses; pulsational mode identifications can be achieved because the oscillations are visible over nearly 360 degrees of aspect throughout the orbital cycle. An illustrative case of a particularly interesting system is presented.