RRab variables with identical light-curve shapes at different pulsation periods

In this paper, we report on the detection of RRab stars with quasi-identical-shape light curves but period differences as large as 0.05–0.21 d using the Galactic bulge data of the OGLE-IV survey. We have examined stars with shorter periods than the Oosterhoff I ridge of the bulge. These stars generally have smaller amplitudes and larger Fourier phase-differences than the typical bulge RRab stars have at the same period. Many of these ‘anomalous’ stars have good-quality light curves without any sign of the Blazhko modulation. Examining their Fourier parameters revealed that several of these stars show very similar light curve to the typical bulge RR Lyrae. We found hundreds of quasi-identical-shape light-curve pairs with different periods between the ‘anomalous’- and the ‘normal’-position RRab stars based on the OGLE I-band data. The OGLE V-band, and the archive VVV and MACHO surveys Ks-, b- and r-band data of these stars were also checked for light-curve-shape similarity. Finally, 149 pairs with identical-shape light curves in each available photometric band were identified. Calculating the physical properties of the variables using empirical formulae, on average, −0.5 dex, −0.13 mag, 0.67, and 165 K differences between the [Fe/H], MV, R/R⊙, and Teff values of the members of the pairs are derived, being the short-period stars less metal-poor, fainter, smaller, and hotter than the long-period variables. To explain the existence of variables with different physical properties and pulsation periods but with identical-shape light curves is a challenging task for modelling.