Advancing the accuracy in age determinations of old-disk stars using an oscillating red giant in an eclipsing binary

Context. The study of resonant oscillation modes in low-mass red giant branch stars enables us to infer their ages with exceptional (∼10%) precision. This unlocks the possibility to reconstruct the temporal evolution of the Milky Way at early cosmic times. Ensuring the accuracy of such a precise age scale is a fundamental but difficult challenge. Because the age of red giant branch stars primarily hinges on their mass, an independent mass determination for an oscillating red giant star provides the means for this assessment. Aims. We analysed the old eclipsing binary KIC 10001167, which hosts an oscillating red giant branch star and is a member of the thick disk of the Milky Way. Of the known red giants in eclipsing binaries, this is the only member of the thick disk whose asteroseismic signal is of a high enough quality to test the seismic mass inference at the 2% level. Methods. We measured the binary orbit and obtain fundamental stellar parameters through a combined analysis of light-curve eclipses and radial velocities, and we performed a detailed asteroseismic, photospheric, and Galactic kinematic characterisation of the red giant and the binary system. Results. We show that the dynamically determined mass 0.9337 ± 0.0077 M ⊙ (0.8%) of this 10 Gyr old star agrees within 1.4% with the mass inferred from a detailed modelling of individual pulsation mode frequencies (1.6%). This is now the only thick-disk stellar system that hosts a red giant for which the mass has been determined asteroseismically with a precision better than 2% and through a model-independent method at a precision of 1%. We hereby affirm the potential of asteroseismology to define an accurate age scale for ancient stars to trace the Milky Way assembly history.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-05-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202453347
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.77

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article

Advancing the accuracy in age determinations of old-disk stars using an oscillating red giant in an eclipsing binary

G. Buldgen, B. Mosser, Daniel Sebastian, Walter E. van Rossem et al.
5 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
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article

Advancing the accuracy in age determinations of old-disk stars using an oscillating red giant in an eclipsing binary

G. Buldgen, B. Mosser, Daniel Sebastian, Walter E. van Rossem, K. Matilainen, Mikkel N. Lund, F. Grundahl, A. A. Djupvik, A. H. M. J. Triaud, Julie Thiim Gadeberg, Z. Gray, J. Southworth, S. Frandsen, A. Miglio, D. Slumstrup, D. I. Jones, V. Pintér, K. Brogaard, Amalie Stokholm, M. Matteuzzi, T. Arentoft, G. Casali, J. Jessen‐Hansen, L. Casagrande, M. Tailo, J. S. Thomsen, Pierre Maxted, J. Montalbán, Niilo Koivisto
article en
5 citations

Abstract

Context. The study of resonant oscillation modes in low-mass red giant branch stars enables us to infer their ages with exceptional (∼10%) precision. This unlocks the possibility to reconstruct the temporal evolution of the Milky Way at early cosmic times. Ensuring the accuracy of such a precise age scale is a fundamental but difficult challenge. Because the age of red giant branch stars primarily hinges on their mass, an independent mass determination for an oscillating red giant star provides the means for this assessment. Aims. We analysed the old eclipsing binary KIC 10001167, which hosts an oscillating red giant branch star and is a member of the thick disk of the Milky Way. Of the known red giants in eclipsing binaries, this is the only member of the thick disk whose asteroseismic signal is of a high enough quality to test the seismic mass inference at the 2% level. Methods. We measured the binary orbit and obtain fundamental stellar parameters through a combined analysis of light-curve eclipses and radial velocities, and we performed a detailed asteroseismic, photospheric, and Galactic kinematic characterisation of the red giant and the binary system. Results. We show that the dynamically determined mass 0.9337 ± 0.0077 M ⊙ (0.8%) of this 10 Gyr old star agrees within 1.4% with the mass inferred from a detailed modelling of individual pulsation mode frequencies (1.6%). This is now the only thick-disk stellar system that hosts a red giant for which the mass has been determined asteroseismically with a precision better than 2% and through a model-independent method at a precision of 1%. We hereby affirm the potential of asteroseismology to define an accurate age scale for ancient stars to trace the Milky Way assembly history.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 699
Australian National University (AU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Turku (FI), University of Liège (BE), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), Aarhus University (DK), Université Paris Cité (FR), Armagh Observatory & Planetarium (GB), Helsinki Institute of Physics (FI), Sorbonne Université (FR), Osservatorio astronomico di Bologna (IT), Calar Alto Observatory (ES), Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna (IT), ASTRO-3D (AU), Sorbonne Paris Cité (FR), North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (GB), Nordic Optical Telescope (ES), European Southern Observatory (CL), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES), Gran Telescopio Canarias (Spain) (ES), ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (AU), Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (IT), Keele University (GB), University of Birmingham (GB), University of Bologna (IT), University of Craiova (RO)
Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Università di Bologna, Science and Technology Facilities Council, European Research Council, H2020 European Research Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
5.77
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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