Probing core overshooting using subgiant asteroseismology: The case of KIC10273246

Abstract

Context. The size of convective cores remains uncertain, despite their substantial influence on stellar evolution, and thus on stellar ages. The seismic modeling of young subgiants can be used to obtain indirect constraints on the core structure during main sequence, thanks to the high probing potential of mixed modes. Aims. We selected the young subgiant KIC10273246, observed by Kepler, based on its mixed-mode properties. We thoroughly modeled this star, with the aim of placing constraints on the size of its main-sequence convective core. A corollary goal of this study is to elaborate a modeling technique that is suitable for subgiants and can later be applied to a larger number of targets. Methods. We first extracted the parameters of the oscillation modes of the star using the full Kepler data set. To overcome the challenges posed by the seismic modeling of subgiants, we propose a method that is specifically tailored to subgiants with mixed modes and uses nested optimization. We then applied this method to perform a detailed seismic modeling of KIC10273246. Results. We obtain models that show good statistical agreements with the observations, both seismic and non-seismic. We show that including core overshooting in the models significantly improves the quality of the seismic fit, optimal models being found for αov = 0.15. Higher amounts of core overshooting strongly worsen the agreement with the observations and are thus firmly ruled out. We also find that having access to two g-dominated mixed modes in young subgiants allows us to place stronger constraints on the gradient of molecular weight in the core and on the central density. Conclusions. This study confirms the high potential of young subgiants with mixed modes to investigate the size of main-sequence convective cores. It paves the way for a more general study including the subgiants observed with Kepler, TESS, and eventually PLATO.