Physical parameters and chemical abundances of δ Ceti

Abstract A detailed spectroscopic study of a β Cephei variable star, δ Ceti, is presented. Physical fundamental parameters are estimated from the best fitting of 26 neutral helium lines and Balmer profiles: effective temperature, superficial gravity and projected rotation velocity. Non-LTE abundances of He, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Ar and Fe are achieved using model atmospheres with updated atomic data. Our analysis show an N-enrichment and Fe overabundance, with [O/Fe] ≅ −0.73 dex, confirming this object to be a metal-rich star, which is a requirement for the κ -mechanism to trigger the pulsations observed in β Cephei stars.