Speaker
Description
Strange modes are unusual, non-classical pulsation behaviors that arise when the outer envelope of a Cepheid decouples from the interior. Mapping their expected instability regions based on stellar models is essential for the future observational identification of these objects. While prior research successfully established the theoretical instability strip of strange mode Cepheids on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram using linear stability analysis, determining their actual pulsation amplitudes and the final outcome of mode selection requires a non-linear approach.
Continuing this research, I simulated stellar pulsations using the MESA RSP hydrodynamical software package, utilizing an extensive, well-defined parameter grid. To process the simulated data, I developed a custom Python-based framework that automatically classifies the different pulsational behaviors of the models and plots them on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. By comparing the obtained results with established stellar evolutionary tracks, the instability regions expected in reality can be accurately identified.