5 research outputs found
Asteroseismology
Asteroseismology is the determination of the interior structures of stars by
using their oscillations as seismic waves. Simple explanations of the
astrophysical background and some basic theoretical considerations needed in
this rapidly evolving field are followed by introductions to the most important
concepts and methods on the basis of example. Previous and potential
applications of asteroseismology are reviewed and future trends are attempted
to be foreseen.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures, to appear in: "Planets, Stars and Stellar
Systems", eds. T. D. Oswalt et al., Springer Verla
Pulsating White Dwarf Stars and Precision Asteroseismology
Galactic history is written in the white dwarf stars. Their surface
properties hint at interiors composed of matter under extreme conditions. In
the forty years since their discovery, pulsating white dwarf stars have moved
from side-show curiosities to center stage as important tools for unraveling
the deep mysteries of the Universe. Innovative observational techniques and
theoretical modeling tools have breathed life into precision asteroseismology.
We are just learning to use this powerful tool, confronting theoretical models
with observed frequencies and their time rate-of-change. With this tool, we
calibrate white dwarf cosmochronology; we explore equations of state; we
measure stellar masses, rotation rates, and nuclear reaction rates; we explore
the physics of interior crystallization; we study the structure of the
progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, and we test models of dark matter. The white
dwarf pulsations are at once the heartbeat of galactic history and a window
into unexplored and exotic physics.Comment: 70 pages, 11 figures, to be published in Annual Review of Astronomy
and Astrophysics 200