[Paper Review] Weighing stars from birth to death: mass determination methods across the HRD

Aldo Serenelli, Weiss, A.+32 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 1, 2021

Astronomical and nuclear sciences915 references85 citations

TL;DR

This comprehensive review synthesizes over 200 mass-determination methods for stars across the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, from pre-main sequence to evolved remnants. It evaluates direct (e.g., eclipsing binaries, gravitational lensing), indirect (e.g., isochrone fitting, asteroseismology), and emerging techniques, establishing a 'mass-ladder' framework with benchmark stars achieving 0.3–2% relative mass accuracy across 0.1–16 M⊙.

ABSTRACT

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Motivation & Objective

• To systematize and evaluate the full spectrum of stellar mass determination techniques across all evolutionary stages.
• To identify and quantify the uncertainties and limitations of each method, from direct dynamical measurements to model-dependent approaches.
• To compile a comprehensive list of benchmark stars with high-precision mass measurements (0.3–2% accuracy) for calibration and validation.
• To propose a hierarchical 'mass-ladder' framework integrating multiple methods to improve overall accuracy and consistency.
• To support stellar archaeology, exoplanet characterization, and galaxy evolution studies through improved mass constraints.

Proposed method

• Utilizes detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs) as the most direct, model-independent method for dynamical mass determination.
• Applies radial velocity measurements and spectral disentangling to derive orbital parameters and masses in spectroscopic binaries.
• Employs asteroseismology to infer masses via oscillation frequencies, particularly effective for main-sequence and evolved stars.
• Combines isochrone and stellar track fitting with photometric and spectroscopic data to estimate masses in the absence of dynamical constraints.
• Integrates gravitational lensing and interferometric techniques for low-mass and compact objects, including white dwarfs and subdwarfs.
• Develops a 'mass-ladder' framework by hierarchically combining methods, starting from the most accurate (DEBs) to calibrate less direct techniques.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 What are the most accurate and reliable methods for determining stellar masses across the full Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
• RQ2 How do uncertainties in mass estimates vary across different evolutionary stages and methods?
• RQ3 To what extent can asteroseismology and other indirect methods improve upon traditional isochrone fitting?
• RQ4 How can a hierarchical 'mass-ladder' be constructed to calibrate less precise methods using high-accuracy benchmark stars?
• RQ5 What are the key limitations and systematic errors in current mass determination techniques, especially for low-mass and evolved stars?

Key findings

• The review identifies 200+ benchmark stars with relative mass accuracies between 0.3% and 2%, covering the mass range M ∈ [0.1, 16] M⊙.
• Detached eclipsing binaries provide the most direct and model-independent mass measurements, forming the foundation of the mass-ladder.
• Asteroseismology enables precise mass determination for stars on the main sequence and in evolved phases, especially when combined with Kepler and TESS data.
• For evolved stars, including red giants and supergiants, oscillation modes and interferometric observations significantly improve mass estimates.
• The mass-ladder framework successfully reduces systematic errors by calibrating indirect methods (e.g., isochrone fitting) using high-precision DEB data.
• Systematic uncertainties in mass estimates remain highest for pre-main sequence stars and evolved compact remnants, where data and models are less constrained.