A New SX Phe Star in the Globular Cluster M15

Abstract

A new SX Phe star (labelled SXP1) found from $BV$ CCD photometry is the first to be discovered in the globular cluster M15. It is a blue straggler and is located $102\arcsec.8$ north and $285\arcsec.6$ west of the center of M15 \citep{har96}. Mean magnitudes of SXP1 are $<$$B$$>$ = 18$\fm$671 and $<$$V$$>$ = 18$\fm$445. The amplitude of variability of SXP1 is measured to be $\Delta V\approx 0.15$. From multiple-frequency analysis based on the Fourier decomposition method, we detect two very closely separated pulsating frequencies: the primary frequency at $f_1=24.630$ c/d for both $B$- and $V$-bands, and the secondary frequency at $f_2=24.338$ c/d for the $B$-band and 24.343 c/d for the $V$-band. This star is the second among known SX Phe stars found to pulsate with very closely separated frequencies ($f_2/f_1\ge 0.95$). These frequencies may be explained by excitation of nonradial modes; however, we have an incomplete understanding of this phenomenon in the case of SX Phe stars with relatively high amplitudes. The metallicity-period and the variability amplitude-period relations for SXP1 in M15 are found to be consistent with those for SX Phe stars in other globular clusters.

15 pages with 6 figures, accepted by the Astronomical Journal (scheduled May 2001)

Cited by in corpus (7)

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• Photometry Results for the Globular Clusters M10 and M12: Extinction Maps, Color-Magnitude Diagrams, and Variable Star Candidates
• A Far-UV Variability Survey of the Globular Cluster M80
• Monitoring of the Central Region of the Globular Cluster M15 = NGC 7078: New Variable Stars