The B fields in OB stars (BOB) survey is an ESO large programme collecting spectropolarimetric observations for a large number of early-type stars in order to study the occurrence rate, properties, and ultimately the origin of magnetic fields in massive stars. As of July 2014, a total of 98 objects were observed over 20 nights with FORS2 and HARPSpol. Our preliminary results indicate that the fraction of magnetic OB stars with an organised, detectable field is low. This conclusion, now independently reached by two different surveys, has profound implications for any theoretical model attempting to explain the field formation in these objects. We discuss in this contribution some important issues addressed by our observations (e.g., the lower bound of the field strength) and the discovery of some remarkable objects.

We carried out an extensive photometric and spectroscopic investigation of the SPB binary, HD 25558 (see Fig. 1 for the time and geographic distribution of the observations). The ~2000 spectra obtained at 13 observatories during 5 observing seasons, the ground-based multi-colour light curves and the photometric data from the MOST satellite revealed that this object is a double-lined spectroscopic binary with a very long orbital period of about 9 years. We determined the physical parameters of the components, and have found that both lie within the SPB instability strip. Accordingly, both components show line-profile variations consistent with stellar pulsations. Altogether, 11 independent frequencies and one harmonic frequency were identified in the data. The observational data do not allow the inference of a reliable orbital solution, thus, disentangling cannot be performed on the spectra. Since the lines of the two components are never completely separated, the analysis is very complicated. Nevertheless, pixel-by-pixel variability analysis of the cross-correlated line profiles was successful, and we were able to attribute all the frequencies to the primary or secondary component. Spectroscopic and photometric mode-identification was also performed for several of these frequencies of both binary components. The spectroscopic mode-identification results suggest that the inclination and rotation of the two components are rather different. While the primary is a slow rotator with ~6 d rotation period, seen at ~60° inclination, the secondary rotates fast with ~1.2 d rotation period, and is seen at ~20° inclination. Our spectropolarimetric measurements revealed that the secondary component has a magnetic field with at least a few hundred Gauss strength, while no magnetic field was detected in the primary.

The detailed analysis and results of this study will be published elsewhere.

Recent progress in the seismic interpretation of field β Cep stars has resulted in improvements of the physical description in the stellar structure and evolution model computations of massive stars. Further asteroseismic constraints can be obtained from studying ensembles of stars in a young open cluster, which all have similar age, distance and chemical composition. We present an observational asteroseismic study based on the discovery of numerous multi-periodic and mono-periodic B-type stars in the open cluster NGC 884 (χ Persei). Our study illustrates the current status of ensemble asteroseismology of this young open cluster.

Basic stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, chemical composition, and projected rotational velocity, are important to classify stars and are crucial for successful asteroseismic modelling. However, the Kepler space data do not provide such information. Therefore, ground-based spectral and multi-colour observations of Kepler asteroseismic targets are necessary to complement the space data. For this purpose, in coordination with the KASC ground-based observational Working Groups, high-resolution spectroscopic data for more than 500 B, A, F and G-type stars were collected.

The atmospheres of chemically peculiar stars can be highly structured in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. While most prevalent in the magnetic stars, these structures can also exist in non-magnetic stars. In addition to providing an important window to understanding the physical processes at play in these complex atmospheres, they can also be exploited to study stellar pulsations. This article reviews contributions to the session “A 3D look into the atmosphere” of the Joint Discussion “Progress in understanding the physics of Ap and related stars”. It is divided into 3 sections: “Magnetic field and surface structures”, “Pulsations in the atmospheres of roAp stars/inversions”, and “Spectral synthesis/atmospheric models”.

We present the results of the continuation of our magnetic survey with FORS 1 at the VLT of a sample of B-type stars consisting of confirmed or candidate β Cephei stars and Slowly Pulsating B stars. Roughly one third of the studied β Cephei stars have detected magnetic fields. The fraction of magnetic Slowly Pulsating B and candidate Slowly Pulsating B stars is found to be higher, up to 50%. We find that the domains of magnetic and non-magnetic pulsating stars in the H-R diagram largely overlap, and no clear picture emerges as to the possible evolution of the magnetic field across the main sequence.

Spectroscopic mode identification techiques, which monitor intensity variations across an absorption line, provide the possibility of determining the quantum numbers l and m, the inclination and the intrinsic pulsation amplitude of a star. Of course, the uncertainties of the mode identification are dependent on the quality of the observations and the identification method applied. We have focused on the Pixel-by-pixel method/Direct line profile fitting (Mantegazza 2000) and the Moment method (Balona 1987, Briquet & Aerts 2003) for pinpointing mode parameters and tested the impact of various observational effects and stellar properties on the identification.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

In this paper, we give an updated overview of the observed characteristics of g-mode pulsations in slowly pulsating B stars. These characteristics are based on the combined results of linear nonadiabatic analysis of the oscillations and a photometric and spectroscopic mode identification for a sample of 13 members. For 4 stars, at least one mode is stable in all the considered theoretical models.

We present the results of 1.5 years of Spectroscopic monitoring of 10 bright northern SPB candidates discovered from the Hipparcos mission. All stars have line-profile variations and are periodic, with periods corresponding to high-order g-modes. We therefore confirm them to be new SPBs.

We report monoperiodic variability for the four B-type stars HD 131120, HD 105382, HD 138769 and HD 55522, which we explain by rotational modulation rather than by pulsation. Consequently these variables are removed from the list of candidate Slowly Pulsating B stars.

HD 147394 is a Slowly Pulsating B star for which we found three periods in the moments of the Si II 4128-4130 lines: f1 = 0.8008 c/d, f2 = 0.7813 c/d and f3 = 0.6710 c/d. A mode identification is perform ed by using the moment method.

We review the current status of our long-term monitoring project on slowly pulsating B stars that we started in the course of 1996 and that was recently completed as far as the first part of our plan is concerned. In total, we have selected 17 southern and 8 northern stars. The idea is to fully exploit our current data in the near future and to select the most interesting targets for further very-long-term follow-up monitoring. A first conclusion is that half of the southern targets turn out to be spectroscopic binaries. Some of these have circular orbits and periods of the same order of magnitude as the intrinsic pulsation period(s) of the primary. The eccentric binaries have periods ranging from 12 to 460 d. For most stars the photometric behaviour is dominated by the same frequency as the intrinsic spectroscopic variability. Multiperiodicity in the expected frequency range is found for almost all stars. Two objects, however, turn out to have only one dominant pulsation mode.

HD 105382 is clearly a monoperiodic, very active λ Eri star with the frequency 0.7721 d−1. Its photometric behaviour and the moment variations are not typical for a standard pulsational model.