Context. The star HD 49385 is the first G-type solar-like pulsator observed in the seismology field of the space telescope CoRoT. The satellite collected 137 days of high-precision photometric data on this star, confirming that it presents solar-like oscillations. HD 49385 was also observed in spectroscopy with the NARVAL spectrograph in January 2009. Aims. Our goal is to characterize HD 49385 using both spectroscopic and seismic data. Methods. The fundamental stellar parameters of HD 49385 are derived with the semi-automatic software VWA, and the projected rotational velocity is estimated by fitting synthetic profiles to isolated lines in the observed spectrum. A maximum likelihood estimation is used to determine the parameters of the observed p modes. We perform a global fit, in which modes are fitted simultaneously over nine radial orders, with degrees ranging from = 0 to = 3 (36 individual modes). Results. Precise estimates of the atmospheric parameters (T eff , [M/H], log g) and of the v sin i of HD 49385 are obtained. The seismic analysis of the star leads to a clear identification of the modes for degrees = 0, 1, 2. Around the maximum of the signal (ν 1013 μHz), some peaks are found significant and compatible with the expected characteristics of = 3 modes. Our fit yields robust estimates of the frequencies, linewidths and amplitudes of the modes. We find amplitudes of ∼5.6 ± 0.8 ppm for radial modes at the maximum of the signal. The lifetimes of the modes range from one day (at high frequency) to a bit more than two days (at low frequency). Significant peaks are found outside the identified ridges and are fitted. They are attributed to mixed modes.

Context. The F8 star HD 181906 (effective temperature ∼6300 K) was observed for 156 days by the CoRoT satellite during the first long run in the direction of the galactic centre. Analysis of the data reveals a spectrum of solar-like acoustic oscillations. However, the faintness of the target (m v = 7.65) means the signal-to-noise (S/N) in the acoustic modes is quite low, and this low S/N leads to complications in the analysis. Aims. We extract global variables of the star, as well as key parameters of the p modes observed in the power spectrum of the lightcurve. Methods. The power spectrum of the lightcurve, a wavelet transform and spot fitting were used to obtain the average rotation rate of the star and its inclination angle. Then, the autocorrelation of the power spectrum and the power spectrum of the power spectrum were used to properly determine the large separation. Finally, estimations of the mode parameters were done by maximizing the likelihood of a global fit, where several modes were fit simultaneously. Results. We have been able to infer the mean surface rotation rate of the star (∼4 μHz) with indications of the presence of surface differential rotation, the large separation of the p modes (∼87 μHz), hence also the "ridges" corresponding to overtones of the acoustic modes.

The continuous photometric observations collected by the Kepler satellite over 4 yr provide a wealth of data with an unequalled quantity and quality for the study of stellar evolution of more than 200 000 stars. Moreover, the length of the dataset provides a unique source of information for detecting magnetic activity and associated temporal variability in the acoustic oscillations. In this regards, the Kepler mission was awaited with great expectations. The search for the signature of magnetic activity variability in solar-like pulsations still remained unfruitful more than 2 yr after the end of the nominal mission. Here, however, we report the discovery of temporal variability in the low-degree acoustic frequencies of the young (1 Gyr-old) solar analog KIC 10644253 with a modulation of about 1.5 yr with significant temporal variations for the duration of the Kepler observations. The variations agree with the derived photometric activity. The frequency shifts extracted for KIC 10644253 are shown to result from the same physical mechanisms involved in the inner subsurface layers as in the Sun. In parallel, a detailed spectroscopic analysis of KIC 10644253 is performed based on complementary ground-based, high-resolution observations collected by the HERMES instrument mounted on the Mercator telescope. Its lithium abundance and chromospheric activity S index confirm that KIC 10644253 is a young and more active star than the Sun.