An asteroseismic signature of helium ionization

Abstract

We investigate the influence of the ionization of helium on the low-degree acoustic oscillation frequencies in model solar-type stars. The signature in the oscillation frequencies characterizing the ionization-induced depression of the first adiabatic exponent γ is a superposition of two decaying periodic functions of frequency ν, with 'frequencies' that are approximately twice the acoustic depths of the centres of the He I and He II ionization regions. That variation is probably best exhibited in the second frequency difference Δ2νn,l ≡ νn-1,l - 2νn,l + νn-1,l. We show how an analytic approximation to the variation of γ leads to a simple representation of this oscillatory contribution to Δ2ν which can be used to characterize the γ variation, our intention being to use it as a seismic diagnostic of the helium abundance of the star. We emphasize that the objective is to characterize γ, not merely to find a formula for Δ2ν that reproduces the data. © 2007 RAS.