Quadratic Frequency Dispersion in the Oscillations of Intermediate-mass Stars

Asteroseismology, the study of stellar vibration, has met with great success, shedding light on stellar interior structure, rotation, and magnetism. Prominently known as delta Scutis, the intermediate-mass main-sequence oscillators that often exhibit rapid rotation and possess complex internal stratification are important targets of asteroseismic study. delta Scuti pulsations are driven by the kappa (opacity) mechanism, resulting in a set of acoustic modes that can be challenging to interpret. Here, we apply machine learning to identify new patterns in the pulsation frequencies of delta Scuti stars, discovering resonances spaced according to quadratic functions of integer mode indices. This unusual connection between mode frequencies and indices suggests that rotational influence may play an important role in determining the frequencies of these acoustic oscillations.