Stellar Fluxes as Probes of Convection in Stellar Atmospheres

Abstract

Convection and turbulence in stellar atmospheres have a significant effect on the emergent flux from late-type stars. The theoretical advancements in convection modelling over recent years have proved challenging for the observers to obtain measurements with sufficient precision and accuracy to allow discrimination between the various predictions. An overview of the current observational techniques used to evaluate various convection theories is presented, including photometry, spectrophotometry, and spectroscopy. The results from these techniques are discussed, along with their successes and limitations. The prospects for improved observations of stellar fluxes are also given.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure; to appear in Convection in Astrophysics, Proc. IAUS 239, F.Kupka, I.W. Roxburgh, K.L. Chan ed